ICT has bridged access to information from anywhere anytime which improves information dissemination around the world. As a result the world has become a global village. Hence everyone should have an idea of ICT to come up with the technology. So let’s go through the basic concepts of ICT.
Content Index
Concept of ICT
This section will cover :
- How to identify data and information ?
- What is Information and Communication Technology ?
- Applications of Information and Communication Technology
- Demerits of Information and Communication Technology
Data
The numbers, words, images and symbols which do not carry a meaning, when standing alone.
- Data are raw facts.
- It’s a collection of non formal and disorganized items.
- Examples :- weights, prices, numbers of items sold etc…
Information
Information is the processed data on which decisions and actions are based.
- We can use information to make decisions.
- They are meaningful.
- Examples :- time table, report card, weather report etc…
Characteristics of Information
1. Relevance
- Information should be relevant to the purpose for which it is required.
- It must be suitable.
- As an example it is not needed to submit all the academic information from Grade 1 on wards, when the need is to submit only the highest educational qualification.
2. Completeness
- It should contain all the facts that are necessary for the decision maker to satisfactorily solve the problem. Incomplete information could lead to drawing wrong decisions.
3. Accuracy
- Good information is based on correct and complete data, and this has been processed correctly as expected.
- If a doctor gets wrong information about the patient’s health, it could be harmful to the patient.
4. Timeliness
- Information must be on time for the purpose for which it is required. Hence information received too late will be wrong.
- Today’s weather report may not be suitable to decide on tomorrow’s weather.
5. Cost Effectiveness
- It is not free and it costs money to develop a system, and to maintain it.
- If a company spends money more than the profits to collect some details in order to increase profits, it would be a business loss to that company.
What is “Information System”?
Submitting data for processing is called “Input” and the result we get after processing is called “Output”. We can call the collection of all these components above a “Information System”.
Let’s consider some examples of Information System
Example 1 – Finger print reader to record the attendance of an organization
Example 2 – ATM Automatic Teller Machine. When the bank ATM card is inserted to ATM machine, information regarding the account is given.
What is “ICT”?
We can get information by processing data and that information can be used to make decisions . And when we share the information among individual people or systems, it is called communication of information.
Man has been processing and sharing information since past. But he had to face many troubles in data communication. But today it has become an easy task with the advancement of technology.
Technology is used in various ways to convert data into information and then to exchange them. This is called Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Applications of ICT
Today, you could hardly come across any person or a place that does not use information and communication technology in day to day activities. Let’s study such cases shortly:
| e-Government | Government information services | |
| Aid for tourists | ||
| Publish government circulars | ||
| Business registration | ||
| Education | In the classroom | |
| Education anywhere anytime | ||
| Teaching aid for teachers | ||
| Learning Management System | ||
| Higher education for everyone | ||
| Health | In diagnosis | Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) machine |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine | ||
| Electrocardiogram (ECG) machine | ||
| Cardiac screening machine | ||
| Electroencephalography(EEG) | ||
| Blood sugar testing machine | ||
| Blood pressure measuring machine | ||
| Telemedicine | Emergency telemedicine | |
| Home health medicine | ||
| Telemedicine consultation | ||
| Tele surgery | ||
| Tele training | ||
| Agriculture | Meteorological devices | |
| Automated insect control | ||
| Field conditions measuring devices | ||
| Drip irrigation | ||
| Automatic weed remover | ||
| Seedling planter using robotics | ||
| Crop harvesting using robots | ||
| Greenhouse | ||
| Radio frequency identification devices(RFID) | ||
| For security (CCTV) | ||
| Farm management | ||
| Transport | Closed circuit TV (CCTV) | |
| Traffic light control system | ||
| Parking identification placard | ||
| Entertainment | Social network | |
| Digital photography | ||
| Video games | ||
| Business | Video conferencing | |
| Human resource management | ||
| e-banking system | ||
| Industry | Use of robots | |
Demerits of ICT
Not only does ICT help us as enabler to do our day to day activities, but it has become a close friend also. However, if you associate this friend in an bad manner it may bring-forth effects to you as well to the whole society. The following are some of them.
- Addiction – A student or any other person who immerses himself/herself in the excessive use of computer or who plays games on internet without a limit, may lose the track of education and/or end up with ailments such as sore eyes, back pain, headache etc.
- Building unsuitable friendships through social media.
- When the computer is infected by virus due to improper use of internet it may not work well or go out of order.
- Mental disorders may affect a person causing harm to himself/herself and to society by visiting improper websites.
- Publishing of distorted photographs and videos of individuals affecting their personal lives.
- Fatness due to less exercise
- Isolation
- Violating copyrights
Therefore, it is our duty to use ICT in a fine manner as the systems made by ICT make most of man’s usual work easy.