DATA AND INFORMATION

 

DATA AND INFORMATION

DEFINITION OF DATA

Data are raw, unorganized or unprocessed facts that need to be processed. Data can be something simple and seemingly random and useless until it is organised.

 TYPES OF DATA

1. Qualitative data  i.e descriptive information
2. Quantitative data  i.e  numeric information

 SUBDIVISION OF QUANTITATIVE DATA

1. Continuous data: this can take any value. It is also known as measured data. It can take value within a range e.g  0-99, 10-20 etc.
2. Discrete data: this type of data is whole in nature. It is not continuous. It takes a whole numbers and also called Counted data.

 FORMS OF DATA

1. Numeric  i. e  0-9
2. Letters  i.e  a-z or A-Z
3. Symbols  e.g   + , _ , * , % , = , <, >, etc

EXAMPLES OF DATA

Numbers, name of thing, place or animal, words, measurements, observations, descriptions of things etc.

 SOURCES OF DATA

Data can come from different sources depending on the importance of the data. The following are sources of data: television, internet, articles, government documents and public records, newspaper, textbooks, biographies.

 INFORMATION

This refers to data that have been converted into a more meaningful and useful form.

It refers to a processed data that is meaningful to the user.

 EXAMPLES OF INFORMATION

1. Student ID card
2. Weather reports
3. Student’s report card
4. International passport
5. Utility bills e.g PHCN bills, Water bills

 SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Internet, Database, Magazine/ Newspaper, Census board, Documents, Observation etc

 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD INFORMATION

1. Relevance:  it must be relevant and good enough for its purpose.
2. Reliability: it must come from a reliable source.
3. Accuracy:  it must be an end product of processed data. That is, it must be error-free.
4. Availability:  it must be available and communicated to the user as at when it is needed.
5. Suitability: it must be expressed in the form the user of the information can understand it and of suitable for its purpose.

 DATA HANDLING

This the process of ensuring that research data is stored, archived or disposed off in a safe and secure manner during and after the conclusion of a research project.

 WAYS OF HANDLING DATA

1. Electronic methods: Data can be handled electronically ensures data integrity. It includes personal digital assistants (PDA), storage media, CD/DVD, MEMORY CARDS etc.
2. Non-Electronic methods:  This method includes paper files, journals and laboratory notebooks. It is basically called manual method in which human energy and effort are used to process data.