SS 1 WEEK 8&9 SUMMARY NOTE
DATA AND INFORMATION
Definition of data
Data can be defined as a collection of raw facts represented in the form
of numbers, letters or words about an event, activity or something.
Data are also facts and figures that can be processed by a
computer.
Definition of information
Information is organized or classified data which has some meaningful
value to the receiver.
This refers to the acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval,
display and dissemination of information.
Also, information means processed data.
Furthermore, information is an analysed or processed data in a
meaningful way for decision making.
Types of data
Data consists of various types, namely;
Numeric data – this is data represented in the form of numbers or
figures. E.g. 246, 20, 900
Alphabetic data (labels) – this consists of letters, names, places.
E.g. port Harcourt, Adeolu, and letters A-Z. labels are also called
strings.
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Alpha-numeric data – this is a combination of numbers and
alphabets. E.g. school address; Jesuit Memorial College, P.M.B.
18095, Port-Harcourt.
Audio data – these are also known as voice data. They are usually
sent into a computer with a microphone.
Graphic data – these are also called video or visual data. They are
usually multimedia types such as pictures, images diagrams etc.
Examples of data and information
The history of temperature readings all over the world for the past
100 years is data. If this data is organized and analyzed to find
that global temperature is rising, then that is information.
The number of visitors to a website by country is an example of
data. Finding out that traffic from the U.S. is increasing while that
from Australia is decreasing is meaningful information.
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Sources of data refers to how data is obtained. This is determined
by the nature of the data, time and also the cost of obtaining the
data.
Data can be obtained by:
Interviewing
Observing
Document analysis
Survey
Experiment
Questionnaires
Types of data variable
At the highest level, two kinds of data variables exist. These are:
1. Quantitative and
2. Qualitative data
1. Quantitative data: quatitative data deals with numbers and things
you can measure objectively: dimensions such as height, width and
length: temperature and humidity, prices, area and volume.
Quantitative data is the type of data whose value is measured in the
form of numbers or counts, with a unique numerical value associated
with each data set. Also known as numerical data, quantitative
data further describes numeric variables (e.g. How many?
2. Qualitative data: qualitative data deals with characteristics and
descriptions that can be easily measured, but can be observed
subjectively-such as smell, taste, textures, attractiveness and colour.
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Qualitative data is defined as the data that approximates and
characterizes. Qualitative data can be observed and recorded.
This data type is non-numerical in nature. This type of data is collected
through methods of observations, one-to-one interviews, conducting
focus groups, and similar methods.
Quantitative data, which is also referred to as numeric data are of two
types. They are: continuous and discrete. As a general rule, counts
are discrete and measurements are continuous.
1. Discrete data: this are data that can be counted, although the count
cannot be made more precise. Typically, it involves integers. For
instance, the number of children in your family is discrete data,
because you are counting whole, indivisible entities: you can’t have 2.5
kinds or 1.3 pets. It has to be 3 children, 2 pets etc.
2. Continuous data: these are data that can be measured. For
example, you can measure the height of your children at progressively
more precise scales-meters, centimetre, millimetres and beyond-so
height is continuous data.
Qualitative data, which is also referred to as attribute data has three
types. These includes: binary, nominal and ordinal.
1. Binary data is data variables with only two values. Examples:
right/wrong, true/false, or accept/reject etc.
2. Nominal data refers to discrete data, whch have two or more
categories without having any kind of natural order. They are variables
with no numeric value, instead numbers are simply labels. You can
count but not order or measure nominal data. Examples gender (male,
female, transgender); types of pet (blue, brown, hazel).
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3. Ordinal data refers to quantities th8at have a natural ordering.
Values or observation can be ranked (put in order) or have a rating
scale attached. You can count and order, but not measure, but not
measure, ordinal data. Examples are: Grade level rankings (1 st, 2nd,
3rd); social economic class (working, middle, upper); the Likert scale
(agree, strongly agree, disagree etc.), income levels, school grades
(A,B,C,D,E,F etc).
data
quantitative qualitative
discrete continuous binary nominal ordinal
Data handling
Data handling is the process of ensuring that research data is stored,
achieved or disposed off in a safe and secure manner during and after
the conclusion of a research project.
Data handling is important in ensuring the integrity of research data
since it addresses concerns related to confidentiality, security and
preservation/retention of research data. Proper planning for data
handling can also result in efficient and economical storage, retrieval
and disposal of data.
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Some issues to consider when handling data electronically include the
following:
1. protect systems’ and individual files with login and passwords.
2. manage access rights (in the case of computer system administrators
not involved in the project their access could be limited)
3. regularly update virus protection to prevent vulnerability of data.
4. limit physical access to equipment and storage media (for example, in
the case of data stored on a computer using a standalone computer
maybe secure than a networked, computer)
5. accurate data removal from old hardware and certification that the
data was removed.
Ways of handling data
Data handling issues encompass both electronic as well as:
1. Electronic methods: electronic systems include computer
workstations and laptops, personal digital assistants (PDA), storage
media such as videotape, diskette, CD, DVD, memory cards, and other
electronic instrumentation. In the case of data handled electronically,
data integrity is a primary concern to ensure that recorded data is not
altered, erased, lost or accessed by unauthorized users.
2. Non electronic methods: non-electronic systems include paper files,
journals and laboratory notebooks.
