ICT revision cards

ICT is the use of technology for the input, processing, storage and transfer of data and the output of information.

A System has 3 basic stages; input, processing and output (think of a restaurant; recording orders, add all the prices up and produce the bill).

An ICT System is where the output from the system goes to a human being or in another ICT System.

Components of ICT systems:

• People 
• Data 
• Procedures
• Software/Hardware
• Information

Networks and Intranets allow workers to communicate and share data in order to produce an efficient organisation.

Data - raw facts and figure or a set of values. Data can be inputted in different ways;

• Keyboard
• Bar-code reader
• Scanner
• Microphone 

In order for an ict sytem to work effciently many procedures need to be in place, many laws are set that employess must follow Data Protection Act, Computer Misuse Act, Copyright Designs and Patents Act and the Freedom of Information Act. All computer must have a username and password and checked regulary for any viruses brought in from home (USB).

Software packages make the computer a useful tool, the choice of software depends on the system implemented. The choice must ensure that the software can produce the correct output. Theres a huge amount of packages; Word processors,Spreasheets.Some organisations need a bespoke software (specifically designed for them).

Main components must be known and their characteristics;

• Input devices e.g. keyboard, mouse, scanner
• Processors e.g. CPU
• Output devices e.g. Printer, Speaker, Monitor
• Ports and Cables e.g. USB, Parallel, Serial
• Storage devices e.g. hard drive, DVD-RW and memory sticks

The final output is the information produced. Information is data that has been proccessed into something meaningful.

Data represents facts and figures or a set of values, Data can be collected in many forms just like questionaires. Data can occur in other formats other than text and numbers it can also arise by still/moving images and sound.

Computers store and process data using binary numbers, a single unit is called a 'bit', Computer memory is measured in bytes. 

1 byte = 8 bits

Encoding is used by computers to convert the Data into a machine readable form.

(Coding) Some data is coded on collection before being entered which changes the original data into a shortened version because it has been assigned a code e.g. M or F stands for male or female.

Bar codes pay a massive part in leading a role in stock control and customer ordering for web-based commerce and in warehousing. The most common in the UK is EAN 13 and 18 barcodes (European Article Number). Bar codes have the advantage of being able to be read upside down and from different angles. All products have a unique EAN number allocated to them.

Many books have a code called an ISBN number giving the book a unique number, it makes stock control a lot easier. You can just type the ISBN number in the internet and the specific book will come up.

Processing Data - this is the work the computer does on data to convert it into information, this involves calculations, logical operations.Computers process data to produce information. Information is data that is meaningful e.g supermarket loyalty cards. Informations is very reliable as it is a commodity it can be bought and sold so it has value. 

Accuracy of information - sales reports must be accurate to the exact value otherwise decisions made will be unaccurate.

Up to date information - some information only has a value within a specific time scale, for instance some products may only be in the sale for a few minutes.

Complete information - if it's not complete it loses it's value.

From a relaible source information - the lack of control on the content on the internet websites it can reduce the value of information. Recognised websites like BBC and Wiki are trusted websites.

Relevant information - information is only valuable to someone who has use for it and the values depends on the potential use.