This article will address the basic concepts of data, information and knowledge. Data is essentially facts and numbers that are collected, stored and organized to enable analysis. Information is an organized representation of the data, used to communicate something meaningful. Knowledge is the understanding acquired through experience or study and applied to decision-making.
Data are basic elements that can be used to build information. For example, data can be numbers, dates, texts, images and audio. These data elements are collected, organized, stored and manipulated to produce meaningful information. It is the information that can be used to make decisions based on analyses.
Information is the organized representation of these data. Data are organized into structures that allow people to understand the meaning and context. For example, a table can be used to organize data to facilitate analysis.
Knowledge is the understanding acquired through experience or study. It is used for decision-making and for creating new knowledge. For example, someone who has studied how an internal combustion engine works can use that knowledge to build a more efficient engine.
These three concepts are fundamental to any field of study or work. They provide the foundations for data collection, analysis and processing, for effective communication, and for informed decision-making. For this reason, it is important that students understand the basic concepts of data, information and knowledge.