First Blog Assignment

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

What is Data?
In layman terms, data can be described as discrete facts or even unprocessed info. Having to scrutinize the standpoint of Davenport, he clearly defined data as "observations of states of the world" having said that such raw facts/data can be observed by people/suitable technology. As to simplify it, it means "simple observations".[1]

What is Information?
Understandably, Davenport exemplifies information as "Data with relevance and Information"[1]. Information has been regarded as an umbrella term for data, information and knowledge which also explains the connection between raw data and attained knowledge.

What is Knowledge?
Knowledge is defined as valuable information from the human mind. The value of it conforms to the information context, meaning and particular interpretation. The definition of knowledge was then refined together with Prusak in 1998 where it was defined as "A mixture of organized experiences, values, information and insights offering a framework to evaluate new experiences and information."[2]

2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?[3][4]

Characteristics of Data :
Identified as the lowest level of information, it is unsorted, unformatted, unvalidated and in certain circumstances might be unreadable. Data may be projected as qualitative(opinion-based/subjective) or quantitative (measurement-based/objective). It also consists of detailed/sampled data and is depicted in various forms of which textual, numeric, graphical, aural, visual are among the few.

Characteristics of Information :
Like data, information can also be categorized into quantitative and qualitative information. Being differentiated from data, information has shape and can be processed, accessed, generated, created, transmitted, stored, sent, distributed. Information can also be compressed and duplicated.

Characteristics of Knowledge :
Significantly, knowledge is personal, subjective and inherently local. It sets apart from data and information as it is shaped by existing perceptions and experiences. Knowledge can be delineated as tacit or explicit. Tacit refers to knowledge of a fluid type, in which is hard to encode and communicate. In other words, it is difficult to be resolved into information. This form of knowledge can be personal, context-specific and also hard to get hold of. Explicit however is knowledge in a solid form. Knowledge of this sort is clearly defined and clearly expressed. In another aspect, it can be readily observed and fully developed.

3. Give an example for each term mentioned above

Example of Data : Black Smoke
Example of Information : Black Smoke emitted from a factory on the east side
Example of Knowledge : Black smoke being emitted from the factory would represent the particles and material through the process of combustion combined together with air. It produces smoke which would bring detriment to humans and would encourage Global Warming.


4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Unambiguously, the posibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy evidently exists. Yes it does, and has been justified as depicted in the DIKW Hierarchy, also known as Information Hierarchy/Wisdom Hierarchy/Knowledge Pyramid .

Stated by Robert Gangne, DIKW Hierarchy is a ranked list of all knowledge in which all intellectual skills and all learning, progresses from the simplest to the most complex.[5] Therefore it is utmost important to present lower-level facts first before higher-level ones.

Below is a diagram illustrating the Knowledge Pyramid
based on the model of DIKW Hierarchy :



The pyramid above would be perceived as having 4 levels of information. The first level is Data(lowest), second is Information, third is Knowledge and the fourth level(highest) would be Wisdom.

Wisdom can be defined and created with the usage of knowledge, through the communication of knowledge users, and also through reflection, in this sense it can mean judgement. Wisdom also answers the "why" and "when" as they would relate to actions. [6]In another standpoint, wisdom would increase effectiveness and adds value in which mental function (judgement) is needed.[8]

References :

[1] DAVENPORT T. H., PRUSAK. L (1997), "Information Ecology: Mastering the Information and Knowledge Environment". Accessed on January 14, 2009, from the World Wide Web:

[2] LIEW. A (2007), “Journal of Knowledge Management Practice”. Accessed on January 14, 2009, from the World Wide Web:

[3] HANSSON. P, “Knowledge Management (KM) Tools in Mobile Networks - Features, Benifits, Challenges and Characteristics”. Accessed on January 14, 2009, from the World Wide Web:

[4] KELLY.M (2005), “IT Lecture Notes - characteristics of data”. Accessed on January 14, 2009, from the World Wide Web:

[5] SIL INTERNATIONAL (1999), “What is a knowledge hierarchy?”. Accessed on January 14, 2009, from the World Wide Web:

[6] ENCYCLOPEDIA (2003), “DIKW”. Accessed on January 14, 2009, from the World Wide Web:

First blog assignment

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

“Data – the signals about human events and activities that we are exposed to each day – has little value in itself, although to its credit it is easy to store and manipulate on computers”

Davenport and Marchand 1999

“Information is what data becomes when we as humans interpret and contextualise it. It is also the vehicle we use to express and communicate knowledge in business and in our lives. Information has more value than data and, at the same time, greater ambiguity – as any manager will attest who has ever argued over how many interpretations the term "customer", "order" and "shipment" can have inside the same company.”

Davenport and Marchand

"Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of knowers. In organizations, it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and norms."

Davenport and Prusak

(Introduction, 2004)



Data – Data is a set of separate and objective data elements.

Information – Information consists of separate pieces of data which are connected to each other.

Knowledge – Knowledge was turn from information after significance is imparted to the information.

(Virpi Pirttimäki, 2004)




2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?

Data –
Data is the raw material in the first level of a information hierarchy. Character strings, signals, numbers, texts, and photos are unanalyzed data. The meaning of a data can only be understood by the receiver when the data has a certain context. (Virpi Pirttimäki, 2004)

According to Ackoff, data simply exists and has no significance beyond its existence. Data can exist in any form whether it is usable or not usable. It does not have meaning of itself. (Gene Bellinger, 2004)


Information –
According to Ståhle and Grönroos (1999), a receiver can understand the Information only if Information has value for him. Information usually contains some kind of message which has some meaning or interpretation depend on a receiver. (Virpi Pirttimäki, 2004) Information does not have to have meaning but with meaning can be useful.


Knowledge –
Knowledge is when a receiver has processed the information and connected it to his own mental structure. Intelligence is created by dissections when receiver has a way of applying information and knowledge to solve problems or to carry out an assignment. (Virpi Pirttimäki, 2004)

According to (Gene Bellinger, 2004), knowledge is appropriate collection of information that it is intent to be useful. Knowledge is a deterministic process.

3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.

Data – There is a rainbow.

Information – Rainbow have seven colours which are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

Knowledge – Rainbow arises when water drops in the air refract sun light or passing through a prism. This is because the diffraction index depends on wavelengths of light, and called the dispersion of light.



4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Yes. There is a possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy which is Wisdom. Wisdom is an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. Wisdom is the ability and the process by which we also discern, or judge, between right and wrong. Wisdom can only process by human.
(Gene Bellinger, 2004)

Reference

1. Introduction(2004) retrieve on Jan 15, 2008 from http://nlkr.gov.kg/km/introduction.html

2. Virpi Pirttimäki (2004), The Roles of Internal and External Information in
Business Intelligence, retrieve on Jan15, 2008 from http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:gZjqlai_O5kJ:www.ebrc.fi/kuvat/385-396_04.pdf+Thomas+Davenport%27s+Information+Hierarchy+data+information+knowledge&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=my

3. Gene Bellinger (2004), Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom by Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro, Anthony Mills, retrieve on Jan 15, 2008 from http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm

First Blog Assignment

Q1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

a. Data: symbols
b. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions.
c. Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions.[1]

Q2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?

a. Data is a collection of processed information. In computer terminology, data often refers to user and configuration files. All digital photographs, email messages, music and video files, webbrowser bookmarks, and other files are considered user data.

b. Information as a concept has a diversity of meanings, from everyday usage to technical settings which is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, mental stimulus, pattern, perception, and representation.

c. Knowledge is defined as expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education, the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject, what is known in a particular field or in total, the facts and information or awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.

Q3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.

a. Data: The box is 3' wide, 3' deep, and 6' high
b. Information: There is a smaller compartment inside the box with ice in it
c. Knowledge: It is colder inside the box than it is outside

Q4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Yes. The fourth level of information hierarchy is wisdom, known as an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. It relate to all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing. [1]

References

1. Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills. (2004) Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. Retrieved from http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm

2. What-Is-What.com Retrieved from http://what-is-what.com/what_is/data.html

3. Nikhil Sharma, The Origin of the “Data Information Knowledge Wisdom” Hierarchy. Retrieved from http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~nsharma/dikw_origin.htm

First Blog Assignment

Q1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

1. Data: refer to a collection of facts. This may consist of numbers, words, or images, particularly as measurements or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as a lowest level of abstraction. [1] In information system it can be referred as simple observation

2. Information: In general, raw data that has been verified to be accurate and timely, is specific and organized for a purpose, is presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance, and which leads to increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty. [2]

3. Knowledge: Human faculty resulting from interpreted information; understanding that germinates from combination of data, information, experience, and individual interpretation. [3] In information system it can be defined that has been synthesized and contextualized to provide value.

Q2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?

1. Data: The main characteristic of data is that, it is unprocessed, unorganized and discrete (in separate, unrelated chunks).

2. Information: is differentiated from data in that it is "useful". "Information is inferred from data"[4], in the process of answering interrogative questions (e.g., "who", "what", "where", "how many", "when"), thereby making the data useful for "decisions and/or action". "Classically," states a recent text, "information is defined as data that are endowed with meaning and purpose."[5]

3. Knowledge: Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, expert insight and grounded intuition that provides an environment and framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of knower. In organizations it often becomes embedded not only in documents and repositories but also in organizational routines, processes, practices and norms. [6]

Q3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.

1. Data: Data represents a fact or statement of event without relation to other things.
Ex: It is hot.

2. Information: Information embodies the understanding of a relationship of some sort, possibly cause and effect.
Ex: The temperature rose up at 38 degrees and then it become hot.

3. Knowledge:　 Knowledge represents a pattern that connects and generally provides a high level of predictability as to what is described or what will happen next.
Ex: If the humidity is very low and the temperature rose substantially so it is hot.

Q4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Yes. The fourth level of Information Hierarchy is Wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to increase effectiveness. Wisdom adds value, which requires the mental function that we call judgment. The ethical and aesthetic values that this implies are inherent to the actor and are unique and personal.[4]
Cleveland described wisdom simply as "integrated knowledge--information made super-useful".[7] Wisdom can be characterized as "knowing the right things to do" and "the ability to make sound judgments and decisions apparently without thought".

Reference:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data
Access at 8:30 p.m. 15-01-2009
[2]http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/information.html Access at 9:05 p.m. 15-01-2009
[3]http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/knowledge.html Access at 9:18 p.m. 15-01-2009
[4] Rowley, Jennifer; Richard Hartley (2006). Organizing Knowledge: An Introduction to Managing Access to Information. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. pp. 5-6
[5] Gamble, Paul R.; John Blackwell (educator) (2002). Knowledge Management: A State of the Art Guide. London: Kogan Page. p. 43.
[6] Davenport, Thomas .; Laurence Prusack(1998). Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. pp. 5.
[7] Wallace, Danny P.(2007). Knowledge Management: Historical and Cross-Disciplinary Themes. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 1-14.

First Blog Assignment

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

A. Data: It is a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn. It is also called "statistical data" [1].
B. Information: It is a message received and understood.
C. Knowledge: It is the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning.

2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?
A. The key characteristics of the data that is stored by a directory service correspond to size and latency. Active Directory should store objects that are not so large that they hamper replication and not so unstable that they change before an update replicates to all replicas in the forest. Therefore, large, unstructured data sets and data values that change frequently are not appropriate for storage in Active Directory [2].
B. Information has several characteristics that make information very different than other commodities:
It is reproducible. Its theft does not deny it to the original owner.
The cost of reproduction is low.
It can be transported easily.
Its lifetime can be brief.
Its value is not additive [3].
C. Knowledge is a deterministic process. When someone "memorizes" information (as less-aspiring test-bound students often do), then they have amassed knowledge. This knowledge has useful meaning to them, but it does not provide for, in and of itself, an integration such as would infer further knowledge [4].

3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.
A. The number of Chinese Population belongs to data.
B. The material which we search from the Internet is information.
C. The fishes swim to the water level, we can know it will rain soon from it.

4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.
Yes. Because the fourth level of Information Hierarchy is Wisdom. The detailed information of it is an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. It calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing [4].


References
[1] WordNet Search - 3.0. Available from the URL: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=data 15 January 2009
[2] Microsoft TechNet. (2009) Data Characteristics. Available from the URL: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/reskit/distrib/dsbg_dat_ygpe.mspx?mfr=true 15 January 2009.
[3] (1996) Characteristics of Information. Available from the URL: http://www.cs.jcu.edu.au/Subjects/cp1500/1998/Lecture_Notes/information/characteristics.html 15 January 2009.
[4] Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills. (2004) Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. Available from the URL: http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm 15 January 2009.

First Blog Assignment

Q1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

a. Data :The raw material of information.
b. Information:Data organized and presented by someone.
c. Knowledge :Information read, heard or seen and understood.[1]


Q2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?

a. data: Data refer to a collection of facts usually collected as the result of experience , observation or experiment, or processes within a computer system, or a set of premises. This may consist of numbers, words, or images, particularly as measurements or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as a lowest level of abstraction from which information and knowledge are derived.It can exist in any form, usable or not.

b. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions.

c. Knowledge:Knowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject with the ability to use it for a specific purpose if appropriate.it is the application of data and information; answers "how" questions[2][4]


Q3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.

data: there are 697units in the warehouse
information: the apple become red and the farmers start to pick it.
knowledge: If the water is frozen, then we know the temperature of the water is below or equal to 0 degree [3]

Q4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

yes, the fourth level of Information Hierarchy is Wisdom: Distilled and integrated knowledge and understanding.wisdom is an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. It calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). [1][2]


reference:

[1]http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~ray/Affiliates98/tsld005.htm

[2]Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills. (2004) Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. accessed at: http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm

[3] Thomas H. Davenport, Laurence Prusak. Information Ecology. In Chapter 1 Information and Its Discontents: An Introduction. Oxford University Press US, 2009. PP.9,10.

[4]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge (Accessed:15 January 2009)

First Blog Assignment

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).

Answer: (1) Data: I define data as "observations of states of the world".
(2) Information: It is as "data endowed with relevance and purpose."
(3) Knowledge: It is valuable information from the human mind which includes reflection, synthesis and context [1].


2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?

Answer: (1) The characteristic of data:
The observing of such raw facts or quantifiable entities can be done by people or by the appropriate technology. From an information management perspective, data is relatively easy to capture, communicate, and store. Nothing is lost when it's represented as a string of bits, which certainly comforts IT personnel.
In short, its characteristics are easily structured, easily captured on machines, often quantified and easily transferred.
(2) The characteristic of information:
People turn data into information, and that's what makes life difficult for information managers. Unlike data, information requires some unit of analysis. Information is also much harder to transfer with absolute fidelity.
In short, its characteristics are to require unit of analysis, need consensus on meaning and need human mediation.
(3) The characteristics of knowledge:
Knowledge is information with the most value and is consequently the hardest form to manage. And it is valuable precisely because somebody has given the information context, meaning, a particular interpretation; somebody has reflected on the knowledge, added their own wisdom to it, and considered its larger implications. Knowledge can be embedded in machines, but it's tough to categorize and retrieve effectively.
In short, its characteristics are hard to structure, difficult to capture on machines, often tacit and hard to transfer [1].


3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.

Answer: (1) About data: "There are 697 units in the warehouse."
(2) About information: As a child, he is playing "Telephone."
(3) About knowledge: If the water is boiling, then we know the temperature of the water reaches 100 degree [1].


4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Answer: Yes, there is possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy.
According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories: Data, Information, Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom. At the same time, He also indicates that the first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known.
To the fourth level of Information Hierarchy ---- 'understanding', a further elaboration of Ackoff's definitions is:
Understanding is an interpolative and probabilistic process. It is cognitive and analytical. It is the process by which I can take knowledge and synthesize new knowledge from the previously held knowledge. The difference between understanding and knowledge is the difference between "learning" and "memorizing". People who have understanding can undertake useful actions because they can synthesize new knowledge, or in some cases, at least new information, from what is previously known (and understood). That is, understanding can build upon currently held information, knowledge and understanding itself. In computer parlance, AI systems possess understanding in the sense that they are able to synthesize new knowledge from previously stored information and knowledge [2].


References:
[1] Thomas H. Davenport, Laurence Prusak. Information Ecology. In Chapter 1 Information and Its Discontents: An Introduction. Oxford University Press US, 2009. PP.9,10.
[2] Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro and Anthony Mills. (2004) Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. Available at: http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm (Accessed: 15 January 2009)

First Blog Assignment

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).[1][2][3]

The generally accepted view sees data as simple facts that become information as data are combined into meaningful structures, which subsequently become knowledge as meaningful information is put into a context and when it can be used to make predictions. According to this view, data are a prerequisite for information, and information is a prerequisite for knowledge.

According to the Thomas Davenport's definitions follows:

Data: Data is a symbol. It is raw, which simply exists and has no significance beyond its existence (in and of itself). It can exist in any form, usable or not. It does not have meaning of itself. In computer parlance, a spreadsheet generally starts out by holding data.

Information: Information is data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions. It has been given meaning by way of relational connection. This "meaning" can be useful, but does not have to be. In computer parlance, a relational database makes information from the data stored within it.

Knowledge: Knowledge is application of data and information; answers "how" questions. It is neither data nor information, though it is related to both, and the differences between these terms are often a matter of degree.

2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?[4]

Data - This is the lowest level of 'information'. The contents are usually not very useful as they are. Typically the data is unsorted, unformatted, not yet validated or redundancy tested and in some cases unreadable. In most cases it is not even available to the relevant people. It has to be transformed/post-processed before turned into something useful. Although data is important it is very rarely valuable in itself.

Information - Information is transformed data presented in a meaningful way for the user. The transformation usually involves post-processing of the data and is typically done through spreadsheets, queries to databases or presenting information through a GIS. Many organizations have realized the value of information, but are still struggling with how to manage it in an efficient way, mostly because there has not been flexible enough management tools available to support them.

Knowledge - Knowledge can be defined as the capability that creates actions from information. This is the highest level of 'information' and is the most user-friendly, because it speaks the same language as the user. Example: How to identify, analyze, solve and verify a high dropped call level in a certain BSC/cell. Who is best suited to solve such problem and when should it be solved.

3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.[2][4]

Data: Data represents a fact or statement of event without relation to other things.

Example: a)It is raining.

b)List of dropped call raw data (counters) from a BSC.

Information: Information embodies the understanding of a relationship of some sort, possibly cause and effect.

Example: a)The temperature dropped 15 degrees and then it started raining.

b)A dropped call performance management report from a BSC.

Knowledge represents a pattern that connects and generally provides a high level of predictability as to what is described or what will happen next.

Example: a)If the humidity is very high and the temperature drops substantially the atmospheres is often unlikely to be able to hold the moisture so it rains.
b) How to identify, analyze, solve and verify a high dropped call level in a certain BSC/cell. Who is best suited to solve such problem and when should it be solved.

4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.[2]

Yes, there is possibility of a fourth level of information Heierarchy.The fourth level is called Wisdom, which is an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. It calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing. Unlike the previous there levels, it asks questions to which there is no (easily-achievable) answer, and in some cases, to which there can be no humanly-known answer period. Wisdom is therefore, the process by which we also discern, or judge, between right and wrong, good and bad.

The digram will show you follows:

Reference:

[1] Ilkka Tuomi(1999),Data is more than knowledge: implications of the reversed knowledge hierarchy for knowledge management and organizational memory (p103-117), M. E. Sharpe, Inc. Armonk, NY, USA, 1999, from the World Wide Web: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1195842
[2] Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro, Anthony Mills(2004), "Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom". Retrieved January 15,2009, from the World Wide Web: http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm
[3] Lou Agosta(March 7, 1999), Answer the Intellectual Capital (Hardcover), Stewart demonstrates he has intellectual capital too, from the World Wide Web: http://www.amazon.com/Intellectual-Capital-Thomas-Stewart/dp/0385482280
[4] Peter Hansson, Knowledge Management (KM) Tools In Mobile Networks - Features, Benefits, Challenges and Characteristics, from the World Wide Web:http://www.eknowledgecenter.com/articles/1004/1004.htm
[5] Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro & Anthony Mills(2004) Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom, from the World Wide Web: http://blogmarks.net/marks/tag/system%2Btheory

First Blog Assignment

1.Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997). [1] [2]

Data: symbols or signs . It represents a fact or statement of event without relation to other things.

Information: it inferred from data ;data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions; it embodies the understanding of a relationship of some sort, possibly cause and effect .

Knowledge: information having been processed, organized or structured in some way, or else as being applied or put into action; application of data and information; answers "how" questions; it represents a pattern that connects and generally provides a high level of predictability as to what is described or what will happen next.


2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?[2]

Data... data is raw. It simply exists and has no significance beyond its existence (in and of itself). It can exist in any form, usable or not. It does not have meaning of itself. In computer parlance, a spreadsheet generally starts out by holding data.

Information... information is data that has been given meaning by way of relational connection. This "meaning" can be useful, but does not have to be. In computer parlance, a relational database makes information from the data stored within it.

Knowledge... knowledge is the appropriate collection of information, such that it's intent is to be useful. Knowledge is a deterministic process. When someone "memorizes" information (as less-aspiring test-bound students often do), then they have amassed knowledge. This knowledge has useful meaning to them, but it does not provide for, in and of itself, an integration such as would infer further knowledge.

3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.

Data: For example, it is raining.

Information: For example, the temperature dropped 15 degrees and then it started raining.

Knowledge: For example, if the humidity is very high and the temperature drops substantially the atmospheres is often unlikely to be able to hold the moisture so it rains.

4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.

Yes, it is. A fourth level of Information Hierarchy is called " DIKW Hierarchy",also known variously as the "Wisdom Hierarchy", the "Knowledge Hierarchy", the "Information Hierarchy", and the "Knowledge Pyramid"[4], refers loosely to a class of models[5] for representing purported structural and/or functional relationships between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. "Typically information is defined in terms of data, knowledge in terms of information, and wisdom in terms of knowledge".

Wisdom evaluated understanding. Zeleny described wisdom as "know-why"[6], but later refined his definitions, so as to differentiate "why do" (wisdom) from "why is" (information), and expanding his definition to include a form of know-what ("what to do, act or carry out")[7].

Reference:

[1] Wikipedia (2008) DIKW. Retrieved January 15, 2009, from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW

[2] Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro, Anthony Mills(2004), "Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom". Retrieved January 15,2009, from the World Wide Web: http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm

[4] Rowley, Jennifer (2007). " The wisdom hierachy: representationd of the DIKW hirerachy". Journal of Information Science 33 (2): 163-180.

[5] Zins, Chaim (22 January 2007). "Conceptual Approaches for Defining Data, Information, and Knowledge". Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology(Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) 58 (4): 479-493. doi:10.1002/asi.
http://www.success.co.il/is/zins_definitions_dik.pdf. Retrieved on 7 January 2009.

[6] Zebleny,Milan(1987). "Management Support Systems: Towards Integrated Knowledge Management". Human Systems Management7 (1): 59–70.

[7] Zebleny,Milan (2005). Human Systems Management: Integrating Knowledge, Management and Systems. World Scientific. pp. 15-16. ISBN 9789810249137.

Blog Assignment

1.Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).
Answer:
a. data:Thomas Davenport and Larry Prusak’s notion that ‘data’ are ‘discrete,objective, facts about events’ (1998:2). In organisations, data represent‘structured records of transactions’ (Ibid.). The important point here is thatthere is no inherent meaning in data. Data may be the raw material ofdecision making but they cannot, alone, tell you what to do.[1]

b. information is distinctly different from data because it has meaning.Indeed, this is where the hierarchy represented above begins to make somesense, because we can conceptualise
‘information’ as simply ‘data investedwith meaning’ (i.e., information = data + meaning).Peter Drucker makes thesame point by noting that information is ‘data endowed with relevance andpurpose’. Charles Jonscher’s is even more precise when he talks about how‘Information is data interpreted by the person who is being informed’(Johnscher, 2000:36).[2]

c. knowledge is broader, deeper, andmore useful than information. It also underscores the value of the hierarchyoutlined above because, just as information is data distilled and interpreted,knowledge is information distilled and interpreted.In the same way that weadd ‘meaning’ to data to transform it into information, we add purpose toinformation to transform it into knowledge (i.e., knowledge = information +purpose).knowledge involves both a dimension of ‘resolution’ and of ‘action’. Itinvolves resolution in the sense that, while you may have conflictinginformation, it is unusual for some one to say they have conflicting knowledge.[3]

2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?
a. data:from a information management perspective, data is relatively easy to capture, communication and store. Nothing is lost when ot's represent as a string of bits, which certainly comfort to IT personnel.[4] All organisations need data, and some organisations are entirely relianton them. However, more data are not always better. Too many data make ithard to distinguish the useful data from the noise.[5]

b. information: information need some unit analysis, and it is much harder to transfer with absolute fidelity. [6] Information, then, can be thought of as a message that is intended to have animpact on the receiver. It adds meaning to data in a number of ways, withsome of the most common ones being through:
Contextualisation (why were the data gathered in the first place?)
• Categorisation (what are the key components of the data?)
• Calculated (for instance, through statistical summaries)
• Corrected (involving the discovery and removal of errors)
• Condensed (with the main points summarised in a more concise form)[7]

c. knowledge:it can embeded in machines, but it is tough to categorize and retrieve effectively. Davenport and Prusak (1998:6-7) suggest that some of the components thatwe might all agree contribute to ‘knowledge’ include:
Experience: Knowledge develops over time. This means experienceprovides a historical perspective from which to view and understand newsituations and events.
Practical Utility: Knowledge means being able to distinguish what ‘should’work from what really does. It is where ‘the rubber meets the road’. It is the difference between what is taught in business schools and what reallyhappens in the business world.
Speed: The knowledgeable are able to recognise patterns and provideshort cuts to solutions rather than build one from scratch every time. As aresult, knowledge offers supercharged problem solving.
Complexity: Knowledge is about dealing with complexity. This means it iscomfortable with the ambiguity of real-world situations. By denyingcomplexity, those without knowledge offer simple solutions that invariablyfail.
Evolving: Because the key to knowledge is knowing what you don’t know,the knowledgeable are also able to refine their knowledge through furtherexperience, study, and learning. Knowledge either examines itself andevolves or it is dogma.[8]

3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.
data:Davenport andPrusak use the example of a customer buying some gas for her car: The datawill record how many litres she bought, when she bought them, how much shepaid, and how she paid. But the data cannot tell us anything about why shewent to that gas station and not another, nor how happy she was with theservice, nor whether she is likely to go back to purchase more gas in thefuture.[9]

information:For instance, putting thedata into context is something only people can do. As we will see, it is this‘social construction’ element of information that has important consequencesfor knowledge management.[10]

knowledge:One of themost famous philosophers of the twenty century, Ludwig Wittgenstein,illustrated this general problem with definitions by talking about the concept of a ‘game’. Wittgenstein argued that it was not possible to establish thenecessary and sufficient conditions for an activity to be judged a ‘game’because ‘when one tries, one invariably finds an activity that one’s definitionincludes but that one would not want to count as a game, or an activity thatthe definition excludes but that one would want to count as a game’ (inChalmers, 1982:93).[11]

4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.
Yes, there is the possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy, which is the Wisdom.wisdom is an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. It calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.).It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing. Unlike the previous four levels, it asks questions to which there is no (easily-achievable) answer, and in some cases, to which there can be no humanly-known answer period. Wisdom is therefore, the process by which we also discern, or judge, between right and wrong, good and bad.[12]

Rference:
[1],[2],[3],[5],[7],[8],[9],[10],[11] www.nodoubt.co.nz/articles/data.pdf (March 2003) Data, Information, and Knowledge Auckland, New Zealand
[4],[6] Thomas H. Davenport, Laurence Prusak (1997) Mastering the Information and Knowledge Environment, Information Ecology. pp10-11 Oxford University Press US
[12] Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro & Anthony Mills(2004) Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom

FIRST BLOG ASSIGNMENT

1. Define the meaning of the terms data, information and knowledge according to Thomas Davenport's Information Hierarchy (1997).
a.data:Simple observations of states of the world
b.information:Data endowed with relevance and purpose
c.knowledge:Valuable information from the human mind, includes reflection,synthesis,context

2. What are the characteristics of the above terms?
a. data: easily structured, easily captured on machines, often quantified, easily transferred
b.information: requires unit of analysis, need consensus on meaning, hunman mediation necessary
c. knowledge: Hard to structure, difficulte to capture on machines, often tacit, hard to transfer

3. Give and example for each term mentioned above.
data: for example, there are 697units in the warehouse```
information: hard to transfer: think of palying "telephone" as a child, or the outcome of most office rumormills```
knowledge: somebody has reflected on the knowledge, added their own wisdom to it, and considered its larger impllications```
http://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Hf2xD29STfcC&oi=fnd&pg=PP10&dq=Thomas+Davenport%27s+Information+Hierarchy+(1997).&ots=y8EP2xyBdz&sig=pdx3WNXmbQ-7MJ-6q0M8DV6NetM#PPA10,M1
4. Is there any possibility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy? Elaborate.
There is possiblility of a fourth level of Information Hierarchy. It is wisdom. Wisdom,Distilled and integrated knowledge and understanding.http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm