Information Item

A Information Item is a data item that has been associated with semantic meaning.

• AKA: Data Item with Meaning, Informational Element, Meaningful Data, Information Unit.
• Context:
  • It can typically convey Semantic Content through meaning structures in communication systems.
  • It can typically represent Domain Knowledge through information encoding using data structures.
  • It can typically express Factual Statements through information representation within knowledge bases.
  • It can typically capture Relevant Details through information organization for human understanding.
  • It can typically transfer Message Content through information channels between communication entities.
  • ...
  • It can often support Decision Making through information delivery to cognitive agents.
  • It can often facilitate Knowledge Creation through information integration with existing knowledge.
  • It can often enable Communication Processes through information exchange between interacting agents.
  • It can often preserve Historical Evidence through information retention in record systems.
  • It can often reduce Uncertainty through information provision about uncertain situations.
  • ...
  • It can range from being Simple Information to being Complex Information, depending on its structural complexity.
  • It can range from being Semantic Information to being Syntactic Information, depending on its meaning content.
  • It can range from being Raw Information to being Processed Information, depending on its transformation level.
  • It can range from being Factual Information to being Conceptual Information, depending on its abstraction degree.
  • It can range from being Structured Information to being Unstructured Information, depending on its organizational form.
  • ...
  • It can establish Evidence Base through information documentation of business activities.
  • It can form Corporate Memory through information preservation of organizational experience.
  • It can enable Transparency through information disclosure about relevant processes.
  • It can support Accountability through information tracking of responsible actions.
  • It can facilitate Compliance through information management meeting regulatory requirements.
  • It can secure Personal Data through information protection against unauthorized access.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Structured Information Items, such as:
    • Database Records, such as:
      • Customer Record for client information storage.
      • Transaction Record for business event documentation.
      • Product Record for item specification tracking.
    • Data Structures, such as:
      • JSON Object for web data interchange.
      • XML Document for hierarchical data representation.
      • Relational Table for tabular data organization.
  • Textual Information Items, such as:
    • Natural Language Expressions, such as:
      • Natural Language Sentence, such as: "Mbutu walks home."
      • Natural Language Paragraph for extended thought expression.
      • Natural Language Document for comprehensive topic treatment.
    • Formal Texts, such as:
      • Business Report for organizational performance documentation.
      • Legal Document for rights and obligations specification.
      • Technical Manual for system operation instruction.
  • Interactive Information Items, such as:
    • Question-Answer Pairs, such as:
      • Simple Query with factual response.
      • Complex Question with elaborate answer.
      • Question and its Answer, such as: "How far is the Sun from Earth? Approximately 150 million kilometers, or 1 Astronomical Unit."
    • Command-Response Pairs, such as:
      • User Command with system feedback.
      • Search Query with result set.
  • Record Information Items, such as:
    • Business Records, such as:
      • Record "Name.First="Michael"; Name.Last="Jackson"; Birth.Year="1957"."
      • Accounting Record for financial transaction tracking.
      • Personnel Record for employee information management.
    • Historical Records, such as:
      • Event Documentation for historical occurrence preservation.
      • Chronological Log for sequential activity recording.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Random Data Collections, which lack semantic association and meaningful interpretation.
  • Data Value Sequences, such as "3.1, 4.5, 8.9, 18.8, …" that have no contextual meaning.
  • Concept Sets, such as "red, green, yellow, red, blue, …" without relational structure.
  • Raw Sensor Readings, which are unprocessed signals without assigned meaning.
  • Binary Strings, which are bit sequences without semantic content.
  • Noise Patterns, which contain random fluctuations rather than intentional signals.
• See: Knowledge, Contextual Information, Data Item, Information Theory, Semantic Information, Information System, Information Management, Records Management.

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References

2009

• WordNet.
  • a message received and understood
  • data: a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn; "statistical data"
  • knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction
  • (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome; "the signal contained thousands of bits of information"
  • formal accusation of a crime
• http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/information
  • A collection of related data; Knowledge about a topic; Data that have been processed into a format that is understandable by its intended audience ...
• itsecurity.cqu.edu.au/view.do
  • The meaning that humans assign to data by means of known conventions that are applied to the data.
• Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information
  • Records are a specialized form of information. Essentially, records are information produced consciously or as by-products of business activities or transactions and retained because of their value. Primarily their value is as evidence of the activities of the organization but they may also be retained for their informational value. Sound records management ensures that the integrity of records is preserved for as long as they are required.
  • The international standard on records management, ISO 15489, defines records as "information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business". The International Committee on Archives (ICA) Committee on electronic records defined a record as, "a specific piece of recorded information generated, collected or received in the initiation, conduct or completion of an activity and that comprises sufficient content, context and structure to provide proof or evidence of that activity".
  • Records may be retained because of their business value, as part of the corporate memory of the organization or to meet legal, fiscal or accountability requirements imposed on the organization. Willis (2005) expressed the view that sound management of business records and information delivered "…six key requirements for good corporate governance…transparency; accountability; due process; compliance; meeting statutory and common law requirements; and security of personal and corporate information."

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