M150: Data, Computing and information 1. 1- Introduction: Assessments and cut-off-dates 8 credit course, two semesters 4 TMAs, 2 Quizzes, two finals.

M150: Data, Computing and information

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1- Introduction: Assessments and cut-off-dates

8 credit course, two semesters 4 TMAs, 2 Quizzes, two finals.Course grade distribution and cut-off-date:

First semester:

TMA01: 08 %, 16 November 2008

TMA02: 10 %, 07 January 2009

Quiz one: 7%, the week of 15 December 2008

Final one: 25 %, during the month of January 2009

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1- Introduction: Assessments and cut-off-dates

Second semester:

TMA03: 10 %, 26 March 2009

TMA04: 7 %, 15 May 2009

Quiz two: 8 %, during the week of 20 April 2009

Final two: 25 %, during the month of June 2009

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1- Introduction: Before you startPower point presentation are not enough to study the

course: you must study the material’s units

TMA late submission will lead to grade deduction

penalties

One week: 25 % of the grade will be deducted

Between one week and two weeks: 50 %

After two weeks : 100%

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1- Introduction: Before you startPlagiarism:

The grade of any common part between two TMAs of different

students will not count on grade summation.

Resources of used documents content should be mentioned clearly

(internet, books, course material …), otherwise, the grade of the

corresponding part will not count.

Attendance:

6 unjustified absences will lead to course drop

Attending other than your tutorials session is not allowed unless you

hold a permission from the coordinator.

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1- Introduction: to succeed the courseLike any other course at AOU, to pass M150 you should:

1- Get at least 40/100 as average grade of TMAs and Quizzes

AND

2- Get at least 40/100 as average grade of final one and final

two

AND

3- Get at least 50/100 as average of both

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2- The course at a glanceThe course has three blocks:

Block one:Unit 1: Data and information

Unit 2: Representation

Unit 3: Crossing the boundary: analogue universe, digital worlds.

Unit 4: Integrating data

Unit 5 : Storing, getting and sending your dataBlock two:

Unit 6: The structure of hardware and software

Unit 7: An introduction to programming using JavaScript

Unit 8: Programs and data ( End of First Semester)

Unit 9: Software development

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2- The course at a glanceBlock Three:

Unit 11: Computing in the wild

Unit 12: Interacting with information

Unit 13: Sensational computing

Unit 14: Hiding data: an introduction to security

Unit 15 : Too many secrets

Unit 16: Realistic expectations

In the first semester we will cover the first 8 units.

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3- Unit One: Data and information

Introduction:Data, information and computers

Paperless, more data

Organizing and structuring data for easy access and use

Example of cards holding data you may need on daily basis:

Driving license

Credit cards

Sports club membership card

Transportation card

Your ID

Etc …

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This course is not about the history of computers (although that will be touched on); it’s about

1. data (such as a person’s name, or the number of a bus route);

2. computers and how they can be made to work with data (e.g. storing it, changing it, and displaying it);

3. information (which is generated by linking items of data to answer questions of interest).

The course is also about how the use of computers can affect you. Whether or not you realise it, you are not only surrounded by computers but you have a persona created by the data associated with you.

Some of the data you create yourself, consciously. Some is created when you open a bank account, enroll on a course, shop using a loyalty card, and so on. How much of this persona of yours is public, whether the data it contains is correct, and whether it should be held in the public domain, are all things you need to be aware of.

What sort of information would a doctor need in the course of his or her working day?

DiscussionHere is a list of the things a doctor needs to know:1. personal information about a patient which enables the doctor to visit that

patient;2. the patient’s medical records which show previous treatments, any adverse

reactions to treatments, and so on;3. information about the external bodies that deal with patients, such as the

location of the nearest pathology laboratory, and the name of the consultants at the local hospital who treat particular disorders;

4. information about the latest policies and procedures of the NHS (National Health Services );

5. recent research findings relevant to a patient’s condition.The above list shows how daunting information requirements can be. Adoctor needs everything from the simple and obvious (the patient’s nameand address) to the complex and possibly obscure (the latest researchfindings on a rare disease).

Imagine wandering around your local supermarket. Mentallyobserve the behavior of other shoppers and the staff at thesupermarket. Write down the information that these two groups need. Shoppers want information about a particular product, where it is,

what it costs and perhaps nutritional information associated with the product.

The store manager wants different information, such as: which items are being sold quickly so that shelves can be

replenished and stock reordered; what the daily turnover of the supermarket is so that new staff

can be hired when business increases. The staff who stack the shelves need to know what products to put

on shelves, and where the products can be found. Staff at the check-outs need to know what some products are (e.g.

different fruits, or how to distinguish pastry items) in order to enter the correct codes.

Data refers to discrete items, such as the price of an item on the shelf of a

supermarket, or the type of product listed on a sign over a supermarket

aisle.

In contrast, information involves linking together two or more items of data to provide

an item of knowledge. If someone suddenly said to you, ‘50p’, you’d be a bit puzzled.

However, being told, ‘The price of a liter of milk is 50p’, would convey information.

In other words, information can be thought of as the answer to a question such as:

‘What is the price of this product?’ So the words ‘50p’ said in connection with nothing

would mean little, but stated in answer to the above question would convey

information or knowledge.

3- Unit One: Data and informationSensing data and turning it into something usable

If you touch a surface, one of the things you will sense is its

temperature

We have developed words like ‘hot’, ‘cold’, ‘warm’, and ‘cool’

Such words allow us to link one sensation (touch) to another (vision)

Since science doesn’t deal with words, scientists have developed more objective

measures of hot and cold, such as the length of a column of mercury in a

thermometer.

Thermometers can then be used to compare temperatures by dividing the column

of mercury into gradations, called degrees Celsius (written °C).

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3- Unit One: Data and informationSensing data and turning it into something usableIf you touch What we perceive with our senses we call the most primitive form of data: perceptual data.Example 3.1, touching a surface

A surface, one of the things you will sense is its temperature

A sign or symbol is a way of representing data.

A sign (or symbol) can be defined as something that conveys some

information by means other than direct representation.

Beeping sound

Arrow traffic

Flags

Legends on maps

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3- Unit One: Data and informationData and information Human beings turn data into information through a process of:

creating signs to represent the data;

agreeing on what the signs symbolize;

linking these signs in a variety of ways to create information;

communicating that information to other people.

Example 3.2

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What has any of this to do with computers? Human beings invented computers because we have a

compelling interest in data. We seek to turn our perceptions of sensations into symbols, and then to store, analyse, process, and turn these symbols into something else: information. Modern computers, with their enormous storage capacity and incredible processing power, are an ideal tool for doing this. They allow us to acquire data, code it in terms of signs, store, retrieve, or combine it with other data. Sophisticated output devices allow us to present the results of all this processing (i.e. information) in ways that were hitherto impossible, too time consuming, or too expensive.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) of human brain, shows different intensities for different parts . The image easily detect a tumor using different color.

3- Unit One: Data and informationComputers as tools for finding

Maps: - the underlying grid of latitude and longitude;

- contour lines showing altitude;

- features such as rivers, roads, buildings and boundaries;

- the names of towns, roads, hills, rivers and other notable features of the landscape.

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3- Unit One: Data and informationGeographical data

Stored in databasesLeave out some layers for a particular purpose

Global positioning system (GPS)NavigationSurveyingPlate tectonic studies

GPS devicesReceiversEmittersToolsBenefits (Examples)

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3- Unit One: Data and informationFinding information: the web

Search engines

Single box waiting the keyword

Serves a similar function to an index in a book

Example: Google, Yahoo, Lycos, …

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3- Unit One: Data and informationFinding information: the web

The process:

1. The keywords are transmitted over the internet to a web server that

contains an index to websites which is associated with a series of

keywords that can be found in the site’s title, address or contents. The

index keywords and the user’s requested keywords are compared by the

server.

2. The web server then retrieves references to those websites that contain

the right keywords and sends details of each reference back to the user’s

browser.

3. The browser then displays the references for the user.

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3- Unit One: Data and informationFinding information: the web

Efficient search: the gateways

Composed keywords

Research refinement

Tracking your search path

Example 4.1

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3- Unit One: Data and informationComputers as tools for working with data

DNA

A DNA strand, bases, nucleotides, genes, and a chromosome (a) A small section of a DNA strand as though it were untwisted. Each box represents a base (A, C, G or T). Each pair of bases forms one nucleotide. Several nucleotides make up a gene (shown by brackets) (b) How the strand of DNA in (a) is twisted into the famous double helix (c) A chromosome formed from one DNA strand

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3- Unit One: Data and informationComputers as tools for working with dataDNA:- It consists of pairs of chemical bases called adenine (A), cystosine (C),guanine (G) and thymine (T).-The bases (which in Figure 5.1 are colour coded) can only be paired according to the rules: A to C and G to T.- A ‘rung’ or pair of bases (e.g. A–C) is called a base pair.- A nucleotide is a base pair plus its attached ‘structural’ molecules (i.e.the sides of the ladder).- Sequences of base pairs constitute genes which are the sections of aDNA strand that form discrete units of heredity (such as eye colour).- A complete DNA strand constitutes a chromosome (a human being has46 of these combined into 23 pairs).- The four letters (A, C, G, and T) representing the DNA bases constitute‘signs’ symbolising the building blocks of DNA. You can think of a set ofsigns as a code.

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3- Unit One: Data and informationComputers as tools for working with data

The human genomeThe human chromosomes.

An X and Y chromosome is shown as the final

pair, meaning that the individual would

be a male (females have two X

chromosomes)

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3- Unit One: Data and informationComputers as tools for working with data

Genetic tests are used for several reasons including:

Prenatal diagnostic test

Alzheimer disease

Identity testing

Etc…

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3- Unit One: Data and informationArt and the computers

Photograph

Painting

Infinite color spectrum

Transforming the natural to the designed

Modifying, customizing and reviewing.

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3- Unit One: Data and informationControlling things

The user interface

Displaying the choices

Displaying indications

Choosing programs and parameters

Ensuring safety

Controlling the machine

Actuators

Sensors

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3- Unit One: Data and informationSelling on the web

Browse through the details of the goods for sale

Search for a particular product

Check the availability of goods

Read and review the comment of other purchasers

Register to receive newsletters

But product using credit or debit cards

See what items are most popular

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3- Unit One: Data and informationDistributed system

The web

The database

The database server

The network

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4- What’s nextUnit 2: Representation

Convention communication and representation

Property of representations

Picking representations

Sharing and formats

Computer based activity: a case study

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A computer system is the combination of: the computer (with its processor and storage); other equipment such as a scanner or printer; the software programs that make it all work.