Data vs Information
In today’s modern world, people often use the terms data and information interchangeably, but it is crucial to understand the difference between them. Data are facts and statistics collected in raw form for reference or analysis, while information is processed data.
What is Data?
Data refers to information in its raw form, which may be presented in an unorganized manner and make no sense until properly organized. Researchers may collect data through surveys using tools like questionnaires, but the collected data may not make sense on its own until it is organized and analyzed. In computer terms, data is the symbols or signals entered as commands, which result in organized information.
What is Information?
Information is processed data that becomes useful, as raw data alone does not provide the kind of information that can be used for beneficial purposes. Information is meaningful, relevant, and helps the user develop an understanding of the data that did not provide any coherence or certainty in what it represented. When researchers input data and form correlations between the data and variables they have, this provides them with relationships between variables known as information.
Key Takeaways
- Data is the facts and statistics collected in raw form for reference or analysis, while information is processed data.
- Data may be presented in an unorganized manner and make no sense until properly organized, while information is meaningful, relevant, and helps the user develop an understanding of the data.
- In computer terms, data is the symbols or signals entered as commands, which result in organized information, while information is the output that is of importance to the user.
