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Data Vs Information

There is a subtle difference between data and information. Data are raw facts or details, while information refers to data that has been organized and put into context to make it meaningful. For example, individual test scores are data, but the average score of a class is information. Data comes from the Latin word "datum" meaning something given, while information comes from older French and English roots referring to informing or communicating knowledge. While data is technically a plural noun, it is often used as a singular mass noun interchangeably with information.

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Muhammad Nawazish
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284 views

Data Vs Information

There is a subtle difference between data and information. Data are raw facts or details, while information refers to data that has been organized and put into context to make it meaningful. For example, individual test scores are data, but the average score of a class is information. Data comes from the Latin word "datum" meaning something given, while information comes from older French and English roots referring to informing or communicating knowledge. While data is technically a plural noun, it is often used as a singular mass noun interchangeably with information.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Nawazish
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Data v/s Information

There is a subtle difference between data and information. Data are the facts or details from
which information is derived. Individual pieces of data are rarely useful alone. For data to become
information, data needs to be put into context.

Comparison chart

Data Information
Meaning
Data is raw, unorganized facts that
need to be processed. Data can be
something simple and seemingly
random and useless until it is
organized.
When data is processed, organized, structured
or presented in a given context so as to make it
useful, it is called information.
Example
Each student's test score is one
piece of data.
The average score of a class or of the entire
school is information that can be derived from
the given data.
Etymology
"Data" comes from a singular
Latin word, datum, which
originally meant "something
given." Its early usage dates back
to the 1600s. Over time "data" has
become the plural of datum.
"Information" is an older word that dates back
to the 1300s and has Old French and Middle
English origins. It has always referred to "the
act of informing, " usually in regard to
education, instruction, or other knowledge
communication.

Contents: Data vs Information
1 Data vs Information - Differences in Meaning
2 Examples of Data and Information
3 "Misleading" Data
4 Video Explaining the Differences
5 Etymology
6 Grammar and Usage

Data vs Information - Differences in Meaning
Data are simply facts or figures bits of information, but not information itself. When data are
processed, interpreted, organized, structured or presented so as to make them meaningful or useful, they
are called information. Information provides context for data.
For example, a list of dates data is meaningless without the information that makes the dates
relevant (dates of holiday).
"Data" and "information" are intricately tied together, whether one is recognizing them as two separate
words or using them interchangeably, as is common today. Whether they are used interchangeably
depends somewhat on the usage of "data" its context and grammar.

Examples of Data and Information
The history of temperature readings all over the world for the past 100 years is data. If this data is
organized and analyzed to find that global temperature is rising, then that is information.
The number of visitors to a website by country is an example of data. Finding out that traffic from the
U.S. is increasing while that from Australia is decreasing is meaningful information.
Often data is required to back up a claim or conclusion (information) derived or deduced from it. For
example, before a drug is approved by the FDA, the manufacturer must conduct clinical trials and
present a lot of data to demonstrate that the drug is safe.
"Misleading" Data
Because data needs to be interpreted and analyzed, it is quite possible indeed, very probable that
it will be interpreted incorrectly. When this leads to erroneous conclusions, it is said that the data are
misleading. Often this is the result of incomplete data or a lack of context. For example, your
investment in a mutual fundmay be up by 5% and you may conclude that the fund managers are doing a
great job. However, this could be misleading if the major stock market indices are up by 12%. In this
case, the fund has underperformed the market significantly.

Etymology
"Data" comes from a singular Latin word, datum, which originally meant "something given." Its early
usage dates back to the 1600s. Over time "data" has become the plural of datum.
"Information" is an older word that dates back to the 1300s and has Old French and Middle English
origins. It has always referred to "the act of informing," usually in regard to education, instruction, or
other knowledge communication.

Grammar and Usage
While "information" is a mass or uncountable noun that takes a singular verb, "data" is technically a
plural noun that deserves a plural verb (e.g., The data are ready.). The singular form of "data"
is datum meaning "one fact" a word which has mostly fallen out of common use but is still
widely recognized by many style guides (e.g., The datum proves her point.).
In common usage that is less likely to recognize datum, "data" has become a mass noun in many cases
and takes on a singular verb (e.g., The data is ready.). When this happens, it is very easy for "data" and
"information" to be used interchangeably (e.g.,The information is ready.).

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