Digital Data: An

Overview
CPE 322
SECON D SEMEST ER 2022 -2023
Learning Objectives
• To define digital data
• To determine the properties of Digital Information
• To ascertain the characteristics of digital data
• To determine other forms of data
Digital Data
• Digital data is the electronic representation of information in a
format or language that machines can read and understand.
• In more technical terms, digital data is a binary format of information
that's converted into a machine-readable digital format.
• The power of digital data is that any analog inputs, from very simple
text documents to genome sequencing results, can be represented
with the binary system.
Digital Data
• Digital data, in information theory and information systems, are
discrete, discontinuous representations of information or works, as
contrasted with continuous, or analog signals which behave in a
continuous manner, or represent information using a continuous
function.
• The information represented can be either discrete, such as numbers
and letters, or it can be continuous, such as sounds, images and other
measurements.
• This term is most commonly used in computing and electronics,
especially where real-world information is converted to binary
numeric form as in digital audio and digital photography.
Digital Data
• Digital data is a data that represents other forms of data using
specific machine language systems that can be interpreted by various
technologies. The most fundamental of these systems is a binary
system, which simply stores complex audio, video or text information
in a series of binary characters, traditionally ones and zeros, or "on"
and "off" values.
Symbols in Digital Conversion
• A symbol input device usually consists of a group of switches that
are polled at regular intervals to see which switches are switched.
• Data will be lost if , within a single polling (denotes the process of
repeatedly sampling the status of external devices by a client
program) interval, two switches are pressed, or a switch is pressed,
released, and pressed again.
• This polling can be done by a specialized processor in the device to
prevent burdening the main CPU.
• When a new symbol has been entered, the device typically sends an
interrupt, in a specified format, so that the CPU can read it.
Symbols in Digital Conversion
• For devices with only a few switches (such as the buttons or a
joystick), the status of each can be encoded as bits (usually 0 for
released and 1 for pressed) in a single word.
• This is useful especially when combinations of key presses are
meaningful, and is sometimes used for passing the status of modifier
keys in a keyboard (such as shift and control).
Symbols in Digital Conversion
• Devices with many switches (such as a computer keyboard) usually
arrange these switches in a scan matrix, with the individual switches
on the intersections of x and y lines. When a switch is pressed, it
connects the corresponding x and y lines together.
• Polling (often called scanning in this case) is done by activating each x
line in sequence and detecting which y lines then have a signal, thus
which keys are pressed.
• When the keyboard processor detects that a key has changed state, it
sends a signal to the CPU indicating the scan code of the key and its
new state. The symbol is then encoded, or converted into a number,
based on the status of modifier keys and the desired character
encoding.
Symbols in Digital Conversion
• A custom encoding can be used for a specific application with no loss
of data. However, using a standard encoding such as ASCII is
problematic if a symbol such as ‘β’ needs to be converted but is not in
the standard.
Properties of Digital Information
• Synchronization
• Language
• Errors
• Copying
• Granularity
• Compressible
Synchronization
• It is a method used for determining the beginning of a sequence for
all digital schemes (since digital information is conveyed by the
sequence in which symbols are ordered)
• It is provided by pauses (spaces), capitalization, and punctuation (in
written or spoken human languages)
• Machine communications typically use special synchronization
sequences.
Language
• All digital communications require a formal language, which in this
context consists of all the information that the sender and receiver of
the digital communication must both possess, in advance, in order for
the communication to be successful.
• Languages are generally arbitrary and specify the meaning to be
assigned to particular symbol sequences, the allowed range of values,
methods to be used for synchronization, etc.
Errors
• Disturbances (noise) in analog communications invariably introduce
some, generally small deviation on error between the intended and
actual communication.
• Disturbances in a digital communication do not result in errors unless
the disturbance is so large as to result in a symbol being
misinterpreted as another symbol or disturb the sequence of
symbols. It is therefore generally possible to have an entirely error-
free digital communication.
• Further techniques such as check codes may be used to detect errors
and guarantee error-free communications through redundancy or
retransmission.
Errors in Digital Communication
• These errors can take the form of:
 substitution errors in which a symbol is replaced by another
symbol
 Insertion deletion errors in which an extra incorrect symbol is
inserted into or deleted from a digital message.

Note: Uncorrected errors in digital communications have

unpredictable and generally large impact on the information
content of the communication.
Copying
• Because of the inevitable presence of noise, making many successive
copies of an analog communication is infeasible because each
generation increases the noise.
• Because digital communications are generally error-free, copies of
copies can be made indefinitely.
Granularity
• a measure of the noise content of an image. The term comes from the
fact that in conventional photography a high noise content image
appears grainy to the viewer. Zero granularity is, of course,
impossible.
• The difference between the actual analog value and the digital
representation is known as quantization error. For example, if the
actual temperature is 23.234456544453 degrees, but if only 2 digits
(23) are assigned to this parameter in a particular digital
representation, the quantizing error is 0.234456544453. This property
of digital communication is known as granularity.
Compressible
• Digital data can be compressed.
• Compression reduces the amount of bandwidth space needed to
send information.
• Data can be compressed, sent and then decompressed at the site of
consumption. This makes it possible to send much more information
and result in, for example, digital television signals offering more
room on the airwave spectrum for more television channels.
Historical Digital Systems
• Written text (due to the limited character set and the use of discrete
symbols – the alphabet in most cases)
• The abacus was created sometime between 1000 BC and 500 BC, it
later became a form of calculator frequency. Nowadays it can be
used as a very advanced, yet basic digital calculator that uses beads
to represent numbers. Beads only have meaning in discrete up and
down states, not in analog in-between states.
• A beacon is perhaps the simplest non-electronic signal, with just two
states (on and off).
Historical Digital Systems
• Morse code uses 6 digital states – dot, dash, intra-character gap
(between each dot or dash), short gap (between each letter), medium
gap (between words), and long gap (between sentences) - to send
messages via a variety of potential carriers such as electricity or light,
for example using an electrical telegraph or a flashing light.
• The Braille system was the first binary format for character encoding,
using a six-bit code rendered as dot patterns.
• Flag semaphore uses rods or flags held in particular positions to send
messages to the receiver watching them some distance away.
Historical Digital Systems
• International maritime signal flags have distinctive markings that
represent letters of the alphabet to allow ships to send messages to
each other.
• More recently invented, a modern modulates an analog “carrier”
signal (such as sound) to encode binary electrical digital information,
as a series of binary digital sound pulses. A slightly earlier, surprisingly
reliable version of the same concept was to bundle a sequence of
audio digital “signal” and “no signal” information (i.e. “sound” and
“silence”) on magnetic cassette tape for use with early home
computers.
Digital Data in Big Data

• Big data, at its core, involves vast amounts of digital data, but in a
wide variety of formats and gathered at mind-boggling speeds.
• Different types of digital data, including batch or streaming, can be
collected and processed for consumption by machines or people,
through big data integration.
• Digital data in big data is commonly referred to by its characteristics.
Digital Media
• Any media that are encoded in a machine-readable format.
• Can be created, viewed, distributed, modified and preserved on digital electronics devices.
• Examples of digital media
 computer programs and software
 digital imagery, digital video
 video games
 web pages and websites, including social media
 data and databases
 digital audio, such as mp3s
 e-books
Digital Media
• Outline
 History
 Impact
Digital Media
• They are frequently contrasted with print media such as printed
books, newspapers and magazines, and other traditional or analog
media, such as pictures, film, or audio type.
• Combined with internet and personal computing, digital media has
caused disruption in publishing, journalism, entertainment,
education, commerce and politics.
• Digital media has also posed new challenges to copyright and
intellectual property laws, fostering an open content movement in
which content creators voluntarily give up some or all of their legal
rights to their work.
History
• Before electronics
 Analog computers, such as Babbage’s Difference Engine, use
physical, i.e. tangible, parts and actions to control operations
 Machine-readable media predates the Internet, modern
computers and electronics. Machine-readable codes and
information were first conceptualized by Charles Babbage in the
early 1800s. Between 1822 and 1823, Ada Lovelace, a
mathematician, wrote the first instruction for calculating
numbers on Babbage’s engines. (the first computer program)
 Other early machine-readable media include the instructions for
player pianos and jacquard looms.
History
• Digital computers
 Use binary code and Boolean logic to store and process information,
allowing one machine in one configuration to perform many different
tasks.
 Manchester Mark 1 and the EDSAC were independently invented
between 1948 and 1949. These machines had digital software
controlling their logical operations. They were encoded in binary, a
system of ones and zeroes that are combined to make hundreds of
characters. The 1s and 0s of binary are the “digits” of digital media.
 Other early machine-readable media include the instructions for player
pianos and jacquard looms.
Impact
• The Digital revolution (Information Age)
 computing power and storage capacity have increased exponentially.
 Personal computers and smartphones put the ability to access,
modify, store and share digital media in the hands of billions of people
 Many electronic devices, from digital cameras to drones have the
ability to create, transmit and view digital media.
 Combined with the world wide web and the internet, digital media
has transformed 21st century society in a way that is frequently
compared to the cultural, economic and social impact of the printing
press.
Economic transition from an industrial economy to an information-
based economy
Impact
• Disruption in Industry
 Digital media are easy to copy, store, share and modify.
 significant changes in many industries, especially journalism,
publishing, education, entertainment, and the music business.
 makes distribution easier and makes it possible to add high-
quality digital effects to films.
 It has affected the analog special effects, stunt, and animation
industries
 It has imposed painful costs on small movie theaters, some of
which did not or will not survive the transition to digital.
Impact
• Individual as Content creator
 Digital media has allowed individuals to be much more active in content
creation.
 anyone with access to computers and the Internet can participate in
social media and contribute their own writing, art, videos, photography
and commentary to the internet, as well as conduct business online.
(citizen journalism)
 The release of technologies such as mobile devices allow for easier
and quicker access to media
 User-generated content raises issues of privacy, credibility, civility
and compensation for cultural, intellectual and artistic contributions.
 The rising of digital media has made the consumer’s audio collection
more precise and personalized.
Impact
• Web only News
 More companies are beginning to distribute content through
internet only means.
• Copyright Challenges
 Digital media pose many challenges to current copyright and
intellectual property laws.
Characteristics of Data
• all sorts of very complex analog input can be represented with the
binary system. Along with smaller microprocessors and larger data
storage centers, this model of information capture has helped parties
like businesses and government agencies to explore new frontiers of
data collection and to represent more impressive simulations through
a digital interface.
References
• Leon Beach. “Introduction to Digital Signal Processing”.Larsen and
Keller Education, USA, 2017
• https://www.techopedia.com/definition/24872/digital-data
• https://www.egnyte.com/guides/governance/digital-data
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/granularity