Information++Systems

=System Environment Description= A system environment outline is a framework to arrange all of the information you know about any particular information system. It is particularly useful as a way of summarising information provided in an examination question.

The main elements of the System Environment Description are:

**Name of System**
For example: Go4Broke Loans management System

Purpose & need
For example: To store data and manage information associated with the business of providing loans to clients

People in the Environment
In IPT there are three categories of people you must consider for every system. They are:=
 * **Participants** (input data)
 * **Users** (use output such as information)
 * **Others** in the environment (neither input data or use information from the system but are associated with the system in some way e.g. service technician).

**Data & information**

 * Data** is typically the INPUT to the system
 * Information** is typically an OUTPUT

Data can be of many different types such as images, audio, video, characters (text and number or symbols)

**Information Technology**
(Components of the system)

The main components of an information system are:


 * **Hardware** (H/W)
 * **Software** (S/W)
 * **Communications** (Comms)

Communication includes any networking components of the system that may comprise either hardware or software.

**Information Processes**
There are **seven** information processes. We can remember them as: **COAST-PD:**
 * **C**ollecting
 * **O**rganising
 * **A**nalysing
 * **S**toring & Retrieving
 * **T**ransmitting & Receiving
 * **P**rocessing, and
 * **D**isplaying

The syllabus d**efinition** for each of the information processes is as follows:


 * Collecting:** The input of data into the information system. The process includes deciding what to collect, locating the data and collecting or inputting the data.


 * Organising:** Arranging, representing and formatting data for later use.


 * Analysing:** Transforming data into information


 * Storing & Retrieving:** A two-step process where data/information is saved for later reload back into the information system


 * Transmitting & Receiving:** The transfer of data/information within and between information systems


 * Processing:** The manipulation of data by editing and updating it


 * Displaying:** The output from the information system

=Example System Environment Description=
 * Name of System:** Go4Broke Loans management System


 * Purpose & Need:** **//(of the information system//)** To store data and manage information associated with the business of providing loans to clients. Note: You need to be careful that you clearly differentiate between the prupose of the business and the prupose of the information system taht supports the business


 * People in the Environment:** In IPT there are three categories of people you must consider for every system . They are:


 * Participants
 * Users
 * Others in the environment


 * Participants:** (//the people who conduct the information processing//) are the people who enter and change data or producer reports and produce other information from the system. Participants are ‘hands-on’ – they use the technology of the system in some way. Make sure in exam answers that when you identify someone as a ‘participant’ that you also state the definition of a participant. Some examples of participants would be data entry staff; office staff; yourself (say when you use a word processor). The IPT syllabus also users the term ‘end-user’ to refer to participants.


 * Users:** of the information system are people who use the output (information) from the system but do not enter of change the data in the system. For example, if you receive a statement of earnings from your frequent flyer account you are a user of that information system.

An individual can both be a user and a participant in an information system e.g a business manager may enter data into one software module and use information generated from another part of the system.


 * Others in the environment:** People who are indirectly associated with the system. They might not input data or use output from the system but may be involved in another way e.g support staff; hardware and software vendors etc.


 * Data & Information:** **Data** is typically the INPUT to the system e.g raw facts such as loan request details. **Information** is typically an OUTPUT from the system, e.g. Loan approval letter.

The main components of an information system are:
 * Components of the system:**


 * Hardware (H/W)
 * Software (S/W)
 * Communications (Comms) is often a combination of hardware and software

Communication includes any networking components of the system.

Examples might be a laptop computer (hardware) running a Loans Application (software) where a loan approval request is transmitted to head office using a modem (communications equipment)

There are seven information processes. We can remember them as:
 * Information Processes:**


 * COAST-PD**


 * Collecting:** Define data; identify data; determine how to gather; gather data


 * Organising:** Determines format of data


 * Analysing:** Interprets data (transforming it into information)


 * Storing & Retrieving:** Saves and retrieves data


 * Transmitting & Receiving:** Send and receive data


 * Processing:** Manipulating data and information


 * Displaying:** Decides the form in which information will be shown (screen, printer, speaker).

//Note: Processing is defined in a particular way in the IPT syllabus//

=PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER= //Try and clearly describe the people; data/information and information technology associated with each information process//

In discussing the information processes it is important to provide examples from the specific information environment e.g in a banking environment data might be entered (**collected)** by a customer (**participant**) using the keyboard of an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) (**hardware**) under the guidance of screen instructions (**software**).The **data** the **participant** enters is **transmitted** over a wide area network (**communications)** and **received** by the **hardware** of a central computer where it is processed. Information (output) is **transmitted** from the central computer where it might be **received** and **displayed** on a computer screen **(H/W**) or displayed to a printer **(H/W**). It is most likely that the transaction information in this system would be **stored and retrieved** from a disc (**H/W**) on the central computer. It is possible that when the data was being processed other **software** might have been used to **analyse** some information about the participant. At the end of the banking day a manager (**user**) at the bank might be sent a report (**information**) about the day’s transactions. If at any time the hardware or software of this system needed support **others from the environment** such as support engineers may be called in to fix any problems.