Informatics: Introduction

1. Hafiz Nazeer Hussain M.Phil. Scholar Informatics: an introduction

2. Contents Introduction Etymology & History of informatics Definition & Modification and extension of definition Components of Information System Scope of informatics Information representation in I.S. Information Processing & communication Aspects of informatics Applications of informatics Social informatics Library informatics Purpose of Library as S.I. informatics

3. Introduction Every day we are touched/influenced by informatics Email, Google, YouTube, Blogs, FaceBook , Travelocity, GPS systems data-centric world new data acquisition devices everyone is creating content data  information  knowledge key to advances in science, engineering, medicine

4. Etymology ‘ Informatik ’ ( Steinbuch , K. 1957 ), German Informatik ----------> computer science (in English) . ‘ Informatique ’ (Philippe, 1962), French ‘Informatics’ (Walter, 1967) ‘Information’ & ‘automatic’, (tic=theory in ‘Greek’) Informatician or Informaticist . Informatics and its morphology (conics)

5. History of informatics The term ‘ informatika ’ adopted & translated as “Informatics” 1962 US: Walter Bauer founded a company named Informatics. Today Europe: “Informatics” = Computer Science Today US: widely used in application contexts: medical informatics, chemical informatics, bioinformatics

6. definition Generally the meaning of the term consists of theory of scientific information study of the use of information technology interaction of technology human organizational structures “Informatics is the discipline of science which investigates the structure and properties (not specific content) of scientific information, as well as the regularities of scientific information activity, its theory, history, methodology and organization”.

7. Modification and extension of definition Usage has modified this definition in three ways. The restriction to scientific information is removed. Most information is now digitally stored, computation is now central to informatics. Representation, processing & communication of information are added as objects of investigation.

8. Cont.. Informatics studies the interaction of information with individuals and organizations, as well as the fundamentals of computation and computability, and the hardware and software technologies used to store, process and communicate digitized information. It includes the study of communication as a process that links people together, to affect the behaviour of individuals and organizations (Indiana University, 2010)

9. Components of Information System

10. Scope of informatics Representations Paper, Analogue & Digital Records (Text, sound, images, etc.) Processing Human reasoning, digital computational, & organizational processes Communication Human communication Human-computer interface Computer communication and networks

11. Information representation in I.S. Representation World wide web Metadata Structured data Relational data Markup

12. Information Processing & communication Data, information & knowledge Natural language processing (NLP) Automated text-process Document clustering Automated natural language generation

13. Aspects of informatics

14. Medical informatics: an example

15. Social informatics (SI) SI examines social aspects of computerization – including the roles of IT in social and organizational change, the uses of ITs in social contexts, and the ways that the social organization of ITs is influenced by social forces and social practices. SI is scattered in the curriculum of different disciplines, Computer Science , Information Science, Informatics and Web Sociology, etc.

16. Social Informatics & lis Three “big questions” for LIS “Physical” question about the fundamental laws & features of recorded information, “Social” question about the ways in which people interact with & make use of information, “Design” question about the ways in which access to information can be improved. SI overlaps with information science. Integrated use of ICT into information organizations, including libraries

17. What is SI & why does it matter in LIs? It addresses questions of fundamental importance in library and information science and other fields; How can we best understand the complex relationships among; People ICTs System design Use Contexts in which system design & use take place

18. Library informatics Manager Cataloging File Server: Database Circulation Acquisition Serials Management OPAC Reference OPAC OPAC OPAC Virtual user/ without geographic place

19. Purpose of Library informatics as S.I. Studying how to design a system that delivers the right information, to the right person in the right place and time, in the right way, and is intimately tied to workflow discussions and standards.

20. Don’t be confused with… Contrast Informetrics Informatics Definition Study of quantitative aspects of information. This includes the production, dissemination and use of all forms of information, regardless of its form or origin. Informatics studies the structure, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process and communicate information. Theoretical Foundations Lotka's law Zipf's law Bradford's law Develops its own conceptual and theoretical foundations

21. Cont.. Contrast Informetrics Informatics Applications/ Fields Scientometrics , studies quantitative aspects (QA) of science; Webometrics , studies QA of WWW Cybermetrics , is similar to Webometrics , but broadens its definition to include electronic resources; Bibliometrics , studies QA of recorded information. Application of IT, Information Science, Computer Science, Business Management, Project Management in a field - i.e. Health Care or Finance Deals with Information user and Usage Information System Information Itself Science of information Practice of information Processing Engineering of information systems

22. Conclusion Information and communication technologies have become essential components of many people’s work and social lives. Technological changes will continue to revolutionize the ways to manage, share and analyze data, and will provide new ways of transforming data into information and knowledge.

23. References Contact to: [email protected]