Information systems for you / Stephen Doyle.

Part 1 What is an information system?; data; information; the three stages of doing tasks; manual information systems; computerized information systems; examples of computerized information systems -- Part 2 The components of an information system: hardware and software; why use computers?; are there any drawbacks in using computers?; processing data; types of computer; peripheral devices; microprocessors -- Part 3 The ins and outs of systems - input and output: the ins and outs of a video library; input devices; output devices -- Part 4 Storing data: the storage of data; memory (main store); magnetic media; optical disks -- Part 5 Software: what is software?; operating systems (systems software); multitasking; multiuser; user interfaces; applications software; programming languages; translation programmes -- Part 6 Collecting your data: the problems with college enrolments; coding data; putting the details into the computer; flood warning - an example of automatic data capture; automatic data capture using signals; turnaround documents -- Part 7 Checking data: reasons for error; consequences of errors; how are errors avoided?; types of error; how to avoid errors -- Part 8 How data is stored - databases: the parts of a database; a card box filing system; record design; manual filing systems; computerized databases -- Part 9 Types of computer operation: life in the fast lane; real-time processing; doing all the processing in one go - batch processing; multitasking and multiprogramming; transaction processing; multi-access and timesharing -- Part 10 Data transfer: file conversion; ASCII files; transferring files between wordprocessors; data/file compression; digital and analogue computers -- Part 11 Ways of presenting your data: hard copy; presentation graphics; multimedia; CD-ROM; sound; MIDI; virtual reality -- Part 12 How to describe an information system: describing systems; structure diagrams; data flow diagrams; systems flowcharts -- Part 13 Systems analysis - sounds hard, what is it?: Harlequin Aquatics; fact finding; feasibility study; analysis phase; system design; testing the system; implementing (or introducing) the new system; documentation; system evaluation -- Part 14 Weather forecasting - an application of data logging: weather reporting - the old way; problem; the solution; weather reporting; the sensors; analogue-to-digital conversion; advantages of data logging; transferring weather data to another package; weather satellites -- Part 15 Transferring data around - a company with a communication problem: problems with the existing system; the solution to Binscope's problem; networks; local area (part contents)

This third edition provides coverage of all new 2001 GCSE short and long courses in ICT, as well as the National Curriculum ICT standards. Supported by the new Information Systems for You - Teacher Resource Pack, it covers the theoretical part of the course. The reading age is kept low so that pupils of all abilities are able to use the book.

Includes index.

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