m150: data, computing and information

M150: Data, Computing and information

Outline1.Introduction

Assessments and cut-off-dates

Before you start

2.The course at a glance

3.Unit one

4.What’s next

5.My questions

6.Your questions1

1- Introduction: Assessments and cut-off-dates

8 credit course, two semesters 4 TMAs, 2 Quizzes, two finals.Course grade distribution and cut-off-date:

First semester:

TMA01: 08 %, 16 November 2008

TMA02: 10 %, 07 January 2009

Quiz one: 7%, the week of 15 December 2008

Final one: 25 %, during the month of January 2009

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1- Introduction: Assessments and cut-off-dates

Second semester:

TMA03: 10 %, 26 March 2009

TMA04: 7 %, 15 May 2009

Quiz two: 8 %, during the week of 20 April 2009

Final two: 25 %, during the month of June 2009

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1- Introduction: Before you start

Power point presentation are not enough to study the

course: you must study the material’s units

TMA late submission will lead to grade deduction penalties

One week: 25 % of the grade will be deducted

Between one week and two weeks: 50 %

After two weeks : 100%

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1- Introduction: Before you start

Plagiarism:

The grade of any common part between two TMAs of different

students will not count on grade summation.

Resources of used documents content should be mentioned clearly

(internet, books, course material …), otherwise, the grade of the

corresponding part will not count.

Attendance:

6 unjustified absences will lead to course drop

Attending other than your tutorials session is not allowed unless you

hold a permission from the coordinator.

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1- Introduction: to succeed the course

Like any other course at AOU, to pass M150 you should:

1- Get at least 40/100 as average grade of TMAs and Quizzes

AND

2- Get at least 40/100 as average grade of final one and final two

AND

3- Get at least 50/100 as average of both

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2- The course at a glanceThe course has three blocks:

Block one:Unit 1: Data and information

Unit 2: Representation

Unit 3: Crossing the boundary: analogue universe, digital worlds.

Unit 4: Integrating data

Unit 5 : Storing, getting and sending your dataBlock two:

Unit 6: The structure of hardware and software

Unit 7: An introduction to programming using JavaScript

Unit 8: Programs and data

Unit 9: Software development

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2- The course at a glanceBlock Three:

Unit 11: Computing in the wild

Unit 12: Interacting with information

Unit 13: Sensational computing

Unit 14: Hiding data: an introduction to security

Unit 15 : Too many secrets

Unit 16: Realistic expectations

In the first semester we will cover the first 8 units.

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3- Unit One: Data and information

Introduction:Data, information and computers

Paperless, more data

Organizing and structuring data for easy access and use

Example of cards holding data you may need on daily basis:

Driving license

Credit cards

Sports club membership card

Transportation card

Your ID

Etc …

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Sensing data and turning it into something usableIf you touch a surface, one of the things you will sense is its

temperature

We have developed words like ‘hot’, ‘cold’, ‘warm’, and ‘cool’

Such words allow us to link one sensation (touch) to another (vision)

we have developed more objective measures of hot and cold, such as the

length of a column of mercury in a thermometer.

Thermometers can then be used to compare temperatures by dividing the

column of mercury into gradations, called degrees Celsius (written °C).

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Sensing data and turning it into something usableIf you touch What we perceive with our senses we call the most primitive form of data: perceptual data.Example 3.1, touching a surface

A surface, one of the things you will sense is its temperature

A sign or symbol is a way of representing data.

A sign (or symbol) can be defined as something that conveys some

information by means other than direct representation.Beeping sound

Arrow traffic

Flags

Legends on maps

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Louis Braille, the inventor of the braille systemEach letter of the alphabet could be represented by six raised dots

arranged in three rows.

The dots are precisely placed in relation to each other

The 63 combinations of dots and positions comprise an alphabet,

numerals, the main mathematical signs and a music notation.

The braille system also freed those with a visual impairment to write for

themselves

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Data and information Human beings turn data into information through a process of:

creating signs to represent the data;

agreeing on what the signs symbolize;

linking these signs in a variety of ways to create information;

communicating that information to other people.

Example 3.2

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3- Unit One: Data and informationData and information: example 3.3

This false-colour image of the great ice-storm over eastern Canada on 12January 1998 was recorded by a remote sensing satellite orbiting at 800km altitude

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Computers as tools for findingMaps:

- the underlying grid of latitude and longitude;- contour lines showing altitude;- features such as rivers, roads, buildings and boundaries;- the names of towns, roads, hills, rivers and other notable features of the landscape.

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Geographical dataStored in databasesLeave out some layers for a particular purpose

Global positioning system (GPS)NavigationSurveyingPlate tectonic studies

GPS devicesReceiversEmittersToolsBenefits (Examples)

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Finding information: the webSearch engines

Single box waiting the keyword

Serves a similar function to an index in a book

Example: Google, Yahoo, Lycos, …

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Finding information: the webThe process:

1. The keywords are transmitted over the internet to a web server that

contains an index to websites which is associated with a series of keywords

that can be found in the site’s title, address or contents. The index

keywords and the user’s requested keywords are compared by the server.

2. The web server then retrieves references to those websites that contain

the right keywords and sends details of each reference back to the user’s

browser.

3. The browser then displays the references for the user.

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Finding information: the web

Efficient search: the gateways

Composed keywords

Research refinement

Tracking your search path

Example 4.1

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Computers as tools for working with data

DNA

A DNA strand, bases, nucleotides, genes, and a chromosome (a) A small section of a DNA strand as though it were untwisted. Each box represents a base (A, C, G or T). Each pair of bases forms one nucleotide. Several nucleotides make up a gene (shown by brackets) (b) How the strand of DNA in (a) is twisted into the famous double helix (c) A chromosome formed from one DNA strand

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3- Unit One: Data and informationComputers as tools for working with dataDNA:- It consists of pairs of chemical bases called adenine (A), cystosine (C),guanine (G) and thymine (T).-The bases (which in Figure 5.1 are colour coded) can only be paired according to the rules: A to C and G to T.- A ‘rung’ or pair of bases (e.g. A–C) is called a base pair.- A nucleotide is a base pair plus its attached ‘structural’ molecules (i.e.the sides of the ladder).- Sequences of base pairs constitute genes which are the sections of aDNA strand that form discrete units of heredity (such as eye colour).- A complete DNA strand constitutes a chromosome (a human being has46 of these combined into 23 pairs).- The four letters (A, C, G, and T) representing the DNA bases constitute‘signs’ symbolising the building blocks of DNA. You can think of a set ofsigns as a code.

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The human genomeThe human chromosomes. An X and Y chromosome is shown as the finalpair, meaning that the individual would be a male (females have two Xchromosomes)

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Genetic tests are used for several reasons including:

Prenatal diagnostic test

Alzheimer disease

Identity testing

Etc…

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Art and the computers

Photograph

Painting

Infinite color spectrum

Transforming the natural to the designed

Modifying, customizing and reviewing.

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Controlling things

The user interface

Displaying the choices

Displaying indications

Choosing programs and parameters

Ensuring safety

Controlling the machine

Actuators

Sensors

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Selling on the web

Browse through the details of the goods for sale

Search for a particular product

Check the availability of goods

Read and review the comment of other purchasers

Register to receive newsletters

But product using credit or debit cards

See what items are most popular

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Distributed system

The web

The database

The database server

The network

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4- What’s next

Unit 2: Representation

Convention communication and representation

Property of representations

Picking representations

Sharing and formats

Computer based activity: a case study

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5- My questionsWhat is the name of this course ? What is the name of unit one ?How many TMAs you have in this course ? How many quizzes ? How many final exams ?What are the required grades so you can succeed the course ?What did Louis Braille invent ?How we transform sensation to tangible data ?List 5 domains where you can not but use computers ?How the information are stored ?What does a search engine serve for ?How can I make my web search efficient ?How other types of sciences benefit from computers ?

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5- Your questions

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m150: data, computing and information

Documents

course grade distribution

course dropattending

startthe course

credit course

course material

glancethe course

structuring data

informationsensing data