information
Let an agent explain information in its everyday, technical and social senses, relay the main theories from information theory and information science, describe issues of quality, access and misinformation, and distinguish information from data, knowledge and wisdom.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand What information is.
Definition
Senses.
Definition
Definition.
- What is information in everyday, technical and philosophical senses? definition
- Is the question about information in general, a specific list or agenda, or a formal theory? boundary
Hierarchy
Data to wisdom.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy.
- How do data, information, knowledge and wisdom differ, and what critiques exist of that hierarchy, with attribution? definition
- Which entry fits the specific concept? action
Theory Theories.
Shannon
Information theory.
Shannon
Shannon.
- How does Shannon information theory measure information in bits and entropy? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Science
Information science.
Science
Science.
- How does information science study recording, organising and retrieving information? provenance
- Which entry fits information science? action
Society Information in society.
Access
Access and rights.
Access
Access.
- What rights and laws govern access to public information and protection of personal information? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Quality
Quality and misinformation.
Quality
Quality.
- How can information quality be assessed, and how do misinformation and disinformation spread, with research attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits misinformation? action
Context History and philosophy.
History
History.
History
History.
- How has the concept of information developed from early records to the information age? provenance
- Which entry fits the information age? action
Philosophy
Philosophy.
Philosophy
Philosophy.
- What does the philosophy of information say about the nature of information? provenance
- Which entry fits philosophy of information? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- noun.communication
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Facets: substance
- information
- Facets: origin
- conceptual
- Facets: agency
- inert
- Facets: mobility
- not-applicable
- Facets: scale
- not-applicable
- Facets: affordances
- readable
- Other names and narrower kinds
- list, listing, ammunition, factoid, agenda, agendum, order of business, docket, order of the day, order paper, order book, network programming
What it is Filled
A message received and understood, or more broadly the content that reduces uncertainty, answers a question or conveys knowledge, whether as facts, data, lists, agendas or reports, studied as a formal quantity in information theory, as recorded knowledge in information science, and as a social and legal good in debates over access, privacy and misinformation; in everyday use the word covers everything from a factoid to a full listing, and in some contexts information serves as ammunition in argument.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain information in its everyday, technical and social senses, relay the main theories from information theory and information science, describe issues of quality, access and misinformation, and distinguish information from data, knowledge and wisdom.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Reduces uncertainty
- Carried by messages
- Formal measure
- Social value
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present a guess, an inference or a generated statement as established fact.
- Withhold or distort information a person is entitled to receive.
- Combine information from separate sources to expose things about a person they did not disclose.
- Retain information beyond the purpose and period it was given for.
Only with a human decision
- Disclosing information about identifiable people to third parties.
- Deleting records that others rely on or that the law requires kept.
May
- Record, index, retrieve and summarise information the agent is authorized to handle.
- State the source, date and confidence of information it reports.
- Explain information theory concepts and how information is measured.
Moral aspects Filled
- Control of information is control over people's choices, reputation and access to rights.
- Aggregation turns harmless pieces into something that exposes a person.
Who is affected
- People the information is about
- People who depend on being informed
- Record keepers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns information as such; each holder answers for the records in its keeping.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- oewn-06611268-n - registry parent class
related
- message - in general terms, as understood content
- bit - in information theory
- data - as raw symbols
- information science - and information theory
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.information
- Open English WordNet: oewn-06646883-n
- WordNet: oewn-06611268-n a message received and understood
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- unit of information: bit unit - Shannon 1948
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Message or content that informs
- Facts, factoids, lists, listings, agendas, reports; information as a formal quantity
- Data are raw symbols; knowledge is understood information; wisdom is judgement
- Not a visible object; messages, documents, signals and displays.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain senses and theories
- relay information theory basics
- describe quality and access issues
- distinguish from data and knowledge
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Misinformation and disinformation
- Information overload
- Confusing senses of information
- Privacy breaches
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Freedom of information laws
- Data protection laws on personal information
- Information security standards such as ISO 27001
- Records management standards
Context of use required Filled
- Reducing uncertainty and conveying knowledge.
- everyday information such as facts, lists, listings and agendas
- information as a measurable quantity in information theory
- recorded information in documents and databases
- personal information
- public information and freedom of information
- misinformation and disinformation as distortions
Sources Filled
- Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-06646883-n - sense and gloss of the concept
- Wiktionary: information - word senses and usage
Open questions
- Should information theory and information science be the primary linked entries?
- How should reference works be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming lists, agendas and figurative senses; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-information/spec.json