Digital Data

Information, data, and symbols have a relationship in an information system. Information begins with data, data is encoded using symbols, and symbols are representations, stand-ins for something else.

• Symbols : organized and understood according to a convention are used to represent data
• Data : the givens of experience (measurements, observations, facts, beliefs, and the like)
• Information : date made useful, data interpreted and applied to produce understanding

Digital data vs Analog Data

What is the different?

Digital Data

• digital information
• digital data
• digit (an element of a set)
• digital language
• binary digit or bit
• digital encoding

Digital Encoding

Symbols used to encode modern digital data. The process of assigning bits to a data item. The number of bits a coding system requires depend upon the number of distinct data items to be represented. Each item must be given a unique symbolic representation a unique arrangement of bits. More bits make it possible to generated a longer number of distinct combination. 2^n, n = the number of bits used in the code.

Reference: Savage, M. T., & Vogel, K. E. (2013). An introduction to digital multimedia. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.