Mount Olive School –English Medium

Tabor Branch Hawassa

UNIT ONE-INFORMATION SYSTEMS

General concepts of Information System

What is a Computer?

A computer is an electronic device that can accept, store and process data under the
control of a set of instructions.

What is an Information System?

A system is a set of related parts that operate together to perform a specific function.
You encounter systems everyday. For example, as you read this, the parts of your
circulatory system—heart, lungs and blood vessels, are moving blood and energy
through your body. Information systems, like all other systems, are assembled from
parts, or components. What you consider to be the components or the system
depends on the scale you choose to examine? For example, on a small scale, a
personal computer is a system containing such components as a keyboard, a screen
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and a system unit. However, to an engineer, this system is assembled from smaller
systems called subsystems. On a larger scale, the personal computer is a component
plugged into a network of other computers and other devices in the organization. All
of thes integrated components and systems are

Fig. 1.1: Systems and Subsystems

Some Applications of ICT

ICT can be applied in Admission process, general administration, diagnostic

assessment, time tabling, library services, delivering of learning content, and
communication of academic records to parents among others.

At the heart of an organization is information and how it is used. The purpose of an

organization is to perform a service or deliver a product. Information—whether
computer based or not—has to flow within an organization in such a way that will
help managers and the organization achieve their goals.

It also revealed challenges as: lack of ICT facilities, assistive technologies, skilled
teachers of ICT, computer illiteracy, fear of the new technology, studentse lack of
access to personal computers, internet services & WWW, equity issues, etc. It was
recommended among others based on the findings that the government should
embark on a massive ICT/computer training program for teachers through seminars,

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workshops and conferences and promotes equity in educational opportunities at all
levels of lifelong learning.

Education/Training

The education sector is arguably one major area in which ICTs are playing a
remarkable role. Computers are serving as the best friend to both the teacher and the
students. You can find a computer in a classroom, in a library or in a museum. The
ability to connect computers and students together over a network such as the
Internet opens up fantastic educational opportunities. Figure 1.9 shows the
applications of ICT in school education

Communications

This has been one of the most recognized uses of the ICTs. Various communication
technologies, ranging from broadcasting to telecommunications and to the Internet
are playing effective roles in the acquisition and sharing of information. Almost all
mobile phones have software embedded in them.The concepts of the ‘information
revolution’ and ‘information society’ are driven by enormous advancements in ICTs
and their application. The Internet for example, has provided platforms for sharing
information in applications such as the e-mail and the World Wide Web.

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Satellites are commonly used in ICTs. They may simply relay signals from one point
to another, eliminating the need for wires between two locations. They also broadcast
TV and even Internet signals that can be picked up even by small dish antennae.

Application of ICT in Banking

ICT has made the banking sector more innovative and competitive because of the
advancements of information and communications technologies. With the use of ICT
in banking, it allows the banking sector to fulfill the needs of customers by
strengthening their internal control systems in banking

Banks that use information and communication technology include basic Web
portals and electronic databases, as well as composite information management
systems that seek to improve government efficiency. And also the use of information
and communication technology provides the stimulus for economic growth. To this
end, the Asian Development Bank highlights that how information and
communication technology has managed to connect rural areas with urban areas,
allowing for improved information access and leading to newer agricultural

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techniques that increase the income of farmers. The real goal or objective of
information and communication technology in the banking sector is not just to
provide access to modern technology, but also the role of ICT in the banking sector is
to develop linking communities together in the long run.

All over the world, banks are still struggling to find a technological solution to meet
the challenges of a quickly-changing environment and a customer’s demand for
products and services. The new technological changes that have brought to the
banking sector are huge in their impact on officers, employees, and customers of
banks. Advances in technology are allowing the banking sector for the delivery of
banking products and services more conveniently and successfully to the customer
than ever before the banking products and services are delivered to the customer.
Rapid access to critical information and the ability of the bank to act quickly and
effectively will differentiate the successful banks of the future. The bank gains a
dynamic competitive advantage due to the use of ICT and by having an accountable
customer service environment, direct marketing, and new rationalized business
processes. Today Banks are aware about the need of customers that demand new
products and services and also the bank plan to make them available these products
and services for the customer. ICT has increased the level of competition between the

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banks and forced them to integrate the new technologies to compete and satisfy their
customers.

Impact of ICT on Agriculture and Information Technology

When talking about modern farming technology, one needs to acknowledge the role of
ICT as a decision support system for farmers. Through the assistance of ICT, farmers
are able to stay updated with all recent information. This is inclusive of data about
weather, agriculture, and newer and more advanced ways of enhancing crop quality
and production. ICTs have largely revolutionized the way people, governments, and
businesses, both large and small, function in the modern world. Close to 60% of the
global population has access to the internet, and mobile internet is now the most
widely-used channel for internet access worldwide.

The tremendous adoption of ICTs has made it possible to facilitate better

communication and ensure the delivery of services and information to people who
previously lacked access.The infusion of new, advanced agriculture technologies has
allowed the global agriculture sector to surge ahead and transform the way producers
cultivate, harvest, and distribute agricultural commodities. The use of technology in
Indian agriculture, or e-agriculture, has accelerated agricultural and rural

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development by adopting innovative ways to improve the existing information and
communication processes. It has particularly revolutionized smallholder agriculture
in several agrarian economies and has helped address several challenges associated
with the traditional form of agriculture.

The agricultural scene today requires the integration of sophisticated technologies

such as temperature and moisture sensors, robots, GPS technology, and aerial
images, to name a few. On this note, ICT helps meet the elevated demand for newer
approaches. Such digital farming tech also aids in empowering rural farmers by
allowing better access to effective production strategies, banking and financial
services, etc.

ICT and transport behavior: A conceptual review

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have considerable importance for

transport systems, as they provide access to travel information, planning tools,
opportunities to share transport modes, to work at-a-distance, compare transport
mode cost, make payment, improve safety and health, and to communicate travel
patterns. Over the past decade, there has been massive growth in the availability of
transportation ICT, in particular, smartphone applications. There is considerable
evidence that ICTs have profoundly changed the ways in which transport systems are
perceived and used, and mobilities performed, with far-reaching implications for
transport mode choices and transport demand. Against this background, the paper
seeks to conceptualize ICT with relevance for transport systems, and to discuss the
implications for the environmental sustainability of the transport sector. Findings
suggest that while some ICT innovations foster and support sustainable transport

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choices, others raise new and significant barriers to more sustainable transport

futures.

ICT in the Health Care Field

Increasing quality in the patient assistance. One of the most important flaws of this
sector is the fragmentation of the health care and the difficulties for efficiently
transmitting the information. ICT can help improve patient safety through the direct
access to the medical case story, checking the treatments online, keeping track of the
patients’ progress and anticipating possible medical errors. In general terms, they are
regarded as generally positive tools among professionals and users. Since they
provide a way to increase the patient safety, their use is being promoted in many
countries.

 Cutting down the medical spending. Using ICT and Serious Games for Health
help reduce these costs by reducing the time required to process data and
manage paperwork. The system for image transmission and storage is essential
to promote the development of the electronic medical case story and
telemedicine since it speeds up the tests and the gathering of results.

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  Reducing administrative cost. Invoicing brings about many possibilities of
saving due to the use of ICT and the new remote devices. Although the
evidence of these data, electronic invoicing is not widely used in most of the
countries yet.
 Possibility to carry on brand new health models. ICT have been defined as
technology with a high transformative potential, since it introduces new ways
to carry out medicine and develop health care. They are definitely essential to
renew primary health care since they contribute to a personalized following of
chronic diseases; they improve the access to health care in rural populations;
and they contribute to the optimizing data measuring and supervision.

ICT in Tourism: The application of ICTs is an appropriate prospect for improvising

the tourism industry from an area perspective. Towards the event of destinations
economies technology driven systems are very crucial. Precisely, ICTs have the
potential to upsurge destination revenue for supporting the economic and social
development.

Perhaps, evolving and strengthening the local tourism and tourism oriented activities
with application driven mechanisms can offshoot the local entrepreneurship and
connected activities. Fundamentally, ICTs consent destinations to progress and
expand the web presence with better and global visibility and participation through
Internet market. To build efficacy and destination competency, it’s very essential to
travel beyond offline connectivity involving collaboration, clustering and inter-sect
oral associations among local public and personal tourism and other tourism-related
actors. In fact, it’s imperative and highly required to compete in today’s global
tourism market. More precisely the advantageous effects of ICTs are to be found
within the prospects to condense the traditional drawbacks of SMEs and native
operatorsPrimarily, ICTs deliver direct, cheap and operative access to the particular
and potential customers. along side , ICTs make profitable to use various distribution
channels and target niche markets. Beforehand it had been almost difficult for SMEs
to spread, attend and even to be recognized.

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Office

ICTs are everywhere and offices are using them in newer ways, un thought of even a
decade ago You could list thousands of these modern uses.Without computers, the
modern offices would almost instantly grind to a halt. Computers have become so
deeply embedded in information processing and communications systems that
almost no activity would be possible without them. Failure of the telecom and
electrical company’s computers would shut off those services.

The ICTs are integrated into offices in the following ways:

(i) Transaction processing (ii) Home-based workers

(iii) Desktop publishing (iv) Financial analysis

(v) Product design (vi) Architectural walk-throug

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