Collecting

• collecting – the process by which data is captured or entered into a computer system, including:

• deciding what data is required
• how it is sourced
• how it is encoded for entry into the system

• hardware used for collection

• scanners and/or digital cameras to collect images
• microphones and/or recording from peripheral devices to collect audio
• video cameras and/or peripheral devices with appropriate interfaces to capture video
• keyboards and/or optical character readers to collect numbers and text
• data capture devices such as counters for counting cars on a road

• software used for collection

• device drivers that allow hardware to interface with the operating system
• software that allows participants to enter or import data
• software that allows participants to move data between applications

• non-computer procedures in collecting

• literature searches
• surveys and interviews
• form design for data collection
• manual recording of events
• existing non-computer data

• social and ethical issues in collecting

• bias in the choice of what and where to collect data
• accuracy of the collected data
• copyright and acknowledgment of source data when collecting

• the rights to privacy of individuals on whom data is collected
• ergonomic issues for participants

• entering large volumes of data into an information system

• for a given scenario, identify alternatives for data collection and choose the most appropriate one
• use a range of hardware collection devices to collect different data types
• describe the operation of a range of hardware collection devices
• make predictions about new and emerging trends in data collection based on past practices
• choose the most appropriate combination of hardware, software and/or non-computer tools to collect data from a given source
• use the Internet to locate data for a given scenario
• design forms that allow data to be accurately recorded and easily input into software applications
• select and use appropriate communication skills to conduct interviews and surveys so that data can be accurately collected
• identify existing data that can be collected for an information system for a given scenario
• recognise personal bias and explain its impact on data collection
• identify the privacy implications of particular situations and propose strategies to ensure they are respected
• predict errors that might flow from data inaccurately collected
• predict issues when collecting data that might arise when it is subsequently analysed and processed

1. Describe the information process of collecting in detail, including a real life example.
   
   E.g. Census – Collects data on many different areas that relate to the Australian population.  
   
   Ensure you include the following:
• deciding what data is required
• how it is sourced
• how it is encoded for entry into the system
  
  
2. Describe the use of one hardware collection device in detail.  Include a diagram where possible. 
   
   
3. Discuss some emerging trends influencing hardware collection devices.
   
   
4. Describe a type of collection software used.
   
   
5. Discuss the social and ethical implications of using the internet as a collection source for school assessment tasks.
   
   
6. Describe two non computer collection procedures which are still used today.  Discuss some possible computerised alternatives to replace these non computer collection methods.
   
   
7. Discuss the implications of copyright law when collecting data that is protected by copyright.
   
   
8. Describe some ergonomic issues that may arise as a result of the use of collecting large volumes of data.