All information processes play a role in communication systems, including collecting, processing and displaying. Collecting Collecting data for a communication system involves generating the data to be transmitted. For example, a person using an ATM generates data by inserting a transaction card and typing a request on a keyboard. This data is collected and transmitted to the bank’s computer. Another example is when a salesperson in a shop scans the barcodes of a product. The product’s details are collected and transmitted to a central computer. Collecting data involves a range of collection devices to gather different types of data. The choice of device depends on the application and the type of data to be transmitted. Some collection devices include:
Displaying Displaying is the presentation of information in the form of text, numbers, images, audio or video. A range of hardware and software combinations can be used to display different types of information in a communication system such as a telephone and an EFTPOS terminal: • Telephone. Audio information is displayed using a telephone. A telephone contains a transmitter that converts sound into a signal suitable for the transmission medium and a receiver that converts the signal back into sound. When a message is retrieved from voice mail, the telephone is the display device used to listen to the message. • EFTPOS terminal. Information about EFTPOS transactions is displayed using an EFTPOS terminal. The EFTPOS terminal contains a screen to display the name and price of the product being purchased. When the customer’s bank has been contacted, then the EFTPOS terminal displays the approval if funds are available. The EFTPOS terminal provides a receipt for the customer of all transactions. |
12 IPT > Stem 3.0 Communication Systems >