2. Characteristics of information

Information exchange often occurs in order to cause a chain of events to happen correctly. If that information is inadequate, then the consequences can be serious.

Accurate information

Information is only useful if it is accurate to an acceptable level.

Just what is acceptable, depends on the application.

For example, in mechanical engineering, measuring the dimensions of a precision part will often need to be accurate to within plus and minus a few microns e.g. the reading head within a hard disk.

On the other hand, weather information is much more vague. But it is still important that it is reasonably accurate in critical circumstances. e.g. a flood warning is issued that will then be used to prepare an emergency response for a town or entire region. If the flood does not happen, then it could be a colossal waste of resources and money as well as causing mistrust in future warnings.

Timely information

It is all very well having accurate information, but it also needs to occur in a timely manner.

For example, air traffic control needs real-time information on the location and speed of all the aircraft in its air space. If would be extremely dangerous for all aircraft, if their current location and speeds information were delayed by 30 seconds.

The next few pages will consider some scenarios and the importance of timely and accurate information exchange