Applications of Information and

Communication Technology
Lecture # 15

Muhammad Nasir
Department of Computer Science
CUI Lahore Campus
[email protected]
The slides are adapted from the publisher’s material
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow
Overview
This chapter covers:
 How information systems are used and who uses them
 Common types of information systems
 Computer professionals who develop systems and their primary
responsibilities
 The system development life cycle (SDLC)
 The major approaches to system development
What Is an Information
System?
System: Collection of elements and procedures that
interact to accomplish a goal
Football game, transit systems, etc.

Information system: A system

used to generate the
information needed to support
the users in an organization
System development:
Process of designing and
implementing a new or
modified system
What Is an Information
System?
System development may be required because of:
 Changes to the legal requirements for retaining business data (e-disclosure, etc.)
 Introduction of new technology

Enterprise architecture: Provides a detailed picture of an

organization, its function, its systems, and the relationship among
them
 Allows managers to organize and maximize the use of IT resources and make
better decisions
 Not easy to develop and requires time and effort, but once in place, it is an
invaluable decision support tool
What Is an Information
System?
Business intelligence (BI): The processes, technologies, and
tools used to gather, store, access, and analyze data about a
company
 The information generated from BI systems is used to help decision makers

Data warehouse (data mart): Comprehensive collection of

data about a company and its customers
Data mining: The use of intelligent software to find subtle
patterns that may not be otherwise evident
 Can identify processes that need improvement
 Web mining: Used in conjunction with Web data
Business Intelligence
Information System Users
Information systems can be:
 Enterprise systems: Used throughout an entire enterprise
(business, organization, agency)
 Inter-enterprise systems: Links multiple enterprises, such as a
business and its customers, suppliers and partners
 Used by one person or all employees
 Executive, middle, and operational managers
 Non-management workers
 External users (customers, suppliers, other partners, etc.)
Information System Users
Types of Information Systems
While hundreds of specific types of information
systems exist, many fall into one of six categories
Types of Information Systems
Office system: A system used to facilitate communications and
enhance productivity
 Document processing system: Used to create electronic documents
 Document management system (DMS): Stores, organizes, and retrieves
electronic documents
 Content management system (CMS): DMS that also includes multimedia
files and other content
 Communications system: Allows employees to communicate with each
other, with business partners, and with customers
Types of Information Systems
Transaction processing system (TPS): Processes and
records data created by an organization’s business transactions
 Usually processed in
real time
 Specialty systems used
in law enforcement,
the military, etc.
Types of Information Systems
Types of transaction processing systems include:
Order entry systems
 E-commerce systems
 Point-of-sale (POS) systems
Payroll systems
Accounting systems
 Accounts receivable systems
 Accounts payable systems
 General ledger systems
Types of Information Systems
Decision making support systems: Help individuals
make decisions
 Management information system (MIS): Provides decision makers with
preselected information
• Usually provides information in the form of computer-generated reports,
detailed, summary etc.
• Much of the time, this information is generated from data obtained from
transaction processing
• Most frequently used to make moderately structured, middle-management
decisions
Management Information Systems
(MISs)
Types of Information Systems
Decision support system (DSS): Provides people with the
tools and capabilities to organize and analyze their decision-
making information
 Typically used by upper management
 Useful to anyone who requires unstructured or unpredictable
information
 Usually tailored to help with specific types of decisions (sales,
transportation, etc.)
 Incorporates internal and external data

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Types of Information Systems
Geographic information system (GIS):
Combines
geographical information with other types of data to provide a
better understanding of relationships among the data
 Commonly used to make decisions about locations (e.g. new facility
locations, disaster risk, geographical crime patterns)
 Also used in disaster relief systems to create search and rescue maps,
maps of where electrical power is restored, etc.
Geographic Information Systems
(GISs)
Types of Information Systems
Integrated enterprise system: Designed to work together
throughout an enterprise
Electronic data interchange (EDI): Transfers data between different
companies using the Internet or another network
• Often used to automate reordering materials and products
Enterprise resource planning (ERP): Large integrated system that ties
together all of a business’s activities
• Enterprise application integration (EAI): Exchanging information
from an ERP or other internal system among different
applications and organizations
Types of Information Systems
Inventory management system: Tracks and manages inventory
 Can help optimize ordering
 Supply chain management (SCM): Oversees materials, information,
and finances as they move from the original supplier to the consumer
 Just-in-time (JIT): Resources are limited to the right amount at the right
time to fill orders
 Warehouse management systems (WMS): Acts as a complete
distribution system
 Product lifecycle management (PLM): Organizes and correlates all
information about a product from design to retirement
Types of Information Systems
Design and manufacturing systems: Use computers to
automate the design and manufacturing functions
 Computer-aided design (CAD)
 Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
Types of Information Systems
Artificial intelligence (AI) system: A system in which a
computer performs actions that are characteristic of human
intelligence
 Turing Test and the Loebner Prize
 Initial advances in AI made through chess-playing programs
Types of Information Systems
Types of AI systems include:
Intelligent agents: Programs that perform specific tasks to help to
make a user’s work environment more efficient or entertaining
and that typically modifies its behavior based on the user’s actions
 Application assistants
 Shopping bots
 Entertainment bots
 Chatterbots
Types of Information Systems
Expert system: Provides the type of advice that would be
expected from a human expert
 Knowledge base: Database containing facts provided by human experts
and rules the system should use to make decisions based on those facts
 Inference engine: Program that applies the rules to the data stored in
the knowledge base, in order to reach decisions
 Is only as good as the knowledge base and inference engine; also needs
honest, correct information from the user in order to work correctly
Artificial Intelligence
Systems
Types of Information Systems
Neural network: A system in which the human
brain’s pattern-recognition process is emulated by
the computer
Used in:
 Handwriting, speech, and
image recognition
 Medical imaging
 Crime analysis
 Biometric identification
 Vision systems (quality
checks in manufacturing,
recognizing postage
stamps, etc.)
Types of Information Systems
Robotics: The study of robot technology
Robot: A device, controlled by a human operator or a computer, that
can move and react to sensory input
Military robots
• Investigate caves, buildings, trails, etc., before soldiers enter
• Locate and defuse explosive devices
• Surveillance
Military Robots
Types of Information Systems
Business robots used for:
 Seeking gas leaks, intruders, other hazards
 Working on factory assembly lines
 Mining coal, repairing oil rigs
 Locating survivors/rescues
 Remote video-conferencing
Artificial Intelligence Systems
Personal robots used for
 Entertainment
 Toys
 Household tasks

Societal implication of robots

Quick Quiz
1. A system using knowledge from medical experts that is
used to help diagnose patients would be a type of
a. neural network
b. natural language system
c. expert system
2. True or False: An order-entry system would be
classified as a management information system.
3. A(n) ______________________ is a device, controlled
by a human, that can move and react to sensory input.
Answers:
1) c; 2) False; 3) robot
Responsibility for System
Development
Information systems (IS) department: Responsible for that
organization’s computers, systems, and other technology
 Also called the Information Technology (IT) department
 Systems analyst: Studies systems in order to determine what work needs
to be done, and how this work may best be achieved
 Other IT personnel include:
• Business analysts
• Application programmers
• Operations personnel
• Security specialists
The IS Department
The IS Department
Responsibility for System
Development
Outsourcing: Hiring outside vendor to perform specific business
tasks
 Offshore outsourcing: Outsourced to another country
 Nearshoring: Outsourcing to nearby countries
 Homeshoring: Outsourcing to home-based workers
 Crowdsourcing: Often performed via the Web
 Captive offshoring: Own facilities
 Security and privacy issues
Quick Quiz
1. Which term refers to outsourcing work to another
country?
a. Homeshoring
b. Offshoring
c. System development
2. True or False: The IT worker who codes computer
programs is called the computer operator.
3. The IT employee most involved with system
development is the ______________________.
Answers:
1) b; 2) False; 3) systems analyst
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
System development life cycle (SDLC): The development of
a system from the time it is first studied until the time it is updated
or replaced
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
Preliminary investigation: A feasibility study is performed to
assess whether or not a full-scale project should be undertaken
 Feasibility report: Contains findings on status of existing system and
benefits/feasibility of changing to a new system
• Includes recommendation regarding whether or not the project
should move on to the next stage in the SDLC
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
System analysis: Examines the problem area to determine what
should be done
 Data collection: Gathering information about the system (organizational
chart, observation, interviewing users, etc.)
 Data analysis: Analyzing information to determine requirements for the
new systems
 Documentation: Any instruments used for data gathering and the
resulting diagrams, trees, models, and other tools used to analyze the
data
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
Data analysis tools include:
 Entity-relationship diagrams (ERDs): Logical relationships
among system entities
 Data flow diagrams (DFDs): Flow of data through system
 Decision tables and decision trees: Summarize decision process
 Class diagrams and use case models: Object-oriented systems
Data Analysis Tools
Data Analysis Tools
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
System design: Specifies what the new system will look like and
how it will work
Model of new system is developed; diagrams can include:
 Data dictionary: Describes all data in a system
 Data flow and/or class diagrams of the new system
 Input/output designs
 Cost/benefit analysis: Considers both tangible and intangible benefits to
determine if the benefits of the new system outweigh the cost
 Documentation: System design and specifications developed during the
system design phase
System Design
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
System acquisition: The necessary hardware, software, and other
system components are acquired
 Make or buy decision: Need to determine if needed products will be
purchased or developed in house
 Software to be developed moves into the program development process
(Chapter 13)
 Products to be purchased need to be identified and a vendor selected
System Acquisition

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The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
System implementation: The new system is installed, tested, and
made operational
 System must be thoroughly tested
• Test data should be realistic and include incorrect data
 Data needs to be prepared for data migration
 System conversion: System is installed
 User training (hands-on, users’ manuals, etc.)
 Documentation: Implementation schedule, test data, test results, training
materials
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
Types of conversions:
 Direct conversion: Old system deactivated; new system installed
 Parallel conversion: Both old and new operated for a period of time
 Phased conversion: New system implemented by module
 Pilot conversion: New system installed at a pilot location initially
System Implementation
The System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
System maintenance: Minor adjustments are made to the
finished system to keep it operational until the end of the system’s
life or until the time that the system needs to be redesigned
 Post-implementation review: Identifies any glitches in the new system that need
to be fixed
 Maintenance is an ongoing process
 When a major change is needed, the project goes through the SDLC again
 Documentation: Completed project folder
Approaches to System
Development
Traditional system development: SDLC phases are carried
out in the preset order
 Referred to as the waterfall model
 Time-consuming
 Used primarily when system requirements are easy to determine, when the
system is very familiar, or when management requests it

Iterative approach: Steps are repeated until the system is

finalized
 Prototyping: Small model, or prototype, of the system is built before the full-
scale development effort is undertaken
Quick Quiz
1. The first step of in the system development life cycle is
______________________.
a. to design the system
b. to perform a preliminary investigation
c. to implement the system
2. True or False: The traditional approach to systems
development also is referred to as the waterfall model.
3. A test used to evaluate or measure a systems
performance is called a(n) ______________________.
Answers:
1) b; 2) True; 3) benchmark test
Summary
 What Is an Information System?
 Types of Information Systems
 Responsibility for System Development
 The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
 Approaches to System Development