ABSTRACT
This chapter presents, provides justification for, and discusses the implications of a set of measures of information. It also discusses a characterization of three contexts within which the communication meta-process may be considered: that of the channel; that of a single source, a single channel, and a single recipient; and that of multiplicity of sources, channels, and/or recipients. The chapter describes the effects of each context upon the measurement of information. In the definition of information, processing of data plays a central role. The chapter considers four levels of processing: data transfer; data selection; data structuring; and data reduction. It also provides a formal definition that is intended to generalize from an existing one—the Claude E. Shannon definition, which is tied to a specific measure. The chapter examines the relationships between information and communication, using the measures defined as the context. Three levels of communication will be distinguished: mechanical communication; intelligent communication; and interactive communication.
