ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of some of the key foundational ideas and principles that define data, information, and knowledge. It explores the definition of data through semiotic theory as symbols representing something in the real world. The chapter introduces and discusses three fundamental kinds of data, each in terms of observability and applicable measurement methods. It covers definitions of data and information from multiple perspectives and introduces the concept of data elements as atomic units of information composed of a question–answer format pair and a definition. The chapter also discusses additional characteristics of measurable physical quantities such as dimensionality, units of measure, accuracy, and precision. It then discusses common categorizations of data. Data are symbols representing singular statements about things in the real world, for example, temperature or color. There are a very large number of such statements needed to completely describe anything in the real world. Individual data values themselves rarely provide enough information.
