Concept in Definition ABC

Data comes from the Latin language, from the word "datum", and refers to a representation through numeric, alphabetic, or other symbols of the characteristic of something. For example, we could say that that something, that entity, is the current time, and the data would be something like 15:21 h.

In a computer program, the hour or hourly data might be contained in a variable. A variable is so named because it has data that varies. For example, within a program the variable START_TIME could be equal to 13, meaning that something started at 1:00 p.m., while the variable END_TIME could contain data 17, meaning that something ended at 17hs.

A data then has no meaning in itself, but if it is processed properly it can be used to perform calculations or make decisions. Therefore, it is interesting to differentiate between the concepts of "fact" and information. The data, as we pointed out before, have no significance of their own, but when they are subjected to processing (biological, mechanical or electronic) result in an abstraction that makes sense on its own: the information. In a living system, the "data" can be the sound emitted by an alarm (just a noise in itself), the processing is the arrival of sound converted into nerve impulses to the brain and the final information is "caution!" as interpreted by our mind.

As an example of digital processing of the data, an atomic clock attached to a satellite orbiting the earth usually sends data to GPS systems (global position system: global positioning systems). On radio astronomy a very exact form of measure the time, and for this reason there are software free that allows to obtain the fact provided by the atomic clock of a satellite in terms of the current time and reuse it for the analysis of celestial bodies (planets, asteroids, etc.) or even other satellites in operation or in disuse.

The method of quantifying the magnitude of a piece of data (or of the subsequent information arising from its processing) consists of the bit system. Bit is the minimum transmittable information capacity and is usually represented by a binary digit (zero or one). Thus, the question "do you understand this sentence?" it can generate a one-bit response ("yes" or "no", 1 or 0). An 8-bit octet is referred to in the jargon as a byte. From there, through the use of powers of the number 2, they are recognized as units to quantify the information to the kilobyte (KB, 1024 bytes), to the megabyte (MB, 1024 KB or about 1 million bytes), to the gigabyte (about 1 billion bytes) and their successive multiples.

For the processing of this large amount of data, a system with sufficient capacity and velocity. The characteristics on which a algorithm of a program are expressed through data. On the other hand, databases are structures of storage in a computer, which allow us to access by search, are divided into fields and are generally organized in records. We could think the internet network as one database daunting.

Databases have greatly simplified the storage and processing of this content. From the first commercial programs for the general public to the modern professional systems that allow the realization of complex statistical calculations, databases have become a true specialty within the tools of prosecution. As a consequence of this, concerns have been raised regarding the safety, which have been partially resolved through the extension of the protection laws of data (habeas data) with different modalities around the world. However, the dissemination of personal data of citizens is the subject of controversies and debates, especially in relation to the limits offered to privacy.

In the same way, social networks are recognized as large databases, a tool in constant growth that allows the exchange of information in real time between different individuals or entities. It is estimated that social network Facebook is the largest database in human history, outnumbering all libraries on Earth combined.