Informatics is the study of the structure, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process and communicate information. It includes the representation, processing and communication of information, as well as the fundamentals of computation and technologies used. Informatics also examines the social aspects of technology and its role in social and organizational change. Library informatics applies these principles to study how information systems can best deliver the right information to users in the right way. The goal is to integrate information and communication technologies into libraries and information organizations.

1. INFORMATICS: AN INTRODUCTION
Hafiz Nazeer Hussain
M.Phil. Scholar

2. CONTENTS
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Introduction
Etymology & History of informatics
Definition & Modification and extension of
definition
Components of Information System
Scope of informatics
Information representation in I.S.
Information Processing & communication
Aspects of informatics
Applications of informatics
Social informatics
Library informatics
Purpose of Library as S.I. informatics

3. INTRODUCTION

Every day we are touched/influenced by
informatics
 Email,
Google, YouTube, Blogs, FaceBook,
Travelocity, GPS systems

data-centric world
 new
data acquisition devices
 everyone is creating content

data  information  knowledge
 key
to advances in science, engineering,
medicine

4. ETYMOLOGY

„Informatik’ (Steinbuch, K. 1957), German

Informatik ----------> computer science (in English).

„Informatique’ (Philippe, 1962), French

„Informatics‟ (Walter, 1967)

„Information‟ & „automatic‟, (tic=theory in ‘Greek’)

Informatician or Informaticist.

Informatics and its morphology (conics)

5. HISTORY OF INFORMATICS

The term „informatika’ adopted & translated as
“Informatics”

1962 US: Walter Bauer founded a company named
Informatics.

Today Europe: “Informatics” = Computer Science

Today US: widely used in application contexts:
medical
informatics,
informatics, bioinformatics
chemical

6. DEFINITION

Generally the meaning of the term consists of
 theory
of scientific information
 study of the use of information technology
 interaction of technology
 human organizational structures

“Informatics is the discipline of science which investigates
the structure and properties (not specific content) of
scientific information, as well as the regularities of scientific
information activity, its theory, history, methodology and
organization”.

7. MODIFICATION AND EXTENSION OF DEFINITION

Usage has modified this definition in three ways.
1.
The restriction to scientific information is
removed.
2.
Most information is now digitally
stored, computation is now central to
informatics.
3.
Representation, processing & communication
of information are added as objects of

8. CONT..

Informatics studies the interaction of information
with individuals and organizations, as well as the
fundamentals
of
computation
and
computability, and the hardware and software
technologies
used
to
store,
process
and
communicate digitized information. It includes the
study of communication as a process that links
people
together,
to
affect
the
behaviour
of
individuals and organizations (Indiana University, 2010)

9. COMPONENTS OF INFORMATION SYSTEM

10. SCOPE OF INFORMATICS

Representations
 Paper,
Analogue & Digital Records (Text, sound, images,
etc.)

Processing
 Human
reasoning,
digital
organizational processes

computational,
Communication
 Human
communication
 Human-computer interface
 Computer communication and networks
&

11. INFORMATION REPRESENTATION IN I.S.

Representation
 World
wide web
 Metadata
 Structured
data
 Relational
data
 Markup

12. INFORMATION PROCESSING & COMMUNICATION

Data, information & knowledge

Natural language processing (NLP)

Automated text-process
 Document

clustering
Automated natural language generation

13. ASPECTS OF INFORMATICS

14. MEDICAL INFORMATICS: AN EXAMPLE

15. SOCIAL INFORMATICS (SI)

SI examines social aspects of computerization –
including the roles of IT in social and organizational
change, the uses of ITs in social contexts, and the
ways that the social organization of ITs is influenced
by social forces and social practices.

SI is scattered in the curriculum of different
disciplines,
Computer
Science
,
Information
Science, Informatics and Web Sociology, etc.

16. SOCIAL INFORMATICS & LIS

Three “big questions” for LIS
1.
2.
3.

“Physical” question about the fundamental
laws & features of recorded information,
“Social” question about the ways in which
people interact with & make use of information,
“Design” question about the ways in which
access to information can be improved.
SI overlaps with information science.
 Integrated
use of ICT into information
organizations, including libraries

17. WHAT IS SI & WHY DOES IT MATTER IN LIS?

It addresses questions of fundamental importance
in library and information science and other fields;

How can we best understand the complex relationships
among;
People
ICTs
System design
Use
Contexts
in which system design & use
take place

18. LIBRARY INFORMATICS
REFERENCE
VIRTUAL USER/
WITHOUT
GEOGRAPHIC PLACE
MANAGER
CATALOGING
CIRCULATION
ACQUISITION
FILE SERVER:
DATABASE
SERIALS
MANAGEMENT
OPAC
OPAC
OPAC
OPAC

19. PURPOSE OF LIBRARY INFORMATICS AS S.I.

Studying how to design a system that delivers
the right information, to the right person in the
right place and time, in the right way, and is
intimately tied to workflow discussions and
standards.

20. DON’T BE CONFUSED WITH…
Contrast
Definition
Informetrics
Study of quantitative
aspects of information. This
includes the production,
dissemination and use of all
forms of information,
regardless of its form or
origin.
Lotka's law
Theoretical
Zipf's law
Foundations
Bradford's law
Informatics
Informatics studies the
structure, behavior, and
interactions of natural and
artificial systems that store,
process and communicate
information.
Develops its own conceptual
and theoretical foundations

21. CONT..
Contrast
Informetrics
Scientometrics, studies
quantitative aspects (QA)
of science;
Webometrics, studies QA of
WWW
Applications/
Cybermetrics, is similar to
Fields
Webometrics, but broadens
its definition to include
electronic resources;
Bibliometrics, studies QA of
recorded information.
Deals with
Information user and Usage
Information System
Information Itself
Informatics
Application of IT, Information
Science, Computer Science,
Business Management, Project
Management in a field - i.e.
Health Care or Finance
Science of information
Practice of information
Processing
Engineering of information
systems

22. CONCLUSION

Information and communication technologies have
become essential components of many people‟s
work and social lives.

Technological changes will continue to revolutionize
the ways to manage, share and analyze data, and
will provide new ways of transforming data into
information and knowledge.

23. REFERENCES
Contact to:
hafiznazeerhussain@gmail.co
m