Information and reference system: types and examples. What is an information and reference system?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Dissemination of information, its further collection and processing within modern society is due to special resources: human, financial, technical and others. At a certain point, this data is collected in one place, structured according to predetermined criteria, combined into special databases convenient for use. The information system is a tool with which the processing of received information is carried out. The main function of IS is to provide up-to-date information to people. In other words, it satisfies the need for information within a given area of the subject. The product of the information system is data arrays, structured databases, various types of documents. Further in the article, we will analyze in more detail the purpose, tasks and properties of these structures.

Classification

Information systems, inDepending on the type of data processing they use, they are divided into two groups. The first includes structures whose work is carried out according to complex schemes. These systems are capable of processing information on their own. This category includes, for example, automated programs. The second group includes information and reference systems. They do not have complex information processing schemes. An information and reference system is a structure that provides data on special request. It is designed to quickly search and submit information in a convenient format.

Information and reference system. Feature

The main tasks of this structure is to collect, process for further storage and provide information to users upon relevant requests. The type and content of the information provided is formed under the influence of the data accumulated in the reference repositories. The process of issuing the requested information is based on an associative search in databases (repositories) with their subsequent processing into a user-friendly format. The information and reference system of the archival industry allows you to accumulate and store data over long periods of time. It is also possible to exchange information with external sources, subscribers. The following examples of information and reference systems can be given: city information, the organization's dispatch service, data retrieval departments in storages, and others.

There are several elements in the considered structure. Mainthe components that the information and reference system includes are:

1. Shared storage.
2. Specialized devices that convert information into a format accessible to the subscriber.
3. Information transmission channels.
4. Special element ("brain" of the structure, processor) that processes the data flow (a group of people or an electronic computer).

Types of information and reference systems

There are two types of structures: factual and documentary. In the first case, reference systems include schemes based on the provision of a general set of facts: the name of processes, the name of objects, the value of quantities, and others. The documentary type of the system submits the information stored in it in the form of documents: legislative acts, regulations, certificates, and so on. Fact type structures differ from each other in the complexity of data processing. The simplest types of such systems are those that are based on the principle of searching for the information you are looking for in your repository. More complex schemes use in their work the semantic processing of the data they have. So, they are able, for example, to select only the necessary information (fact, paragraph) from the general text of the document. The information and reference system based on a combination of two types has received the greatest practical application: documentary-factual.

AISS: description

The degree of automation of information processing processes has a significant impact on the efficiency of any help system. In this regard, in recent years, automated programs for searching, collecting and structuring data have been developed and implemented everywhere. They are created on the basis of powerful electronic computers. Thanks to the development of the use of computers, the process of updating and storing information has been greatly facilitated. The main elements of most AISS are:

1. 

   Technical component. This is the computer itself, acting as the brain of the structure, a set of related equipment that provides input-output information, devices that allow the user to work with the database, electronic data storage devices (disks, magnetic tapes, etc.).
2. Repository of information and software. The automated information and reference system and subscribers are connected using standard devices (teletypes). They, in turn, are connected directly to the computer using telephone or telegraph channels. Consoles with built-in screens have gained particular popularity among subscribers. Information from the help system is displayed on the monitors. Also, the consoles are equipped with a special keyboard, through which the control and input of the necessary data takes place.

AISS structure

Automated information and reference system is based on combining several repositories. They contain all the necessary data for the functioning of thisstructures. The information is structured in a certain way, taking into account all the requirements for the form, type and time of submission after the user's request. The level of information contained in the system, the quality of their updating and structuring directly depends on the characteristics of the storages and their quantity.

AISS software

There is a set of special programs that allow you to perform certain algorithms for converting information and manage all the processes that take place inside the system. This type of provision is made with the help of several "formal languages":

• outside world, with the help of which the subscriber forms his request to the system;
• informational;
• programs and subroutines;
• programming.

Performance

The productivity of any help system is affected by:

• structural organization of processes based on sequential data processing;
• optimal distribution of its resources and modes of operation;
• clear understanding of user commands.

Also, an increase in the average productivity of AISS is achieved through the introduction of the latest software. It, in turn, affects the calculation processes and allows you to work in multitasking modes.

AISS features

The work of modern information and reference systems is based on the definition of priorities in user service, the choice of the most important tasks. Whereinthere is a process of combining the modes of receipt of new requests and the issuance of information in time intervals determined by the program. In cases where non-standard information search parameters appear, the system is also able to find the necessary data without using additional resources. The modern structure is capable of simultaneously serving several users without loss of time and quality of the information provided (their exact number is determined by the technical support).

AISS has found its application in such sectors of the economy as industry and agriculture, with the help of which automated processes are carried out at enterprises and scientific organizations. Legal information and reference systems are also very popular, allowing subscribers to find the necessary information on the requested normative act in a huge database.