JaMee Kim, Journal of Internet Computing and Services, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 129-137, Feb. 2025
10.7472/jksii.2025.26.1.129, Full Text:
Keywords: Informatics, information, Meaning of Data, DIKW Pyramid

Abstract

The discussion of the terms "data" and "information" in the field of informatics is based on the DIKW pyramid. This study aims to investigate the academic foundations of the DIKW pyramid and to discuss whether the terms "data" and "information" as used in informatics align with this model. The distinction between materials and data was explored from the perspectives of translation and the conveyance of meaning in foreign words. Furthermore, the study examined whether data becomes information when meaning is assigned to it, based on the DIKW pyramid. The results of the discussion are as follows: First, the term "data" is distinct from the term "materials." Second, the DIKW pyramid is an unestablished theory and is academically incompatible with informatics. In other words, the hierarchy between information and data presented in informatics textbooks lacks sufficient foundation. This study is significant in that it academically discusses the necessity of using the important terms "data" and "information" in informatics with their correct meanings, rather than being constrained by the DIKW pyramid.

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