The DIKW hierarchy
Russell Lincoln Ackoff (1989) was the first to systematically arrange these terms into a hierarchy – referred to variously as the DIKW hierarchy, Knowledge pyramid, Knowledge hierarchy and Information hierarchy – in his article ’From Data to Wisdom’. Even though this hierarchy is a ‘taken-for-granted’ notion in data science and information science, there are some disputes about the hierarchy.
The main aim of this assignment is to understand and evaluate these fundamental building blocks of data science, to critically review the potential drawbacks of the hierarchy and to apply them to map various types of existing information systems.
In this assignment, you are asked to research literature to answer each of the following five (5) tasks. For each task, you need to explicitly express your stand (that is, whether you "agree" or "disagree") and justify your stand.
You must collect your own data (articles, blogs, etc), build information and knowledge from the data collected, and formulate your own wisdom to make a decision. There might not be an absolute answer for each of these tasks, but we will be looking at your stand and how you logically justify your stand with solid references.
You need to support your justifications using the latest APA edition formatting for both in-text citations and a reference list citing all references used at the end of your report
Assessment tasks
Task 1 (5%):
According to the DIKW hierarchy, it is implicitly assumed that data can be used to create information, information can be used to create knowledge, and knowledge can be used to create wisdom. There is no wisdom without knowledge, there is no knowledge without information, and there is no information without data.
Do you agree or disagree with this view? Justify your stand.
Your justifications should be limited to one A4 page, in 12 pt font size, around 300 words, excluding references
Task 2 (5%):
According to the DIKW hierarchy, it is estimated that on average about 40 per cent of the human mind consists of data, 30 per cent information, 20 per cent knowledge, 10 per cent understanding, and very minimal wisdom. That is, there is less information than data, less knowledge than information, and less wisdom than knowledge. This is why the hierarchy is also called the knowledge pyramid.
Do you agree or disagree with this view? Justify your stand.
Your justifications should be limited to one A4 page in 12 pt. font size, around 300 words, excluding references.
Task 3 (5%):
Even though there are some debates on the hierarchy, it is a ‘taken-for-granted’ notion in data science and information science. What are possible criticisms and potential drawbacks of the hierarchy (including both your own opinion and an analysis of what you find in research literature)?
Investigate and research criticism and potential drawbacks of the hierarchy, and list three to five (3-5) of them with justification.
Your response and justifications should be limited to one A4 page, in 12 pt. font size, around 300 words, excluding references.
Task 4 (5%)
There are several types of data/information systems: transaction processing systems, management information systems, data warehouses, decision support systems, and expert systems.
Map the DIWK hierarchy to these types of information systems and justify your mapping. For instance, you might start your response with ’Data warehouses are mapped to the information level in the hierarchy, because they are…’, or ’Data warehouses are mapped to the knowledge level in the hierarchy due to…’.
Your explanation should be limited to one A4 page, in 12 pt. font size, around 300 words, excluding references.
Task 5 (5%):
Ackoff stated that "From all this I infer that although we are able to develop computerized information-, knowledge- and understanding-generating systems, we will never be able to generate wisdom by such systems."
Do you agree or disagree with Ackoff’s statement? Justify your stand.
Your response and justifications should be limited to one A4 page, in 12 pt. font size, around 300 words, excluding references.