Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2017

Understanding Information

From the Big Bang to Big Data

  • Enriches your understanding of information, technology, the information society and the relationship between them
  • Explores how information is understood in a variety of domains
  • Presents the life-cycle of information including acquisition, storage, manipulation, retrieval, dissemination and usage

Part of the book series: Advanced Information and Knowledge Processing (AI&KP)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xviii
  2. Introduction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
  3. The World of Large and Small Systems

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 27-27
    2. Information in Quantum Theory

      • Andrew Whitaker
      Pages 51-65
  4. The World of Living Things

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 67-67
    2. The Potential of Plants and Seeds in DNA-Based Information Storage

      • Karin Fister, Iztok Fister Jr., Jana Murovec
      Pages 69-81
    3. Memory Processing in the Nervous System

      • Naoyuki Sato
      Pages 83-98
  5. The World of Intelligent Machines and Finiteness

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 99-99
    2. Finite Information Agency

      • Alfons Josef Schuster
      Pages 131-150
  6. The World of Networks, Clouds, and Big Data Processing

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 151-151
    2. Custom Hardware Versus Cloud Computing in Big Data

      • Gaye Lightbody, Fiona Browne, Valeriia Haberland
      Pages 175-193
  7. The World of Society and Philosophy

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 195-195
  8. Back Matter

    Pages 235-237

About this book

The motivation of this edited book is to generate an understanding about information, related concepts and the roles they play in the modern, technology permeated world. In order to achieve our goal, we observe how information is understood in domains, such as cosmology, physics, biology, neuroscience, computer science, artificial intelligence, the Internet, big data, information society, or philosophy. Together, these observations form an integrated view so that readers can better understand this exciting building-block of modern-day society.

On the surface, information is a relatively straightforward and intuitive concept. Underneath, however, information is a relatively versatile and mysterious entity. For instance, the way a physicist looks at information is not necessarily the same way as that of a biologist, a neuroscientist, a computer scientist, or a philosopher. Actually, when it comes to information, it is common that each field has its domain specific views, motivations, interpretations, definitions, methods, technologies, and challenges.

With contributions by authors from a wide range of backgrounds, Understanding Information: From the Big Bang to Big Data will appeal to readers interested in the impact of ‘information’ on modern-day life from a variety of perspectives.

Reviews

“In this text, Schuster (Waseda Univ., Japan) aims to examine the broad topic of information from a wide variety of angles … which could provide graduate students with indications of suitable fields for research. This text deserves a place as a reference in all university collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” (R. Bharath, Choice, Vol. 55 (10), June, 2018)


“This is a very good book! It’s a thought piece about a range of ideas that couples information across several disciplines and across large timeframes. … Each chapter has an extensive and good-quality bibliography. A quick citation search of the references suggests that the resources are well cited. This is a well-written book.” (Robert M. Lynch, Computing Reviews, April, 2018)


Editors and Affiliations

  • School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku, Japan

    Alfons Josef Schuster

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access