What is an information system?

An Information System is a computer system that collects, stores, integrates, analyzes, edits, and displays information (weather and climate information, in this case) of many types. Such a system allows a weather forecaster or research scientist to view and manipulate the information to help him or her understand what happened in the past and what's happening now, and use that to help decide what's going to happen in the hours, days, and years to come. Arguably the largest Information System in the world is the World Wide Web

Intuition Definition of MIS:

Management Information Systems What exactly is a management information system, or MIS? A management information system is the series of processes and actions involved in capturing raw data, processing it into usable information, and disseminating it to users in the form needed.

ADVANTAGE:
1) When information systems are designed to provide information needed for effective decision making by managers, they are called management information systems. 2) MIS is a formal system for providing management with accurate and timely information necessary for decision making 3)The main purpose of MIS is to provide the right information to the right people at the right time.

An MIS provides the following advantages. 1. It Facilitates planning : MIS improves the quality of plants by providing relevant information for sound decision making . Due to increase in the size and complexity of organizations, managers have lost personal contact with the scene of operations.

2. In Minimizes information overload : MIS change the larger amount of data in to summarized form and there by avoids the confusion which may arise when managers are flooded with detailed facts. 3. MIS Encourages Decentralization : Decentralization of authority is possibly when there is a system for monitoring operations at lower levels. MIS is successfully used for measuring performance and making necessary change in the organizational plans and procedures. 4. It brings Co ordination : MIS facilities integration of specialized activities by keeping each department aware of the problem and requirements of other departments. It connects all decision centers in the organization . 5. It makes control easier : MIS serves as a link between managerial planning and control. It improves the ability of management to evaluate and improve performance . The used computers has increased the data processing and storage capabilities and reduced the cost . 6. MIS assembles, process , stores , Retrieves , evaluates and Disseminates the information .

7. Data Processing Not only do MIS systems allow for the collation of vast amounts of business data, but they also provide a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce. Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the enterprise as a whole.

Why is it so difficult to develop a good information system? 1. Poor identification of information needs 2. Poor communication between management and systems people 3. Unrealistic expectations about information technology It is fundamentally important to understand that an MIS will not function any better than the policies and procedures upon which it is based. If an institution is suffering from poorly conceived policies and procedures, automation of these policies and procedures will not improve the institutions performance.

The Importance of Information

Because we live in an information age, nearly everything you do, think, and feel relies in some way on the information you receive. For example, the products you purchase rely on the information you receive about them, such as: Does it work? Will it break? Does it do what I want it to do? Can I return it? Should I buy it? You may receive differing messages on these subjects from different people: from your friends from a salesman from a commercial from the Internet All of these sources of information have different strengths and weakness, and some sources are more trustworthy than others. But even that changes from situation to situation Let's look at another example. The big election is coming up, and:

Politician A takes a firm stand for Issue C Politician B takes a firm stand against Issue C TV station X says Issue C is bad, and no one should support it TV station Y says Issue C is great, and everyone should support

it Website Z says Issue C doesn't matter at all, Issue D is crucial. Whom do you believe?

Perhaps you don't have a strong belief one way or the other in Issue C. You tend to believe TV station X about other things, however. Would it help you to know: Politician B owns TV station X? TV station X stands to gain money if Issue C gets rejected? Website Z is run by a non-profit organization that has researched Issue C extensively? Information evaluation skills might help you to decide who's telling the truth and who has something to gain.

Information in Decision making:

In short, FAST provides four things for your corporate real estate and facility management organization:

Dashboard Understand what is going on Decision Support Real-time access to information for decisions Data aggregation The right information Web access Information anywhere anytime