informacja

Informacja (Polish for information) is a term used to denote meaningfully processed data. In information science, information refers to data that have been organized, interpreted, or structured to be useful to a recipient. Information reduces uncertainty and supports decision-making, communication, and learning. The distinction between data, information, and knowledge is common in scholarly literature: data are raw observations; information provides context and meaning; knowledge results from applying information in practice.

The word informacja derives from Latin informare, and the Polish noun informacja is widely used in science, media, business, and everyday language to denote information in various forms, including text, images, signals, and digital records.

In information theory, information measures the reduction of uncertainty. Claude Shannon’s framework treats information as a property of messages that can be quantified using entropy and related quantities, with applications to data compression, transmission, and storage. The concept has become fundamental for digital communication and information systems, including metadata, coding, and channel capacity.

In society, information plays a central role in the information age and the information economy. Information literacy—able to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively—is an important skill. Ethical and legal aspects, such as privacy, copyright, and data protection, influence how information is produced and shared. Information governance addresses quality, access, and accountability in organizations.

Quality information is typically judged by accuracy, relevance, timeliness, completeness, and provenance. Challenges include misinformation and information overload, which require critical evaluation, reliable sources, and effective information-management practices.