Information Technology: Inside and Outside

Assuming no formal engineering or computer science education, this text prepares readers from various disciplines to take advantage of new information technologies. The goal is to teach leadership skills that readers can utilize throughout their careers, rather than just survival skills. Fundamentals of binary representation. Graphics and visual information. Data compression. Bandwidth and information theory. Transmission and storage technology. Basics of networks, standards, protocols, etc. Internet Applications. Appropriate as an introduction on information technology and engineering for readers outside the electrical engineering and computer science disciplines.

This book presents the underlying engineering behind information technology that is transforming our economic and social systems so dramatically. It addresses a need that has arisen from the impact information technology is making on all professions, technical and non-technical. Understanding of information science and engineering, underlying high performance computing and communications is relevant for students from all disciplines today. Covering a broad range of technologies and assuming no formal engineering or computer science background, this book prepares readers to become active practitioners and leaders in the on-going information revolution. Using technology to educate the reader about the technology, the accompanying CD contains links to a set of Java-based virtual laboratory experiments. The integration of Java and Java Script-based applets with the book greatly enhances the presentation of material by allowing the reader to experience the underlying components of information technology in actin, rather than merely in description.