Data capture is all about collecting information, turning it into data and entering it into a computer. Capturing of data can be done in various ways; the best method depends on the type of data that you need to gather and what you want to do with it. In some cases, you might store it in a database. In other cases you would use a spreadsheet or a text file. Data can be captured manually or automatically. If you were doing an investigation that involved temperature and brightness of light, that would be best carried out automatically. The sensors can be attached to a datalogger and the whole... Show more

Data capture is all about collecting information, turning it into data and entering it into a computer. Capturing of data can be done in various ways; the best method depends on the type of data that you need to gather and what you want to do with it. In some cases, you might store it in a database. In other cases you would use a spreadsheet or a text file.

Data can be captured manually or automatically. If you were doing an investigation that involved temperature and brightness of light, that would be best carried out automatically. The sensors can be attached to a datalogger and the whole set up can be left for however much time is required. Professional scientists and geographers often use this method of data capture. Information about people would be collected manually, for example, a shop selling household appliances like fridges and washing machines would collect information about their customers manually. Customers would either fill in a form and hand it to the shop assistant or the shop assistant would manually enter the data onto their system as they ask the customer questions.

Related Test: KS3 ICT Practice Test: Data

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