The information can be seen both from the functional point of view and in terms of use and or decision-making. In functional terms are the day-to-day operations that contribute to the performance of the organizations as a whole. The physical elements such as books, parts, components, and subassemblies, are parts which ultimately implement the required functions [ Ulrich and Eppinger, 1995 ]. The physical elements are typically fun grouped by blocks that implement the functions inherent to them. The architecture is the manner in which the functionality is grouped by physical blocks. Thus the architecture of the information about the physical blocks can be modular or integral (for functions): integral/Architecture for functions – is when the functional elements are implemented using more than a block, or a block implements several functions. The interactions between the blocks are not well defined. It is designed for high performance and the border between the blocks is difficult to identify, if it does not exist; modular architecture-is when their physical blocks implement one or few functional elements and their interactions are well-defined and generally essential for the primary functions of the use/management/decision-making. The modular architecture allows the change of project/business unit, an independently, i.e. without the need for change in other modules.
Published in Chapter:
Information Architecture in Practice
José Poças Rascão (Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal) and Antonio-Juan Briones-Peñalver (Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Spain)
Copyright: © 2016
|Pages: 48
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8637-3.ch014
Abstract
The concept of architecture has been widely used in the context of information and communication technologies (ICT's). It is associated with such diverse terms, such as, business architecture, architecture of knowledge, strategic architecture, governance architecture, information architecture, architecture of competence, ICT's architecture, network architecture, computer architecture, data architecture, and many other examples one could give. Why the term is used in this way? What sets them apart? May it be replaced by a simpler and less catchy term, such as structure? Information architecture is a design methodology (concept) that is applied to any environments, being understood as an area located within a given context, consisting of content in streams that serves a community of managers/decision makers/users. The model can be to any informational environments of any area of knowledge, regardless of media, format, content or type of information that constitutes it, since a traditional library to a complex organization. It is not coupled to people, to the organizational structure or any technology.