Room 817, Ho Sin Hang Engineering Building Email: pcwong@ie.cuhk.hk

1. Information Engineering in Society Chapter #1 : Overview Prof. P.C. Wong Department of Information EngineeringThe Chinese University of Hong Kong2003 Room 817, Ho Sin Hang Engineering Building Email: pcwong@ie.cuhk.edu.hk URL: http://learning.hkedcity.net/ieg1001/

2. Lecture Outline • What is Information Engineering? • What do I learn in Information Engineering? • What is the career prospect? • How do I study Information Engineering?

3. What is Information Engineering?

4. What is Information Engineering? An Engineering approach to the study of “Information”: its principles, technologies, networks, systems, services, and applications to create value for mankind through developing and building systems based on Information Technology (IT).” Information Services & Applications Information Engineering Information Transmission & Network Information Processing Computer Communications Information Storage & Representation

5. I am confused, what is IT? • IT stands for Information Technology and, in its widest sense, refers to any technology that can store and manipulate information, transfer and receive information, and process and present information. Usually IT is controlled or based on a computer or a microprocessor. • IT therefore includes: • Storage devices: CD, DVD, Magnetic disks, Tape • Processing hardware: PC, Workstation, Servers • Communications systems: Phones, PDAs, Fax, Switches, Routers, Networks • Presenting channels: printers, graphics, multimedia • Application and System software: office, graphics, operating system, applications such as CRM, HR, ACC, EAI, and so on

6. Why is IT so important? • IT becomes a strategic asset that helps an organization to keep ahead of its competitors. Companies are embracing IT to communicate more efficiently, to simplify business processes, and to acquire, analyze, and manage the data on what their business depends. • IT brings new ways of doing things, new business models, and new culture of living our lives. IT can automate the process and systems management, while enabling workers to do things they can never do before. • IT brings new jobs, new business opportunities, every business entity, large and small, will need IT people to help them re-engineer their business, and offer them effective solutions.

7. What is Information? • The communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence; • Knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or instruction • Facts, data, news, intelligence; • The attribute inherent in and communicated by one of two or more alternative sequences or arrangements of something (as nucleotides in DNA or binary digits in a computer program) that produce specific effects.

8. So what is Information? • Information must be stored and presented in certain form. • Information must be generated and transmitted. • Information must be received and Interpreted. • Information must be processed to generate understanding. • Information must be used for a purpose.

9. W K & U Information Messages What is not Information? • News, stories, and facts – they are messages that will bring information when you read it with a purpose or an objective. • Data – they are raw figures collected from measurements and experiments. • Knowledge and Understanding – they are “processed” information and are related with a certain model. • Wisdom – it is the sense, the insight, and the ability to discern and judge. Wisdom and Knowledge come from Information and Messages

10. What about engineering? • Engineers - a designer or builder of engines, or someone doing engineering works. • Engineering - to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer A person whose job is to design or build machines, engines or electrical equipment, or things such as roads, railways or bridges, using scientific principles. The application of science in the design, planning, construction, and maintenance of buildings, machines, and other manufactured things

11. Do we build and repair information then? Well, engineering is now used in a broader sense, we have • Civil, Structural, and Mechanical engineering… • Electrical, Electronics,Communications, and Computer engineering • Software, Systems, Automation, and Information Engineering • Traffic engineering, Genetic engineering, Knowledge engineering, … • What else? • Soul engineering, love engineering, education engineering, …

12. So can you define engineering? Engineering is the systematic and scientific approach to create value for mankind, through constructing and maintainingstructures and systems, and applying tools and technologies to identify and solveproblems for people. Systematic: Step-by-step, well-planned, divide-and-conquer Scientific: Based on experiments, data and facts Constructing: With a purpose, have an end product Tools and Technologies: Effectiveness/Efficiency Create Value & Problem Solving: Helping People

13. So what can you say about engineers? • Engineers seek to solve problems • Engineers build useful things, or things that have value • Engineers plan before doing things, and do them step by step and in the most effective way • Engineers seek to improve things, will come up with new ideas from time to time • Engineers are enthusiastic in using and work with equipment, technologies, and like others to use too • Engineers seek to help people, understand their needs • Engineers are honest and objective in seeking the truth

14. What do I learn in Information Engineering?

15. What do I learn in Information Engineering? • Information Engineering Programme is a vigorous engineering discipline focusing on the study of “Information”: its principles, technologies, networks, systems, services, and applications. • It is a professional programme, related to the creating, developing, applying and managing of information technologies to create value for mankind. • It is an interesting and exciting field, covers the hottest topics like e-commerce and e-business, multimedia, information security, computer networking, mobile computing, wireless networks, and telecommunications.

16. What do I learn in Information Engineering? • Concepts and Principles – How things work and how things are designed, and how to analyze and solve problems. • Tools and Technologies – How to identify and choose the right technologies, how to apply technologies in developing a solution and construct new technologies when needed. • Development and Applications – How to understand people’s needs, transform into system requirements, develop the solution, and maintain the systems in the most reliable, effective and efficient way.

17. Final Year Project General Education IE Specialization Engineering Electives Database Simulation CAD/CAM Data structures Engineering Management …. Business Management Economics Science Art Music Sport P.E., etc. * Wireless, Optical, & Telecommunications * Network, system, software design * Multimedia Coding, information theory Specialization * Principles of Communications, Digital Comm., * Networking – Internet, protocols, laboratories * Computer hardware and software Profession * Engineering Math * Probability * Signals & Systems Digital circuits Electronics Design lab I.E. in Society Intro to Computing Data Structure English College GE Foundation What about the IE curriculum?

18. How are IE required courses structured? TERM 1 TERM 2 ******* General Education 3 ******* General Education 3******* Physical Education 1 ******* Physical Education 1CSC1110 Introduction to Computing 3 CSC2100 Data Structures 3ELE1110 Basic Circuit Theory 3 ERG2040 Probability Models & Apps 3ERG2013 Adv Engineering Maths (Syll. C) 3 ERG2020 Digital Logic & Systems. 3IEG1001 Information Engineering in Soc. 2 IEG2051 Signals and Systems 3 IEG1810 Elec. Circuit Design Lab. 1 IEG2810 Digital Sys Design Lab. 1 TOTAL 16 TOTAL 17TERM 3 TERM 4******* General Education 3 ******* General Education 3ELE3230 Microprocessors & Computer Sys. 3 ELT1111 Technical Communications 3ERG2310 Principles of Comm. Systems 3 IEG3010 Digital Communications 3IEG3310 Computer Networks 3 IEG3080 Info. & S/W Eng. Practice 3IEG3810 uP Systems Design Laboratory 1 IEG3821 Information Eng. Lab 2 ******* Electives* 3 ******* Electives* 6 TOTAL 16 TOTAL 20TERM 5 TERM 6ERG4910C Thesis I 4 ERG4920C Thesis II 4******** Electives* 12 ******** Electives* 12 TOTAL 16 TOTAL 16

19. What are IE Group 1 Major Electives? IEG 3050 Simulation and Statistical Analysis IEG 3830 Product Design Project IEG 4060 Decision Making Methodology IEG 5240 Cryptography, Security and E-Commerce MAT 3080 Number Theory MAT 3260 Graph Theory MAT 3310 Computational and Applied Mathematics SEG 2420 Operations Research I SEG 2440 Engineering Economics SEG 3430 Information Systems Analysis and Design SEG 3490 Information Systems Management SEG 3500 Quality Control and Management SEG 4410 Real-Time Computer Systems ACE 2050 Engineering Computer Graphics CSC 2110 Discrete Mathematics CSC 3160 Design & Analysis of Algorithms CSC 3170 Introduction to Database Systems CSC 3230 Fundamentals of Artifical Intelligence CSC 3260 Principles of Computer Graphics CSC 5280 Image Processing and Computer Vision ELE 3310 Basic Electromagnetic Theory ELE 3330 Antenna and Propagation ELE 4220 Multiprocessor System, Implementation and Applications ELE 4320 Microwave Electronics ELE 4550 Application Specific IC Technologies

20. (* FOUR elective courses from group II, FOUR group I/II courses not otherwise taken, plus 7units of free electives) Plus workshops, training sessions and industrial visits What about IE Group 2 Major Electives? IEG 4020 Telecommunication Switching & Network Systems IEG 4030 Optical Communications IEG 4100 Wireless Communication Systems IEG 4130 Introduction to Channel Coding and Cryptography IEG 4140 Teletraffic Engineering IEG 4160 Image and Video Processing IEG 4180 Network Software Desgin & Programming IEG 4190 Multimedia Coding and Processing IEG 5124 Signal Analysis & Applications IEG 5154 Information Theory

21. What is the Career Prospect?

22. What can I do after learning all these? • Anything that is offered to you. • You know technologies, you know people’s needs, and you know to apply technologies. • You can enter into an IE Professional Career • Marketing and Sales Engineer • IT Consultant, Education, System Analyst, IT Specialist • System Integrator, network engineer, services and support • System Developer - programmer, designer, MM engineer) • System Administrator – Unix/Windows/Network/Services • Researcher and Developer – create new technologies or understandings about IT

23. IE Graduate Survey - Job Nature

24. How should I choose my career? • Well, if you like to build things, build things - engineer • If you cannot build things, help or educate others to do so – consultant or educator • If you cannot help or education others, tell them what technologies can help them – sales and marketing • If you cannot tell people what they need, you cannot build things, you cannot educate others, … You are welcome to join the University as a Professor, and do what we call “research”, i.e., not doing anything real!

25. Would an IT career in promising? • Absolutely, if you are a good Information Engineer! • JobsDB (1.9.2002) • IT-related jobs: 953 • Engineering: 865 • Sales and business: 1521 • Marketing: 943 • Accounting: 450 • Administration/Secretary:670 • Human resources: 197

27. How do I study Information Engineering?

28. The 10 Study Steps • Be Focus • Focus one thing at a time until you really understand. • Find a time and place that your can focus on your study. • Be Patient • Getting something slowly is better than nothing. • Get the Main Points • Write down the main points. • Read Aloud or Analyze the sentences • Get familiar to the English sentence structure • See how things are related • Advantages and disadvantages, steps 1, 2, 3, etc.

29. The 10 Study Commandments • Write your own notes • If you cannot say in your own words, you have not understood. • Read out to see if you can say or memorize it. • Think with your hand • Use your pen, simulator, plug in numbers to see how it works. • Engage your mind in learning. • Create your own model • Drawings, flow-charts, points, that can help you to understand and memorize. Tell others • Help others can challenge your own understanding. • Revise as early as possible • Immediate after the lecture, drop down questions and understanding. • Before the lecture, take a look at the previous lecture. • Solving problems • It is NOT homework. It is a tool to challenge your understanding.

30. The 10 Life-Long Learning Tips • Review your purpose • What do you want to become in 3, 5, and 10 years time? • Align your goals • Study, playing, dating, reading, participating activities • Value your time • If you are doing something again and again meaninglessly, you can find better ways of using your time. • Sharpen your skills • Are there better ways of doing something? • Are there tools, techniques, that I do not know? • One thing at a time • You get a sense of completion when you do things one at a time. • Taking a step-by-step approach to establish good habits.

31. The 10 Life-Long Learning Tips • Make reading a habit • Select good newspaper, good books and materials • Text Books, Technical Books, Personal Growth, Business and Management, Leisure, and so on. • Read aloud, speak aloud • Get familiar with English sentence structures • Communicative power is very important • Grasp any learning opportunities • What can I learn about this person, this occasion? • Write it down • What you learnt – words, theory, concepts, analysis, etc. • Avoid Junk • Junk food, junk TV, junk games, junk friends.

32. Review Questions • What is Information Engineering? • How Information Engineering contributes to an Information Society? • Why IT is still very important even at a time of economic downturn? • How do you define Engineering and why can they contribute? • What will you learn in Information Engineering? • What can you do when you graduate from Information Engineering? • Outline three important points for studying. • Outline three important points for life-long-learning.