ICT and Criminal Investigation

With the development of certain technologies. ICT now has the potential to assist in and against crime prevention.

The main thing that is used for Criminal investigations is the Police national database, which stores large amounts of data about people from their name and fingerprints to the kind of  car that they drive. The Police National Computer has 185 million transactions through it per year. The Police National Computer is also the largest database in the UK. Despite it being stored on computers nowadays it was once stored in a paper database before being computerised. It still allos the ability to query and cross reference.Under the Data Protection Act, police can now remain in contact with information about certain suspects. The computers are also used to examine evidence as well as an expert person to analyse fingerprints and other evedence. Police also use face recognition software to identify people from CCTV or from descriptions.

Airports also use IT for crime prevention and investigation. One new example of this is the full body scanner which allows people to see if there is anything potentially dangerous under someone's clothes. Airports have also been known to X-ray people's bags which thanks to the development in IT now allows clearer pictures of the contents of bags and so protecting the passengers from any potential threat.

The police have also had IT used to improve their communication with each other. From originally banging a trunchion on the ground the police have gone into whistles and radios and now into using mobile phones. The police can alos use tracking software and SatNavs to co-ordinate the forces.

IT is also used by criminals as well as the police. Criminals also use computers to commit cyber crimes (which are not always based on the internet). One thing that criminals can do is hack into someone else's computer and steal the contents of the hard drive which could include personal information. Another thing that the criminals can attempt to do is defraud people by tricking them into giving up bank details to them via e-mails and viruses. With these stolen details, criminals can now rob the person's bank account by transferring money to one of their accounts. Many new laws being passed are based to countering cyber crime such as the Computer Misuse Act.

IT is now also used with speed cameras to catch those breaking the traffic laws. The computers can now set up the cameras to take photos of not only the number plate but the driver as well. a similar system is currently being used in Japan where both a photo of the licence plate and the person driving it are required for a criminal conviction which means there is the problem that it is possible to wear a mask to prevent yourself being convicted. These are also used in main cities such as London which have the congestion charge to catch those who have not paid the charge by caputuring a picture of the licence plate and checking it with a computer database to see if that plate owner has paid the charge, if he has not then a fine is automatically sent out to the vehicle owner by the computer.

IT is also used in crime prevention with monitoring. The police can now use IT to track people's mobile phone records as well as monitor their bank account to see if there are any irregular transactions. Under the Computer Misuse Act, the police can monitor bank transactions but they can't stop them.

The Police also use IT in Investigations with the electronic tags worn by those who have ASBOs or are suspected terrorists. These tags electronically inform the police that that person has violated their curfew, gene somewhere they're not allowed or attempted to tamper with the tag by sending a signal remotely to the police national computer.

The police computers also have a DNA Biometric database which allows the police to hold DNA and fingerprint evidence about suspects and use them to find out who commited a certain crime at a later date if that perswon reoffends however if the person is aquitted, then the police have to remove the evidence about that person from their system which could be counter productive if that person breaks the law for real.

In conclusion, the police now have the ability to use ICT to their advantage in preventing, investigating, and recording crimes. However criminals are getting more computer smart and are causing the police to continuously upgrade and update their IT technology to keep pace with criminals.

ICT Entertainment

In the world nowadays, ICT has been responsible for assisting in the development of entertainment.

One of the things that is mainly used in music entertainment now is the MP3 files which contain music on digital audio files as MPEGs. This technology is often used to play music with digital music players such as MP3 players and iPods. This now revolutionised the entertainment as it now allows people to listen to music without the need for a physical product for the players to play music off of.

DVDs (Digital Versitile Disks) came into existance as a result in developments in ICT. DVDs share similar optical technology to CD-ROM disc drives and CD players. DVDs are also read in DVD players by lasers. As a result of the new developments and they share similar technology CD and DVD technologies often overlap and now CD players can play DVDs and vice versa. The now commonplace of the technology means it's more common to see Personal DVD players to go with personal CD players as well as there being both CD and DVD players now in cars as well as in the home and on someone's person.

ICT now also has the ability to send out digital Radio which allows certain radio stations to broadcast solely on computers and certain digital radio players. The rising interst in this has lead to the government planning to phase out the FM radiowave bradcasts by 2015. However there is a preassure group in parliament to oppose this change or at least put it back until 2020.

Televisions also have ICT entertainment based on them nowadays. TVs now have the ability to reciveve TV via satelite. The development of HD and 3D televisions along with 3D Cameras are also a creation of IT works. The idea of Plasma TV's came out of the same technology was inspired by the use of plasma computer monitors.

Cinemas have also been influenced by the development in ICT. As a result of new updates in technology, the films are shown at better quality than before. Space is often saved as now the projectors show films that have been downloaded in digital medas rather than in filmstrips as it now means that theres less space needed for filmstock. The fact that when it is released yoiu can also download films onto your computer and watch them there to save you on a need to buy DVDs. This option however makes movie piracy a lot easier as all someone now has to do is hack the site that offers the films. Most films made nowadays require the use of CGI (Computer Graphic Imaging) to create scenes that are impossible nor not safe to do in real life. The ease of use of this technology can be seen in the film, Monsters which was created by 5 people on a laptop.

IT is majorly involved in gaming nowadays, in all platforms and in different categories. The issue of computer gaming was once a topic for a BBC Panorama programme which discussed the idea of video game addiction. IT also has been able to create cameras that pick up movement and transfer it to the computer. Cameras such as the Playstation 2's EyeToy and the Xbox 360's Kinect are examples of these gaming webcams where people are the controller. The physical activity that people are forced to do in order to play games with these cameras as well as games consoles such as the Wii could mean that as a result of excercising while playing without controllers, it could make physical activity clubs such as gyms obsolete. Games can also now be played on mobile phones such as the smartphone thanks to IT's assists in file transfer.

In conclusion ICT has been able to change forms of technology and adapt them for entertainment purposes. An example of this is that they have been able to adapt webcam technology and turn it into console controllers. Films such as Avatar would not have been able to have been such a success without advances in IT 3D graphics design and CGI.

Mobile Phones in Buisness and my personal use

The advent of the mobile phone nowadays used in business allow ease of access for many businessmen. It also allows people to use them to make recreational telephone calls away from normal landline phones.

I personally have a mobile telephone and the way in which is unlike many people of my age.  Instead of using text messages, internet access, video recordings etc. I really only use it to make phone calls when I know I need to or if I am expecting a call. I really only use it to schedule meetings and to inform people of new and/or intersting developments. The benifits are that it allows me contact with my friends and family to tell them of the current situation and because I rarely use it I don't have to charge it often saving money on electrical bills. The main disadvantage for me is that because I so rarely use it it is often off and not topped up often so it is sometimes out of credit when I really need it. In my opinion my mobile does fulfil the intended purpose even if it is a bit underused.

The mobile phone in work now allows people to ring others inside their work without having to use a landline telephone to avoid cost to the employer and allows people to keep in contact when away from their desk.  It also allows businessmen to conduct business away from their offices and even manage it outside working hours.

There are also many updates for the mobile which increase efficiancy for the users. One example of this is the Smartphone which merges making telephone calls with attributes of a computer. An example of this is that smartphones can run certain programmes on it which a normal mobile would not be able to do as well as that a smart phone can compose, send and recive e-mails from others for ease of access while a person is on the move.

Mobile phones also have certain additional features that allow disabled people to use a mobile similar to other able people. They now have mobile textphones for people who are deaf to allow them to be able to contact other people while out. There is also mobile phones with braille keypads for those with a visual disability to give them the freedom to communicate with others away from their homes.

In conclusion buisness communication has been vastly reliant on more technological advances to contact other people. The ability to contact people on the move allows speed of buisness transactions as well as the phones being used as fashion accessories with technical updates for personal usage.

ICT in education

ICT has lead to many developments not only in the world of work but also in education as well. One example of this is the fact that all students in some schools each have their own computer account and LAN (local area network) in order to study and do work.In teaching there has also been a phase out of blackboards into whiteboards which in turn are then being replaced by the interactive whiteboards used in teaching.

Computer in schools also allow teachers to collect students work on the computer's servers as well as look at the syllabus and track work via the school's intranet. IT also allows mny textbooks to be now used as e-books on computers rather than physical books. With ICT in school, students can now use IT to communicate their work via e-mail.

An issue that often crops up with IT in school is that with many fast developments in technology during the school year, many schools have to rely on out of date IT systems and old operating systems with (for example) an upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista costing at least £74 ($99) and that is only for 1 computer. As a result of budget constarints and government cuts, many schools might not be able to afford to be able to keep up to date with the latest releases, models and updates in the world of ICT.

The software now used in Schools is PowerPoint which allows teachers and students to create slideshows and learn from them. The ease of IT now allows children to create professional looking leaflets using Publisher. As a result of this use of IT, essay quality improves due to a lack of writer's cramp however, it can lead to a rise in RSI (Repetative strain injury) due to bad typing posture.

The disadvantages are that children can then become over reliant on computers and as such their handwriting gets worse and their spelling and grammer also suffer due to over reliance on Spellchecker. Plagerism is often a problem as students can now access work from all around the world and copy and paste it into their work to pass it off as their own efforts. Another problem is that with the use of paper impacting on enviroment and children now tend to waste paper. To fix this schools put blocks on printing to limit the number of pages printed to save paper but this can be circumvented by printing one at a time but this slows down efficiantcy.

ICT and Employment

In the present world with the growth of ICT, there become more advantages and disadvantages of it. One example can be of a designer as now computers can do things quicker than a person could as a result of the computer's ability to monitor enviroments and improved processors. A designer might now create something on a 3D design programme on a computer rather than on paper. He can also send the designs off to someone else to vet them via computer and get the reply back also via computer. He can then instead of manually manufacturing the product. He can then use a computer and CAM (computer aided manufacture) to create his CAD (computer aided design)  designed product using a CNC (Computer Numerical control) machine. The manufacturing also includes from Integrated manufacturing cells which themselves are often computers. As a result of computers they can now also distribute products either to a warehouse or customer's address. The products in the warehouse also now have no need for people to move stuff around as they now use Computerised retreval to get products down for distribution. The stock control is now done by computer as well as the distribution and ordering of new products.

Another job that is improved by ICT in the workplace is in Banking. Instead of someone writing down what a customer had paid in or withdrawn, they can just type in the amount into the computer and the amount will be credited to their account. That also removes the need for paper records as nowadays they are trying to phase out paper bank statements as well to remove the need for someone to print out statements and send them off as they will just be sent electronically to a person direct. 

Jobs are now under threat with the ideas computers taking ther places as employers try to cut costs. However as some manual jobs go more computer based work comes into effect as now most jobs require their employees to be computer literate, a skill that was only avaliable to few people a few years ago. Computer programmes such as EXCEL Spreadsheet which was originally only used by accountants is now required for many new jobs. The jobs that are created are often computer technicians to run the computers, Software Engineers (Computer Programmer) to set up the system and those who are computer literate to train companies' employees to use new computer systems. Jobs in the gaming industry is also a major employer for computer literate people. The jobs that are under threat from computers are those who work in warehouses and move products around them, factory workers can be replaced by compter run machines and mechanics can also be replaced by computers which diagnose the problems to save time and labour costs.

The advantages of a computer in the workplace allows certain tasks such as sending messages between depatments easier, the inspection proccess in manufacturing to be better, can save company bosses money in the long run over employing someone. The case is also that the best performing buisness companies are those which use computers. Companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, PC World all bring profits in thanks to computers. The mobile telephone industry also profits by selling the latest computing technology in their mobile phones.

The disadvantages are that due to computers also being able to answer company helpline phone calls such as the British Airways Flight Enquires Phone Line, people don't feel comfortable talking to a machine that could misunderstand you if you have a strong accent. the cost to set up a computer system costs a lot in the short term for companies and they'd have to pay more staff to set it up so it bcomes so expensive, that it is not finacially viable for small buisnesses.

In conclusing, ICT at work creates as well as destroys jobs along with making current worker's jobs much easier and allowing companies to increase efficiantcy

Garden centre worker

Imagine sales representative selling tools to garden centres all over the country and list all the ICT the rep might use.

Internet

Chip and PIN

EPOS

EFTPOS

Concept keyboard

CAD

CAM

E-mail

Search engine

Instant messaging

Call centres

Internet phone calls

IT at work

In the information age there is now a large amount of IT around. So much so that most jobs now require employees to be computer literate as most jobs now require the use of some form of computer.


Ict is not only just for the internet, it is everywhere as many new machines now require ICT. Many items such as mobile phones are getting more powerful and smaller such as Smartphones and Blackberries.

The invention of chip and PIN is not a new invention, however it has come into mainstream very quickly. As a result of it's quick rise there are some people who are concerned about it's use as it is slowly now phasing out cheques which have been used for several hundred years which by 2018 will be gone from the UK. The use of chip and pin is helpful to buinesses as they no longer need to take cheques to the bank to cash them and can now withdraw the money electronically which saves them time and money.

Supermarkets originally used Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS), better known as checkouts to process customer's shopping. The Barcode on a product when scanned sends computer signals out to other comuters such as the stock computer which then removes one of that item from stock and if needed will work out how long it takes for an item to drop below a certain level of stock and sends a message automatically to a supplier that the supermarket needs to order more stock. The EPOS also sends a message to a computer requesting the price of an item as the price is not stored on the barcode but in a computer.The EPOS is now being slowly replace by the Electronic Fund Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS) as it now allows money to be transferred electronically from a customers bank account. The card is also linked to the customer's purchases and data is collected about the legally under the Data Protection Act as it is not about the customer's personal information but their shopping habits so they can send them information and offers pertaining to their choices.

Car mechanics also now use ICT in their work. The IT they use is in a diagnostic computer which they hook up to a car which will then tell them what is wrong so that they can replace the broken part. This however means that a part that can sometimes be repaired is now not recognised as being repairable in a black box mentality and is thrown away and replaced at greater expense. The problem this also poses is that you now lose the old mechanics skills of being able to diagnose and fix cars themselves if you rely on machines to do their jobs for them.

Some designers now use Computer aided design (CAD) and Computer Aided manufacture (CAM) to design and create new products. This is usually quicker and cheaper than hiring someone to design and make something by hand.

Most call centres use IT in response to peoples problems as most call centres are not affiliated to any company but are used by that company to act as their representatives despite the fact the call centres are often in another country such as India. The call centre worker's computer contains pages of scripts from different companies to sort peoples problems out so the worker just types in what the customer's problem is and reads what comes up on the computer screen, the call centre worker may not even know anything about  the customers problem and only reads what comes up which takes away the personal touch of someone who would know how to deal with a problem.


Computers can now also be programmed to answer questions to the best of their programming. Certain sites and companies use these rather than people to answer queries. These can be voice activated such as the British Airways flight enquires phone number.


As a result of ICT being accesible everywhere now most people are expected to work while commputing to work or while returining home due to the ability to uses IT on their laptops and phones and PDA's.


A sales representative for example selling to garden centres around the country use a vide varity of ICT in his job.He might use Internet, Chip and PIN, EPOS, EFTPOS, a Concept keyboard, CAD, CAM, E-mail, a Search engine, Instant messaging, Call centres and Internet phone calls to do his job.


In conclusion most work need a knowledge of ICT in order for a job to work well for customer's and for company profits as well as for the ease of the worker.