Computational informatics
Encyclopedia
Informatics
is the academic field concerned with the study of the foundations, theory, structure, communication, and use of information. Computational informatics, as a subfield of informatics, studies information using computational methodologies. Computational informatics can also be interpreted as the use of computational methods in the information sciences.
system developed at Stanford University
. The field has since evolved to use a wide range of computational methods and to interact with all possible scientific and other disciplinary domains. In the recent years, the field integrates the following:
- Computational techniques: Artificial intelligence, algorithms (for architectures ranging from single CPU to massively parallel
machines), programming, object-oriented system design, databases, information retrieval, computer graphics and visualization, data mining, information extraction.
- Probability, statistics and decision science: Theory of probability, statistical inference, cost/risk-benefit analysis, probabilistic analysis, stochastic modeling, decision theory, statistical data analysis, probabilistic networks, pattern classification, statistical learning and modeling, statistical data mining.
- Applied mathematics: Graph theory, differential equations, optimization theory, wavelets, group theory.
- Electrical engineering methods: signal and image processing.
- Domain knowledge: Art and cultural heritages, biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, the Web.
- User sciences: Design, human-computer interaction, evaluation.
- Cyberinfrastructure for informatics: search engines, digital repositories, storage.
- Scientometrics, bibliometrics and economics: science and policy evaluation, data mining and information extraction, knowledge discovery.
- Social sciences: social network analysis and metrics.
focuses on technologies and methods for understanding biomedical data and to improve health care.
Informatics (academic field)
Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information...
is the academic field concerned with the study of the foundations, theory, structure, communication, and use of information. Computational informatics, as a subfield of informatics, studies information using computational methodologies. Computational informatics can also be interpreted as the use of computational methods in the information sciences.
Development
From a historical viewpoint, medical informatics scientists (also known as medical informaticians) started to use artificial intelligence and Baysian statistical methods in diagnosis and medical decision making, as early as in the 1970s. An example is the MYCINMycin
In artificial intelligence, MYCIN was an early expert system designed to identify bacteria causing severe infections, such as bacteremia and meningitis, and to recommend antibiotics, with the dosage adjusted for patient's body weight — the name derived from the antibiotics themselves, as many...
system developed at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. The field has since evolved to use a wide range of computational methods and to interact with all possible scientific and other disciplinary domains. In the recent years, the field integrates the following:
- Computational techniques: Artificial intelligence, algorithms (for architectures ranging from single CPU to massively parallel
Massively parallel
Massively parallel is a description which appears in computer science, life sciences, medical diagnostics, and other fields.A massively parallel computer is a distributed memory computer system which consists of many individual nodes, each of which is essentially an independent computer in itself,...
machines), programming, object-oriented system design, databases, information retrieval, computer graphics and visualization, data mining, information extraction.
- Probability, statistics and decision science: Theory of probability, statistical inference, cost/risk-benefit analysis, probabilistic analysis, stochastic modeling, decision theory, statistical data analysis, probabilistic networks, pattern classification, statistical learning and modeling, statistical data mining.
- Applied mathematics: Graph theory, differential equations, optimization theory, wavelets, group theory.
- Electrical engineering methods: signal and image processing.
- Domain knowledge: Art and cultural heritages, biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, the Web.
- User sciences: Design, human-computer interaction, evaluation.
- Cyberinfrastructure for informatics: search engines, digital repositories, storage.
- Scientometrics, bibliometrics and economics: science and policy evaluation, data mining and information extraction, knowledge discovery.
- Social sciences: social network analysis and metrics.
Education
Several universities offer graduate programs in this area. One example is the Pennsylvania State University's College of Information Sciences and Technology. Some programs are targeted at specific domains. For instance, the Biomedical Informatics Program at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
focuses on technologies and methods for understanding biomedical data and to improve health care.