Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom: A Doubly Linked Chain?

In knowledge management literature it is often pointed out that it is important to distinguish between data, information and knowledge. The generally accepted view sees data as simple facts that become information as data is combined into meaningful structures, which subsequently become knowledge as meaningful information is put into a context and when it can be used to make predictions. This view sees data as a prerequisite for information, and information as a prerequisite for knowledge. In this paper, we give a detailed review of various definitions and explanations of DIKW (Data , Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) hierarchy. We will try to emphasize that the DIKW hierarchy needs to be explored further as its definition and understanding depends upon te context and domain of application . We will also discuss the inverted hierarchy that shows that data emerges only after we have information, and that information emerges only after we already have knowledge.