World Informatics Day

Havana, Dec 9 (RHC) Today humanity celebrates World Informatics Day, one of the most valuable disciplines created by mankind with an enormous impact on the progress made since the 20th century.

Its transcendental importance lies in the fact that it allowed the transmission of data and information and the connection of people around the world. In addition, informatics transformed such basic concepts as time and space by bringing about great changes that altered human life almost immediately.

The website diainternacionalde.com reviews that the celebration of this day is due to the birth of Grace Murray Hopper, a day like today in 1906, the first woman in the computer industry and responsible for major contributions to the development of this science.

Among the first changes brought about by computing was the invention of the telephone and television, and today its influence extends to such basic things as secure and always-available file storage, as well as the emergence of social networks and instant messaging tools.

According to the specialized sites TechCrunch and Mashable, no company can function without IT, and if today we live in the Information Age it is due to technological advances in data transmission and new communication facilities, both of which would be unthinkable without the evolution of computers and devices.

The greatest benefit of information technology in our society is to keep people informed and updated, through better communication.

In general terms, computer science is a branch of science that encompasses the study and application of techniques and processes for the storage and processing of information and data in digital format.

It has its foundations in mathematics and physics, with significant influence in the fields of engineering, industry, medicine, architecture, public administration, and business, among others.

It developed rapidly from the second half of the twentieth century, with the emergence of technologies such as the integrated circuit, the Internet, and the cell phone, and since then it has become an instrument of change, with great impact on humanity.

Grace Hooper's contributions in this discipline made possible the development of the web, the different programming languages, and the operating systems we know today, among many other advances in the world of computing.

Cuba is aware that to be more effective, efficient, and competitive, a society must apply informatization in all its spheres and processes and is convinced that for underdeveloped countries it is essential to achieve this goal since their fundamental objective is to achieve the survival of their people.

In this sense, Cuba identified very early on the convenience and necessity of mastering and introducing Information and Communication Technologies in social practice and achieving a digital culture as one of the essential characteristics for future generations, which would help Cubans to get closer to the goal of sustainable development.

The island began its development in 1959 with training programs for computer personnel, the manufacture of the first Cuban computer in 1970, and the Program for the Computerization of Society.

The Joven Club de Computación and the Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas are the highest expressions of the government's will to develop and extend informatics to all spheres of the country's social, economic, and political life. (Source: PL)