Using current information

Why use current information?

Look at the Web page showing Tropical Cyclone Hudah as it approached Mozambique prior to the serious floods in April, 2000, and consider the following questions:

• How could this satellite photograph have been used on the 2nd or 3rd of April 2000 to make decisions about issuing flood warnings?
• Would this same satellite photograph still serve the same purpose today?

On the 2nd and 3rd of April, 2000, this information was current. When did it stop being current? (You could discuss this with your group) Sometimes current information is extremely useful. It can be used to make important decisions. In this case it would have saved many lives, because weather forecasters in Mozambique could have used the satellite photo to predict the floods.

Connect to the Internet, and click here see a current satellite image of the same coastline on the Web.

From the previous example, we saw that information is current as long as it is useful for predicting events and making decisions. A more everyday example would be using the weather bureau's current weather information to decide what to wear today.

Generally, information is current if it is updated constantly. Today's news would seem to be the obvious example of current information, but some information can change within the day and websites are useful tools for publishing this kind of information.

Weather Data 

Earthquake Data  

Currency Converter  

Global Measurements  

Webcams

WorldNews  

CNN  

BBC News 

Magazines/Journals

New Scientist  

Time  

Use Google and search, using current data and adding the topic of your interest
e.g. current data flood