The coded sheet is ready. Now the crew must decide where to keep it.
Comet points at the front desk. "Put the binder right here! Everyone can see it."
Wren frowns. "Everyone can see it. What do you notice about that?"
Comet thinks. "Oh. Anyone walking past could read it, or spill on it."
Keeper Ines taps the office computer. "This one has a password. Only the council and the crew can sign in."
Nova hovers between them. "I could hold a copy in my memory too," she offers. "But I can't choose for you. Would you like a hint? List what matters most first."
Comet opens a fresh page and writes five words across the top.
People choose how data are organized and where they are stored.
Those choices affect speed, reliability, accessibility, privacy and integrity.
For example, someone might store photos on a phone or in the cloud. Each place changes those five things.
| Question to ask | What it is about |
|---|---|
| How fast can we find an answer? | speed |
| Will the data still be there next month? | reliability |
| Can the people who need it reach it? | accessibility |
| Can people who should not see it read it? | privacy |
| Will the answers stay exactly as collected? | integrity |
| Option | The crew's notes |
|---|---|
| Binder at the front desk | Easy to reach; slow to search by hand; anyone passing could read or change it |
| Office computer with a strong password | Fast to search; only people who can sign in can open it; needs the computer to keep working |
| A copy in Nova's memory | Fast for the crew; only reachable through Nova; one more place to keep safe |
These notes are part of the Commons Count story.
Authentication measures protect devices and information from unauthorized access. A strong password is one example.
Encryption is the process of encoding data to prevent unauthorized access. Decryption is decoding the data again.
Large data sets are hard to process with a single computer. The capacity of a system affects how data can be processed and stored.
Forty rows fit easily on paper or on one computer. A much larger data set could need more capacity.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A strong password is an example of authentication. | ? |
| Encryption encodes data to prevent unauthorized access. | ? |
| Where data are stored has no effect on privacy. | ? |
| A system's capacity affects how data sets can be processed and stored. | ? |
Thoughtful work. Tomorrow is Impact Friday: what happens to data after the report is done.