Information theorists have long struggled with the problem of establishing a mechanism for the
valuation of the enigmatic substance of data. With the relatively recent advent of electronic
databases, on-line access, and the importance of telecommunications, this question has received
growing attention. This article reviews, from the perspective of a computer scientist, commonly
accepted notions of information value, before rejecting them and insisting upon the importance
of using an economic commodity value approach as the most meaningful way to establish
information value.
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