The General Definition of Information (GDI) is a generally accepted characterization that defines information as data + meaning. Formally, GDI is expressed as follows:

GDI)    σ is an instance of information, understood as semantic content, if and only if:
   GDI.1)   σ consists of n data, for n ≥ 1;
   GDI.2)   the data are well formed;
   GDI.3)   the well-formed data are meaningful.
 

GDI is a so-called data-based definition of information. GDI.1 states that an instance of information, σ (sometimes referred to as an infon), is defined as a “bundle” of one or more data instances, each typically expressed as a type/value pair. GDI.2 says that these data bundles are organized according to the rules of a particular system- they are syntactically structured, in a broad (i.e. not strictly linguistic) sense. GDI.3 states that the well-formed data also comply with the meanings of the chosen system. In other words, GDI.3 says that the data have preestablished semantics. When data (and by extension, infons) are well-formed and meaningful, they are said to have semantic content.

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