bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
L'oliveraie provençale, production de qualité et requalification territoriale
Authors: Durbiano Claudine
Published: May 2011

Olive-oil consumption is increasing quickly, therefore the olive groves are spreading after one century of uninterrupted and steep decline. The examples of plantations and orchard rehabilitations are numerous. The new economic viability of olives helps to implement different policies : fire fighting, landscape and patrimonial development, social integration. A real strategy of territorial development based on the recent improvement of the olive's economic pathway is taking off. The exceptional interest in the olive grove resides in the fertile crossroad between the vertical processes of the economic pathway and the horizontal processes of territory which correspond to a real social demand.
Le développement de l'arboriculture en moyenne montagne et ses limites : l'exemple des Préalpes du Sud
Authors: Rieutort Laurent
Published: May 2011

Dans les Préalpes du Sud, l'arboriculture s'est maintenue dans les vallées et dans la moyenne montagne des Baronnies, en partie sous l'impulsion des Comtadins. On compte encore 2300 hectares de vergers dont 1800 d'abricotiers soit 12% de la production nationale. Mais la «rente de situation» des abricots tardifs, qui avait permis leur diffusion dans les années 1980, est remise en cause. Cette filière est fragilisée par la chute des prix et les handicaps locaux.
Les tomates de la Sierra . Un nouvel espace maraîcher espagnol, le polje andalou de Zafarraya
Authors: Humbert A.
Published: May 2011

A quelques dizaines de kilomètres du littoral subtropical de la Costa del sol dont le tourisme et les cultures de contre saison ont fait la fortune, dans un bassin d'altitude des Chaînes Bétiques, vient de naître un nouveau front agricole bien différent de la «mer de plastique» littorale. À presque 1000 mètres d'altitude, le polje de Zafarraya, ancienne terre de parcours puis terroir frumentaire, a connu, il y a moins de vingt ans, une révolution agricole fondée sur des avantages saisonniers exactement inverses de ceux de la côte. Une petite paysannerie entreprenante a converti l'ancien «secano» en un opulent terroir légumier, sans serres, mais en exploitant des aquifères plus ou moins profonds jusque là négligés.
Pratiques clientélaires et politiques d'attribution des logements sociaux à Marseille dans les années 1970
Authors: Mattina Cesare
Published: May 2011

Cette contribution analyse le rapport entre les politiques d'attribution des logements sociaux et la politique locale à Marseille pendant les années 1970-80. La croissance migratoire, très forte pendant les années 1960, exigeait, de façon urgente, de donner à de nombreuses personnes un logement et un emploi. Les pratiques clientélaires d'attribution des HLM ont été dans cette phase une des méthodes les plus efficaces d'intégration de ces nouvelles populations. Sur ce type de pratiques, socialement acceptées et légitimées, certains hommes politiques marseillais ont pu bâtir leur carrière à l'ombre de Gaston Defferre et de son système de gestion de la ville.
Les Plans d'occupation des sols de Marseille : permanence ou changement ?
Authors: Girard Nicole , Joannon Michèle
Published: May 2011

Les plans d'urbanisme successifs de Marseille reflètent l'évolution urbaine de l'après-guerre, celle des années de croissance, puis la crise et l'effondrement du système économique marseillais. Le premier Plan d'occupation des sols (POS), approuvé en 1981, tente de contrôler la forte croissance de Marseille entre 1945 et le milieu des années 1970, alors même que le renversement démographique et la crise économique sont installés. Un second POS, approuvé en 1993, enregistre la prise de conscience du déclin de Marseille au profit des communes périphériques. À la suite du changement de municipalité en 1995 au profit d'une coalition de droite, un «Schéma de cohérence», sorte de schéma directeur à l'échelle de la commune, propose les grands objectifs urbanistiques sur lesquels s'appuie une deuxième révision du POS qui s'est achevée à la fin de l'année 2000. Durant vingt années (1980-2000), Marseille a donc connu deux versions différentes du POS. Une troisième est opposable aux tiers depuis le 22 décembre 2000, avant le transfert des compétences en matière d'urbanisme à la nouvelle Communauté urbaine, Marseille-Provence-Métropole.
Mutations et permanences dans la géographie des campagnes méditerranéennes (l960-2000)
Authors: de Reparaz André
Published: May 2011

Over the past 40 years, Mediterranean countrysides have undergone a real revolution. At the outset it was a world which still reflected the past, especially in the south-reaching peninsulas, a Mahgreb scarcely at the beginning of its decolonization, and even in the coastal plains and back country of some northerly areas. The eclipse of this traditionalist space to one that resembles the contemporary world is diachronically and thematically analyzed through the diverse studies published in «Méditerranée». These include structural themes ; problems of water and major rural development schemes ; changes in grape and olive production ; transformation of huerta agriculture and its economic foundations. New relationships have emerged between cities and their countrysides. Thus, new original spaces appear that are increasingly organized by the urban world. New lifestyles and management of rural space become imbedded in which agriculture is no longer central. Heritage zones incorporate countrysides and living environments and are often analyzed in archaeological and landscape terms ; spaces and societies become focused on tourism and rural leisure-time activities ; and there is an emerging rural geography of fire and natural hazards. All of these developments are controlled by the combined structures of a United Europe, individual states, and great regions.
L'approche géographique du fait industriel dans la revue Méditerranée
Authors: Spill Christiane
Published: May 2011

A retrospective analysis of the phenomenon of industrialization allows one to sort out a Mediterranean type characterized by the coexistence of industrial districts and growth poles and by an emergence, still very limited, of high-tech centers. The issue of location factors of industrial activities confirms the marginal relevance of determinist interpretations in the Mediterranean Basin where «industrial miracles» have flourished since the 19th century. The idiographic perspective on industry was superseded by nomothetic aspirations characterized by recourse to quantitative analysis and taking into account the logic and spatial representation of actors. The systematic perspective henceforth gained a foothold to interpret the attractiveness, no longer of places, but of territories of reception. The concept of industry was then substituted by that of productive system in order to better understand the relationship between industrialization and development. The notion of the industrial transition is validated by geographical observation and instrumentalized by state actors who are responsible for territorial development. Exogenous initiatives, initially criticized, is joined today by endogenous forces to guide local productive systems and assure their continuity.
Dynamiques de l'accessibilité ferroviaire des villes desservies par le TGV Méditerranée et intégration territoriale des nouvelles gares TGV
Authors: Facchinetti-Mannone Valérie
Published: May 2011

Putting in service of the «TGV Méditerranée» has not only improved rail accessibility of cities in the South of France, but also reconstituted local, regional and national rail service from these centers. The creation of new stations on the edges of Valence, Avignon and Marseille has also led to a new functional sharing between central stations and TGV stations. This restructuring has unequally affected the centers served and vary according to the integration of new stations in the classic rail network as well as to highway transport networks within and between cities.
L'essor des terminaux à conteneurs en Italie : une manifestation du renouveau portuaire
Authors: Bergeron Robert
Published: May 2011

En Italie, l'essor du trafic conteneurisé souvent aux mains de puissantes multinationales a entraîné de nombreuses mutations dans l'organisation interne des ports comme dans leurs relations. Mais on note de grandes différences entre ports «régionaux» et hubs, dont ce pays offre une palette variée.
Vieux réseaux et nouvelles circulations entre les deux rives du Sahara
Authors: Pliez Olivier
Published: May 2011

Le Sahara contemporain conserve une image persistante de périphérie, exploitée et plus ou moins bien intégrée aux États-Nations. C'est la conséquence de trois décennies de tensions, guerres et cloisonnements qu' ont connus les huit États riverains. Pourtant, le Sahara est historiquement un espace de circulation parcouru hier par les caravanes commerciales, aujourd'hui par des migrants et des flux de marchandises de plus en plus intenses. Un espace migratoire se construit dans la proximité par la densité et l'épaisseur historique des liens établis par les populations vivant dans le Sahara central notamment Touareg, Toubous, Maures et commerçants arabes du Sahel. La conjoncture actuelle, marquée par une réduction de l'émigration en direction de l'Europe, tend à faire du Sahara un espace d'immigration par défaut et de transit vers le Maghreb littoral et l'Europe pour les ressortissants d'Afrique noire. Les effets spatiaux de ces nouvelles circulations sont considérables dans le Sahara central, si longtemps enclavé et en crise, notamment avec la croissance rapide des villes et l'émergence d'une économie de transit.
Problèmes d'environnement dans quelques cités antiques d'Asie mineure et du Proche-Orient
Authors: Nicod Jean
Published: May 2011

On examine les conditions du développement et du déclin de quelques cités mortes hellénistiques et romaines d'Asie mineure et du Proche-Orient en rapport avec les problèmes d'environnement : choix des sites, utilisation des eaux, catastrophes séismiques, impact des changements climatiques et du pastoralisme, dégradation de l'environnement en fonction de la croissance urbaine (effet de retour). À la lumière des recherches archéologiques, paléogéographiques et environnementales récentes, quelques exemples sont présentés : Ephèse, avec ses problèmes d'alluvionnement portuaires, Hiérapolis sur son site de travertins hydrothermaux, Palmyre et Bosra, sur la marge aride de la Syrie, Apamée et Jerash en bordure du Rift, et plus au sud Pétra, dans une dépression aride dans les grès. On peut discuter du rôle des événements séismiques et de la dégradation du milieu dans le déclin et l'abandon de ces cités, en interférence avec les conditions géopolitiques et les invasions.
Les enjeux d'une gestion intégrée du littoral dans les départements français insulaires d'Amérique
Authors: Goiffon Marie
Published: May 2011

En 150 ans, les départements français d'Amérique ont connu un véritable «retournement de l'espace», passant d'une société agricole d'exportation à une société moderne, tertiarisée et urbanisée. Cette recomposition spatiale, liée aux évolutions socio- économiques successives, est à la base de déséquilibres importants en matière d'organisation territoriale. Compte tenu de ses potentialités naturelles, le littoral devient moteur du développement économique, où la multiplicité des enjeux et des acteurs rend difficile une gestion efficace des sites. La densification spatiale induit une dilatation des zones urbaines dans l'arrière littoral portant atteinte à la qualité paysagère et à la biodiversité de ces espaces insulaires. Ainsi, dans l'optique d'un développement durable, il semble nécessaire de mettre en place une gestion intégrée de la zone côtière (GIZC).
Les grands taxis et la mobilité interurbaine au Maroc. Service public, acteurs privés
Authors: Le Tellier Julien
Published: May 2011

In Morocco, the transportation services provided by collective taxis constitute a fundamental aspect of mobility in that country. Collective taxis interact with other means of transportation, either in competition or in complementarity . This form of transport constitutes a technical adaptation and responds to the needs of populations by compensating for certain inadequacies of Morocco's transport system. Collective taxis permit flexibility in scheduling and destinations and respond to individual needs of users. In spite of regulations at a national level, the spatial distribution and organization of this form of transport varies a good deal. Research on collective taxis also provides insight into Moroccan migration behavior and the representations that people have of their travel experiences.
L'accès aux ressources forestières dans le Haut Atlas central marocain
Authors: Diyari Abdellah
Published: May 2011

The central High Atlas of Morocco has on its north side a very open and degraded forest cover. The area in forest there is still in retreat in spite of the efforts -late or limited, even inappropriate- of the authorities to protect the forests and to undertake reforestation. This retreat occurs under the influence of several unfavorable factors, mainly anthropic and climatic. The environment has long served as an activity space and wood source for the local populations, as well as for adjoining urban centres. Before the 1930s, conflicts about resource access had always been governed there by customary arrangements established by the different social groups concerned. The subsequent arrival of a government administration bringing a management and regulatory model imported into the country where the physical and socio-economic data are very different, has generated new problems. Today, the national interest, which advocates protection of basin slopes against erosion as well as new productivity objectives forfo rests, finds itself in confrontation with populations who live from the forest resources.
Torrents et société à Vergons au temps du «Petit Âge Glaciaire»
Authors: Pichard Georges
Published: May 2011

A village example, Vergons in Upper Provence near Castellane, manifests a triple evolution that led to soil degradation and erosion during the Little Ice Age (17th-18th centuries). In the lower Middle Ages, while human population increased, livestock raising declined in favor of an increase in cropland and clearing on fragile slopes. Around 1640, inhabitants were forced to sell or draw immediate gain from communal forests and pasturelands. This sharp turn, generalized in Provence, ended in a profound shift in the use of common spaces. The «economic» and its utilitarian rationale appear to be have been constructed and encouraged by the prevailing powers notably the royal estate. Accompanying this evolution, which was statistically tallied for Vergons in 1769, was the rise in the threat from torrents.
Turner à Sisteron
Authors: Courtot Roland
Published: May 2011

The travel notebooks of William Turner (1775-1857) allow a detailed analysis of the way in which the artist recorded the terrain and transposed to more finished works (drawings and water colors) the forms of a landscape site which had particularly detained him : that of the town of Sisteron and its lateral valley, where, in 1836, he passed while on a trip on the road between Genoa and Grenoble. Many viewpoints, exaggerations of forms of relief, concern with details, sense of space and light, landscape recomposition : all things in which Turner showed great mastery and which the geographer can modestly draw lessons when he or she wants to geographically analyze a landscape.
A Dynamic Perspective on Knowledge Creation in Virtual Teams - In a Search for New Insights
Authors: Ratcheva Violina
Published: May 2011

Virtual teams have been defined as teams of self managed knowledge workers, linked by information technology to share skills, costs and access to each other’s markets. The key purpose of such teams is “new knowledge creation,” an in-depth understanding of which can only be developed in the context of the complex interaction processes involved. The focus of this study, therefore, is the dynamics of organising social activities in which knowledge is embedded. The chapter aims to contribute to the debate about the unique nature of the knowledge creation processes in virtual partnerships by offering an integrated view on knowledge management and inter-organisational interaction and communication patterns in virtual teams being a powerful combination for the future of knowledge management practices. The chapter presents an initial conceptual framework of knowledge creation in virtual partnerships, which builds on recent research studies and theoretical developments in virtual team dynamics, knowledge networking and biological phenomenology.
Managing Business-Consumer Interactions in the E-World
Authors: Sharma Sushil K. , Gupta Jatinder N.D.
Published: May 2011

As we move into the 21st century, the need for rapid access to relevant knowledge has never been greater. The business world is becoming increasingly competitive. Even though there is an increasing demand for innovative products and services, enterprises face a daunting task to understand the customers and find ways to attract and retain them. The Internet and e-commerce have changed the way people interact with businesses. The recent developments in e-commerce and knowledge management are creating new organisational forms in the 21st century. These technologies have also increased the expectations of the customers. Traditional principles of customer relations do not always transfer well to the online world. This chapter discusses the use of knowledge management concepts to create an appropriate framework for managing Business-Consumer relationships for understanding and retaining customers.
Cache Management for Web-Powered Databases
Authors: Katsaros Dimitrios , Manolopoulos Yannis
Published: May 2011

The Web has become the primary means for information dissemination. It is ideal for publishing data residing in a variety of repositories, such as databases. In such a multi-tier system (client - Web server - underlying database), where the Web page content is dynamically derived from the database (Web-powered database), cache management is very important in making efficient distribution of the published information. Issues related to cache management are the cache admission/replacement policy, the cache coherency and the prefetching, which acts complementary to caching. The present chapter discusses the issues, which make the Web cache management radically different than the cache management in databases or operating systems. We present a taxonomy and the main algorithms proposed for cache replacement and coherence maintenance. We present three families of predictive prefetching algorithms for the Web and characterize them as Markov predictors. Finally, we give examples of how some popular commercial products deal with the issues regarding the cache management for Web-powered databases.
Technical Aspects of Knowledge Management
Authors: Patel Nayna , Hlupic Vlatka
Published: May 2011

One of the repercussions of the ever-rising popularity of knowledge management is a sudden increase in the number and range of knowledge management tools available on the software market. This can present a problem for organisations that are required to sift through the vast number of tools in the hope of finding one that meets their requirements. Moreover, guidelines describing how to go about selecting a commercial knowledge management tool do not currently exist. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to present a set of guidelines to aid the evaluation and selection of a commercial knowledge management tool. In order to achieve this, a methodology is proposed that outlines factors and issues that could be taken into consideration during the selection of a knowledge management tool. Furthermore, an overview of criteria specific to knowledge management tools that can be used to evaluate and ascertain the features present in a knowledge management tool are also suggested.
Helicopter Motion Control Using a General Regression Neural Network
Authors: Amaral T. G.B. , Crisostomo M. M. , Fernao Pires V.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the application of a general regression neural network (GRNN) to control the flight of a helicopter. This GRNN is an adaptive network that provides estimates of continuous variables and is a one-pass learning algorithm with a highly parallel structure. Even with sparse data in a multidimensional measurement space, the algorithm provides smooth transitions from one observed value to another. An important reason for using the GRNN as a controller is the fast learning capability and its non-iterative process. The disadvantage of this neural network is the amount of computation required to produce an estimate, which can become large if many training instances are gathered. To overcome this problem, it is described as a clustering algorithm to produce representative exemplars from a group of training instances that are close to one another reducing the computation amount to obtain an estimate. The reduction of training data used by the GRNN can make it possible to separate the obtained representative exemplars, for example, in two data sets for the coarse and fine control. Experiments are performed to determine the degradation of the performance of the clustering algorithm with less training data. In the control flight system, data training is also reduced to obtain faster controllers, maintaining the desired performance.
Computational Intelligence for Modelling and Control of Multi-Robot Systems
Authors: Mohammadian M.
Published: May 2011

With increased application of fuzzy logic in complex control systems, there is a need for a structured methodological approach in the development of fuzzy logic systems. Current fuzzy logic systems are developed based on individualistic bases and cannot face the challenge of interacting with other (fuzzy) systems in a dynamic environment. In this chapter a method for development of fuzzy systems that can interact with other (fuzzy) systems is proposed. Specifically a method for designing hierarchical self-learning fuzzy logic control systems based on the integration of genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic to provide an integrated knowledge base for intelligent control of mobile robots for collision-avoidance in a common workspace. The robots are considered as point masses moving in a common work space. Genetic algorithms are employed as an adaptive method for learning the fuzzy rules of the control systems as well as learning, the mapping and interaction between fuzzy knowledge bases of different fuzzy logic systems.
Bayesian Agencies in Control
Authors: Potgieter Anet , Bishop Judith
Published: May 2011

Most agent architectures implement autonomous agents that use extensive interaction protocols and social laws to control interactions in order to ensure that the correct behaviors result during run-time. These agents, organized into multi-agent systems in which all agents adhere to predefined interaction protocols, are well suited to the analysis, design and implementation of complex systems in environments where it is possible to predict interactions during the analysis and design phases. In these multi-agent systems, intelligence resides in individual autonomous agents, rather than in the collective behavior of the individual agents. These agents are commonly referred to as “next-generation” or intelligent components, which are difficult to implement using current component-based architectures. In most distributed environments, such as the Internet, it is not possible to predict interactions during analysis and design. For a complex system to be able to adapt in such an uncertain and non-deterministic environment, we propose the use of agencies, consisting of simple agents, which use probabilistic reasoning to adapt to their environment. Our agents collectively implement distributed Bayesian networks, used by the agencies to control behaviors in response to environmental states. Each agency is responsible for one or more behaviors, and the agencies are structured into heterarchies according to the topology of the underlying Bayesian networks. We refer to our agents and agencies as “Bayesian agents” and “Bayesian agencies.”
Solving Two Multi-Objective Optimization Problems Using Evolutionary Algorithm
Authors: Sarker Ruhul A. , Abbass Hussein A. , Newton Charles S.
Published: May 2011

Being capable of finding a set of pareto-optimal solutions in a single run is a necessary feature for multi-criteria decision making, Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have attracted many researchers and practitioners to address the solution of Multi-objective Optimization Problems (MOPs). In a previous work, we developed a Pareto Differential Evolution (PDE) algorithm to handle multi-objective optimization problems. Despite the overwhelming number of Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MEAs) in the literature, little work has been done to identify the best MEA using an appropriate assessment methodology. In this chapter, we compare our algorithm with twelve other well-known MEAs, using a popular assessment methodology, by solving two benchmark problems. The comparison shows the superiority of our algorithm over others.
Increasing Business Value of Communications Infrastructure
Authors: Shin Bongsik , Kinsella Jr. Daniel C.
Published: May 2011

An Internet-based Virtual Private Network (IVPN) is a system and service that enables secure communication within a controlled user group across the Internet public infrastructure. For the last few years, the Internet-based VPN has been available, providing organizational use for meaningful applications. The paper empirically investigates the value of IVPNs in managing communications among distributed business entities. For this, we conducted two case studies based on the information gathered from two companies. Then, a general decision model of the IVPN is proposed, which could be used for the assessment of its strategic value as well as for the design of virtual telecommunication networks at other organizations.
Nurturing Knowledge Communities
Authors: Afele John S.C.
Published: May 2011

A distinguishing factor in IT-led knowledge for development models could be the concept of nurturing knowledge communities versus knowledge management, as advocated by Denning (2001). Knowledge management essentially implies the structural arrangement and aggregation of information or information sources while the nurturing of knowledge communities would include the psychology and philosophy of enhancing the civilization of the impact community, and the application of knowledge tools and resources to actualize those values. Knowledge management, by inference, is an important element in nurturing knowledge communities, but this practice in itself would not constitute the core activity that can transform an organization or a group into a smart community. Considering the permutations of words that could cover the vast field of sustainable development and communications, for example the challenges, assets, and opportunities of the impact community, it would be quite a challenge to arrange all development information entries and sources into subtitles that could be held by one or a few organizations for equal and user-friendly access by all in the community and globally. While such an arrangement of information is desirable and perhaps technologically feasible, the information revolution is ideally concerned with teaching people about how to find information and how to generate data about a community’s attributes, access complementary information from elsewhere, utilize that information, mine knowledge from the information and application, and generate innovative solutions that would enhance the attribute concerned; data could be spread on several Internet hosts, but technology can splice them into relevant information for local applications. Moreover, the realignment of the psychologies, philosophies, and other values of individuals, institutions, communities, and the nation-state toward application of IT as knowledge tools could determine the outcome of information and knowledge flows to a larger extent than knowledge management.
Digital Bridges and Digital Opportunities for Developing Nations
Authors: Afele John S.C.
Published: May 2011

Multidimensional frameworks have been advocated in knowledge for sustainable livelihoods programming. Connectivity for development and poverty alleviation would also endeavour to be a convergence of themes, institutions, tools, and resources. Some of the multiple factors that may be included in such IT-led knowledge for development models are discussed in the following sections; they are not to be viewed as discrete elements, as these factors interact in complex forms.
Capitalizing the Knowledge Economy of Developing Nations
Authors: Afele John S.C.
Published: May 2011

Teleconnectivity and knowledge for development philosophy needs a companion—a knowledge trust fund—that would secure the necessary technical, financial, and human resources to facilitate the identification of ideas and their translation into the desirable outputs. Such a knowledge fund could aim to amalgamate fund and knowledge sources to maximize knowledge gain, enable crosscutting research, effect cost sharing, and reduce budgets while engaging in holistic research for sustainable development in the wake of inadequate development funds.
Preservation of Cultural Identity and Preventing Piracy of Indigenous Intellectual Properties
Authors: Afele John S.C.
Published: May 2011

While the benefits of modern communications in sustainable development could herald new opportunities, there are dangers associated with the introduction of such tools and programs, including cable television, from external environments into communities that have different technological status and cultural values if foreign contents are not managed to interact in harmony with local values. Violent clashes of cultures and possibly dilution of locally held values could result if education about the philosophical bases of the foreign culture is not provided in parallel. Therefore, frameworks such as the United Nations Television Forum should ensure that introduction of new media and programming into new cultural terrains are not wholesale endorsements of the external values depicted. No democratic society should legislate what its citizens could watch on television, however, each cultural domain could saturate its own airwaves with the programs that are deemed as culturally appropriate and cherished by local norms. Nyamba of the Université de Ouagadou in Burkina Faso for example, in his Aspects Sociologiques, Etude de Cas, described cultural attributes and social interactions in Africa and wondered if introduction of online messaging would obliterate the values inherent in the indigenous salutations (Nyamba, 1999).
A Systemic Approach of Electronic Commerce
Authors: Vinaja Roberto
Published: May 2011

This chapter applies several concepts from classical Systems Theory to the growing area of E-commerce and agents. The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate how General Systems Theory principles are widely applicable to the state-of-the art field of Electronic Commerce. The Systems Approach can be used as a framework to model interaction in the electronic marketplace. Software agents play an important role in this system. The chapter describes the characteristics of an intelligent agent and its applications in Electronic Commerce from a systemic perspective.
Information Systems as Social Systems
Authors: du Plooy N.
Published: May 2011

Since the very early days of computing, information systems were regarded as “man-machine” systems. This definition is of far greater importance to the teaching of information systems as well as to the profession of information systems developers than is often recognised. The majority of teachers, and textbooks, are still caught in the paradigm that information systems development is a technical “art” rather than a field that concerns sociological, rather than technical problems. This chapter argues that the “human” or sociological side of information systems is of such importance that it should be seen as the core of the discipline, and that information systems are best understood when viewed as social systems. Examining the nondeterministic nature of information systems and applying Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety are helpful to describe and explain these systems as social systems. The paper also refers to current thinking on systems (especially soft systems methodology) and its place in supporting information systems in a constantly changing environment. Finally, the implications of viewing information systems as social systems are discussed with respect to teaching and research, the impact of information systems on organizations, and the shortcomings of current software engineering methodologies.
Towards Semistructured Data Integration
Authors: Liu Mengchi , Ling Tok Wang
Published: May 2011

With the recent popularity of the World Wide Web, an enormous amount of heterogeneous information is now available online. As a result, information about the same real-world object often spreads over different data sources, and may be partial and inconsistent. How to obtain information as complete as possible and detect inconsistency from these sources is thus a challenge. Previous work using a simple graph-based or tree-based data model to represent heterogeneous data coming from various sites fail to provide a proper foundation for the integration of data with partial and inconsistent information. In order to integrate such data, we need a powerful data model that is more expressive than the existing graph-based and tree-based ones to account for the existence of partial and inconsistent information from different data sources. In this chapter, we propose a novel data model for such data and study how to integrate such data spread in various sources and check consistency in the meantime. We propose a new operator called integration for this purpose and discuss its semantic properties.
The New Kid on the Block
Authors: McCall Jane L.
Published: May 2011

In the last 20 years, Geographic Information Systems (GISs) have had an ever-increasing impact on the course of research and planning in many diverse fields, including geography, geology, environmental studies, business and criminal justice. Relatively recently, health care research, including cancer research, has entered this domain. The rapidly increasing use of GIS in health-care research over the past few years is witnessed by the fact that 63% of papers in literature review for this chapter were written in the last five years, and 35% within the last three years. Epidemiology, the study of disease patterns in human populations according to person, place and time, has been the traditional means of approaching cancer etiology. Combining its tools with those of GIS has enabled researchers to look at the distribution of cancer in new ways and uncover relationships not previously seen with traditional epidemiological methods alone. Through its data integration function, GIS has enabled the use of existing data collected for other purposes to be applied to cancer research. GIS techniques can enhance the visualization of spatial patterns of cancer, examine the contribution of various risk factors for cancer in new ways and allow hypotheses about cancer etiology to be tested in a spatial framework. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the impact of GIS on the direction of cancer research. In doing so, it will consider the application of GIS techniques to research in cancer etiology and compare them to traditional epidemiological methods. Rather than an exhaustive compilation of all the studies in this category, selective examples will be chosen from the literature to illustrate particular applications.
Spatial Cluster Analysis for Etiological Research and Identification of Socio-environmental Risk Factors
Authors: Emch Michael , Ali Mohammod
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the use of disease clustering methods using diarrheal disease data from a rural area of Bangladesh for which the authors created a household-level GIS database. Understanding distributions of diseases in space and time can be useful for etiologic research and socio-environmental risk factor identification. Disease clustering techniques are not only useful as etiological research tools for chronic diseases but also for infectious diseases. The magnitude of clustering in different areas can assist with the generation of hypotheses about the underlying socio-environmental causes of the clusters. Once clusters are identified, studies can then focus on the socio-environmental characteristics of the areas where clusters are found.
Spatial Modeling of Risk Factors for Gender-Specific Child Mortality in a Rural Area of Bangladesh
Authors: Ali Mohammod , Ashley Christine , Haq M. Zahirul , Streatfield Peter Kim
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the use of geographic information systems to predict spatial risk of child survival problems in a rural area of Bangladesh. Demographic, health service and socioeconomic surveillance data linked with a geographic information system from the rural area were used to predict the risk of gender-specific child mortality. Temporal data from the area show that child mortality rates have declined, and that gender differences in mortality have been eliminated. However, results of the higher mortality area analysis show that this decline has not been consistent in all areas. A wide geographical variation of mortality exists within the area as well. In general, places that had no intensive child health intervention, no outside embankment and were distant from a treatment center predicted a higher risk for child mortality. An area with Hindu predominance predicted risk for only female child mortality. The results of the analysis suggest that, with socioeconomic and cultural interventions, spatial variations in child mortality can be minimized.
Trick E-Business
Authors: Taylor Paul A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the phenomenon of hacktivism in the context of globalization debates and the evolving nature of new social movements. It explores the historical trend by which capitalism has become increasingly more immaterial in its appearance but powerful in its effects. Using examples of specific hacktivist groups, hacktivism is shown to be an inventive response to this trend and represents an imaginative re-appropriation of the Web for spider-like anti-capitalist protest. The paper concludes with a summary of the hacktivist philosophy that seeks to reassert the origins of the marketplace as an agora for the people rather than just big business. Hacktivism is shown to represent a rationale diametrically opposed to e-commerce.
Online Customer Service
Authors: Gibson Rick
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this study is to find an effective online customer service strategy. Although the effectiveness of the online customer service will vary and depend on the type of business the company is involved in, the usage of different types of tools in this arena have proven to be more useful than others. Effectiveness in this work will be used, in the sense that the more effective strategy will lead to more satisfied customers, a higher customer retention rate and higher revenue for the business.
Electronic Commerce and Data Privacy
Authors: Henderson Sandra C. , Snyder Charles A. , Byrd Terry A.
Published: May 2011

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has had a profound effect on the way we conduct business. It has impacted economies, markets, industry structures, and the flow of products through the supply chain. Despite the phenomenal growth of e-commerce and the potential impact on the revenues of businesses, there are problems with the capabilities of this technology. Organizations are amassing huge quantities of personal data about consumers. As a result, consumers are very concerned about the protection of their personal information and they want something done about the problem.This study examined the relationships between consumer privacy concerns, actual e-commerce activity, the importance of privacy policies, and regulatory preference. Using a model developed from existing literature and theory, an online questionnaire was developed to gauge the concerns of consumers. The results indicated that consumers are concerned about the protection of their personal information and feel that privacy policies are important. Consumers also indicated that they preferred government regulation to industry self-regulation to protect their personal information.
Wireless Personal and Local Area Networks
Authors: Zimmerman Thomas G.
Published: May 2011

Wireless communication is a technical and business revolution. Mobile phones are a common site in most cities around the world. Wireless personal and local area networks provide digital connectivity among mobile computing devices, including desktop, laptops and personal digital assistants (PDA). This chapter focuses on the competing standards that are vying for dominance in the booming wireless market. To prepare the reader, a broad review of wireless technology is provided. The various organizations that support the competition standards are outlined. The chapter concludes with some predictions, anticipating the outcomes of a very volatile marketplace.
The Ecology of Mobile Commerce
Authors: Rulke Andreas , Iyer Anand , Chiasson Greg
Published: May 2011

The convergence of the Internet with wireless telecommunications has profound and pressing implications for enterprises ranging from long-distance carriers to record labels to automakers. The fast-growing ability of wireless devices to handle a wealth of data content as well as voice transmission is opening the door to the creation of new products, services, markets, and revenue streams. But in what prevailing form will mobile commerce—the still-nascent effort to assemble and monetize the wireless Internet—emerge? How will the vast potential variety of data-based content be created, aggregated, and profitably delivered to both individual and business customers? The essential tool for approaching these still-open questions is value chain analysis. A value chain is a map of the entire set of competencies, investments, and activities required to produce, deliver, maintain, and reap the proceeds from a product or service. The profits and competitive advantages of participation in a given value chain reside dynamically within the chain, pooling at the positions of greatest value. (The returns to the different forms of participation in a value chain, particularly one as complex as mobile commerce, are anything but equal.) This chapter presents and analyzes an extended model of the unfolding m-commerce value chain. The goal is to provide an effective tool for planning and executing relevant business decisions in the face of such complicating factors as technology migration, the absence of market data, and inescapable constraints on organizational resources. The analysis and recommendations are supported by data from a survey with wide participation conducted by the authors.
Factors Influencing the Adoption of Mobile Gaming Services
Authors: Kleijen Mirella , de Ruyter Ko , Wetzels Martin G.M.
Published: May 2011

The current chapter focuses the adoption process of mobile gaming. After providing a brief introduction to the topic of m-commerce and m-services, several relevant adoption factors are highlighted. These factors have been researched empirically, via a conjoint study conducted in the Netherlands. The results illustrated a hierarchical importance of the factors identified, whereby perceived risk, complexity, and compatibility were identified as the three main regarded as the factors that are mainly influencing the adoption of mobile gaming applications. Based on these findings, we have provided several managerial implications.
Procedural Cuing Using an Expert Support System
Authors: Hope Beverly G. , Wild Rosemary H.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the development of a system to assist teams in determining which problems to address and what data to collect in order to incrementally improve business processes. While prototyping is commonly advocated for expert system development, this project used a structured development methodology comprising requirements analysis, knowledge acquisition, and system development. The knowledge acquisition phase resulted in a logical model, which specified the decision task and suggested a system structure. The field prototype developed from this model uses procedural cuing to guide decision makers through a decision making process. The system provides decision support, interactive training, and expert advice.
On the Ontology of a Decision Support System in Health Informatics
Authors: Nykanen Pirkko
Published: May 2011

A decision support system can be approached from two major disciplinary perspectives, those of information systems science (ISS) and artificial intelligence (AI). We present in this chapter an extended ontology for a decision support system in health informatics. The extended ontology is founded on related research in ISS and AI and on performed case studies in health informatics. The ontology explicates relevant constructs and presents a vocabulary for a decision support system, and emphasises the need to cover environmental and contextual variables as an integral part of decision support system development and evaluation methodologies. These results help the system developers to take the system’s context into account through the set of defined variables that are linked to the application domain. This implies that domain and application characteristics, as well as knowledge creation and sharing aspects, are considered at every phase of development. With these extensions the focus in decision support systems development shifts from a task ontology towards a domain ontology. This extended ontology gives better support for development because from it follows that a more thorough problem analysis will be performed.
Information and Competition
Authors: McFarlan F. Warren
Published: May 2011

This chapter focuses on the new face of IT-enabled competitiveness in the early 21st century.  It notes that the impact is global with the art of the possible for old-economy firms dramatically changing with a heavy focus on application links external to the firm.  First mover vs. fast follower with new technologies is an important issue for firms to address (first is not always best).  Finally, it addresses the importance of operational reliability.
Issues in the Globalization of Electronic Commerce
Authors: Brandon Jr. Daniel
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents globalization aspects of electronic commerce, describes the key issues in each area, and then analyzes approaches that could be Used to address these issues. "Globalization" is the marketing and selling of a product outside a company’s home country, and the most effective way to do that on the Internet is via localization of Web content. ‘Localization’ is the process and product of customizing Web content so that it is most understandable and usable to a person residing in a particular locale. That process involves several aspects including: Language, Culture, Laws/Regulations, Payment/Currency, Dates/Units, and Logistics. In each of these areas there are a number of both business and technical issues that are illustrated and analyzed in this chapter.
Intelligent Web Search through Adaptive Learning from Relevance Feedback
Authors: Chen Zhixiang , Zhu Binhai , Meng Xiannong
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, machine-learning approaches to real-time intelligent Web search are discussed. The goal is to build an intelligent Web search system that can find the user’s desired information with as little relevance feedback from the user as possible. The system can achieve a significant search precision increase with a small number of iterations of user relevance feedback. A new machine-learning algorithm is designed as the core of the intelligent search component. This algorithm is applied to three different search engines with different emphases. This chapter presents the algorithm, the architectures, and the performances of these search engines. Future research issues regarding real-time intelligent Web search are also discussed.