bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indigenous Peoples and the Cultural Constructions of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Latin America
Authors: Salazar Juan Francisco
Published: May 2011

Indigenous media have become an intensely debated subject in discussions of cultural diversity and access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). In many circles, the question of the equitable and affordable access to communication and information has begun to be conceptualized as integral to human rights and as an essential element in the foundation of a knowledge and/or information society. The purpose of the chapter is to analyse current approaches to indigenous ICT practices in Latin America by examining several case studies that explore, enliven and criticize the often ethnocentric discussions of the digital divide. The analysis is placed in the context of the rise of coordinated indigenous movements in Latin America, the wave of media privatisation in the region and the impact of IT policy and reform. It argues that, beyond consideration of the social impact of ICT on indigenous cultures, it is also relevant to consider the cultural construction of new technologies of information and communication in order to better understand the ways in which indigenous peoples adopt and make use of new digital technologies according to traditional knowledge and systems of law. The chapter concludes by supporting the need for self-identification of local practices and knowledge within the communities in order to design adequate strategies to gain benefit from the use of ICTs.
Potential Challenges of ICT Implementations in Sri Lanka
Authors: Gunawardana Kennedy D.
Published: May 2011

This chapter offers a state-of-the-art review of the implementation of ICTs strategies in a developing country with special reference to Sri Lanka as a case study. This chapter is based on primary and secondary sources (books, articles, Web sites, white papers, and grey literature). It also brings in a small number of empirical studies that serve to illustrate the practical use of the ICT to support arguments. Traditionally, access to ICTs and information has not been viewed as basic a need. However, if needs are interpreted as being dynamic and changing over time and culture (Max-Neef, 1986), access to information and knowledge could be treated as a basic need. Information and knowledge have become increasingly important in the contemporary globalized economy, as advancement in ICTs has enabled larger amounts of information to circulate at a much higher speed and at lower cost. This is partly due to the balance between knowledge and natural resources, but with regard to being the most important factor in determining the standard of living in a country, it is said to have shifted in favor of knowledge. This has led many authors to claim that the people are now living in an information society or a knowledge-based economy (Drucker, 1993). Nowadays, it is a country’s ability to assimilate, use, and diffuse knowledge that will essentially determine its chances of uplift in the new economy.
Information Security in Small Businesses
Authors: Singh Kishore
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the impact of security in small and medium enterprises. It views the development of a security policy in serious light and come up with some recommendations on how this can be handled.
Feeling Welcome
Authors: Arlt Wolfgang George
Published: May 2011

If used in a proper way, the Internet can be a powerful cross-cultural incoming tourism communication tool. This chapter examines to what extent the opportunities are utilized which are offered in the virtual sphere to extend across physical and cultural distances a welcoming hand to potential visitors from far-away source markets. The discussion is based on the results of a study about the non-german language Web sites of Central European DMOs, conducted in 2002 and updated in 2006, and the results of a study of German-language Web sites of non-European NTOs and DMOs, conducted in 2005. It can be shown that an increase in multilingual Web sites within the period under review can be recognized, but that an increase in cross-cultural awareness of the providers of such Web sites is still lacking.
Holistic Approach to Align ICT Capabilities with Business Integration
Authors: Rabaey Marc , Tromp Herman , Vandenborre Koenraad
Published: May 2011

In this ever faster changing world, organizations have to adapt quickly to changes in the market or its environment. Business integration, within one or between multiple organizations, is one of these changes imposed on organizations. In some cases, information and communication technology (ICT) is an enabler of an effective and efficient integration, but in other cases, ICT is one of the reasons of failure to this integration. In this chapter, a holistic approach to align ICT capabilities with business integration is proposed. In this proposal, a broader perspective is taken in which not only ICT, but also cultural and social aspects, are taken into account.
The Role of Information and Communication Technology in Managing Cultural Diversity in the Modern Workforce
Authors: Nataatmadja Indrawati , Dyson Laurel Evelyn
Published: May 2011

This chapter demonstrates how managers can use information and communication technology (ICT) more effectively in culturally diverse workforces. Basing our analysis on the cultural dimensions of Hofstede and Hall, we compare a range of ICTs and provide a chart summarizing their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, a framework for developing ICT is proposed, and an example of its application to a global organization is presented. The study shows that none of the existing ICT tools is perfect in all situations and all cultural contexts. Therefore, managers need to provide a variety of ICTs to their employees, and developers should build flexibility into their ICT designs.
A Comparative Analysis of Online and Traditional Undergraduate Business Law Classes
Authors: Shelley Daniel J. , Swartz Louis B. , Cole Michele T.
Published: May 2011

The trend in academia to online learning has gained momentum in the past decade, due in part to the cost of higher education, a changing student profile, lack of traditional classroom space and the recognition that distance learning has created a new paradigm of instruction. Universities wishing to maintain or expand enrollments need to be able to respond effectively to the educational needs of working adults, students in the military and residents of rural communities as well as of other countries. Online (Internet-based) course offerings constitute a creative and increasingly popular response to these challenges. As more and more institutions of higher learning offer online courses, the question arises whether they are, or can be, as effective as courses offered in the traditional classroom format. Answering the question has been the focus of several studies. Our study compared students enrolled in both online and traditional classroom versions of one business law course where all elements were the same except for the instruction format. The study found no significant difference between the two formats with regard to student satisfaction and student learning. The findings support earlier comparisons of online and traditional instruction modes
The Paleolithic Stone Age Effect? Gender Differences Performing Specific Computer-Generated Spatial Tasks
Authors: Hubona Geoffrey S. , Shirah Gregory W.
Published: May 2011

Most computer applications feature visual user interfaces that assume that all users have equivalent propensities to perceive, interpret, and understand the multidimensional spatial properties and relationships of the objects presented. However, the hunter-gatherer theory (Silverman & Eals, 1992) suggests that there are modern-day differences between the genders in spatial and cognitive abilities that stem from differentiated prehistoric sex roles. If true, there may be discrepancies in how males and females differentially utilize particular spatial visual cues and interface features. We report three experiments in which participants engage in visual spatial tasks using 2D and 3D virtual worlds: (1) matching object shapes; (2) positioning objects; and (3) resizing objects. Female subjects under-perform male subjects in the matching and positioning experiments, but they outperform male subjects in the resizing experiment. Moreover, male subjects make more use of motion cues. Implications for the design of gender-effective user interfaces and virtual environments are considered.
Games and Advertisement
Authors: Nieborg David B.
Published: May 2011

The use of digital games for the promotion of goods and services is becoming more popular with the maturing and penetration of the medium. This chapter analyzes the use of advertisement in games and seeks to answer in which way brands are integrated in interactive play. The branding of virtual worlds offers a completely new range of opportunities for advertisers to create a web of brands, and it is the usage of marketing through games that differs considerably. This chapter offers a categorization of advergames and will address the use of advergames from a developmental perspective, differing between commercial games with in-game advertisement and dedicated advergames. Where TV commercials, print ads, and the World Wide Web rely on representation for the conveying of their message, advergames are able to add the extra dimension of simulation as a mode of representation, resulting in various interesting game designs.
Toward a Grid-Based Zero-Latency Data Warehousing Implementation for Continuous Data Streams Processing
Authors: Nguyen Tho Manh , Brezany Peter , Tjoa A. Min , Weippl Edgar
Published: May 2011

Continuous data streams are information sources in which data arrives in high volume in unpredictable rapid bursts. Processing data streams is a challenging task due to (1) the problem of random access to fast and large data streams using present storage technologies and (2) the exact answers from data streams often being too expensive. A framework of building a Grid-based Zero-Latency Data Stream Warehouse (GZLDSWH) to overcome the resource limitation issues in data stream processing without using approximation approaches is specified. The GZLDSWH is built upon a set of Open Grid Service Infrastructure (OGSI)-based services and Globus Toolkit 3 (GT3) with the capability of capturing and storing continuous data streams, performing analytical processing, and reacting autonomously in near real time to some kinds of events based on a well-established knowledge base. The requirements of a GZLDSWH, its Grid-based conceptual architecture, and the operations of its service are described in this paper. Furthermore, several challenges and issues in building a GZLDSWH, such as the Dynamic Collaboration Model between the Grid services, the Analytical Model, and the Design and Evaluation aspects of the Knowledge Base Rules are discussed and investigated.
Novel Efficient Classifiers Based on Data Cube
Authors: Fu Lixin
Published: May 2011

Existing decision tree algorithms need to recursively partition dataset into subsets according to some splitting criteria. For large data sets, this requires multiple passes of original dataset and therefore is often infeasible in many applications. In this article we use statistics trees to compute the data cube and then build a decision tree on top of it. Mining on aggregated data will be much more efficient than directly mining on flat data files or relational databases. Since data cube server is usually a required component in an analytical system for answering OLAP queries, we essentially provide “free” classification. Our new algorithm generates trees of the same prediction accuracy as existing decision tree algorithms such as SPRINT and RainForest, but improves performance significantly. In this article we also give a system architecture that integrates DBMS, OLAP, and data mining seamlessly.
The Use of Smart Tokens in Cleaning Integrated Warehouse Data
Authors: Ezeife Christie I. , Ohanekwu Timothy E.
Published: May 2011

Identifying integrated records that represent the same real-world object in numerous ways is just one form of data disparity (dirt) to be resolved in a data warehouse. Data cleaning is a complex process, which uses multidisciplinary techniques to resolve conflicts in data drawn from different data sources. There is a need for initial cleaning at the time a data warehouse is built, and incremental cleaning whenever new records are brought into the data warehouse during refreshing. Existing work on data cleaning have used pre-specified record match thresholds and multiple scanning of records to determine matching records in integrated data. Little attention has been paid to incremental matching of records. Determining optimal record match score threshold in a domain is hard. Also, direct long record string comparison is highly inefficient and intolerant to typing errors. Thus, this article proposes two algorithms, the first of which uses smart tokens defined from integrated records to match and identify duplicate records during initial warehouse cleaning. The second algorithm uses these tokens for fast, incremental cleaning during warehouse refreshing. Every attribute value forms either a special token like birth date or an ordinary token, which can be alphabetic, numeric, or alphanumeric. Rules are applied for forming tokens belonging to each of these four classes. These tokens are sorted and used for record match. The tokens also form very good warehouse identifiers for future faster incremental warehouse cleaning. This approach eliminates the need for match threshold and multiple passes at data. Experiments show that using tokens for record comparison produces a far better result than using the entire or greater part of a record.
Bitmap Indices for Data Warehouses
Authors: Stockinger Kurt , Wu Kesheng
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we discuss various bitmap index technologies for efficient query processing in data warehousing applications. We review the existing literature and organize the technology into three categories, namely bitmap encoding, compression and binning. We introduce an efficient bitmap compression algorithm and examine the space and time complexity of the compressed bitmap index on large data sets from real applications. According to the conventional wisdom, bitmap indices are only efficient for low-cardinality attributes. However, we show that the compressed bitmap indices are also efficient for high-cardinality attributes. Timing results demonstrate that the bitmap indices significantly outperform the projection index, which is often considered to be the most efficient access method for multi-dimensional queries. Finally, we review the bitmap index technology currently supported by commonly used commercial database systems and discuss open issues for future research and development.
User-Centered Interactive Data Mining
Authors: Zho Yan , Chen Yaohua , Yao Yiyu
Published: May 2011

While many data mining models concentrate on automation and efficiency, interactive data mining models focus on adaptive and effective communications between human users and computer systems. User requirements and preferences play the most important roles in human-machine interactions, and guide the selection of target knowledge representations, operations, and measurements. Practically, user requirements and preferences also decide strategies of abnormal situation handling, and explanations of mined patterns. In this article, we discuss these fundamental issues based on a user-centered three-layer framework of interactive data mining.
Data Mining in Franchise Organizations
Authors: Chen Ye-Sho , Justis Robert , Chong P. Pete
Published: May 2011

Franchising has been used by businesses as a growth strategy. Based on the authors’ cumulative research and experience in the industry, this paper describes a comprehensive framework that describes both the franchise environment — from customer services to internal operations — and the pertinent data items in the system. The authors identify the most important aspects of a franchising business, the role of online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining play and the data items that data mining should focus on to ensure its success.
Data Mining for Combining Forecasts in Inventory Management
Authors: Chan Chi Kin
Published: May 2011

The traditional approach to forecasting involves choosing the forecasting method judged most appropriate of the available methods and applying it to some specific situations. The choice of a method depends upon the characteristics of the series and the type of application. The rationale behind such an approach is the notion that a “best” method exists and can be identified. Further that the “best” method for the past will continue to be the best for the future. An alternative to the traditional approach is to aggregate information from different forecasting methods by aggregating forecasts. This eliminates the problem of having to select a single method and rely exclusively on its forecasts.
An Ontology of Data Modelling Languages
Authors: Milton Simon K. , Kazmierczak Ed
Published: May 2011

Data modelling languages are used in today’s information systems engineering environments. Many have a degree of hype surrounding their quality and applicability with narrow and specific justification often given in support of one over another. We want to more deeply understand the fundamental nature of data modelling languages. We thus propose a theory, based on ontology, that should allow us to understand, compare, evaluate, and strengthen data modelling languages. In this paper we present a method (conceptual evaluation) and its extension (conceptual comparison), as part of our theory. Our methods are largely independent of a specific ontology. We introduce Chisholm’s ontology and apply our methods to analyse some data modelling languages using it. We find a good degree of overlap between all of the data modelling languages analysed and the core concepts of Chisholm’s ontology, and conclude that the data modelling languages investigated reflect an ontology of commonsense-realism.
SeqPAM
Authors: Kumar Pradeep , Bapi Raju S. , Krishna P. Radha
Published: May 2011

With the growth in the number of Web users and necessity for making information available on the Web, the problem of Web personalization has become very critical and popular. Developers are trying to customize a Web site to the needs of specific users with the help of knowledge acquired from user navigational behavior. Since user page visits are intrinsically sequential in nature, efficient clustering algorithms for sequential data are needed. In this chapter, we introduce a similarity preserving function called sequence and set similarity measure S3M that captures both the order of occurrence of page visits as well as the content of pages. We conducted pilot experiments comparing the results of PAM, a standard clustering algorithm, with two similarity measures: Cosine and S3M. The goodness of the clusters resulting from both the measures was computed using a cluster validation technique based on average levensthein distance. Results on pilot dataset established the effectiveness of S3M for sequential data. Based on these results, we proposed a new clustering algorithm, SeqPAM for clustering sequential data. We tested the new algorithm on two datasets namely, cti and msnbc datasets. We provided recommendations for Web personalization based on the clusters obtained from SeqPAM for msnbc dataset.
Seismological Data Warehousing and Mining
Authors: Marketos Gerasimos , Theodoridis Yannis , Kalogeras Ioannis S.
Published: May 2011

Earthquake data composes an ever increasing collection of earth science information for post-processing analysis. Earth scientists, local or national administration officers and so forth, are working with these data collections for scientific or planning purposes. In this article, we discuss the architecture of a so-called seismic data management and mining system (SDMMS) for quick and easy data collection, processing, and visualization. The SDMMS architecture includes, among others, a seismological database for efficient and effective querying and a seismological data warehouse for OLAP analysis and data mining. We provide template schemes for these two components as well as examples of their functionality towards the support of decision making. We also provide a comparative survey of existing operational or prototype SDMMS.
Digital Multimedia
Authors: Rowe N. C.
Published: May 2011

Multimedia data can be important assets of government computer systems. Multimedia data can be documents, statistics, photographs and graphics, presentations, video and audio of events, and software. Examples include maps, video of meetings, slide presentations by consultants and vendors, graphs of budgets, and text of regulations. Video of meetings of legislatures and other government organizations is particularly valuable as it makes government processes more visible to citizens and can encourage trust in government. Multimedia is also particularly valuable in presenting geographical information (Greene, 2001), a concern of all governments. Added multimedia can also be used to more effectively deliver information to people, as with films, animations, sound effects, and motivational materials. Multimedia information is important for digital government because it is often a more natural communication mode for people than text. It is thus important that government be responsive to the needs and desires of citizens by providing it. Much of the world is illiterate, and the ubiquity of television means even the literate often prefer watching video to reading text. Some citizens have special needs: Blind people need audio, and deaf people need images. Video and audio also convey information beyond text: A video of a legislature meeting contains subtleties not apparent from its transcript. Research has shown that multimedia is especially good at conveying explanatory information about functional relationships in organizations (Lim & Benbasat, 2002). Research has also shown that people learn better from multimedia presentations than from conventional classroom instruction, and the multimedia provides a consistent experience available at any time unlike human instructors (Wright, 1993).
Multimedia Instruction
Authors: Uden Lorna
Published: May 2011

Multimedia technology is increasingly being used as a vehicle to deliver instruction. The terms “hypermedia” and “multimedia” are often used interchangeably. However, a distinction is sometimes made: Not all multimedia applications are necessarily hypermedia. A network representation of information is one of the defining characteristics of hypermedia. An instance of hypermedia consists of pieces of information connected in an arbitrary manner to form a network of references (Begoray, 1990). In this chapter, the terms will be used synonymously. There are many benefits for using multimedia for instruction. Studies have shown that computer-based multimedia can help people learn more information better than traditional classroom lectures (Bagui, 1998). Several factors have been attributed to the success of multimedia in helping people to learn. First, there is a parallel between multimedia and the ‘natural’ way people learn, as explained by the Information Processing Theory (Gagné, Briggs & Wager, 1988). The similarities between the structure of multimedia and the information processing theory account for a large part of the success of learning with multimedia. Second, information in computer-based multimedia is presented in a non-linear, hypermedia format. The nature of hypermedia allows learners to view things from different perspectives. Third, computer-based multimedia is more interactive than traditional classroom lectures. Interacting appears to have a strong positive effect on learning (Najjar, 1996). Fourth, another feature of multimedia-based learning is that of flexibility. There is empirical evidence (Najjar, 1996) that interactive multimedia information helps people learn.
Multimedia Interactivity on the Internet
Authors: El-Gayar O. , Chen K. , Tandekar Kanchana
Published: May 2011

With the interactive capabilities on the Internet, business activities such as product display, order placing and payment are given a new facelift (Liu & Shrum, 2002). Consumer experience is also enhanced in an interactive environment (Haseman, Nuipolatoglu & Ramamurthy, 2002). A higher level of interactivity increases the perceived telepresence and the user’s attitude towards a Web site (Coyle & Thorson, 2001). When it comes to learning, a higher level of interactivity improves learning and learner satisfaction (Liu & Schrum, 2002). While interactivity does not necessarily enable enhanced gain in user learning, it positively influences learners’ attitudes (Haseman et al., 2002). Interactivity has been shown to engage users in multimedia systems (Dysart, 1998) to encourage revisits to a Web site (Dholakia et al., 2000), to increase satisfaction toward such systems (Rafaeli &Sudweeks, 1997), to enhance the visibility (as measured in number of referrals or backward links) of Web sites (Chen & Sockel, 2001) and to increase acceptance (Coupey, 1996).
Discovering Multimedia Services and Contents in Mobile Environments
Authors: Wang Z. , Koubaa H.
Published: May 2011

Accessing multimedia services from portable devices in nomadic environments is of increasing interest for mobile users. Service discovery mechanisms help mobile users freely and efficiently locating multimedia services they want. The chapter first provides an introduction to the topic service discovery and content location in mobile environments, including background and problems to be solved. Then, the chapter presents typical architectures and technologies of service discovery in infrastructure-based mobile environments, covering both emerging industry standards and advances in the research world. Their advantages and limitations, as well as open issues are discussed, too. Finally, the approaches for content location in mobile ad hoc networks are described in detail. The strengths and limitations of these approaches with regard to mobile multimedia services are analyzed.
Multimedia Messaging Peer
Authors: Yow K. C. , Mittal N.
Published: May 2011

The evolution in mobile messaging and mobile devices has made it possible to provide multimedia rich messaging capabilities to personal digital assistants (PDAs). The need for this arises simply because mobile service providers want to provide an enhanced messaging experience to the user. It also opens up new avenues for business, such as a shopping mall scenario. This chapter discusses the development of a multimedia messaging client for a PDA and a kiosk providing multimedia messages composition, search, share, and sending capabilities. This chapter also discusses the various messaging technologies, enabling wireless technologies, and the peer-to-peer model. The peer-to-peer technology used was Jxta, an XML-based and language agnostic peer-to-peer platform specification from Sun Microsystems. The peers (PDA client and the kiosk) were implemented using the application programming interfaces provided by the Personal Java reference implementation and the Jxta platform’s Personal Java port.
Multimedia Databases
Authors: Hentea Mariana
Published: May 2011

The Internet and technologies such as high-capacity storage devices, broadband telecommunications systems, and multimedia development software systems have accelerated the development of new applications based on the use of multimedia database systems. A multimedia database is a repository of different data objects (text, numeric values, Boolean values, dates, graphical images, video clips, and sound files). Examples of applications based on multimedia databases include news and stock market information on demand; movies on demand; home shopping; medical systems; trademark, patent, and copyright databases; geographic information systems (GIS); weather forecasting; Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems; architectural design; fabric and fashion design; interior design; photographic libraries; art gallery and museum management; law enforcement; criminal investigations; military reconnaissance and surveillance; scientific experiments; and educational systems
MM4U
Authors: Scherp A. , Boll Susanne
Published: May 2011

In the Internet age and with the advent of digital multimedia information, we succumb to the possibilities that the enchanting multimedia information seems to offer, but end up almost drowning in the multimedia information: Too much information at the same time, so much information that is not suitable for the current situation of the user, too much time needed to find information that is really helpful. The multimedia material is there, but the issues of how the multimedia content is found, selected, assembled, and delivered such that it is most suitable for the user’s interest and background, the user’s preferred device, network connection, location, and many other settings, is far from being solved. In this chapter, we are focusing on the aspect of how to assemble and deliver personalized multimedia content to the users. We present the requirements and solutions of multimedia content modeling and multimedia content authoring as we find it today. Looking at the specific demands of creating personalized multimedia content, we come to the conclusion that a dynamic authoring process is needed in which just in time the individual multimedia content is created for a specific user or user group. We designed and implemented an extensible software framework, MM4U (short for “MultiMedia for you”), which provides generic functionality for typical tasks of a dynamic multimedia content personalization process. With such a framework at hand, an application developer can concentrate on creating personalized content in the specific domain and at the same time is relieved from the basic task of selecting, assembling, and delivering personalized multimedia content. We present the design of the MM4U framework in detail with an emphasis for the personalized multimedia composition and illustrate the framework’s usage in the context of our prototypical applications.
Cognitively Informed Multimedia Interface Design
Authors: Alkhalifa E. M.
Published: May 2011

The rich contributions made in the field of human computer interaction (HCI) have played a pivotal role in shifting the attention of the industry to the interaction between users and computers (Myers, 1998). However, technologies that include hypertext, multimedia, and manipulation of graphical objects were designed and presented to the users without referring to critical findings made in the field of cognitive psychology. These findings allow designers of multimedia educational systems to present knowledge in a fashion that would optimize learning.
Desin of an Enhanced 3G-Based Mobile Healthcare System
Authors: Mas J. R. , Navarro E. A.V. , Hernández Ramos Carolina , Iglesias Alvaro Alesanco , Navajas Julian Fernadez , Bardaji Antonio Valdovinos , Istepanian Robert S.H. , Moros Jose Garcia
Published: May 2011

An enhanced mobile healthcare multi-collaborative system operating over Third Generation (3G) mobile networks is presented. This chapter describes the design and use of this system in different medical and critical emergency scenarios provided with universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) accesses. In these environments, it is designed to communicate healthcare personnel with medical specialists in a remote hospital. The system architecture is based on advanced signalling protocols that allow multimedia multi-collaborative conferences in IPv4/IPv6 3G scenarios. The system offers real-time transmission of medical data and videoconference, together with other non real-time services. It has been optimized specifically to operate over 3G mobile networks using the most appropriate codecs. Evaluation results show a reliable performance over IPv4 UMTS accesses (64 Kbps in the uplink). In the future, advances in m-Health systems will make easier for mobile patients to interactively get the medical attention and advice they need.
Context-Based Interpretation and Indexing of Video Data
Authors: Mittal A. , Fah Cheong Loong , Kassim Ashraf , Pagalthivarthi Krishnan V.
Published: May 2011

Most of the video retrieval systems work with a single shot without considering the temporal context in which the shot appears. However, the meaning of a shot depends on the context in which it is situated and a change in the order of the shots within a scene changes the meaning of the shot. Recently, it has been shown that to find higher-level interpretations of a collection of shots (i.e., a sequence), intershot analysis is at least as important as intrashot analysis. Several such interpretations would be impossible without a context. Contextual characterization of video data involves extracting patterns in the temporal behavior of features of video and mapping these patterns to a high-level interpretation. A Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) framework is designed with the temporal context of a segment of a video considered at different granularity depending on the desired application. The novel applications of the system include classifying a group of shots called sequence and parsing a video program into individual segments by building a model of the video program.
OntoMedia— Semantic Multimedia Metadata Integration and Organization
Authors: Hüsemann B. , Vossen G.
Published: May 2011

Digital multimedia devices for private usage have nowadays left their analogous counterparts behind. Our homes increasingly incorporate a digital communication infrastructure for interconnecting their various devices inside the house, and this infrastructure also gives access to external information via the Internet. Thus, we now store much of our personal information in digital form and information services like newspaper, radio, or TV are digitally available. The capacity of digital storage devices provides enormous space at affordable prices to save all this digital information into a giant personal multimedia archive; however, as is well known, the more data we store, the less information we have at our disposal. In this article, an approach to personal information management is described that is based on Semantic Web technology. In particular, the design decisions behind, and core features of OntoMedia, a software system based on a multimedia ontology that is intended for personal usage, are presented. OntoMedia supports users organizing personal multimedia archives using ontology powered metadata extraction and integration technology. The application includes a novel, easy to use graphical user interface to organize documents in categories and browse/query the semantic database.
Interface Design, Emotions, and Multimedia Learning
Authors: Dong Chaoyan
Published: May 2011

In social psychology, “what is attractive is good” means that a physically attractive person is perceived to be more favorable and capable. In industrial design, the interface is one of the three elements that influence users’ experience with a product. For multimedia learning, does the interface design affect users’ experience with learning environments? Does attractive interface enhance multimedia learning? Research in multimedia learning has been neglecting this issue. In this chapter, I propose that attractive interface design does indeed promote multimedia learning. This hypothesis is based on the review of the following theories and related empirical studies: 1) an interface impacts a user’s experience; 2) beautiful interface induces positive emotions; 3) positive emotions broaden cognitive resources; and 4) expanded cognitive resources promote learning. The Model of Emotional Design in Multimedia Learning is proposed to highlight how emotions regulate multimedia learning. Suggestions regarding designing attractive interfaces are provided.
Mobile Multimedia for Commerce
Authors: Melliar-Smith P. , Moser L. E.
Published: May 2011

The ready availability of mobile multimedia computing and communication devices is driving their use in commercial transactions. Mobile devices are lightweight and wireless so users can carry them and move about freely. Such devices include cell phones, PDAs and PCs equipped with cellular modems.
A Multidimensional Approach for Describing Video Semantics
Authors: Srinivasan Uma , Nepal Surya
Published: May 2011

In order to manage large collections of video content, we need appropriate video content models that can facilitate interaction with the content. The important issue for video applications is to accommodate different ways in which a video sequence can function semantically. This requires that the content be described at several levels of abstraction. In this chapter we propose a video metamodel called VIMET and describe an approach to modeling video content such that video content descriptions can be developed incrementally, depending on the application and video genre. We further define a data model to represent video objects and their relationships at several levels of abstraction. With the help of an example, we then illustrate the process of developing a specific application model that develops incremental descriptions of video semantics using our proposed video metamodel (VIMET).
Toward Effective Use of Multimedia Technologies in Education
Authors: Torrisi-Steele Geraldine
Published: May 2011

While multimedia technologies are being used in educational contexts, the effective use of multimedia in these contexts remains problematic.  In an attempt to contribute towards addressing this problem, this chapter presents a set of conceptual guidelines and a practical planning framework that is intended to inform the planning and design of more effective multimedia integration into educational contexts.  A mixed-mode approach is advocated in this chapter. Multimedia technologies are viewed as part of a tool-set and tool selection should be appropriate to curriculum content and to the teaching and learning context.
Combating Information Overload by Means of Information Customization Systems
Authors: Salah Hamdi Mohamed
Published: May 2011

The evolution of the Internet into the Global Information Infrastructure has led to an explosion in the amount of available information. The result is the “information overload” of the user, i.e., users have too much information to make a decision or remain informed about a topic. Information customization systems are supposed to be the answer for information overload. They allow users narrowcast what they are looking for and get information matching their needs. Information customization systems are also a bargain of consummate efficiency. The value proposition of such systems is reducing the time spent looking for information. We hold the view that information customization could be best done by combining various artificial intelligence technologies such as collaborative filtering, intelligent interfaces, agents, bots, web mining, and intermediaries. MASACAD, the system described in this chapter, is an example of an information customization system that combines many of the technologies already mentioned and others to approach information customization and combat information overload.
Chatting to Learn
Authors: Ling Lim Hwee , Sudweeks Fay
Published: May 2011

As most research on educational computer-mediated communication (CMC) interaction has focused on the asynchronous mode, less is known about the impact of the synchronous CMC mode on online learning processes. This chapter presents a qualitative case study of a distant course exemplifying the innovative instructional application of online synchronous (chat) interaction in virtual tutorials. While chat interaction has primarily been researched for its effectiveness in supporting social-emotional aspects of learning, this chapter reports survey findings on its impact on facilitating participation in collaborative group learning processes and enhancing understanding of course content from a sociocultural constructivist perspective. The results reveal factors that affected both student perception and use of participation opportunities in chat tutorials, and understanding of course content. The findings present implications for the pedagogical design of online synchronous collaborative-constructivist learning activities that enhance understanding of course content through dialogic participation in the learning process.
Model-Driven Service Engineering
Authors: Karakostas Bill , Zorgios Yannis
Published: May 2011

This chapter argues that modeling is at the core of every service engineering method. Modeling not only allows us to understand business services but, what is equally important, to transform them into software-realized services. In general, models provide abstractions of a physical system that allow engineers to reason about that system while ignoring irrelevant details and focusing on relevant ones (Brown, 2004). All forms of engineering and science rely on models to understand complex, real-world systems. Models are used to predict system properties, reason about how changes in some parts of it will affect the rest of a system, and communicate key system characteristics to various stakeholders. The models may be developed as a mock-up or blueprint prior to implementing the physical system, or they may be derived from an existing system or a system in development, as an aid to understanding its behavior.
Education Research with Electronic Focus Groups
Authors: Moyle Kathryn , Fitzgerald Robert
Published: May 2011

An emerging trend in education research methods is to integrate digital technologies into the research process. Electronic focus groups represent one such innovation. Drawing on four examples of research and practice undertaken using a synchronous, digital system, this chapter reflects on how an innovative tool can assist in focus group research in the fields of school and higher education. The examples presented illustrate how some of the theoretical, practical and ethical problems that have arisen with traditional approaches to focus groups research can be overcome. It is anticipated that reflecting on such experiences and building upon the findings of these research projects will enable an understandings about the potential for innovative practices in education research that are possible with digital technologies.
Unstructured Information as a Socio-Technical Dilemma
Authors: Nilsson Lars-Erik , Eklöf Anders , Ottoson Torgny
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how access to information through the implementation of digital information and communication technology challenges traditional school practices and introduces dilemmas about democracy, school development, ethics, information management and learning. Video data together with screen captures are used to present three cases where students try: to match questions to search expressions; to make decisions about whether sites can be visited; and how they make decisions about relevance and credibility. Data illustrate that information always appears to be unstructured to the students and that restructuring poses a socio technical dilemma involving appreciation of ideological and ethical nature.
An Ethical Perspective on ICT in the Context of the Other
Authors: Olofsson Anders D. , Lindberg Ola J.
Published: May 2011

The importance of incorporating an ethical perspective in the development of digital competence is discussed. It is argued that an ethical perspective that emphasise mutual understanding as a possible conception of democracy, is of importance in the light of the current global e-learning trend, especially when it comes to designing e-learning ventures as online learning communities.
Agile Software Processes for the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory Environment
Authors: Denny Nathan , Crk Igor , Nadella Ravi Sheshu
Published: May 2011

The growing adoption of outsourcing and offshoring concepts is presenting new opportunities for distributed software development. Inspired by the paradigm of round-the-clock manufacturing, the concept of the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory (24HrKF) attempts to make similar transformations in the arena of IS: specifically to transform the production of software and allied intangibles to benefit from the notion of continuous development by establishing multiple collaborating sites at strategically selected locations around the globe. As the sun sets on one site, it rises on another site with the day’s work being handed off from the closing site to the opening site. In order to enable such hand offs to occur in an effective manner, new agile and distributed software processes are needed, as delineated in this chapter.
Leveraging Knowledge Reuse and System Agility in the Outsourcing Era
Authors: Crk Igor , Sorensen Dane , Mitra Amit
Published: May 2011

Collaborative work groups that span multiple locations and time zones, or “follow the sun,” create a growing demand for creating new technologies and methodologies that enable traditional spatial and temporal separations to be surmounted in an effective and productive manner. The hurdles faced by members of such virtual teams are in three key areas: differences in concepts and terminologies used by the different teams; differences in understanding the problem domain under consideration; and differences in training, knowledge, and skills that exist across the teams. These reasons provide some of the basis for the delineation of new architectural approaches that can normalize knowledge and provide reusable artifacts in a knowledge repository.
The Unit of Analysis and the Validity of Web Log Data
Authors: Woong Yun Gi
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses validity of units of analysis of Web log data. First, Web log units are compared to the unit of analysis of television to understand the conceptual issues of media use unit of analysis. Second, the validity of both Client-side and Server-side Web log data are examined along with benefits and shortcomings of each Web log data. Each method has implications on cost, privacy, cache memory, session, attention, and many other areas of concerns. The challenges were not only theoretical but, also, methodological. In the end, Server-side Web log data turns out to have more potentials than it is originally speculated. Nonetheless, researchers should decide the best research method for their research and they should carefully design research to claim the validity of their data. This chapter provides some valuable recommendations for both Client-side and Server-side Web log researchers.
Information Extraction from Blogs
Authors: Moens Marie-Francine
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces information extraction from blog texts. It argues that the classical techniques for information extraction that are commonly used for mining well-formed texts lose some of their validity in the context of blogs. This finding is demonstrated by considering each step in the information extraction process and by illustrating this problem in different applications. In order to tackle the problem of mining content from blogs, algorithms are developed that combine different sources of evidence in the most flexible way. The chapter concludes with ideas for future research.
Nethnography
Authors: Andrade Braga Adriana
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the possibilities and limitations of nethnography, an ethnographic approach applied to the study of online interactions, particularly computer-mediated communication. In this chapter, a brief history of ethnography, including its relation to anthropological theories and its key methodological assumptions is addressed. Next, one of the most frequent methodologies applied to Internet settings, that is to treat logfiles as the only or main source of data, is explored, and its consequences are analyzed. In addition, some strategies related to a naturalistic perspective for data analysis are examined. Finally, an example of an ethnographic study, which involves participants of a Weblog, is presented to illustrate the potential for nethnography to enhance the study of CMC.