bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computer-Mediated Communication Research
Authors: Wallace J. D.
Published: May 2011

This chapter asks “What is meant by computermediated communication research?” Numerous databases were examined concerning business, education, psychology, sociology, and social sciences from 1966 through 2005. A survey of the literature produced close to two thousand scholarly journal articles, and bibliometric techniques were used to establish core areas. Specifically, journals, authors, and concepts were identified. Then, more prevalent features within the dataset were targeted, and a fine-grained analysis was conducted on research-affiliated terms and concepts clustering around those terms. What was found was an area of scholarly communication, heavily popularized in education-related journals. Likewise, topics under investigation tended to be education and Internet affiliated. The distribution of first authors was overwhelming populated by one time authorship. The most prominent research methodology emerging was case studies. Other specific research methodologies tended to be textually related, such as content and discourse analysis. This study was significant for two reasons. First, it documented CMC’s literature historical emergence through a longitudinal analysis. Second, it identified descriptive boundaries concerning authors, journals, and concepts that were prevalent in the literature.
Modeling Variant User Interfaces for Web-Based Software Product Lines
Authors: Chun Lee Suet
Published: May 2011

Software product line (SPL) is a software engineering paradigm for software development. SPL is important in promoting software reuse, leading to higher productivity and quality. A software product within a product line often has specific functionalities that are not common to all other products within the product line. Those specific functionalities are termed “variant features” in a product line. SPL paradigm involves the modeling of variant features. However, little work in SPL investigates and addresses the modeling of variant features specific to UI. UML is the de facto modeling language for object-oriented software systems. It is known that UML needs better support in modeling UIs. Thus, much research developed UML extensions to improve UML support in modeling UIs. Yet little of this work is related to developing such extensions for modeling UIs for SPLs in which variant features specific to user interfaces (UI) modeling must be addressed. This research develops a UML extension, WUIML, to address these problems. WUIML defines elements for modeling variant features specific to UIs for Web-based SPLs. The model elements in WUIML extend from the metaclass and of the UML2.0 metamodel. WUIML integrates the modeling of variant features specific to UIs to UML. For example, in a Web-based patient registration SPL, member products targeting British users may use British date format in the user interface, while member products targeting United States users may use United States date format in the user interface. Thus, this is a variant feature for this product line. WUIML defines a model element, XOR, to represent such exclusive or conditions in a product line user interface model. WUIML would reduce SPL engineers’ efforts needed in UI development. To validate the WUIML research outcome, a case study was conducted. The results of this empirical study indicate that modeling UIs for Web-based SPLs using WUIML is more effective and efficient than using standard UML.
Developing and Validating a Measure of Web Personalization Strategy
Authors: Fan Haiyan , Deng Liqiong
Published: May 2011

An important theoretical undertaking in personalization research is to identify the structure of the multidimensional construct of personalization and to operationalize them in measurable terms. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate measurement scales for personalization by identifying four distinctive personalization archetypes and hypothesizing their respective relationships with different cognitive and affective outcomes. This effort was successful in several respects. New scales for measuring personalization strategies were developed based on the definitions of personalization archetypes (architectural, instrumental, social and commercial), which were in turn derived from an extensive review of multidisciplinary studies. A lab experiment with 229 student subjects was conducted to explore the structure of the personalization construct and to validate the instrument using four Web site stimuli representing four types of personalization strategies. The new measures were found to have strong psychometric properties and exhibit significant linkages with respective cognitive and affective outcomes as theoretically postulated.
Task Ontology-Based Human-Computer Interaction
Authors: Seta Kazuhisa
Published: May 2011

In ontological engineering research field, the concept of “task ontology” is well-known as a useful technology to systemize and accumulate the knowledge to perform problem-solving tasks (e.g., diagnosis, design, scheduling, and so on). A task ontology refers to a system of a vocabulary/ concepts used as building blocks to perform a problem-solving task in a machine readable manner, so that the system and humans can collaboratively solve a problem based on it. The concept of task ontology was proposed by Mizoguchi (Mizoguchi, Tijerino, & Ikeda, 1992, 1995) and its validity is substantiated by development of many practical knowledge-based systems (Hori & Yoshida, 1998; Ikeda, Seta, & Mizoguchi, 1997; Izumi &Yamaguchi, 2002; Schreiber et al., 2000; Seta, Ikeda, Kakusho, & Mizoguchi, 1997). He stated: …task ontology characterizes the computational architecture of a knowledge-based system which performs a task. The idea of task ontology which serves as a system of the vocabulary/concepts used as building blocks for knowledge-based systems might provide an effective methodology and vocabulary for both analyzing and synthesizing knowledge-based systems. It is useful for describing inherent problem-solving structure of the existing tasks domain-independently. It is obtained by analyzing task structures of real world problem. ... The ultimate goal of task ontology research is to provide a theory of all the vocabulary/concepts necessary for building a model of human problem solving processes. (Mizoguchi, 2003) We can also recognize task ontology as a static user model (Seta et al., 1997), which captures the meaning of problem-solving processes, that is, the input/output relation of each activity in a problem-solving task and its effects on the real world as well as on the humans’ mind.
Human Computer Interaction and the Best Mix of Face-to- Face and E-Interactions in Educational Settings
Authors: Olaniran Bolanle A.
Published: May 2011

Recent trends and rapid improvement in technology such as computer-mediated communication (CMC) and increasing bandwidth in the Internet are facilitating increased electronic interactions (i.e., e-interactions otherwise known as or commonly referred to as the human computer interaction (HCI)). CMC technology systems are a common occurrence in educational institutions as administrators attempt to encourage technology usage and instructors race to learn and implement CMC use in their classrooms and students demand greater flexibility and control in how they learn. Notwithstanding is the need to decide which forms of HCI technology to use, how to use them, and what benefits can accrue from such usage. The discussion here explores each of these issues, but more specifically will focus on addressing the case for blending e-interactions with the traditional face-to-face (FTF) communication medium while addressing the appropriateness of such combination.
Unraveling the Taste Fabric of Social Networks
Authors: Liu Hugo , Maes Pattie , Davenport Glorianna
Published: May 2011

Popular online social networks such as Friendster and MySpace do more than simply reveal the superficial structure of social connectedness—the rich meanings bottled within social network profiles themselves imply deeper patterns of culture and taste. If these latent semantic fabrics of taste could be harvested formally, the resultant resource would afford completely novel ways for representing and reasoning about web users and people in general. This paper narrates the theory and technique of such a feat—the natural language text of 100,000 social network profiles were captured, mapped into a diverse ontology of music, books, films, foods, etc., and machine learning was applied to infer a semantic fabric of taste. Taste fabrics bring us closer to improvisational manipulations of meaning, and afford us at least three semantic functions—the creation of semantically flexible user representations, cross-domain taste-based recommendation, and the computation of taste-similarity between people— whose use cases are demonstrated within the context of three applications—the InterestMap, Ambient Semantics, and IdentityMirror. Finally, we evaluate the quality of the taste fabrics, and distill from this research reusable methodologies and techniques of consequence to the semantic mining and Semantic Web communities.
Gender and Computing at University in the UK
Authors: Woodfield Ruth
Published: May 2011

In the late 1970s, women’s progress and participation in the more traditional scientific and technical fields, such as physics and engineering, was slow, prompting many feminist commentators to conclude that these areas had developed a nearunshakeable masculine bias. Although clearly rooted in the domains of science and technology, the advent of the computer was initially seen to challenge this perspective. It was a novel kind of artefact, a machine that was the subject of its own newly created field: “computer science” (Poster, 1990, p. 147). The fact that it was not quite subsumed within either of its parent realms led commentators to argue that computer science was also somewhat ambiguously positioned in relation to their identity as masculine. As such, it was claimed that its future trajectory as equally masculine could not be assumed, and the field of computing might offer fewer obstacles and more opportunities for women than they had experienced before. Early predictions of how women’s role in relation to information technology would develop were consequently often highly optimistic in tone. Computing was hailed as “sex-blind and colour-blind” (Williams, Cited in Griffths 1988, p. 145; see also Zientara, 1987) in support of a belief that women would freely enter the educational field, and subsequently the profession, as the 1980s advanced. During this decade, however, it became increasingly difficult to deny that this optimism was misplaced. The numbers of females undertaking undergraduate courses in the computer sciences stabilised at just over a fifth of each cohort through the 1980s and 1990s, and they were less likely to take them in the more prestigious or researchbased universities (Woodfield, 2000). Tracy Camp’s landmark article “The Incredible Shrinking Pipeline” (1997), using data up to 1994, plotted the fall-off of women in computer science between one educational level and the next in the US. It noted that “a critical point” was the drop-off before bachelor-level study—critical because the loss of women was dramatic, but also because a degree in computer science is often seen as one of the best preparatory qualifications for working within a professional IT role1. The main aim of this article is to examine how the situation has developed since 1994, and within the UK context. It will also consider its potential underlying causes, and possible routes to improvement.
Gender and the Culture of Computing in Applied IT Education
Authors: Herring Susan C. , Ogan Christine , Ahuja Manju , Robinson Jean C.
Published: May 2011

The “shrinking pipeline” of women who ascend through the ranks in computer science education programs and careers is by now a familiar problem. Women drop out at rates faster than men at all levels of educational and professional advancement, resulting in a gender gap especially pronounced at the highest levels of the computing workforce, and that has not narrowed appreciably at any level in more than 20 years (Camp, 1997; ITAA, 2005; Vegso, 2005). Efforts to move more women into the pipeline at lower levels have met with limited success (cf. the Carnegie Mellon experience as reported by Margolis & Fisher, 2002); girls and women still express less interest than boys and men in studying computer science and pursuing information technology (IT) careers (Bentson, 2000; Vegso, 2005). A reason often cited in the literature is the masculine culture of many computer science programs and IT workplaces, which is perceived by many women as alien and unwelcoming (Bentson, 2000; Spertus, 1991; Turkle, 1988). Even when institutions make efforts to treat women and men equally or accord women special consideration in admissions and hiring decisions, attitudes discouraging women from entering computing persist, both within the institutions and in society at large. Sometimes these attitudes are expressed overtly: Underground “hacker” culture is notoriously antagonistic to women (Gilboa, 1996), and even mainstream computer aficionados respond with resistance and sexist jokes to proposals to recruit more girls and women to study computer science (Slashdot.org, 2005). Moreover, there is a widespread perception that computer experts are socially-isolated “geeks” or “nerds” obsessed with technology, a mode of being that women, who tend to be more socially oriented, find unappealing (Margolis & Fisher, 2002; Turkle, 1988). Fortunately, the situation for computer science does not tell the whole story. In the latter part of the 20t h century, the expansion of computing and the Internet fueled the rise of applied IT fields in which technical skills, rather than being developed for their own sake, are increasingly put to use in the service of human needs. Applied fields, such as information science, information systems and instructional technology, have gained strength, and a new interdisciplinary field, informatics, has emerged. At the same time, interest in computer science itself is declining, especially among women (ITAA, 2005; Vegso, 2005). In this article, we explore the possibility that applied IT fields may provide more women-friendly cultures while still focused on technology. The larger question underlying this exploration is: Does applied IT education have the potential to bridge the “gender computing gap”?
Social Impact of Virtual Networking
Authors: Rahman Hakikur
Published: May 2011

Information has been defined as a set of data, facts, and figures that have been processed in such a way that they become meaningful. They make intelligence. When information is applied to doing something and is globally pertinent, it is said to have become knowledge. Information flow can be treated as an alternate wealth for a developing society and knowledge networking through virtual communication processes can break the lags and leads of information barriers. It can create an appropriate tool for achieving and facilitating exchange of information and knowledge among development partners, academia, policymakers, and the civil society at local, national, and global level to design and implement plans for development (Rahman, 2000). Virtual communities are the collection of online links to a particular node, examples of which are Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon, or smaller chat rooms or instant message buddy lists. These networks of links are freely chosen, democratic, unrestricted, and may even be anonymous or pseudonymous (Roberts, Smith, & Pollock, 2002). The concept of the virtual enterprise has emerged in management literature as the result of the fusion of technological advances and a claimed major socioeconomic paradigm shift. The virtual enterprise can be seen as a temporary alliance of contracted individuals or companies linked together by ICTs, which assembles for the purpose of a specific business task. Advocates of the virtual enterprise believe that it will replace the conventional model of organization in the 21s t century (Introna, More, & Cushman, 1999). The virtual network is being increasingly promoted as a model for a new form of ICT-mediated communication endeavor. Initially, the concept of the virtual network and the supportive role of ICTs as conceived by its proponents need to be clarified. Based on the initial understanding, the establishment of community information centres as the existing instance of virtual enterprise needs to be done.
Trust in Computer-Mediated Communications
Authors: Lippert Susan K.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the concepts of trust as they relate to computer-aided communications. The author defines trust for interpersonal and for inanimate technology, identifies common factors affecting quality of meaning in communication, and identifies ways businesses can foster and enhance trust independent of the medium of communication.
Successes and Failures of SAP Implementation
Authors: Bondarouk Tanya , Riemsdijk Maarten van
Published: May 2011

In this article, we conceptualize the implementation process associated with SAP_HR as an experiential learning one (Kolb, 1984), and analyze qualitative data collected using discourse analysis during a six-month case study. We saw that a lack of communication plus misunderstandings between the different parties involved in the project led to mistakes in working with the system. However, with encouragement from the “top” to improve learning, working with the system became easier for the whole group involved and for the individual users. Although Kolb’s theory is widely acknowledged by academics as a fundamental concept that contributes towards our understanding of human behavior, we propose another use: to consider this theory in association with an IT implementation strategy to identify the mechanism of IT adoption in an organization.
The Function of Representation in a "Smart Home Context"
Authors: Edenius Mats
Published: May 2011

In our society, we seem almost completely engaged in a variety of representational processes. By rendering events and processes “still”, they can be more easily manipulated and transferred into a stock of movable resources which can provide the possibility to control. It is in that context information technology can give us power. In this article it is argued that in order to understand information technology we must begin with representation. I will illustrate such a perspective by a case study that puts a smart home-technology in focus and exemplifies how it may let us deeper our knowledge about IT, how that knowledge is constructed, knowledge is constructed, what actors are involved, what drives them and what kinds of issues are at stake. Antiquity had been a civilization of spectacle. “To render accessible to a multitude of men the inspection of a small number of objects”: this was the problem to which the architecture of temples, theatres and circuses responded. With spectacle, there was a predominance of public life, the intensity of festivals, sensual proximity. In these rituals in which blood flowed, society found new vigour and formed for a moment a single great body. The modern age poses the opposite problem: “To procure for a small number, or even for a single individual, the instantaneous view of a great multitude”. (Foucault, 1977, p. 216)
A Ten-Level Web Integration Continuum for Higher Education
Authors: Bonk Curtis J. , Cummings Jack A. , Hara Norika , Fischler Robert B. , Lee Sun Myung
Published: May 2011

Owston (1997, p. 27) pointed out that, “Nothing before has captured the imagination and interests of educators simultaneously around the globe more than the World Wide Web.” Other scholars claim that the Web is converging with other technologies to dramatically alter most conceptions of the teaching and learning process (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998; Duffy, Dueber, & Hawley, 1998; Harasim, Hiltz, Teles, & Turoff, 1995). From every corner of one’s instruction there lurk pedagogical opportunities—new resources, partners, courses, and markets—to employ the World Wide Web as an instructional device. Nevertheless, teaching on the Web is not a simple decision since most instructors typically lack vital information about the effects of various Web tools and approaches on student learning. Of course, the dearth of such information negatively impacts the extent faculty are willing to embed Web-based learning components in their classes. What Web-related decisions do college instructors face? Dozens. Hundreds. Perhaps thousands! There are decisions about the class size, forms of assessments, amount and type of feedback, location of students, and the particular Web courseware system used. Whereas some instructors will want to start using the Web with minor adaptations to their teaching, others will feel comfortable taking extensive risks in building entire courses or programs on the Web. Where you fall in terms of your comfort level as an instructor or student will likely shift in the next few years as Web courseware stabilizes and is more widely accepted in teaching. Of course, significant changes in the Web-based instruction will require advancements in both pedagogy and technology (Bonk & Dennen, 1999). Detailed below is a ten level Web integration continuum of the pedagogical choices faculty must consider in developing Web-based course components.
Theoretical and Practical Considerations in the Design of Web-Based Instruction
Authors: Miller Susan M. , Miller Kenneth L.
Published: May 2011

The intended audiences for this chapter are (a) individuals who design and develop Web-based instruction in any setting (i.e., university faculty, instructional developers in medical, business and government settings), and (b) graduate students in the fields of instructional design, educational technology, and educational psychology. The purposes of this chapter are to: • describe three unique features of the Web environment relevant to instruction: structure, media, and communication capabilities; • explore the role of epistemology in the design of instruction: relationships of epistemology to cognitive learning theories, Web technologies and practice; • examine five factors that influence the design of Web-based instruction: theoretical orientation, learning goals, content, learner characteristics, and technological capabilities; • recommend ten issues for Web course developers to consider as they design Web-based instruction; • discuss four factors that will affect the future of Web-based instruction: efficacy studies, technological advances, pressures of competition and cost containment, and professional responses to market influences.
Opportunities in Web-Based Teaching
Authors: Tetiwat Orasa , Igbaria Magid
Published: May 2011

Web-based teaching technology has become a popular tool for many institutions in this decade. It can be used for every educational level from K-12 to higher education and distance education in many different fields. In order to make these opportunities possible, there are many requirements, including sufficient funding, a strong technological infrastructure, hardware and software, good design and interface, operations, maintenance, training, and cooperation of every involved party. When these requirements have been met as a minimum condition, Web-based teaching can provide many benefits to students, teachers, parents, and educational institutions. It is one alternative of modern technology that has been developed to augment traditional learning and teaching at all educational levels.
Healthcare Process Redesign
Authors: Huynh Minh , Agnihothri Sal
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we present key principles and the limitations of business process reengineering (BPR) in general, and the use of BPR in healthcare in particular. We then present a case study of reengineering a healthcare process. The purpose of this case study is to explore the reality of how a BPR project is initiated, formulated, and implemented in a hospital setting and how it can fail. In the final discussion, we analyze the possible reasons for the failure of the BPR project and discuss their implication to the implementation of BPR in general.
Distance Learning Implementation and Evaluation
Authors: Belanger France , Jordan Dianne H.
Published: May 2011

The implementation phase of a DL or technology insertion initiative begins after 1) the results of the feasibility analysis indicate whether, and to what extent, your courses should be converted to DL, or whether they could benefit from technology insertion into existing classrooms, 2) design considerations have been worked out, and 3) development has been done with existing staff resources or contractor support. This chapter outlines the issues, processes and practical tips for implementing and evaluating your DL initiative.
Introduction
Authors: Clarke Steve , Lehaney Brian
Published: May 2011

This chapter seeks to cast light on the commonly encountered ‘human-centred’ versus ‘technology’ debate in information systems (IS: Clarke and Lehaney, 1998; Clarke and Lehaney, 1999; Lehaney, Clarke et al., 1999). It takes as its starting point a view which sees information systems as complex, adaptive, human activity systems, enabled by information technology (IT). Two approaches dominate in trying to understand such systems. The first redefines them as purely technical systems, for which a fixed and definable objective can be determined: from this point, the problem becomes one of design. The second approach sees the whole system through the views of the human participants: here, the problem initially is one of debate, aimed at determining a consensus view of the system of concern before moving on to designing relevant solutions. The technical view outlined above might be seen as an attempt to reduce the system’s complexity, by removing the voluntaristic, probabilistic behaviour which the human actors bring to the system. Once this is done, more technologically focused IS managers are on comfortable ground, having redefined the system as one which is highly deterministic, and for which a solution can be achieved through the design of a new or improved system. Similarly, the human-centred view may be seen as excluding technical considerations in order to reach agreement on the part of participants before proceeding further.
Technology-Based Marketing in the Healthcare Industry
Authors: Johnson Grace , Kumar Anand , Ramaprasad Arkalgud , Reddy Madhusudhan
Published: May 2011

The past few years have seen Web-based technology diffusing into a wide cross-section of industries, cutting across various barriers, and changing the way many companies do business. The healthcare industry, though relatively slow to adopt information technology (Eder and Darter, 1998), is no exception. Information technology is transforming the healthcare environment in ways that go beyond simple consumer health information Web sites (Hagland, 1997). Increasingly, the industry is leveraging information technology effectively to manage its business and address issues affecting patient care (Lankford, 1999). At the heart of the healthcare industry lies the patient-physician relationship. The interaction between these two players usually occurs in a clinic/hospital setting. It is generally believed that the relationship between the patient and the physician is influenced not only by this interaction, but also by other interactions that a patient may have inside a clinic/hospital setting, such as interactions with nurses, staff, the registration desk, etc. However, changes brought about by information technology (a) allow players outside the clinic/hospital setting to influence the patient-physician relationship and (b) affect the way in which players and processes inside a clinic/hospital setting influence the patient-physician relationship. This chapter examines how Web technology affects the patient-physician relationship through its impact on players and processes both outside and inside a clinic/hospital setting.
Teleradiology
Authors: Kirn Stefan , Heine Christian
Published: May 2011

In most countries of the world, public health is an important indicator for the prosperity of a society. However, due to increasing deficits in public households, more and more conflicts arise between new medical approaches and traditional medicine, between technology-centered and human-centered care, and between increasing demands of patients (societies) and limited, sometimes even decreasing healthcare budgets. In this context, telecommunication-based medicine (telemedicine for short) provides for economies of scale, for sharing of investments, for speeding up clinical and healthcare business processes, for bridging geographical distances and, last but not least, for fundamentally re-designing, and innovating diagnostic, administrative, therapeutic and nursing processes (Hammer, 1993; Berger, 1997). Telemedicine-networks can only be established and operated efficiently • if all relevant information and objects are in digital form (providing for a dematerialization of healthcare processes!) • if high-speed networks are available with acceptable bandwidth, • if the telemedicine-software can be integrated with the administrative and clinical systems of healthcare institutions, and • if the clinical and administrative processes of healthcare institutions are adapted to the challenges of telemedicine.
Automating Patients Admission
Authors: Lehmann Hans , Wee Terence
Published: May 2011

The rationale for using a single case study approach is set out and put into context of current case research literature and thinking. The validity of the approach and its implications for being able to generalise from its findings are discussed. The key point in the case is the determination of a private hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, to re-engineer its processes with information technology. Persisting in the face of apathy and even resistance by its main business partners, they achieved a viable pilot system on a minimum budget, using common, off-the-shelf software and technologies. Starting from a modest electronic presence, the hospital’s aim is to become the centrepiece of an electronic community, offering a rich set of communications and other media for the medical practitioners who use the hospital facilities. The case in this chapter is the history of the first service project, an electronic interface for surgeons to book operating facilities and to automate admission procedures. The process changes and improvements are described, as are the resolution of environmental issues such as security and patient privacy. The architecture of the system, which centres on the basic structure of an intranet, is outlined. A number of points of general import for interactive surgeon-hospital systems are developed from the case in conclusion. Pointers for further and/or follow-up research are given.
Libraries and the Internet
Authors: Fletcher Patricia Diamond
Published: May 2011

This is an exciting time for world libraries. It is also a time of great challenge, uncertainty, change and risk. The introduction of the Internet and the World Wide Web, and the Global Information Infrastructure is creating enormous tension in the library community. The potential for a global networked community of libraries is only beginning to be understood. The challenges posed by such an entity are many and unique. According to Wedgeworth (1998) there are four main concerns to be addressed in the context of a global library community:
Deposit Collections of Digital Publications
Authors: Borbinha Jose Luis , Campos Fernanda , Cardoso Fernando
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents an analysis and a recommended strategy to address the problem of the management of digital publications in deposit institutions. The perspective here assumed is of the national libraries, but part of the problem can be shared with archives and other similar institutions. In this chapter we will try to demonstrate that the problem raises new technical and formal issues to these institutions, with impact in multiple and not always clear dimensions, thus requiring a deep knowledge of the new emerging objects and also new and adjustable postures for management. To deal with the problem, we propose an approach based in a strategy taking in account three components: analysis of the structure of the problem, the concept of publication genre and the concept of scenarios. The work presented in this chapter is based on the results of the first phase of the project NEDLIB - Networked European Deposit Library, an international project promoted by a European consortium.
Technical and Market Viability of Object Database Technology
Authors: Komlodi Jozsef T.
Published: May 2011

Despite its decade long history, object database technology has never entered mainstream system development. In this work, I look at the background of the slow adoption, and the possible future outlook of this technology based on my personal experience and the published literature. Object databases represent a revolutionary new technology and provide superior storage facility for complex data structures and types. They also enable close language binding and a unified development process. It is a mature technology with advanced database management and development features and has several proven and robust deployment examples. Besides its current technical excellence, this technology is also demonstrating future potential through such emerging technologies as Java, Application servers, and XML. The past failure of object databases to proliferate the market was mainly due to unawareness, lack of skills, and the overwhelming existing investment in relational systems. As these factors are changing by the end of this century and new technology adoption is accelerating, object databases are looking forward to a slow but sure take off.
Reuse in Object Oriented Modeling
Authors: Irwin Gretchen , Wasalathantry Chamini
Published: May 2011

Object Oriented (OO) technology and software reuse are widely believed to be key ingredients to improving systems development productivity and quality (Meyer 1989; Cox 1990). Software reuse is broadly defined as the application of existing systems development artifacts to new development projects. OO technology supports reuse in a number of ways. For example, at the programming level, reuse is supported through built-in components (classes) and specialization of the class hierarchy. At the analysis and design levels, OO pattern handbooks provide reusable solution templates to known modeling and design problems (Gamma et al. 1995; Fowler 1996). The systematic use of these and other artifacts can, at least in theory, reduce the time taken to develop new systems by leveraging the knowledge gained from prior projects.
Understanding Distributed Object Oriented Systems
Authors: Podaras Alex
Published: May 2011

Distributed objects, as applied to the term distributed object oriented systems, can be defined as those objects that have many locations on a system (network), but stemming from the way they interact with one another, appear to be coming from just one location (Taylor, 1996, p. 263). Obviously, this presents distributed-object oriented systems with design complexities because the hardware and software are not located in one place but, to the user, must look as though they are. These complexities can be well appreciated by looking at the literature. Montlick (1999) uses the very term complex in a chapter heading related to distributed object oriented systems. He attributes this building complexity to the fact that object oriented technology is in its infancy. Given that distributed object oriented systems are complex and in their infancy, it is hard to decipher a clear definition of distributed object oriented systems and the client/server (frontline computer/back-line computer) model or environment. Some such as Berson (1996) say that client/server computing is a form of distributed computing, while others such as Taylor (1996) say that client/server computing is different from distributed computing. Understanding the client/server environment adds to the complexity of understanding distributed object oriented systems. The purpose of this chapter, then, is to provide an understanding of what distributed object oriented systems are, no matter how complex they may appear to be. To provide a foundation for this understanding, the “building block” evolutionary process leading to the development of distributed object oriented systems will be given first. To foster an understanding of the systems themselves, it will be shown that no matter how complex, for a system to be distributed object oriented, basically several key ingredients must be in place. Accordingly, it will be shown that, fundamentally, distributed object oriented systems must have two object oriented properties or characteristics: encapsulation (the ability to hide code from the user) and messages (the way objects communicate). Additionally, it will be shown that software components (objects) of the distributed object oriented systems must have certain inherent features. Aside from the two object oriented properties and the certain inherent features, any critical system must have the ability to keep its data in a consistent state. This is particularly important when concurrent (at the same time) transactions (a unit of work) are executed. It was determined that because distributed object oriented systems are complex and in their infancy, in order to produce a basic definition and understanding of what they are, it would be necessary to analyze a cross-section of the current literature: i.e., information found in books, articles, journals, and Internet sources as well as information obtained from interviews with an IT expert.
Community Informatics
Authors: Gurstein Michael
Published: May 2011

There is an emerging need for all sectors of society to find ways to optimize the opportunities which information and communications technologies present. Research and development work in Information Systems and information technology has accepted a model of computing where the individual interacts directly with the computer and, through the computer and communication systems, with other individuals. Thus the objective of IT research and development has been to continuously enhance and extend the capabilities of individuals within the context of the corporations, organizations, and governments for which they work. However, ICT also can be used to support communities in their efforts for social and economic development. Community informatics is a technology strategy or discipline which links economic and social development efforts at the community level with emerging opportunities in such areas as electronic commerce, community and civic networks and telecentres, electronic democracy and on-line participation, self-help and virtual health communities, advocacy, cultural enhancement, and others.
Differential IT Access and Use Patterns in Rural and Small-Town Atlantic Canada
Authors: Bruce David
Published: May 2011

Popular press and government rhetoric suggest that there has been steady progress in the extent to which individuals, households, businesses, organizations, and communities are using the Internet as part of their daily lives (Bruce, 1998, 1997). However, there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. In this chapter I argue that there has been slow and uneven penetration of Internet use in rural and small-town communities in Atlantic Canada, despite the best efforts of policies and programs. Drawing on evidence from a recent Internet use survey, suggestions are made for improving the performance of policies and programs aimed at increasing Internet access and use. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an empirical overview of differential Internet access and use patterns, using data collected  from a  January 1998 survey (Jordan, 1998; Bruce and Gadsden, 1999) of 1501 households in 20 different Atlantic Canadian communities grouped into five distinct “community categories.” (Reimer, 1997a, 1997b) Characteristics of users for purposes of this analysis include age, gender, household income, educational attainment, and employment status. This chapter also explores the extent to which Atlantic Canadians have taken formal or informal courses or training programs related to information technology between 1993 and 1998.
CTCNet, the Community Technology Movement, and the Prospects for Democracy in America
Authors: Miller Peter
Published: May 2011

In a large, airy room there is a crowd of young people and adults all working at computers. In one group students are having their first experience using a spreadsheet on an IBM PS/1. At the same time, in another corner, a senior adult is teaching herself to use a database on an IBM PC. A young man is updating the church’s membership files and printing mailing labels. A young woman is at the Macintosh working on a desktop publishing project, and two teenagers are in another corner debating how best to make the Logo Turtle do what they want it to do. Others are casually ‘messing about’ with simulations. They are all using these technologies to achieve their own personal goals and objectives.1 This description of an open public access session at the Playing to Win (PTW) Harlem Community Computing Center in the late 1980s contains a vision that extends far beyond technology access and education in a single storefront setting—for PTW was one of the country’s earliest examples of a technology education and access program established in a non-school community center, specifically for people of low-income and low literacy. It gave birth to what has become the Community Technology Centers’ Network (CTCNet), a nationwide support project and membership association of more than 300 community organizations establishing similar technology education and access programs for disenfranchised communities or some special subset of its members. And PTW did this by embodying and making explicit a vision of democratic education around technology that is transformative and liberating for individuals, organizations, communities, and society at its best, one that is applicable to the community technology movement in general and to the wider and broader struggle for democracy and social change.
Internet-Based Neighborhood Information Systems
Authors: Krouk Danny , Pitkin Bill , Richman Neil
Published: May 2011

This verse comes from a poem read by one of the key figures in the development of the Internet at a recent symposium held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first successful transmission of digital bits from one computer to another, which ushered in the era of computer networks (Kaplan, September 6, 1999). Perhaps not unexpectedly, participants in this commemorative event reflected on the rapid development of networking and what we today call the Internet and predicted its ubiquity in everyday life, likening it to electricity. Obviously, however, we are not quite there yet. Recent data from the U.S. Department of Commerce suggest that, despite rapidly increasing rates of computer ownership and Internet access in the United States, there are still many people who have been left out of the information revolution. Researchers found that Internet access is highly correlated with income, education level and race, leading them to conclude: The information ‘haves’ have dramatically outpaced the information ‘have nots’ in their access to electronic services. As a result, the gap between these groups — the digital divide — has grown over time. (McConnaughey et al., 1999, p. 88)
Cafematics
Authors: Stewart James
Published: May 2011

While mainstream industry and government focus on individual, home and business ownership and use of new ICTs, there is a quiet revolution going on as computers, and all their applications from games to the Internet, move into public spaces. There are commercial kiosk systems in the streets and malls, and many government projects to empower communities and stimulate the local economy, but perhaps the most important, overlooked and oft-derided development is the cybercafe. The cybercafe is a cafe or shop open to the public, where a computer can be hired for periods of a half hour to access the Internet, write a CV or play a game. With the explosion in the use and profile of the Internet and personal use of new information and communications technology—‘multimedia’—cybercafes have become part of contemporary culture, established among the public places of modern cities, towns and villages around the world. In December 1999 an on-line cybercafe guide listed 4,397 cafes around the world.1 There is very little research on what these cybercafes are used for, who uses them and why.2 This study, conducted in 1998 (Stewart, 1998), addressed the use and users of three cybercafes in the same city, the reasons and manner they were set up and developed, and the role cybercafes play in the general development of use and knowledge about multimedia. What emerged was that cybercafes are not only sites for technical access and consumption and use of multimedia content and services, but also public, physical, community and cultural spaces. In this context I challenge the view that computers either undermine the community, or are only relevant to the formation and activities of ‘virtual’ communities.
Community and Technology
Authors: Slack Roger S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter outlines the development of a community information service in the Southeast of Scotland — the Craigmillar Community Information Service (CCIS). It develops a socio-technical analysis of the development of the service and draws out some potential lessons regarding the development of community identity through the use and application of ICTs. What we present here is not intended to be a model which others should follow — it is our belief that each implementation of ICTs in the community is unique, and that the same is true of the solutions. Rather we aim to highlight some problems and their local solutions in the hope that community information services can find something of value for their work.
Consensus Versus Speed
Authors: Rada Roy
Published: May 2011

One standards organization takes years to reach consensus, while another standards organization takes months (Rada, 1995a). Changes are occurring in the most famous and internationally powerful standards organization, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to speed its consensus process. However, other organizations already combine some consensus with exceptional speed and may have greater impact on the standards world. The tension between consensus and speed is inevitable. New technologies support communication and decision-making, and these technologies should be used to narrow the gap between standards’ processes that are strong in consensus and those that are fast. Consensus by those who bless the development of standards does not necessarily imply consensus in the community of those who use it. Both kinds of consensus are important, and information technology tools for standards development and dissemination can help achieve consensus. This chapter will examine the attempts by standards organizations to increase speed without sacrificing consensus. The analysis reveals that organizations are cooperating in new ways that should increase the speed with which standards documents arise. Different communities of consensus result. The traditional standards development organizations continue to prevent the free flow of standards documents on the Internet. These documents should be free.