Search

General ontology is a prominent theoretical foundation for information technology analysis, design, and development. Ontology is a branch of philosophy which studies what exists in reality. A widely used ontology in information systems, especially for conceptual modeling, is the BWW (Bunge–Wand–Weber), which is based on ideas of the philosopher and physicist Mario Bunge, as synthesized by Wand and Weber. The ontology was founded on an early subset of Bunge’s philosophy; however, many of Bunge’s ideas have evolved since then. An important question, therefore, is: do the more recent ideas expressed by Bunge call for a new ontology? In this paper, we conduct an analysis of Bunge’s earlier and more recent works to address this question. We present a new ontology based on Bunge’s later and broader works, which we refer to as Bunge’s Systemist Ontology (BSO). We then compare BSO to the constructs of BWW. The comparison reveals both considerable overlap between BSO and BWW, as well as substantial differences. From this comparison and the initial exposition of BSO, we provide suggestions for further ontology studies and identify research questions that could provide a fruitful agenda for future scholarship in conceptual modeling and other areas of information technology.

This paper presents a new simulation tool, Dig It, Design It, which allows the archaeologist to easily design an optimal subsurface sampling program for the detection of buried artefacts. The design of such a program rests upon the relationship between the sampling methodology and the characteristics of the artefact concentrations under study, principally their size, density and density distribution. While the need to consider this relationship has been previously established, a model which automatically performs these calculations had not yet been designed. Dig It, Design It is the first model to be presented which considers artefact site properties and detection probabilities to produce an optimal sampling strategy for the archaeologist, and to provide the detection probabilities for artefact sites with different properties. The model is available online, is very easy to use, and no mathematical knowledge is required. Dig It, Design It thus has the potential to dramatically increase the use of statistically defensible sampling programs within the archaeological community.

Copyright © 2018 by Association for Information Science and Technology Many authors have proposed guidelines for online browsing systems, however recently empirical research has added depth to these requirements. There has also been a spate of development in online browsing systems, particularly for library shelf browsing. These strands of research are clearly in service of providing better browsing options in an increasingly online library environment, however they have not yet been brought together. In this paper we use a recent empirical study and a survey of the literature to generate a comprehensive list of requirements for browsing interfaces. We will then compare that list to the interface features of a range of different book browsing interfaces, demonstrating why they may be more or less effective, and signpost development of more effective online browsing.

The implementation of the GDPR that aims at protecting European citizens’ privacy is still a real challenge. In particular, in Big Data systems where data are voluminous and heterogeneous, it is hard to track data evolution through its complex life cycle ranging from collection, ingestion, storage and analytics. In this context, from 2016 to 2021 research has been conducted and several security tools designed. However, they are either specific to particular applications or address partially the regulation articles. To identify the covered parts, the missed ones and the necessary metrics for comparing different works, we propose a framework for GDPR compliance. The framework identifies the main components for the regulation implementation by mapping requirements aligned with GDPR’s provisions to IT design requirements. Based on this framework, we compare the main GDPR solutions in the Big Data domain and we propose a guideline for GDPR verification and implementation in Big Data systems.

While several societal and economic factors have necessitated more team-based care delivery, it remains a challenge to implement it in practice. Health information technology (IT) can support team-based care delivery, but there is currently a gap between the workflow of teams and the technology that we design to support it. To address this gap, we first formalize team-based workflows according to structural and behavioral aspects. Then, we describe collaborative workflows, and considerations for health IT design to support collaborative workflows. Health IT design for collaborative workflow goes beyond just automating the task at hand, as collaborative workflows are a social construction between data, people and processes; and we need to understand how these connections form prior to introducing technology to automate it. Collaborative workflows are not static, but rather dynamic processes. Health IT design therefore needs to be flexible so that it can evolve along with the collaborative processes that it is automating.

A clamper-based capsule robot (CCR) capable of exploring a compliant tube is promising for a minimally invasive medical application. It is composed of a locomotion unit and some functional modules (e.g., camera and telemetry circuit) at both ends; and the locomotion unit consists of a linear mechanism, a fixed clamper, and a free clamper that can be linearly moved by the linear mechanism. For the CCR design and optimization, analyzing the interaction between the CCR and the compliant tube is necessary. For this reason, this article conducts a quantitative locomotion analysis of the CCR in the compliant tube. Based on a minimum displacement assumption and by analyzing the tube deformation induced by each CCR locomotion gait, a model correlating the CCR locomotion efficiency with it design parameters was built. Then, the correctness of the model was validated in an intestine-constructed compliant tube. With the validated model, the influence of the design parameters on the CCR locomotion efficiency was analyzed to derive the design rules. In addition, a quantitative comparison between the locomotion efficiencies of the CCR and a previously developed inchworm-like capsule robot was conducted, showing that the CCR can enable a more efficient exploration for the compliant tube.

Participatory Design has recently seen growing interest in developing critical forms of reflexivity able to disentangle the complexity of participatory ensembles. This article makes a methodological contribution to this endeavour. Drawing on socio-cognitive analyses of collaborative design, it proposes the frame of ‘interaction spaces’ as a scaffolding tool for conducting retrospective analyses of participatory design processes. The paper uses the ‘interaction spaces’ frame to analyse the three years of collaborative activities of the CIVIS Project. Through a longitudinal and multi-dimensional account of participatory dynamics involved in the designing, prototyping and testing of an IT platform for home energy management, the frame evidences how participatory configurations evolve over time; it makes clearer the characteristics of participation as partial and overtaken; and it identifies moments of cross-participation as potential basis for the boundary-spanning of design issues.

IT professionals in these days need to obtain multidisciplinary skill sets in order to succeed in their career. Design skill is considered as one of important characteristic for IT professionals. Many researches addressed design skill sets differently. This results in an increasing numbers of design skill items, in which some of those items have their meaning slightly different from each other. These long lists of design skill items can cause to long range of questionnaire. This study evaluates three techniques used for items selection which help reducing the number of skill items but with expect to remain their value within the selected items. The comparative studies used in this work are random selection, statistics selection, and effective coverage-based selection. The study found that the proposed technique provides the most satisfy result comparing to the other two techniques. According to this, the reduction rate by using this model is better than random and statistics algorithms about 47.83% and 34.78% respectively. Moreover, the percent coverage by using the proposed model is higher than the traditional methods approximately 13–26 %.

PurposeThis paper aims to present lessons learned in applying 2nd‐order cybernetics – specifically Maturana and Varela's “biology of cognition” – to the actual design of interactive decision support systems.Design/methodology/approachThis consists of a review of the rationale and bases for applying 2nd‐order cybernetics in interactive IT design, the challenges in moving from theory to praxis, illustrative examples of tactics employed, and a summary of the successful outcomes achieved.FindingsThe paper offers conclusions about the general applicability of such theories, two sample applications devised for actual projects, and discussion of these applications' perceived value.Research limitations/implicationsThe applications described are not claimed to represent a complete toolkit, and they may not readily generalize beyond the scope of interactive information systems design. On the other hand, the examples offered demonstrate that 2nd‐order cybernetics can constructively inform such designs – advancing the focus of discussion from theory‐based advocacy to praxis‐based recommendations.Practical implicationsThe paper presents illustrative examples of the exigencies entailed in moving 2nd‐order cybernetics ideas forward from theory to praxis and specific tactics for doing so.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the persistent deficiencies in both concrete examples and guidance for practical applications of 2nd‐order cybernetics theories. It will hopefully stimulate similar attempts to demonstrate such theories' practical benefits.

Identifying user needs is important as use of interaction technologies have grown and influence leisure time and work. This paper presents methods for identifying and operationalising needs in desi ...

PurposeTo give an overview of the papers contained in this Special Issue.Design/methodology/approachLooks at how each of the papers reflects the theme of the Special Issue, “Complexity and IT design and evolution”.FindingsThe collection of papers in this Special Issue addresses complexity, drawing on multi‐faceted, multi‐theoretical lines of inquiry.Originality/valueFrameworks from complexity science, institutional theory, social science, philosophy, and recent thinking in science and technology studies (STS) are used as theoretical lenses to conceptualize and analyze complexity in IS and to offer ways to mitigate it.

In this chapter the theoretical assumptions of the research approach and the framework that has been induced by applying the Classic Grounded Theory methodology is being presented. Integrating Simplification has emerged as the core category or in ordinary terms, the concept that answers the main concern or the main question of the research. The main concern in the study was: ‘What does an organization (such as Buurtzorg) do, to deliver services that are fulfilling the client’s or customer’s needs and how does it design and organize its activities for realizing a client (customer) focused service?’

Modeling languages are used to make models that are commonly used in communicating about real-life situations such as the modeling of business and IT requirements in organizations. A way to evaluate how effective the modeling languages are for communicating their intended messages is to use the set of nine principles defined in the Physics of Notations Theory (PoNT, Moody). PoNT helps designers evaluate the notation of modeling languages and provides guidelines for improving it. We apply this theory to evaluate the visual notation of a systemic method, the Systemic Enterprise Architecture Methodology (SEAM) that is designed to model business and IT requirements. In order to make the SEAM notation more cognitively effective, we identify some notation limitations and provide specific recommendations for improvement for each of the nine PoNT principles.

A rich repertoire of templates and a developed language for design qualities are two essential components of professional design ability. We discuss ?tools? for the individual designers de ...

In this chapter we present our proposed modeling, simulation, and IT design approach to enabling sustainable socio-ecological energy systems. We summarize the methods introduced in this book and explain why and how their systematic use could enhance long-term system performance. It is illustrated how enhancing carefully designed IT could enable clean low-cost electricity provision to two islands in the Azores Archipelago. The explicit dependence of sustainable electricity service on data-driven predictions, decisions, and automation is discussed. Major new concepts in each chapter contributed to this book are summarized. Finally, the first-of-its-kind repository of real-world island data for assessing the role of software and automation in an island system, given in http://extras.springer.com, is briefly described.

This study focuses on how to design teaching materials of words with Chinese for children. The participants are children from kindergarten and elementary school, parts of whom are plagued with learning disabilities. This study is divided into training and testing steps. The training step allows researchers to develop a Chinese unit course. In the testing step, children use the Chinese teaching materials as an assistive technology. Different needs from children with learning disabilities are important, so in this study it design customer-made teaching materials. The purpose of the study is to explicate why the design worked well and how it can be improved on different case study. This study applies interface design of Chinese as assistive technology for children, which enables to improve the interactivity of teaching aid for children. The design of Chinese teaching materials offers both teachers and students a novel learning method.

In this paper we present the eCell; a temporary, collaborative niche for group work in school environments. The eCell consists of a private inner display and a public outer display located in unused public spaces e.g. in corridors and libraries throughout the school premises. The inner display is a large touch-sensitive screen connected to a standard computer. The outer display consists of a projection on a large semitransparent surface. Combined, the two displays comprise an IT-supported, collaborative environment especially suited for project based education. Through three iterations of design, we describe the technological, the spatial and the educational aspects of the eCell and outline its potential for supporting collaborative activities in a temporary niche, in which the architecture of the school itself reflects ongoing work. Thus, the eCell stimulates knowledge sharing, awareness and social interaction among pupils and teachers who are part of the school community.