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Area 1 - ENTERPRISE DATABASE TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS
Area 2 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Area 3 - SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION
Area 4 - INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Area 1 - ENTERPRISE DATABASE TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS
| Title: |
ENTERPRISE-WIDE
INFORMATION SYSTEMS: THE CASE OF SAP R/3 APPLICATION |
| Author(s): |
Majed
Al-Mashari |
| Abstract: |
Though the application of SAP R/3 as an enterprise-wide
information system (EWIS) platform has become widespread, many
organisational experiences have shown that resulting outcomes fall short
of expectations. Best-practice experiences, however, have proven that
effective application is centred on an integrative approach which seeks to
achieve a balance between organisational change key areas like strategy,
business processes, structure, culture, IT and managerial systems. This
paper draws on these practices and discusses a proposed conceptual
framework for effective SAP R/3 application. |
|
| Title: |
INFORMATION
SECURITY: A LOGIC BASED APPROACH |
| Author(s): |
Steve
Barker |
| Abstract: |
An approach is described for protecting information systems
against unauthorised retrieval or update requests made by authenticated
users of the system. Protection is specified using clausal form
logic, and a user's authority to perform operations on the data items in
the system is determined by theorem-proving on the specification of
security. The representation and verification of integrity constraints on
these specifications is described, and pratical issues are considered
together with the technical results which apply to the approach. |
|
| Title: |
CREATING
REALISTIC DATA FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION |
| Author(s): |
Chris
Bates and Innes Ritchie |
| Abstract: |
When buying, analysing or tuning a large relational database
system knowledge about performance is vital. The system tester has many
different benchmarks available. These tightly specify transactions,
queries and data structures but few pay any attention to the creation of
data sets. This means that either data volumes are small or the data
itself is lacks many of the attributes of production data. The Data
Generation language (DGL) is an interpreted language which can be used to
specify the structure and format of text-based relational data sets. DGL
lets systems testers create realistic volumes of relational data which
adhere to any database structure. DGL data even includes relational links
between arbitrary tuples.
This paper introduces DGL and shows how the language can be used to create
data for the industry standard TPC-H decision support benchmark. |
|
| Title: |
OBJECT
RELATIONAL TRANSFORMATION CASE TOOL |
| Author(s): |
A.
Battacharya and W. Rahayu |
| Abstract: |
The emerging trend of component-based development during the
software development life-cycle along with the suitable application of
object technology holds the promise of substantially shortening
development cycles. This paper discusses the potential effectiveness of a
CASE tool aimed at bridging the gap between the object modelling phase and
the generation of the physical database model. The tool aims to
effectively reduce the time and effort required in achieving the
translation from the Object Oriented (OO) domain to the Relational domain
- the process being primarily hindered by the differences between the two
conceptual paradigms. The prototype CASE tool is capable of translating
the static properties of a given OO conceptual model (objects and their
relationships) to its relevant relational schema in third normal form,
which can eventually be used to generate the relational tables for a given
database. The tool aims to greatly assist developers and designers alike
by substantially reducing the overhead required in achieving the
aforementioned paradigm transformation and allowing for more of their time
to be devoted to issues critical to the eventual success of the database
implementation - issues such as optimisation and maintenance. |
|
| Title: |
MONITORING
PRODUCTION PLANTS ACTIVITIES IN REAL TIME AS A WAY TO GATHER DECISION
SUPPORT INFORMATION IN ADVANCE |
| Author(s): |
Orlando
Belo |
| Abstract: |
In order to be more competitive, get better market parcels,
and reach special clients, some enterprises develop their main productive
activities according to specific client requirements. Usually, this kind
of orders generates new production plans that often involve special
products in small series of pieces. This augment significantly the number
of production orders in transit in a factory plant and, consequently,
requires more effective means of management. Thus, it is not difficult to
foresee that in this kind of situations in mind, we developed an
intelligent decision support system specially designed to perform real
time monitoring processes over production plants. This system also
provides means to gather information related to the production tasks in
course and integrated it in specialised, production plant-oriented data
marks. |
|
| Title: |
PROCESS
ENABLED INFORMATION SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
Giorgio
Bruno and Marco Torchiano |
| Abstract: |
A major direction in information technology is represented
by the object-oriented approach and enterprise integration. While current
OO methodologies fit well for software design purposes, there are not so
widely adopted for enterprise modeling. Extending the OO approach to deal
with operational instance models is the key factor to build complete and
integrated enterprise models including the software information system.
The modeling approach adopted to deliver such integrated models focuses on
process enabled information systems, in which processes play the role of
glue for all other parts of the enterprise’s model. Workflow systems can
be built on top of such models giving rise to extremely flexible model
based architecture. |
|
| Title: |
A
GROUP DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES SELECTION |
| Author(s): |
Alberto
Carneiro |
| Abstract: |
This article is concerned with the decision process and
examines the relationships among information attributes, strategic
alternatives’ evaluation and group decision support systems (GDSS) in
the context of database management. The evaluation of strategic
alternatives with multiple criteria is very useful for the management of
enterprises and business organisations. The whole evaluation and
comparison process includes two phases: the establishment and selection of
basic strategic evaluation criteria and the appreciation of the ranking of
the strategic alternatives. The first one includes the discussion and
consensus of basic evaluation criteria, selection of the evaluation
criteria that should be used in a given situation and the determination of
evaluation criteria weights. The second phase focuses on the final
appreciation of the strategic alternatives. A GDSS has been developed and
used to support the evaluation of strategic alternatives. The experimental
results show that the proposed GDSS produces better results in evaluating
strategic alternatives with multi-criteria methods. The major findings are
discussed and directions for future research are suggested according to
the proposed model. |
|
| Title: |
A
GEMSTONE GIS |
| Author(s): |
Mary
Garvey, Mike Jackson and Martin Roberts |
| Abstract: |
Object oriented databases have been portrayed as being the
solution for complex applications such as Geographical Information
Systems. Traditional database systems, such as relational, are not
adequate for the rich data types typically required from such systems.
This paper discusses an application using objectoriented database
technology, detailing the schema used, problems encountered and benefits
perceived. |
|
| Title: |
MEASURES
TO GET BETTER QUALITY DATABASES |
| Author(s): |
Marcela
Genero, Mario Piattini, Coral Calero and Manuel Serrano |
| Abstract: |
Due to the growing complexity of information systems,
continuous attention to and assessment of the quality of databases, which
are the essential core of information systems, it is necessary to produce
quality information systems. In a typical database design a conceptual
schema which specifies the requirements of the database is first built.
Even more conceptual schemas determine what information can be represented
by an information system, so their quality can have a significant impact
on the quality of the database which is ultimately implemented.
Unfortunately, most of the work regarding conceptual schemas quality
merely list properties, without giving quantitative measures that assess
the quality of such models in an objective way. In this work, we will
propose a set of metrics for measuring the complexity of the well known
Entity Relationship schemas, which will allow database designers to
measure the complexity of conceptual designs in order to improve their
quality. We will also put them under theoretical validation following
Zuse´s formal framework. |
|
| Title: |
ON
THE INTEREST OF COMBINING UML WITH THE B FORMAL METHOD FOR THE
SPECIFICATION OF DATABASE APPLICATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Régine
Laleau |
| Abstract: |
Our project aims at combining UML with the B formal method
for the domain of database applications. It consists of extracting a
subset of UML concepts suitable for the analysis of such systems,
producing derivation rules from UML diagrams to B specifications and
developing a prototype support tool. In this article we present the
approach through an example. The objective is to show the complementarity
of the two methods. |
|
| Title: |
SIMPLIFYING
DATABASE DESIGN AND INTEGRATING IT INTO DYNAMIC WEB SITE CONSTRUCTION |
| Author(s): |
Ian
Newman |
| Abstract: |
The web offers an effective way of providing access to
functionality in a distributed environment. Systems built on and for the
web are also fashionable and thus desired by many people. However, most
useful web systems need to provide access to information that is
constantly changing. This is usually achieved by coupling a web server
application to a database management system, which requires an
understanding of both server and database technology separately as well as
an understanding of the interface between them. In practice this is
conceptually difficult for many people. One solution is to provide support
tools which simplify the construction process. An alternative, which is
presented in this paper, is to look for ways of integrating the database
and server design and implementation processes. The context (students who
are not computer specialists but need to design dynamic web based systems)
is outlined and a simplified approach to database design is explained,
showing how it integrates with the web and automatically ensures good
practice. A set of tools which support the approach are briefly described.
The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated by describing some
systems which have been designed and implemented by the students. |
|
| Title: |
AN
EMPIRICAL COMPARISON OF HISTOGRAM-LIKE TECNHIQUES FOR QUERY OPTIMIZATION |
| Author(s): |
B.
John Oommen and Luís G. Rueda |
| Abstract: |
We consider the problem of Query Optimization which consists
of a database system choosing, among many different Query Evaluation Plans
(QEP), the most economical one for a given query. Since the number of QEPs
increases exponentially with the number of relations involving the query,
query optimization is a very complex problem. Many estimation techniques
have been developed in order to approximate the cost of a QEP, including
the Equi-width [1, 6], the Equi-Depth [13, 8], the Rectangular Attribute
Cardinality Map (R-ACM) [15, 11], and the Trapezoidal Attribute
Cardinality Map (T-ACM) [15]. For our analysis we have developed a formal,
rigorous prototype model used to analyze these methods on random
databases. We show that as the error of an estimation technique increases,
the probability of choosing the optimal QEP decreases. We also formally
show how the estimates can be obtained in joined relations. The research
also contains a detailed description of the rigorous prototype model and
its implementation, and an empirical comparison of these histogram
schemes. |
|
| Title: |
OBJECT-ORIENTED
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM |
| Author(s): |
Franck
Ravat and Olivier Teste |
| Abstract: |
We develop a decision support system, based on the data
warehousing approach. We define a conceptual object-oriented data
warehouse model, which describes the data warehouse as a central
repository of relevant, complex and temporal data. Our model integrates
three concepts: warehouse object, environment and warehouse class. Each
warehouse object representing a source entity, is composed of one current
state, several past states (modelling its detailed evolutions) and several
archive states (modelling its evolutions within a summarised form). The
environment concept defines temporal parts in a data warehouse schema with
significant granularities (attribute, class, sub graph). We also provide
seven functions that are used to define warehouse classes. |
|
| Title: |
AGENT-ORIENTED
ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
Gerd
Wagner |
| Abstract: |
In this preliminary report, we propose an agent-oriented
approach to the design of enterprise information systems, called
Agent-Object-Relationship (AOR) modeling, where an entity is either an
object, an agent, an event, an action, a claim, or a commitment, and where
special relationships between agent classes and event, action, claim and
commitment types supplement the fundamental association, composition and
specialization relationship types of Entity-Relationship modeling. In this
approach, an enterprise is viewed as a complex institutional agent
defining the rights and duties of its subagents that act on behalf of it,
and being involved in a number of interactions with external agents. An
enterprise information system, then, is viewed as an artificial agent
possessing a global view of the enterprise and interacting both with
subagents and with external agents. We argue that AOR modeling offers a
research perspective to integrate the static, dynamic and deontic aspects
of an information model. |
|
| Title: |
WEB
DATABASES AND RELATED PERFORMANCE ISSUES |
| Author(s): |
Yuanling
Zhu, Kevin Lü and Yi Li |
| Abstract: |
One common problem with existing Web-based information
systems is they are slow. Statistics show that on average people lose
their patience after waiting for eight seconds, and they either abandon
the requests or try to use other Web-sites. Web-database systems are
widely used to construct Web sites currently, so improved system response
time relies on the enhanced Web-database performance. However, very little
work has been done in this area. This study investigates how Web database
systems work, features of Webdatabase performance and performance metrics.
These are essential for the tasks like capacity planning, application
sizing and performance tuning. |
|
| Title: |
ACTION
LEARNING IN A DECENTRALIZED ORGANIZATION - THE CASE OF DESIGNING A
DISTRIBUTED DATABASE |
| Author(s): |
Steve
C. A. Peters, Michael S. H. Heng and Corette E. Wissink |
| Abstract: |
This paper uses Revans’ theory of action learning to
understand cases of collective IT development- and implementation projects
within a multinational company. It means having to deal with an
international project, cultural differences, differences in levels of
knowledge and differences in the organisational structure. In action
learning, the discussions take the form of reciprocal teaching and group
problem-solving situations, trying to reach consensus concerning meaning,
relevance and importance of certain aspects, questioning, evaluating and
criticising each other, thereby pushing for higher levels of
understanding, satisfactory explanations and clarifications. What is most
important is that the group members help each other to understand, thereby
overcoming the differences in knowledge within the group. This is an
ongoing process partly because some group members left and others took
their place |
|
Area 2 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
| Title: |
DISTRIBUTED
ORDER PLANNING FOR NETWORKED ENTERPRISES |
| Author(s): |
Américo
L. Azevedo and Jorge P. Sousa |
| Abstract: |
Networked enterprises are becoming a new organisational
paradigm, creating challenging opportunities in terms of management. In
particular, global production planning and control is viewed as a key area
for improving global enterprise performance. We address here the problem
of planning an incoming customer order to be produced in a distributed
(multi-site) and multi-stage production system. The problem is tackled
with a hierarchical model, in two levels: there is a global network
planning procedure, and a set of local capacity models associated to the
different production units reflecting their particular features. Two
algorithmic approaches based on Simulated Annealing and Genetic
Algorithms, have been developed for this problem. Preliminary
computational experience shows their potential. These algorithms are part
of a powerful Decision Support System. The design of the system was based
on CORBA technology and on standard modelling software patterns that can
be used in quite different contexts. With this approach, it is possible to
accommodate different alternative algorithmic solutions. |
|
| Title: |
CONCURRENT
VALIDATION IN THE TREATMENT OF UNCERTAINTY IN A EXPERT SYSTEM |
| Author(s): |
Lucimar
F. de Carvalho, Fernando M. Azevedo, Silvia M. Nassar, Cristiane Koehler,
Hugo T. de Carvalho, Charles T. Batezini and Fernanda Ramos |
| Abstract: |
The objective of this paper is the application of two
numeric approaches based on probabilities used in the treatment of
uncertainty and its respective validation. This research accomplished a
study on the probabilistic reasoning in Expert Systems: Bayesian Networks
and Certainty Factors, presenting as application domain the Clinical
Diagnosis of the Epileptic Seizures. The system was developed with KADS
methodology and is based on the classification of the type of seizures of
the International League Against Epilepsy /ILAE81. The concurrent
validation showed that the Sensibility and Negative Predictive Value to be
more precise through of the Bayesians Networks while Specificity and
Affirmative Predictive Value showed similarity in both approaches. |
|
| Title: |
AN
INFORMATION THEORETIC SELF-ORGANISING MAP WITH DISAGGREGATION OF OUTPUT
CLASSES |
| Author(s): |
Mark
A. O’Connor and William J. Walley |
| Abstract: |
The paper describes an unsupervised pattern recognition
system with feature maps, in which the tasks of clustering samples into
classes and of ordering classes into two-dimensional maps are treated as
separate processes. The clustering process is based on the maximisation of
mutual information between the classes and the attributes of the data. The
ordering process is based on the maximisation of the correlation
coefficient between corresponding distances in data space and output
space. The main strengths of the system are shown to be its abilities to:
a) allow the disaggregation of the output classes into ‘natural’
clusters; b) produce good global ordering of the output map; c) optimise
ordering globally or locally; and d) cluster ordinal and nominal data. An
example application, based on river quality data, is given in which the
performance of MIR-max is compared with that of the SOM and GTM
unsupervised neural networks. It is concluded that MIR-max: a)
outperformed SOM and GTM with respect to clustering and global ordering;
b) offers some powerful new features; and c) is especially suited for use
on ordinal data. |
|
| Title: |
EXPERT
SYSTEM – BASED ALARM MANAGEMENT IN COMMUNICATION NETWORKS |
| Author(s): |
S.
Díaz, J. I. Escudero and J. Luque |
| Abstract: |
The environment which makes possible rule-based expert
system aided network management is described. One of the most important
objectives for us is to integrate management rules into the managed object
itself, as an alternative to a solution where those rules were statically
linked to the expert system shell. |
|
| Title: |
THE
USE OF INFORMATION THEORY IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BAYESIAN BELIEF
NETWORK: A CASE STUDY |
| Author(s): |
David
Emery |
| Abstract: |
The construction of a Bayesian Belief Network requires
knowledge of the inter-dependence of the variables involved. This paper
describes a project carried out for a major U.K. bank .to demonstrate the
applicability of Bayesian Belief Networks to the initial assessment of the
risk of lending to middle and large corporate customers. In the course of
this project information derived from case data, using a variety of
statistical methods including information theory, was used inform the
process of network construction. |
|
| Title: |
DECISION
SUPPORT SYSTEMS WITHIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Paul
Flynn, Tom Lunney, Terri Scott and Kevin Curran |
| Abstract: |
The Telecommunications Services Industry is changing rapidly
due to a variety of factors. The service providers must react to such
changes almost prior to their occurrence. The telecommunications network
consists of the switch nodes and mesh network connecting them. Vast
quantities of information is obtained and recorded daily from the traffic
passing through these nodes. The ability to use this information for the
purpose of strategic decision making in relation to the areas of network
node strategy and customer profiles, is vital to the service provider. A
Decision Support System which can use this data to aid strategic
management, within the industry, to make vital decisions in relation to
Customer and Network profiles is proposed in this project. This Decision
Support System would enable managers in the respective areas within the
industry to fully utilise the vast amounts of data available to make
projections and decisions in relation to utilisation of valuable
resources. A fully operational Decision Support System was developed in
relation to the Network area and presented as an example of how such a
system could aid management in strategic decision making with up-to-date
information rather than reliance on historical data for such information. |
|
| Title: |
SYNTAX-DIRECTED
TRANSLATION SCHEMES FOR MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS CONVERSATION MODELLING |
| Author(s): |
Ana
Fred and Joaquim Filipe |
| Abstract: |
In modern organisations the monolithic information systems
of the past are being gradually replaced by networked systems, enabling
distributed computing often based on multi-agent system architectures.
This new paradigm enables the use of information systems support in new
areas of organisational activity, especially those involving the
interaction of business agents. All communication-intensive business
processes based on formal conversations, i.e. partially ordered sets of
communicative acts transmitted among a set of agents, qualify as
candidates to, at least partial, automation. Still a very active area of
research, this paradigm has been studied in areas such as distributed
artificial intelligence, organisational simulation and workflow
management. However, in all these areas the basic problem is the adequate
representation of agent conversations. In this paper we present a formal
method for conversation representation that is inspired in syntactic
pattern recognition methods, specifically syntax-directed translation
schemes. This method has a clear semantics that can be easily given a
declarative implementation, thus becoming flexible enough to accommodate
on-line extensions and exception handling. |
|
| Title: |
"DECISION
CAN": A DATABASE OF DECISION CASES |
| Author(s): |
Nuno
M. V. Pina Goncalves and Pedro Antunes |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes a support system for group
decision-making. The system is based on a database of typical decision
cases and also an underlying model of the group decision process. The
model serves to organize the way users interact with the database,
exploring, analysing and selecting cases. Currently the database has 75
group decision cases. |
|
| Title: |
AGENT-BASED
OBJECT RECOGNITION |
| Author(s): |
Oliver
Hempel, Ulrich Büker and Georg Hartmann |
| Abstract: |
Parallel inference machines reduce the evaluation time in
object recognition tasks. However, the exploding search space restricts
the use of parallel search methods for complex demands. Intelligent
software agents as concurrently working units are able to coordinate their
capacity for work. Thus, agent-based object recognition is able to
concentrate the available resources on regions of the environment with
high interest. This paper describes an agent-based system architecture
that combines the flexibility of cooperating software agents with the
advantages of parallel image recognition. |
|
| Title: |
SELF
ORGANISING MAPS FOR VALUE ESTIMATION TO SOLVE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING TASKS |
| Author(s): |
A.
Kleiner, B. Sharp and O. Bittel |
| Abstract: |
Reinforcement learning has been applied recently more and
more for the optimisation of agent behaviours. This approach became
popular due to its adaptive and unsupervised learning process. One of the
key ideas of this approach is to estimate the value of agent states. For
huge state spaces however, it is difficult to implement this approach. As
a result, various models were proposed which make use of function
approximators, such as neural networks, to solve this problem. This paper
focuses on an implementation of value estimation with a particular class
of neural networks, known as self organising maps. Experiments with an
agent moving in a "gridworld'' and the autonomous robot Khepera have
been carried out to show the benefit of our approach. The results clearly
show that the conventional approach, done by an implementation of a
look-up table to represent the value function, can be out performed in
terms of memory usage and convergence speed. |
|
| Title: |
SOLVING
LARGE SCALE MULTI-CRITERIA JOB SEQUENCING PROBLEMS IN REAL INDUSTRIAL
ENVIRONMENTS |
| Author(s): |
G.
Kostaras, I. Makarouni, G. Mitrou and J. Psarras |
| Abstract: |
The job-sequencing problem in "First-In First-Out"
Continuous systems (assembly lines), frequently encountered in the fields
of production scheduling and planning, is characterised by a high degree
of complexity, due to the massiveness of the data usually at hand. Unlike
theoretical approaches, real industrial applications involve a large
number of constraints (business / production / commercial) and a
multi-objective function to be optimised, so as to ensure the continuous
flow of produced jobs. This paper methodologically addresses the problem,
through the integrated modelling of production system items, into classes
of "Production Lines", "Orders",
"Constraints" and "Criteria". The versatile modelling
allows for the parameterisation of all items and adaptation to real
environment entities. The underlying logic is implemented in a Constraint
Logic Programming environment (ECLiPSe platform), suitable for handling
the inherent intractability of the problem. Optimisation is achieved by
means of the constraint propagation techniques and heuristics,
representing the empirically defined priority rules in industrial
environments. |
|
| Title: |
CODE
UNDERSTANDING THROUGH CONTEXT-ORIENTED UNCERTAINTY REASONING FOR
ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEM REENGINEERING |
| Author(s): |
Yang
Li and Hongji Yang |
| Abstract: |
Recovering domain level context from underlying code is
beneficial to program comprehension, software reuse, system evolution,
software re-development, etc. of enterprise information system. Few
existing method has tackled uncertainty issues in the process of domain
knowledge recovery. In this paper, we present an approach to code
understanding through context-oriented uncertainty reasoning for
enterprise information system reengineering. Our explicitly-represented
uncertainty reasoning methods stretch analysable information resource in
the code. Towards building our uncertainty reasoning model, multiple
factors are carefully considered: the matching degree between formal
analysis result and candidate context, the coverage of matched elements
over formal analysis result, the granularity ratio between formal analysis
result and candidate context, etc. An example is also given to illustrate
our approach. |
|
| Title: |
INTEGRATION
OF EXPERT SYSTEM RULES INTO STANDARDIZED OBJECT DESCRIPTION MODELS FOR
TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK MANAGEMENT |
| Author(s): |
S.
Martín, C. León, M. Mejías, M. C. Romero and A. V. Medina |
| Abstract: |
The work described in this paper is focused on the
attainment of a product that: a) is able to manage a communication network
according to ISO ant ITU-T standards (Telecommunication Management
Network, TMN, model); b) automatically locates network faults based on a
set of rules embedded in an integrated expert system; and c) represents
the expert knowledge using procedures and tools to define object and
object classes, following the internationally standardized model. The most
outstanding characteristic of the product is the availability of expert
functionalities integrated into the very object definition of the
management system. |
|
| Title: |
A
USER-FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT TOOL FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BASED ON BAYESIAN
NETWORKS |
| Author(s): |
Isabel
Milho and Ana Fred |
| Abstract: |
This paper presents a web supported development tool
specific for medical diagnosis, based on Bayesian networks. The proposed
system provides a user-friendly interface, giving the users (experts in
the medical domain) the possibility to design diagnostic applications
without deep background knowledge on Bayesian networks theory. Efficient
statistical inference mechanisms are implemented, taking advantage of the
simple structure of medical diagnostic models, composed of causal
disease-symptom relations. The developed system also provides an Internet
page interface to interact with the expert, when using the designed
application for diagnosis. Illustrating the functionality of the proposed
tool, an application in the context of sleep-disorders diagnosis is
presented. |
|
| Title: |
WHO
DOES WHAT? MATCHING AGENTS TO TASKS IN ADAPTIVE WORKFLOW |
| Author(s): |
Jonathan
Moore, Robert Inder, Paul Chung, Ann Macintosh and Jussi Stader |
| Abstract: |
The flexibility of current workflow systems needs to be
extended to allow them to operate in more dynamic and uncertain
environments. Adaptive workflow systems need to be able to provide
intelligent support for the planning and enactment of complex processes;
supporting their users in performing flexible and creative tasks, while
respecting the norms of the organizations within which they are deployed.
We discuss how knowledge about the dynamic context of a process may be
represented in terms of roles within tasks, and the remits, authorities,
and capability requirements associated with such roles. We outline how
this knowledge may be used, together with information about the
capabilities of available agents, to support the selection of an
appropriate set of agents to fill the roles in a given task. An example is
given based on an experimentation task within the chemical process
industries. |
|
| Title: |
ON
ADAPTIVE TESTING WITH FUZZY LOGIC |
| Author(s): |
Angel
Neira, Alfredo Alguero, José A. L. Brugos and Víctor García |
| Abstract: |
Considering the evaluation of acquired knowledge as a
fundamental element of Computerised Tutoring Systems, the classical
Bayesian methods for adaptive testing present several faults, such as
arbitrary assignments or prior probabilities, non representativity, the
effect of the context and the need to englobe all the concepts under
evaluation. An alternative model of the adaptive test is proposed here
based on contentbalanced and imprecise interpretations of the information
level and prior distribution of each item using Gil's fuzzy relationships
instead of Bayesian relationships. |
|
| Title: |
EXPERIMENTS
IN OPTIMISING THE TASK OF ANAPHORA RESOLUTION |
| Author(s): |
Constantin
Orasan and Richard Evans |
| Abstract: |
In text processing the researcher often has to consider
characteristics of documents in spaces with high dimensionality and noise,
making them difficult to be properly understood. One solution to this
problem is to use machine learning techniques over complex training data.
In this paper we present three experiments (using artificial neural
networks, memory-based learning and genetic algorithms) for optimising the
task of anphora resolution. We show that in this particular case genetic
algorithms are the most appropriate method. |
|
| Title: |
DEVELOPMENT
OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR WIND POWER STATIONS |
| Author(s): |
S.
A. Papazis, M. G. Ioannides and P. N. Fotilas |
| Abstract: |
An information system built-up from a database and a
decision support system was developed in order to process, store, assess
and disseminate information on wind power stations in Greece. This system
is used to support decision-making, control, analysis and visualization
regarding the existent installations. The results of the assessment show
that, at nation basis, the wind power stations are acceptable investments.
Their low rate of production is one of the reasons for their low
productivity. The cost of the electric energy generated and also the total
cost of all wind power stations are high as compared to those of
conventional fuels based systems. The wind power systems have acceptable
return of investment, internal rate of return and payback period. Although
the wind stations are attractive investments with acceptable nationwide
levels of financial indexes, they present high variations from one power
station to another. The most of wind power plants must increase their
competitiveness and some of them must revise their feasibility study and
design of installations. |
|
| Title: |
AN
AGENT ARCHITECTURE FOR MULTI-AGENT DYNAMIC SCHEDULING |
| Author(s): |
Joaquim
Reis and Nuno Mamede |
| Abstract: |
An agent architecture is proposed, suitable for multi-agent
cooperative scheduling in highly dynamic scheduling environments.
According to this architecture a scheduling agent explicitly maintains its
internal view of each scheduling problem (which can be dynamically
updated), as well as the capacity state, tasks scheduled on the agent
resources and the interaction state with other agents. |
|
| Title: |
HOW
TO MAKE KDD PROCESS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO USERS |
| Author(s): |
Maria
de Fátima Rodrigues, Carlos Ramos and Pedro R. Henriques |
| Abstract: |
The automated Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) is
becoming increasingly important as the world's data continues to grow
exponentially. Knowledge-discovery systems face challenging problems from
real-world databases which tend to be dynamic, incomplete, redundant,
noisy, sparse and very large. The realization of general-purpose,
fully-automated, knowledge-discovery system is far from reach. However, we
believe that more important than shifting towards more fully automated
approaches, is to put users handling with KDD process. Data Mining (DM) is
most effective when the computer does what it does best - like searching
large databases or counting - and users do what they do best, like
specifying the current mining session's focus, interpreting the results
obtained, and so on. The discovery of new knowledge involves many tasks
supported by a heterogeneous suite of tools and requires many decisions
taken by experts, that must know well many DM techniques and also have a
good background about the area in study. These requirements are not common
to users. This is the reason why we propose in this article a
heterogeneous architecture, for knowledge extraction from data, whose main
goal is to make the KDD process more accessible, and easy to perform by
users. |
|
| Title: |
CLASSIFICATION
BASED ON RELATIONAL FUZZY C-MEANS FOR 3-WAY DATA |
| Author(s): |
Mika
Sato-Ilic |
| Abstract: |
I propose and compare two fuzzy clustering methods for 3-way
relational data based on the relational fuzzy c-means method (RFCM)
(Hathaway et al. (1989)). One method uses the idea of multicriteria
optimization problem and can obtain the solution as a pareto optimum
clustering. In this method, we can get one clustering result through
several situations (or times). The other uses the idea of dynamic
clustering (Sato et al. (1998)) for getting dynamic changes of the
observations. Numerical examples are shown to demonstrate |
|
| Title: |
AN
ARCHITECTURE FOR ON-LINE INTELLIGENT CONTROL OF BLAST FURNACES |
| Author(s): |
Javier
Tuya, Eugenia Díaz, Marta Hermida, José A. L. Brugos, Angel Neira,
Alfredo Alguero and Faustino Obeso |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes an expert system for the on-line
diagnosis of blast-furnaces. The system monitors and takes the decisions
through the analysis and evaluation of more than a hundred parameters
considered as input variables. The main difference between the system
proposed here and a classical diagnostic system is the coexistence of
three different models of behaviour: one based on a theoretical model of
behaviour of thermal status and permeability, a second empirical model
based on the considerations given by the human experts, and a third model
derived from the study of the real behaviour observed in the furnace over
time, obtained by means of the study of historical files, using machine
learning techniques. |
|
| Title: |
DECODING
BCM CODES WITH A NEW COMPETITIVE NEURAL NETWORK |
| Author(s): |
F.
J. Watkins and R. A. Carrasco |
| Abstract: |
Traditionally Block Code Modulation (BCM) codes are decoded
using a Viterbi decoder algorithms using the trellis of the original code.
The Viterbi decoder decodes in a sequential iterative fashion until the
number of iterations equals the number of symbols of the block code array.
This paper contains the results of an investigation into the problems of
optimising the performance of the combination of the processes Block code
Modulation/Demodulation, Interleaver /Deinterleaver, Modulation/
Demodulation and Encoder /Decoder over AWGN or fading channels A new
approach for decoding BCM is proposed, it is based on a new design of a
Competitive Neural Network (CNN). The CNN decoding process was achieved in
a single iteration for the whole BCM block code array. The comparison, and
discussion of the results for both systems is given. |
|
| Title: |
USAGE
OF INSTRUMENT OF NEURAL NETWORKS IN CONTROL OF COMPLEX
CHEMICAL-TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES |
| Author(s): |
Kalinin
A., Nechaeva L., Soldatov E. and Podvalny S. |
| Abstract: |
Modern chemical-technological processes are characterized by
high flow speed, variety of straight and reverse relations between
definite links, high dimension space of input/output parameters. In
classical point of view the creation of automated control systems for this
similar process demands building of determinated model, described by
differential equation system; analysis and synthesis of this system is
based on the theory of automated control methods. |
|
| Title: |
ADAPTIVE
SPACE DIVERSITY FOR MULTICARRIER CDMA SCHEMES OVER FADING RADIO CHANNELS |
| Author(s): |
R.
Uribeetxeberria and R. A. Carrasco |
| Abstract: |
The key features of third generation networks are universal
standards for the air interface, global roaming and support of a wide
range of data services. Several proposals have been presented for
standardisation of the next generation radio systems. One of the most
promising is called cdma2000 and it has included Multicarrier Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA) schemes as a suitable approach to fulfil
these multimedia requirements for mobile radio communications. The
combination of the multicarrier scheme called Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and CDMA has recently been investigated
[Bingham, 1990]. OFDM can simply prevent intersymbol interference (ISI)
and the complexity of a RAKE receiver for CDMA systems in multipath
channels may be avoided. The Bit Error Rate (BER) of an OFDM system in a
multipath environment is analogous to a narrowband channel, where the
fading of each subcarrier can be assumed as frequency non-selective. |
|
Area 3 - SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION
| Title: |
PLACING
THE USER IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING |
| Author(s): |
Albert
Alderson |
| Abstract: |
This paper examines the place of the user in systems
engineering using a previously published systems engineering model. System
engineering emphasises the need to acquire systems on the basis of user
need. Requirements engineering indicates that the need should be elicited
from the users. This paper clarifies at what stage different kinds of need
should be elicited from which kinds of users. Existing literature does not
address the issue in detail. We clarify that some users have requirements
on the problem (business or operational needs), while others have
requirements upon the solution. The analysis leads us to understand the
different points during the systems engineering process at which different
kinds of users should express their requirements. |
|
| Title: |
IDEF
DIAGRAMS AND PETRI NETS FOR BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING: SUITABILITY,
EFFICACY, AND COMPLEMENTARY USE |
| Author(s): |
Vesna
Bosilj-Vuksic, George M. Giaglis and Vlatka Hlupic |
| Abstract: |
It is acknowledged that developing dynamic models of
business processes prior to their change can contribute towards more
successful Business Process Reengineering (BPR) projects. This paper
investigates the suitability of IDEF diagrams (IDEF0 and IDEF3) and Petri
Nets (DES-nets) for modeling business processes. After an introductory
discussion of modeling issues and consequent requirements on modeling
techniques, an example case of business process modeling using these
modeling formalisms is presented. The suitability and effectiveness of the
methods is discussed and a comparative evaluation of their features is
provided. The results show that the methods can be employed in a
complementary fashion as powerful tools to support a BPR project. |
|
| Title: |
INCREASING
END USER INVOLVEMENT IN REQUIREMENTS MODELLING IN SMALL ORGANISATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Thomas
Chesney and Helen Fletcher |
| Abstract: |
The study reported was initialised to investigate ways of
bridging the communication gap between information system developers and
end users in small organisations, and of getting users more involved in
requirements capture. The study produced an approach to requirements
capture which revolves around using the use case model for generating
ideas of how the organisation's business processes could be
differentiated. The model can then also be used as a requirements
document. The advantages the approach brings are that problem domain
experts, that is, top management, become very much involved in capturing
system requirements, the resulting information system will be geared
towards the redesigned business processes, users will be less likely to
resist the new system as they have been involved in its development and
using the use case model will provide a basis of communication between
developers and business planners. |
|
| Title: |
RHODES,
A PROCESS COMPONENT CENTERED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENT |
| Author(s): |
Bernard
Coulette, Tran Dan Thu, Xavier Crégut and Dong Thi Bich Thuy |
| Abstract: |
Very little work has been done so far to make software
processes really reusable. We believe that methodologogical knowledge can
be described and reused through Process Components. In the last years, we
elaborated RHODES, a Process-centered Software Engineering Environment
that allows process users to describe and enact processes. In this paper,
we present an extension of RHODES supporting complex components [12,16].
Fist we characterise process component quality and propose a meta-model
that defines elementary and complex process components. Then we describe
the main constituents of RHODES dealing with components: PBOOL+ language,
component management tools, component base, execution kernel. |
|
| Title: |
REQUIREMENTS
SPECIFICATION FOR ELECTRONIC SERVICES DELIVERY APPLICATIONS USING “LAZY
DOG” TEMPLATES |
| Author(s): |
Linda
Dawson and Arlene Silvas |
| Abstract: |
Increasingly many organisations are moving to the use of the
Internet for the delivery of on-line goods and services. This Electronic
Service Delivery (ESD) environment has necessitated the development of
new, or adaptation of existing, tools and techniques for system
development and requirements specification. This paper presents a case
study of the development of a transaction specification methodology for
assisting in the development of requirements specifications for ESD
applications. The methodology was developed within a state government of
Australia, and was used by various independent government organisations
that were serviced by a central IT support and policy unit. The foundation
of the methodology was a set of “lazy dog” templates (or partially
completed templates) that had been developed using object-oriented
techniques. These templates corresponded to a set of identified “common
transactions” that were generic but customisable for each independent
organisation. Using this methodology this group of federated organisations
were able to develop and “own” their own specifications and system
implementations. |
|
| Title: |
PETRI
NET EXPRESSIONS OF DEMO PROCESS MODELS AS A RIGID FOUNDATION FOR
REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING |
| Author(s): |
Jan
L. G. Dietz and Joseph Barjis |
| Abstract: |
Requirements Engineering (RE) is a crucial but still poorly
understood and controlled phase in the development life cycle of
information systems. A necessary precondition for a successful RE phase is
undoubtedly an appropriate and precise understanding of the (business)
system to be supported. Moreover, it should be possible to share and
validate such an understanding effectively and efficiently among the
stakeholders in a development project. Thus, appropriate and precise
models of the business system (or business process) have to be made. Most
existing approaches to modeling business systems/processes however suffer
from inappropriateness and/or imprecision. The purpose of this paper is to
demonstrate that it is possible to combine appropriateness and precision
in a modeling approach. To this end, the DEMO (Dynamic Essential Modeling
of Organizations) modeling approach is combined with Petri Nets (PNs).
First the DEMO approach, which is founded on a thorough theoretical basis,
is introduced. Next, a theoretical extension of PNs is presented and
discussed. The extended PN is called BOPN (Business process Oriented Petri
Net). The BOPN allows for the distinction between intersubjective actions
and objective actions, as distinguished by DEMO. The feasibility and
applicability of the BOPN is demonstrated by using a library example case. |
|
| Title: |
THE
NEED FOR AN ‘INFORMATION ANALYSIS’ STAGE FOR ISD |
| Author(s): |
Junkang
Feng |
| Abstract: |
Requirement analysis for information systems development
(ISD) results in a specification that should represent a central reference
point for subsequent stages of the development. But this stage is seen
characterized by informality and uncertainty. One essential element in
this is how the information that is required by the agents in a domain is
identified and formulated. In this paper, we will look at how wellknown
information systems methodologies handle it. Then we will identify a
number of problems with them, based on which we will argue that an
information analysis stage would seem to be needed and useful for
overcoming these problems. Such a stage would require a mechanism. We will
then suggest that a set of semantic theories of information would be
useful for building such a mechanism. |
|
| Title: |
A
FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE THE STRATEGIC MANAGER IN THE ACQUISITION OF SOFTWARE
DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES |
| Author(s): |
M.
Foley, A. Alderson and H. Shah |
| Abstract: |
Some organisations have benefited from the adoption of
automated software development tools while others have gained little from
the experience after considerable expenditure. All tool vendors can cite
satisfied customers but all, equally, have less than satisfied customers.
It would appear that the characteristics of the adopting organisation and
the characteristics of the tools themselves have a bearing on the success
of automated tools. Guidelines exist for the acquisition of CASE. These
describe a process whose early stages are of particular interest to the
strategic I.S. manager. These stages cannot be considered in isolation.
This paper presents a framework, SPOT. This draws out the relationships
between the issues of strategy, process, organisation and technology
(hence SPOT) which have a strong bearing on the success of CASE tools in
an organisation. The framework is designed to serve as the context in
which the early stages of the CASE tool acquisition process are executed. |
|
| Title: |
SUPPORTING
DISTRIBUTED DECISION MAKING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BIDS FOR TENDER FOR THE
IT INDUSTRY |
| Author(s): |
Karen
Gunter, Paul Butler and H. U. Shah |
| Abstract: |
Systems which support corporate decision making have been
evolving over a number of years. Collaborative information systems which
combine Internet based resources (the Web, company Intranets and email)
with software which can assist in managing timescales are becoming a
valuable way of assisting decision making in high abstraction occupations.
This is especially true where colleagues are part of a virtual team
situated in geographically disparate locations. This paper describes a
commercial project which dealt with the challenge of modelling and
implementing such a collaborative decision making system for the Financial
Services division of a large I.T. company. The aim was to assist the
process of managing the tendering of bids for large information systems
contracts. The paper discusses how distributed decision making is
supported by using collaborative technologies and how this differs from
the traditional Group Decision Support Systems approach. |
|
| Title: |
ASSESSING
SUCCESS OF A SOCIAL-TECHNICAL METHOD FOR COTS SOFTWARE SELECTION: A SURVEY
APPROACH |
| Author(s): |
Douglas
Kunda and Laurence Brooks |
| Abstract: |
COTS-Based Systems (CBS) is a process of building systems
from pre-fabricated Commercial-Off-The Shelf (COTS) software components.
Successful evaluation and selection of COTS software components to fit
customer requirements is problematic. A social-technical approach to COTS
evaluation (STACE) has been developed based on empirical literature and
case studies. This paper presents the results of a survey aimed at
evaluating the STACE framework in terms of appropriateness of use and
benefits. The result shows that although the STACE framework did not bring
about task support satisfaction it was perceived to bring about gain
satisfaction, interface satisfaction and quality of life satisfaction. |
|
| Title: |
ON
DESIGNING OBJECT ORIENTED MODEL FOR MULTIMEDIA DATA |
| Author(s): |
Ludwik
Kuzniarz and Maciej Piasecki |
| Abstract: |
The paper presents an attempt made to use Unified Modelling
Language (UML) to model essential structural and dynamic aspects of
multimedia data used in multimedia presentations. The paper starts with
construction of data hierarchy highlighting different classifications of
multimedia data and taking into account their basic static properties
followed by subsequent introduction of the elements modelling dynamic
aspects of multimedia data and presentations. |
|
| Title: |
A
HOLISTIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGY FOR ORGANISATIONAL MANAGEMENT -
HISSOM |
| Author(s): |
D.
Lanc and L. M. MacKinnon |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes a practical, holistic model, HISSOM,
for the integrated management and co-ordination of Information Systems
Strategy, ISS, as part of an organisation’s strategic planning and
management process. The HISSOM model helps to assess the fitness for
purpose of an organisation’s IS capability, and to focus the IS
capability on supporting the achievement of organisational goals. An
overview is given of four key, historic, often conflicting and
non-integrated, perspectives that have influenced IS developments in
organisations: Academic/Governmental; Management; IS Development; and
Organisational Capability. This paper describes the significant impact
that each of these perspectives has had on the development of IS
capability within organisations, but also how each has failed to achieve
the key goal of cohesion between IS and organisational strategy. HISSOM is
briefly summarised in its role of managing and co-ordinating five
different, frequently competing, real-world organisational perspectives,
through an integrated, multi-dimensional model, in pursuit of delivering
organisational goals. The development of the HISSOM model is nearing
completion, following which a case study on the use of HISSOM in a real
organisational setting is planned, which will be reported early next year. |
|
| Title: |
STATECHARTS
FOR BUSINESS PROCESS MODELING |
| Author(s): |
Anthony
Lauder and Stuart Kent |
| Abstract: |
Experience with UML statecharts for the capture of business
process models has highlighted an important expressive weakness, which
impedes the natural expression of commonplace business process behavior.
In particular, statecharts encourage the introduction of artificial
states, which bloat models unnecessarily and impede communication and
verification of business process understanding. We propose a blend of
statecharts with the established timethread notation to alleviate these
weaknesses, and achieve a compact yet precise expression of end-to-end
business process alternatives. |
|
| Title: |
INTEGRATING
PRODUCT DATA WITH WORKFLOW DATA IN ENTERPRISE MODELS |
| Author(s): |
R.
McClatchey, Z. Kovacs, J-M. Le Goff, G. Chevenier, N. Baker and T.
Solomonides |
| Abstract: |
Enterprises need to cope with increasing volumes of complex
and evolving data and at the same time to reduce ‘time-to-market’ for
products. As data volumes increase and user communities grow and change
with time, enterprise systems must be able to provide access to the
enterprise data appropriate to multiple application ‘viewpoints’. In
addition, the enterprise model must be flexible, adaptable and secure and
be designed to maximise reusability of code, to cope with distribution of
the enterprise activities and to interoperate with existing legacy
systems. The era where business rules are buried deep within the
application code is coming to an end. Today users themselves seek to
dynamically change their business rules and they need systems which can
adapt to their evolving business needs, meet their requirements and scale
to large installations. This paper outlines how an enterprise model that
integrates process and product data modelling has been constructed
following a description-driven design approach for the management of
large-scale scientific apparatus construction. |
|
| Title: |
REPRESENTATION
PROCESS AND ABDUCTIVE REASONING AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH OF THE
DIAGRAMMATIC CASE |
| Author(s): |
Bernard
Morand |
| Abstract: |
This article is a contribution to the study of
representation from the experimental point of view. It is based on the
observation of design by means of diagrams in information systems and
shows that representation is a process using an abductive reasoning mode.
The article offers a general description, independent from the domain and
the designers, of the properties and behavioral regularities inherent to a
representing system. The description puts in evidence a major function of
diagrams, the externalization of an inference step in design reasoning.
Building a software architecture for design assistance and representation
phenomena study thus relies upon a principle of interaction between a
designer and a machine for which the diagram consists in the intermediary
object. |
|
| Title: |
INFORMATION
SYSTEMS AND LEARNING ORGANISATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Ana
Lacerda Nobre and Miguel Pina e Cunha |
| Abstract: |
One of the greatest dilemmas of organisational life is how
to keep the balance between what has to be stable, static and structured,
and what has to be moving, dynamic and flexible: between structure and
charisma, between routine and innovation, and between continuity and
change. To accommodate both ends of these apparently contradictory aspects
of organisational life it is crucial to understand that they only
contradict each other when viewed in isolation. When integrated in the
organisational whole they can be interpreted as a creative tension, as a
necessary dialectic debate that brings life and stamina into the
organisation. Though this tension has always existed in the past, in today’s
world, the challenges that organisations face bring new dimensions to this
difficult equilibrium. The present paper pretends to reflect upon the
information system’s role in keeping this balance. How can information
systems:
• preserve organisation’s core values and leave room for change?
• strengthen organisational structure while keeping it flexible and
agile?
• optimise process design, functional contents and decision making
apparatus while ensuring that processes, functions and decision making are
all working in the same direction in a constant renewal process?
Some of the answers to these questions are embodied in the learning
organisation concept. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the
strategic role of the information system in enabling organisations to
rethink their positioning and to develop core competencies in order to
keep on the edge of today’s new forms of competition. |
|
| Title: |
ADDRESSING
DECISION MAKING ISSUES IN ENTERPRISE PROCESS MODELLING |
| Author(s): |
F.
Oquendo, K. N. Papamichail and I. Robertson |
| Abstract: |
Process modelling is a key technology for studying the
behaviour of business processes. Yet, processmodelling techniques do
little in supporting decision making, which is an organisational activity
of paramount importance. This paper proposes a framework for supporting
decision making aspects in an organizational context. The framework is
modelled as a business process and can be adapted to different enterprise
settings. It is designed to support the coordination between the different
participants in the decision-making process, and between the participants
and the available decision analysis technologies. |
|
| Title: |
ADDRESSING
MULTIPLE SOFTWARE PROCESSES IN BUSINESS |
| Author(s): |
Jin
Sa, Stewart Green, Ian Beeson and Alan Sully |
| Abstract: |
Research in software process modelling has been flourishing
in the last two decades. The emphasis of the traditional software process
modelling approaches was mainly on process automation, process reuse and
prediction of process completion. More recent approaches take into account
of the business requirements and the influence on the software processes.
Most of the existing work only focuses on the development of individual
projects. In this paper, we look very briefly at the different
developments in software process modelling. Problems associated with the
current approaches are identified. Arguments for considering multiple
software processes in the business context are presented. |
|
| Title: |
THE
ADOPTION OF WORKFLOW SYSTEMS: PROPOSAL OF A MODEL FOR A METHODOLOGY TO
ANALYSIS THE IMPACT OF WORKFLOW SYSTEMS IN ORGANISATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Anabela
Sarmento and Altamiro Machado |
| Abstract: |
In a scenery of rapid changes, organisations are adopting
new models of social organisation, oriented to work teams, with a
hierarchical structure more flattened and more sharing, where information
is playing an important and decisive role in the competitiveness of the
organisation. Organisations are also becoming aware of learning need and
knowledge management. To respond more accurately to these opportunities
and challenges, organisations implement technologies like GroupWare / CSCW
and Workflow as they present themselves as one solution able to improve
the efficiency and management of organisational processes. Although
organisations are starting to adopt them, the consequences of this
adoption is not yet known. The relation between information technology and
the efficacy and competitiveness of an organisation is not direct. The
same technology may have different impacts, depending on the organisation
and its characteristics. The adoption of a technology is mediated and
conditioned by factors as structure, social and individual relations,
technology, politics and culture. The impact of Workflow Systems may be
observed in domains like economic, process management and knowledge and
organisational learning. After presenting organisational factors, we
analyse the domains of consequences and suggest a framework to study the
impact of Workflow in organisations. |
|
| Title: |
A
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK TO SUPPORT AN INTERPRETATIVE PERSPECTIVE IN
INFORMATION SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION |
| Author(s): |
António
Lucas Soares and Pedro José Leonardo |
| Abstract: |
A conceptual framework to support the requirements analysis
and specification of information systems in enterprises is presented. The
framework is constituted by an ontology and the outline of an
organisational inquiry method and is intended to be specialised according
to the analysis perspective adopted. The operationalisation of the
framework is illustrated in the constitution of an interpretative approach
to the requirements analysis and specification of information systems. |
|
| Title: |
EVALUATING
IT USAGE IN SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES |
| Author(s): |
D.
T. Thomas, A. Alderson, H. Shah and D.J. Collins |
| Abstract: |
UK and European governments have recognised the small
business sector as a key element in future economic prosperity. A vital
element of enhancing the performance of this business sector is the
integral use of Information Technology (IT) in order to foster an
innovation culture. A variety of national and European initiatives have
been funded specifically to assist adoption of innovative technology,
including IT, by Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). Techniques are
required to measure the impact on SMEs of such initiatives. We have
developed a method to enable quantitative evaluation of IT usage in SMEs.
The method has been developed from principles applied in larger
organisations and seeks to quantify patterns of IT usage, and so measure
their change over time. The method was tested by evaluating IT usage in
120 SMEs which have participated in a government funded, IT-based
Technology Transfer Initiative. This pilot application demonstrates that
the proposed method provides an effective tool, enabling numerical
analyses and graphical representations of IT usage patterns to be
produced. Its major advantages are that it is simple to apply,
non-intrusive and capable of retrospective appli-cation, enabling the
assessment to be carried out easily and without disrupting the SME’s
business. |
|
| Title: |
COMPONENT
BASED VISUAL SOFTWARE ENGINEERING |
| Author(s): |
S.
Thomson, J. McCall and D. Crossen |
| Abstract: |
To enable effective software reuse, software tools have to
be developed to simplify the process of constructing and maintaining
applications that are developed. Components offer to simplify the task of
building and maintaining software applications by providing building
blocks that can be connected together in a variety of ways to provide the
required functionality. One of the aims of component engineering is to
take components written by third parties and connect them with existing
components. To attain the full potential of component engineering,
mechanisms will have to be developed to simplify the process of connecting
them together. This paper describes a visual approach to component-based
software engineering and the mechanisms needed to ensure that the user has
the power to construct the applications they need. |
|
| Title: |
THE
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING GLOBAL MODEL |
| Author(s): |
Claudine
Toffolon and Salem Dakhli |
| Abstract: |
Despite the economic and functional importance of software
systems in modern organizations, software development and maintenance are
still regarded as high-risk activities. Indeed, a great number of software
projects fail to deliver software systems meeting stakeholders
requirements within schedule and budget. So, software industry is in
crisis, called the “software crisis”, which have two main
ramifications: economic and social. This paper provides a framework,
called the “software engineering global model” composed of two parts
– static and dynamic - which provides basic foundations to build
instruments eliminating the “software crisis” causes and reducing its
impacts. Application of the proposed model are discussed in this paper. |
|
| Title: |
FACILITATING
A USER PERFORMED REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS - A CASE STUDY |
| Author(s): |
Ray
Dawson and Asad Al-Zaid |
| Abstract: |
Many IT systems’ failures have been attributed to failures
in the requirements analysis stage, not just in a failure to capture
requirements but also in a failure to understand the implications of any
new system for the users and their organisation. The London Ambulance
Service is an example of a number of such cases of IT system failure
(L.A.S. 1993). Furthermore, unless the users are involved in the design
they can feel they don’t “own” the new system and may not have the
same desire to make it work. Users should therefore be involved from the
earliest stages in a new development. |
|
| Title: |
THOUGHTS
ABOUT THE ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT WHEN ADOPTING A WORKFLOW SYSTEM |
| Author(s): |
Mário
Lousã and Altamiro Machado |
| Abstract: |
By their nature Workflow systems require that the processes
related to their adoption and use have perfect coordination between
business processes and technology. However, for the project to be
successful and since it requires an organisational change, it is
imperative that all implementation methodology is carefully performed by
paying attention to different aspects at the institutional level. This
work, supported by a literature revision, tries to call the attention to
some faults detected in several adoption models of technological systems.
Most of them are related with the institution’s structure. Some of them
are: -not being familiar with the social context in which the systems
development and implementation is performed (Orlikowski, 1993); -lack of
knowledge about the main participants’ intentions and actions (idem);
usually a result of the lack of involvement from the final users during
the implementation process; -lack of knowledge from the organisations
about the technologies available and their potentialities, which may lead
to false expectations about the same (Lousã, M. et al. 1999); -too much
importance is given to technologic aspects when adopting information
technologies and not enough is given to human and organisational aspects
(Roos,1995); -lack of alignment between the business strategy and the
organisational change strategy (Roos,1995); -existence of divergent
perceptions – the people that select the system (buyers), the final
users, the system’s sellers and the analysts – about and criteria for
the success in the present work environment (Bair, 1995); -the existence
of a limited knowledge about the nature of the work; a lot of behaviours
about the work aren’t represented in the workflow drawing, as this not
always is predictable nor determinant, presenting some flows that
implicate the need to create exceptions (Bair, 1995); -lack of knowledge
about the life cycle of the business processes. |
|
Area 4 - INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
| Title: |
HIGHER-ORDER
EFFECTS OF GROUPWARE: A CASE OF CONSEQUENCES OF LOTUS NOTES |
| Author(s): |
B.
Aldenberg, M. S. H. Heng and S. C. A. Peters |
| Abstract: |
Companies are installing groupware to gain more efficiency.
This article is descriptive study of the highorder effects of groupware,
based on a research done at a global leasing company. The groupware was
used by an international European team in the company developing a new
database. The major higher order effects of using the groupware were the
followings. The users assume more responsibilities because they have
access to more information. Groupware supports the organizational change
from a local oriented company to a global company. By creating a group
memory and a problem/solution database better knowledge management and
co-ordination is possible resulting in a higher quality of work. Because
of the success groupware is now installed throughout the whole company as
a standard workplace environment. |
|
| Title: |
A
DISTRIBUTED AGENTS ARCHITECTURE FOR SELF-FAULT MANAGEMENT IN CORPORATIVE
NETWORKS |
| Author(s): |
J.
Arribi and V. Carneiro |
| Abstract: |
Nowadays, computer networks are a critical point for a
company. In fact, almost all the corporative processes are done through
the network, which means, each time, bigger and more complex networks.
However, as the network grows and makes complicated an efficient
management is harder, so the fault of the network results in wasting time
and, therefore, money for the enterprise. In this paper is shown a
distributed architecture model based on mobile agents and focused on two
issues: Event correlation and selffault network management. |
|
| Title: |
AN
E-COMMERCE MODEL FOR EXTENDING ERP SYSTEMS ONTO THE INTERNET: AN
AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE |
| Author(s): |
Colin
G. Ash |
| Abstract: |
Commercial and research potential, associated with Internet
enabled enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) in delivering
e-commerce initiatives is of great interest to the IS community. However,
recent reports of the expected benefits from adopting e-commerce
technologies and the actual benefits achieved have proved disappointing
for Australian organisations. Significantly company executives see
e-commerce being useful in improving efficiency, but few see the
technology as an opportunity to reach new markets and customers. A series
of models is presented to clarify the issues for ERP enabled organisations
when adopting e-commerce solutions. An Internet extended ERP model is
offered for moving towards the integration of business, customer, and
employee activities. This is an e-commerce strategy model, supported by
extending the business processes of ERP systems onto the Internet. It
focuses on information technology developments that support; customer
interactions, business partnerships, and employee expertise. The author
expands these concepts by presenting preliminary findings from a study of
Western Australian organisations that have implemented SAP R/3 enterprise
software. |
|
| Title: |
MEDIATION,
AGREEMENT AND GRATITUDE IN STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR VIRTUAL ORGANISATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Luís
Brito, Paulo Novais and José Neves |
| Abstract: |
For the mass media, Electronic Commerce is mainly marked by
catalogue sales, being the idea of negotiation left behind. On the other
hand, true Electronic Commerce can only be achieved if non-linearities,
like agreement, past-experiences and gratitude are considered. The network
of interests established among the entities that make an enterprise,
merged with enterprisewide information systems, may result in highly
productive open environments; i.e., systems that make their information
available flexibly and easily to end users. Using multiagent technology to
model such environments it is possible to answer in time to the clients'
and providers' expectations. The agents used to model these systems will
deal with problems that have much to gain by using past-experiences in the
development of new solutions. Indeed, this vastly improved quality of
information will be a major component of streamlined administrative
processes, which promise improved service at lower total costs and higher
profits. |
|
| Title: |
INFORMATION
SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVING COMPETITION IN A DEREGULATED ELECTRICITY MARKET |
| Author(s): |
A.
Carrasco, J. Luque and I. Borrero |
| Abstract: |
This article intends to reflect the dynamism of the process
of liberalization currently taking place in the Spanish and European
electricity sector. It expresses the need for the utilization of an
information system which may help companies in this sector make swifter
purchases, sales and bids, study market trends, in addition to
facilitating cost studies and forecasts for the distribution and
regulation of energy. It presents software developed for that purpose and
the experiences of companies of the sector. |
|
| Title: |
SUPPORTING
SMEs IN THE WORLD OF ECOMMERCE: WWW SITE MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT |
| Author(s): |
Colin
Charlton, Janet Little, Irene Neilson and Paul Ward |
| Abstract: |
The effective exploitation of the opportunities presented by
the growth of Ecommerce requires a technically sophisticated WWW site.
This poses a problem for the small to medium size enterprise (SME) who has
neither the technical knowledge nor the in-house computer support to
create such sites. Resolution of this problem is argued to lie in the
creation of a comprehensive and integrated suite of tools for site
development and maintenance that is accessible through a common web based
interface. One such suite of tools, MerseyWorldSupport, is presented and
the issues involved in the development and evaluation of the system
described. MerseyWorldSupport provides a SME with transparent access to a
comprehensive suite of tools for editing, marketing, validating, and
increasing the functionality of a WWW site. Web traffic analysis tools are
also provided. The system is supported by a comprehensive training
programme, which ensures that the SME has the necessary background
knowledge and basic technical skill to meaningfully engage in Ecommerce. |
|
| Title: |
ISIDOR
: A VISUALISATION INTERFACE FOR ADVANCED INFORMATION RETRIEVAL |
| Author(s): |
Max
Chevalier and Maël Verlhac |
| Abstract: |
Nowadays, anybody can use an Information Retrieval System
(IRS). Indeed, with the expansion of the Internet and particularly the
WWW, search engines and IRS in general have become democratic. This makes
the problem of the adaptation of user to IRS raise. Common IRS simply
presents results as a ranked list but this has drawbacks. To provide a
maximum number of users with retrieved information and to optimize the
exploitation of these results, visual interfaces for IR researches have
been developed for about ten years. In this paper, we present a system for
visualising and exploiting results from an Information Retrieval System. |
|
| Title: |
INTEGRATING
MEETING RESULTS IN ORGANISATIONS |
| Author(s): |
Carlos
J. Costa, Pedro Antunes and João Ferreira Dias |
| Abstract: |
Electronic Meeting Systems have the potential to improve
meeting processes and outcomes. However, success depends on many factors,
one of them being the level of organisational integration that can be
attained. Our view is that current EMS offer very weak integration,
especially in what concerns the postmeeting phase, when meeting results
should flow to the organisation and induce the production of goods and
services or influence people’s opinions. In order to tackle this
problem, we developed a framework, based on the concept of meeting genre,
specially tailored for EMS support. The paper illustrates the application
of the model to a specific organisation, based on a sample of 214
decisions taken in meeting sessions of a management team. |
|
| Title: |
ENGAGING
IN COLLABORATIVE SYSTEMS: LESSONS FROM THE FIELD |
| Author(s): |
Sharon
Dingley and John Perkins |
| Abstract: |
E-business involves the whole supply chain, extending
Internet technology to purchasing and distribution activities in
customer-supplier operations. The impact of collaborative supply chain
systems on the strategic position of the collaborating partners and the
resultant impact on the competitive environment are the focii of this
paper. As the initial value of collaborative systems is realised, the
demand for engaging in such relationships increases. However, the
continued proliferation of individual supply chain systems between
manufacturers and retailers is becoming unmanageable. This paper outlines
some of the problems experienced by organisations engaged in a number of
collaborative relationships. On-going work to address problems of trading
with multiple collaborative systems is reviewed. |
|
| Title: |
INTRANET
ADOPTION: A SURVEY ANALYSIS |
| Author(s): |
Brian
O’Flaherty and Howard Williams |
| Abstract: |
Following the initial hype, the Intranet has become more
prevalent in organisation and the time has come to consider the role that
these Intranets are playing in organisations. The Intranet, an industry
concept, refers to the internal use of internet technology, which can be
applied in many ways, such as delivering software tools, E-mail,
conferencing software, group support, document sharing, retrieval, and
management etc,. Many organisations are developing applications for an
Intranet, but these tend to have a cost-saving orientation. In this paper
we initially explore background literature covering the issues of
definitions, applications, advantages, predicted impact on organisations,
information nature and new potential roles. A review of sample Intranet
implementations is presented and finally we outline the findings of a
postal survey, which investigates the use of Intranets in Irish
organisations. |
|
| Title: |
TOWARDS
A SECURE AND COMPLETE PROTOCOL FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE |
| Author(s): |
Runzhuo
He and Kecheng Liu |
| Abstract: |
Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) addresses the security
problem of e-commerce. It, however, fails to provide interoperability and
pre-sale and post-sale services to Consumers. Open Trading Protocol (OTP)
can resolve these problems for SET. Provided SET is suitable to integrate
with OTP, an ideal solution for e-commerce will be found. An investigation
into the integration of SET and OTP has been undertaken to evaluate the
suitability of using SET in OTP for e-commerce. In this paper, the mapping
between the OTP business model and SET business model is analysed. A
certain number of Payment APIs and OTP/SET Bridges are designed in order
to support the integration of SET and OTP. Finally, the suitability of
using SET and OTP for ecommerce is evaluated. |
|
| Title: |
DIGITAL
IMAGE MULTIRESOLUTION WATERMARK BASED ON HUMAN VISUAL SYSTEM |
| Author(s): |
Ching-Tang
Hsieh, Yu-Lung Lu and Chih-Ping Luo |
| Abstract: |
Digital watermarking has been proposed as a way to claim
protection. In this paper, we try to use the error-correcting code skill,
the Multiresolution of wavelet transformation, and the Human visual system
to improve the traditional watermarking. Error-correcting based
watermarking will have the property that corrects errors of the extracted
watermark automatically. The HVS (Human visual system) will discuss
perceptually characteristic parts of human (e.g. Intensity or hue) and how
to insert the most important part of watermark with the bit-plane slicing
into the original data, where the perceptual sensitivity of human is
relatively low. A multiresolution watermarking which is based on the
wavelet transformation is selected in each frequency band of the discrete
wavelet transform (DWT) domain and therefore it can resistant the
destruction of low-pass filter. The combination of the above enhances
robustness of the watermark than before. |
|
| Title: |
MANAGING
KNOWLEDGE IN THE E-ORGANIZATION: THE IT PERSPECTIVE |
| Author(s): |
V.
P. Kochikar and S. Raghavan |
| Abstract: |
The role of internal IT in supporting the organization’s
need to leverage knowledge for competitive advantage has long been
recognized. The turbulent scenario of the e-business era has now made this
an absolute survival imperative. A coherent conceptual framework that
supports the deployment of IT for managing knowledge, and is rooted in the
business reality the e-organization faces, is a widely felt need. This
paper defines such a staged framework, the KMM Model, and describes its
application to IT for managing knowledge. Infosys is using this model to
drive its internal knowledge management effort, which forms a key
component of the organization’s strategy for “e-inventing” itself to
brace for the sweeping challenges thrown up by the e-paradigm. |
|
| Title: |
REAL
SUPPLY CHAINS AND VIRTUAL ENTERPRISES |
| Author(s): |
Klaus-Dieter
Kreplin, Damian Mac Randal and Herbert Schmauch |
| Abstract: |
"Virtual Enterprise", "Virtual Supply
Chain" and "Virtual Business Process" are fairly well known
concepts. However, different approaches have led to different, and
sometimes conflicting, definitions. Based on two complementary ways of
looking at "Virtual Business Process", the authors discuss the
notion of "Virtuality" and provide a generic framework for using
this term. The concept of "Virtual Embeded Processes" (VEP) is
introduced to solve some clustering-related problems in Virtual Enterprise
E-commerce processes. Examples are given for the applicability of the VEP
concept in a generic Virtual Enterprise outsourcing architecture. |
|
| Title: |
THE
VIRTUES ARCHITECTURE: A SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS
E-COMMERCE |
| Author(s): |
P.
Nixon, V. Wade, S. Terzis, M. O'Connell and S. Dobson |
| Abstract: |
Most discussion on the current hot topic of e-commerce
focuses either on the relationship between the customer and the supplier
or on the security of these interactions. In this paper we present an
architecture for building business-to-business e-commerce applications.
The primary objective is to develop a lightweight infrastructure for
building and maintaining collaborations from partners distributed across
the Internet. Within this infrastructure, techniques have been developed
to aid in the location and composition of services, manage the distributed
workflow process and aid in maintaining contractual obligations. |
|
| Title: |
UNIVERSITY
INFORMATION SYSTEM FULLY BASED ON WWW |
| Author(s): |
Jan
Pazdziora and Michal Brandejs |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes the development of Information System
(IS) at Masaryk University in Brno. It supports full range of
administrative and information functions in the study area, as well as
some processes in research and development activities. Built on a
relational database system with WWW server running applications written in
scripting language, it ties together many of today's technologies into
flexible and extensible tool that gives all University members direct
access to information stored in the system. Its only interface is web
browser and this uniformity of target client platform coupled with mixture
of highly effective software on the server side allowed fast development,
resulting in easy access for all types of users. |
|
| Title: |
CONCEPTION
OF A FRAMEWORK FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE CASE STUDY: RURALNET |
| Author(s): |
José
Adriano Gomes Pires, José Luís Padrão Exposto, Albano Agostinho Gomes
Alves and Armando Luís Ferreira Leitão |
| Abstract: |
The success of the new organisational paradigm lies on the
need of combining the interess and purpose of business with the existing
technological potential. In this context the new information technologies
provide a series of oportunities that companies should take advantage of
bearing in mind the challenge of the coming years [Pires, 1997]. These
oportunities are known as ITSGA`s "Information Technology Strategic
Generic Actions" [Andreu et al. 1992]. As an example one could refer
the use of ATM "Automatic Teller Machines" which have become
standard in the financial service systems. Nowadays a new ITSGA is
emerging directed towards the enterprise sector named Electronic Commerce
which, is predictable, will become a commercial standard in the short or
medium term. |
|
| Title: |
FILESCAN:
A CORPORATE DOCUMENT IMAGE HANDLING SYSTEM |
| Author(s): |
Stephen
J. Rees and R. Morgan |
| Abstract: |
FILEscan is a 32-bit client/server document image processing
(DIP) system designed to provide large-scale organisations with
comprehensive document management capabilities. The electronic filing and
imaging software is based on the Microsoft Distributed Internet
Applications (DNA) architecture, allowing the retrieval of documents to
multiple users across multiple sites. The implementation permits real-time
access, and the remote retrieval modules utilise the MS Message
Transaction Server (MTS) in conjunction with JAVA and Design-Time
Controls, and Visual BASIC scripting to ensure the security and rapidity
of returns. The server system runs under Windows NT. This paper describes
the basic architectural features of the system, and their effect on the
performance of the FILEscan product as a corporate information
dissemination strategy. |
|
| Title: |
ELECTRONIC
INTERMEDIARIES AS MARKETING AGENTS |
| Author(s): |
Simone
C. dos Santos and Fabio Q. B. da Silva |
| Abstract: |
This article explores the capacity of electronic mediators
in capturing information about the consumer's profile and behavior, which
can contribute to a vendor's strategic decisions, improving a company's
competitiveness. Towards this goal, a Web-based information system is
proposed, which gives support to the definition of business strategies of
the vendor, particularly marketing strategies. An architecture for this
system is presented, which is used as support to the WhereBuy System, in
development by the e-Commerce Unit of CESAR. |
|
| Title: |
AGENTS
FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE |
| Author(s): |
V.
Shankararaman, B. Robinson and W. Lam |
| Abstract: |
As electronic commerce becomes more widespread, it will
become impossible for humans to effectively handle the variety of tasks
required. Therefore, for continued sustenance of the electronic commerce
activities it is imperative that some aspects of it are semi-automated.
Agent is seen as a key technology towards achieving this. In this paper we
discuss the motivations for using agents and the obstacles that stand in
the way of main stream agent mediated E-Commerce applications. |
|
| Title: |
KEYS
TO THE SUPPLY-DEMAND ARCHITECTURE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE |
| Author(s): |
Daniel
Y. Shee, Tzung-I Tang and Jeung-tai Eddie Tang |
| Abstract: |
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the keys to the
interactive supply-demand architecture in the era of electronic commerce
(EC). Through the examination of the EC environment and its
characteristics, the impact of EC on supply chain will be explored. Then,
based on direct supplydemand links with the ISP’s mediation, our study
concludes that there are two kinds of supplydemand interaction deserving
of further analysis, they are: (i) the buyer-supplier interaction in the
market transaction; and (ii) the interaction between the user and provider
of the information service. We also suggest the possible interaction
process and, for the convenience of analysis, have it divided into four
stages. On the other hand, the role of the information service provider
(ISP) as a mediator is analyzed. Finally, our study suggests that both
supplier and demander should have a deep insight into their internal
operations and external environments in order to deduce the status of the
industrial relations and set the definite objectives of the individual. We
also conclude that the ISP industry will play a more and more pivotal role
in affecting the interaction process since the effective management and
investment of this industry will ultimately lead to better information
sharing between both sides and facilitate supply-demand interaction. |
|
| Title: |
EXPLORING
INTRANETS: WHY AND HOW TO STUDY INTRANETS IN FRENCH FIRMS? |
| Author(s): |
Emmanuelle
Vaast |
| Abstract: |
The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it is to show
the great need to investigate intranets. Then it is to propose a
particular research design to study them as well as the current progress
of a research into intranets in French firms. Managerial interest has
arisen from the widespread development of intranets and from their
frequent association with managerial innovations. However, intranets pose
research challenges, because of their hype, of their youth, of the
difficulty to define them and of their potential specificities. Exploring
intranets then requires a particular research design. One such design is
suggested here, involving multiple static case studies, a few longitudinal
case studies and a multi-method generalization. The advancement of an
investigation on intranets in French firms is finally presented. |
|
| Title: |
WORLD
WIDE NEWS GATHERING AUTOMATIC MANAGEMENT |
| Author(s): |
Luís
Veiga and Paulo Ferreira |
| Abstract: |
The world-wide-web does not support referential integrity,
i.e. dangling references do exist. This can be very annoying; in
particular, if a user pays for some service in the form of web pages, he
requires such pages to be reachable all the time. Currently, ensuring such
referential integrity is the responsibility of webmasters: while a page is
referenced the corresponding file never gets deleted. However, it is well
know that this manual memory management is extremely error-prone leading
to dangling references and storage leaks. We propose a solution for this
problem based on the use of a garbage collection algorithm applied to the
web. Thus, the referential integrity is ensured at the system level. We
developed an application of web news in which a dangling reference never
occurs. |
|
| Title: |
XML-BASED
FRAMEWORKS FOR INTERNET COMMERCE |
| Author(s): |
Yuxiao
Zhao and Kristian Sandahl |
| Abstract: |
XML-based frameworks or industry standatrds for Internet
Commerce are rapidly launched and changed. The contribution of this paper
is to increase the understanding and facilitate comparison and evaluation
of the most commonly refered framworks. The paper provides a survey of the
architecture and message definition of BizTalk, cXML, eCo Framework, ICE
(Information and Content Exchange), IOTP (Internet Open Trading Protocol),
OAG (Open Applications Group), RosettaNet, xCBL, ebXML and ontology.org.
The relationships between these frameworks are cooperative and competitive
and thus the merger and change are unavoidable. At present eCo Framework
and xCBL are tightly cooperative and supported by others. The competing
initiative is centered around Microsoft‘s BizTalk, supported by cXML and
OAG. The future will probably see closer cooperation to make formats
compatible. Microsoft is both promoting BizTalk and is a member of eCo
Framework. |
|
| Title: |
BUILDING
INTERNET SHOPS: CURRENT STATUS OF THE CITIES PROJECT |
| Author(s): |
Angel
Goitia, Jose Garcia-Fanjul, Javier Tuya and Jose Antonio Corrales |
| Abstract: |
Electronic Commerce (EC from now on) can be described in
several ways. A brief one could be “automatic interchange of data and
information concerning a commercial transaction” [1]. However, there are
different kinds of EC depending on the parties involved, mainly “Business
to Consumer” or B2C and “Business to Business” or B2B.
The CITIES project studied EC for establishing a web shop. Its main goal
was to develop a methodology for solving such problem. Resulting from this
study, we outlined the structure of a general commerce, where a set of ASP
pages communicates the three parties involved in the transaction: the
customer, the merchant and the bank. These pages build the contents
presented to the users by filling templates with dynamic data extracted
from a database server. |
|
| Title: |
APPLICATION
OF A VIRTUAL CONNECTION TREE OVER MULTIPLE ACCESS TECHNIQUES FOR 3G MOBILE
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
A.
Heath and R. A. Carrasco |
| Abstract: |
This paper evaluates a Virtual Connection Tree (VCT)
algorithm for mobile Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) handover that offers
service adaptability and efficient allocation of wired resources when
applied to different multiple access techniques. Creating a distributed
system where decisions about traffic conditions in different areas can be
evaluated at a Base Station (BS) and not the Master Switching Centre
(MSC). |
|
| Title: |
IMPLICATIONS
OF SEARCH ENGINE COVERAGE ON THE VIABILITY OF BUSINESS WEB SITES |
| Author(s): |
Mike
Thelwall |
| Abstract: |
The huge and increasing number of web sites is not being
fully indexed by search engines, which individually cover a small, and
apparently shrinking, proportion of the web. It is therefore becoming
harder for company web pages to stay in a search engine index, and there
are further trends making the task of being found from a search more
difficult. A possible outcome of this is that the cost of creating an
effective commercial web site is likely to rise, perhaps to a level where
it will cease to be a viable proposition for many businesses. |
|
| Title: |
ARCHITECTURAL
CONSIDERATIONS WITH DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING |
| Author(s): |
Yibing
Wang, Robert M. Hyatt and Barrett R. Bryant |
| Abstract: |
We understand distributed systems as a collection of
distributed computation resources that work together as one harmonious
system. It is the great achievement of computer networks, data
communication and small but powerful computers that make it possible to
use distributed commodity computers to facilitate distributed
applications, to achieve reliable or high performance computing. The IT
industry has been witnessing distributed computing progress from
homogenous system to heterogeneous systems, with the scale evolving from
LAN to WAN and then to Internet/Intranet. On the other hand, the
increasing number and scale of IT applications have been posting new
challenges to the academic field. Software approaches to distributed
computing include client/server model, middle-ware components, agents,
etc. System approaches include LAN, WAN, PVM (Geist et al, 1994), Cluster
(Pfister, 1998), etc. While distributed computing at the system level has
used open architectures for a long time, it remains immature in this
respect on the software side. New distributed applications should follow
open architectural standard to survive a longer time, and architectural
considerations should be studied in the academic and engineering fields. |
|
Page Updated on 06-05-2003
Copyright © Escola Superior de Tecnologia
de Setúbal, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal |
