Grid-based semantic integration of heterogeneous data resources: Implementation on a HealthGrid

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University.The semantic integration of geographically distributed and heterogeneous data resources still remains a key challenge in Grid infrastructures. Today's mainstream Grid technologies hold the promise to meet this challenge in a systematic manner, making data applications more scalable and manageable. The thesis conducts a thorough investigation of the problem, the state of the art, and the related technologies, and proposes an Architecture for Semantic Integration of Data Sources (ASIDS) addressing the semantic heterogeneity issue. It defines a simple mechanism for the interoperability of heterogeneous data sources in order to extract or discover information regardless of their different semantics. The constituent technologies of this architecture include Globus Toolkit (GT4) and OGSA-DAI (Open Grid Service Architecture Data Integration and Access) alongside other web services technologies such as XML (Extensive Markup Language). To show this, the ASIDS architecture was implemented and tested in a realistic setting by building an exemplar application prototype on a HealthGrid (pilot implementation). The study followed an empirical research methodology and was informed by extensive literature surveys and a critical analysis of the relevant technologies and their synergies. The two literature reviews, together with the analysis of the technology background, have provided a good overview of the current Grid and HealthGrid landscape, produced some valuable taxonomies, explored new paths by integrating technologies, and more importantly illuminated the problem and guided the research process towards a promising solution. Yet the primary contribution of this research is an approach that uses contemporary Grid technologies for integrating heterogeneous data resources that have semantically different. data fields (attributes). It has been practically demonstrated (using a prototype HealthGrid) that discovery in semantically integrated distributed data sources can be feasible by using mainstream Grid technologies, which have been shown to have some Significant advantages over non-Grid based approaches

Digital Image Users and Reuse: Enhancing practitioner discoverability of digital library reuse based on user file naming behavior

Diese Dissertation untersucht Geräte, die Praktiker verwenden, um die Wiederverwendung von digitalen Bibliotheksmaterialien zu entdecken. Der Autor führt zwei Verifikationsstudien durch, in denen zwei zuvor angewandte Strategien untersucht werden, die Praktiker verwenden, um die Wiederverwendung digitaler Objekte zu identifizieren, insbesondere Google Images Reverse Image Lookup (RIL) und eingebettete Metadaten. Es beschreibt diese Strategiebeschränkungen und bietet einen neuen, einzigartigen Ansatz zur Verfolgung der Wiederverwendung, indem der Suchansatz des Autors basierend auf dem Benennungsverhalten von Benutzerdateien verwendet wird. Bei der Untersuchung des Nutzens und der Einschränkungen von Google Images und eingebetteten Metadaten beobachtet und dokumentiert der Autor ein Muster des Benennungsverhaltens von Benutzerdateien, das vielversprechend ist, die Wiederverwendung durch den Praktiker zu verbessern. Der Autor führt eine Untersuchung zur Bewertung der Dateibenennung durch, um dieses Muster des Verhaltens der Benutzerdateibenennung und die Auswirkungen der Dateibenennung auf die Suchmaschinenoptimierung zu untersuchen. Der Autor leitet mehrere signifikante Ergebnisse ab, während er diese Studie fertigstellt. Der Autor stellt fest, dass Google Bilder aufgrund der Änderung des Algorithmus kein brauchbares Werkzeug mehr ist, um die Wiederverwendung durch die breite Öffentlichkeit oder andere Benutzer zu entdecken, mit Ausnahme von Benutzern aus der Industrie. Eingebettete Metadaten sind aufgrund der nicht persistenten Natur eingebetteter Metadaten kein zuverlässiges Bewertungsinstrument. Der Autor stellt fest, dass viele Benutzer ihre eigenen Dateinamen generieren, die beim Speichern und Teilen von digitalen Bildern fast ausschließlich für Menschen lesbar sind. Der Autor argumentiert, dass, wenn Praktiker Suchbegriffe nach den "aggregierten Dateinamen" modellieren, sie ihre Entdeckung wiederverwendeter digitaler Objekte erhöhen.This dissertation explores devices practitioners utilize to discover the reuse of digital library materials. The author performs two verification studies investigating two previously employed strategies that practitioners use to identify digital object reuse, specifically Google Images reverse image lookup (RIL) and embedded metadata. It describes these strategy limitations and offers a new, unique approach for tracking reuse by employing the author's search approach based on user file naming behavior. While exploring the utility and limitations of Google Images and embedded metadata, the author observes and documents a pattern of user file naming behavior that exhibits promise for improving practitioner's discoverability of reuse. The author conducts a file naming assessment investigation to examine this pattern of user file naming behavior and the impact of file naming on search engine optimization. The author derives several significant findings while completing this study. The author establishes that Google Images is no longer a viable tool to discover reuse by the general public or other users except for industry users because of its algorithm change. Embedded metadata is not a reliable assessment tool because of the non-persistent nature of embedded metadata. The author finds that many users generate their own file names, almost exclusively human-readable when saving and sharing digital images. The author argues that when practitioners model search terms after the "aggregated file names" they increase their discovery of reused digital objects

Digital Image access in an educational environment

The thesis Digital Image Access in an Educational Environment explores multiple approaches to image system design and deployment in the academic setting. This discourse chronicles the issues, options, design considerations, technical challenges, and organizational and social factors inherent in Internet and network access to, and use of, collections of high-resolution digital images in the university environment. Discussion focuses upon advances undertaken or participated in at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) by Wallace Library to provide digital image access to the RIT community. Efforts include the development of a local image system, the beta testing of a national image delivery system and the purchase of commercial image systems. While this examination details one institution\u27s foray into encouraging a change through digital image systems experimentation and implementation, as an enhancement to campus-based and distance education curriculum, it is intended to inform other educational institutions in their approach to the same issue