Exploratory study to explore the role of ICT in the process of knowledge management in an Indian business environment

In the 21st century and the emergence of a digital economy, knowledge and the knowledge base economy are rapidly growing. To effectively be able to understand the processes involved in the creating, managing and sharing of knowledge management in the business environment is critical to the success of an organization. This study builds on the previous research of the authors on the enablers of knowledge management by identifying the relationship between the enablers of knowledge management and the role played by information communication technologies (ICT) and ICT infrastructure in a business setting. This paper provides the findings of a survey collected from the four major Indian cities (Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Villupuram) regarding their views and opinions about the enablers of knowledge management in business setting. A total of 80 organizations participated in the study with 100 participants in each city. The results show that ICT and ICT infrastructure can play a critical role in the creating, managing and sharing of knowledge in an Indian business environment

Opportunities and challenges posed by disruptive and converging information technologies for Australia\u27s future defence capabilities: A horizon scan

Introduction: The research project\u27s objective was to conduct a comprehensive horizon scan of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) technologies—specifically, Cyber, IoT/IoBT, AI, and Autonomous Systems. Recognised as pivotal force multipliers, these technologies are critical to reshaping the mission, design, structure, and operations of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), aligning with the Department of Defence (Defence)’s offset strategies and ensuring technological advantage, especially in the Indo-Pacific\u27s competitive landscape. Research process: Employing a two-pronged research approach, the study first leveraged scientometric analysis, utilising informetric mapping software (VOSviewer) to evaluate emerging trends and their implications on defence capabilities. This approach facilitated a broader understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of defence technologies, identifying key areas for further exploration. The subsequent survey study, engaging 415 professionals and six experts across STEM, law enforcement, and ICT, aimed to assess the impact, deployment likelihood, and developmental timelines of the identified technologies. Findings: Key findings revealed significant overlaps in technology clusters, highlighting 11 specific technologies or trends as potential force multipliers for the ADF. Among these, Cyber and AI technologies were recognised for their immediate potential and urgency, suggesting a prioritisation for development investment. The analysis presented a clear imperative for urgent and prioritised technological investments, specifically in Cyber and AI technologies, followed by IoT/IoBT and autonomous systems technologies. The recommended strategic focus entails enhancing cyber security of critical infrastructure, optimising network communications, and harnessing smart sensors, among others. Implications: To maintain a competitive edge, the ADF and the Australian government must commit to significant investments in these priority technologies. This involves not only advancing the technological frontier but also fostering a flexible, innovation-friendly environment conducive to leveraging non-linear opportunities in technology innovation. Such an approach requires a concerted effort from both public and private sectors to invest resources effectively, ensuring the ADF\u27s adaptability and strategic overmatch in a rapidly changing technological landscape. Conclusion: Ultimately, this research illuminates the path forward for the ADF and Defence at large, highlighting the need for strategic investments in emerging technologies. By identifying strategic gaps, potential alliances, and sovereign technologies of high potential, this report serves as a blueprint for enhancing Australia\u27s defence capabilities and securing its strategic interests in the face of global technological shifts

Expanding Australia\u27s defence capabilities for technological asymmetric advantage in information, cyber and space in the context of accelerating regional military modernisation: A systemic design approach

Introduction. The aim of the project was to conduct a systemic design study to evaluate Australia\u27sopportunities and barriers for achieving a technological advantage in light of regional military technological advancement. It focussed on the three domains of (1) cybersecurity technology, (2) information technology, and (3) space technology. Research process. Employing a systemic design approach, the study first leveraged scientometric analysis, utilising informetric mapping software (VOSviewer) to evaluate emerging trends and their implications on defence capabilities. This approach facilitated a broader understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of defence technologies, identifying key areas for further exploration. The subsequent survey study, engaging 828 professionals across STEM, space, aerospace, defence/ law enforcement, and ICT, aimed to assess the impact, deployment likelihood, and developmental timelines of the identified technologies. Finally, five experts were interviewed to help elaborate on the findings in the survey and translate them into implications for the ADF. Findings. Key findings revealed significant overlaps in technology clusters, highlighting ten specific technologies or trends as potential force multipliers for the ADF. Among these, cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and optimisation and other algorithmic technologies were recognised for their immediate potential and urgency, suggesting a prioritisation for development investment. The analysis presented a clear imperative for urgent and prioritised technological investments, specifically in cybersecurity and information technologies, followed by space technologies. The research also suggested partnerships that Australia should develop to keep ahead in terms of regional military modernisation. Implications. To maintain a competitive edge, there is an urgent need for investment in the development and application of these technologies, as nearly all disruptive technologies identified for their potential impact, deployment/utilization likelihood, extensive use, and novelty for defence purposes are needed in the near-term (less than 5 years – cybersecurity and information technologies) or medium-term (less than 10 years – space technologies). In line with this, technology investments should be prioritized as follows: Priority 1 includes Cyber Security of critical infrastructure and optimization algorithms; Priority 2 encompasses Unmanned and autonomous systems and weapons, Deep/Machine Learning, and Space-based command and communications systems; and Priority 3 involves Industry 4.0 technologies, Quantum technology, Electromagnetic and navigation warfare systems, Hypersonic weapons, and Directed energy weapons. At the policy level, underfunding, bureaucratic inertia and outdated procurement models needed to be addressed to enhance agility of innovation. More critically, Australia needed to come up with creative ways to recruit, train and retain human capital to develop, manage and use these sophisticated technologies. Finally, in order to maintain a lead over competitors (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea) in the regional military technology competition, the survey and interviews indicate that Australia should continue its military technology alliances with long-standing partners (US, Europe, Israel), broaden its collaborations with more recent partners (Japan, Singapore, South Korea), and establish partnerships with new ones (India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Pacific Island nations). Conclusion. This study sheds light on the future direction for the ADF and Defence in general, underscoring the importance of strategic investments in up-and-coming technologies. By pinpointing strategic voids, potential partnerships, and sovereign technologies with high potential, this report acts as a roadmap for bolstering Australia’s defence capabilities and safeguarding its strategic interests amidst regional technological changes

Information Sharing: A Study of Information Attributes and their Relative Significance During Catastrophic Events

We live in a digital era where the global community relies on Information Systems to conduct all kinds of operations, including averting or responding to unanticipated risks and disasters. This can only happen when there is a robust information exchange facilitation mechanism in place, which can help in taking quick and legitimate steps in dealing with any kind of emergent situation. Prior literature in the field of information assurance has focused on building defense mechanisms to protect assets and reduce vulnerability to foreign attacks. Nevertheless, information assurance does not simply mean building an impermeable membrane and safeguarding information, but also implies letting information be securely shared, if required, among a set of related groups or organizations that serve a common purpose. This chapter will revolve around the central pivot of Information Sharing. Further, to study the relative significance of various information dimensions in different disaster situations, content analyses are conducted. The results hence obtained can be used to develop a prioritization framework for different disaster response activities, thus to increase the mitigation efficiency. We will also explore roles played by few existing organizations and technologies across the globe that are actively involved in Information Sharing to mitigate the impact of disasters and extreme events

Breakthroughs in Shared Measurement and Social Impact

A surprising new breakthrough is emerging in the social sector: A handful of innovative organizations have developed web-based systems for reporting the performance, measuring the outcomes, and coordinating the efforts of hundreds or even thousands of social enterprises within a field. These nascent efforts carry implications well beyond performance measurement, foreshadowing the possibility of profound changes in the vision and effectiveness of the entire nonprofit sector. This paper, based on six months of interviews and research by FSG Social Impact Advisors, examines twenty efforts to develop shared approaches to performance, outcome, or impact measurement across multiple organizations. The accompanying appendices include a short description of each system and four more in-depth case studies

QoS in Body Area Networks: A survey

Body Area Networks (BANs) are becoming increasingly popular and have shown great potential in real-time monitoring of the human body. With the promise of being cost-effective and unobtrusive and facilitating continuous monitoring, BANs have attracted a wide range of monitoring applications, including medical and healthcare, sports, and rehabilitation systems. Most of these applications are real time and life critical and require a strict guarantee of Quality of Service (QoS) in terms of timeliness, reliability, and so on. Recently, there has been a number of proposals describing diverse approaches or frameworks to achieve QoS in BANs (i.e., for different layers or tiers and different protocols). This survey put these individual efforts into perspective and presents a more holistic view of the area. In this regard, this article identifies a set of QoS requirements for BAN applications and shows how these requirements are linked in a three-tier BAN system and presents a comprehensive review of the existing proposals against those requirements. In addition, open research issues, challenges, and future research directions in achieving these QoS in BANs are highlighted.</jats:p

Quality Indicators for Home and Community-based Services [Working Paper]

In 2001, the Maine Department of Human Services received a three year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service to improve services for people with disabilities. This grant was part of the Real Choice Systems Change Initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. The grant funded work in four major areas: Person-centered services, Quality, Access, and Data Integration

From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet

This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)