Hybrid Approach for Website Quality Evaluation: Linear Weightage Model and Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process

In rece~t years, many people have devoted their efforts to the issue of quality of website. The ',concept of quality is consisting of many criteria: quality of service ' perspective, a user perspective, a content perspective or indeed ,a usability perspective. The very spec,ial nature of the web applications and website' pose unique software testing challen'g es. Webmasters, Web applications developers, and Website quality assurance managers need tools and methods that can match up to the new needs. The result of this study confirmed that criteria of website quality consist of eleven criteria I (load time, response time, page rank, frequency of update, traffic,;, design optimization, size, nu mber of ite\ns, accessibility error, markup validation, and broken link). Online diagnostic tools 'provided in the internet can be used to measure V)'ebsite quality related with criteria that' was determined in this research. This decreases the economic and noneconomic cost for conducting website evaluation. Online diagn9stics tools allow the website designer or researcher to evaluate many websites and to detect potential problems as well' as actual problems. This research conducts some tests to measure the ' quality website of Asian countries via web diagnostic tools on.line. The researcher proposes a methqdology for determining and evaluating the best e-government, Asian ' airlines, and Malaysian universities sites based on many criteria, of website quality. Applying Hybrid model between LWM and F AHP approach for website evaluation has resulted in significant acceleration of implementation, raised the overall effectiveness ' with respect to the underlying methodology and ultimately enabled more efficient procedure. The result of this study confirmed most of Asian web~ites are neglecting performance and airlines websites have the best quality performancre based on Hybrid Model Evaluation. According to the results of the evaluation process, Airlines sector has ' the highest average. score compare to e-govemment and university. Keywords:-performance, quality, website, Hybrid model.In compliance with the terms of the Copyright Act 1987 and the IP Policy of the university, the copyright of this thesis has been reassigned by the author to the legal entity of the university, Institute of Technology PETRONAS Sdn Bhd. Due acknowledgement shall always be made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, this thesis. © Handaru Jati, 2010 Institute of Technology PETRONAS Sdn Bhd All rights reserved. vi

Integrated double loop data driven model for public policymaking

Public policy is the critical key of the welfare programs. An Integrated Double Loop Data Driven Model is proposed to assist in Public Policymaking in solving public problems in a holistic and complete way. The Integrated Model consists of two components: Data Driven Model and Double Loop Model. The first model utilizes Big Data in E-Government Maturity (EM) for Public Policymaking (PP), in which a new E-Government Maturity Model is proposed to support data driven public policymaking based on Big Data. Subsequently, the second model adopts the double loop learning in System Dynamics (SD) whereby, a case study is discussed to show on how to utilize Big Data and System Dynamics for Public Policymaking. The interaction between Big Data, System Dynamics and Public Policymaking are captured in one conceptual model. A new method, System Breakdown Structure (SBS), to bridge between the two models is introduced in the case study. PLS-SEM test on the relationship between EM, SD and PP supports the positive correlation between EM to SD, SD to PP and EM to PP. The R square of PP is 0.48 indicating a high confidence level of the contribution of EM and SD in PP. The R square of SD is 0.45. Both results are also emphasized by the path coefficient result, whereby the path coefficient between EM to SD and SD to PP is higher than 50%. By comparing the path coefficient of EM to PP with and without the SD, the strong influence of SD puts it as full mediation effect. This result would also be similar if the multi-group analysis were conducted. Only for certain paths, there are significant statistical differences between each group; however they still produce positive correlations. The paths are EM to SD path in multigroup analysis of PNS (civil servant) and non-PNS (non-civil servant) and EM to PP path in multigroup analysis of Java and Sumatera islands (more developed region) and Other islands (less developed region). Based on the case study and PLS-SEM test, the Integrated Double Loop Data Driven Model is recommended to be implemented to assist in solving public problem

The role of data within coastal resilience assessments: an East Anglia, UK, case study

Embracing the concept of resilience within coastal management marks a step change in thinking, building on the inputs of more traditional risk assessments, and further accounting for capacities to respond, recover and implement contingency measures. Nevertheless, many past resilience assessments have been theoretical and have failed to address the requirements of practitioners. Assessment methods can also be subjective, relying on opinion-based judgements, and can lack empirical validation. Scope exists to address these challenges through drawing on rapidly emerging sources of data and smart analytics. This, alongside the careful selection of the metrics used in assessment of resilience, can facilitate more robust assessment methods. This work sets out to establish a set of core metrics, and data sources suitable for inclusion within a data-driven coastal resilience assessment. A case study region of East Anglia, UK, is focused on, and data types and sources associated with a set of proven assessment metrics were identified. Virtually all risk-specific metrics could be satisfied using available or derived data sources. However, a high percentage of the resilience-specific metrics would still require human input. This indicates that assessment of resilience is inherently more subjective than assessment of risk. Yet resilience assessments incorporate both risk and resilience specific variables. As such it was possible to link 75% of our selected metrics to empirical sources. Through taking a case study approach and discussing a set of requirements outlined by a coastal authority, this paper reveals scope for the incorporation of rapidly progressing data collection, dissemination, and analytical methods, within dynamic coastal resilience assessments. This could facilitate more sustainable evidence-based management of coastal regions

A case-based reasoning approach to improve risk identification in construction projects

Risk management is an important process to enhance the understanding of the project so as to support decision making. Despite well established existing methods, the application of risk management in practice is frequently poor. The reasons for this are investigated as accuracy, complexity, time and cost involved and lack of knowledge sharing. Appropriate risk identification is fundamental for successful risk management. Well known risk identification methods require expert knowledge, hence risk identification depends on the involvement and the sophistication of experts. Subjective judgment and intuition usually from par1t of experts’ decision, and sharing and transferring this knowledge is restricted by the availability of experts. Further, psychological research has showed that people have limitations in coping with complex reasoning. In order to reduce subjectivity and enhance knowledge sharing, artificial intelligence techniques can be utilised. An intelligent system accumulates retrievable knowledge and reasoning in an impartial way so that a commonly acceptable solution can be achieved. Case-based reasoning enables learning from experience, which matches the manner that human experts catch and process information and knowledge in relation to project risks. A case-based risk identification model is developed to facilitate human experts making final decisions. This approach exploits the advantage of knowledge sharing, increasing confidence and efficiency in investment decisions, and enhancing communication among the project participants

Coastal management and adaptation: an integrated data-driven approach

Coastal regions are some of the most exposed to environmental hazards, yet the coast is the preferred settlement site for a high percentage of the global population, and most major global cities are located on or near the coast. This research adopts a predominantly anthropocentric approach to the analysis of coastal risk and resilience. This centres on the pervasive hazards of coastal flooding and erosion. Coastal management decision-making practices are shown to be reliant on access to current and accurate information. However, constraints have been imposed on information flows between scientists, policy makers and practitioners, due to a lack of awareness and utilisation of available data sources. This research seeks to tackle this issue in evaluating how innovations in the use of data and analytics can be applied to further the application of science within decision-making processes related to coastal risk adaptation. In achieving this aim a range of research methodologies have been employed and the progression of topics covered mark a shift from themes of risk to resilience. The work focuses on a case study region of East Anglia, UK, benefiting from the input of a partner organisation, responsible for the region’s coasts: Coastal Partnership East. An initial review revealed how data can be utilised effectively within coastal decision-making practices, highlighting scope for application of advanced Big Data techniques to the analysis of coastal datasets. The process of risk evaluation has been examined in detail, and the range of possibilities afforded by open source coastal datasets were revealed. Subsequently, open source coastal terrain and bathymetric, point cloud datasets were identified for 14 sites within the case study area. These were then utilised within a practical application of a geomorphological change detection (GCD) method. This revealed how analysis of high spatial and temporal resolution point cloud data can accurately reveal and quantify physical coastal impacts. Additionally, the research reveals how data innovations can facilitate adaptation through insurance; more specifically how the use of empirical evidence in pricing of coastal flood insurance can result in both communication and distribution of risk. The various strands of knowledge generated throughout this study reveal how an extensive range of data types, sources, and advanced forms of analysis, can together allow coastal resilience assessments to be founded on empirical evidence. This research serves to demonstrate how the application of advanced data-driven analytical processes can reduce levels of uncertainty and subjectivity inherent within current coastal environmental management practices. Adoption of methods presented within this research could further the possibilities for sustainable and resilient management of the incredibly valuable environmental resource which is the coast

The medical management of casualties in a chemical contaminated environment : a start for the CBRNE defence research program for clinicians

The main objective of this research program was to assess the status of clinical knowledge and evidence-based practice in the medical management of mass casualties, contaminated by exposure to a chemical weapon, during a medical evacuation, which is defined as from the incident site of a contaminated environment up-to a clean zone. First, in our published systematic review, we assessed past medical responses during a chemical attack. The lack of clinical data and intervention-related information, such as protection and decontamination capabilities, stresses not only the need to study acute or prehospital settings, but also a set of integrated competences in the contaminated environment (i.e.: protection, decontamination and clinical interventions) (Prospero registered CRD42019104473). Second, a method paper which presents an ongoing international retro-prospective observational study on the medical responses during a chemical attack has been submitted for publication. The goal of this study is to describe the acute clinical management of patients in the contaminated zone (1970-2036; US Clinical trial registered NCT05026645). Data gathering is currently ongoing with the use of a comprehensive online registry programmed by the Quebec Respiratory Health Research Network. In the third and fourth, we started the development of two technological innovations to improve the medical management of mass casualties, caused by a chemical weapon, in contaminated environments. The first is the creation of a mobile laboratory for the continuity of our work in both indoor and outdoor settings. The other is the launch of a research program, named VIMY Multi-System, which includes: (1) An electronic casualty card system integrating the United Kingdom National Early Warning System; (2) a forward-deployable telemedicine capability prototype – currently undergoing integration testing – that incorporates drone technology to monitor patients being clinically managed in a simulated chemically contaminated environment. Our fifth published paper, on the methods of oxygen conservation with an automated titration system (n= 60; US Clinical trial registered NCT02782936 and NCT02809807), showed that such an automated system may constitute a viable medical solution for interventions in a contaminated environment and also constitutes one of the possible solutions to improve therapeutic interventions. The system studied allows the maintenance of adequate oxygenation while reducing the use of oxygen in patients, making it possible to extend their treatment duration even under conditions of limited logistical resources in oxygen. The oxygen flow provided by the automated system allows a mean reduction in administered oxygen quantities of more than six-fold when decreasing the prescribed SpO2 target from 98 to 90% (5 L/min to1 L/min, p <0.001) in hospitalized patients with respiratory disorders. The comparison was conducted on the basis of conservative flow rate targets reported in the literature (2.5, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 l/min). When it comes to the automated correction of a hypoxemic condition in sick patients and healthy subjects wearing a gas mask, the prescribed SpO2 target resulted in maximum administered oxygen flow rates of 0.2 L/min and 2.9 L/min respectively. These results show a possible logistic and therapeutic optimization in the use of oxygen. Finally, these initial advances will be integrated as our research work progresses in order to improve clinical evidence-based practices in contaminated environments due to the use of chemical weapons.L’objectif principal de cette recherche était d’évaluer l’état des connaissances et le savoir-faire de la pratique clinique dans la gestion d’un grand nombre de blessés, contaminés des suites d’une exposition à l’arme chimique, pendant leur évacuation médicale depuis le site de l’incident dans un environnement contaminé jusqu’à la zone propre. Premièrement, dans une revue systématique que nous avons publiée, nous avons évalué les réponses médicales passées lors d’attaques chimiques. Le manque de données cliniques et d’autres informations liées à l’intervention, tel que les capacités de protection et de décontamination, souligne non seulement la nécessité d’étudier l’environnement préhospitalier, mais aussi la gamme de compétences interdépendantes en milieu contaminé (c.-à-d. : protection, décontamination et interventions cliniques) (Prospero CRD42019104473). Deuxièmement, nous avons soumis pour publication la méthodologie d’une étude rétroprospective observationnelle internationale s’intéressant aux réponses médicales lors d’une attaque chimique. Le but consiste à décrire la gestion clinique en soins aigus des blessés dans la zone contaminée (1970-2036) (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05026645). L’acquisition de données est en cours à l’aide d’un registre de données intégral en ligne qui a été programmé par le Réseau de recherche en santé respiratoire du Québec. En troisième et quatrième lieu, nous avons entrepris le développement de deux innovations technologiques afin d’améliorer la prise en charge médicale des patients en milieu contaminé à la suite de l’utilisation de l’arme chimique. L’un est la création d’un laboratoire mobile pour poursuivre nos travaux tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur. L’autre est la mise sur pied d’un programme de recherche, nommé VIMY Multi-Systèmes, qui inclut : (1) un système de carte de blessés électronique intégrant le système national d’alerte précoce du Royaume-Uni, (2) les premiers tests d’intégration d’un prototype d’une capacité de télémédecine de déploiement avancé, incluant la technologie du drone, pour une surveillance clinique globale des patients pris en charge en milieu contaminé chimique simulé. Notre cinquième publication, qui porte sur les méthodes de maintien de l’oxygénation par titrage automatisée (n=60 ; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02782936 et NCT02809807), nous a permis de démontrer qu’un système automatisé peut constituer une solution médicale intéressante qui serait applicable dans les interventions en milieu contaminé et de surcroît comme une solution pour améliorer les actions thérapeutiques. Le système que nous avons étudié permet de maintenir une oxygénation adéquate tout en limitant la consommation d’oxygène des patients, prolongeant ainsi leur durée de traitement, notamment en cas de ressources en oxygène limitées. D’une part, le débit de l’oxygène fourni par le système automatisé a permis une réduction moyenne des quantités administrées de l’ordre de plus de six fois lors de la diminution de la cible de saturation en oxygène (SpO2) prescrite de 98 à 90 % (5 L/min à 1 L/min, p < 0,001) chez les patients hospitalisés atteints de maladies respiratoires. La comparaison s’est faite par rapport à des débits conservateurs rapportés dans la littérature (2,5, 5,0, 10,0 et 15,0 L/min). D’autre part, la correction automatisée d’une condition hypoxémique chez les patients malades et les sujets sains portant le masque à gaz, la cible SpO2 a engendré des débits maximaux d’oxygènes administrés de 2,5 et 2,9 L/min respectivement. Ainsi, nous avons démontré une optimalisation logistique et thérapeutique de la consommation de l’oxygène. Finalement, ces premières avancées seront intégrées au fur et à mesure de l’avancement de nos recherches afin d’améliorer le processus de soins en milieu contaminé issu de l’utilisation de l’arme chimique

The critical factors of e-government adoption: An empirical study in the Saudi Arabia public sectors

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 05/01/2007.This thesis draws on electronic government (e-govemment) policy formulation, implementation and execution. IT has been enthused by the perceived lack of a model for e-government in Saudi Arabia public sectors. A model for e-government implementation is developed for Saudi Arabia. It examines critical factors that have impacts on e-government implementation in Saudi public sectors by collecting and analysing data in both quantitative and qualitative approaches, and further presenting an extensive review on literature. This exercise is significant, to avoid the pitfalls of imposing universal approaches to research and policy practices. The conclusions and recommendations of this research are significant for both practitioners, in providing guidelines for e-government implementation, and scholars, in suggesting further research in the new area of e-government

E-Governance: Strategy for Mitigating Non-Inclusion of Citizens in Policy Making in Nigeria

The Nigerian federation that currently has 36 states structure adopted the Weberian Public Administrative system before now as an ideal way of running government, which was characterized with the traditional way of doing things without recourse to the deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Today e-governance is seen as a paradigm shift from the previous way of governance. Research has shown that, the adoption and implementation of e-governance is more likely to bring about effective service delivery, mitigate corruption and ultimately enhance citizens’ participation in governmental affairs. However, it has been argued that infrastructure such as regular electricity power and access to the Internet, in addition to a society with high rate of literacy level are required to effectively implement and realize the potentials of e-governance for improved delivery of services. Due to the difficulties currently experienced, developing nations need to adequately prepare for the implementation of e-governance on the platform of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Hence, this study seeks to examine whether the adoption and implementation of e-governance in the context of Nigeria would mitigate the hitherto non-inclusion of citizens in the formulation and implementation of government policies aimed at enhanced development. To achieve the objective of the study, data were sourced and analyzed majorly by examining government websites of 20 states in the Nigerian federation to ascertain if there are venues for citizens to interact with government in the area of policy making and feedback on government actions, as a way of promoting participatory governance. The study revealed that the adoption and implementation of e-governance in the country is yet to fully take place. This is due to lack of infrastructure, low level of literacy rate and government inability to provide the necessary infrastructure for e-governance to materialize. The paper therefore, recommends among others the need for the Federal Government to involve a sound and clear policy on how to go about the adoption and implementation of egovernance through deliberate effort at increasing budgetary allocation towards infrastructural development and mass education of citizens

The Impact of e-Democracy in Political Stability of Nigeria

The history of the Nigerian electoral process has been hitherto characterized by violence stemming from disputes in election outcomes. For instance, violence erupted across some states in Northern Nigeria when results indicated that a candidate who was popular in that part of the country was losing the election leading to avoidable loss of lives. Beside, this dispute in election outcome lingers for a long time in litigation at the electoral tribunals which distracts effective governance. However, the increasing penetrating use of ICTs in Nigeria is evident in the electoral processes with consequent shift in the behavior of actors in the democratic processes, thus changing the ways Nigerians react to election outcomes. This paper examines the trend in the use ICT in the Nigerian political system and its impact on the stability of the polity. It assesses the role of ICT in recent electoral processes and compares its impact on the outcome of the process in lieu of previous experiences in the Nigeria. Furthermore, the paper also examines the challenges and risks of implementing e-Democracy in Nigeria and its relationship to the economy in the light of the socio-economic situation of the country. The paper adopted qualitative approach in data gathering and analysis. From the findings, the paper observed that e-democracy is largely dependent on the level of ICT adoption, which is still at its lowest ebb in the country. It recognizes the challenges in the provision of ICT infrastructure and argues that appropriate low-cost infrastructure applicable to the Nigerian condition can be made available to implement e-democracy and thus arouse the interest of the populace in governance, increase the number of voters, and enhance transparency, probity and accountability, and participation in governance as well as help stabilize the nascent democrac