An information retrieval approach to ontology mapping

In this paper, we present a heuristic mapping method and a prototype mapping system that support the process of semi-automatic ontology mapping for the purpose of improving semantic interoperability in heterogeneous systems. The approach is based on the idea of semantic enrichment, i.e., using instance information of the ontology to enrich the original ontology and calculate similarities between concepts in two ontologies. The functional settings for the mapping system are discussed and the evaluation of the prototype implementation of the approach is reported. \ud \u

Information Technology Applications in Hospitality and Tourism: A Review of Publications from 2005 to 2007

The tourism and hospitality industries have widely adopted information technology (IT) to reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency, and most importantly to improve service quality and customer experience. This article offers a comprehensive review of articles that were published in 57 tourism and hospitality research journals from 2005 to 2007. Grouping the findings into the categories of consumers, technologies, and suppliers, the article sheds light on the evolution of IT applications in the tourism and hospitality industries. The article demonstrates that IT is increasingly becoming critical for the competitive operations of the tourism and hospitality organizations as well as for managing the distribution and marketing of organizations on a global scale

Government capacity and citizen expectations in Bougainville: The impact of political autonomy

After ten years of civil war (1989-97), four years of protracted political negotiations (1998-2001), and another four years of legislative amendments (2002-05), Bougainvillians now have a government which the majority believe will finally address the issues that underpinned two previous unilateral declarations of independence (1975 and 1990). However while expectations are understandably high, the ABG’s ability to meet citizen expectations is being hampered by the government’s administrative, institutional and financial capacities, the security situation on the island and a very weak economy. The success or failure of political autonomy, and indeed this post-conflict governance structure will depend to a large extent on the type of policies that the government designs and implements as well as its interactions with citizens

Mobile phones and the promises of connectivity: Interrogating the Role of Information, Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Marketisation

This research investigates the role of ICTs (mobile phones) in economic development particularly in the Papua New Guinean coffee and fresh produce value chains. It aims to interrogate the promises and unwavering optimism attached to the 'ICT revolution' by examining the effects of ICTs on economic practices and the extent to which communication and network integration will be a driver of development. Following the deregulation of the telecommunications sector in 2007, considerable attention has been paid to the digital transformation in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands and the unprecedented growth of mobile phone and social media use. PNG's mobile phone penetration has increased exponentially from approximately 2% to over 48.6% in just over ten years (from 2005 to 2016 - World Bank 2017). Media commentators have noted with delight that there are now more Pacific Islanders with mobile phones than bank accounts and that in PNG alone, internet access from mobile phones is forecast to increase to about 50 per cent of the population in the near future (UNESCAP 2006, Beschorner 2008, SPC 2012). Much expectancy and promise has already been attached to the future impacts of such increased connectivity as World Bank Economists postulate that a 10% improvement in Internet penetration leads to an increase in GDP of up to of 1.5%; while 10% increase in mobile penetration can translate into a 0.81% increase in growth (Qiang et al. 2009). These projections are mainly premised on the assumption that increased connectivity will facilitate better access to current information about market prices and reduce price dispersion; producing savings in time, transport and search costs. Furthermore, ICTs could directly link small scale producers to buyer's markets by weeding out 'rent seeking' brokers and middlemen in the value chain through a process referred to as 'disintermediation'. Using case studies from key regional economic sectors, this thesis interrogates if such claims are borne out on the ground and tests if information infrastructure is necessarily going to lead to more openness, equality and an all-encompassing 'digital provide' (Jensen 2007)

Large-scale Mines and Local-level Politics

Despite the difference in their populations and political status, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea have comparable levels of economic dependence on the extraction and export of mineral resources. For this reason, the costs and benefits of large-scale mining projects for indigenous communities has been a major political issue in both jurisdictions, and one that has come to be negotiated through multiple channels at different levels of political organisation. The ‘resource boom’ that took place in the early years of the current century has only served to intensify the political contests and conflicts that surround the distribution of social, economic and environmental costs and benefits between community members and other ‘stakeholders’ in the large-scale mining industry. However, the mutual isolation of Anglophone and Francophone scholars has formed a barrier to systematic comparison of the relationship between large-scale mines and local-level politics in Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia, despite their geographical proximity. This collection of essays represents an effort to overcome this barrier, but is also intended as a major contribution to the growth of academic and political debate about the social impact of the large-scale mining industry in Melanesia and beyond

Semantic Management of Location-Based Services in Wireless Environments

En los últimos años el interés por la computación móvil ha crecido debido al incesante uso de dispositivos móviles (por ejemplo, smartphones y tablets) y su ubicuidad. El bajo coste de dichos dispositivos unido al gran número de sensores y mecanismos de comunicación que equipan, hace posible el desarrollo de sistemas de información útiles para sus usuarios. Utilizando un cierto tipo especial de sensores, los mecanismos de posicionamiento, es posible desarrollar Servicios Basados en la Localización (Location-Based Services o LBS en inglés) que ofrecen un valor añadido al considerar la localización de los usuarios de dispositivos móviles para ofrecerles información personalizada. Por ejemplo, se han presentado numerosos LBS entre los que se encuentran servicios para encontrar taxis, detectar amigos en las cercanías, ayudar a la extinción de incendios, obtener fotos e información de los alrededores, etc. Sin embargo, los LBS actuales están diseñados para escenarios y objetivos específicos y, por lo tanto, están basados en esquemas predefinidos para el modelado de los elementos involucrados en estos escenarios. Además, el conocimiento del contexto que manejan es implícito; razón por la cual solamente funcionan para un objetivo específico. Por ejemplo, en la actualidad un usuario que llega a una ciudad tiene que conocer (y comprender) qué LBS podrían darle información acerca de medios de transporte específicos en dicha ciudad y estos servicios no son generalmente reutilizables en otras ciudades. Se han propuesto en la literatura algunas soluciones ad hoc para ofrecer LBS a usuarios pero no existe una solución general y flexible que pueda ser aplicada a muchos escenarios diferentes. Desarrollar tal sistema general simplemente uniendo LBS existentes no es sencillo ya que es un desafío diseñar un framework común que permita manejar conocimiento obtenido de datos enviados por objetos heterogéneos (incluyendo datos textuales, multimedia, sensoriales, etc.) y considerar situaciones en las que el sistema tiene que adaptarse a contextos donde el conocimiento cambia dinámicamente y en los que los dispositivos pueden usar diferentes tecnologías de comunicación (red fija, inalámbrica, etc.). Nuestra propuesta en la presente tesis es el sistema SHERLOCK (System for Heterogeneous mobilE Requests by Leveraging Ontological and Contextual Knowledge) que presenta una arquitectura general y flexible para ofrecer a los usuarios LBS que puedan serles interesantes. SHERLOCK se basa en tecnologías semánticas y de agentes: 1) utiliza ontologías para modelar la información de usuarios, dispositivos, servicios, y el entorno, y un razonador para manejar estas ontologías e inferir conocimiento que no ha sido explicitado; 2) utiliza una arquitectura basada en agentes (tanto estáticos como móviles) que permite a los distintos dispositivos SHERLOCK intercambiar conocimiento y así mantener sus ontologías locales actualizadas, y procesar peticiones de información de sus usuarios encontrando lo que necesitan, allá donde esté. El uso de estas dos tecnologías permite a SHERLOCK ser flexible en términos de los servicios que ofrece al usuario (que son aprendidos mediante la interacción entre los dispositivos), y de los mecanismos para encontrar la información que el usuario quiere (que se adaptan a la infraestructura de comunicación subyacente)

State and Society in Papua New Guinea

Politics and government; Social conditions; Papua new guine