Self-Evaluation Applied Mathematics 2003-2008 University of Twente

This report contains the self-study for the research assessment of the Department of Applied Mathematics (AM) of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) at the University of Twente (UT). The report provides the information for the Research Assessment Committee for Applied Mathematics, dealing with mathematical sciences at the three universities of technology in the Netherlands. It describes the state of affairs pertaining to the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2008

An exploratory study of the role of the human resource information system professional

The increasing implementation of technology applications into the workplace has substantiated the need for adept professionals who can manage HR technology for employees and provide data about the organization. For some companies, these professionals are found within the human resources department. These information systems professionals combine HR knowledge and technology skills to procure applications that improve work processes and HR outcomes. The qualitative study focused on exploring the role delineation of human resource information systems (HRIS) professionals to better understand the advantageous aspects of the role\u27s focus in HR technology and analytics. Specifically, the study aimed to describe how the HRIS professional role supports the functions of HR and transformation of HR activities within organizations. Additionally, the research sought to uncover how HRIS professionals described their responsibilities and competencies in response to the significance of data analytics, as well as how the HRIS professionals described the outlook of their professional role. Ten, semi-structured interviews were conducted with HRIS professionals who reported having progressive HRIS experience within U.S. based organizations. The results included HRIS professionals\u27 beliefs about their tasks, competencies, and job outlook and thematic analysis resulted in six categories: data management, HR/IT intersection, HRIS emergence, business intelligence, professional identity, and job satisfaction. The conclusions drawn from the research findings indicated that: HRIS professionals encourage HR technology integration to improve workplace processes; HRIS professionals manage data integrity and support the safeguarding of employee information; HRIS professionals manage data integrity and support the safeguarding of employee information; HRIS professionals run data inquiries and provide reports that influence decision making related to workforce and business outcomes; and HRIS professionals are enthusiastic about emergent job responsibilities in the design and coding of systems. Recommendations for practice include executive consideration toward improving the visibility of HRIS contributions as a way of strengthening relationships between HRIS professionals and the stakeholders they support. Recommendations also include further investigation into utilization of analytics in the workplace. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into the opinions of HRIS professionals about their role and interactions within their organizations and recognizes that HRIS professionals consider both people and data when it comes to HR technology implementation

4D Building Information Modelling With Augmented Reality on Mobile Devices to Support Construction Management: Applications and key performance criteria from a stakeholder perspective

This research addresses the gap between construction project management and the 3D visualization of construction sequence. Typically project managers use software that presents construction stages as 2D Gantt charts, where the X axis represents time and the Y axis represents the construction activity. These are then typically cross referenced to either 2D or 3D construction drawings. The potential of linking construction sequencing charts and critical paths to Building Information Models is well established. So called ‘4D BIM’ applications such as Synchro enable the linking of three dimensional information and Gantt charts. There is also precedent in virtual reality simulations, such as the AR4BC project by (Woodward, Hakkarainen, & Rainio, 2010) and the desktop VR simulation applications for teaching construction management (Nikolic, 2006). From these and other precedents it is observed that 4D BIM is orientated towards the final stages of design where models are complex and not optimized, while full VR applications are typically not available in practice. Moreover, recent availability of augmented reality applications for mobile devices opens up new ways to integrate 4D BIM into project management. As part of initial discussions with consultants, a mock-up of an AR application running on a tablet that would enable on - site visualization was demonstrated. Given positive feedback, prototype applications were developed using the Unity interactive 3D authoring platform, which provides real time interaction between a Gantt chart and a 3D model. The final AR application uses a plan drawing as the marker and the user can switch between isometric and first person cameras to review construction sequencing, with the aim of identifying potential sequencing issues and / or clashes in the design while on site. The prototype interface and functionality have been evaluated through a series of structured interviews with building industry professionals. The results of these interviews have been analysed and from this, key performance criteria and guidelines for further development have been identified. This thesis illustrates the potential of AR on mobile devices for construction management, documents the design and implementation of a prototype application and articulates issues for further research from the perspective of key building industry stakeholders

Usability of disaster apps : understanding the perspectives of the public as end-users : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency Management at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Listed in 2020 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesMultiple smartphone applications (apps) exist that can enhance the public’s resilience to disasters. Despite the capabilities of these apps, they can only be effective if users find them usable. Availability does not automatically translate to usability nor does it guarantee continued usage by the target users. A disaster app will be of little or no value if a user abandons it after the initial download. It is, therefore, essential to understand the users’ perspectives on the usability of disaster apps. In the context of disaster apps, usability entails providing the elements that effectively facilitate users in retrieving critical information, and thus enabling them to make decisions during crises. Establishing good usability for effective systems relies upon focussing on the user whereby technological solutions match the user’s needs and expectations. However, most studies on the usability of disaster context technologies have been conducted with emergency responders, and only a few have investigated the publics’ perspectives as end-users. This doctoral project, written within a ‘PhD-thesis-with-publication’ format, addresses this gap by investigating the usability of disaster apps through the perspectives of the public end-users. The investigation takes an explicitly perceived usability standpoint where the experiences of the end-users are prioritised. Data analysis involved user-centric information to understand the public’s context and the mechanisms of disaster app usability. A mixed methods approach incorporates the qualitative analysis of app store data of 1,405 user reviews from 58 existing disaster apps, the quantitative analysis of 271 survey responses from actual disaster app users, and the qualitative analysis of usability inquiries with 18 members of the public. Insights gathered from this doctoral project highlight that end-users do not anticipate using disaster apps frequently, which poses particular challenges. Furthermore, despite the anticipated low frequency of use, because of the life-safety association of disasters apps, end-users have an expectation that the apps can operate with adequate usability when needed. This doctoral project provides focussed outcomes that consider such user perspectives. First, an app store analysis investigating user reviews identified new usability concerns particular to disaster apps. It highlighted users’ opinion on phone resource usage and relevance of content, among others. More importantly, it defined a new usability factor, app dependability, relating to the life-safety context of disaster apps. App dependability is the degree to which users’ perceive that an app can operate dependably during critical scenarios. Second, the quantitative results from this research have contributed towards producing a usability-continuance model, highlighting the usability factors that affect end-users’ intention to keep or uninstall a disaster app. The key influences for users’ intention to keep disaster apps are: (1) users’ perceptions as to whether the app delivers its function (app utility), (2) whether it does so dependably (app dependability), and (3) whether it presents information that can be easily understood (user-interface output). Subsequently, too much focus on (4) user-interface graphics and (5) user-interface input can encourage users to uninstall apps. Third, the results from the qualitative analysis of the inquiry data provide a basis for developing guidelines for disaster app usability. In the expectation of low level of engagement with disaster app users, the guidelines list recommendations addressing information salience, cognitive load, and trust. This doctoral project provides several contributions to the body of knowledge for usability and disaster apps. It reiterates the importance of investigating the usability of technological products for disasters and showcases the value of user-centric data in understanding usability. It has investigated usability with particular attention to the end-users’ perspectives on the context of disaster apps and, thus, produces a theoretical usability-continuance model to advance disaster app usability research and usability guidelines to encourage responsible design in practice

Process Improvement Solution for Mobile Platform Customer SW Development

Masteroppgave i informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi 2008 – Universitetet i Agder, GrimstadTime to market is becoming an increasingly important topic in software industry. In this trend, handling customer change requests is of a paramount importance. In the current thesis, we investigate reducing the lead time of handling customer requests at EMP Grimstad. Problems were identified and an extensive solution that covers all the aspects of these problems are presented. An experience was conducted and the first results are promising