Building Better Interfaces for Remote Autonomous Systems

This 'Open Access' SpringerBrief provides foundational knowledge for designing autonomous, asynchronous systems and explains aspects of users relevant to designing for these systems, introduces principles for user-centered design, and prepares readers for more advanced and specific readings. It provides context and the implications for design choices made during the design and development of the complex systems that are part of operation centers. As such, each chapter includes principles to summarize the design implication that engineers can use to inform their own design of interfaces for operation centers and similar systems. It includes example materials for the design of a fictitious system, which are referenced in the book and can be duplicated and extended for real systems. The design materials include a system overview, the system architecture, an example scenario, a stakeholder analysis, a task analysis, a description of the system and interface technology, and contextualized design guidelines. The guidelines can be specified because the user, the task, and the technology are well specified as an example. Building Better Interfaces for Remote Autonomous Systems is for working system engineers who are designing interfaces used in high throughput, high stake, operation centers (op centers) or control rooms, such as network operation centers (NOCs). Intended users will have a technical undergraduate degree (e.g., computer science) with little or no training in design, human sciences, or with human-centered iterative design methods and practices. Background research for the book was supplemented by interaction with the intended audience through a related project with L3Harris Technologies (formerly Harris Corporation)

Building Better Interfaces for Remote Autonomous Systems

This 'Open Access' SpringerBrief provides foundational knowledge for designing autonomous, asynchronous systems and explains aspects of users relevant to designing for these systems, introduces principles for user-centered design, and prepares readers for more advanced and specific readings. It provides context and the implications for design choices made during the design and development of the complex systems that are part of operation centers. As such, each chapter includes principles to summarize the design implication that engineers can use to inform their own design of interfaces for operation centers and similar systems. It includes example materials for the design of a fictitious system, which are referenced in the book and can be duplicated and extended for real systems. The design materials include a system overview, the system architecture, an example scenario, a stakeholder analysis, a task analysis, a description of the system and interface technology, and contextualized design guidelines. The guidelines can be specified because the user, the task, and the technology are well specified as an example. Building Better Interfaces for Remote Autonomous Systems is for working system engineers who are designing interfaces used in high throughput, high stake, operation centers (op centers) or control rooms, such as network operation centers (NOCs). Intended users will have a technical undergraduate degree (e.g., computer science) with little or no training in design, human sciences, or with human-centered iterative design methods and practices. Background research for the book was supplemented by interaction with the intended audience through a related project with L3Harris Technologies (formerly Harris Corporation)

Future Energy Networks and the Role of Interactive Gaming as Simulation

As energy systems integration deepens to support the development of a cleaner and more intelligent energy infrastructure, it will be increasingly important for consumers to better understand their relationship to energy systems and to take more proactive roles in managing energy. Foregrounding the importance of systems comprehension, we argue for the strong potential of interactive games to be helpful in engaging consumers in sustainable energy practices, as they can demonstrate complex system dynamics through simulation-based experiences. Focusing on interrogations of engagement and social change posed by gaming theorists and designers, and using several flagship interactive games as points of reference, we discuss the elements of game space that make it capable of simulating complex systems and large-scale implications of energy decisions richly and effectively. We discuss social, technological, and narrative elements of game play, pairing a theoretical investigation with a practical exploration of how energyrelated games can link with data in the real world, with particular emphasis on the emerging Internet of Things. Our conclusions emphasise the importance of game simulation toward the longer-term goal of cultivating more complex patterns of interaction and cultural analysis around energy use; this is based on the assertion that energy, a social resource, must be managed in ways that are equally social

Inside the Box: A Case Study of How Spatial Rhetoric in High School Computer Science Curricula Inhibited the Acquisition of Technology Competence

More rhetorical skills are now required to navigate critically and productively in technological spaces; that means that one must possess a specific type of literacy, called technology competence, which enables one to understand the evolution of technology, the nature and design of technology, and its rhetorical effects on people and society. Initially envisioned as a multi-case study across school districts, this project changed to a single case study pilot project because the COVID-19 pandemic restricted access to classrooms in multiple school districts for observations, thus significantly reducing the sample size in the data set. Through a mixed methods case study of an introductory course in a majority-minority urban high school, this dissertation explored how students’ acquisition of technology competence was supported by the technology curricula offered in high schools and how the rhetoric in this technological space, the introductory course, affected students’ abilities to acquire technological competence that would enable them to extend their knowledge beyond access, to actively producing technology. Data collection included publicly available curricula and syllabi from local school districts, the state’s information technology curriculum, surveys from teachers and students, classroom observations, samples of lesson plans, student work, and interviews with teachers and students. The computer science pathways in the curriculum, spaces in which students could acquire technology literacy and develop technology competence, were severely restricted due to geography and local school zones, the level and quality of the computer science curriculum offered by the school and district, staffing and master scheduling, and teacher effectiveness. These findings indicated a need for a more standardized curriculum and instructional units for one introductory class that feeds multiple information technology pathways or specialized introductory classes for each separate pathway. To promote equity in access to the curriculum for all students, districts and schools should prioritize the state’s computer science curriculum in staffing, scheduling, and funding, to ensure that students in all zoned schools in the district have access to more of the computer science courses in the state’s curriculum

Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy

This open access book provides researchers and professionals with a foundational understanding of online privacy as well as insight into the socio-technical privacy issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems, covering several modern topics (e.g., privacy in social media, IoT) and underexplored areas (e.g., privacy accessibility, privacy for vulnerable populations, cross-cultural privacy). The book is structured in four parts, which follow after an introduction to privacy on both a technical and social level: Privacy Theory and Methods covers a range of theoretical lenses through which one can view the concept of privacy. The chapters in this part relate to modern privacy phenomena, thus emphasizing its relevance to our digital, networked lives. Next, Domains covers a number of areas in which privacy concerns and implications are particularly salient, including among others social media, healthcare, smart cities, wearable IT, and trackers. The Audiences section then highlights audiences that have traditionally been ignored when creating privacy-preserving experiences: people from other (non-Western) cultures, people with accessibility needs, adolescents, and people who are underrepresented in terms of their race, class, gender or sexual identity, religion or some combination. Finally, the chapters in Moving Forward outline approaches to privacy that move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions, explore ethical considerations, and describe the regulatory landscape that governs privacy through laws and policies. Perhaps even more so than the other chapters in this book, these chapters are forward-looking by using current personalized, ethical and legal approaches as a starting point for re-conceptualizations of privacy to serve the modern technological landscape. The book’s primary goal is to inform IT students, researchers, and professionals about both the fundamentals of online privacy and the issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems. Lecturers or teacherscan assign (parts of) the book for a “professional issues” course. IT professionals may select chapters covering domains and audiences relevant to their field of work, as well as the Moving Forward chapters that cover ethical and legal aspects. Academicswho are interested in studying privacy or privacy-related topics will find a broad introduction in both technical and social aspects

The Algorithmic Divide and Equality in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In the age of artificial intelligence, highly sophisticated algorithms have been deployed to provide analysis, detect patterns, optimize solutions, accelerate operations, facilitate self-learning, minimize human errors and biases and foster improvements in technological products and services. Notwithstanding these tremendous benefits, algorithms and intelligent machines do not provide equal benefits to all. Just as the digital divide has separated those with access to the Internet, information technology and digital content from those without, an emerging and ever-widening algorithmic divide now threatens to take away the many political, social, economic, cultural, educational and career opportunities provided by machine learning and artificial intelligence.Although policy makers, commentators and the mass media have paid growing attention to algorithmic bias and the shortcomings of machine learning and artificial intelligence, the algorithmic divide has yet to attract much policy and scholarly attention. To fill this lacuna, this article draws on the digital divide literature to systematically analyze this new inequitable gap between the technology haves and have-nots. Utilizing an analytical framework that the Author developed in the early 2000s, the article begins by discussing the five attributes of the algorithmic divide: awareness, access, affordability, availability and adaptability.This article then turns to three major problems precipitated by an emerging and fast-expanding algorithmic divide: (1) algorithmic deprivation; (2) algorithmic discrimination; and (3) algorithmic distortion. While the first two problems affect primarily those on the unfortunate side of the divide, the last problem impacts individuals on both sides. This article concludes by proposing seven non-exhaustive clusters of remedial actions to help bridge this emerging and ever-widening algorithmic divide. Combining law, communications policy, ethical principles, institutional mechanisms and business practices, the article fashions a holistic response to help foster equality in the age of artificial intelligence

Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy

This open access book provides researchers and professionals with a foundational understanding of online privacy as well as insight into the socio-technical privacy issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems, covering several modern topics (e.g., privacy in social media, IoT) and underexplored areas (e.g., privacy accessibility, privacy for vulnerable populations, cross-cultural privacy). The book is structured in four parts, which follow after an introduction to privacy on both a technical and social level: Privacy Theory and Methods covers a range of theoretical lenses through which one can view the concept of privacy. The chapters in this part relate to modern privacy phenomena, thus emphasizing its relevance to our digital, networked lives. Next, Domains covers a number of areas in which privacy concerns and implications are particularly salient, including among others social media, healthcare, smart cities, wearable IT, and trackers. The Audiences section then highlights audiences that have traditionally been ignored when creating privacy-preserving experiences: people from other (non-Western) cultures, people with accessibility needs, adolescents, and people who are underrepresented in terms of their race, class, gender or sexual identity, religion or some combination. Finally, the chapters in Moving Forward outline approaches to privacy that move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions, explore ethical considerations, and describe the regulatory landscape that governs privacy through laws and policies. Perhaps even more so than the other chapters in this book, these chapters are forward-looking by using current personalized, ethical and legal approaches as a starting point for re-conceptualizations of privacy to serve the modern technological landscape. The book’s primary goal is to inform IT students, researchers, and professionals about both the fundamentals of online privacy and the issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems. Lecturers or teacherscan assign (parts of) the book for a “professional issues” course. IT professionals may select chapters covering domains and audiences relevant to their field of work, as well as the Moving Forward chapters that cover ethical and legal aspects. Academicswho are interested in studying privacy or privacy-related topics will find a broad introduction in both technical and social aspects