Research Issues Involving Hypertext in Decision Support Systems

The term hypertext describes a computerized system which allows the user to browse through a network of nodes, each of which is commonly a collection of text but which may be quantitative models or other entities. A review o f DSS research and applications frameworks in the literature reveals several areas where further research may be valuable in identifying the usefulness and appropriate role of hypertext in DSS. These issues involve user characteristics, decision and problem characteristics, situational and organizational factors, and technological factors. Some areas which appear to be worthy of further investigation include hypertext\u27s support of the human brain\u27s hemispheric specialization, its isomorphism with generalized problem solving paradigms such as the state-space approach, and extensions of the basic model whereby nodes become executable decision models. In addition, hypertext may be self-applied by DSS researchers as a vehicle to simulate and study various user interface techniques and as a process tracing laboratory

The intelligent browser for texpros

Browsing is a technique, which helps users to formulate their query and retrieve information in the information retrieval system. This technique provides users with capabilities of understanding their information needs and gaining system knowledge during the course of the browsing and thus it eases the users\u27 burden when issuing queries. The basic components of the browser provides an underlying structure which allows users to navigate and a browsing process controller which provides users with the needed assistance during each browsing session. In this dissertation, a new infrastructure (OP-Net), transformed from the existing object network is proposed. Each object in the object network is transformed into a predicate-augmented information repository. The predicate associated with each information repository governs the content of relevant documents in the depository during the browsing process and is updated continuously according to queries given by the user. The OP-Net with the relevant information repositories provides a dynamic and efficient environment for browsing. A new ranking model is also proposed based on the signature of the documents and the user\u27s query. The signature of a document is a document representative which utilizes the information provided by the dual model in TEXPROS (TEXt PROcessing System). With the signatures, the similarity of the document and the query can be computed, and the ranks of the documents can be derived. This dissertation describes a three-layer architecture for the browser. At the top layer, the browsing process controller conducts and monitors the browsing process, and utilizes the services provided by the service providers. At the bottom of this architecture is the storage management system which stores the documents and then associated frame instances and responses to the requests from the service providers in the second layer. This architecture supports the principle of information hiding by allowing the change of the design of each component without changing the others. In the conclusion of this dissertation, the potential improvements and future research will be proposed

Just-in-time hypermedia

Many analytical applications, especially legacy systems, create documents and display screens in response to user queries dynamically or in real time . These documents and displays do not exist in advance, and thus hypermedia must be generated \u27just in time -automatically and dynamically. This dissertation details the idea of \u27just-in-time hypermedia and discusses challenges encountered in this research area. A fully detailed literature review about the research issues and related research work is given. A framework for the \u27just-in-time hypermedia compares virtual documents with static documents, as well as dynamic with static hypermedia functionality. Conceptual \u27just-in-time hypermedia architecture is proposed in terms of requirements and logical components. The \u27just-in-time hypermedia engine is described in terms of architecture, functional components, information flow, and implementation details. Then test results are described and evaluated. Lastly, contributions, limitations, and future work are discussed

Frame Based On-Line Reference Package

This paper is a discription of a frame based on-line reference package applied to computer program debugging. It includes an authoring program, descriptions of the program modules, and user's guides to both the reference package and the authoring program.Computing and Information Scienc

Embodying conversational characteristics in a graphical user interface

In the history of Intelligent Tutoring Systems, SOPHIE (Brown, Burton, and Bell, 1974), now considered a classic, contained many important ideas and features. One of these was its natural language user interface. Today, the trend has moved away from natural language interfaces towards graphical ones although the argument in favour of natural language user interfaces, both from Human Computer Interaction and natural language researchers, still persist. Is this argument correct? This thesis explores this question by investigating how SOPHIE might be re-implemented with a graphical direct manipulation interface instead of a natural language one, with the goal of improving its standard of usability. It begins by analysing the features that seem to have been central to SOPHIE's usability. These, it argues, were not so much an ability to accept well formed complete English sentences, as an ability to accept and interpret correctly a wide range of abbreviated inputs. Two models of interaction, Circuit 1, a pilot, and Circuit II, a fairly full implementation of SOPHIE were implemented and tested. Both employ free-order syntax that allows users to specify the components of a full command in any order. The combination of deixis and free-order syntax supported allows completely general ellipsis which achieves, in extended interaction sequences, the same economy and naturalness that SOPHIE achieved through its use of anaphora and ellipsis. Whilst the free-order syntax. technique is little used at present in user interfaces, the results of observational studies conducted have shown that it saves users time and convenience. Thus, considering key linguistic features of a natural language user interface has shown how novel features can enhance the usability of direct manipulation interfaces. This thesis argues that user interfaces can be improved by employing structures found in natural language or at least conversation which can be constructed within direct manipulation interface styles. This approach was further expanded to support topic shifts between different circuit contexts. Circuit II, like SOPHIE, supports three different topics: normal circuit behaviour, a circuit with an unknown fault, and circuits with user-hypothesised faults. Drawing on Reichman's (1981) work, Circuit II uses natural language cue phrases of the type "by the way", re-implemented in the direct manipulation style, to facilitate shifts between topics in a smoother and more natural way than SOPHIE which , used clumsy explicit commands

Developing complex information systems: The use of a geometric data structure to aid the specification of a multi-media information environment.

The enormous computing power available today has resulted in the acceptance of information technology into a wide range of applications, the identification or creation of numerous problem areas, and the considerable tasks of finding problem solutions. Using computers for handling the current data manipulation tasks which characterise modern information processing requires considerably more sophisticated hardware and software technologies. Yet the development of more 'enhanced' packages frequently requires hundreds of man-years. Similarly, computer hardware design has become so complicated that only by using existing computers is it possible to develop newer machines. The common characteristic of such data manipulation tasks is that much larger amounts of information in evermore complex arrangements are being handled at greater speeds. Instead of being 'concrete' or 'black and white', issues at the higher levels of information processing can appear blurred - there may be much less precision because situations, perspectives and circumstances can vary. Most current packages focus on specific task areas, but the modern information processing environment actually requires a broader range of functions that cooperate in integrating and relating information handling activities in a manner far beyond that normally offered. It would seem that a fresh approach is required to examine all of the constituent problems. This report describes the research work carried out during such a consideration, and details the specification and development of a suggested method for enhancing information systems by specifying a multimedia information environment. This thesis develops a statement of the perceived problems, using extensive references to the current state of information system technologies. Examples are given of how some current systems approach the multiple tasks of processing and sharing data and applications. The discussion then moves to consider further what the underlying objectives of information handling - and a suitable integration architecture - should perhaps be, and shows how some current systems do not really meet these aims, although they incorporate certain of the essential fundamentals that contribute towards more enhanced information handling. The discussion provides the basis for the specification and construction of complete, integrated Information Environment applications. The environments are used to describe not only the jobs which the user wishes to carry out, but also the circumstances under which the job is being performed. The architecture uses a new geometric data structure to facilitate manipulation of the working data, relationships, and the environment description. The manipulation is carried out spatially, and this allows the user to work using a geometric representation of the data components, thus supporting the abstract nature of some information handling tasks