An intelligent user interface for browsing satellite data catalogs

A large scale domain-independent spatial data management expert system that serves as a front-end to databases containing spatial data is described. This system is unique for two reasons. First, it uses spatial search techniques to generate a list of all the primary keys that fall within a user's spatial constraints prior to invoking the database management system, thus substantially decreasing the amount of time required to answer a user's query. Second, a domain-independent query expert system uses a domain-specific rule base to preprocess the user's English query, effectively mapping a broad class of queries into a smaller subset that can be handled by a commercial natural language processing system. The methods used by the spatial search module and the query expert system are explained, and the system architecture for the spatial data management expert system is described. The system is applied to data from the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite, and results are given

A Survey on Array Storage, Query Languages, and Systems

Since scientific investigation is one of the most important providers of massive amounts of ordered data, there is a renewed interest in array data processing in the context of Big Data. To the best of our knowledge, a unified resource that summarizes and analyzes array processing research over its long existence is currently missing. In this survey, we provide a guide for past, present, and future research in array processing. The survey is organized along three main topics. Array storage discusses all the aspects related to array partitioning into chunks. The identification of a reduced set of array operators to form the foundation for an array query language is analyzed across multiple such proposals. Lastly, we survey real systems for array processing. The result is a thorough survey on array data storage and processing that should be consulted by anyone interested in this research topic, independent of experience level. The survey is not complete though. We greatly appreciate pointers towards any work we might have forgotten to mention.Comment: 44 page

Flattening an object algebra to provide performance

Algebraic transformation and optimization techniques have been the method of choice in relational query execution, but applying them in object-oriented (OO) DBMSs is difficult due to the complexity of OO query languages. This paper demonstrates that the problem can be simplified by mapping an OO data model to the binary relational model implemented by Monet, a state-of-the-art database kernel. We present a generic mapping scheme to flatten data models and study the case of straightforward OO model. We show how flattening enabled us to implement a query algebra, using only a very limited set of simple operations. The required primitives and query execution strategies are discussed, and their performance is evaluated on the 1-GByte TPC-D (Transaction-processing Performance Council's Benchmark D), showing that our divide-and-conquer approach yields excellent result

Entry and Patenting in the Software Industry

To what extent are firms kept out of a market by patents covering related technologies? Do patents held by potential entrants make it easier to enter markets? We estimate the empirical relationship between market entry and patents for 27 narrowly defined categories of software products during the period 1990-2004. Controlling for demand, market structure, average patent quality, and other factors, we find that a 10% increase in the number of patents relevant to market reduces the rate of entry by 3-8%, and this relationship intensified following expansions in the patentability of software in the mid-1990s. However, potential entrants with patent applications relevant to a market are more likely to enter it. Finally, patents appear to substitute for complementary assets in the entry process, as patents have both greater entry-deterring and entry-promoting effects for firms without prior experience in other markets.

Data Independence in the Multi-dimensional Numbered Information Spaces

The concept of data independence designates the techniques that allow data to be changed without affecting the applications that process it. The different structures of the information bases require corresponded tools for supporting data independence. A kind of information bases (the Multi-dimensional Numbered Information Spaces) are pointed in the paper. The data independence in such information bases is discussed

The Development of Web-Based Interface to Census Interaction Data

This project involves the development of a Web interface to origin-destination statistics from the 1991 Census (in a form that will be compatible with planned 2001 outputs). It provides the user with a set of screen-based tools for setting the parameters governing each data extraction (data set, areas, variables) in the form of a query. Traffic light icons are used to signal what the user has set so far and what remains to be done. There are options to extract different types of flow data and to generate output in different formats. The system can now be used to access the interaction flow data contained in the 1991 Special Migration Statistics Sets 1 and 2 and Special Workplace Statistics Set C. WICID has been demonstrated at the Origin-Destination Statistics Roadshows organised by GRO Scotland and held during May/June 2000 and the Census Offices have expressed interest in using the software in the Census Access Project

Factors shaping the evolution of electronic documentation systems

The main goal is to prepare the space station technical and managerial structure for likely changes in the creation, capture, transfer, and utilization of knowledge. By anticipating advances, the design of Space Station Project (SSP) information systems can be tailored to facilitate a progression of increasingly sophisticated strategies as the space station evolves. Future generations of advanced information systems will use increases in power to deliver environmentally meaningful, contextually targeted, interconnected data (knowledge). The concept of a Knowledge Base Management System is emerging when the problem is focused on how information systems can perform such a conversion of raw data. Such a system would include traditional management functions for large space databases. Added artificial intelligence features might encompass co-existing knowledge representation schemes; effective control structures for deductive, plausible, and inductive reasoning; means for knowledge acquisition, refinement, and validation; explanation facilities; and dynamic human intervention. The major areas covered include: alternative knowledge representation approaches; advanced user interface capabilities; computer-supported cooperative work; the evolution of information system hardware; standardization, compatibility, and connectivity; and organizational impacts of information intensive environments