Salutogenic community building

A 'new' approach to community building is based on the concept of salutogenesis (a proactive approach to health promotion and prevention). Increasing organisational focus on sustaining healthy work forces requires a coherent mechanism for coping, social cohesion and community development. This research is based on a ten-month ethnographic study of social workers, health professionals and technologists of a Norwegian NGO involved in community health promotion. The aim was to develop a well-formed understanding of the three salutogenic criteria in terms of community-building processes. It was found that collaborating, planning (organising), and defining the community were the key areas of salutogenic community building. Based on a processual world view of context and action (change), the adaptation of a coherent conceptual framework for modelling practices allowed the identification of generic salutogenic practices in community building at a fundamental level: a non-compositional, non-substance semantico-ontological framework (semantic holism and process ontology)

Knowledge Components and Methods for Policy Propagation in Data Flows

Data-oriented systems and applications are at the centre of current developments of the World Wide Web (WWW). On the Web of Data (WoD), information sources can be accessed and processed for many purposes. Users need to be aware of any licences or terms of use, which are associated with the data sources they want to use. Conversely, publishers need support in assigning the appropriate policies alongside the data they distribute. In this work, we tackle the problem of policy propagation in data flows - an expression that refers to the way data is consumed, manipulated and produced within processes. We pose the question of what kind of components are required, and how they can be acquired, managed, and deployed, to support users on deciding what policies propagate to the output of a data-intensive system from the ones associated with its input. We observe three scenarios: applications of the Semantic Web, workflow reuse in Open Science, and the exploitation of urban data in City Data Hubs. Starting from the analysis of Semantic Web applications, we propose a data-centric approach to semantically describe processes as data flows: the Datanode ontology, which comprises a hierarchy of the possible relations between data objects. By means of Policy Propagation Rules, it is possible to link data flow steps and policies derivable from semantic descriptions of data licences. We show how these components can be designed, how they can be effectively managed, and how to reason efficiently with them. In a second phase, the developed components are verified using a Smart City Data Hub as a case study, where we developed an end-to-end solution for policy propagation. Finally, we evaluate our approach and report on a user study aimed at assessing both the quality and the value of the proposed solution

Concepts and Tools for Web-based Community Building

This research project explores a new approach to online community building and community health promotion. It is based on the concept of salutogenesis. Salutogenesis is a proactive approach to community health promotion which seeks preventative measures based around social, cultural and natural activities. This is in stark contrast with the traditional reactionary corrective and curative culture of public health care. The main aim of this thesis is the identification of the key salutogenic community building processes. The objective is to materialize the design criteria to develop a comprehensive community building tool which may be used for salutogenic community health promotion. The other objective of this research is the synthesis of the salutogenic Sense of Coherence (comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness), together with the criteria for community building (collaboration, planning and defining). An incentive for pursuing a philosophical line of inquiry is the adaptation of process philosophy into a coherent conceptual framework for epistemological objectivity. Process philosophy as an analytico-synthetic tool is a departure from traditional research paradigms because it does not posit a world of objects, like substance ontology. Process ontology offers rich insight into social practices since they are analytical processes. In spite of its clear and commonsensical intelligibility and enormous exegetic capacity, process ontology or action-based world views remain largely unexplored in Information Design (ID). My contribution is two-fold; the identification of generic salutogenic community building processes and the adaptation of process ontology into a conceptual framework for an analytico-synthetic methodology. This thesis is explanatory account of the salutogenic community building processes at a fundamental level and a non-composition, non-substance semantico-ontological framework is put to use. This research is based two qualitative surveys. The first is a preliminary survey about the extant online communities and tools, and the second is based on data collected in a 9 month ethnographic study of the pratices of a Norwegian-based non-government organization involved in community health promotion

Ontologia delle relazioni, teoria dei ruoli onto-tematici e ontologia dell'organizzazione aziendale della Halley Informatica

Questa tesi concerne l\u2019analisi del problema dell\u2019ordine relazionale e l\u2019applicazione a due ontologie da me sviluppate della teoria dei ruoli onto-tematici, formulata per risolvere tale problema. Per ontologia qui intendo una rappresentazione formale o un artefatto ingegneristico esplicativo di tutti gli elementi che fanno parte di una porzione della realt\ue0 che viene esaminata con uno scopo applicativo ben definito. I domini di queste ontologie sono di diversa natura, il primo \ue8 quello dell\u2019organizzazione aziendale della Halley Informatica, mentre il secondo \ue8 il dominio della casa e delle entit\ue0 che ne fanno parte. Questo progetto \ue8 motivato da un crescente interesse in ambito informatico dell\u2019ontologia filosofica, disciplina incentrata sullo studio e sulla categorizzazione della realt\ue0 e di tutto ci\uf2 che ne fa parte. Per quanto riguarda l\u2019ontologia in campo informatico, ne ho fornito innanzitutto una definizione chiara, poi ho sviluppato le due ontologie, che sono facilmente riutilizzabili ed integrabili con ulteriori dati. Durante lo sviluppo delle due ontologie mi sono avvalsa di uno strumento molto utile, cio\ue8 Prot\ue9g\ue9, un editor di ontologie che, tra le altre cose, fornisce una immediata rappresentazione grafica dell\u2019ontologia. I termini del dominio dell\u2019ontologia della Halley sono stati definiti tramite i documenti editi dall\u2019azienda, mentre per le definizioni dei termini dell\u2019ontologia della casa ho fatto riferimento, quando possibile, a quelle inserite in FrameNet, un database lessicale in lingua inglese comprensibile sia da uomini che da computer. Ho proposto di arricchire FrameNet con ulteriori termini che ritengo necessari e ho mostrato come in alcuni casi l\u2019analisi della teoria dei ruoli onto-tematici mette in risalto le somiglianze terminologiche, risultando cos\uec pi\uf9 efficace della teoria dei frames semantici. Elemento innovativo nello studio ontologico dei due domini, rispettivamente quello della struttura organizzativa aziendale e quello della casa, \ue8 l\u2019analisi delle relazioni tra gli elementi facenti parte di queste ontologie, analisi che si rif\ue0 alla teoria dei ruoli onto-tematici. Secondo questa teoria, \ue8 plausibile ritenere che a livello ontologico esistano i cosiddetti ruoli ontologico-tematici, intesi come i corrispettivi ontologici dei ruoli tematici formulati in linguistica. La formulazione di una lista dei ruoli onto-tematici \ue8 stata preceduta da uno studio delle pi\uf9 influenti teorie dei ruoli tematici presentate in ambito linguistico e dalla sistemazione gerarchica dei ruoli tematici

Uma arquitectura de software dinâmica para a criação de ambientes de interacção social regulada na Web

Tese de Doutoramento em Informática - Área de Especialização em Tecnologia da ProgramaçãoNas últimas décadas assistimos a uma mudança paradigmática na utilização das tecnologias da informação e comunicação que potenciaram a criação de uma sociedade de informação e conhecimento, abrangendo e influenciando praticamente todos os domínios da sociedade. O tradicional uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação no auxílio à execução de actividades de âmbito profissional, numa interacção restrita entre homem e máquina, deu lugar a ambientes virtuais de interacção social, onde pessoas interagem com pessoas, criando relações estreitas e realizando as mais diversas actividades. O crescimento da Internet e das tecnologias associadas fomentou o crescimento e difusão dos ambientes virtuais de interacção social, tornando-os acessíveis `a grande maioria da população. Actualmente estes ambientes estão espalhados por toda a Internet e abrangem um vasto leque de áreas, da educação ao entretenimento. Contudo, a imaturidade associada ao rápido crescimento destes ambientes levou a que fossem descurados factores que actualmente condicionam a interacção social, nomeadamente ao nível da sua coordenação e regulação. A regulação e coordenação da interacção social nos ambientes virtuais pode constituir uma solução possível para organização da actual interacção “ad hoc”, que persiste nestes ambientes, contribuindo inerentemente para o aumento da sua credibilidade. Nesta tese é proposto um modelo para a regulação da interacção social e controlo dos ambientes virtuais: o modelo dos Teatros Sociais. O conceito de Teatro Social resulta da aplicação da metáfora teatral a ambientes virtuais de interacção social destinados a reproduzir virtualmente situações do quotidiano. Dentro destes ambientes os utilizadores tornam-se actores, desempenhando papéis bem definidos, num cenário virtual de interacção conhecido e, idealmente, estabelecido de forma comum. O modelo dos Teatros Sociais é implementado por uma arquitectura de software dinâmica que permite a criação de ambientes de interacção regulados e assegura a adaptação dos conteúdos da interacção aos canais de comunicação dos utilizadores, embora condicionados pelas restrições tecnológicas dos dispositivos usados na interacção. Para a validação do modelo e da arquitectura de suporte foram criados dois casos de estudo que suportaram um conjunto de experiências realizadas com utilizadores reais.Throughout the last decades we have observed a paradigmatic change on the use of information and communication technologies, which have powered the creation of an information and knowledge society, covering and influencing almost every domain of society. The traditional usage of information and communication technologies as an aid to the execution of professional activities, in a restrictive man-machine interaction, has given way to social interaction virtual environments where people interact with each other, creating close relationships and doing the most different activities. The growth of the Internet and its associated technologies encouraged the expansion and diffusion of virtual environments where social interaction takes place, allowing easy access to the great majority of population. Nowadays these environments are spread all over the Internet and cover a vast rage of areas, from education to entertainment. However, immaturity together with the fast growth of these environments led to the disregard of factors, which condition interaction today, namely the coordination and regulation of interaction activities. The regulation and coordination of interaction in social, virtual interaction environments may be a possible solution to the organisation of today’s “ad hoc” interaction, which persists in these environments, inherently contributing to the increase of its credibility. In this Thesis a model to regulate social interaction and control virtual environments is proposed: the Social Theatres model. Social Theatres stand for the application of the theatrical metaphor to social virtual environments, intended to virtually reproduce some of the common and useful people’s interaction contexts. Inside these environments, users become actors, playing previously well defined roles within a well known, commonly established virtual interaction scenario. The Social Theatres model is implemented by a dynamic software architecture that allows the creation of regulated interaction environments and guarantees adaptation to users’ devices and input channels. In order to validate the model and the supporting architecture two case studies were created, which supported a group of experiments carried out with real users.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - no âmbito do III Quadro Comunitário de Apoio, comparticipado pelo Fundo Social EuropeuMinistério da Ciência e do Ensino Superior (MCES) - Bolsa de Doutoramento com a referência SFRH/BD/10304/200

Ein Konzept auf der Basis von Ontologien und Petri-Netzen

In der Dissertation wird das Themenfeld der Modellierung kooperativer Informationssysteme behandelt. Zu diesem Zweck wird ein Ansatz für die Modellierung kooperativer Informationssysteme entwickelt, der zum einen auf Ontologien und zum anderen auf Petri-Netzen basiert. Beide Konzepte werden vom Verfasser zu so genannten „Ontologie-Netzen“ zusammengeführt. Seit einigen Jahren werden Ontologien in unterschiedlichsten Wissenschaftsdisziplinen untersucht. Das Interesse an Ontologie ist nicht zuletzt auf die jüngsten Entwicklungen im Bereich des Semantic Web zurückzuführen. Auch über webbasierte Applikationen hinaus werden Ontologien in Szenarien untersucht, in denen Akteure mit unterschiedlichen Sprach- und Wissenshintergründen in Kommunikation miteinander treten. Während nämlich traditionelle Modellierungsmethoden lediglich die Ex-Ante Vorgabe eines Begriffsystems unterstützen, können mit Ontologien darüber hinaus auch Ex-Post Harmonisierungen unterschiedlicher Begriffswelten angestrebt werden. Darüber hinaus verfügen Ontologien in der Regel über eine Inferenzkomponente, die die Erschließung von „implizitem“ Wissen erlaubt. Die abstrakte Spezifikation regelartiger Zusammenhänge in einer Ontologie kann somit bei konkreter Anwendung in einer Domäne zur Explikation von Fakten führen, die ansonsten nicht berücksichtigt werden könnten. Aus dem Blickwinkel der Wirtschaftswissenschaften haben Ontologien eine besondere Bedeutung aufgrund ihres Leistungspotenzials für Zwecke der Unternehmensmodellierung. Insbesondere für Organisationsformen, die unter das Spektrum zwischenbetrieblicher Kooperationen fallen, könnten sich Ontologien als effektivitäts- und effizienzsteigernde Methoden der Unternehmensmodellierung erweisen. Es sind nämlich gerade Organisationsformen, an denen Akteure aus unterschiedlichen Hintergründen für Zwecke der gemeinschaftlichen Leistungserstellung zusammenkommen, bei denen sich bestehende Sprachbarrieren negativ auf die Geschäftsprozesse auswirken. Darüber hinaus erlauben Ontologien mit ihrer Inferenzkomponente die formale Spezifikation von „Business Rules“ die bei der gemeinschaftlichen Leistungserstellung zu gelten haben. Ontologien beschränken sich allerdings auf die rein statischen Aspekte, da sie nur für die Repräsentation deklarativen Wissens verwendet werden können. Daher haben Ontologien auch nur eine deklarative Semantik. Sie äußert sich z.B. darin, dass die Reihenfolge der (Teil-)Spezifikationen für ihre Bedeutung irrelevant ist. Dadurch kann immer nur ein bestimmter Zustand der Realität modelliert werden. Von Methoden zur Modellierung zwischenbetrieblicher Kooperationen wird allerdings vermehrt gefordert, sowohl statische als auch dynamische Aspekte erfassen zu können. Unter dem Paradigma der „Geschäftsprozessorientierung“ haben sich daher vermehrt solche Methoden durchgesetzt, die sowohl statische als auch dynamische Aspekte der Realität zu Erfassen in der Lage sind. Mit dem integrativen Modellierungskonzept wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit ein Ansatz vorgestellt, der es erlaubt, Ontologien um dynamische Aspekte zu erweitern. Hierzu werden Ontologien in eine Klasse höherer Petri-Netze eingebunden. Letztgenannte haben sich nämlich in der Vergangenheit bei der Ausweitung formaler Spezifikationen um dynamische Aspekte als äußerst fruchtbar erwiesen. Dabei wird die Kompatibilität der beiden Ansätze über ihre gemeinsame prädikatenlogische Basis gewährleistet. Darüber hinaus erfreuen sich Petri-Netze sowohl in theoretischen Ausarbeitungen als auch in praktischen Umsetzungen einer hohen Beliebtheit. Die noch relativ jungen Forschungsarbeiten zu Ontologien könnten durch einen solchen Ansatz in ihrer Akzeptanzrate erhöht werden