Supporting Better Communication in Academic Communities of Practice: An Empirical Study of AIS/ISWORLD

The AIS/ISWorld Mailing List is the premier global communication tool for academics in the information systems area. This paper employs content analysis of archival data to report on an exploratory study of the usage of ISWorld over a four-year period between 2002 and 2006. We develop a coding scheme based on two theoretically distinct levels of communication and examine how ISWorld community members use the mailing list for the purposes of information dissemination, knowledge exchange, and knowledge creation. Our analysis yields important insights regarding the evolution of the ISWorld Mailing List, user characteristics and communication patterns, as well as the alignment between the community’s stated organizational goals and the design of the communication tool. Our findings show that the ISWorld Mailing List offers a highly efficient communication tool for knowledge dissemination to the IS community but also that its usage has been shifting more strongly towards information broadcasting and away from interactive knowledge exchange and creation. The paper concludes with some design and governance related recommendations for making ISWorld a more effective communication tool for the IS community

Komunikasi Antarbudaya Antara Masyarakat Pribumi Dengan Masyarakat Transmigrasi Di Desa Kedataran Kecamatan Maje Kabupaten Kaur

Cultural diversity gave birth to many different cultures in Bengkulu Province, one of which is in Kedataran Village, Maje District, Kaur Regency. In the communication process between people of different cultures, a more comprehensive understanding is needed so that it does not become a conflict. This underlies the research conducted in Kedataran Village, with the aim of describing the intercultural communication process that occurs between indigenous people and transmigration communities in this area. This type of research is field research with a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques were interviews with key and main informants, as well as observation and documentation. This research uses the theory of intercultural communication (Ting-Toomey, 1985) which includes symbolic exchange, proces, different cultural communities, interactive situation, negotiate shared meanings, and societal embedded system.  Based on the results of research and data analysis, it is concluded that 1) the use of intercultural communication symbols in Kedataran Village is the language used, namely Kaur, Javanese, and Indonesian, 2) although there are cultural differences but people are able to understand each other so that the communication process is quite harmonious, 3) different cultural communities between people coexist by applying mutual tolerance and mutual respect for differences, 4) interactive situations of intercultural communication during weddings, official village forums, and social activities, 5) negotiation of meaning is related to the substance of the issues conveyed such as conflicts due to differences in viewpoints and assessments of other cultures, 6) systems embedded in society shape the process as well as the results of intercultural encounters between indigenous and transmigration communities

Building oriented surface generation through IGES specification

This thesis focuses the use of Initial Graphics Exchange Specification to generate automatically three dimensional surfaces. Currently, different CAD systems utilize their own data formats to generate graphic databases which are not compatible with one another. Besides, most of the existing CAD systems require an interactive data input process which is very much time consuming. In order to solve above problems, an efficient algorithm has been developed in this research to automatically generate portable graphic database following ICES specifications. This portable graphic database can be adopted by different commercial CAD/CAM systems. Using the proposed method, the current design process can be upgraded from the interactive data input method to automatic modelling method that accelerates design process in surface generation significantly. The main objectives of this research are: (1) curtail the surface generation time, (2) reduce the memory space for data storage and communication. A user-friendly program has been written in FORTRAN 77 to apply the proposed algorithm. A case study illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method

Learning from Toronto: An Experiment in Participatory Urban Data Visualization

Despite the unprecedented amount of data about the world that is collected and produced in our increasingly information-dependent societies, the possibilities for significant differences between human perception and actual data on the same phenomena are all but reduced, as are their potential effects on environments and communities. This thesis explores the opportunities offered by data visualization and interaction design to reveal and address such disconnect and to challenge widespread misconceptions by generating a deeper and more engaging understanding of information. These principles inform the proposal for a methodology for visual, interactive communication of data within urban environments, aimed at generating an iterative exchange of information between citizens and institutions. A concrete application of this proposal is investigated through the development of a digital platform for urban data visualization addressing issues within the city of Toronto