Towards a knowledge-based approach for effective decision making in railway safety

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute towards understanding how safety knowledge can be elicited from railway experts for the purposes of supporting effective decision-making. Design/methodology/approach – A consortium of safety experts from across the British railway industry is formed. Collaborative modelling of the knowledge domain is used as an approach to the elicitation of safety knowledge from experts. From this, a series of knowledge models is derived to inform decision-making. This is achieved by using Bayesian networks as a knowledge modelling scheme, underpinning a Safety Prognosis tool to serve meaningful prognostics information and visualise such information to predict safety violations. Findings – Collaborative modelling of safety-critical knowledge is a valid approach to knowledge elicitation and its sharing across the railway industry. This approach overcomes some of the key limitations of existing approaches to knowledge elicitation. Such models become an effective tool for prediction of safety cases by using railway data. This is demonstrated using passenger–train interaction safety data. Practical implications – This study contributes to practice in two main directions: by documenting an effective approach to knowledge elicitation and knowledge sharing, while also helping the transport industry to understand safety. Social implications – By supporting the railway industry in their efforts to understand safety, this research has the potential to benefit railway passengers, staff and communities in general, which is a priority for the transport sector. Originality/value – This research applies a knowledge elicitation approach to understanding safety based on collaborative modelling, which is a novel approach in the context of transport. </jats:sec

Datasets of skills-rating questionnaires for advanced service design through expert knowledge elicitation

This article presents a dataset of service design skills which service design experts value as important requirements for design team members. Purposive sampling and a chain referral approach were used to recruit appropriate experts to conduct questionnaire-based research. Using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), pairwise skills-rating questionnaires were designed to elicit the experts’ responses. The resulting dataset was processed using AHP algorithms programmed in R programming language. The transparent data and available codes of the research may be reused by design practitioners and researchers for replication and further analysis. This paper offers a reproduceable research process and associated dataset for conducting multiple-criteria decision analysis with expert purposive sampling

Information literacy and its relationship to knowledge management

This paper explores the perceived commonalities between information literacy (IL) and knowledge management (KM) and the different contexts in which the two areas of theory and practice manifest themselves. It approaches the study in terms of, first, the widespread interest in KM within the Library and Information Services (LIS) community; second, the belief, supported by research into workplace IL, that IL and the fostering of an information literate workforce are key components in any KM initiative; and, third, the LIS profession’s long-standing interest and expertise in IL instruction. KM is put into context with reference to two publications by Standards Australia and from this the main functions of a knowledge manager are delineated. It is suggested, with reference to IL in higher education and workplace contexts and to well-articulated models of knowledge transfer, such as SECI, that there are significant commonalities between IL and KM but that there are equally significant differences between the two. The paper argues that research in each domain can inform the other but that IL represents a fraction of the KM domain, so attempts to conflate the two may cause confusion rather than providing a pathway for information professionals and others pursuing workplace IL. Finally the paper provides recommendations for further research and suggests a scalar approach to conceptualising KM and IL practice

Using a Knowledge Management Approach to Support Effective Succession Planning in the Civil Service

The modern workforce is highly mobile. The challenge facing organisations is how to safeguard key expertise and knowledge in the face of staff mobility and turnover. The Irish Civil Service is still recovering from the impacts of significant loss of staff, and their knowledge and expertise, as a result of cutbacks over recent years. This project will establish the potential of using a Knowledge Management approach to support effective succession planning in the Civil Service. The literature review charts the evolution of Knowledge Management from when the phrase was first coined in 1986 through to what is considered to be the latest generation of Knowledge Management enabled by Social Software. The journey has not been an easy one with challenges along the way including confusing terminology, failing initiatives, and an over-emphasis on technology not entirely suited to the human endeavour that is knowing. However, the arrival of Social Software, or Web 2.0, so heavily used by the millennial generation, has revitalised the KM field with it’s the enhanced user experience. This project was initially informed by interviews with recent appointees to their roles and a case study on the experience of one organisation in using a wiki to support knowledge management. A OneNote wiki hosted on Microsoft SharePoint was implemented and a group of 16 middle managers participated in the experiment to assess its potential as a repository to capture and share key knowledge about the organisation. The conclusions of the experiment include that succession planning is important for organisations to protect key knowledge and expertise; it is important to strike the right balance between people, process, and technology; use of overly academic or technical language should be avoided; the technology is no longer a major inhibitor; structures and rules should be in place so that only appropriate content is posted to a corporate wiki; for a wiki to be successful it needs to be relevant, have a purpose, and the content updated on an on-going basis; people are the most important dimension to succession planning and any knowledge-based endeavour

A Methodology For Capturing Tacit Knowledge Within The Defense Industry

This study looks at the knowledge management practices used by study participants from the defense industry and offers a methodology for capturing tacit knowledge. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in work teams focused on the development and acquisition of defense systems. Those interviewed held various staff and management positions in Program Management (PM), Enterprise Architecture (EA), and system safety auditing. This researcher conducted primary research in the form of a Case Study. Interviewees in the defense industry supporting the Army, Marine Corps and Military aeronautics were interviewed and asked to provide feedback on their experiences and knowledge of tacit knowledge capture. Through a series of questions this researcher was then able to derive a methodology to better capture tacit knowledge in the industry in question. It became evident during the primary research that further studies should be conducted within the defense industry regarding the capture of knowledge from those who have clearances above and beyond “public knowledgeâ€. The discoveries in this primary research brought light to the fact that classified tacit knowledge may not be captured, because it is sensitive in nature. Further studies may include research to provide a means of capturing classified tacit knowledge while still maintaining its security

Relação de colaboração entre universidade e indústria de software com base na gestão do conhecimento: uma abordagem exploratória

The current environment that characterizes the software industry is extremely dynamic and somewhat complex demanding high-performance solutions, rapid development and cost efficiency. The collaboration relationship with universities has been represented a key resource, to the extent that together more easily can promote technological development that underpins innovation solutions. In addition, several studies point out knowledge sharing as an important and strongly influential factor in a collaboration relationship. In this context, the present thesis aims to identify a set of factors that can enhance and/or facilitate the collaboration relationship between the university and the software industry in a sustainable way, based on knowledge management. In line with the general objective three research questions were defined: (i) What are the main motivations that lead to the decision of establishing a collaboration relationship?; (ii) What are the management mechanisms used in the governance of collaboration relationships?; (iii) What are the principles and culture of knowledge management and of knowledge sharing in these organizations? In order to answer those questions and, consequently, achieve the general objective, an initial quantitative study based on a questionnaire was conducted. This study aims to explore and understand the practice of knowledge sharing and collaboration in the context of a university. Overall it was concluded that, knowledge sharing positively affects the collaboration behavior. The obtained results also showed that in order to promote and encourage knowledge sharing and, consequently, to foster collaboration relationships, it is important to work mechanisms based on intrinsic motivation and networking. Subsequently, it was conducted a qualitative study based on interviews in order to identify a set of factors that could enhance/facilitate the collaboration relationship between the university and the software industry in a sustainable way, based on knowledge management. Participants with complementary visions and different experiences in the two types of involved industries and simultaneously, with decisionmaking positions were interviewed. The results revealed that collaboration relationships established among these organizations are set-up only as a ‘connection’. This ‘connection’ is characterized by being a simple exchange, without building a sustainable collaboration relationship; although, those involved point to advantages in the existence of a sustainable collaboration relationship. The results also revealed that the collaboration relationships are usually conducted through informal communication channels, which makes it difficult to capture and disseminate knowledge to other remaining members of each involved organizations. In nutshell and in practical terms, this work contributes to the identification and analysis of a set of factors that enhance a collaboration relationship between university and software industry. This result can support organizations in the strategies definition for the development of actions, in order to promote a sustainable collaboration relationship. In theoretical terms, this work contributes to the increase of the body of knowledge in the area, with empirical results, since the literature point the lack of empirical studies as the main gap in this area of knowledge.O atual ambiente que carateriza a indústria de software é extremamente dinâmico e, de certa forma complexo, exigindo soluções de alto desempenho, de desenvolvimento rápido e eficientes em termos de custos. A relação de colaboração com as universidades pode representar um recurso fundamental, na medida em que juntas mais facilmente podem promover o desenvolvimento tecnológico que está na base de soluções de inovação. Adicionalmente, são os vários estudos que apontam a partilha de conhecimento como um fator importante e fortemente influenciador de uma relação de colaboração. Neste contexto, a presente tese tem como objetivo identificar um conjunto de fatores que possam potencializar e/ou facilitar a relação de colaboração entre a universidade e a indústria de software de forma sustentável, com base na gestão do conhecimento. Em consonância com o objetivo geral, foram definidas três questões de investigação: (i) Quais são as principais motivações que levam à decisão de estabelecer uma relação de colaboração?; (ii) Quais são os mecanismos de gerenciamento usados na governança das relações de colaboração?; (iii) Quais são os princípios e a cultura da gestão do conhecimento e da partilha de conhecimento nessas organizações? Por forma a responder àquelas questões e, consequentemente, ao objetivo geral, numa fase inicial foi conduzido um estudo quantitativo através da aplicação de um questionário cujo objetivo foi o de explorar e compreender a prática da partilha de conhecimento e de colaboração no contexto de uma universidade. De uma maneira geral, concluiu-se que a partilha de conhecimento afeta positivamente o comportamento de colaboração. Os resultados obtidos mostram ainda que, por forma a promover e incentivar a partilha de conhecimento e, consequentemente, fomentar as relações de colaboração, é importante trabalhar os mecanismos baseados na motivação intrínseca e no networking. Seguidamente, foi conduzido um estudo qualitativo com base em entrevistas, com o objetivo de identificar um conjunto de fatores que pudessem melhorar e/ou facilitar a relação de colaboração entre a universidade e a indústria de software de forma sustentável, com base na gestão do conhecimento. Foram entrevistados participantes com visões complementares e experiências diferentes nos dois tipos de indústria envolvidas e, simultaneamente, que ocupassem posições com poder de decisão. Os resultados revelaram que as relações de colaboração estabelecidas entre essas organizações são configuradas apenas como uma ‘conexão’. Esta ‘conexão’ é caracterizada por ser uma troca simples, sem construir uma relação de colaboração sustentável; embora os envolvidos apontem vantagens na existência de uma relação de colaboração sustentável. Os resultados revelaram ainda que as relações de colaboração são, normalmente, conduzidas através de canais informais de comunicação, o que dificulta a captura e disseminação do conhecimento pelos restantes membros de cada uma das organizações envolvidas. Em jeito de conclusão e em termos práticos este trabalho contribui com a identificação e análise de um conjunto de fatores potenciadores de uma relação de colaboração entre a universidade e a indústria de software, podendo auxiliar as organizações envolvidas na definição de estratégias para o desenvolvimento de ações futuras, a fim de promover uma relação de colaboração sustentável. Em termos teóricos, este trabalho contribui para o aumento do corpo de conhecimento na área, com resultados provenientes de estudos empíricos, uma vez que a literatura aponta como principal lacuna a ausência daqueles (estudos empíricos), por forma a complementar e validar a teoria existente.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia e Gestão Industria

Information knowledge and technology for Development in Africa

Information, knowledge, and technology occupy significant space in the information and knowledge society and ongoing debates on development such as sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda 2030 and the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Disruptive technologies and cyber-physical systems, obscuring the lines between the physical, digital and biological, escalated by the COVID-19 pandemic, present a ‘new normal’ that profoundly affects the nature and magnitude of responses required to sustain and benefit from the new developments. Africa, known for late adoption of new technologies and innovations, is leapfrogging development stages in several enviable ways. This book, Information knowledge and technology for development in Africa’, written by eminent African scholars, comprises chapters that satisfactorily address information access, artificial intelligence, information ethics, e-learning, library and information science education (LISE) in the 4IR, data literacy and e-scholarship, and knowledge management, which are increasingly essential for information access, services, and LISE in Africa. We expect the book to support research, teaching and learning in African higher education and worldwide for comparative scholarship

Information knowledge and technology for Development in Africa

Information, knowledge, and technology occupy significant space in the information and knowledge society and ongoing debates on development such as sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda 2030 and the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Disruptive technologies and cyber-physical systems, obscuring the lines between the physical, digital and biological, escalated by the COVID-19 pandemic, present a ‘new normal’ that profoundly affects the nature and magnitude of responses required to sustain and benefit from the new developments. Africa, known for late adoption of new technologies and innovations, is leapfrogging development stages in several enviable ways. This book, Information knowledge and technology for development in Africa’, written by eminent African scholars, comprises chapters that satisfactorily address information access, artificial intelligence, information ethics, e-learning, library and information science education (LISE) in the 4IR, data literacy and e-scholarship, and knowledge management, which are increasingly essential for information access, services, and LISE in Africa. We expect the book to support research, teaching and learning in African higher education and worldwide for comparative scholarship

Harrastevalokuvaajien henkilökohtainen tiedonhallinta : Kyselytutkimus valokuvauksen harrastajille

Tämän tutkielman aiheena on harrastevalokuvaajien henkilökohtainen tiedonhallinta. Tavoitteena oli selvittää miten harrastevalokuvaajat organisoivat henkilökohtaisia digitaalisia valokuvakokoelmiaan, millaisia työkaluja ja laitteistoja tähän liittyy ja millaisia tiedon varmistuksen ratkaisuita valokuvauksen harrastajilla on. Tutkimus toteutettiin kyselytutkimuksena ja aineisto kerättiin sähköisellä kyselylomakkeella kolmen eri valokuvaajayhteisön jäseniltä kesän ja syksyn taitteessa vuonna 2021. Kyselyyn kertyi yhteensä 77 vastausta, joista lopulliseksi analysoitavaksi aineistoksi kelpuutettiin 67. Aineisto analysoitiin sekä määrällisin että laadullisin menetelmin. Tutkimustulosten perusteella oli havaittavissa paljon yhteneväisyyksiä aiempiin samasta aihepiiristä tehtyihin tutkimuksiin. Tyypillisimmin valokuvien organisointia tehtiin kokoelmatasolla kansiohierarkioita ja valokuviin tallennettuja metatietoja hyödyntäen. Harrastekuvaajat suosivat tiedonhallinnassaan paljon erityisesti valokuvien organisointiin tarkoitettuja ohjelmistoja. Tiedostoformaateista erilaiset raakakuvaformaatit olivat hyvin edustettuina valokuvaajien pitkäaikaissäilytyksessä. Kuitenkin myös niin sanottuja perinteisiä tiedostoformaatteja hyödynnettiin. Valokuvien fyysisenä säilytyssijaintina kaikista suosituin oli ulkoinen kiintolevy, niin varsinaisen kokoelman kuin varmuuskopioidenkin osalta. Harrastekuvaajat turvautuivat usein hakemaan valokuvia aiheen, päiväyksen ja teeman perusteella, mutta huomattavan paljon harjoitettiin myös visuaalista selailua. Kuvausajan suosiminen organisoinnin ja haun tyylinä nousi esiin myös kyseisen metatiedon suosimisena. Varmuuskopioinnin tavat vaihtelivat harrastekuvaajilla melko paljon niin tyylillisesti kuin säännöllisyydessäkin. Jotkut olivat tiedon varmistuksen osalta hyvin pedanttisia, toiset täysin päinvastoin. Myös valokuvien palauttamisessa varmuuskopioista ilmeni ristiriitaisia huomioita

THE DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERNATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: DEFINING “QUALITY AT ENTRY” OF WORLD BANK PROJECTS.

Over the past 15 years, the number of international development projects aimed at combating global poverty has increased significantly. Within the water and sanitation sector however, and despite heightened global attention and an increase in the number of infrastructure projects, over 800 million people remain without access to appropriate water and sanitation facilities. The majority of donor aid in the water supply and sanitation sector of developing countries is delivered through standalone projects. The quality of projects at the design and preparation stage is a critical determinant in meeting project objectives. The quality of projects at early stage of design, widely referred to as quality at entry (QAE), however remains unquantified and largely subjective. This research argues that water and sanitation infrastructure projects in the developing world tend to be designed in the absence of a specific set of actions that ensure high QAE, and consequently have relatively high rates of failure. This research analyzes 32 cases of water and sanitation infrastructure projects implemented with partial or full World Bank financing globally from 2000 – 2010. The research uses categorical data analysis, regression analysis and descriptive analysis to examine perceived linkages between project QAE and project development outcomes and determines which upstream project design factors are likely to impact the QAE of international development projects in water supply and sanitation. The research proposes a number of specific design stage actions that can be incorporated into the formal review process of water and sanitation projects financed by the World Bank or other international development partners