461,150 research outputs found

    Semantic technologies: from niche to the mainstream of Web 3? A comprehensive framework for web Information modelling and semantic annotation

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    Context: Web information technologies developed and applied in the last decade have considerably changed the way web applications operate and have revolutionised information management and knowledge discovery. Social technologies, user-generated classification schemes and formal semantics have a far-reaching sphere of influence. They promote collective intelligence, support interoperability, enhance sustainability and instigate innovation. Contribution: The research carried out and consequent publications follow the various paradigms of semantic technologies, assess each approach, evaluate its efficiency, identify the challenges involved and propose a comprehensive framework for web information modelling and semantic annotation, which is the thesis’ original contribution to knowledge. The proposed framework assists web information modelling, facilitates semantic annotation and information retrieval, enables system interoperability and enhances information quality. Implications: Semantic technologies coupled with social media and end-user involvement can instigate innovative influence with wide organisational implications that can benefit a considerable range of industries. The scalable and sustainable business models of social computing and the collective intelligence of organisational social media can be resourcefully paired with internal research and knowledge from interoperable information repositories, back-end databases and legacy systems. Semantified information assets can free human resources so that they can be used to better serve business development, support innovation and increase productivity

    Eganwo: the graphic novel’s escape to digital media

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    Comics are beginning to rise in popularity today, but there is still a significant portion of society that rejects comics as an art form. The main objective of this project was to develop a product for the comic book industry with which they could tap into and benefit from a broader online audience. This project attempts to further what recent success the comic book has had in other forms of media other than that of print, such as movies, videogames, and motion graphics. Reaching out to new demographics on the World Wide Web and combining the comic book experience with an array of different types of media and technology can help make this success a possibility. Crafting a digital comic became as important as the end product itself, as close attention was paid to construction and user feedback in order to preserve comic book characteristics. By doing so this interactive user experience carries on the storytelling qualities of original comics. It garners interest in a larger target audience and elevates the comic bookto a new level of digital experience, in a world where newsprint production is becoming increasingly uneconomical

    MOTIVATING EFFECTIVE ICT USERS’ SUPPORT THROUGH AUTOMATED MOBILE EDU-HELPDESK SYSTEM

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    An automated helpdesk system is meant to eradicate some of the barriers of reaching the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) technical staff to carry out repairs of ICT products and services in an educational institution. The problems faced with the existing ICT user support system include time wasting, difficulty in communication, and slow response to fix ICT related faults. The objective of this study is to develop an Automated Mobile Edu-Helpdesk System (AMES) for effective information dissemination, efficient management of operations and to resolve ICT challenges in higher education. The research methods adopted include unified modelling diagrams for design, Java and XML (Extended Mark-up Language) for Android application development as front end, while Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) was used as the server side programming tool. MySQL database was used as backend. Findings: The findings from the usability survey shows a good usability based on total rating of 4.09 out of 5 point scale. The benefits of the system include creation of a medium for non teaching and teaching staff to pass their complaints or messages to the technical department for speedy attention; and provision of better and faster operational processes which will reduce time spent on documentation. The automated Edu-Helpdesk system is more reliable, effective and convenient than the manual method in reporting cases of faulty ICT product and services within the university community

    The Curious Case of the PDF Converter that Likes Mozart: Dissecting and Mitigating the Privacy Risk of Personal Cloud Apps

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    Third party apps that work on top of personal cloud services such as Google Drive and Dropbox, require access to the user's data in order to provide some functionality. Through detailed analysis of a hundred popular Google Drive apps from Google's Chrome store, we discover that the existing permission model is quite often misused: around two thirds of analyzed apps are over-privileged, i.e., they access more data than is needed for them to function. In this work, we analyze three different permission models that aim to discourage users from installing over-privileged apps. In experiments with 210 real users, we discover that the most successful permission model is our novel ensemble method that we call Far-reaching Insights. Far-reaching Insights inform the users about the data-driven insights that apps can make about them (e.g., their topics of interest, collaboration and activity patterns etc.) Thus, they seek to bridge the gap between what third parties can actually know about users and users perception of their privacy leakage. The efficacy of Far-reaching Insights in bridging this gap is demonstrated by our results, as Far-reaching Insights prove to be, on average, twice as effective as the current model in discouraging users from installing over-privileged apps. In an effort for promoting general privacy awareness, we deploy a publicly available privacy oriented app store that uses Far-reaching Insights. Based on the knowledge extracted from data of the store's users (over 115 gigabytes of Google Drive data from 1440 users with 662 installed apps), we also delineate the ecosystem for third-party cloud apps from the standpoint of developers and cloud providers. Finally, we present several general recommendations that can guide other future works in the area of privacy for the cloud

    Object Manipulation in Virtual Reality Under Increasing Levels of Translational Gain

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    Room-scale Virtual Reality (VR) has become an affordable consumer reality, with applications ranging from entertainment to productivity. However, the limited physical space available for room-scale VR in the typical home or office environment poses a significant problem. To solve this, physical spaces can be extended by amplifying the mapping of physical to virtual movement (translational gain). Although amplified movement has been used since the earliest days of VR, little is known about how it influences reach-based interactions with virtual objects, now a standard feature of consumer VR. Consequently, this paper explores the picking and placing of virtual objects in VR for the first time, with translational gains of between 1x (a one-to-one mapping of a 3.5m*3.5m virtual space to the same sized physical space) and 3x (10.5m*10.5m virtual mapped to 3.5m*3.5m physical). Results show that reaching accuracy is maintained for up to 2x gain, however going beyond this diminishes accuracy and increases simulator sickness and perceived workload. We suggest gain levels of 1.5x to 1.75x can be utilized without compromising the usability of a VR task, significantly expanding the bounds of interactive room-scale VR

    Review of CCAFS Scaling Activities

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    This review was commissioned by CCAFS Learning Platform for Partnerships and Capacity Building for Scaling Climate Smart Agriculture, with the aim to reflect on CCAFS project portfolio to highlight good practices and gaps in implementation of CCAFS Scaling Activities. The review was undertaken with a systemic approach, using the concepts of design thinking and system thinking throughout its methodology and analysis. 21 practitioners throughout CCAFS regional, flagship and learning platform portfolios were interviewed between March and May 2019. The results are presented in a way that allows CCAFS to identify areas to deepen systematically upon; areas for CCAFS’s further strategic or conceptual support, and areas that require more research by CCAFS. The systemic analysis shows that CCAFS has the potential to consciously transform into a learning organization and an innovation environment, thereby fostering and increasing its performance, relevance and overall impact in changing and challenging circumstances. The results were discussed and validated with the CCAFS Core Team (CT) in the frame of a CCAFS CT Workshop on Scaling on 15th May in Madrid. In open learning formats, the CT prioritized its next step. The review report further contains a set of recommendations, derived from both the review and the CT Workshop on Scaling, which shall help CCAFS to transform into both a learning organization and an innovation environment

    Regulating sustainable construction in Europe: An inquiry into the European Commission's harmonization attempts

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    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is first, to gain insight into how the European member states have addressed the concept of sustainability in their building regulatory frameworks; and second, to gain insight in the effects of harmonization attempts o
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