Understanding land administration systems

This is a preprint of a paper from 14th PCGIAP Meeting (International Seminar on Land Administration Trends & Issues in Asia & The Pacific Region), 19-20 August 2008. http://www.csdila.unimelb.edu.au/projects/PCGIAPLASeminar/index.html.19-20 August 200

Low Cost, Cross-language and Cross-platform Information Retrieval and Documentation Tools

In this paper we focus on the design and implementation of low cost, cross language and cross platform Information Retrieval and Documentation tools capable for the collection, organization and administration of unstructured and semi-structured information imported from various sources. A modular Computer Assisted Information Resources Navigation (CAIRN) software architecture is proposed and the requirements of each module are presented. A discussion of the implementation is based on the experimentation with a prototype of such a software tool. The technologies that are incorporated into the modern operating systems and the opportunities that they offer for implementing the modules of the CAIRN architecture are also examined and evaluated. Some of these technologies are common / independent from the operating systems, while some others are distinctive. In this latter case we face barriers (restrictions) for a straightforward implementation of the CAIRN software systems to the whole range of desktop operating systems (e.g. Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Solaris). Some alternative technologies are presented to avoid this serious constraint. The evaluation of the implementation effort is also discussed and eventually some conclusions and future plans for further improvement of the CAIRN architecture are given

Police Promotions and Assignments: Understanding Law Enforcement Officers’ Experiences with Particularism

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to have police officers describe how they experience, understand, and navigate within their agency as it relates to their decisions to assign and promote police personnel within the scope of particularism in New Jersey. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the debate between researchers, and industrial-organizational psychologists who have reached opposing viewpoints on whether particularism and similar practices are beneficial or detrimental in the organizational context. Three research questions guided this study: 1) How do police officers describe their experiences with their agency as it relates to their agencies\u27 decisions to promote police officers under the concept of particularism? 2) How do police officers describe their understanding of their agency as it relates to their agencies\u27 decisions to promote police officers under the concept of particularism? 3) How do police officers describe their navigation of their agency as it relates to their agencies\u27 decisions to promote police officers under the concept of particularism? Judgmental sampling was used to recruit 20 current and recently retired police officers in the State of New Jersey for this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and was coded through thematic analysis with assistance from NVivo. Primary (parent) themes of 1) Experience with Particularism 2) Understanding of Particularism 3) Navigation of Particularism were used to code data specific to recurring themes that addressed the research questions. The findings revealed that police officers experience particularism through a variety of unique circumstances and incidents, and that they understand it to be a pervasive and expected, but negative part of their organization. Different ways officers navigate the phenomenon were also discussed and explored. Implications of the study’s findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research are also discussed

Ecological and Holistic Analysis of the Epistemic Value of Law Libraries

We examine the libraries\u27 roles within the epistemic foundation of society.” Our analysis is in response to the omission of Yale Law Dean Gerken of the role of libraries in her recent article about legal education\u27s new focus and to remarks by AALS President Vicki Jackson that suggest an uncertain role for libraries. We have adapted holistic ecological media theory, as developed by Ronald Deibert, to reject a technologically deterministic view of libraries as having no future. We have considered the role of law libraries in the social epistemology or cognitive authority of the legal community, the role of law libraries as knowledge institutions (in multiple facets), the function of technology (including language and media), and geopolitical and physical considerations. We have reviewed our past in terms of reading as a legal profession, considered the development of libraries, and have speculated about the future--all through ecological holistic lenses. We conclude that libraries are not victims to be sacrificed on the altar of technological determinism—they have many features, not only compatible with the current and future information environment, but valuable to the society embedded within it

Increasing Access to Food: A Comprehensive Report on Food Supply Options

Access to food is one of the most important aspects of a healthy, sustainable community. Grocery stores and other suppliers can serve as an economic anchor to provide social benefits to communities. Unfortunately, many communities do not have convenient and/or affordable access to grocery items, particularly fresh produce. As part of Virginia Commonwealth University\u27s Fall 2019 graduate course on Urban Commercial Revitalization, class members researched 13 retail and other food access options, which are described in this report. Each chapter covers a food access option and provides basic information that will be useful to individuals, organizations, or government agencies that wish to attract and/or develop grocery operations in their communities

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse