Engineering an Open Web Syndication Interchange with Discovery and Recommender Capabilities

Web syndication has become a popular means of delivering relevant information to people online but the complexity of standards, algorithms and applications pose considerable challenges to engineers.  This paper describes the design and development of a novel Web-based syndication intermediary called InterSynd and a simple Web client as a proof of concept. We developed format-neutral middleware that sits between content sources and the user. Additional objectives were to add feed discovery and recommendation components to the intermediary. A search-based feed discovery module helps users find relevant feed sources. Implicit collaborative recommendations of new feeds are also made to the user. The syndication software built uses open standard XML technologies and the free open source libraries. Extensibility and re-configurability were explicit goals. The experience shows that a modular architecture can combine open source modules to build state-of-the-art syndication middleware and applications. The data produced by software metrics indicate the high degree of modularity retained

Special Libraries, Fall 1990

Volume 81, Issue 4https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1990/1003/thumbnail.jp

Zero-gravity cloud physics laboratory: Experiment program definition and preliminary laboratory concept studies

The experiment program definition and preliminary laboratory concept studies on the zero G cloud physics laboratory are reported. This program involves the definition and development of an atmospheric cloud physics laboratory and the selection and delineations of a set of candidate experiments that must utilize the unique environment of zero gravity or near zero gravity

A nonlinear model of information seeking behaviour

nonlinea

Towards a New GIS Maturity Model: An Organizational Usage Perspective

The first condition required for an Information Technology (IT) system to produce value is that it be used by its designated target group of users. Despite the prevalence of “system use” in IS literature, it has been often limited to the individual level. The organizational perspective is rarely considered. This dissertation focuses on system usage in the GIS domain through an organizational lens. GIS is a technology with the potential to transform government by enhancing business processes and providing a platform to manage spatial and non-spatial data, which is expected to result in better decision-making. However, little is known about how this technology is actually implemented organization-wide and the environment surrounding its use. Current GIS maturity models have not examined this usage broadly or in depth. These models lack empirical validation and measurement tools to diagnose maturity are not readily available. Based on GIS, maturity models, and system usage literature, this dissertation presents a more comprehensive maturity model for evaluating local government usage of GIS along with a measurement tool. This work followed De Bruin et al., (2005) guidelines for developing maturity models. This new model was discussed with practitioners and academics, was pilot-tested, and then widely tested by Southern California local governments through an online questionnaire. Results show support for the validity of the proposed maturity model and demonstrate its utility. This dissertation revealed that system, task, user, organization and GIS department are viable dimensions of GIS usage from an organizational perspective. Results suggest that increasing actual GIS usage leads to an increase in GIS value. Results further show that the efficiency and effectiveness benefits of GIS are mostly realized; however, the societal benefits of GIS are small

Land Degradation Assessment with Earth Observation

This Special Issue (SI) on “Land Degradation Assessment with Earth Observation” comprises 17 original research papers with a focus on land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry-subhumid areas (i.e., desertification) in addition to temperate rangelands, grasslands, woodlands and the humid tropics. The studies cover different spatial, spectral and temporal scales and employ a wealth of different optical and radar sensors. Some studies incorporate time-series analysis techniques that assess the general trend of vegetation or the timing and duration of the reduction in biological productivity caused by land degradation. As anticipated from the latest trend in Earth Observation (EO) literature, some studies utilize the cloud-computing infrastructure of Google Earth Engine to cope with the unprecedented volume of data involved in current methodological approaches. This SI clearly demonstrates the ever-increasing relevance of EO technologies when it comes to assessing and monitoring land degradation. With the recently published IPCC Reports informing us of the severe impacts and risks to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide, the EO scientific community has a clear obligation to increase its efforts to address any remaining gaps—some of which have been identified in this SI—and produce highly accurate and relevant land-degradation assessment and monitoring tools

Indian River Lagoon surface water improvement and management (SWIM) plan, 2002 update.

In recognition of the need to place additional emphasis on the restoration, protection, and management of the surface water resources of the state, the Florida Legislature, through the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act of 1987, directed the state’s water management districts to “design and implement plans and programs for the improvement and management of surface water” (Section 373.451, Florida Statutes [FS]). The SWIM legislation requires the water management districts to protect the ecological, aesthetic, recreational, and economic value of the state’s surface water bodies, keeping in mind that water quality degradation is frequently caused by point and nonpoint source pollution and that degraded water quality can cause both direct and indirect losses of aquatic habitats. This 2002 update is the second update of the Indian River Lagoon SWIM Plan. This 2002 plan update includes a status report on the state of the Lagoon, a summary of progress on projects undertaken since the last update, and recommendations for future projects and other actions over the next 5 years. (262pp.

Signal Processing Using Non-invasive Physiological Sensors

Non-invasive biomedical sensors for monitoring physiological parameters from the human body for potential future therapies and healthcare solutions. Today, a critical factor in providing a cost-effective healthcare system is improving patients' quality of life and mobility, which can be achieved by developing non-invasive sensor systems, which can then be deployed in point of care, used at home or integrated into wearable devices for long-term data collection. Another factor that plays an integral part in a cost-effective healthcare system is the signal processing of the data recorded with non-invasive biomedical sensors. In this book, we aimed to attract researchers who are interested in the application of signal processing methods to different biomedical signals, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin response, pulse oximetry, photoplethysmogram (PPG), etc. We encouraged new signal processing methods or the use of existing signal processing methods for its novel application in physiological signals to help healthcare providers make better decisions

Computational Explorations of Creativity and Innovation in Design

This thesis addresses creativity in design as a property of systems rather than an attribute of isolated individuals. It focuses on the dynamics between generative and evaluative or ascriptive processes. This is in distinction to conventional approaches to the study of creativity which tend to concentrate on the isolated characteristics of person, process and product. Whilst previous research has advanced insights on potentially creative behaviour and on the general dynamics of innovation in groups, little is known about their interaction. A systems view of creativity in design is adopted in our work to broaden the focus of inquiry to incorporate the link between individual and collective change. The work presented in this thesis investigates the relation between creativity and innovation in computational models of design as a social construct. The aim is to define and implement in computer simulations the different actors and components of a system and the rules that may determine their behaviour and interaction. This allows the systematic study of their likely characteristics and effects when the system is run over simulated time. By manipulating the experimental variables of the system at initial time the experimenter is able to extract patterns from the observed results over time and build an understanding of the different types of determinants of creative design. The experiments and findings presented in this thesis relate to artificial societies composed by software agents and the social structures that emerge from their interaction. Inasmuch as these systems aim to capture some aspects of design activity, understanding them is likely to contribute to the understanding of the target system. The first part of this thesis formulates a series of initial computational explorations on cellular automata of social influence and change agency. This simple modelling framework illustrates a number of factors that facilitate change. The potential for a designer to trigger cycles of collective change is demonstrated to depend on the combination of individual and external or situational characteristics. A more comprehensive simulation framework is then introduced to explore the link between designers and their societies based on a systems model of creativity that includes social and epistemological components. In this framework a number of independent variables are set for experimentation including characteristics of individuals, fields, and domains. The effects of these individual and situational parameters are observed in experimental settings. Aspects of relevance in the definition of creativity included in these studies comprise the role of opinion leaders as gatekeepers of the domain, the effects of social organisation, the consequences of public and private access to domain knowledge by designers, and the relation between imitative behaviour and innovation. A number of factors in a social system are identified that contribute to the emergence of phenomena that are normally associated to creativity and innovation in design. At the individual level the role of differences of abilities, persistence, opportunities, imitative behaviour, peer influence, and design strategies are discussed. At the field level determinants under inspection include group structure, social mobility and organisation, emergence of opinion leaders, established rules and norms, and distribution of adoption and quality assessments. Lastly, domain aspects that influence the interaction between designers and their social groups include the generation and access to knowledge, activities of gatekeeping, domain size and distribution, and artefact structure and representation. These insights are discussed in view of current findings and relevant modelling approaches in the literature. Whilst a number of assumptions and results are validated, others contribute to ongoing debates and suggest specific mechanisms and parameters for future experimentation. The thesis concludes by characterising this approach to the study of creativity in design as an alternative 'in silico' method of inquiry that enables simulation with phenomena not amenable to direct manipulation. Lines of development for future work are advanced which promise to contribute to the experimental study of the social dimensions of design