Visualization of Career-Related Computer-Mediated Communication for Increased Knowledge Management

Retention and retrieval of organizational memory has been the concentration of many conceptualized models of an organizational memory information system (OMIS). This thesis presents an extended view for system development of an OMIS from a knowledge management perspective. The United States Air Force maintains various career-related mailing lists (listservs) for information technology (IT) specialists sponsored by the Air Force Communications Agency (AFCA). AFCA has realized the importance of monitoring the communication for patterns in content and behavior. This thesis details an experimental study, which includes a repository of computer-mediated communication (CMC) of IT specialists, analyzed by software created for this study, the OrgDiscovery system. This system is designed to visualize the content and behavior patterns of computer-mediated communication. The purpose of this study is to show that visualization of mailing list communication provides a more usable method to make conclusions about the participants of mailing lists versus the text-based Microsoft Outlook. M.S. Outlook is the mail program currently being used by management to store and review mailing list emails

Testing Mobile Web Applications for W3C Best Practice Compliance

Adherence to best practices and standards when developing mobile web applications is important to achieving a quality outcome. As smartphones and tablet PCs continue to proliferate in the consumer electronics market, businesses and individuals are increasingly turning from the native application paradigm to HTML 5-based web applications as a means of software development and distribution. With an everincreasing reliance by users on the correct functioning of such applications, the requirement for stringent and comprehensive quality assurance measures is also brought sharply into focus. This research investigates the increasing trend towards mobile web application development in the mobile software domain, and assesses the requirement for an automated approach to best practice validation testing for mobile web applications. Contemporary approaches to automated web application testing are examined, with particular emphasis on issues relating to mobile web application tests. The individual guidelines proposed by the W3C Mobile Web Application Best Practices are analysed and where applicable automated conformance tests are implemented in a customised testing tool. A range of mobile web applications are tested using this tool in order to examine the extent to which implementation of the tested-for guidelines is detected. Automated tests were successfully implemented in respect of nearly 60% of the best practices

A Formal Approach to Computer Aided 2D Graphical Design for Blind People

The growth of computer aided drawing systems for blind people (CADB) has long been recognised and has increased in interest within the assistive technology research area. The representation of pictorial data by blind and visually impaired (BVI) people has recently gathered momentum with research and development; however, a survey of published literature on CADB reveals that only marginal research has been focused on the use of a formal approach for on screen spatial orientation, creation and reuse of graphics artefacts. To realise the full potential of CADB, such systems should possess attributes of usability, spatial navigation and shape creation features without which blind users drawing activities are less likely to be achieved. As a result of this, usable, effective and self-reliant CADB have arisen from new assistive Technology (AT) research. This thesis contributes a novel, abstract, formal approach that facilitates BVI users to navigate on the screen, create computer graphics/diagrams using 2D shapes and user-defined images. Moreover, the research addresses the specific issues involved with user language by formulating specific rules that make BVI user interaction with the drawing effective and easier. The formal approach proposed here is descriptive and it is specified at a level of abstraction above the concrete level of system technologies. The proposed approach is unique in problem modelling and syntheses of an abstract computer-based graphics/drawings using a formal set of user interaction commands. This technology has been applied to enable blind users to independently construct drawings to satisfy their specific needs without recourse to a specific technology and without the intervention of support workers. The specification aims to be the foundation for a system scope, investigation guidelines and user-initiated command-driven interaction. Such an approach will allow system designers and developers to proceed with greater conceptual clarity than it is possible with current technologies that is built on concrete system-driven prototypes. In addition to the scope of the research the proposed model has been verified by various types of blind users who have independently constructed drawings to satisfy their specific needs without the intervention of support workers. The effectiveness and usability of the proposed approach has been compared against conventional non-command driven drawing systems by different types of blind users. The results confirm that the abstract formal approach proposed here using command-driven means in the context of CADB enables greater comprehension by BVI users. The innovation can be used for both educational and training purposes. The research, thereby sustaining the claim that the abstract formal approach taken allows for the greater comprehension of the command-driven means in the context of CADB, and how the specification aid the design of such a system

Computer based writing support for dyslexic adults using language constraints

Computers have been used effectively to provide support for people with a variety of special needs. One such group is adults with dyslexia. Dyslexia is commonly recognised as a learning disorder characterised by reading, writing and spelling difficulties. It inhibits recognition and processing of graphic symbols, particularly those pertaining to language. Computers are a useful aid for dyslexic adults, especially word processors and their associated spelling tools. However, there are still areas where improvements are needed. Creating an environment, which minimises visual discomfort associated with proof reading and making selections from lists would be of benefit. Furthermore providing the correct type and level of support for spelling, grammar and sentence construction may result in higher standards being achieved. A survey of 250 dyslexic adults established their requirements and enabled the development of a specialist word processing system and associated spelling support tools. The hypothesis, that using a language with enforced structure and rigid constraints has a positive affect for dyslexic adults, was also tested. A support tool, which provided a controlled environment, to assist with sentence construction for dyslexic adults was developed from this. Three environments were created using the word processing system: environment 1 used the basic system with no support, environment 2 provided spelling support suggested by the survey subjects and environment 3 used the sentence constructing tool providing support and control. Using these environments in controlled experiments indicated that although environment 2 achieved high academic standards, environment 3 produced written work to an even higher standard and at the same time, the subjects derived greater satisfaction in using it. This research proves that working in a controlled, rigid environment, where structure is enforced, substantially benefits dyslexic adults performing computer-based writing tasks

Website Content Extraction Using Web Structure Analysis

The Web poses itself as the largest data repository ever available in the history of humankind. Major efforts have been made in order to provide efficient to relevant information within huge repository of data. Although several techniques have been developed to the problem of Web data extraction, their use is still not spread, mostly because of the need for high human intervention and the low quality of the extraction results. For this project a domain-oriented approach to Web data extraction and discuss it application to extracting news from Web Sites. It will use the abstraction method to identify important sections in a web document. The relevance information will be taken account and will be highlighted in order to develop a focused web content output. The fact-finding and data about the project are gathered from various sources such as internet, and books. The methodology used is a Waterfall Model that involves several phases which are Planning, Analysis, Design and Implementation. The result of this project is the display and review of web content extraction and how it being currently being developed which the goals is to give more usability and easiness toward web users

A bluetooth educational content distribution system modelled on a service-oriented architecture

In this research, we design and prototype an educational content distribution system modeled on a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm and implemented using Web services, XML and Bluetooth technology. In the prototype, we use an Open Source Learning Management System (LMS) Sakai implemented in Java and branded Vula for the University of Cape Town (UCT). Web services and its specification of SOAP, XML and Bluetooth technology are used to integrate the disparate technologies that form the service architecture. The disparate technologies include among others Bluetooth enabled mobile phones and PDAs, services (modules) which may be running on different operating systems, and deployed over Local Area Networks (LANs) or Internet. The service is meant to leverage the existing infrastructure to provide a new, cheap channel for education content distribution to mobile devices in learning institutions especially Universities in the developing world and Africa in particular. We design, implement and evaluate the prototype for performance and scalability. During the designing and implementation of the architecture, we incorporate SOA principles of service/module re-use, service composition, loose-coupling, standard data exchange within the system or services, and extensibility of the services among others. The aim of the service is to distribute education content uploaded in Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to Bluetooth enabled mobile devices that are increasingly held by students in developing world Universities. The service is intended to supplement existing Web-based and lecture room content distribution channels by opening up the mobile device space. For the prototype, we focus on repackaging structured text content and distributing it to Bluetooth enabled phones and PDAs using Bluetooth technology. We evaluate our prototype for performance using experimental studies

Integrating information seeking and information structuring: spatial hypertext as an interface to the digital library.

Information seeking is the task of finding documents that satisfy the information needs of a person or organisation. Digital Libraries are one means of providing documents to meet the information needs of their users - i.e. as a resource to support information seeking. Therefore, research into the activity of information seeking is key to the development and understanding of digital libraries. Information structuring is the activity of organising documents found in the process of information seeking. Information structuring can be seen as either part of information seeking, or as a sepárate, complementary activity. It is a task performed by the seeker themselves and targeted by them to support their understanding and the management of later seeking activity. Though information structuring is an important task, it receives sparse support in current digital library Systems. Spatial hypertexts are computer software Systems that have been specifically been developed to support information structuring. However, they seldom are connected to Systems that support information seeking. Thus to day, the two inter-related activities of information seeking and information structuring have been supported by disjoint computer Systems. However, a variety of research strongly indicates that in physical environments, information seeking and information structuring are closely inter-related activities. Given this connection, this thesis explores whether a similar relationship can be found in electronic information seeking environments. However, given the absence of a software system that supports both activities well, there is an immédiate practical problem. In this thesis, I introduce an integrated information seeking and structuring System, called Garnet, that provides a spatial hypertext interface that also supports information seeking in a digital library. The opportunity of supporting information seeking by the artefacts of information structuring is explored in the Garnet system, drawing on the benefits previously found in supporting one information seeking activity with the artefacts of another. Garnet and its use are studied in a qualitative user study that results in the comparison of user behaviour in a combined electronic environment with previous studies in physical environments. The response of participants to using Garnet is reported, particularly regarding their perceptions of the combined system and the quality of the interaction. Finally, the potential value of the artefacts of information structuring to support information seeking is also evaluated