Visual knowledge management with adaptable document maps

Analyzing, structuring and organizing documented knowledge is an important aspect of knowledge management. In literature so-called document maps have been proposed for visualizing the semantic similarity structure of a corpus of documents. So far, however, a method which is specifically designed for typical document analysis tasks in knowledge management – along with an application-oriented evaluation – was missing. Based on an empirical task-model this work presents an adaptable framework for generating document maps. The benefits of this framework are a flexible combination of similarity- and topology-preserving visualization methods and the exchangeability of the component for assessing the similarity of documents. An extension of the basic method allows the analyst to adapt the mapãs generation by incorporating a personal analysis interest. The interactive document map system DocMINER implements the developed method and comprises additional map-oriented tools for analyzing text collections. Industrial and scientific case studies help to better understand whether the proposed graphical overview can be effectively applied to real-world problems. Moreover, a comparative empirical study in a laboratory setting evaluates the document map concept against an alternative text-access interface

Automatically Structuring Textual Requirement Scenarios

Abstract. Scenarios are valuable for supporting communication among system developers in the initial phases of requirements engineering. But the problem of how to fruitfully deal with large informal or semi-formal scenario collections consisting of weakly structured texts is still a key research issue. In this paper we report on the application of a novel approach for automatically structuring textual document collections to scenario management. We discuss how structuring scenarios can help to support the analysis and maintenance of scenario collections. To evaluate this approach we present a case study within the CAPE-OPEN project which is concerned with a collaborative effort of standardizing simulator software for chemical engineering. Scenarios, in software and systems engineering, describe processes and interactions related to a system under examination. They contain situations which reasonably might occur. It is commonly accepted that developing scenarios is a valuable approach for supporting communication in the initial phases of system development and, furthermore, that scenarios are a key element of change management [20]. The Us

Benefits of document maps for text access in knowledge management: A comparative study

Analyzing, structuring and organizing documented knowledge is an important aspect of knowledge management. In order to ease the access to text collections, in literature so-called document maps have been proposed which visualize the inherently vague semantic similarity structure of a corpus of documents. In this paper we investigate a document map system which is specifically designed for typical text access tasks in knowledge management. Based on an empirical task-model we present design, realization and results of a comparative laboratory study which evaluates the document map concept against an alternative text-access interface. We show that the graphical overview offers significant benefits over a text-based access interface for certain knowledge management tasks. We also discuss its drawbacks and point to further system improvements which promise to make the technology even more effective

V.: Supporting Collaborative Learning by Matching Human Actors

Learning platform focus often on content presentation. Collaborative aspects are mostly dealt with by providing functionality to annotate parts of the content or discuss with other learners about the content. Nowadays learning platforms do not support systematically match making processes among those actors who are able to support their individual learning process mutually. We assume that next generation learning platforms will include functionality to make co-learners aware of each other, match learners with complementary competencies, and allow for the generation of expertise maps. Design principles, a general architecture, and a system providing these functionalities are presented. Future challenges in the field of expertise matching are discussed