A ‘VALUES’ FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGNING INTERNET OF THINGS APPLICATIONS (36)

The Internet of Things phenomena is reflected in the increase in the types of devices that can be joined to form computing ecosystems, the growth of the amount and variety of data collected and processed, and the power and reach of applications that can be created on these platforms. While these new applications provide potentially valuable new capabilities to individuals, organizations, and society, they also entail significant risks. This paper presents the VALUES framework to identify potential impacts that should be addressed when designing Internet of Things (IoT) applications. For each of the six areas, questions and issues that should be considered are discussed

Making IT Matter for Women: Exploring Agile Perceptions

Whereas women earn more than half of all university degrees and make up over half of the workforce, their enrollment in computer science and information systems academic programs and their representation in technology-related career fields remain at disturbing low levels. In recent years the percentage of female graduates from these programs in the U.S., Europe, and Australia has not risen above 20%. The demand for IT workers continues to grow, yet women fill only 19% of software development positions in the U.S. A number of studies have examined gender differences related to experience, beliefs, and attitudes regarding the IT field, and a common theme is the need to improve women’s perception of the field. This paper describes a first step in investigating whether the agile approach to information system development contributes to an environment that could potentially be more welcoming to women, based on a comparison of work practices and agile principle

Application Development in The Social Computing Non-Profit Sector: Motivating and Managing Volunteer Developers

This paper examines the volunteer developers contributing to the on-line microfinance site, Kiva, to provide understanding of issues related to motivating and managing volunteer developers in social computing non-profits

Parents Learn to Find Quality Health Information: Point-of-Care Reference Services in a Pediatric Clinic

Purpose:To continue the Pediatric Family Resource Library project started in January 2002 with the goal of providing health information to families at the point of care. The current project, funded through a National Network of Libraries of Medicine New England Region subcontract, will provide formal and informal classes to teach parents to find and use quality health information on the Internet. Setting:Parents and families who use the Children\u27s Medical Center will have the opportunity to attend a basic Internet class and then a class to locate quality health information. The classes will be held over a one-year period in the library\u27s new computer instruction facilities. Methodology:Two classes per quarter will be scheduled--one on Internet Basics and one on finding and evaluating health information on the Internet. Child care and free parking will be provided. The project will also provide customized classes for parent groups and community agencies that serve children. Multiple classes are scheduled for the pediatric clinic staff to find quality health information. Description:A multiple-pronged approach will be used to publicize the classes and services provided by the Pediatric Library. Classes will be didactic and hands on--taught by experienced librarians. Results:The addition of classes will increase awareness and use of the Children\u27s Medical Center Pediatric Library and offer support and networking opportunities for the parents. This project started on October 1, 2002, and results from the classes are anticipated for MLA \u2703. Discussion:Parents are making health care decisions about their children every day and need to be empowered and confident with their skills to find quality health information. Many of the children who are cared for at the Children\u27s Medical Center have lifelong and complicated health problems. Many of these parents have become knowledgeable about how to access the Internet but may lack the critical skills necessary to evaluate the quality of the health information they find. This project will attempt to meet this need. Evaluation: At the end of each class session, the parents will complete an evaluation form

Personalizing Applications to Influence Health-Related Behaviour: An Exploration of Differences in Motivation (31)

To support health-related behaviour changes, consumers may use technologies such as smartphones, smartbands, sensors and other devices connected to the Internet of Things. Research has shown that personalising the interaction, including the interface, data, and feedback, can result in more effective outcomes in terms of the desired changes in behaviour. This paper reports on a pilot study that tested a smartphone step challenge application that was personalised based on the user’s motivational style using the Behavioural Inhibition System/Behavioural Approach System (BIS/BAS) scales of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory. The results indicated that participation in the step challenge did change the behaviour of the participants. For half the days of the challenge, the application delivered pep talks tailored to the two motivational styles and to the participant’s behaviour (taking more or fewer steps than on the previous day). While the study found that participants with different motivational styles responded differently to the motivational cues (pep talks), their responses did not appear to be influenced by the personalisation of the pep talks

An Empirical Study of System Development Method Tailoring in Practice

Little research has been conducted to date on the specific topic of the tailoring of systems development methods. Two related research areas—contingency factors research and method engineering—have exhibited a primarily deductive research focus. In contrast, this paper presents an inductive study into method tailoring in practice within the Motorola organisation. The findings illustrate the sophisticated multi-level tailoring process at industry, organisational and project level. The multi-level tailoring process depicted here overcomes the problem of trying to comprehensively tailor a method in a development environment in which time is not available for a lengthy tailoring process on each project. The paper builds on both the contingency factors and method engineering streams, and also contains useful practical guidelines for practitioners

Target Framework for Sustainable Deployment of Welfare Technology in Eldercare

Building on existing research and experiences regarding the use of supportive and assistive technology -- called welfare technology -- in elderly care, we have developed a framework to represent a holistic view of the complex tangle of factors contributing to the sustainable integration of these technologies into the elder care context. The framework is described here for the purpose of initiating a conversation regarding the framework with interested researchers. We will also conduct discussions with managers, caregivers, and other stakeholders involved in welfare technology deployment in eldercare in Sweden to obtain their feedback on the framework. Our ultimate goal with the framework is to provide general guidelines that municipalities and care organizations can use to improve the quality of life for elderly citizens through the successful selection, rollout and use of welfare technology that meets the needs not only of the elderly citizens needing support but also of the care providers and organizations

Veamy: an extensible object-oriented C++ library for the virtual element method

This paper summarizes the development of Veamy, an object-oriented C++ library for the virtual element method (VEM) on general polygonal meshes, whose modular design is focused on its extensibility. The linear elastostatic and Poisson problems in two dimensions have been chosen as the starting stage for the development of this library. The theory of the VEM, upon which Veamy is built, is presented using a notation and a terminology that resemble the language of the finite element method (FEM) in engineering analysis. Several examples are provided to demonstrate the usage of Veamy, and in particular, one of them features the interaction between Veamy and the polygonal mesh generator PolyMesher. A computational performance comparison between VEM and FEM is also conducted. Veamy is free and open source software

e-Mental Health in Central Massachusetts

e-Mental Health in Central Massachusetts (EMH) is a web-based resource designed to improve access to evidence-based mental health information and local resources for mental health professionals and consumers. The Lamar Soutter Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), in collaboration with the UMMS Department of Psychiatry and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, developed EMH to meet the needs of practitioners, patients and caregivers. The project provides an integrative web-based information resource that includes searchable databases of (1) local mental health care services and (2) quality-filtered information about mental health conditions and diseases. Centralized access to professional resources, information literacy training, professional reference services and document delivery to a traditionally underserved population are also provided. After training, participants in the program use the resource regularly and demonstrate heightened awareness of reliable mental health information available to them. The collaborative spirit also continues and will surely benefit future endeavors

Improving Access to Public Health Information: A Study of Information Needs in a State Health Department

Background: Public health challenges can be better addressed if credible information about health risks and effective public health practices is readily available. The need for improved access to evidence-based public health information has been recognized by public health practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and librarians. Objective: To understand the information needs of the public health workforce and to improve access to credible and relevant information for public health practice. Methods: A qualitative study identified how public health professionals currently access information, what barriers they face, and what improvements they need. Nineteen individual interviews were conducted in two state health bureaus – communicable disease control and community health promotion. Follow-on focus groups were conducted to gather additional data on preferences for accessing information. Results: Public health professionals interviewed have a wide variety of needs and use different information sources depending on the areas of public health they work in and the diverse nature of their work. The types of information they use can be arranged in an information needs continuum ranging from early reports of disease outbreaks needed by those dealing with emerging diseases, to published reports, journal articles, systematic reviews, and evidence-based guidelines needed by those working on the prevention and control of well-known diseases and health threats. Information sources used by the participants include news resources, listservs, alert services, journal articles, conference proceedings, and email. The study revealed that public health practitioners face several barriers and limitations to accessing quality information for public health practice. These include lack to time and knowledge to find quality information; feeling bombarded with unfiltered and often duplicative information from listservs; and limited access to grey literature, systematic reviews, and full-text journal articles. Conclusion: Both groups expressed the need for access to information targeted towards their specific public health areas of interest and desired a way to filter information for more efficient access to relevant information. The research team developed a hypothetical model for the delivery and organization of credible and relevant public health information. Some of the participants were not aware of evidence-based public health resources currently available. An outcome of the project that is particularly beneficial to the public health workforce and information professionals is the project’s website, http://library.umassmed.edu/ebpph, which provides free online access to public health journals, databases, and evidence-based public health resources identified by the research team. Presentation at the 2006 Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ