Semantic web-based document: editing and browsing in AktiveDoc

This paper presents a tool for supporting sharing and reuse of knowledge in document creation (writing) and use (reading). Semantic Web technologies are used to support the production of ontology based annotations while the document is written. Free text annotations (comments) can be added to integrate the knowledge in the document. In addition the tool uses external services (e.g. a Semantic Web harvester) to propose relevant content to writing user, enabling easy knowledge reuse. Similar facilities are provided for readers when their task does not coincide with the author’s one. The tool is specifically designed for Knowledge Management in organisations. In this paper we present and discuss how Semantic Web technologies are designed and integrated in the system

Exploring user and system requirements of linked data visualization through a visual dashboard approach

One of the open problems in SemanticWeb research is which tools should be provided to users to explore linked data. This is even more urgent now that massive amount of linked data is being released by governments worldwide. The development of single dedicated visualization applications is increasing, but the problem of exploring unknown linked data to gain a good understanding of what is contained is still open. An effective generic solution must take into account the user’s point of view, their tasks and interaction, as well as the system’s capabilities and the technical constraints the technology imposes. This paper is a first step in understanding the implications of both, user and system by evaluating our dashboard-based approach. Though we observe a high user acceptance of the dashboard approach, our paper also highlights technical challenges arising out of complexities involving current infrastructure that need to be addressed while visualising linked data. In light of the findings, guidelines for the development of linked data visualization (and manipulation) are provided

Social influence analysis in microblogging platforms - a topic-sensitive based approach

The use of Social Media, particularly microblogging platforms such as Twitter, has proven to be an effective channel for promoting ideas to online audiences. In a world where information can bias public opinion it is essential to analyse the propagation and influence of information in large-scale networks. Recent research studying social media data to rank users by topical relevance have largely focused on the “retweet", “following" and “mention" relations. In this paper we propose the use of semantic profiles for deriving influential users based on the retweet subgraph of the Twitter graph. We introduce a variation of the PageRank algorithm for analysing users’ topical and entity influence based on the topical/entity relevance of a retweet relation. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms related algorithms including HITS, InDegree and Topic-Sensitive PageRank. We also introduce VisInfluence, a visualisation platform for presenting top influential users based on a topical query need

Design Drama: A Person-Oriented Method to Foster Creativity and Holistic Human Development

Design Drama is an applied theatre method to foster creativity and holistic human development in educational and professional contexts. It incorporates theatre games, creative improvisation exercises, storytelling techniques and other resources from different artistic, educational, and therapeutic fields into the design process. This meth-od combines divergent thinking with embodied creativity to support idea generation and concept definition. Also, it helps to research in-depth the users of products or services by considering them as if they were characters performing in a story (project dramatization). Just as an actor does when studying a role in a play, Design Drama encourages designers to do work on themselves to identify with their project recipients rationally, emotionally, and physically and deeply understand their actual needs. Finally, such a person-oriented approach fosters designers’ soft skills and team building in group work, encouraging personal growth and increased empathy

Diseño de packaging. Una aproximación sistémica a un artefacto complejo

Packaging is a complex artifact, which has considerably expanded its functions over time. It is an object of use (instrumental prosthesis), which allows to contain the product, protect it, store it, transport it, and at the same time, facilitate its physical interaction with the user. Also, it is communication device (communication prosthesis), characterized by functions, among others, of appellative, persuasive, informative and prescriptive kind. For its multifaceted nature, the project of a package requires different skills and the intervention of multiple disciplines: for that reason, should be understood as the result of an integrated set of choices made by a plurality of actors, where each performs a specific role – direct or indirect – in its definition. These actors, together with the relationships that are established throughout the product life cycle, define the so-called “packaging-system”. Within this system, Design –and specifically Communication Design– may play an important role in direction and mediation, potentially giving shape through the project synthesis to solutions which are an expression of the confluence of the needs of the different parties involved and the multiple functions of the artifact, connecting the communicative dimension to a strictly instrumental dimension.El packaging es un artefacto complejo, que con el tiempo ha ampliado considerablemente sus funciones. Es un objeto de uso (prótesis instrumental), que permite contener un producto, protegerlo, almacenarlo, transportarlo, y al mismo tiempo, favorecer su interacción física con el usuario. Además es un dispositivo de comunicación (prótesis comunicativa), caracterizado por funciones de tipo apelativo, persuasivo, informativo, prescriptivo, entre otros. Por su naturaleza multifacética, el proyecto de un envase requiere diferentes habilidades y la intervención de múltiples disciplinas: un packaging, por lo tanto, debe entenderse como el resultado de un conjunto integrado de elecciones realizadas por una pluralidad de actores que desempeñan, cada uno, un rol específico –directo o indirecto– en su definición. Dichos actores, junto con las relaciones que entre ellos se establecen a lo largo del ciclo de vida del producto, conforman el llamado “sistema-packaging”. Dentro de este sistema, el Diseño –y específicamente el Diseño de comunicación– juega un papel relevante de dirección y mediación, capaz de dar forma a través de la síntesis proyectual a soluciones que sean expresión de la confluencia de las necesidades de las distintas partes implicadas y las múltiples funciones del artefacto, conectando la dimensión comunicativa a la dimensión más estrictamente prestacional y operativa

Hybrid Search: Effectively Combining Keywords and Semantic Searches

This paper describes hybrid search, a search method supporting both document and knowledge retrieval via the flexible combination of ontologybased search and keyword-based matching. Hybrid search smoothly copes with lack of semantic coverage of document content, which is one of the main limitations of current semantic search methods. In this paper we define hybrid search formally, discuss its compatibility with the current semantic trends and present a reference implementation: K-Search. We then show how the method outperforms both keyword-based search and pure semantic search in terms of precision and recall in a set of experiments performed on a collection of about 18.000 technical documents. Experiments carried out with professional users show that users understand the paradigm and consider it very powerful and reliable. K-Search has been ported to two applications released at Rolls-Royce plc for searching technical documentation about jet engines

Highly focused document retrieval in aerospace engineering : user interaction design and evaluation

Purpose – This paper seeks to describe the preliminary studies (on both users and data), the design and evaluation of the K-Search system for searching legacy documents in aerospace engineering. Real-world reports of jet engine maintenance challenge the current indexing practice, while real users’ tasks require retrieving the information in the proper context. K-Search is currently in use in Rolls-Royce plc and has evolved to include other tools for knowledge capture and management. Design/methodology/approach – Semantic Web techniques have been used to automatically extract information from the reports while maintaining the original context, allowing a more focused retrieval than with more traditional techniques. The paper combines semantic search with classical information retrieval to increase search effectiveness. An innovative user interface has been designed to take advantage of this hybrid search technique. The interface is designed to allow a flexible and personal approach to searching legacy data. Findings – The user evaluation showed that the system is effective and well received by users. It also shows that different people look at the same data in different ways and make different use of the same system depending on their individual needs, influenced by their job profile and personal attitude. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on a specific case of an enterprise working in aerospace engineering. Although the findings are likely to be shared with other engineering domains (e.g. mechanical, electronic), the study does not expand the evaluation to different settings. Originality/value – The study shows how real context of use can provide new and unexpected challenges to researchers and how effective solutions can then be adopted and used in organizations.</p