Detecting psycho-anomalies on the world-wide web: current tools and challenges

The rise of the use of Social Media and the overall progress of technology has unfortunately opened new ways for criminals such as paedophiles, serial killers and rapists to exploit the powers that the technology offers in order to lure potential victims. It is of great need to be able to detect extreme criminal behaviours on the World-Wide Web and take measures to protect the general public from the effects of such behaviours. The aim of this chapter is to examine the current data analysis tools and technologies that are used to detect extreme online criminal behaviour and the challenges that exist associated with the use of these technologies. Specific emphasis is given to extreme criminal behaviours such as paedophilia and serial killing as these are considered the most dangerous behaviours. A number of conclusions are drawn in relation to the use and challenges of technological means in order to face such criminal behaviours

Applications of wireless sensor technologies in construction

The construction industry is characterised by a number of problems in crucial fields such as health, safety and logistics. Since these problems affect the progress of construction projects, the construction industry has attempted to introduce the use of innovative information and communication technologies on the construction site. Specific technologies which find applicability on the construction site are wireless sensors, and especially radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID tagging is a technology capable of tracking items. The technology has been applied on the construction site for various applications, such as asset tracking. There are many problems related to health, safety and logistics on the construction site which could be resolved using RFID technology. In the health and safety field, the problems which exist are the monitoring of dangerous areas on the construction site, such as large excavation areas, the collisions between workers and vehicles, between vehicles and equipment and between vehicles, the detection of hazardous substances on the construction site when the construction work has been completed and the collection of hazard notifications from specific areas of the construction site as feedback for the prevention of future accidents. In the logistics field, the tracking of a material during its delivery on the construction site, its transportation to specific subcontractors and its future utilisation as well as the monitoring of the rate of use of materials on the construction site, the checking of the sequence of steel members and the monitoring of the temperature of porous materials are issues which can be realised using RFID technology. In order to facilitate the use of RFID technology for the specific health, safety and logistics problems, a system has been developed. The operation of this system is based on the combined use of hardware and software elements. The hardware elements of the developed system are a wireless local area network, RFID readers and tags. Its software elements are a software development kit based on which, a number of graphical user interfaces have been created for the interaction of the users with the REID tags, and Notepad files which store data collected from REID tags through the graphical user interfaces. Each of the graphical user interfaces is designed in such a way so that it corresponds to the requirements of the health, safety or logistics situation in which it is used. The proposed system has been tested on a simulated construction site by a group of experts and a number of findings have been produced. Specifically, the testing of the proposed system showed that RFID technology can connect the different stages which characterise the construction supply chain. In addition, it showed the capability of the technology to be integrated with construction processes. The testing of the system also revealed the barriers and the enablers to the use of RFID technology in the construction industry. An example of such a barrier is the unwillingness of the people of the construction industry to quit traditional techniques in favour of a new technology. Enablers which enhance the use of RFID technology in the construction industry are the lack of complexity which characterises the operation of RFID tagging and the relatively low cost of RFID tags. In general, RFID technology is an innovative sensor technology which can help the construction industry through its asset tracking ability. However, further research should be done on the improvement of RFID technology on specific characteristics, such as its inability to provide location coordinates and the resilience of the electromagnetic signal emitted by the RFID reader when there are metallic objects around the reader

A comparative analysis of student SQL and relational database knowledge using automated grading tools

This paper evaluates a blended learning methodology for Relational Database Systems. Our module offers students a range of interconnected tools and teaching resources. Among them is \testsql, a query tool giving the students automated feedback on SQL query exercises; but we do not use it to assess the students. Instead assessment is through a range of questions which test not only SQL writing skills, but also other aspects of the field, including questions on optimisation, physical modelling, PL/SQL, and indirect questions on SQL knowledge, such as processing order. The effectiveness of the approach is investigated through a survey of student attitudes', and assessment data. Our analysis shows, unsurprisingly, that the students' use of more resources correlates significantly with better results; but also that success at the different sub-topics tested is not at all well correlated, which shows that students can master some topics while remaining weak at others; and finally, that indirect SQL questions is best predictor of success at each of the other sub-topics. This last result confirms our choice to broaden the testing of SQL skills, and has implications for the use automated SQL assessment tools: we recommend that in automated testing for Database Systems, SQL writing tests be complemented with indirect questions on keyword use, parsing, or error recognition aimed at revealing broader abilities of learners

Application of a new service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm on the design of a crisis management distributed system

The complexity and the intensity of crisis-related situations require the use of advanced distributed systems infrastructures. In order to develop such infrastructures, specific architectures need to be applied such as Component-based Modelling, Object-Oriented, Aspect-Oriented and Service-Oriented Design. This paper focuses on the use of Service-Oriented Design techniques for the development of the ATHENA Crisis Management Distributed System. The function of the ATHENA Crisis Management Distributed System is based on the use of data generated by social media for the evaluation of the severity of the conditions of a crisis and the coordination of the appropriate measures in response to the crisis. The paper presents a new definition for Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and specifies the benefits that are generated by the use of this new definition in the development of the ATHENA system. Useful conclusions are also drawn in relation to how the definition considers the different technical backgrounds of users

Using Social Media for Crisis Response : The ATHENA System

Social media is now prevalent in all aspects of society. Any major news event is now accompanied by a stream of real-time social media posts. The ATHENA system turns this stream of information into a vital resource in crisis and disaster response for Law Enforcement agencies (LEAs). The ATHENA system scans the social media environment during a crisis, recognises and collects information relevant to the crisis, and synthesises that information into credible and actionable reports. Via an automated process of classification, these reports are delivered by ATHENA to the stakeholders that most need the information: from the LEA Command and Control Centre managing the crisis, to the first responders on the ground, and to the citizens themselves via a mobile application. The automatic extraction of location data from social media posts allows ATHENA to pin-point crisis activity and resources on a map-based user interface. The citizen, via a mobile device, is provided with fast and reliable alerts of danger, the location of medical help and vital supplies, and direct communication with emergency services. The first responder is given the same intelligence along with additional information pertinent to their search and rescue actions. Command and Control have the ultimate access to all information being processed by the system, where their decision making is supported by computer generated estimates of priority and credibility. Command and Control have the responsibility of validating crisis information before it is disseminated to the public. Social media are also key to the dissemination of crisis information. Dedicated social media entities on the most popular sites are maintained by Command and Control to provide a focal information, advice and instruction broadcasting presence as a trusted source. These social media presences are designed to encourage collaboration between the public and first responders and to provide a channel for communication between all the crisis stakeholders. Thus ATHENA empowers the LEA and the public with a collective intelligence, enabling both to safeguard themselves and others during a crisis

An Open Workflow Environment to Support Learning Data Science

The vast majority of visual tools to learn computing focus on imperative and object-oriented programming. This paper outlines a graphical tool and language which is makes functional programming accessible to inexperienced learners, while also supporting open access to the data and executable results for study and deployment. We believe that both the broadening of the range of programming paradigms and the open approach embedded in the tools make the materials valuable for learning

Comparative Analysis of Relational (Oracle) and Non-Relational (Cassandra) Databases for Business Intelligence

The need for business intelligence systems (BI) cannot be overemphasised because of the huge data constantly being generated in the daily operations of business organisations and the opportunity provided to discover new insights for the improvement of organisational effectiveness and efficiency from the data. This study attempts to carry out performance related tests on Oracle and Cassandra in order to propose a suitable database for business intelligence. Firstly, the extract, transform and load (ETL) processes was used to move data into Oracle and Cassandra virtual machines. Secondly, SQL and NoSQL queries were run on the data in three iterations to test for performance in selected workloads (Create and load process, read, update, delete and join operations) both before and after query optimisation. To create a common ground for comparison, similar queries were run on similar datasets on both databases. Then the results from the tests were statistically analysed using Microsoft Excel. Experimental results show that the latency values of Oracle are observed to be lower than that of Cassandra, accuracy values of Cassandra are observed to be nearly the same with that of Oracle in the create and load process, while their accuracy values are observed to be slightly different in the remaining tested workload, and the throughput values of Cassandra are observed to be higher than that of Oracle. Also, the extent to which these performance outcomes support data analytics for BI is hereby presented

A social media and crowd-sourcing data mining system for crime prevention during and post-crisis situations

A number of large crisis situations, such as natural disasters have affected the planet over the last decade. The outcomes of such disasters are catastrophic for the infrastructures of modern societies. Furthermore, after large disasters, societies come face-to-face with important issues, such as the loss of human lives, people who are missing and the increment of the criminality rate. In many occasions, they seem unprepared to face such issues. This paper aims to present an automated system for the synchronization of the police and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for the prevention of criminal activities during and post a large crisis situation. The paper presents a review of the literature focusing on the necessity of using data mining in combination with advanced web technologies, such as social media and crowd-sourcing, for the resolution of the problems related to criminal activities caused during and post-crisis situations. The paper provides an introduction to examples of different techniques and algorithms used for social media and crowd-sourcing scanning, such as sentiment analysis and link analysis. The main focus of the paper is the ATHENA Crisis Management system. The function of the ATHENA system is based on the use of social media and crowd-sourcing for collecting crisis-related information. The system uses a number of data mining techniques to collect and analyze data from the social media for the purpose of crime prevention. A number of conclusions are drawn on the significance of social media and crowd-sourcing data mining techniques for the resolution of problems related to large crisis situations with emphasis to the ATHENA system

Service-Oriented Design of a Command and Control Intelligence Dashboard for Crisis Management

The number and intensity of crisis incidents that have happened worldwide in the last decade, such as the Haiti earthquake and the Mumbai bombings, have revealed the need for an organized system to support search and rescue operations. This paper presents such a system and focuses on one of its central elements, the Crisis Management Command and Control Intelligence Dashboard (CCCID). The paper presents the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach that was followed for the design of the dashboard and explains its specialized functionalities. A number of conclusions are drawn in relatio

Combining Big Social Media Data and FCA for Crisis Response

The use of social media is now prevalent in all aspects of society. Each and every major news event is accompanied by a stream of real-time social media posts, creating a vast and ever changing data supply - a hallmark of big data. The aim of the ATHENA project is to turn this stream of information into a vital resource for the public and first responders during a crisis. ATHENA recognizes that citizens are currently under-utilized in crises and that they are often willing to engage in the response effort. Social media provides a robust platform for this interaction. Due to the volume and fast paced nature of the incoming data streams, the challenges for ATHENA system are how to integrate and process this data and then how to transform it into intelligence to be used by law enforcement agencies and the public alike. This paper introduces potential applications within the ATHENA project, in particular, those based on a technique known as formal concept analysis