The Role of Application Domain Knowledge in Using OWL DL Diagrams: A Study of Inference and Problem-Solving Tasks

Diagrammatic conceptual schemas are an important part of information systems analysis and design. For effectively communicating domain semantics, modeling grammars have been proposed to create highly expressive conceptual schemas. One such grammar is the Web Ontology Language (OWL), which relies upon description logics (DL) as a knowledge representation mechanism. While an OWL DL diagram can be useful for representing domain semantics in great detail, the formal semantics of OWL DL places a burden on diagram users. This research investigates how user’s prior knowledge of the application domain impacts solving inference tasks as well as schema-based problem-solving tasks using OWL DL diagrams. Our empirical validation shows that application domain knowledge has no effect on inference performance but enhances schema-based problem-solving performance. We contribute to the conceptual modeling literature by studying task performance for a highly expressive modeling grammar and introducing inference tasks as a new task type

Coordination of Just-in-Time Deliveries with Multi-attribute Auctions

Just-in-time deliveries are crucial for many industries. They are particularly essential when the properties of the delivered resource or the demanding processes are sensitive in time. Rigid, centralized planning tends to fail, especially in dynamic environments with distributed decisions and control. Under the constraints of distributed decisions and control, auctions promise an efficient allocation of resources. However, a dedicated design of auctions for just-in-time deliveries, which can be incorporated into the design of an IT artifact, is still lacking. We contribute a linear and a quadratic multi-attribute scoring rule for an automated execution by software. We evaluate the artifact in a simulation experiment and reveal the effects of the scoring rules for just-in-time deliveries. Our results provide evidence that the artifact effectively coordinates just-in-time deliveries, which also holds when considering one additional side constraint

A Survey of the Application of Machine Learning in Decision Support Systems

Machine learning is a useful technology for decision support systems and assumes greater importance in research and practice. Whilst much of the work focuses technical implementations and the adaption of machine learning algorithms to application domains, the factors of machine learning design affecting the usefulness of decision support are still understudied. To enhance the understanding of machine learning and its use in decision support systems, we report the results of our content analysis of design-oriented research published between 1994 and 2013 in major Information Systems outlets. The findings suggest that the usefulness of machine learning for supporting decision-makers is dependent on the task, the phase of decision-making, and the applied technologies. We also report about the advantages and limitations of prior research, the applied evaluation methods and implications for future decision support research. Our findings suggest that future decision support research should shed more light on organizational and people-related evaluation criteria

Strategisches Management in Kommunen: Entstehung, Inhalte und Wirkungen von Digitalisierungs- und Nachhaltigkeitsstrategien

Der Beitrag untersucht Praxen des strategischen Managements in deutschen Kommunalverwaltungen am Beispiel von Digitalisierungs- und Nachhaltigkeitsstrategien. Es werden drei Forschungsfragen bearbeitet: 1. Was sind typische Inhalte und Strukturen solcher Strategien? 2. Wie und warum entstehen solche Strategien? 3. Welche Erfahrungen machen Kommunen mit diesen Strategien?

Smart urban objects for an adaptive city : a method of artificial intelligence for enhancing welfare

Zielstellung der Arbeit ist die Weiterentwicklung urbaner Räume mittels intelligenter Informationstechnologien, um das Leben in der Stadt zu verbessern. Hierbei gilt ein besonderes Interesse der Inklusion von Menschen mit körperlichen Beeinträchtigungen. Eine bedeutende Gruppe ist dabei die Menge hochbetagter Bürger. Die angestrebte Weiterentwicklung zielt darauf ab, dass bis ins hohe Alter selbstbestimmte Teilhabe am städtischen Leben und somit am Leben in der Gesellschaft möglich sein soll. Denn Teilhabe am Leben in der Gesellschaft konkretisiert sich wesentlich an der selbstbestimmten Ausübung außerhäuslicher Aktivitäten. Motorische Beeinträchtigungen im Altersgang führen allerdings zu einer signifikant wahrgenommenen Abnahme der Sicherheit (Safety) im urbanen Raum und dazu, dass betroffene Menschen Angst haben, den außerhäuslichen urbanen Raum zu benutzen. Um der daraus folgenden Meidung des außerhäuslichen urbanen Raumes entgegenzuwirken, verfolgt die Arbeit den Ansatz städtebauliche Objekte mittels Technologien des Internets of Things zu neuartigen sogenannten Smarten Städtebaulichen Objekten zu transformieren, die aktive Unterstützung für außerhäusliche Aktivitäten leisten. Smarte Städtebauliche Objekte sind mit Sensorik, Aktuatorik und Informationsverarbeitungskapazitäten ausgestattet und fähig, sich an individuelle Erfordernisse von Passanten zu adaptieren. Aufgrund altentypischer motorischer Beeinträchtigungen bestehen beispielsweise besondere Erfordernisse für Sitzgelegenheiten. Neben der informationstechnologischen Transformation einzelner städtebaulicher Objekte bestehen im urbanen Raum darüber hinaus wichtige Anforderungen an smarte städtebauliche Objektverbünde. Mittels einer intelligent koordinierten, gezielten Zurverfügungstellung der unterstützenden Funktionalitäten einzelner Smarter Städtebaulicher Objekte wird der urbane Raum als Gesamtsystem zu Adaptivität an Passantenerfordernisse ertüchtigt. Die Arbeit eruiert die Konzeption für eine adaptive Stadt mit einem Safety-Engineering-Ansatz am Beispiel smarter Sitzgelegenheiten und entwickelt ein Verfahren zur intelligenten Koordination für den smarten städtebaulichen Objektverbund. Für eine erfordernisgenaue Allokation einzelner smarter Sitzgelegenheiten als öffentliche Objekte wird dazu ein Wohlfahrtskalkül zugrunde gelegt, welches in dem Sinne gerecht sein soll, dass eine Übervorteilung einzelner Passanten vermieden wird. Mithilfe von Methoden der Künstlichen Intelligenz entwickelt die Arbeit ein heuristisches Verfahren für die Suche nach einer Lösung gemäß des Wohlfahrtskalküls. Dies implementiert dem Wohlfahrtskalkül zugrundeliegende Aspekte der Theorie der Gerechtigkeit nach John Rawls für das Beispiel des urbanen Raums. Eine szenariobasierte Simulation weist nach, dass der entwickelte Lösungsansatz die Safety-orientierte Wohlfahrt im urbanen Raum effektiv erhöhen kann.The objective of the thesis is the advancement of urban areas with intelligent information technology to enhance urban life. In doing so, social inclusion of people with motor impairments is of particular interest. At this, an important group is the set of older adults. The aspired advancement aims at enabling self-determined participation in urban life, and hence in social life, up until old age: Participation in social life essentially depends on the opportunities for self-determined exertion of outdoor activities. Motor impairments in old age lead to a perceived significant reduction of safety in urban areas and hence concerned people are worried of using the urban area. To counteract the resulting avoidance of outdoor activities the thesis pursues the approach to transform urban objects by means of technologies of the Internet of Things into novel so-called Smart Urban Objects that actively provide support in outdoor activities. Smart Urban Objects are equipped with sensors, actuators and information processing capabilities and can adapt to individual requirements of pedestrians. Due to age-correlated motor impairments, there are for example special requirements for seating. Besides the information technological transformation of single urban objects, there are furthermore important requirements for networked Smart Urban Objects. By means of intelligently coordinated, goal-oriented availability of the supportive functionalities of single Smart Urban Objects, the urban area as overall system is enabled for adaptivity with respect to pedestrians requirements. The thesis studies the conception for an adaptive city with a safety-engineering approach at the example of smart seating and develops a method for an intelligent coordination of the networked Smart Urban Objects. For an accurate allocation of single smart seats as public objects with respect to individual requirements a welfare criterion is applied which shall avoid unfairness. Using methods of Artificial Intelligence the thesis develops a heuristic procedure for finding a solution according to the welfare criterion. This implements aspects of the theory of justice by John Rawls that underlie the welfare criterion for the example of the urban area. A scenario-based simulation substantiates that the developed solution approach can effectively enhance the safety-oriented welfare in the urban area

The Role of Application Domain Knowledge in Understanding Supply Chain Process Models

Professionals increasingly use diagrammatic models to analyze the processes within supply chains. These diagrams are created using domain-specific modeling grammars, which are different from business process models developed from domain-independent model

Impact of IT Use by Older Adults on Their Outdoor Activities

Older adults increasingly use IT to maintain social relationships and pursue an active lifestyle. IT use can also impact older adults\u27 outdoor activities but has received less attention in the literature. Empirical research is inconclusive on whether IT use facilitates older adults’ outdoor activities. We propose a research model that contextualizes activity theory of aging within the outdoor environment to explain the role of IT use. We report on designing a questionnaire-based survey, which we validated in a pretest with four groups of participants. This study is expected to have implications for IS research and the design of IT services and community programs assisting older adults in outdoor activities