Interactive Paper as a Mobile Client for a Multi-channel Web Information System

We describe how interactive paper can be used together with a multi-channel web information system to build a platform for experimenting with multi-modal context-aware mobile information services. As an application, we present a tourist guide for visitors to an international festival that was developed to investigate alternative modes of information delivery and interaction in mobile environments. The guide is based around a set of interactive paper documents—an event brochure, map and bookmark. The brochure and map are augmented with digital services by using a digital pen to activate links and a text-to-speech engine for information delivery. The digital pen is also used for data capture of event ratings and reviews. The bookmark provides access to advanced searches and ticket reservations. We describe the architecture and operation of the system, highlighting the challenges of extending a web information system to support both the generation of the paper documents and the interaction from these documents, alongside more traditional access channels. Finally, we discuss the range of context-aware interactions that is supported by our platfor

A STUDY OF DATA QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPIRICAL DATA IN THE FOOD SCIENCES

Data quality is a critical issu in scientific databases since the reliability of empirical data can have a major impact on the formation of scientific theories and policy decisions. Yet while several conceptual frameworks for data quality have been proposed, there is still a lack of general tools and metrics to measure and control the quality of empirical data in practice. As a first step in this direction, we carried out a detailed study of data quality requirements in a system designed to support food scientists by managing data about food composition. Our users included system designers and developers as well as food compilers and project managers. In addition to determining which dimensions of data quality specified in existing conceptual frameworks users consider important in assessing the reliability of data, we also asked users to assess the importance of various criteria related specifically to empirical data. These factors were based around the four steps typical in the life-cycle of empirical data, namely sampling, analysis, data acquisition and data processing. Another novel feature of our study was to investigate not only the different dimensions of data quality considered to be important but also how this depends on the role of users

How to give Feedback on Data Quality: A Study in the Food Sciences

Data quality is a critical factor in scientific information systems, especially taking into account the fact that the methods used to capture data are constantly being revised and improved which means that data collected over time may have variable quality. We present an approach that we implemented for giving feedback on data quality and report on a study of its use in the food sciences. We distinguish between two main types of data quality feedback, one concerning the validation of data at input time and the other with analysing the quality of data already stored in a database. We propose a general data quality framework and analysis toolkit that allows users to configure both the data quality metrics and how these metrics are visualised. We describe how the toolkit was integrated into a system for the management of food composition data before presenting the results of a questionnaire-based study used to evaluate both the data quality framework and how feedback on data quality is presented to the users

A Collection Model for Data Management in Object-Oriented Systems

This thesis addresses the question of how to provide data management services in object-oriented systems with reliable persistent object stores. It proposes an object data model, called the collection model, which serves as a foundation for the construction of such services. The collection model is general in that it is independent of any particular implementation platform. In part, this independence is achieved through the separation of the data model from the underlying type model. There are two components of the collection model - a structural model, BROOM, and an operational model based on an algebra of collections. The structural model is semantically rich and exhibits properties of both the entity-relationship and semantic data models. Hoary collections are used to represent entity categories and binary collections to represent relationships between entities. Classification structures are based on the notion of a. collection family which represents various forms of conceptual dependencies among the collections of a. family. The requirements for supporting the various forms of evolution in object-oriented database systems are presented. An extension to the collection model is proposed to support object evolution whereby objects can migrate within classification structures. Two existing realisations of the collection model are described. One is a. prototype, single-user system implemented in Prolog. The other forms the basis of the Object Data. Management Services of the Comandos platform for distributed, object-oriented applications. A general approach to object data model design, specification and realisation is advocated. In particular, a metacircular description of the collection model is used as an intermediate form of data model specification. This metacircular description is then transformed into a formal specification in the Z language

A platform to support object database research

Databases play a key role in an increasingly diverse range of applications and settings. New requirements are continually emerging and may differ substantially from one domain to another, sometimes even to the point of conflict. To address these challenges, database systems are evolving to cater for new application domains. Yet little attention has been given to the process of researching and developing database concepts in response to new requirements. We present a platform designed to support database research in terms of experimentation with different aspects of database systems ranging from the data model to the distribution architecture. Our platform is based on the notion of metamodel extension modules, inspired by proposals for adaptive and configurable database management systems. However, rather than building a tailored system from existing components, we focus on the process of designing new components. To qualitatively evaluate our platform, we present a series of case studies where our approach was used successfully to experiment with concepts designed to support a variety of novel application domains

Handling Conflicts through Multi-level Editing in Peer-to-peer Environments

Part of the 20th anniversary conference on Computer Supported CooperativeWork (CSCW '06)The handling of conflicts in collaborative editing over hierarchical documents in peer-to-peer networks is a very important issue. In this paper we show how the multi-level editing approach that recursively applies a tombstone transformational approach over the document levels offers support for flexible conflict definition and resolution

Context-aware platform for mobile data management

Interaction design is a major issue for mobile information systems in terms of not only the choice of input/output channels and presentation of information, but also the application of context-awareness. To support experimentation with these factors, we have developed platforms to support the rapid prototyping of multi-channel, multi-modal, context-aware applications. The Java-based platform presented here is based on an integration of a cross-media link server and an object-oriented framework for advanced content publishing, along with a Client Controller and Context Engine. We also describe how this platform was used to develop a mobile tourist information system for an international arts festival where interaction was based on a combination of interactive paper and speech outpu

IQuaD dental trial; improving the quality of dentistry : a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing oral hygiene advice and periodontal instrumentation for the prevention and management of periodontal disease in dentate adults attending dental primary care

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