DOI: 10.3897/jucs.113266

Authors: Kosuke Sasaki, Zhen He, Tomoo Inoue

Abstract: Distance learning has been expanding. Learner engagement is particularly important in project-based learning (PBL), but the interaction between teacher and learner and the understanding of learner status, including engagement, is not easy. This study aims to support teacher-learner communication based on learner engagement for remote PBL. In this paper, we propose the use of video activity reports by learners to estimate and understand learner engagement and to demonstrate its feasibility on the basis of the relationship between verbal and nonverbal information that can be obtained from video activity reports and learner engagement. Analysis of 232 video activity reports submitted by eight graduate students while working on remote research-based PBLs reveals that learner engagement decreases (1) when the report contained negative words, (2) when filled pauses were frequent or long, and (3) when silent pauses were infrequent or short. Furthermore, the feasibility of an AI-based support system is demonstrated through the design and implementation of a prototype.

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DOI: 10.3897/jucs.2020.052

Authors: Sangsun Han, Kibum Kim, Seonghwan Choi, Mankyu Sung

Abstract: Video/audio conferencing systems have been used extensively for remote collaboration over many years. Recently, virtual and mixed reality (VR/MR) systems have started to show great potential as communication media for remote collaboration. Prior studies revealed that the creation of common ground between discourse participants is crucial for collaboration and that grounding techniques change with the communication medium. However, it is difficult to find previous research that compares VR and MR communication system performances with video conferencing systems regarding the creation of common ground for collaborative problem solving. On the other hand, prior studies have found that display fidelity and interaction fidelity had significant effects on performance-intensive individual tasks in virtual reality. Fidelity in VR can be defined as the degree of objective accuracy with which the real-world is represented by the virtual world. However, to date, fidelity for collaborative tasks in VR/MR has not been defined or studied much. In this paper, we compare five different communication media for the establishment of common ground in collaborative problem-solving tasks: Webcam, headband camera, VR, MR, and audio-only conferencing systems. We analyzed these communication media with respect to collaborative fidelity components which we defined. For the experiments, we utilized two different types of collaborative tasks: a 2D Tangram puzzle and a 3D Soma cube puzzle. The experimental results show that the traditional Webcam performed better than the other media in the 2D task, while the headband camera performed better in the 3D task. In terms of collaboration fidelity, these results were somehow predictable, although there was a little difference between our expectations and the results.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-025-08-0988

Authors: Valeria Herskovic, Sergio Ochoa, José Pino

Abstract: People-driven mobile collaborative processes are increasingly mediated by technology due to the ubiquity, efficiency and flexibility that modern groupware systems provide their users. However, identifying groupware requirements to be considered in their development is a challenging task, since the processes being supported by them do not have a clear workflow coordinating the activities performed by the participants. Thus, software developers must usually guess these requirements based on their own experience, and so the elicitation process becomes a creative activity instead of an engineering process. Trying to reduce this uncertainty about groupware requirements identification, and thus helping developers improve their capability to predict the suitability of a collaborative system, this paper presents a visual notation to represent user interaction scenarios through models. These models are processed to automatically determine a set of potentially required groupware services. Thus, this proposal reduces the uncertainty about the groupware requirements to be considered in the development of a system supporting a particular people-driven mobile collaborative process. The United States of Americability and usefulness of the visual notation and the method to derive the groupware requirements are illustrated with a running example, and also through its application to a case study. The results are encouraging and consistent, allowing us to augur potential adoption in research and industrial settings.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-022-02-0247

Authors: Dragos Datcu, Stephan Lukosch, Heide Lukosch

Abstract: While augmented reality research has grown into a mature field over the last years, the aspects of situational awareness and presence of augmented reality (AR) are still quite open research topics. This paper introduces a collaborative game to explore the different perception of situational awareness and presence in a physical and an AR environment. The game is employed as an approximation of collaboratively solving complex problems. The goal of the game is to jointly build a tower with either physical blocks in a physical environment or virtual blocks in an augmented reality environment. A first study with 18 users shows the feasibility of the game and questionnaire design for studying the different perception of situational awareness and presence in a physical and an AR environment. The study further identifies necessary future research with regard to the perception of presence and awareness in AR.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-020-15-2016

Authors: Atif Alamri, Ghulam Muhammad, Abdulhameed A. Al Elaiwi, Khalid Al-Mutib, M. Hossain

Abstract: The increasing demand for ubiquitous access to technology enhanced learning environment has faced a challenge of heterogeneity in terms of networks, mobile device, platforms and finally, the learning content in various formats. In order to alleviate the challenge of the said diversity, content adaptation is essential. However, because of the diversity of the mobile users, networks and the rich media learning content, it is a major challenge for the access of learning content by the desired devices in the mobile learning environment. In order to alleviate the challenge of learning content mismatch, content adaptation is essential. This paper describes a content adaptation framework for mobile e-learning.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-020-07-0964

Authors: Rocío Calvo, Ana Iglesias, Lourdes Moreno

Abstract: Chat applications are useful synchronous tools in mobile learning (m-learning) environments. However, these tools have accessibility problems which cannot be avoided by students and teachers with disabilities. This paper focuses on detecting these accessibility problems. Specifically, this paper presents the Requirement Engineering (RE) process carried out to obtain the requirements needed to improve the interaction for people who experience problems with the Flow and Rhythm of the conversation in chats. A methodological approach has been followed and Software Engineering (SE) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) disciplines were combined in order to improve the interaction during the chat.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-020-03-0385

Authors: Mircea Vleju

Abstract: We describe the concept of automatic authentication for cloud-based services via the use of a client-centric solution for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In previous work we have introduced the Identity Management Machine (IdMM) whichis designed to handle the interaction between a client's identity directory and various cloud identity management systems. We now further refine this machine by describingits interaction with various cloud authentication systems. The IdMM is designed to aid SMEs in their adoption or migration to cloud-based services. The system allowsSMEs to store its confidential data on-premise, enhancing the client's control over the data. We further enhance the privacy related aspects of a client-to-cloud interaction viathe introduction of obfuscated and partially obfuscated identities which allow SMEs to also choose the type of data being sent to a cloud service. Since the IdMM is a singlesign-on system capable of automatic authentication the risk of phishing or other social engineering attacks is reduced as an individual user may not be aware of his or hercredentials for a given cloud service.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-019-15-2292

Authors: Javier Fernández, Juan Augusto, Giuseppe Trombino, Ralf Seepold, Natividad Madrid

Abstract: Traders are required to work in the financial market with highly complex information and to perform efficiently under high levels of psychological pressure. Multiple disciplines, from programs with artificial intelligence to complex mathematical functions, are used to help traders in their effort to maximize profits. However, an essential problem not yet considered in this rapidly evolving environment is that traders are not supported to adequately manage how stress influences their decisions. This paper takes into consideration the negative influences of stress on individuals and proposes a system designed to support traders by providing them with information that can reduce the likelihood of poor decision-making. The system has been designed considering both technical and physiological aspects to make information available in a suitable way. Biometric sensors are used to collect data associated with stress, a software platform then analyses this information and displays it to the trader. The resulting system is capable of making individual traders, as well as teams of traders, self-aware of their levels of stress. The system has been tested in real environments and the results provide evidence that self-aware traders benefit from the system by reducing risky decision-making.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-019-07-0873

Authors: Diogo Azevedo, Benjamim Fonseca, Hugo Paredes, Stephan Lukosch, Jordan Janeiro, Robert Briggs

Abstract: The need for computer-supported collaboration has grown over the last years and made collaboration an important factor within organizations. This trend has resulted in the development of a variety of tools and technologies to support the various forms of collaboration. Many collaborative processes, e.g. strategy building, scenario analysis, root cause analysis and requirements engineering, require various collaboration support tools. Data flow, fishbone and brainstorming diagrams, play an important role within these synchronous collaborative applications to create, evaluate, elaborate, discuss, and revise graphical models. Currently, the necessary tools are not integrated and flexible enough to support such processes. In this paper, a synchronous collaborative brainstorming diagram editor integrated in a flexible group support system is described. This approach goes beyond the current state of the art as it can be seamlessly integrated with other collaboration support tools such as text-based brainstorming or voting. The usability of the taken approach is evaluated within a case study on collaborative learning.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-019-06-0831

Authors: Antonio Benavent, José López, Federico Botella, José A. Gallud Lázaro

Abstract: At present, the spread of hand held devices with growing computing power and functionality allows that different interaction elements can be distributed among a wide range of devices from different platforms, supporting interaction with one or many users. To take advantage of the benefits this kind of devices provides, traditional user interfaces have been evolving towards distributed user ones. The specification of the constraints on the way in which these elements can be distributed is still an open field and further research is needed. In this paper we propose a new schema-based definition of Distributed User Interfaces (DUIs), allowing the specification of the elements to be distributed, defining constraints on the distribution process itself, independently of the language selected to construct the interface. Thus, the interface distribution process becomes the creation of an XML instance from a grammar specified in Schema language. We also introduce two new definitions to complete the formalization of our previous definition of DUI. Our previously defined Abstract User Interface (AUI) model jointly with this new schema-based definition of DUIs will lead us to the full specification of concrete DUIs. We provide some examples of the distribution process using the proposed schema.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-018-15-2187

Authors: María Ibáñez, David Maroto, José Jesús García Rueda, Derick Leony, Carlos Delgado-Kloos

Abstract: 3D virtual worlds are recognized as collaborative learning environments. However, the underlying technology is not sufficiently mature and the virtual worlds look cartoonish, unlinked to reality. Thus, it is important to enrich them with elements from the real world to enhance student engagement in learning activities. Our approach is to build learning environments where participants can either be in the real world or in its mirror world while sharing the same hybrid space in a collaborative learning experience. This paper focuses on the system architecture and a usability study of a proof-of-concept for these hybrid learning environments. The architecture allows the integration of the real world and its 3D virtual mirror; the exchange and geolocalization of multimodal information, and also the orchestration of learning activities. The results of the usability evaluation show positive engagement effects on participants in the mirror world and, to a lesser extent, on those in the real world.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-14-1931

Authors: Ana Cristina B. Garcia, Adriana Vivacqua, Thiago Tavares

Abstract: Democratic governments constantly need to make sense of their citizens' needs to make appropriate decisions that reflect the overall wishes and needs of the population. However, except for mandatory voting scenarios, a low rate of citizen participation in government decisions through democratic processes is an aspect that defies democracy itself. Brazil's participatory budget policy emphasizes people's direct guidance regarding certain budget allocations though group meetings. This paper presents mParticipation, an agent-based model for eliciting and answering citizen demands in a participatory government structure using mobile technology. A prototype system applied to the domain of public budget allocation domain demonstrates that it is feasible to provide effective computational support to participatory collective decision-making.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-14-1913

Authors: Márcio Gonçalves, Cleidson R. B. De Souza, Victor González

Abstract: Different aspects defining the nature of software engineering work have been analyzed by empirical studies conducted in the last 30 years. However, in recent years, many changes have occurred in the context of software development that impact the way people collaborate, communicate with each other, manage the development process and search for information to create solutions and solve problems. For instance, the generalized adoption of asynchronous and synchronous communication technologies as well as the adoption of quality models to evaluate the work being conducted are some aspects that define modern software development scenarios. Despite this new context, much of the research in the collaborative aspects of software design is based on research that does not reflect these new work environments. Thus, a more up-to-date understanding of the nature of software engineering work with regards to collaboration, information seeking and communication is necessary. The goal of this paper is to present findings of an observational study to understand those aspects. We found that our informants spend 45% of their time collaborating with their colleagues; information seeking consumes 31,90% of developers' time; and low usage of software process tools is observed (9,35%). Our results also indicate a low usage of e-mail as a communication tool (∼1% of the total time spent on collaborative activities), and software developers, of their total time on communication efforts, spending 15% of it looking for information, that helps them to be aware of their colleagues' work, share knowledge, and manage dependencies between their activities. Our results can be used to inform the design of collaborative software development tools as well as to improve team management practices.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-12-1710

Authors: Konstantinos Kotis, Andreas Papasalouros, George Vouros, Nikolaos Pappas, Konstantinos Zoumpatianos

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present a novel technological approach for enhancing the collective knowledge of communities of learners on the engineering of ontologies within a collaborative, open and socially constructed environment. The proposed technology aims at shaping information spaces into ontologies in a collaborative, communicative and learner-centered way during the ontology development life-cycle. The paper conjectures that such a collaborative environment can yield educational benefits, thus there is need to follow principles that apply in the Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) paradigm. This work is mainly based on a collaborative and human-centered ontology engineering methodology and on a meta-ontology framework for developing ontologies, namely HCOME and HCOME-3O respectively. The integration of key technologies such as Semantic Wiki and Argumentation models with Ontology Engineering methodologies and tools serve as an enabler of learning spaces construction for different domain-specific information spaces in open settings. Inside these learning spaces innovative conceptualizations (both domain and development) are conceived, described by intertwined ontological meta-models following the HCOME-3O specifications for future reference and tutoring support. Such learning spaces support two types of ontology engineering courses: a) courses related to the know-how of shaping information spaces into ontologies (namely, the development knowledge) and b) courses related to the analysis of the domain itself (namely, the domain knowledge). The paper reports on the evaluation of the approach within a CSCL setting in Ontology Engineering, using the integrated set of tools and the framework that have been developed for the collaborative engineering of ontologies.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-12-1673

Authors: Michele Brocco, Florian Forster, Marc Frieß

Abstract: Open Innovation is a new paradigm that suggests including actors from inside as well as outside a company's boundaries in the innovation process. Open creativity refers to the creative phase in this process. In this article we investigate on open creativity support. We conducted interviews within companies in the German ICT sector to analyze the status quo of open creativity and the tools currently used to support it. In a second step we derive design guidelines and an architecture for IT systems supporting open creativity that lead to a holistic, 360ffi support for open creativity.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-10-1430

Authors: Alice Comi, Martin Eppler

Abstract: As suggested by several scholars, inter-organizational collaboration is an important vehicle for innovation, but working across organizational boundaries entails great complexity. In this paper, we argue that visual facilitation may act as a catalyst of inter-organizational teamwork, leading to increased knowledge sharing quality (H1), team performance (H2) and satisfaction (H3). On the other hand, we suggest that the aesthetic beauty of visual representations may exert a manipulatory effect, inducing inter-organizational actors to overestimate the collaboration value potential (H4). We adopt an experimental design (N=145 participants) in order to assess the advantages and disadvantages of visual facilitation in inter-organizational teamwork. In particular, we compare inter-organizational teams working with i) software-based visualization, ii) poster-based visualization, and iii) text-based facilitation (control condition). By comparing results across the two treatment conditions (software and poster), we disentangle the effects of visual facilitation and computer interactivity, therefore making a unique contribution to research on information visualization. The experiment findings show that software-supported teams outperform the control groups in terms of performance (H2), and exhibit greater satisfaction with the inter-organizational meetings (H3). We extend our experimental study by conducting focus groups with 17 experiment participants to gain an in-depth understanding of the users' experience with the different support systems. After discussing relevant implications for both researchers and practitioners, we point out the limitations of our study and suggest directions for future research.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-07-1078

Authors: Syed Shahzad

Abstract: The user experience of any software or website consists of elements from the conceptual to the concrete level. These elements of user experience assist in the design and development of user interfaces. On the other hand, ontologies provide a framework for computable representation of user interface elements and underlying data. This paper discusses strategies of introducing ontologies at different user interface layers adapted from user experience elements. These layers range from abstract levels (e.g. User needs/Application Objectives) to concrete levels (e.g. Application User Interface) in terms of data representation. The proposed ontological framework enables device independent, semi-automated GUI construction which we will demonstrate at a personal information management example.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-017-07-1043

Authors: Carlos Solis, Nour Ali

Abstract: Spatial Hypertext Wiki (ShyWiki) is a wiki which represents knowledge using notes that are spatially distributed in wiki pages and have visual characteristics such as colour, size, or font type. The use of spatial and visual characteristics in wikis is important to improve human comprehension, creation and organization of knowledge. Another important capability in wikis is to allow machines to process knowledge. Wikis that formally structure knowledge for this purpose are called semantic wikis. This paper describes how ShyWiki can make use of spatial hypertext in order to be a semantic wiki. ShyWiki can represent knowledge at different levels of formality. Users of ShyWiki can annotate the content and represent semantic relations without being experts of semantic web data description languages. The spatial hypertext features make it suitable for users to represent unstructured knowledge and implicit graphic relations among concepts. In addition, semantic web and spatial hypertext features are combined to represent structured knowledge. The semantic web features of ShyWiki improve navigation and publish the wiki knowledge as RDF resources, including the implicit relations that are analyzed using a spatial parser.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-016-15-2139

Authors: Youna Jung, Minsoo Kim

Abstract: For many complex and dynamic ubiquitous services, context-aware cooperation can be a solution. However, the way is not yet clear to make individual objects cooperate with each other as situations change. In addition, in the present environment in which many smart agents are already deployed, we are able to quickly develop ubiquitous services by utilizing existing agents. In the case of urgent but unavailable services, such fast development is required but there is no existing work to provide a path. To meet such requirements, in this paper, we thus introduce community computing as a new paradigm in which ubiquitous services are provided through context-aware cooperation among existing agents. To design such systems intuitively, we propose an abstraction model, called the situation-aware community computing model which includes the community situation model and the situation-aware cooperation model. In addition, for fast and convenient system development, we propose a development process based on the MDA (Model-Driven Architecture) approach [OMG, 03]. Following the development steps of MDA, we propose three models each having different abstraction levels and the model transformation process from the high-level model, CCM, to the source code. To make such transformation semi-automatic, we develop a toolkit, called CDTK. By using CDTK, we are able to implement a community computing system conveniently and systematically. To verify the proposed work, we implemented two small systems based on motivated scenarios; CHILDCARE and COEX-Mall. Through the simulated results of those systems, we examined the possibility of community computing as a new development paradigm.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-016-01-0103

Authors: Da Ruan, Jie Lu, Erik Laes, Guangquan Zhang, Jun Ma, Gaston Meskens

Abstract: Real world decisions often made in the presence of multiple, conflicting, and incommensurate criteria. Decision making requires multiple perspectives of different individuals as more decisions are made now in groups than ever before. This is particularly true when the decision environment becomes more complex such as sustainability policies study in environmental and energy sectors. Group decision making processes judgments or solutions for decision problems based on the input and feedback of multiple individuals. Multi-criteria decision and evaluation problems at tactical and strategic levels in practice involve fuzziness in terms of linguistic variables vis-à-vis criteria, weights, and decision maker judgments. Relevant alternatives or scenarios are evaluated according to a number of desired criteria. A fuzzy multi-criteria group decision software tool is developed to analyze long-term scenarios for Belgian energy policy in this paper.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-16-3139

Authors: Torsten Holmer, Stephan Lukosch, Verena Kunz

Abstract: In this article, we address the problem of confusion and co-text-loss in chat communication, identify requirements for a solution, discuss related work and present a new approach for addressing co-text loss in text-based chats. We report about first experiences with our solution and give an outlook on future work directions. The core idea of our solution MuViChat (multiple-visualization chat) is to support multiple visualizations of referenced chat transcripts in which users can choose their preferred view. The multiple visualizations offer different possibilities to follow and understand a communication and thereby diminish chat confusion which often occurs in standard chat systems. By enabling the recording and replaying of chat discussions and an extensible modular architecture we are supporting evaluation and further integration of advanced visualization concepts.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-16-3126

Authors: Gwendolyn Kolfschoten, Gert-Jan De Vreede

Abstract: Modeling is a key activity in system analysis and design. Users as well as stakeholders, experts and entrepreneurs need to be able to create shared understanding about a system representation in various phases of a design process. In each of these phases it is important to align views and ensure that differences in understanding of the system are resolved. Visualization is of high importance in this process and thus a logic approach is to involve stakeholders in collaborative modeling. Technology like interactive whiteboards may provide new opportunities in the support of collaborative modeling. In this paper we offer insights from an exploratory research on experiences in using interactive whiteboards in collaborative modeling, based on semi-structured interviews.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-16-3101

Authors: Till Schümmer, Stephan Lukosch

Abstract: When considering the principles for eXtreme Programming, distributed eXtreme Programming, especially distributed pair programming, is a paradox predetermined to failure. However, global software development as well as the outsourcing of software development are integral parts of software projects. Hence, the support for distributed pair programming is still a challenging field for tool developers so that failure for distributed pair programming becomes less mandatory. In this paper, we analyse the social interaction in distributed pair programming and investigate how current technology supports this interaction. We present XPairtise, a plug-in for Eclipse that allows instant pair programming in distributed development teams. In addition, we report on experiences and findings when using XPairtise in a distributed software development setting.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-16-3081

Authors: Eduardo Gasca, Jesus Favela, Monica Tentori

Abstract: Obesity has become a serious health problem affecting millions of people around the world. Obese people have a higher risk to attain chronic diseases, a reduced quality of life, and higher risk of premature death. Persuasive technology and virtual communities can help address these problems by motivating patients to follow a healthier life style. This paper presents the Persuasive Health Network (pHealthNet), a pervasive virtual community designed to promote a healthy lifestyle in patients with chronic degenerative diseases that participated in a national program for the prevention of diseases, education and self-care. The development and deployment of the system supports the program's goal of persuading patients to change their eating habits and to increase their physical activity. The system was incorporated in the program of two self-support groups whose participants are monitored for a period of three months. The results of an in situ evaluation showed that participants increased their trust in themselves, adopted healthier eating and exercising habits and where more satisfied with the program that those who followed the traditional approach.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-12-2330

Authors: Choonsung Shin, Woontack Woo

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a service conflict management framework for detecting and resolving conflicts of multi-users who share context-aware applications within a smart home. For supporting a general solution to deal with the multi-user conflicts, the framework utilizes an ontology that describes applications and their services, an approach determination tree that assigns an appropriate resolution strategy to the conflict, and a set of resolution strategies. Based on this ontology, it dynamically detects conflicts associated among multiple users who are using various applications affecting each other, or the same application with different preferences. An appropriate resolution method is assigned to the conflict according to the properties involved, their relationship, and users' preferences. The detected conflict is resolved either by an automatic decision, based on either priority or preferences, or by a user decision. Through implementing and evaluating the framework to a smart home test-bed, we found that the proposed framework dynamically detected and flexibly resolved multi-user conflicts which occurred among the services of multiple applications, as well as within a single application.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-12-2311

Authors: Zhiyong Yu, Zhiwen Yu, Xingshe Zhou, Daqing Zhang, Yuichi Nakamura

Abstract: In order to boost both efficiency and effectiveness of meetings, we propose a novel Meeting Warming-up system to detect common interests and conflicts among participants before a meeting. The basic idea of the proposed approach is: firstly, modelling user preference by extending the attribute concept tree with additional relations both in and across attributes; secondly, determining common interests and conflicts through preference propagation and merging; thirdly, visualizing the detected results via a group preference graph. As a result, each participant can intuitively understand the group’s opinions as a whole and warm up for discussions around potential outcomes. In particular, the meeting may have an easy and friendly start with commonly agreed outcomes, the commonly disagreed items may be ignored to save time, and participants may be mentally prepared to discuss the possible conflicts carefully and sufficiently. The experimental results showed that our approach is feasible.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-09-1945

Authors: Rita Suzana P. Maciel, José Maria N. David, Michel Oei, Adriano Augusto de Oliveira Bastos, Leandro Menezes

Abstract: Solutions have been proposed to support awareness in groupware. Frequently, this requirement is fulfilled by similar functionalities that are implemented in different modules within these collaborative applications. These solutions usually represent crosscut concerns related to awareness by the use of object-oriented programming. As a result, tightly coupled components are generated as well as code redundancy and scattering. Flexibility and agility, related to awareness maintenance and evolution can be considered a challenge. This paper presents an awareness service named Aw2SOA, which was developed to support awareness functionalities in a Web-based Groupware Service-Oriented Architecture (WGWSOA) environment. The WGWSOA infrastructure is based on middleware services for collaborative applications. Aw2SOA is a middleware specific service which was implemented according to service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles and aspect-oriented programming (AOP) concepts. Case studies were carried out focusing on service integration activities as well as using groupware application development in order to evaluate this solution.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-08-1735

Authors: Ulrica Pettersson

Abstract: Developing successful knowledge management (KM) processes is extremely difficult. In general, a large number of all KM projects end unsuccessfully. The aim of this paper is to summarize and study the attempts to take advantage of Lessons Learned in the Swedish Armed Forces (SwAF), focusing on international missions. Relevant reports, articles and literature have been studied. With the purpose of understanding the reasons for failure and the failure factors in SwAF’s attempts at KM, Chua and Lam’s model for unsuccessful KM implementation has been applied to four cases from the organization. The results show that SwAF are aware of the importance of knowledge and have attempted to implement KM on several occasions. In most cases, however, the KM projects do not achieve widespread use and eventually end unsuccessfully. Furthermore, many of the KM tools that have been developed are no longer in use. The Swedish Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) and the Swedish Air Force are notable exceptions.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-07-1455

Authors: Patrícia Dinis, Alberto Rodrigues da Silva

Abstract: Learning Objects Repositories are becoming increasingly available on the Internet. Learning Objects Pool (LOP) built around the "stock exchange" metaphor, brings a new concept of Learning Objects Repositories pushing users motivation to produce good LOs as well as increasing the cooperation between users, either by submitting suggestions and comments or rating existing LOs. To achieve such high level of motivation and interest some kind of healthy competition is promoted, assigning credits to users and setting a value cost for each LO. This credit-based system rewards users that collaborate by creating LOs or by adding valuable information. It consequently increases the value of the most popular LOs, and also allows the creation of users and LOs rankings. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the LOP system and, in particular, describes some application scenarios where, through configuration and parameterization we show the LOP’s high levels of versatility.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-015-03-0665

Authors: Andreas Schmeil, Martin Eppler

Abstract: In this paper we propose a classification and systematic description structure based on the pattern paradigm for interaction scripts in Second Life that aim at facilitating on the one side knowledge sharing and knowledge integration in groups, and on the other side knowledge creation in formal and informal ways. We present 13 examples of interaction patterns, a description structure to formalize them, and classify them into four classes according to their design effort and added value. Based on this classification we distinguish among sophisticated 3D collaboration patterns, seamless patterns, decorative patterns, and pseudo patterns.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-19-3217

Authors: Thomas Memmel, Harald Reiterer

Abstract: When the user interface is specified, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the worst thing one can do is write a natural-language specification for it. Because this practice is still common, it is a challenging task to move from text-based requirements and problem-space concepts to a final UI design, and then back again. However, this activity is required frequently and is necessary to drive creative ideas. In our research we found that advanced UI specifications should therefore be made up of interconnected artefacts that have distinct levels of abstraction. With regards to the transparency and traceability of the rationale of the specification process, transitions and dependencies must be visual and traversable. For this purpose, we introduce a model-based user interface specification method and a corresponding experimental tool that interactively integrates interdisciplinary and informal models with different levels of fidelity of user-interface prototyping. With innovative styles of interaction and user input, our proposed tool supports the collaboration required in a multidisciplinary context.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-19-3160

Authors: Josefina García, Christophe Lemaigre, Juan Manuel González Calleros, Jean Vanderdonckt

Abstract: Many methods in the area of Human-Computer Interaction have been developed for deriving user interfaces considering individual users. However, nowadays information systems include more than single interaction, there is a need to explicitly include multi user interaction during the design process of information systems. One of this approaches are workflow systems. Workflow information systems present the view of the organization, while modelling their business process; workflow systems define explicitly the role of each actor during the performance of the different tasks. The introduction of aspects such as: organizational units, agendas, Wok list, user stereotypes and resources, allows the design of more robust systems, especially when all of them are considered during the development of the User Interfaces needed. In this paper, we present a model-driven approach to derive user interfaces of a workflow information system from a series of models. A graphical editor has been developed. It is described and exemplified on a real-world case study for designing the user interfaces of a workflow information system.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-19-3142

Authors: William Giraldo, Ana Molina, Cesar Collazos, Manuel Ortega Cantero, Miguel Redondo

Abstract: This paper describes the taxonomy for designing interactive groupware systems. The taxonomy defines the objectives, methods and principles for classifying models and facilitates their integration. In particular, we show the integration process of models in two notations such as CIAN, which considers collaboration and human-computer interaction issues, and UML, which allows specifying the functionality of groupware systems. The proposed integration process is based on a software tool, called CIAT, developed to put our proposal into practice.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-19-3053

Authors: Victor Penichet, María Lozano, José A. Gallud Lázaro, Ricardo Tesoriero, Maria Rodríguez, José Garrido, Manuel Noguera, María Hurtado

Abstract: This paper presents a proposal to tackle the design and development of user interfaces for groupware applications. This proposal includes important design and implementation issues of special relevance for this kind of interfaces. In particular, group awareness requirements in the development of groupware applications are addressed, both in the sense of the basic manipulation actions of the interface widgets, as well as in the sense of other kinds of group awareness in relation to the presence of actors, the roles they play in a concrete moment, etc. The design proposal we present is part of a complete development process (called TOUCHE) which defines a set of facets to describe Abstract Interaction Objects. These objects, at design level, provide the basis for the definition of Concrete Interaction Objects at implementation level within a software platform intended to facilitate the development of user interfaces for groupware applications. This way, we get an integral approach to tackle the development of this kind of user interfaces, taking into account in an explicit way the perception of the joint activity of a group of users involved in a common task and thus achieving a more effective collaboration.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-17-2840

Authors: Roberto Arroyo, Miguel Gea, José Garrido, Pablo Haya, Rosa Carro

Abstract: Social-aware computing is an emerging trend based on ubiquitous computing technologies and collaborative work. A successful design demands a better understanding of group tasks, adaptation mechanisms and support for dynamic changes in a nomadic computing paradigm. This paper proposes the use of a hypermedia model to describe and support group activities in intelligent environments. The resulting system integrates adaptive context-aware information on the basis of user/group models in order to provide a structured access to dynamic task scheduling. In particular, we propose the use of the calendar metaphor as an ongoing connection between active spaces and collaborative tasks. This proposal provides the appropriate support for an easier human coordination to achieve common objectives in blended learning scenarios, and thus, extending authoring social tasks to physical spaces.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-16-2680

Authors: Maximiliano Paredes, Ana Molina, Miguel Redondo, Manuel Ortega Cantero

Abstract: In this article we explain how we apply the CIAM methodology based on the CIAN notation in order to generate user interfaces in collaborative applications. CIAM has been applied successfully in the development of desktop applications, such as Domosim-TPC, demonstrating its effectiveness in the definition of user interfaces for collaborative applications where a shared context is required. We present the AULA system modeled by means of CIAM. The results in the application of this Methodology show the necessity to include those aspects closely related with context modeling and the synchronization of contents; that is why we make an outline of the way to take into account these characteristics as a future work.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-09-1545

Authors: Roberto Arroyo, Miguel Gea, José Garrido, Pablo Haya

Abstract: So far, the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm has been applied to the development of a great variety of real systems. They use advanced technologies such as ubiquitous computing, natural interaction and active spaces, which become part of social environments. In the design of AmI systems, the inherent collaboration among users (with the purpose of achieving common goals) is usually represented and treated in an ad-hoc manner. However, the development of this kind of systems can take advantage of rich design models which embrace concepts in the domain of collaborative systems in order to provide the adequate support for explicit or implicit collaboration. Thereby, relevant requirements to be satisfied, such as an effective coordination of human activities by means of task scheduling, demand to dynamically manage and provide group- and context-awareness information. This paper addresses the integration of both proactive and collaborative aspects into a unique design model for the development of AmI systems; in particular, the proposal has been applied to a learning system. Furthermore, the implementation of this system is based on a blackboard- based architecture, which provides a well-defined high-level interface to the physical layer.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-09-1496

Authors: Luis Tobar, Pedro Latorre, Elena Lapena

Abstract: The development, analysis and follow-up of the processes designed to assure the usability and accessibility of websites is a tedious work for the moderator or evaluator. This is why there is a necessity for tools that can automate the processes. There are some tools that cover some of the technical aspects, but no tools have been identified that can tackle the process as a whole. For these reasons the Aragonese Usability Laboratory decided to develop WebA (Web Analysis), with the objective to have a complete application. This application is designed through modules with the objective of covering all of the evaluation and analysis phases, and it concludes with a process management module. For the analysis phase a Card Sorting module (open & closed) has been developed that uses the hierarchical and multidimensional cluster analysis, which allows a better information architecture. For the evaluation phases, modules have been developed that allow the semiautomatic evaluation of usability through user satisfaction tests based on Nielsen heuristics and ISO standards, the evaluation of accessibility through the verification of WCAG 1.0 guidelines. The application concludes with a process design and evaluation management module, and modules that automatically generate the reports of the analysis carried out.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-09-1463

Authors: Rafael Duque, Jesús Gallardo, Crescencio Bravo, Antonio Mendes

Abstract: Most of the current academic and professional work requires collaboration between the members of a working group. Groupware tools play a prevailing role in supporting this collaborative work, often from different locations and at the same time. The research field of CSCW (Computer-Supported Cooperative Work) studies how to design effective groupware tools. To increase their potential, groupware systems must be flexible and have the capacity to adapt themselves to multiple tasks and situations. In order to provide answers to these challenges, in this article we propose the use of meta-models and XML-based languages to specify the most important characteristics of a groupware modeling system, such as the application domain, the requirements of the tasks to be carried out, how communication takes place and the regulation of the shared workspace. These models and techniques have been used to develop a specific groupware system called SPACE-DESIGN (SPecification and Automatic Construction of collaborative Environments of DESIGN), a CSCW tool with support for synchronous distributed collaborative work that adapts and re-configures itself as a result of processing the domain specification, the task, the communication and the system working norms.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-09-1435

Authors: Ana Molina, Miguel Redondo, Manuel Ortega Cantero, H. Hoppe

Abstract: The design of the groupware systems is a progressively extended task, which is difficult to tackle. There are not proposals to support the joint modeling of collaborative and interactive issues of this kind of systems, that is, proposals that allow designing the presentation layer of these applications. In order to solve this lack we propose a methodological approach, based on a set of notations of both a graphical and a textual nature.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-09-1411

Authors: Carl Gutwin, Saul Greenberg, Roger Blum, Jeff Dyck, Kimberly Tee, Gregor Mcewan

Abstract: Shared-workspace groupware has not become common in the workplace, despite many positive results from research labs. One reason for this lack of success is that most shared workspace systems are designed around the idea of planned, formal collaboration sessions — yet much of the collaboration that occurs in a co-located work group is informal and opportunistic. To support informal collaboration, groupware must be designed and built differently. We introduce the idea of community-based groupware (CBG), in which groupware is organized around groups of people working independently, rather than shared applications, documents, or virtual places. Community-based groupware provides support for three things that are fundamental to informal collaboration: awareness of others and their individual work, lightweight means for initiating interactions, and the ability to move into closely-coupled collaboration when necessary. We demonstrate three prototypes that illustrate the ideas behind CBG, and argue that this way of organizing groupware supports informal collaboration better than other existing approaches.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-04-0508

Authors: Ronald Maier, Stefan Thalmann, Florian Bayer, Michael Krüger, Hendrik Nitz, Alexander Sandow

Abstract: Even though knowledge management has been around for more than a decade, so far concrete instruments that can be systematically deployed are still rare. This paper presents an optimization solution targeted at flexible management of office space considering knowledge management criteria in order to enhance knowledge work productivity. The paper presents the Flexible Office conceptual model and optimization solution. It discusses the theoretical foundation, assumptions and reasoning. A corresponding prototype was field-tested, successfully introduced, evaluated with the help of a series of interviews with users and improved according to their requirements. The paper also reflects on the organizational impact and lessons learned from field test and practical experience.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-01-0059

Authors: Stephan Lukosch

Abstract: Nowadays, more and more users make use of web-based collaborative systems. Users participate in communities or search for and provide information in webbased systems. They access shared resources which they need for their professional life or for learning. One of the major prerequisites of such web-based systems is that users have to be connected to the network. But life has become much more mobile over the last years. While traveling, e.g. to the office or the university, users often are disconnected from the network. This makes it difficult to interact with other users or to access shared resources. An application supporting a seamless transition between connected and disconnected phases would allow users to work at any time and place while maintaining the advantages of a web-based collaborative system once they are online again. In this article, we describe the requirements that a web-based collaborative system has to fulfill to enable a nomadic use. We show how we extended the web-based collaborative system CURE to fulfill these requirements and how our approach can be transferred to other web-based collaborative systems.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-014-01-0004

Authors: Werner Geyer, Roberto S. Silva Filho, Beth Brownholtz, David Redmiles

Abstract: Contextual collaboration seamlessly integrates existing groupware technologies into a uniform user experience that combines synchronous and asynchronous interactions. This user experience is usually supported by a collaboration infrastructure that needs to efficiently cope with the fast switching and integration of different modes of interaction. In this paper, we study a model for contextual collaboration that supports multiple modalities of collaboration. Our model is based on generic shared objects that provide building blocks for supporting contextual collaboration applications. We describe a native implementation of this model and evaluate its behavior under different media traffic conditions. We compare the native implementation with an alternative implementation that integrates existing notification and meeting servers to deliver the same model behavior. We discuss trade-offs and limitations of those two implementations.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-013-10-1434

Authors: Gustavo Zurita, Pedro Antunes, Nelson Baloian, Felipe Baytelman

Abstract: We propose mobile sensemaking as a collaborative mechanism to explore and understand information in highly mobile and fluid situations, where people engage in multiple parallel, rapid and ad-hoc interactions, rather than participating in large highly-structured decision processes. Mobile sensemaking is explored in the classroom context, where it has been recognized that the traditional lectures should be reconstructed as active processes centered on collaborative activities. Mobile sensemaking relies on mobile computing devices and a proximity model, both organizing collaborative activities according to the domain context and physical proximity. The paper describes in detail the proposed proximity model and the developed mobile application.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-013-07-0948

Authors: Maximiliano Paredes, Pedro Sánchez-Villalón, Manuel Ortega Cantero, J. Velázquez-Iturbide

Abstract: Writing applications are currently designed for desktop personal computers. Mobile devices like PDAs or smart phones are increasingly being used for mobile applications such as access to information sources or local work on the device, but they are seldom used for collaborative tasks. Here we present AULA and AWLA, two applications that put mobile devices and collaborative educational environments together inside and outside the classroom. They are designed under the paradigm of collaborative composition writing in language learning courses, in particular English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-013-02-0161

Authors: Daisaku Arita, Rin-Ichiro Taniguchi

Abstract: We propose a concept of real-time human proxy for avatar-based communication systems, which virtualizes a human in the real world in real-time and which lets the virtualized human behave as if he/she was present at a distant place. For estimating RHP, we apply it to a simple game and a virtual classroom system. The experimental results shows us that RHP is useful for avatar-based communication.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-011-04-0473

Authors: Remo Burkhard, Michael Meier

Abstract: This article introduces two theoretical concepts for the emerging field Knowledge Visualization and discusses a new visualization application that was used to communicate a long-term project to various stakeholders in an organization. First, we introduce a theoretical framework and a model for Knowledge Visualization. The framework and the model identify and relate the key-aspects for successful Knowledge Visualization applications. Next, we present an evaluation of an implemented Knowledge Visualization application: The Tube Map Visualization. A quality development process had to be established in an education centre for health care professions. Traditional project plans, flyers, and mails did not manage to get the attention, did present overview and detail insufficiently, and did not motivate the employees for actions. Because Visual Metaphors are effective for Knowledge Communication we developed a customized Knowledge Map based on the tube system metaphor. The Tube Map Visualization illustrates the whole project, where each tube line represents a target group and each station a milestone. The visualization was printed as a poster and displayed at prominent locations in the organization. The findings of an evaluation indicate that the Tube Map Visualization is a powerful metaphor to communicate a complex project to different target groups and to build up a mutual story. The employees considered it useful because it provides overview and detailed information in one image and because it initiates discussion. The Tube Map Visualization is therefore helpful to complement traditional project plans of (1) long-term projects where (2) different stakeholders are involved. The theoretical framework, the model, and the findings have implications for researchers in the fields of Knowledge Management, Knowledge Visualization, Information Visualization, and Communication Sciences.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-011-03-0410

Authors: Andre Köhler, Frank Fuchs-Kittowski

Abstract: This article aims at the integration of communities of practice into work processes. Linear structures are often inappropriate for the execution of knowledge intensive tasks and work processes. The latter are characterized by non-linear sequences and dynamic, social interaction. But for the work in communities of practice the leading path, that is needed for structuring the work, is often missing. Our article exposes the requirements in order to integrate the dynamic, social processes of the knowledge generation in communities of practice with formal described knowledge intensive processes. For the support of communities the Wiki-concept is introduced. In order to integrate communities into process structures a concept for an appropriate interface is presented. On the basis of this interface concept an information retrieval algorithm is used to connect the process-oriented structures with community-oriented structures. The prototype realisation of this concept is shown by a short example.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-011-03-0378

Authors: Stefan Münzer, Bo Xiao

Abstract: E-learning at the workplace might be accomplished by synchronous cooperative learning sessions of small groups using net-based communication. This form of learning is suitable both for course-based e-learning as well as for knowledge transfer within the company. The small groups learn self-regulated, i.e. without the guidance of an instructor. However, the learning tasks are pre-defined and a specific learning process is precisely described. In the present study, the goal of the cooperative learning sessions is to deepen pre-existing declarative knowledge. During cooperative learning, group members are required to actively use, acquire, enrich and exchange their knowledge. In a field study carried out in a large software company, a software tool was used which supported the specific process by phase-specific delivering of instructions and learning materials as well as by means of process control (including turn-taking, role assignment, and coordination of task flow). The results of the empirical evaluation demonstrate a high amount of topic-oriented contributions and the realization of the expected learning activities. However, feedback data indicated a low acceptance of the software tool because of its restrictive process control. It is discussed that there might have been a non-optimal interaction between the factors technology and target group in the study.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-011-02-0250

Authors: Janusz Sobecki

Abstract: Consensus methods proved to be very effective in solving problems in many areas. In this paper a hybrid adaptation of web-based system user interfaces that us es consensus methods is presented. The hybrid recommendation is a combination of the following methods: demographic, content-based, and collaborative. Each of this meth od has its specific advantages and disadvantages. The hybrid adaptation enables over coming disadvantages of each separate solution.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-011-02-0213

Authors: Jason Jung

Abstract: With the exponentially increasing amount of information available on the World Wide Web, users have b een getting more difficult to seek relevant information. Several studies have been conducted on the concept of adaptive approaches, in which the user s personal interests are taken into account. In this paper, we propose a user-support mechanism based on the sharing of knowledge with other users through the collaborative Web browsing, focusing specifically on the user s interests extracted from his or her own bookmarks. Simple URL based boo kmarks are endowed with semantic and structural information through the conceptualization based on ontology. In order to deal with the dynamic usage of bookmarks, ontology learning based on a hierarchical clustering method can be exploited. This system is composed of a facilitator agent and multiple personal agents. In experiments conducted with this system, it was found that approximately 53.1% of the total time was saved during collaborat ive browsing for the purpose of seeking the equivalent set of information, as compared with normal personal Web browsing.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-010-06-0683

Authors: Martin Eppler

Abstract: This paper presents further research findings on the use of software-based, collaborative visual communication tools for the transfer and creation of professional knowledge in organizational decision making contexts. The paper begins by describing typical knowledge communication situations and summarizes dominating problems in these contexts. It then reports on the real-life experiences in using three visual knowledge communication tools, namely the OnTrack visual protocol tool, the Parameter Ruler application, and the Synergy Map. The application experiences with these tools in four companies show that they can reduce some of the discussed problems. Their main benefits are focus, coordination, documentation, consistency, accountability and traceability. Their major improvement areas are accessibility and flexibility. Implications for further research and for further tool developments are highlighted.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-010-03-0252

Authors: Koichi Hori, Kumiyo Nakakoji, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, Jonathan Ostwald

Abstract: Our research on knowledge management is rooted in the community perspective. We believe that knowledge systems should serve primarily to help people create and share new knowledge. But we also acknowledge the role of stable, structured and reliable information, both as a component of our systems and as a component of the organizations within which we work. The contribution of the paper is a framework for integrating organizational and community perspectives on knowledge management and its computational support. Our basic idea is that knowledge is not a static chunk of information, but rather, knowledge evolves in a cycle of knowledge liquidization and crystallization. The evolving process takes place through the interactions among conceptual worlds, representational worlds, and the real world. This paper first describes the knowledge liquidization and crystallization framework. We then illustrate the approach with three systems, Knowledge Nebula Crystallizer, livingOM, and ART-SHTA.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-010-03-0235

Authors: Jasminko Novak, Michael Wurst

Abstract: This paper discusses some implications of knowledge creation processes in informal social networks for the development of technologies to support them. The principal point of departure are social theories of learning and the theories of organisational knowledge creation. The focus is on models for the exchange and sharing of implicit knowledge. A model of personalised learning knowledge maps is presented as one possible way of addressing the problem of capturing, visualising and sharing implicit knowledge of a community of users. In particular, we discuss how this model resolves one critical shortcoming of the existing socialisation and externalisation approaches: the creation of a semantic representation of a shared understanding of the community which reflects implicit knowledge and incorporates personal views of individual users. Finally, we outline the application to a real-world interdisciplinary Internet platform netzspannung.org.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-010-03-0186

Authors: Björn Decker, Jörg Rech, Klaus-Dieter Althoff, Andreas Klotz, Edda Leopold, Angie Voss

Abstract: In software engineering, the quality of development and business processes and their models is of utmost importance for (a) the quality of the software products developed and (b) the operational success of the organization. Nevertheless, many organizations neglect these processes and leave the knowledge about them in the heads of their experts. In this paper, we present the indiGo method and platform for eParticipative Process Learning. Furthermore, we present the results of a three case studies for the evaluation of these methods. The results indicate that processes introduced and modeled with process user participation result in process models with higher acceptance and better perceived quality.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-010-01-0058

Authors: Thomas Flor

Abstract: Cooperative learning is characterized by communication and interaction in a group. Computer-supported cooperative/collaborative learning (CSCL) is a specific form doing away with previous spatial and temporal restrictions. At the starting point of our examinations lie known learning processes and their possible support through a CSCL system. Both the significance of different user models and the variety of styles and roles of learning are analyzed in CSCL systems and illustrated in scenarios supporting cooperative or collaborative learning processes. The practical evaluation of the methods and algorithms was done using an adaptive CSCL system to promote learning effects on the domain of software engineering.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-009-12-1388

Authors: Markus Won, Volkmar Pipek

Abstract: This paper presents an innovative approach to solve the problem of missing transparency over competencies within virtual organizations. We based our work on empirical studies on the problem to cope with the problem of competence finding in such distributed organizations. Former studies have shown that central storage of profiles is inappropriate due to missing flexibility and high costs of maintenance. The focus of our approach presented here is to support the peripheral awareness of competence-indicating events. Those events can be collected, stored and interpreted by the system without further work of the users. This idea is based on existing works on the awareness in computer-supported cooperative work scenarios.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-009-06-0530

Authors: Christian Biemann, Uwe Quasthoff, Karsten Böhm, Christian Wolff

Abstract: Automatic acquisition of information structures like Topic Maps or semantic networks from large document collections is an important issue in knowledge management. An inherent problem with automatic approaches is the treatment of multiword terms as single semantic entities. Taking company names as an example, we present a method for learning multiword terms from large text corpora exploiting their internal structure. Through the iteration of a search step and a verification step the single words typically forming company names are learnt. These name elements are used for recognizing compounds in order to use them for further processing. We give some evaluation of experiments on company name extraction and discuss some applications.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-008-06-0623

Authors: Karsten Böhm, Gerhard Heyer, Uwe Quasthoff, Christian Wolff

Abstract: Starting from text corpus analysis with linguistic and statistical analysis algorithms, an infrastructure for text mining is described which uses collocation analysis as a central tool. This text mining method may be applied to different domains as well as languages. Some examples taken form large reference databases motivate the applicability to knowledge management using declarative standards of information structuring and description. The ISO/IEC Topic Map standard is introduced as a candidate for rich metadata description of information resources and it is shown how text mining can be used for automatic topic map generation.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-006-03-0356

Authors: Dieter Fellner, Marco Zens

Abstract: Today, grant proposals submitted to the German Research Foundation (DFG) are paper documents. They are received by ordinary mail, manually entered into a proprietary software system and, finally, information relevant to the specific task is extracted manually and sent to other departments involved in the reviewing/approval process. Of course, all these activities are purely hard-copy based. This paper gives a first report on a research project _GoldenGate_ which focuses on the development of a prototype system for a complete electronic workflow including submission, managing and approval of applications for research funding at the DFG. Typically one would use one of the available Information/Workflow Management Systems, but after careful consideration we made the decision to use a set of standard software tools and formats (i.e. Hyperwave Information Server, MS Office 97, XML) as the key components of our new system and combine them with minimal but flexible interfaces. These ideas, the situation at the DFG, technical details of our present implementation and preliminary results are presented in this paper.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-004-09-0719

Authors: Giuseppe Attardi, Sergio Marco, Davide Salvi

Abstract: Assistance in retrieving of documents on the World Wide Web is provided either by search engines, through keyword based queries, or by catalogues, which organise documents into hierarchical collections. Maintaining catalogues manually is becoming increasingly difficult due to the sheer amount of material on the Web, and therefore it will be soon necessary to resort to techniques for automatic classification of documents. Classification is traditionally performed by extracting information for indexing a document from the document itself. The paper describes the technique of categorisation by context, which exploits the context perceivable from the structure of HTML documents to extract useful information for classifying the documents they refer to. We present the results of experiments with a preliminary implementation of the technique.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-004-04-0349

Authors: Daniela Giordano

Abstract: A shared design memory emerging from the contributions of novice designers affords, theoretically, unique opportunities to support individual and organizational learning. Evaluation must take into account the "distributed" nature of the system that becomes realized. The proposed evaluation model is based on a cross-analysis of: the contents of the shared design memory, the quality of the design artifact produced be the designers teams, the characteristics of the student population, and their perceptions of the adequacy and usefulness of the representational formats adopted for the shared memory. Effects being sought are generational changes that indicate that design weaknesses typical of novices are being offset, and that good design practices are diffused and gradually incorporated as new quality standards. Preliminary results of the evaluation of a shared memory for Information Systems design show that shared memory underpinned an emergent quality in the new designs, characterized by increased structuredness, communicability, and attention to the dynamics of interactions in the system being designed. The shared memory was deemed useful and usable by the learners. Findings also clarify the relative merits of some representational formats (links among design cases and reviews attached to design cases) used for conveying design knowledge.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-003-08-0899

Authors: Simon Shum

Abstract: This paper describes an approach to capturing organisational memory, which serves to ground an analysis of human issues that knowledge management (KM) technologies raise. In the approach presented, teams construct graphical webs of the arguments and documents relating to key issues they are facing. This supports collaborative processes which are central to knowledge work, and provides a group memory of this intellectual investment. This approach emphasises the centrality of negotiation in making interdisciplinary decisions in a changing environment. Discussion in the paper focuses on key human dimensions to KM technologies, including the cognitive and group dynamics set up by an approach, the general problem of preserving contextual cues, and the political dimensions to formalising knowledge processes and products. These analyses strongly motivate the adoption of participatory design processes for KM systems.

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