Thesis (M.C.S.) - Carleton University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-96). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

In an infectious animal disease outbreak, effective management of the event requires timely and accurate information collection, processing, storage and distribution. This thesis focuses on the tools to assist information collection and management. The first study describes the comparison of questionnaire methodology for the information collection in the initial epidemiologic investigation of a Canadian federally reportable disease. The second study defines attributes of an animal disease outbreak information management system (IMS). The studies were performed within a one-year period (July 2013-July 2014). The first study performed two comparisons to determine differences in the information quality (completeness and accuracy) between differing questionnaire methodology and modes of completion (hard copy and electronic). The study was conducted with 24 Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors and veterinarians using a fictitious Canadian reportable disease scenario. The first comparison used a hard copy of a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) questionnaire designed to be applicable (or generic) for all highly infectious reportable disease investigations with a supplementary disease specific section compared to an electronic disease specific reportable disease questionnaire. There was no significant difference in the information quality (N = 22; P = 0.09). The mean difference in completeness and accuracy scores was 3.5% (95% CI -0.6, 7.6). The second comparison focused on the hard copy disease questionnaire and assessed differences in information quality between using only the generic sections of the questionnaire compared to the supplementation of a disease specific section. A difference in information quality was determined (N = 24; P < 0.0001). The mean completeness and accuracy score for the generic only sections was 50.2% (95% CI 43.6, 57.2) compared to 80.2% (95% CI 76.2, 84.5) with the inclusion of the disease-specific section. The greatest difference in information quality occurred in the tracing specific information categories (P < 0.0001) with a mean difference of completeness and accuracy scores of 67.7% (95% CI 52.0, 83.4) for the trace-in (exposure history) category and 38.3% (95% CI 28.3, 48.3) for the trace-out (potential spread of disease) category. The absence of disease-specific questions were determined to be the primary factor in the difference in information quality. The second study determined a comprehensive list of user-defined attributes of an animal disease outbreak IMS and further identified the most important (key) attributes. A list of 34 attributes and associated definitions were determined through a series of focus group sessions and two surveys of Canadian animal health stakeholders. The animal health stakeholders included federal and provincial governments, veterinary academia and animal production industry representatives. The key attributes of an animal disease outbreak IMS identified were: ‘user friendly’, ‘effectiveness’, ‘accessibility’, ‘data accuracy’, ‘reliability’ and ‘timeliness’. ‘User friendly’ received the highest frequency of ranking as the most important attribute, followed by ‘effectiveness’. Information management was identified as the main purpose of an animal disease outbreak IMS with a median rating of 10 (rating scale of 0-10 with 10 = strongly agree). The occurrence of a federally reportable disease or a large-scale animal disease outbreak can have a great impact on the animal agriculture sector, regulatory government agencies and the economy. Information collection and management are essential to assist with the epidemiologic investigation and disease control measures. The study provided a novel opportunity to study information management for an animal disease outbreak from a Canadian perspective. The knowledge obtained will add value to the future development of tools and systems designed for information collection and management involving an animal disease outbreak.

The key theme of this research is the planning and management of information security and in particular, the research focuses on the involvement of information stakeholders in this process. The main objective of the research is to study the ownership of, and acceptance of responsibility for, information security measures by stakeholders having an interest in that information.

No description available.

No description available.

In our days every part of business goes on-line. Using old methods of information gathering means that your business might be left behind or maybe even be at risk of extinction. Information gathering in publishing business is a critical task. Information and media gathering and storing is a task of highest importance. Computerizing this task means that you can have more data in less time. Data must be gathered anytime, anywhere. To accomplish this critical goal online data management systems are created. Every data management system must have data gathering system connected to it. In this paper document gathering system conception, problems and realization methods are analyzed. Document uploading system is an "entry point" for data management systems. Document gathering system lets us accomplish document uploading, storing and management tasks. Such system consists of three parts. Document or media uploading task.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Montana, 2007. / Title from title screen. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 9, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59).

The advent of cheaper, more powerful substation relays, now commonly known as Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), will have a substantial impact on Powerco information systems. Their impact is two-fold; the sheer volume of information associated with modern relays will require a more capable relay management system than the one currently being used. The second effect is the amount of data that can be gathered and used for network improvement. Improper management of both types of information will lead to worse outcomes for Powerco reliability performance, and ultimately its financial performance. This report details two projects concerned with the management of IED information.The first project is concerned with a proposed upgrade of the Powerco relay management system. This involved requirements engineering, investigation of database systems and a commercial tendering process. It was found that the data schema had a large effect on efficiency and efficacy of relay management systems. The optimal solution would be to procure a proven relay management system from an established vendor, given resource constraints and proven-for-purpose data schema. The second project is focused on the deployment of automated event report collection software. The impetus of this project was the inefficiencies that arise from manual collection and processing of network event data from substation relays. These hamper the network improvement process, negatively affecting Powerco network reliability. A Cost-Benefit Analysis was performed to determine if such functionality was worth deploying across the network. It was found that automated event report collection produced operational savings from reduced technician dispatch frequency. Other benefits include greater data captured, faster fault response time, and a transformation of the existing reactive network improvement engineering process to one that is proactive. This will require additional engineering resources to be dedicated to event analysis. A deployment schedule was formulated based on historical reliability and agreed service levels. The larger implications of this report are that additional resourcing, and careful consideration of the information management processes are required to take advantage of the greater volume of data generated by IEDs.

No description available.