The United States Army Corp of Engineers relies on accurate and detailed surface models for various construction projects and preventative measures. To aid in these efforts, it is necessary to work for advancements in surface model creation. Current methods for model creation include Delaunay triangulation, raster grid interpolation, and Hydraulic Spline grid generation. While these methods produce adequate surface models, attempts for improved methods can still be made. A method for raster based spline creation is presented as a variation of the Hydraulic Spline algorithm. By implementing Hydraulic Splines in raster data instead of vector data, the model creation process is streamlined. This method is shown to be more efficient and less computationally expensive than previous methods of surface model creation due to the inherent advantages of raster data over vector data.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related applications of geospatial data were once a small software niche; today nearly all Internet and mobile users utilize some sort of mapping or location-aware software. This widespread use reaches beyond mere consumption of geodata; projects like OpenStreetMap (OSM) represent a new source of geodata production, sometimes dubbed “Volunteered Geographic Information.” The volume of geodata produced and the user demand for geodata will surely continue to grow, so the storage and query techniques for geospatial data must evolve accordingly. This thesis compares three paradigms for systems that manage vector data. Over the past few decades these methodologies have fallen in and out of favor. Today, some are considered new and experimental (distributed), others nearly forgotten (flat file), and others are the workhorse of present-day GIS (relational database). Each is well-suited to some use cases, and poorly-suited to others. This thesis investigates exemplars of each paradigm.

Electronic gadgets such as touchpads and smartphones are becoming more popular in business and everyday life. The main advantage of mobile devices over personal computers is their portability. Cellular data plans allow Internet access without having permanent access point. There is a number of web-based applications available for gadgets. The primary goal of these apps is to provide their services through constant Internet access. However, it may affect the operation of both devices and applications. The objective of this thesis is to find a better way of client/server data synchronization in iOS development that can reduce the negative consequences of constant Internet access such as Internet traffic consumption, reduced battery life and cover area limitation of cellular services. As the result of the conducted research, the "FollowQTM" application was developed. Despite the fact, that the application is synchronized with web server, it does not require constant Internet access to operate.

In the United States, businesses have reported over 2,800 data compromises of an estimated 543 million records, with security breaches costing firms approximately $7.2 million annually. Scholars and industry practitioners have indicated a significant impact of security breaches on consumers and organizations. However, there are limited data on the best practices for minimizing the impact of security breaches on organizational performance. The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to explore best practices technology leaders use to minimize data security breaches for increased business performance. Systems theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. Fourteen participants were interviewed, including 2 technology executives and 5 technical staff, each from a banking firm in the Northcentral United States and a local government agency in the Southcentral United States. Data from semistructured interviews, in addition to security and privacy policy statements, were analyzed for methodological triangulation. Four major themes emerged: a need for implementation of security awareness education and training to mitigate insider threats, the necessity of consistent organization security policies and procedures, an organizational culture promoting data security awareness, and an organizational commitment to adopt new technologies and innovative processes. The findings may contribute to the body of knowledge regarding best practices technology leaders can use for securing organizational data and contribute to social change since secure organizational data might reduce consumer identity theft.

Information technology (IT) managers worldwide have adopted cloud computing because of its potential to improve reliability, scalability, security, business agility, and cost savings; however, the rapid adoption of cloud computing has created challenges for IT managers, who have reported an estimated 30% wastage of cloud resources. The purpose of this single case study was to explore successful strategies and processes for managing infrastructure operations costs in cloud computing. The sociotechnical systems (STS) approach was the conceptual framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 IT managers directly involved in cloud cost management. The data were analyzed using a qualitative data-analysis software to identify initial categories and emerging themes, which were refined in alignment with the STS framework. The key themes from the analysis indicated that successful cloud cost management began with assessing the current environment and architecting applications and systems to fit cloud services, using tools for monitoring and reporting, and actively managing costs in alignment with medium- and long-term goals. Findings also indicated that social considerations such as fostering collaboration among all stakeholders, employee training, and skills development were critical for success. The implications for positive social change that derive from effectively managing operational costs include improved financial posture, job stability, and environmental sustainability.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) found that Botswana's information and communication technology (ICT) networked readiness index (NRI) had declined from position 89 in 2012 to 104 in 2015. A decline in Botswana's ICT NRI resulted in a modest gross domestic product (GDP) growth increasing from 4.2% in 2012 to 5.0% in 2015. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies ICT service provider managers use to build employee competencies to address ICT infrastructure performance deficiencies. The target population for this study consisted of over 120 managers from 2 ICT service providers located in Gaborone and Francistown in Botswana. The conceptual framework for this study was information technology (IT) competency model. Face-to-face interviews with 15 managers and a review of 12 company documents were gathered and all interpretations from the data were subjected to member checking to ensure the trustworthiness of the study findings. The thematic analyses of participants' interviews and company documents resulted in the emergence of 3 common themes: developing professional employee competencies through training, promoting knowledge acquisition and skills transfer, and developing budgets for funding the development of employee competencies. Participants cited training and professional development as a reason for ICT infrastructure performance deficiencies. Social implications from this study include developing strategies business managers can use to build employee competencies to improve ICT infrastructure performance, which could result in improved services to citizens and enhanced national development, social transformation, and economic diversification.

Despite over 50 years of software engineering as a formal practice, contemporary developers of bespoke software follow development practices that result in low-quality products with high development and maintenance costs. This qualitative case study sought to identify strategies used by software and enterprise architects for applying architectural best practices to improve bespoke software quality and lower the total cost of ownership. The study population was application and enterprise architects associated with delivering bespoke software for the enterprise architecture team at a large enterprise in the Nashville, Tennessee metropolitan area. Interview data were collected from 7 enterprise or solution architects; in addition, 47 organizational documents were gathered. Guided by the principles of total quality management, thematic analysis was used to identify codes and themes related to management of quality in software solutions. Prominent themes included focusing on customer satisfaction, collaborating and communicating with all stakeholders, and defining boundaries and empowering people within those boundaries. The findings from this research have implications for positive social change, including improved work-life balance, morale, and productivity of software and enterprise architects through streamlining development and maintenance activities.

The purpose of this project was to develop an easy-to-maintain web site for the Gamma Lambda Chapter of Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society here at California State University, San Bernardino, which will manage complete and up-to-date information about the mission, members, officers and all the activities of the honor society.

Online Multimedia Management System (OMMS) is a project to provide users to store and share their mutimedia files. The users and administrator can modify and update the multimedia files and database information from a normal web browser. The administrator and users with access have different levels of permission.

Organizations across the United States lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year due to the lack of effective succession planning for information technology executives. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies for the development and implementation of effective succession plans for future information technology executives. Bass and Avolio's transformational leadership theory was the conceptual framework for this study. The 3 participants were selected based upon their roles as executives in technology-related positions and their experiences with succession planning. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with these executives from a company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Organizational documents, including an employee assessment form and a description of attributes that each information technology professional is measured against, were also analyzed. Yin's 5-phase model was used to analyze the data; steps included compiling, disassembling, reassembling, clarifying, and the development of conclusions. The 3 major themes that emerged from data analysis were diversity of background, professional development, and sourcing of executives to improve the success of information technology executives. Using study findings, organizational leaders may help to bring about social change by enhancing the growth of high-performing information technology professionals. Assessing talent and tailoring development opportunities, coupled with mentorship, could help information technology professionals prepare for future positions that positively impact employee morale, establish a common vision across their organizations, and identify opportunities for interaction with local communities.