DIGITAL BOUNDARIES explores the notion of how ICTs and mobile devices can influence the social programming, spatial conditions and construction of public architecture. This topic is derived from the study of Urban Informatics which looks at three key actors: people, place and technology. This can be seen in South Africa where many young individuals inhabit public buildings in the urban environment purely to be connected to wireless internet through their mobile devices. This is done so that they are able to do research for studies, look for job opportunities or socialise. This digital infrastructure then becomes an important aspect of the public realm, not only for personal benefit and need, but for attracting people to place. Situated in the Nyanga Junction precinct south of Gugulethu, the architectural proposition looks at adding digital infrastructure to this complex precinct in the informal area of Cape Town through three scales of architecture; small, medium and large. The small scale is that of Wi-Fi hotspots at street level embedded within the informal market at ten strategically located sites. The medium scale interventions are upgrades to four existing trade posts elevated above at first floor level. Lastly the large scale which is of catalytic and institutional architecture at two proposed sites, of which one is the main architectural focus of the design dissertation and explored further. The architectural programme provides spaces for: IT learning and skills development to help individuals seek employment, collaborative hubs for those developing new entrepreneurial ideas, and youth hubs for students to study and socialise. These three scales and their locality have been informed by social thresholds developed through the theory and technology studies that have been influential in the urban strategy of the design dissertation. It has created a framework for digital infrastructure to be implemented that will help enhance the public realm for a safer and more conducive urban environment.

This master thesis presents the design and implementation of a framework for monitoringdata related to activities of daily living (ADL) in a smart home environment, conducted for theHuman Health and Activity Laboratory (H2Al) at Luleå University of Technology. The generalaim of such environments is to increase the quality of life by enabling elderly to live longer athome while reducing the consumption of resources necessary. The complexity of collection,filtering and storing of data in smart home environments is however inherent due to oftenmany interworking sensor-systems, which allmay have different APIs and communicationpathways. This means that knowing whether ‘all systems are go’ when for example doing astudy is not easy, especially for persons not trained in data science.This work therefore aim to design and implement a framework for datamonitoring thattargets smart home environments in which activities of daily living are important for analysisof health-related conditions and for the personalised tailoring of interventions. The frameworkprimarily collects data from four selected systems, that for example track the position andmovements of a person. The data is stored in a database and visualised on a website toallow for monitoring of individual sensor data being collected. The framework was validatedtogether with a occupational therapist through a proof-of-concept trial in the Human Healthand Activity Laboratory, for which healthy subjects conducted a typical test (making a salad)used when assessing human performance.In conclusion, the developed framework works as expected, collecting data frommanysensor systems and storing the data in a common format, while the visualisation on a websiteis perceived as giving an easy overview of monitored data. Additional data can easily be addedto the framework and other processes beyond monitoring can be linked to the data, suchas further data refinement and algorithms for activity recognition (possibly using machinelearning techniques). Future work include to better distinguish data from multiple occupants,develop themanagement of synchronous and asynchronous data, and refine the web interfacefor additional simplicity

Digital technologies’ emergence has changed firms’ innovation and entrepreneurship activities significantly. While the prior literature has investigated how digital technologies stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, the challenges of the digital transformation process have received limited attention in the information systems (IS) literature. This dissertation aims to examine these challenges by studying policies and governance in the fields of intellectual property, data privacy, and digital infrastructure. In the first essay, I argue that the inefficient protection of employees’ intellectual property rights hampers their innovation activities at work. The second essay evaluates data privacy regulations’ impact on mobile app entrepreneurship. The third essay investigates how mobile platforms’ open policy impedes the adoption of innovative features in operating system (OS) updates. These three essays provide theoretical contributions to the literature on digital transformation, innovation, and entrepreneurship. They also offer practical insights for policymakers and digital infrastructure professionals about how to address digital transformation challenges in innovation and entrepreneurship. / Business Administration/Management Information Systems

This thesis aimed to describe what (planning for) data centers reveal about the power relations between big tech companies and Sweden’s municipalities and national government. Data centers owned by large IT companies serve global interests but are dependent on and have an impact on local infrastructures, as demonstrated by for instance the large amount of energy they require. A Microsoft data center in Staffanstorp, located in Skåne, served as a case study. Based on various types of documents, the study analyzed what this hyperscale data center uncovers about the influence of big tech on urban planning in Sweden. For this, theoretical concepts such as cloud infrastructures, the hidden materiality of the cloud, and clouding have been used. The thesis explored the motivations behind choosing Staffanstorp to establish a hyperscale data center. Sweden is an attractive data center location for big tech companies. The image corporations have of Sweden is an important contributing factor here, as it is not just factual characteristics of a location that determine its attractiveness, but first and foremost how that location is perceived. The analysis therefore also highlights the promotional strategies that the government and the municipality of Staffanstorp have employed to attract data centers, in which Business Sweden appeared to have played a key role. Among other significant factors that contribute to big tech’s interest in Sweden are cheap renewable energy, a 98% electricity tax reduction, and a business-friendly environment. Processes behind the planning of Microsoft’s data center in Staffanstorp have also been studied by looking at the developments in the implementation of the data center. Reflecting on the outcomes of Microsoft’s data center by comparing these developments to plans and visions for Sweden and Staffanstorp shows that the promise of jobs for a data center location is paradoxical and that hyperscale data centers potentially endanger the energy supply. The research concludes that rather than corporations directly influencing Swedish planning, Sweden indirectly allows them to have a large influence.

Background: Unemployment increases the risk of income loss, lower wages upon reemployment, and adverse effects on mental and physical health, particularly for individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Long-term unemployment doubles the risk of mental illness and physical conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. Job loss can also lead to social isolation, as work is crucial to social engagement and status. Entrepreneurship is a solution to unemployment, fostering economic growth, innovation, and industry diversification. Purpose: This study examines how external enablers, specifically the Ease of Doing Business and digital infrastructure, influence the relationship between unemployment and the creation of new businesses. The research aims to understand how the external environment shapes entrepreneurial decisions among the unemployed by focusing on these factors. Insights from this study can inform policymakers of the importance of creating supportive conditions for entrepreneurship to address unemployment and promote economic growth.      Method: This quantitative study employs mediation analysis based on Baron and Kenny's (1986) method to investigate the potential mediating effects of Ease of Doing Business and digital infrastructure on the relationship between unemployment and new business creation. The analysis involves multiple regression to test if there is a relationship between various indirect variables and a dependent variable. Conclusion: The results indicate a negative correlation between unemployment and new business registered. The study also highlights the significant mediating effect of the Ease of Doing Business on this relationship, emphasizing the importance of strengthening a supportive business environment to encourage entrepreneurial initiatives among the unemployed. However, the study finds limited evidence supporting digital infrastructure as a mediator, suggesting a need for continued investment in this area for broader economic development. Policymakers are urged to prioritize reforms that simplify business processes and create supportive ecosystems to facilitate entrepreneurship and drive sustained economic growth.

The concept of BIM is nascent but evolving rapidly, thus, its deployment has become the latest shibboleth amongst both academics and practitioners in the construction sector in the recent couple of years. Due to construction clients buy-in of the BIM concept, the entire industry is encouraged to pursue a vision of changing work practices in line with the BIM ideas. Also, existing research recognises that the implementation of BIM affects all areas of the construction process from design of the building, through the organisation of projects, to the way in which the construction process is executed and how the finished product is maintained. The problem however is that, existing research in technology utilisation in general, and BIM literature in particular, has offered limited help to practitioners trying to implement BIM, for focusing predominantly, on technology-centric views. Not surprisingly therefore, the current BIM literature emphasises on topics such as capability maturity models and anticipated outcomes of BIM rollouts. Rarely does the extant literature offer practitioners a cohesive approach to BIM implementation. Such technology-centric views inevitably represent a serious barrier to utilising the inscribed capabilities of BIM. This research therefore is predicated on the need to strengthen BIM implementation theory through monitoring and analysing its implementation in practice. Thus, the focus of this thesis is to carry out a sociotechnical systems (STS) analysis of BIM implementation in construction organisations. The concept of STS accommodates the dualism of the inscribed functions of BIM technologies and the contextual issues in the organisations and allows for the analysis of their interactive combination in producing the anticipated effect from BIM appropriation. An interpretive research methodology is adopted to study practitioners through a change process, involving the implementation of BIM in their work contexts. The study is based on constructivist ontological interpretations of participants. The study adopts an abductive research approach which ensures a back-and-forth movement between research sites and the theoretical phenomenon, effectively comparing the empirical findings with the existing theories and to eventually generate a new theoretical understanding and knowledge regarding the phenomenon under investigation. A two-stage process is also formulated for the empirical data collection - comprising: 1) initial exploratory study to help establish the framework for analysing BIM implementation in the construction context; and 2) case studies approach to provide a context for formulating novel understanding and validation of theory regarding BIM implementation in construction organisations. The analysis and interpretation of the empirical work follows the qualitative content analysis technique to observe and reflect on the results. The findings have shown that BIM implementation demands a complete breakaway from the status quo. Contrary to the prevailing understanding of a top-down approach to BIM utilisation, the study revealed that different organisations with plethora of visions, expectations and skills combine with artefacts to form or transform BIM practices. The rollout and appropriation of BIM occurs when organisations shape sociotechnical systems of institutions, processes and technologies to support certain practices over others. The study also showed that BIM implementation endures in a causal chain of influences as different project organisations with their localised BIM ambitions and expectations combine to develop holistic BIM-enabled project visions. Thus, distributed responsibilities on holistic BIM protocols among the different levels of influences are instituted and enforced under binding contractual obligations. The study has illuminated the centrality of both the technical challenges and sociological factors in shaping BIM deployment in construction. It is also one of the few studies that have produced accounts of BIM deployment that is strongly mediated by the institutional contexts of construction organisations. However, it is acknowledged that the focus of the research on qualitative interpretive enquiry does not have the hard and fast view of generalising from specific cases to broader population/contexts. Thus, it is suggested that further quantitative studies, using much larger data sample of BIM-enabled construction organisations could provide an interesting point of comparison to the conclusions derived from the research findings.

Introduktion: Hälso- och sjukvården blir allt mer digitaliserad, där e-hälsa och digital hälsokommunikation förväntas kunna bidra till bättre hälsa för befolkningen. Det är viktigt att vårdens professioner är uppdaterade och delaktiga i utvecklingen för att möta medborgarnas ökade förväntningar och behov. Tidigare studier har visat att attityd och kunskap kan utgöra barriärer för implementering av digitala verktyg. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka rådgivande sjuksköterskors upplevelser av möjligheter och utmaningar med digitalisering och digital hälsokommunikation inom den egna yrkesrollen och organisationen. Frågeställningarna berörde digitalisering, digital hälsokommunikation och organisatoriskt stöd. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en kvalitativ intervjustudie med kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys som analysmetod. Intervjuer gjordes med sju sjuksköterskor som arbetade inom ett specifikt verksamhetsområde och mötte patienter genom rådgivning på distans. Resultat: Resultatet visade att det är viktigt för sjuksköterskorna att känna sig uppdaterade i den digitala utvecklingen. Digitaliseringen påverkar arbetsrollen och ställer höga krav på digital kunskap. Digitala verktyg möjliggör säkrare och tryggare medicinsk rådgivning men parallella kommunikationsvägar är nödvändiga för att inte exkludera vissa grupper. Utmaningar och möjligheter med digitala vårdmöten handlade huvudsakligen om tillgänglighet, informationsåtkomst, arbetsmiljö och patientsäkerhet. För att uppleva organisatoriskt stöd i arbetet behöver sjuksköterskorna utbildning och delaktighet i digitaliseringsprocesser. Slutsats: Samspelet mellan teknik, människa och miljö är komplext. Det finns en vinst för verksamheter att inkludera sjuksköterskorna i digitaliseringsarbetet genom utbildning och stöd för att stärka sjuksköterskornas digital literacy för att uppnå en digital professionalism. Detta skapar goda förutsättningar för att i den digitaliserade hälso- och sjukvården främja patienters hälsa och möjligheter till ett gott liv. / Introduction: Digitalization is influencing health care, where eHealth and digital health communication are expected to contribute to better health for the population. It’s important that nurses are involved with digitalization in order to meet patients' increased expectations and needs. Previous studies have shown that attitude and knowledge can be barriers to implementation of digital technology. Aim: The aim was to investigate nurses’ perceptions of opportunities and challenges that come with digitalization and digital health communication, within their own professional role and organization. The research questions covered topics about digitalization, digital health communication and organizational support. Methods: The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study with qualitative manifest content analysis as an analysis method. Seven nurses in a specific area of health care were interviewed. Results: The result showed that the nurses want to be updated about the ongoing digitalization, and need a higher level of digital knowledge. Digital technology contributes to safe and secure medical consultations, though there is a need for parallel communication pathways to minimize the risk of digital exclusion. The challenges and opportunities with digital health communication referred to accessibility, information access, work environment and patient safety. Organizational support at work is related to education and being involved in digitalization processes. Conclusion: The interaction between technology, humans and environment is complex. There’s an opportunity for organizations to strengthen nurses’ digital literacy through education, participation and support towards a digital professionalism. Good conditions to meet people in a digitalized health care promote health and quality of life.

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From “disguised and concealed” (Parks and Starosielski 2015) in nature to more recent, select attempts at “visible, accessible, environmentally friendly” (Holt and Vonderau 2015), data centers are the backbone of the digital infrastructure. Studies of data centers continuously help develop media and communications studies in understanding the role of media infrastructure, representations of imaginaries of the cloud; social, political and economic realities embedded in data, and issues of power, agency and resistance against the backdrop of increased global concerns for the environment and greening practices, built into the discourse of tech companies. This research provides an insight into data centers in S.pmi, in the Arctic and near-Arctic regions in Sweden, from the perspective of Indigenous S.mi communities. Data centers are examined here through their materialities and representations and as industrial sites of politics, power and promise through lived realities of the S.mi people in Sweden. As a result, data centers emerge not only as entities with built-in, inherent dependence on materialities and representations of land, water and air but also as contrapuntal nodes – assemblages perpetually at odds with their built-in power through time: their narratives –neutral connectedness and natural sustainability – at odds with their material infrastructure: detaching and uprooting from land.

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