Introduction. The aim of this master thesis is to examine how students at Uppsala university manage, organize, and preserve their study-related information in a digital environment. It also investigates the motivations for personal information management (PIM) among students, and explores the concepts of sense making as both an activity and a desired outcome. The thesis focuses on the respondents’ experiences and behaviours in terms of PIM in relation to their digital collections.  Method. The research is based on 12 interviews with 9 exchange students, which were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts constituted the data for analysis.  Analysis. Interview data was analysed qualitatively with Nvivo software. Concepts were defined so that they could be used in the survey. Results. The study found that the five metalevels of PIM activities proposed by William Jones (2008) were applicable to the interview data, and that the respondents used a variety of digital tools and storage options, including cloud services, text editors and desktop applications, to organize and manage their information collections. Results are also presented in relation to Soo Jin Park’s (2011) three types of organizing and managing information collections.  Conclusion. The results showed that reflection on PIM and planning over time can lead to meaning-making and motivation for personal development. The degree of effort in organizing and managing information collections varied according to the individual values, personality, and contextual situations. The participants’ most common software for data storage were cloud services, text editors and web pages, with laptops, computers and mobile phones being the most popular devices for data storage. Some also had external hard drives as backup solutions and strict rules for discipline regarding PIM. While many participants trusted cloud storage when it came to privacy, some participants were skeptical of large IT companies and tried to find their own strategies to become less dependent on them. The majority made informed choices due to the risk of data loss and fragmentation. They had a profile of cognitive skills that included the ability to use visual messages to create unification and transparency in systems. They had a mix of dynamic and large collections of data.  They preferred to structure their files in a specific and structured system. Some preferred to file in more well-defined locations, while others used a more flexible method of organization. The majority had a one folder filing strategy. Some had file systems with a top-down approach, while others used incremental bottom-up strategies. They used a variety of PIM tools and strategies to meet their changing needs, such as using descriptive file names, splitting projects into smaller collections, regularly reviewing and deleting older files and categorize files by date. The study provided valuable insights into the process of managing digital information and the importance of continuous evaluation and adaptation of PIM tools and strategies to meet the changing needs of participants.  This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana was introduced to alleviate the problem of citizens having to pay for healthcare at the point of delivery, given that many did not have the financial resources needed to do so, and as such were unable to adequately access healthcare services. The scheme is managed from the national headquarters in the capital Accra, through satellite offices located in districts right across the length and breadth of the country. It is the job of these offices to oversee the operations of the scheme within that particular district. Current literature however shows us that there is a digital divide that exists between the rural and urban areas of the country which has led to differences in the management of information within urban-based and rural-based districts. This thesis reviews the variables affecting the management of information within the scheme, and proposes an information management model to eliminate identified bottlenecks in the current information management model. The thesis begins by reviewing the theory of health insurance, information management and then finally the rural-urban digital divide. In addition to semi-structured interviews with key personnel within the scheme and observation, a survey questionnaire was also handed out to staff in nine different district schemes to obtain the raw data for this study. In identifying any issues with the current information management system, a comparative analysis was made between the current information management model and the real-world system in place to determine the changes needed to improve the current information management system in the NHIS. The changes discovered formed an input into developing the proposed information management system with the assistance of Natural Conceptual Modelling Language (NCML). The use of a mixed methodology in conducting the study, in addition to the employment of NCML was an innovation, and is the first of its kind in studying the NHIS in Ghana. This study is also the first to look at the differences in information management within the NHIS given the rural-urban digital divide.

This study illustrates the changing nature of organized crime at both national and international levels. Organized crime groups have changed in that they have entered the realm of high technology. In response this change, the use of new or modified analytical tools is suggested to enhance law enforcement efforts. This study highlights the problems of, and offers particular solutions for information analysis in its use in the fight against organized crime. Ultimately, it is argued that combined crime and intelligence analysis can be an effective and efficient method for the detection and prevention of modern organized crime.

Die Schaffung, Wahrung und Nutzung von Wissen stellt heute eine wichtige Säule für die Konkurrenzfähigkeit von Unternehmen am Markt dar. Vor diesem Hintergrund steht insbesondere die moderne Funktionsentwicklung der Automobilindustrie vor der Herausforderung immer neue, hochgradig vernetzte Fahrzeugfunktionen zu entwickeln und in immer kürzerer Zeit und immer geringeren Kosten in den Markt zu bringen. Um dieser Herausforderung gerecht zu werden, hat sich die modellbasierte Entwicklung mit dem Ziel der Beherrschung dieser steigenden Komplexität etabliert. Dadurch ist es möglich die Entwicklungsaufgaben auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen zu abstrahieren und eine verteilte, vernetzte Entwicklung zu realisieren. Die Entwicklung einer einzigen Funktion benötigt heute häufig mehrere hundert Personen, die in einen gemeinsamen Entwicklungsprozess integriert werden müssen. Hier fehlt es an Konzepten um den Informations- und Wissensfluss zwischen den Prozessbeteiligten sicherzustellen. In diesem Kontext entwickelt die vorliegende Arbeit einen Ansatz zur prozessintegrierten Dokumentation der in modellbasierten Entwicklungsprozessen benötigten Entwicklungsartefakte. Der Ansatz betrachtet dabei den vollständigen Informationsfluss, von der Definition benötigter Informationen, über deren automatisierte Erfassung und Verarbeitung bis zur zielgerichteten Wiederverwendung. Anschließend skizziert die Arbeit die Architektur eines Informationssystems, dass diese Durchgängigkeit in beliebigen, modellbasierten Entwicklungsprozessen ermöglicht und überträgt diese zur Validierung des Ansatzes auf einen konkreten Entwicklungsprozess der automobilen Funktionsentwicklung. Der Fokus des Ansatzes liegt dabei insbesondere auf der Integration in bestehende Entwicklungsprozesse, ohne in diese verändernd einzugreifen. Dies wird einerseits durch eine modellbasierte Beschreibung des Informationsmodells, mit Methoden wie sie im Funktionsentwicklungsprozess Anwendung finden, erreicht. Prozessbeteiligte können dadurch das Informationsmodell selbst verstehen und bei Bedarf Anpassungen vornehmen, ohne auf geschulte Experten angewiesen zu sein. Andererseits erlaubt der architektonische Ansatz einen direkten Zugriff auf bestehende Entwicklungssysteme und darin enthaltenen dokumentationsrelevanten Informationen. / Today, the creation, preservation and exploitation of knowledge represent key factors of the competitiveness of companies in the global market. In this context, the modern function development in the automotive industry faces challenges to bring new, highly interconnected vehicle functions at shorter time and lower cost to the market. To meet these challenges and manage the growing compelity, a model-based development process has been established. Thus, it is possible to distribute development tasks to different levels of abstraction and enable a distributed, interconnected function development.This development involves up to several hundred persons per function, who have to be integrated in a common development process. Especially when it comes to managing the information and knowledge flow between the process participants, there is a lack of concepts to support this communication. Based on this context, this work presents an approach for process integrated documentation of the necessary development artifacts in model-based development processes. This approach considers the complete information flow, from the definition of necessary information, over automatic acquisition and processing to its targeted reuse during the process. Subsequently, this work sketches the architecture of an information system, which enables this continuous approach to be applied to any model-based development process. For validation purposes, the approach is then applied to an actual development process of the automotive function development. The focus of the presented approach lies in the integration in existing development processes without changing them. On the one hand, this is achieved by applying a model-based description of the information model using methods, that can be found in the function development process today. Thus, process participants can understand the information model themselves and apply changes when they are required without the necessity of qualified experts. On the other hand, the architectural approach allows a direct access to existing development systems and documentation relevant information they contain.

In order to improve the quality of care, there is urgent need to involve patients in their own healthcare. So to make patient centered health care system Personal Health Records are proposed as viable solution. This research discusses the importance of a Patient Centric Health Record system. Such systems can empower patients to participate in improving health care quality. It would also provide an economically viable solution to the need for better healthcare without escalating costs by avoiding duplication. The proposed system is Web-based; therefore it has high accessibility and availability. The cloud computing based architecture is used which will allow consumers to address the challenge of sharing medical data. PHR would provide a complete and accurate summary of the health and medical history of an individual by gathering data from many sources. This would make information accessible online to anyone who has the necessary electronic credentials to view the information. / by Vishesh Ved. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Esta pesquisa propõe a análise da censura prévia exercida pelo Estado sobre o teatro, a partir dos documentos existentes nos prontuários que compõem o Arquivo Miroel Silveira, sob o prisma do gerenciamento de informações. Verificamos que o exercício do gerenciamento de informações costuma ser apresentado como atividade planejada, técnica, racional e neutra, exercida para a melhoria de processos. Já a censura é exercida por meio de processos burocráticos para a proteção do bem comum. Apesar dos objetivos diferentes, resultam na utilização de um mesmo recurso, que é a interferência no fluxo de informações ? relacionadas à produção material, no âmbito das empresas e relacionadas à produção artística, quando se trata da censura prévia. A partir daí, propusemos um estudo da censura prévia como um tipo de gerenciamento de informações. Para isso, analisamos o processo burocrático da censura prévia ao teatro. Nossa pesquisa mostrou que o gerenciamento de informações realizado através da censura permite que o Estado se aproprie de informações sobre a produção teatral e das pessoas a ela relacionadas, puna aqueles que expressam idéias divergentes e coíba a resistência à ação da censura. Por meio de nosso estudo, concluímos que o gerenciamento de informações e a censura, de fato, não são exercidos para o bem comum, mas para atender aos interesses daqueles que têm o poder para planejá-los e colocá-los em prática. / This research proposes the analysis of the censorship the government imposed over the theater prior to any production or exhibition. The research will utilize the documents and files from the ?Arquivo Miroel Silveira? (Miroel Silveira Archives), and analyze them from the perspective of the information management. We verified that the information management is a planned, technical, rational and neutral activity used to improve procedures. Censorship uses bureaucratic processes to protect society. Even though with different objectives, both activities utilize the same method, which is the interference in the information flow. The information flow can be related to the production of services or goods, in the case of the companies, and in the case of prior censorship, the artistic production. This research proposes the study of prior censorship as a kind of information management. In order to achieve our objectives, we studied the bureaucratic process of the prior censorship to the theater. Our research showed that the information management utilized by the censorship allows the government to obtain information about the artistic productions and the people involved with them, and punish those who express ideas that are contrary to the government?s ideas. The information also allows the government to prevent any resistance to the actions of censorship. Our study concludes that the information management and prior censorship, in fact, are not used for the benefit of the society, but to achieve the interests of those with the power to plan and exercise them.

Esta pesquisa caracteriza-se como qualitativa e descritiva, tendo por objetivo mapear os processos de geração e uso de informações clínicas no contexto da Radiologia Médica, utilizando como referência o Ciclo Informacional estudado na Ciência da Informação, visando a identificar metadados que possam ser empregados em arquivos didáticos para uso em práticas de ensino em Radiologia. A metodologia é dividida em quatro etapas: 1) estudo do ciclo informacional, com o intuito de conhecer propostas de autores que sistematizam os processos de geração e uso da informação; 2) descrição do fluxo de trabalho de um departamento de Radiologia Médica - IHE -, para identificar os diferentes atores nesse ambiente; 3) análise dos processos do ciclo informacional no fluxo de trabalho de um departamento de Radiologia Médica, para entender o processo de geração e uso de informações na área; e 4) análise comparativa entre os metadados indicados para o fluxo de trabalho de um departamento de Radiologia Médica - DICOM - e os metadados utilizados nas bases de imagens médicas MyPACs e Auntminnie, a fim de levantar um conjunto de informações da prática clínica para uso em arquivos didáticos. Ao estudar o fluxo de trabalho de um departamento de Radiologia foram mapeadas as informações geradas e utilizadas em cada etapa, resultando na identificação de um conjunto de metadados advindos da prática clínica, que podem ser utilizados na criação de arquivos didáticos. Neste trabalho, conclui-se que estudar os processos de geração e uso de informações clínicas, em conjunto com outros temas, pode ajudar a pensar em metodologias para organização da informação, com a finalidade de viabilizar a recuperação de informação entre aplicações que possam ser utilizadas em contextos diversos no ambiente da Radiologia Médica. / This qualitative and descriptive research aimed to map the processes related to generation and use of clinical information in Medical Radiology. In order to identify metadata for creating Radiology teaching files, the Information Cycle - adopted by Information Science - has been used such as a theoretical reference. The methodological approach was divided into four steps: 1) aiming to know approaches proposed by authors who systematize the processes related to information\'s generation and use, the information cycle was investigated; 2) by systematizing the workflow found in a Radiology Department (by using IHE\'s documents), regular users present in this environment were identified; 3) based on Medical Radiology\'s workflow and aiming to understand the information\'s generation and use processes, the steps part of the information cycle were studied; and 4) comparative analysis using metadata part of Radiology Department\'s workflow (based on DICOM standard documentation) and metadata used in the MyPACs and Auntminnie medical image databases, such analysis was done in order to select a set of information from clinical practice which may be used in teaching files\' creation. When the Radiology\'s workflow was studied, the information generated and used in each step was identified. As a result, groups of metadata from the clinical practice were identified and such metadata may be used aiming to create teaching file. In this work, we have concluded that by investigating processes related to clinical information generation and use, combined with other themes, may help to think about information organization\'s methodologies. This offers means to retrieve information from various clinical systems and the retrieved information can be used in different Radiology contexts.

Este trabalho começa abordando os aspectos estudados: visualização e gerenciamento de informações. Verifica-se hoje que uma das grandes dificuldades com eles é conseguir-se uma visão integrada de todas as atividades de uma empresa, especialmente nas de grande porte, bem como se manter dados precisos e atualizados sempre à disposição, para que se consiga identificar com rapidez possíveis erros e soluções. Estuda-se a utilização de conceitos de mapeamento de processos e de realidade virtual nas áreas de mineração e petrolífera - incluindo um breve histórico e exemplos de aplicações - para suprir estas dificuldades. Descreve-se, a seguir, os objetivos do trabalho, que envolvem o desenvolvimento de um modelo de integração de informações para as duas áreas citadas, além da análise dos benefícios inerentes ao acesso gráfico a repositórios centrais de dados. Parte-se de uma revisão bibliográfica relacionada aos problemas e soluções analisados, e de uma metodologia de trabalho adequada ao tema proposto, baseada em observação, entrevistas e análises com profissionais dos setores envolvidos. Passa-se para o estudo de caso da mina Rio das Pedras, da empresa PETROBRAS, em São Mateus do Sul, PR, que explora folhelhos para obtenção de óleo, escolhida para este estudo por envolver simultaneamente mineração e petróleo, focos dessa tese. Obteve-se diversos resultados, atendendo aos objetivos propostos. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de gerenciamento integrado de informações. Para isso, foi criado um diagrama representando a cadeia de valor de petróleo e foram mapeadas as atividades principais dessa cadeia, bem como as da mineração. Também foram criados modelos, com o auxílio de avançadas ferramentas computacionais, para uso de realidade virtual, além de um roteiro para implantação destes modelos. Estes resultados foram sendo divulgados ao longo deste projeto em diversos eventos, incluindo o Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference, em 2006 e o SIAEM, em 2004. Ao final, observou-se que há a possibilidade de uma boa integração dentro de cada setor, de mineração e petrolífero, e até a integração dos dois setores em alguns aspectos comuns a ambos, permitindo maior facilidade na obtenção de dados e na tomada de decisão. Com isso, verifica-se que essa tecnologia pode trazer melhorias importantes para os setores envolvidos, e muito pode ser feito para desenvolvê-la ainda mais. / This thesis starts by identifying the key issues of the research: visualization and management of information. It is widely known that one of the most common difficulties in information management is to obtain a complete and integrated view of all the company processes and activities. Another common difficulty is to maintain the necessary data always precise, updated and available to whoever needs them, so that it will be possible for the user to identify discrepancies right at the beginning and to immediately visualize the most appropriate solutions for each case. Evaluating the use of process mapping and virtual reality applied to the mining and petroleum industry - including a brief historical background and examples of applications - it is verified how these technologies can help to solve the problems identified. This thesis describes then the research objectives, which are based on developing a model suited for the integration of information in the mining and oil industry. The integration between mine planning and operation, and between oil exploration and production, together with the analysis of the benefits of a central graphical database, are also included. The thesis includes a bibliographic review, related to the problems and solutions analyzed, and also the methodology that has been developed, including observation, interviews, discussions, and analysis with professionals from the mining and petroleum industry. The thesis uses as a case study the oil shale mine Rio das Pedras (a mine from PETROBRAS, in São Mateus do Sul, Paraná). A brief description of this mine, and the reasons for its use on this study, related to the fact that it combines oil and mining engineering, are also presented here. The results of the research includes the development of an information management model, an oil production chain model, and models for processes mapping and virtual reality. These results were presented at international events like Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference, in 2006, and SIAEM, in 2004. Through the simulation of basic operations, as ore transport to the plant, and with the aid of the most advanced software tools available, it was verified how the data could be easily obtained, and how these technologies could be improved - it is already possible to integrate some mining and oil industry aspects - with a quite favorable forecast for its future use in several applications in the mining and petroleum industry.

O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar os recursos de TI e analisar de que forma as pequenas empresas podem utilizá-los para realizar a comunicação e a gestão da informação, privilegiando o uso de computadores para esta finalidade. A criação e o surgimento de recursos baseados na tecnologia da informação permitiram uma nova abordagem para estes aspectos. A realização da comunicação e a gestão da informação por meio de recursos baseados na tecnologia da informação impactaram de maneira significativa na forma com que o trabalho era realizado nas empresas. A importância do uso de recursos que possibilitem a realização do processo de comunicação mediada por computador, aliada à necessidade de se obter informações tempestivas e corretas, se tornaram variáveis associadas à melhoria da competitividade organizacional. A metodologia empregada nesta pesquisa foi o método qualitativo-exploratório, em que o estudo multicaso, proporcionou vivenciar a realidade com base no referencial teórico apresentado na pesquisa bibliografia. O trabalho de campo contou com a colaboração de três pequenas empresas do setor de informática da cidade de Ribeirão Preto-SP, nas quais foram possíveis a identificação dos recursos contemplados na pesquisa bibliográfica, e a análise de sua utilização em cada uma das empresas pesquisadas. / This essay was done in order to identify the IT (Information Technology) resources and analyse the way that it may be used by the small companies to perform communication and information management, thus making use of computers for this purpose. The creation and emerging of resources based on information technology permitted a new approach to these aspects. The achievement of communication and information management through means based on information technology caused a significant impact on the way that job was performed in the companies. The importance of using means that make possible the realization of the communication process, added to the need to obtain timely and correct information, have become associated variables to the improvement of the organization competitiveness. This research was done by the exploratory-qualified method, in which the multicase study, enabled the experiment of reality based on the theoretical reference presented in the research bibliography. The field work had the collaboration of three small companies of the computer field in the city of Ribeirão Preto-SP, where it was possible to identify the resources contemplated in the bibliography research, and the analyses of the usage in each one of the researched companies.

A Agroinova é uma empresa de prestação de serviços especializados em tecnologia de informação e soluções inteligentes na agropecuária. Após o seu início no segmento de aquicultura, a empresa realizou estudos para continuar expandindo seu negócio e iniciou o desenvolvimento de um software para gestão na bovinocultura de leite. Este segmento foi escolhido devido ao grande volume de informação gerada diariamente, o que dificulta seu controle e também pela sua importância econômica no mercado. Sem um sistema de computador e um sistema de coleta de dados, uma gestão adequada fica praticamente impossível. Devido à complexidade do segmento foi desenvolvido um software com programação em nuvem, que permite o controle dos indicies zootécnicos e financeiros através de interfaces ricas, de maneira fácil e rápida, com alimentação em aplicativos no sistema android e suporte integral ao cliente. Durante o processo de implementação do software nas fazendas, foi percebido que alguns clientes estavam com dificuldade em obter as informações, pois ocorria extrema demora no envio dos dados e/ou mandavam dados antigos que seriam pouco utilizados. O tempo médio que esses clientes ficaram estacionados nessa fase inicial foi de quatro meses. Este estudo se propõe a analisar os pontos críticos de gestão nas fazendas durante o processo de implementação do sistema Inovaleite® e também avaliar se houve relação dos problemas com as inovações incorporadas ao sistema. Nesse trabalho foi utilizada a metodologia qualitativa, já que a percepção do problema ocorreu com a interação entre o pesquisador e os usuários da ferramenta de gestão. Essa interação gerou os registros das conversas dos usuários, que expõem suas opiniões e pensamentos sobre o determinado problema, o que possibilitou dentro da metodologia qualitativa realizar uma análise de discurso. Para analisar melhor e poder comparar as situações das fazendas, foram criados três grupos de clientes: Fazendas desistentes, fazendas em andamento e fazendas finalizadas. Após analisar todas as falas e as situações das fazendas de cada grupo, foram identificados três problemas que ocorreram durante as implementações: dificuldade dos proprietários em achar mão de obra tecnificada, centralização do poder da informação e o impacto que o sistema Inovaleite® causou nas propriedades, exigindo mudança na postura dos gestores e na rotina das atividades da fazenda. Essa mudança gerou um impacto muito grande, podendo sofrer grande resistência por parte do funcionário e/ou do proprietário, pois em muitos casos, novas atividades precisaram ser incorporadas na fazenda, como a organização da informação e a coleta de dados. As inovações propostas no software não causaram problemas na implementação, uma vez que o problema principal ficou concentrado na fazenda, no momento de levantar as informações. Os produtores perceberam a necessidade de melhorarem sua gestão e procuram um software para isso, porém muitos desses produtores ainda precisam organizar e estruturar a produção e criar uma rotina de trabalho que permita o levantamento e armazenamento das informações corretamente. Somente assim um sistema de gestão irá funcionar, pois a ferramenta é somente um facilitador para que o gestor consiga avaliar e comparar dados de maneira mais rápida e segura. / Agroinova is a company that provides agriculture services specialized in managing information and developing intelligent solutions. After Agroinova initial launch focused on aquaculture field, the company conducted studies to expand its business and develop a software for dairy production management. This field was chosen because of the large volume of information generated in a daily basis, which can be challenging to manage, also because the economic importance of the dairy industry. The management of data can be problematic specially without a computer and a system for data collection. Due to the complexity of the field, a cloud programing was developed that allows control of livestock performance data and financial index by rich interfaces that can be accessed thru android system in a simple way, also providing complete customer support. During the software implementation at the farm level, some customers had difficulty managing the data, causing delays when uploading the information, also sending old data, which had little use. The average time spent by customers during this stage was four months. The goal of this study is to analyze the critical points of management on farms during the implementation process Inovaleite®, analyzing the correlation between issues in the process and the innovations built into the system. Since the analysis was done by the researcher and management tool users, a qualitative methodology was used in this study. User interaction generated data containing recorded conversations, which highlighted their opinions and resulted in qualitative methodology analysis. In order to better analyze recorded conversation and different scenarios, three groups were created: farms that terminated the service, farms with service in progress and farms that completed the service. After analysis was complete, three issues were noted during system implementation: owner challenge in finding qualified workers, centralization of the information and the impact caused by Inovaleite® system resulting in management changes and daily farm schedule. These changes in the farm routine, such as data collection can create resistance by both employee and owner. The software innovations do not cause implementation problems. Dairy farmers realize the need of management improvement and often search for software but many of them still need to organize and structure their production and create a work schedule that includes correct data collection and information storage. This software works only as a tool that allows producer manage the system and production, evaluating and comparing data quickly and safely.