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.

Model-driven software development can help tackle complexity when developing large software systems. Model-driven development tools facilitate this. Such tools support multiple features and languages; some are multi-platform and support multi-language code generation from models. Umple is a full-featured open source language and modelling tool that we used as a basis for this thesis. Distribution concerns have become a critical part of modern software systems. In this thesis, we present how we extended Umple to support the development of model-driven synchronous or asynchronous distributed systems. Our contributions provide simple syntax, model analysis capabilities, and programming APIs, which allow users to change the configuration of systems both at development and deployment stages. We also demonstrate how a system can be modeled without distribution concerns and easily be transformed to a distributed system through our approach. The contributions of this thesis are: a) Creating a mechanism to distribute objects in Umple; b) Developing new semantics for modelling of distributed objects and providing supporting syntax for this in Umple; c) Investigating different patterns and technologies to implement code generation for distributed systems; d) Implementation, testing, and comparison of the distributed feature in Umple for executable Java code; and e) implementing a mechanism to dynamically modify the distribution plan at runtime.

In today's global market environment, enterprises are increasingly turning towards collaboration in projects to leverage their resources, skills and expertise, and simultaneously address the challenges posed in diverse and competitive markets. Moderators, which are knowledge based systems have successfully been used to support collaborative teams by raising awareness of problems or conflicts. However, the functioning of a moderator is limited to the knowledge it has about the team members. Knowledge acquisition, learning and updating of knowledge are the major challenges for a Moderator's implementation. To address these challenges a Knowledge discOvery And daTa minINg inteGrated (KOATING) framework is presented for Moderators to enable them to continuously learn from the operational databases of the company and semi-automatically update the corresponding expert module. The architecture for the Universal Knowledge Moderator (UKM) shows how the existing moderators can be extended to support global manufacturing. A method for designing and developing the knowledge acquisition module of the Moderator for manual and semi-automatic update of knowledge is documented using the Unified Modelling Language (UML). UML has been used to explore the static structure and dynamic behaviour, and describe the system analysis, system design and system development aspects of the proposed KOATING framework. The proof of design has been presented using a case study for a collaborative project in the form of construction project supply chain. It has been shown that Moderators can "learn" by extracting various kinds of knowledge from Post Project Reports (PPRs) using different types of text mining techniques. Furthermore, it also proposed that the knowledge discovery integrated moderators can be used to support and enhance collaboration by identifying appropriate business opportunities and identifying corresponding partners for creation of a virtual organization. A case study is presented in the context of a UK based SME. Finally, this thesis concludes by summarizing the thesis, outlining its novelties and contributions, and recommending future research.

The recent development of virtual reality (VR) technology carries powerful potential that can be utilised to facilitate the learning of 3D geometry. Therefore, a new approach for teaching and learning of 3D geometry that utilises a virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) is proposed in this research study. This research study aimed to: (a) design and evaluate a VRLE to facilitate the learning of 3D geometry concepts and processes by upper primary school students, and (b) generate theoretical and design principles that will have application both within and beyond the immediate research study. The research methodology employed was design experiments or design-based research. Informed by this methodology, the research design consisted of iterative cycles of developing/revising a conceptual framework, designing/prototyping a VRLE, enacting/evaluating the VRLE, and reflecting/redesigning the research. An initial conceptual framework was generated through extensive literature review to inform the design and evaluation of a VRLE. Based on the conceptual framework, a prototype VRLE named VRMath was then designed and implemented. The enactment and evaluation of VRMath consisted of two iterations. Iteration 1 (six hours/sessions with two students of Year 5 and 6) was conducted using the prototype VRMath (Yeh & Nason, 2004). Based on the findings from Iteration 1, nine learning activities were developed and research protocols (e.g., observation and interview) were revised for Iteration 2. Iteration 2 involved six primary school students (Year 4-5) for eight weeks (two hours/sessions per week). Findings from Iteration 2 confirmed and identified some usability issues of VRMath system and many new ways of thinking and doing 3D geometry when students interacted with VRMath. These have implications on the design of VRMath and the teaching and learning of 3D geometry within the VRMath environment. Justifications about the conceptual framework and students' learning within VRMath were made after the two iterations of enactment and evaluation. The learning activities and VRMath were also revised and redesigned for the preparation of future iterations. After a full cycle of the design-experiments, this research study concluded with a proto-theory (semiotic framework) for the design of and learning within VRLEs, and visions for using VRLEs in mathematic and technology education.

This study investigated the use of ORM as a conceptual modelling technique by using the UML domain model class diagram as benchmark. The rationale was that if the ORM-class diagram compared favourably with the benchmark, then ORM could be proposed as an alternate conceptual modelling technique. Proponents of ORM suggest that it has significant advantages over other techniques for conceptual modelling. The benchmark UML class diagram was developed according to the Unified Process through use-cases and collaboration diagrams. The ORM-class diagram was derived using the Conceptual Schema Design Process and ORM-UML Mapping Process. The evaluation of the two class diagrams was conducted by means of a questionnaire, based on a set of principles for conceptual models. The study concluded that ORM could not be proposed as a conceptual modelling technique up to the UML domain class diagram level without considering additional techniques for capturing the dynamics of the system. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Computer Science)

<p>The thesis describes steps taken towards using graphic representation and visual modelling support for the knowledge acquisition process in knowledge-based systems – a process commonly regarded as difficult. The performance of the systems depends on the quality of the embedded knowledge, which makes the knowledge acquisition phase particularly significant. During the acquisition phase, a main obstacle to proper extraction of information is the absence of effective modelling techniques.</p><p>The contributions of the thesis are: introducing a methodology for user-centred knowledge modelling, enhancing transparency to support the modelling of content and of the reasoning strategy, incorporating conceptualisation to simplify the grasp of the contents and to support assimilation of the domain knowledge, and supplying a visual compositional logic programming language for adding and modifying functionality.</p><p>The user-centred knowledge acquisition model, proposed in this thesis, applies a combination of different approaches to knowledge modelling. The aim is to bridge the gap between the users (i.e., knowledge engineers, domain experts and end users) and the system in transferring knowledge, by supporting the users through graphics and visualisation. Visualisation supports the users by providing several different views of the contents of the system.</p><p>The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is employed as a modelling language. A benefit of utilising UML is that the knowledge base can be modified, and the reasoning strategy and the functionality can be changed directly in the model. To make the knowledge base more comprehensible and expressive, we incorporated visual conceptualisation into UML’s diagrams to describe the contents. Visual conceptualisation of the knowledge can also facilitate assimilation in a hypermedia system through visual libraries.</p><p>Visualisation of functionality is applied to a programming paradigm, namely relational programming, often employed in artificial intelligence systems. This approach employs Venn-Euler diagrams as a graphic interface to a compositional operator based relational programming language. </p><p>The concrete result of the research is the development of a graphic representation and visual modelling approach to support the knowledge acquisition process. This approach has been evaluated for two different knowledge bases, one built for hydropower development and river regulation and the other for diagnosing childhood diseases.</p>

The thesis describes steps taken towards using graphic representation and visual modelling support for the knowledge acquisition process in knowledge-based systems – a process commonly regarded as difficult. The performance of the systems depends on the quality of the embedded knowledge, which makes the knowledge acquisition phase particularly significant. During the acquisition phase, a main obstacle to proper extraction of information is the absence of effective modelling techniques. The contributions of the thesis are: introducing a methodology for user-centred knowledge modelling, enhancing transparency to support the modelling of content and of the reasoning strategy, incorporating conceptualisation to simplify the grasp of the contents and to support assimilation of the domain knowledge, and supplying a visual compositional logic programming language for adding and modifying functionality. The user-centred knowledge acquisition model, proposed in this thesis, applies a combination of different approaches to knowledge modelling. The aim is to bridge the gap between the users (i.e., knowledge engineers, domain experts and end users) and the system in transferring knowledge, by supporting the users through graphics and visualisation. Visualisation supports the users by providing several different views of the contents of the system. The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is employed as a modelling language. A benefit of utilising UML is that the knowledge base can be modified, and the reasoning strategy and the functionality can be changed directly in the model. To make the knowledge base more comprehensible and expressive, we incorporated visual conceptualisation into UML’s diagrams to describe the contents. Visual conceptualisation of the knowledge can also facilitate assimilation in a hypermedia system through visual libraries. Visualisation of functionality is applied to a programming paradigm, namely relational programming, often employed in artificial intelligence systems. This approach employs Venn-Euler diagrams as a graphic interface to a compositional operator based relational programming language. The concrete result of the research is the development of a graphic representation and visual modelling approach to support the knowledge acquisition process. This approach has been evaluated for two different knowledge bases, one built for hydropower development and river regulation and the other for diagnosing childhood diseases.

This study investigated the use of ORM as a conceptual modelling technique by using the UML domain model class diagram as benchmark. The rationale was that if the ORM-class diagram compared favourably with the benchmark, then ORM could be proposed as an alternate conceptual modelling technique. Proponents of ORM suggest that it has significant advantages over other techniques for conceptual modelling. The benchmark UML class diagram was developed according to the Unified Process through use-cases and collaboration diagrams. The ORM-class diagram was derived using the Conceptual Schema Design Process and ORM-UML Mapping Process. The evaluation of the two class diagrams was conducted by means of a questionnaire, based on a set of principles for conceptual models. The study concluded that ORM could not be proposed as a conceptual modelling technique up to the UML domain class diagram level without considering additional techniques for capturing the dynamics of the system. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Computer Science)

Abstract Choreography modelling, as a service-oriented architecture specific technique, is increasingly present in embedded systems development domain. This technique specifies a flow of interactions between participants' services from the global or neutral point of view while the specified models represent an integral part of the overall software architecture. Choreography modelling languages that are currently used in embedded systems domain, however, are not expressive enough to capture the choreography-relevant information in this domain. For this reason, choreography specifications are often lacking information or include ambiguous information. This allows misinterpretation of the specified choreography models and leads to difficulties in communication among stakeholders that use those models. The objective of this research is to advance the design of choreography modelling languages by identifying the information content that is relevant in embedded systems domain and by designing a choreography modelling language that supports that information content. To achieve this objective, this research adopted the design science research framework and five individual studies were conducted within this framework. These studies used methods such as the interviews with practitioners, company specific documents and open standards to understand the challenges in industry, systematic literature review to collect the existing scientific knowledge about the utilization of choreography in embedded systems and the focus groups to evaluate the designed language. Based on these study results, the information content that is relevant for choreography modelling in embedded systems domain was identified and then supported with the design of choreography modelling language. The design of the choreography modelling language is evaluated in academic and industry context. The evaluation in academic context is realized by language implementation while the evaluation in industry is realized with industry experts. Language evaluation showed increased expressiveness of the designed language and indicated on possible benefits from its use in testing and protocol development area. These benefits include the reduction of development time and errors in the testing phase while the reduction of maintenance burden and performance improvement can be expected in the protocol development area. / Tiivistelmä Koreografinen mallintaminen on enenevässä määrin käytetty tekniikka sulautettujen järjestelmien palvelukeskeisten arkkitehtuurien määrittelyssä. Tämän mallintamisen avulla pystytään määrittämään palveluiden ja osallistujien välisten vuorovaikutusten virtaa globaalilla tasolla kun taas määritellyt mallit kuvaavat ohjelmistoarkkitehtuurin keskeisiä osakokonaisuuksia. Tällä hetkellä sulautettujen järjestelmien koreografiseen mallintamiseen käytetyt kielet eivät ole tarpeeksi ilmaisuvoimaisia kattaakseen alalla tarvittavien mallien oleelliset tietosisällöt. Tästä syystä koreografiamalleista puuttuu usein oleellisia tietoja tai tietosisällöt eivät ole yksiselitteisiä. Tämä johtaa koreografiamallien tietosisältöjen virheelliseen tulkintaan, joka taas aiheuttaa haasteita malleja hyödyntävien sidosryhmien välisessä vuorovaikutuksessa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on edistää koreografiamallinnuksessa käytettävien kielten suunnittelua tunnistamalla ne tietosisällöt, jotka ovat oleellisia sulautetuille järjestelmille sekä suunnitella kieli, joka tukee oleellisia tietosisältöjä. Tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi sovellettiin "design science" (suunnittelun tutkimus) tutkimusmenetelmää, jolla toteutettiin viisi tapaustutkimusta. Näissä tutkimuksissa hyödynnettiin teollisuuden asiantuntijoiden haastatteluita, yrityskohtaisia dokumentteja ja avoimia standardeja, joiden avulla pystyttiin ymmärtämään teollisuuden kohtaamia haasteita tutkimusalueella. Systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla kerättiin yhteen olemassa oleva tieteellinen tietämys koreografian käytöstä sulautetuissa järjestelmissä. Kehitetyn kielen sopivuutta teolliseen tuotekehitykseen arvioitiin asiantuntiaryhmille järjestetyissä työpajoissa. Saatujen tutkimustulosten valossa koreografiamallinnuksessa tarvittavat oleelliset tietosisällöt sulautettujen järjestelmien alueella pystyttiin määrittämään sekä kehittämään tietosisältöä tukeva koreografian mallinnuskieli. Kehitetty mallinnuskieli on arvioitu akateemisessa kontekstissa toteuttamalla koreografian mallinnuskieli. Teollisessa ympäristössä arvioinnin ovat suorittaneet teollisuuden asiantuntijat. Arviointien tuloksena voidaan todeta, että kehitetyllä mallinnuskielellä on parempi ilmaisuvoima kuin aiemmin käytössä olleilla kielillä. Lisäksi saatiin viitteitä kielen soveltuvuudesta testauksessa ja protokollien kehityksessä. Kieltä soveltamalla saavutettiin lyhempi kehitysaika ja vähennettiin virheitä testausvaiheessa. Lisäksi protokollan kehityksen osuudessa oletetaan ylläpidon kuormittavuuden vähenevän ja suorituskyvyn paranevan.

This thesis describes extensions to state machines in the Umple model-oriented programming language to offer queued state machines (QSM), pooled state machines (PSM) and handing of the arrival of unexpected events. These features allow for modeling the behavior of a system or protocol in a more accurate way in Umple because they enable detecting and fixing common design errors such as unspecified receptions. In addition, they simplify the communication between communicating state machines by allowing for asynchronous calls of events and passing of messages between state machines. Also, a pooled state machine (PSM) has been developed to provide a different policy of handling events that avoid unspecified receptions. This mechanism has similar semantics as a queued state machine, but it differs in the way of detecting unspecified receptions because it helps handling these errors. Another mechanism has been designed to use the keyword ‘unspecified’ in whatever state of a state machine the user wants to detect these errors. In this thesis, the test-driven development (TDD) process has been followed to first modify the Umple syntax to add ‘queued,’ ‘pooled,’ and ‘unspecified’ keywords to Umple state machine’s grammar; and second, to make a change to the Umple semantics in order to implement these extensions in Umple. Then, additional modifications have been made to allow for Java code generation from those types of state machines. Finally, more test cases have been written to ensure that these models are syntactically and semantically correct. In order to show the usefulness and usability of these new features, an example is shown as a case study that is modeled using the queued state machine (QSM) besides other small tests cases.