The World Health Organization has recommended Telemedicine to improve health care in developing countries. The objective of this study was to produce Critical Success Factors that will investigate and identify factors that influence the acceptance and continued use of Telemedicine in the Eastern Cape Department of Health, and to suggest ways to sustain this technology from initial adoption (the pilot programme) to full adoption. Sub questions investigated which other facilitating factors, such as management support or previous Information Technology exposure must be present in order for the technology to be adopted successfully. The study made use of a questionnaire to investigate the user acceptance and behaviour of health care workers. A return rate of 76% was achieved. The data was analysed making use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), specifically the Chi Square test. From these results Critical Success Factors where then formulated to address the problems identified. The Critical Success Factors that were identified include: Implement and disseminate best practice within a legislative framework; Find a champion; Change management strategies; Training; Sustainable finance; Technical issues and Project management principles If these CSFs are addressed before and during the implementation of Telemedicine it will increase the acceptance and use of the technology among health care workers. Critical Success Factors for User Acceptance of Telemedicine in South Africa.

There is a lack of research in the field of computer-mediated communication (CMC), pertaining to interpersonal relationships. With an increase in the number of people who use the internet, more interpersonal relationships are starting to form between people utilizing this CMC medium. Because of this increase in interpersonal relationships hosted on-line, social psychologists have begun to examine the differences between face-to-face (FTF) and CMC relationships. The relative strength of an interpersonal relationship can be measured by interpersonal solidarity, trust, attraction, intimacy, and a relationship assessment. The purpose of this research is to determine whether communication mediums have an effect on the relative strength of interpersonal relationships. The following research reveals findings from a study conducted on a college campus using simulated communication mediums and measurement scales to assess how strong the participants felt interpersonal relationships were in different communication mediums. Results from this study indicated that there were no significant differences in the relative strength of interpersonal relationships in different communication mediums.

In the last few years, telemetric data arising from embedded vehicle sensors brung an overwhelming abundance of information to companies. There is no indication that this will be abated in future. This information concerning driving behaviour brings an opportunity to carry out analysis. The merging of telemetric data and informatics gives rise to a sub-field of data science known as telematics. This work encompasses matrix variate and kernel density methods for the purposes of analysing telemetric data. These methods expand the current literature by alleviating the issues that arise with high-dimensional data. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Since the early 1990s, it has been all but impossible to ignore the media hype prompted by the sudden advent and appeal of the computer-mediated communications context. However, as alarmist tales of alleged online dangers have moved to the fore, legislators in some jurisdictions have called for new regulatory measures to limit its communicative potential. This dissertation undertakes a socio-historical analysis of this phenomenon. Influenced by the historical perspective of Ithiel de Sola Pool (1983), its initial goal is to illuminate how the introduction of print, common carrier and broadcast-based communications technologies has prompted key social actors to advocate, or create, particular regulatory regimes and practices. This will show how certain political, economic and moral interests and agendas have shaped the uses and development of previous communications technologies. Following this analysis, an examination of the rhetoric underlying contemporary efforts to regulate the online medium is presented. This will bring focus to how new communications technologies are defying traditional, territorially-bound models of regulation and control. Thereafter, a case study of the communicative roles and relationships that have informed present-day regulatory initiatives is undertaken. Guided by theoretical and methodological insights culled from the sociological literature on moral panics, it uses relevant print and online media sources to expose specific meaning-making practices that triggered the outbreak of an international panic over the alleged pervasiveness of online pornography in mid-1995. This will highlight the extent to which the mainstream media---via representations of the interests and agendas of actors and groups from a range of societal sectors---have influenced new communications policy debates. In addition, it will demonstrate how the online medium's unique communicative potential has empowered some of its users to reinterpret and counter the agend

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<p>Transportation has expanded the scope of human mobility, increasing the distances we cover on a</p><p>regular basis. The large benefits of transportation have resulted in a huge recent increase in the</p><p>number of vehicles. This, however, implies an increased number of traffic accidents that cause</p><p>many fatalities and injuries every year. It also leads to problems like increased delay for</p><p>commuters, and negative effects on the environment. Not to mention, the money spent in the</p><p>wasted fuel, as well as the costs of fixing damaged equipment and property.</p><p>To help in mitigating these problems the vehicles and the road infrastructure should be equipped</p><p>with intelligent devices that allow them to communicate and collaborate with each other and</p><p>exchange safety information concerning accidents, road traffic conditions, and weather conditions</p><p>as well as non-safety information. Recently, this topic termed telematics has gathered</p><p>considerable interest constituting a lot of work and research all included under the title of</p><p>Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).</p><p>The thesis work defines general communication requirements of future telematics applications</p><p>and investigates various wireless carriers that are important to achieve communication inbetween</p><p>vehicles and between vehicles and nearby infrastructure. We analyse several future</p><p>applications related to the ITS field and describe their communication requirements. Based on the</p><p>communication requirements the applications are grouped into different profiles in order to</p><p>determine the most suitable carrier for each profile.</p><p>Disclaimer: This paper reflects only the authors’ views and the European Community (as cofounders</p><p>of the CVIS, SAFESPOT and PReVENT Sixth Framework Programme projects,</p><p>through the European Commission DG Information Society and Media) is not liable for any use</p><p>that may be made of the information contained within.</p>

Transportation has expanded the scope of human mobility, increasing the distances we cover on a regular basis. The large benefits of transportation have resulted in a huge recent increase in the number of vehicles. This, however, implies an increased number of traffic accidents that cause many fatalities and injuries every year. It also leads to problems like increased delay for commuters, and negative effects on the environment. Not to mention, the money spent in the wasted fuel, as well as the costs of fixing damaged equipment and property. To help in mitigating these problems the vehicles and the road infrastructure should be equipped with intelligent devices that allow them to communicate and collaborate with each other and exchange safety information concerning accidents, road traffic conditions, and weather conditions as well as non-safety information. Recently, this topic termed telematics has gathered considerable interest constituting a lot of work and research all included under the title of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The thesis work defines general communication requirements of future telematics applications and investigates various wireless carriers that are important to achieve communication inbetween vehicles and between vehicles and nearby infrastructure. We analyse several future applications related to the ITS field and describe their communication requirements. Based on the communication requirements the applications are grouped into different profiles in order to determine the most suitable carrier for each profile. Disclaimer: This paper reflects only the authors’ views and the European Community (as cofounders of the CVIS, SAFESPOT and PReVENT Sixth Framework Programme projects, through the European Commission DG Information Society and Media) is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained within.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.