In the last two decades, software designed to solve specific tasks for its user has seen a big rise and not least of these are mobile applications. Low-code development platforms have over the last few years been introduced as an alternative that provides lower development times and costs. These low-code development platforms do however trade features and functionality to reach these lower costs. This could affect the usability of the platform's end products. The goal of this thesis is to identify usability issues in a mobile application developed in a LCDP, analyze existing usability guidelines for native mobile applications and propose new or adapted usability guidelines for low-coded mobile applications.  To validate the gap in low-code development platform usability literature that led us to our initial problem statement we performed a literature review. Making use of individual interviews and focus groups we could produce the empirical data needed to identify potential user experienced usability issues within a low-code developed mobile application. We reviewed current native usability literature and found that most models, frameworks, and usability guidelines are in some way tied to the ISO 9241-11 standard. Individual interviews were held where we found that the overall experienced usability was positive. We then conducted seminars with focus groups which led to a thematic analysis. We summarized the quantitative data from the interviews and the qualitative data of the thematic analysis on the focus group seminars and then tied it to what we found in the literature review. Through our research, we found multiple areas of improvement in the application but the most discussed of these were that the users expected similar functionality to be presented in a similar fashion. With both the data from the literary analysis and empirical study we propose a new and adapted set of low-code usability guidelines with strong ties to the ISO 9241-11 standard and its core attributes.

A new user oriented optimization system is described which is particularly useful for integration into user oriented design packages. Four new subroutines have been developed for the system, one being for integer or mixed integer nonlinear problems. A description is given of the problem of handling constraints while solving optimization problems. The technique of integration into a design package is discussed. Solutions of four sample problems have been included to demonstrate use of the subroutines. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

<p> A description is given of the multi-technique nonlinear optimization system called OPTIPAC.</p> <p> The overall organization of the program is outlined and the significant features of each of the method subroutines are discussed. Considerable emphasis has been placed on the documentation for the system, and the two manuals which have been written are described briefly. The results of three test problems are included to demonstrate the value of having a variety of techniques in the package.</p> <p> A preliminary evaluation of OPTIPAC's performance is given, with relevant suggestions for further development.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

The purpose of this study was to develop easy to use price forecasting models to predict broiler price one, two and three quarters in advance. A system of five equations was developed for the two and three quarter lag models and a system of four equations was developed for the one quarter lag model. All coefficients in the equations were estimated using data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The models presented are true forecasting models which predict outside the data base. The models are user oriented. Examples were presented and the data base supplied so that anyone interested in using the models can easily duplicate the results. The models were analyzed for predictive ability and were compared with the ability of the futures market to forecast broiler price. Results showed all three models predicted better than no-change extrapolation. The models predicting broiler price two and three quarters in advance predicted better than the futures market. / Master of Science

Service composition is a process by which the services offered by devices may be combined to produce new, more complex services. In a pervasive computing environment where many devices exist and offer services, it is particularly desirable to fully automate this composition so end users do not need to be technically sophisticated. Earlier work done by Pourreza introduced a system to do fully automated service composition and to rank the services so produced by order of expected usefulness to the end user(s). My thesis research extends the work done by Pourreza in two ways. First, and most importantly, it adds support for services that have associated Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics. This allows me to ensure that I only generate composite services that are compatible in terms of the provided and required QoS characteristics of their component services. Further, it allows me to rank the generated composite services based on how well they meet the desired QoS preferences of users. Second, I extend Pourreza’s work by adding support for compositions involving services from outside a persistent computing environment (e.g. those provided via available Internet or 3G network access). I have built a prototype for the system to illustrate feasibility and to assess the overhead of supporting QoS in composition. I have also developed a regression model (based on collected user input regarding QoS preferences for services) that can be used to effectively rank compositions based on QoS for a variety of persistent environments. My results show that my approach is both feasible and effective.

Service composition is a process by which the services offered by devices may be combined to produce new, more complex services. In a pervasive computing environment where many devices exist and offer services, it is particularly desirable to fully automate this composition so end users do not need to be technically sophisticated. Earlier work done by Pourreza introduced a system to do fully automated service composition and to rank the services so produced by order of expected usefulness to the end user(s). My thesis research extends the work done by Pourreza in two ways. First, and most importantly, it adds support for services that have associated Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics. This allows me to ensure that I only generate composite services that are compatible in terms of the provided and required QoS characteristics of their component services. Further, it allows me to rank the generated composite services based on how well they meet the desired QoS preferences of users. Second, I extend Pourreza’s work by adding support for compositions involving services from outside a persistent computing environment (e.g. those provided via available Internet or 3G network access). I have built a prototype for the system to illustrate feasibility and to assess the overhead of supporting QoS in composition. I have also developed a regression model (based on collected user input regarding QoS preferences for services) that can be used to effectively rank compositions based on QoS for a variety of persistent environments. My results show that my approach is both feasible and effective.

<p> A user-oriented computer program for an optimum solution of the hydrodynamic journal bearings is developed. The computer package is formulated in such a way to determine the optimum solution using only any of the following optimization techniques adapted from OPTISEP: DAVID, SIMPLEX, SEEK1, AND SEEK3. </p> <p> A user guide and a complete documentations for the computer package are included in the thesis. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

Since the millennium shift the Swedish public administration has, in a successive and significant way, been moving towards an electronic government. By analyzing policy goals formulated by the Swedish government, this essay aims to describe e-government as an administration model and subsequently answer the question if e-government challenges the traditional Swedish public administration. Based on three different ideal types; The bureaucratic model, The user-oriented model and New Public Management, this essay also aims to relate the policy goals of e-government to the ideal types. The analysis shows that the Swedish e-government is based on ideas which can be related to all three ideal types. While the analysis is not able to unequivocally answer the question if e-government challenges the traditional Swedish public administration, it yet indicates that, reversibly, the traditional Swedish public administration challenges e-government.

Die Hochwasserereignisse der letzten Jahre haben Mängel bei der schnellen Verfügbarkeit des klassischen Darstellungs-, Entscheidungs- und Analyseinstruments Karte offenbart. Die Erfahrungen von 1997 und 2002 verdeutlichen, dass eine homogene digitale Datengrundlage, die neben rein topographischen zusätzlich auch fachspezifische Informationen des Hochwasserschutzes enthält, für eine effektive Bekämpfung solcher Ereignisse notwendig ist. <br><br> Mit den Daten des ,Amtlichen Topographisch-Kartographischen Informationssystems&rsquo; (ATKIS) liegen topographische Basisdaten in graphikfreier Form als digitales Landschaftsmodell (DLM) flächendeckend für die Bundesrepublik vor. Anhand der exemplarischen Ableitung von nutzerorientierten Kartenmodellen aus diesen graphikfreien Daten wurde deren Eignung für den besonderen Verwendungszweck im Rahmen eines Hochwasserschutz-Informationssystems überprüft. Als Anwendungsbeispiel wurde das Gebiet der Ziltendorfer Niederung, die während des Oder-Hochwassers 1997 überflutet wurde, gewählt. <br><br> In Expertengesprächen wurden zunächst Inhalte identifiziert, die für einen wirksamen Hochwasserschutz Relevanz besitzen; diese Inhalte wurden anschließend analog zum ATKIS-Systemdesign strukturiert und als Objekte eines separaten Objektbereichs im digitalen Fachmodell (DFM) erfasst. <br><br> Bei der Ableitung von (Bildschirm-) Karten aus den graphikfreien Daten wurden jeweils unterschiedliche Kriterien für die Basiskarte und die Fachinhalte berücksichtigt. Dabei wurden verschiedene kartographische Regeln und Gesetze mit dem Ziel der prägnanten Visualisierung und damit der eindeutigen Lesbarkeit der Karten angewendet. Beispielhaft sei hier die Schaffung einer visuellen Hierarchie zwischen Basiskarte und Fachinhalten genannt. Die besonderen Nutzungsbedingungen von Karten im Einsatzfall erfordern u.a., dass die Karten auch von Personen, die nur über geringe oder keine Erfahrung im Umgang mit Karten verfügen, schnell und einfach zu lesen sind, um so eine sichere Informationsvermittlung zu gewährleisten. Voraussetzung dafür ist einerseits die Beschränkung auf die Darstellung der wesentlichen Inhalte, andererseits die Verwendung leicht lesbarer Kartenzeichen. Aus diesem Grund wurden einheitliche Kartenzeichen zur Darstellung der Fachinhalte entwickelt, die entweder aus allgemein bekannten Symbolen, aus den im Katastrophenschutz üblicherweise verwendeten sog. taktischen Zeichen oder aus Fachzeichen des Hochwasserschutzes abgeleitet wurden. <br><br> Die entwickelten Kartenmodelle wurden abschließend in qualitativen Experteninterviews in Bezug auf ihre Qualität und Verwendbarkeit im Hochwasserschutz geprüft. Die Auswertung der Interviews ergab eine insgesamt positive Beurteilung der Karten für den Einsatz in Hochwasserschutz-Informationssystemen. Damit leistet die vorliegende Arbeit einen Beitrag zur Entwicklung von (Bildschirm-) Karten zur Unterstützung bei der Entscheidungsfindung im Katastrophenmanagement. / The flooding events of recent years have revealed shortcomings concerning the speedy availability of traditional presentation, decision-making and analysis instrument maps. The experiences of 1997 and 2002 show that a homogenous digital dataset comprising relevant information on flood control measures as well as purely topographical information is essential to effectively combat such events. <br><br> Data from the official cartographic and topographic information system (Amtliches Topographisch-Kartographisches Informationssystem - ATKIS) provide basic non-graphic topographic data as digital landscape models (DLM) for the whole of the Federal Republic of Germany. By means of the exemplary derivation of user-oriented map models from these non-graphic data, their suitability for deployment in the context of a flood protection information system was verified. The Ziltendorfer Niederung area, which was flooded by the Oder in 1997, was chosen as an example. <br><br> First of all, in expert interviews subject matter that was relevant for effective flood control was identified. This subject matter was than structured analogous to the ATKIS system design and recorded in the digital thematic model (DFM). <br><br> Different respective criteria for the basis map and specialist content were taken into account with the derivation of (screen) maps from the non-graphic data. Thereby the different cartographic rules and guidelines were used with the aim of succinct visualisation and thus clear readability of the maps. The creation of a visual hierarchy between the components basis map and specialist content is cited as exemplary here. <br><br> Maps also sometimes need to be read quickly and easily by persons who have little or no knowledge of how to do this in order to assure reliable communication of information. This is conditional on the one hand on the presentation of the intrinsic content, and on the other the use of easily readable conventional map signs. For this reason standard conventional signs for the presentation of specialist content were developed that were either derived from commonly known symbols, from so-called tactical signs commonly used in disaster control, or from specialist signs from flood control. <br><br> The developed map model was finally verified with respect to its quality and usability in flood control. Evaluation of the interviews showed an overall positive assessment of the maps for use in flood protection information systems. This paper thus contributes to the development of (screen) maps to support the decision-making processes of disaster management.

隨著資訊科技的蓬勃發展，使用者的資訊搜尋行為有了新面貌，線上公用目錄亦面臨重大轉變及挑戰。圖書館界應站在使用者角度來思考，設計及建置一個使用者滿意的線上公用目錄系統。國際圖書館協會聯盟（IFLA）在2005年提出的《Guidelines for Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Displays》報告中，認為線上公用目錄的設計該有其原則，尤其應該考慮到使用者的需求。 　　本研究旨在從使用者角度出發，建構一套適合國內大專院校圖書館線上公用目錄的設計原則。本論文參考國內外線上公用目錄設計內容，除了參酌IFLA的原則基礎外，並融入其他學者專家、機構團體對於未來線上公用目錄的意見及建議，彙整一套從使用者角度思考的線上公用目錄設計原則草案。為了獲取使用者的意見，本研究共舉辦三場焦點團體訪談，藉由使用者的想法來修正草案內容，再將修正後之草案，經由分別針對學生與館員的問卷調查，來進行最後的原則項目清單之確認。 　　根據研究結果，確認使用者認同的線上公用目錄設計原則總計六大類35項原則。該六大類分別為「使用者需求」、「介面設計」、「內容及資料安排」、「檢索技術」、「個人化服務」及「資源整合」，並依平均數高低區分為不同重要性。未來圖書館員與廠商欲進行線上公用目錄設計的溝通，或評鑑線上公用目錄時可作為參考之用；並經由本研究發現使用者與館員的想法差異相當大，圖書館在建置線上公用目錄前應更瞭解使用者的資訊使用行為及習慣。 / The behavior of users’ information search has changed in the past years in accordance with the development of information technology. Therefore, Open Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is facing great transformation and challenges. Libraries should design and construct an OPAC system from users’ perspective. In 2005, a report from International Federation of Library Association and Institution (IFLA) titled “Guidelines for Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Displays” outlined principles in designing OPAC and highlighted the importance of users’ need. This study aims to offer a draft of design guidelines of OPAC for universities and colleges in Taiwan. It refers to IFLA guidance, local and abroad interfaces of OPACs, and blends in the feedback from scholars and educational institutions on the OPAC design. It also held three focus groups in order to gauge users’ views on how to improve the drafted guidelines. Then the revised guidelines were used to conduct further questionnaires on librarians and students. From there, it gave birth to the final guidelines. The analysis of the study came up six major categories and 35 principles. The six categories are: users’ need, design interface, content and information arrangement, retrieval technique, personalized service and information integration. This study could serve as the future guidance when librarians are in talks with vendors in their OPAC design, and when the evaluation of OPAC system is needed. This study also revealed that there is a gap between the opinion of users and librarians. Libraries should thus pay more attention in understanding what users want when constructing OPAC.