Every day large volumes of data are collected in the form of time series. Time series are collections of events or observations, predominantly numeric in nature, sequentially recorded on a regular or irregular time basis. Time series are becoming increasingly important in nearly every organisation and industry, including banking, finance, telecommunication, and transportation. Banking institutions, for instance, rely on the analysis of time series for forecasting economic indices, elaborating financial market models, and registering international trade operations. More and more time series are being used in this type of investigation and becoming a valuable resource in today�s organisations. This thesis investigates and proposes solutions to some current and important issues in time series data management (TSDM), using Design Science Research Methodology. The thesis presents new models for mapping time series data to relational databases which optimise the use of disk space, can handle different time granularities, status attributes, and facilitate time series data manipulation in a commercial Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). These new models provide a good solution for current time series database applications with RDBMS and are tested with a case study and prototype with financial time series information. Also included is a temporal data model for illustrating time series data lifetime behaviour based on a new set of time dimensions (confidentiality, definitiveness, validity, and maturity times) specially targeted to manage time series data which are introduced to correctly represent the different status of time series data in a timeline. The proposed temporal data model gives a clear and accurate picture of the time series data lifecycle. Formal definitions of these time series dimensions are also presented. In addition, a time series grouping mechanism in an extensible commercial relational database system is defined, illustrated, and justified. The extension consists of a new data type and its corresponding rich set of routines that support modelling and operating time series information within a higher level of abstraction. It extends the capability of the database server to organise and manipulate time series into groups. Thus, this thesis presents a new data type that is referred to as GroupTimeSeries, and its corresponding architecture and support functions and operations. Implementation options for the GroupTimeSeries data type in relational based technologies are also presented. Finally, a framework for TSDM with enough expressiveness of the main requirements of time series application and the management of that data is defined. The framework aims at providing initial domain know-how and requirements of time series data management, avoiding the impracticability of designing a TSDM system on paper from scratch. Many aspects of time series applications including the way time series data are organised at the conceptual level are addressed. The central abstraction for the proposed domain specific framework is the notions of business sections, group of time series, and time series itself. The framework integrates comprehensive specification regarding structural and functional aspects for time series data management. A formal framework specification using conceptual graphs is also explored.

Rapporten handlar om icke följsamhet i samband med medicinering och de stora problem som medföljer om en patient inte följer sin medicinska rådgivning. Icke följsamhet är ett stort problem i dag, både för samhället och individen. För samhället är det mycket kostsamt att hantera alla felmedicineringar och för individen kan det handla om liv eller död. Syftet med detta arbetet är att utveckla en IT-artefakt med ändamålet att förbättra följsamheten för patienter som dagligen tar medicin. Detta med hjälp av en mobilapplikation som använder Bluetooth för positionering av medicinen. IT-artefakten ska fungerar som ett stöd och hjälpmedel genom att underlätta för en patient i samband med medicinering. Denna forskning använder sig av Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM). Medverkande företag i detta arbete har varit konsultföretaget Knowit Luleå. Arbetet resulterade i en IT-artefakt, samt sex stycken designprinciper, samtliga utifrån problemet icke följsamhet i syfte att bidra till förbättrad följsamhet. / The thesis deals with non-adherence in connection with medication and the major problems that arise if a patient does not follow the medical advice. Non-adherence is a major problem today, both for society and for the individual. For society is is very costly to handle all medication errors and for the individual it can be about life or death. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an IT artifact with the purpose of improving adherence for patients taking medication daily. This is done by using a mobile application that uses Bluetooth for positioning the medicine. The artifact will serve as a support and aid by facilitating a patient that is taking medication. This research uses Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM). Contributing company in this work have been Knowit Luleå. The work resulted in an IT artifact, as well as six design principles, all based on the problem of non-adherence in order to contribute to improved adherence.

The aim of the study was to develop a platform to monitor and evaluate care homes using heterogeneous data sources for a French startup company. The study found that there was no current system to supervise healthcare resources in these facilities with live data. To address this, a digital platform was proposed that would integrate information from various sources, including IoT devices, existing software systems and digital documents. The proposed platform, which would be built from scratch, includes a data collection and processing system, and a blockchain to store the processed data. The platform would also include a dashboard with features, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and graphs for stakeholders to access.   The research would focus on the first two objectives of the proposed platform, which are design a platform for real time access to heterogeneous data sources and generate derivative dataset (generate transformed data set from the primary raw data set) with access but not visibility of the accessible zero knowledge heterogeneous data in secured way. Zero knowledge refers to fetching data from primary data sources and present it to users of in another format which can be understand easily, while hiding actual data and transforming mechanism (Goldreich, 2004). The proposed solution should be versatile and extensible to incorporate additional data sources and generate derivative datasets in a scalable manner. The study concludes that utilizing the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) to investigate and identify an ideal solution to the research topics is both challenging and stimulating. Additionally, the findings can be applied by other researchers working in related fields.   In summary, the proposed solution involves the development of a digital platform based on information system theories and technologies that will enrich the area of Information Systems for similar problems. The thesis will evaluate existing research on these theories and technologies and recommend the best solution by integrating the most suitable set of theories and technologies for the given problem. This will provide a practical solution for the immediate needs of the startup company and contribute to future research on similar problems.

Tillståndsprocessen för att bedriva miljöfarlig verksamhet är manuell och ineffektiv vilket hämmar svenska företag i deras klimatarbete. Geospatial information har till följd av lokaliseringsprincipen i miljöbalken en central roll inom samhällsbyggnad och dess planering för placering av investeringar. Det finns i dagsläget inget geospatialt beslutsstödsystem (SDSS) som ämnar att underlätta för verksamhetsutövare i tillståndsprocessen vid beslut som rör placering av nya investeringar i industri. Syftet med studien var att utveckla en IT-artefakt med intentionen att stödja processen samt beslutsfattande för industriföretag i skapandet av en tillståndsansökan för miljöfarlig verksamhet. Detta genom att ta fram en webbapplikation som ska fungera som ett processtöd för användaren genom att redogöra de nödvändiga stegen som ingår i en miljötillståndsansökan med fokus på de aspekter som inkluderar geospatial data och information. Målet är att artefakten i dessa steg ska fungera som ett hjälpmedel för verksamhetsutövaren att fatta strategiska beslut kring geografisk plats för nya investeringar i industri. Studien använder sig av Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) och har hämtat in empiri genom fokusgruppsintervjuer. Arbetet resulterade i en IT-artefakt som visar att det är möjligt att implementera denna typ av lösning på problemet samt de identifierade designprinciperna som implementerades. / The permit process for conducting environmentally hazardous activities is manual and inefficient, which impedes Swedish companies in their climate action. As a result of the “location principle” in the Swedish Environmental Code, spatial information has a central role in community building and its planning for location of investments. There is currently no spatial decision support system (SDSS) that aims to make it easier for operators to make decisions regarding the location of new investments in industry during the permit process. The purpose of the study was to develop an IT artefact with the intention to support the process and decision making for industrial companies in the creation of permit applications for environmentally hazardous activities. This by developing a web application that will function as a process support for the user by describing the necessary steps that are included in an environmental permit application with a focus on the aspects that include spatial data and information. The aim is that the artifact in these steps should function as an aid for the operator to make strategic decisions about the geographical location for new investments in industry. This research uses Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) and has obtained empirical data through focus group interviews. The work resulted in an IT artifact that proves that it is possible to implement this kind of solution to the problem and the identified design principles that were implemented.

User Experience Engineering (UxE) incorporates subject areas like usability, HCI, interaction experience, interaction design, "human factors", ergonomics", cognitive psychology", behavioral psychology and psychometrics", systems engineering", [and] "computer science," (Hartson, 1998). It has been suggested that UxE will be the main success factor in organizations as we enter the "loyalty decade" of software development, where the repeat usage of a product by a single customer will be the metric of product success (Alghamdi, 2010; Law & van Schaik, 2010, p. 313; Nielsen, 2008; Van Schaik & Ling, 2011). What is relatively unknown in the current academic literature is whether existing UxE methodologies are effective or not when placed in a longitudinal research context (Law & van Schaik, 2010). There is room for the exploration of the effects of long-term UxE practices in a real-world case study scenario. The problem, addressed in this study, is that a lack of the application of UxE-related processes and practices with an industrial partner had resulted in customer dissatisfaction and a loss of market share. A three-year case study was performed during which 10 UxE-related metrics were gathered and analyzed to measure the improvements in the design of the customer's experience that long-term UxE practices could bring to a small corporate enterprise. The changes that occurred from the corporate and customer's point of view were analyzed as the customer's experience evolved throughout this long-term UxE study. Finally, an analysis of the problems and issues that arose in the implementation of UxE principles during the application of long-term UxE processes was performed. First-hand training between the research team and company employees proved essential to the success of this project. Although a long-term UxE process was difficult to implement within the existing development practices of the industrial partner, a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction and customer engagement with the company system was found. UxE processes led to increased sales rates and decreased development costs in the long-term. All 10 metrics gathered throughout this study showed measurable improvements after long-term UxE processes and practices were adopted by the industrial partner.