Public sector decision makers are confronted by pressures to make faster and better decisions as a result of the competitive environment they operate in. However, there is a trend in the public sector, including the Department of Transport (DoT) in South Africa, to invest in management information systems (MIS) that are highly fragmented and not aiding effective and timely decision-making. As a result, the country witnessed several service delivery protests since 2008 which also affected the public transport sector, such as the widespread burning of Metrorail trains several times by angry commuters. In most instances, poor service delivery emanates from the fact that public servants do not have information at their fingertips to make decisions. This quantitative study utilised Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies 5 (COBIT 5) as a theoretical framework to investigate the integration of MIS at the DoT with a view to enhancing business intelligence for effective decision-making. Data were collected through a questionnaire directed at middle managers and senior managers that were selected through stratification of business units at the DoT, as well as analysis of documents such as system specifications and strategic plans. The study established that the DoT has several systems such as Alfresco, BAS, GIS, Logis and Persal to name a few, which serve different purposes. However, in most instances, the systems are not integrated as the current infrastructure did not support integration needs and plans to accommodate changing requirements. This is compounded by the system policy implementation constraints, as well as ageing legacy systems that are obsolete. The only component where MIS was found to be integrated, was in the financial business units (Supply Chain Management, Finance and Budgeting). Core business units use off-the-shelf systems and, in some cases, custom-made applications that do not integrate with any other system and thus hinder decision-making. In conclusion, decisions are made based on thumb-sucking, as management does not have access to comprehensive information that is stored in fragmented unintegrated systems. The study recommends that governance structures should be set up to deal with a more holistic business, information and technology architecture for the DoT that enable integration of various systems for effective decision-making. Failure to transform this pattern would lead to service delivery protests persisting. A further study on a framework to integrate MIS in the public sector is recommended. / Information Science / M. Inf.

[ES] Imagina un mundo donde los barrios, calles y plazas de nuestras ciudades se transforman silenciosamente cada día, moldeados por fuerzas invisibles. Este es el fenómeno que hemos denominado "Digitropismo Urbano", foco central de esta tesis. En un mundo donde las redes digitales están redibujando el mapa urbano a una velocidad sin precedentes, estudiar estos procesos es esencial para el planeamiento urbanístico. Para contextualizar la investigación, hemos realizado un estudio cualitativo sobre la tendencia histórica de transformación espacial urbana impulsada por cada nueva ola de innovación tecnológica. A partir de esta base, hemos estudiado e identificado en la actualidad los factores socioeconómicos que, influenciados por las redes digitales, están moldeando la estructura urbana contemporánea. Con los resultados de este estudio hemos construido una taxonomía del Digitropismo Urbano. Esta clasificación nos ha permitido definir y categorizar los tipos de efectos y procesos de este fenómeno, un paso necesario para posteriormente identificarlos y analizarlos en la praxis. Estos resultados ofrecen una visión global sobre el por qué y cómo el espacio urbano está cambiando potenciado por las redes digitales. Finalmente, apoyados en esta investigación cualitativa hemos realizado un estudio de casos basado en procesos reales de Digitropismo Urbano en el centro de la ciudad de Róterdam (Países Bajos). Nuestra investigación concluye que, en la actualidad, observamos una tendencia similar a la de épocas anteriores, donde el espacio físico de las ciudades se ha visto afectado y moldeado por cada nueva ola de avances tecnológicos desarrollados por la humanidad. Hoy en día, la participación ciudadana en las redes digitales está acelerando el cambio de uso y percepción del espacio urbano, y con ello, moldeando el medio físico de la ciudad contemporánea. Además, concluimos que los estudios de los procesos de Digitropismo Urbano contemporáneo son esenciales para adaptarse a un mundo fluido y cada vez más difícil de planificar con los métodos tradicionales. Dicho esto, el estudio empírico puso de manifiesto que probablemente nos encontramos en un periodo de transición. Mientras que las metodologías actuales siguen basándose en una idea estática de la ciudad, están surgiendo intervenciones urbanas locales que ejemplifican el auge de un nuevo paradigma urbanístico y abren las puertas a una comprensión diferente de nuestro espacio urbano. / [CA] Imagina un món on els barris, carrers i places de les nostres ciutats es transformen silenciosament cada dia, modelats per forces invisibles. Aquest és el fenomen que hem denominat "Digitropisme Urbà", focus central d'aquesta tesi. En un món on les xarxes digitals estan redibuixant el mapa urbà a una velocitat sense precedents, estudiar aquests processos és essencial per al planejament urbanístic. Per a contextualitzar la recerca, hem realitzat un estudi qualitatiu sobre la tendència històrica de transformació espacial urbana impulsada per cada nova ona d'innovació tecnològica. A partir d'aquesta base, hem estudiat i identificat en l'actualitat els factors socioeconòmics que, influenciats per les xarxes digitals, estan modelant l'estructura urbana contemporània. Amb els resultats d'aquest estudi hem construït una taxonomia del Digitropisme Urbà. Aquesta classificació ens ha permès definir i categoritzar els tipus d'efectes i processos d'aquest fenomeno, un pas necessari per a posteriorment identificar-los i analitzar-los en la praxi. Aquests resultats ofereixen una visió global sobre el per què i com l'espai urbà està canviant potenciat per les xarxes digitals. Finalment, recolzats en aquesta recerca qualitativa hem realitzat un estudi de casos basat en processos reals de digitropismo urbà en el centre de la ciutat de Rotterdam (Països Baixos). La nostra recerca conclou que, en l'actualitat, observem una tendència similar a la d'èpoques anteriors, on l'espai físic de les ciutats s'ha vist afectat i modelat per cada nova ona d'avanços tecnològics desenvolupats per la humanitat. Avui dia, la participació ciutadana en les xarxes digitals està accelerant el canvi d'ús i percepció de l'espai urbà, i amb això, modelant el medi físic de la ciutat contemporània. A més, concloem que els estudis dels processos de Digitropisme Urbà contemporani són essencials per a adaptar-se a un món fluid i cada vegada més difícil de planificar amb els mètodes tradicionals. Dit això, l'estudi empíric va posar de manifest que probablement ens trobem en un període de transició. Mentre que les metodologies actuals continuen basant-se en una idea estàtica de la ciutat, estan sorgint intervencions urbanes locals que exemplifiquen l'auge d'un nou paradigma urbanístic i obren les portes a una comprensió diferent del nostre espai urbà. / [EN] Imagine a world where the neighbourhoods, streets and squares of our cities are silently transformed every day, shaped by invisible forces. This phenomenon was coined "Urban Digitropism", which is the central focus of this thesis. In a world where digital networks are redrawing the urban map at an unprecedented speed, studying these processes is essential for urban planning. To contextualise the research, a qualitative study was conducted to assess the historical trend lines of Urban spatial transformation through each new wave of technological innovation. From this basis, we studied and identified the current socio-economic factors that, influenced by digital networks, are shaping the contemporary urban structure. Through this analysis, a taxonomy of Urban Digitropism was constructed, which allowed us to define and categorise the different nuances of this phenomenon. In this sense, the taxonomy served as a necessary step to identify and study these various types processes in praxis. Subsequently, a cross-case study was conducted to look into Urban Digitropism through the lens of the city centre of Rotterdam (The Netherlands). Our research concludes that in our current day and age, similar transformative patterns as witnessed through history, can be observed: the physical space of cities being affected and shaped by each new wave of technological advances. Today, citizen participation in digital networks is accelerating the change of use and perception of urban space, and with it, shaping the physical environment of the contemporary city. Furthermore, we conclude that the study of this contemporary Urban Digitropism is essential to adapt to a fluid world that is increasingly difficult to plan with traditional methods. This said, the empirical study uncovered that we are probably in the midst of a transition period. While current methodologies are still based on a static idea of the city, there is an emergence of local urban interventions which exemplify the rise of a new urban planning paradigm and open the doors to a different comprehension of our urban space. / González Aurignac, EA. (2024). El Digitropismo Urbano. Transformaciones espaciales en la ciudad incitadas por las redes digitales [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/210924

The end of the Twentieth Century and the start of the Twenty First Century has been a tumultuous time for the Telecommunications Industry. Even as it moves forward to embrace the new technologies the Industry finds itself embroiled in issues of governance. The Industry finds itself in a dilemma since innovations increase at a rate faster than the laws can be changed and these render its existing laws and policies to be in some cases obsolete and inappropriate for the reality of the present. In the past, the United States of America has relied on vertically integrated top down laws and methods of regulating all the different parts in its Telecommunications Industry. These laws are contained in the different numbered Titles of this Countrys Legal Codes. Since the inception of these laws, emphasis was placed in creating and documenting policies structured by industry, sector and type of content. This form of regulation is usually referred to as the Silo Method. However, in recent years, especially in the regulation of the Telephony industry, the method of law and rule formulation moved from content regulation to one in which the technologies are getting regulated in what has been described as a Layers Method. This paper first considered whether the Silo Method of regulation is in actuality the same as using the Horizontal Layers method and showed that this is the case. Then it determined that Enhanced Services are the same as Basic Services and that Telecommunications Services are the same as Information services and showed that given that the pair sets as noted were the same, it went on to conclude that all these services were essentially the same. While studying to some detail the technologies of VoIP, the paper also showed that VoIP although an Internet technology is similar to traditional telephony, and is both a Telecommunications Service and Information Service based on the definition as given in the law as well as the technologies that are used and that as a result of this, the current regulatory environment for this service with regards to telephony is inconsistent. It concluded that Telecommunications policies though now adequate may need to be modified.