Ontology, an explicit specification of a shared conceptualisation, captures knowledge about a specific domain of interest. The realisation of ontologies, revolutionised the way data stored in relational databases is accessed and manipulated through ontology and database integration. When integrating ontologies with relational databases, several choices exist regarding aspects such as database implementation, ontology language features, and mappings. However, it is unclear which aspects are relevant and when they affect specific choices. This imposes difficulties in deciding which choices to make and their implications on ontology and database integration solutions. Within this study, a decision-making tool that guides users when selecting a technology and developing a solution that integrates ontologies with relational databases is developed. A theory analysis is conducted to determine current status of technologies that integrate ontologies with databases. Furthermore, a theoretical study is conducted to determine important features affecting ontology and database integration, ontology language features, and choices that one needs to make given each technology. Based on the building blocks stated above, an artifact-building approach is used to develop the decision-making tool, and this tool is verified through a proof-of-concept to prove the usefulness thereof. Key terms: Ontology, semantics, relational database, ontology and database integration, mapping, Web information portal. / Information Science / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This thesis proposed solutions to some shortcomings to current eLearning architectures. The proposed DeLC architecture supports context-aware and adaptable provision of eLearning services and electronic content. The architecture is fully distributed and integrates service-oriented development with agent technology. Central to this architecture is that a node is our unit of computation (known as eLearning node) which can have purely service-oriented architecture, agent-oriented architecture or mixed architecture. Three eLeaerning Nodes have been implemented in order to demonstrate the vitality of the DeLC concept. The Mobile eLearning Node uses a three-level communication network, called InfoStations network, supporting mobile service provision. The services, displayed on this node, are to be aware of its context, gather required learning material and adapted to the learner request. This is supported trough a multi-layered hybrid (service- and agent-oriented) architecture whose kernel is implemented as middleware. For testing of the middleware a simulation environment has been developed. In addition, the DeLC development approach is proposed. The second eLearning node has been implemented as Education Portal. The architecture of this node is poorly service-oriented and it adopts a client-server architecture. In the education portal, there are incorporated education services and system services, called engines. The electronic content is kept in Digital Libraries. Furthermore, in order to facilitate content creators in DeLC, the environment Selbo2 was developed. The environment allows for creating new content, editing available content, as well as generating educational units out of preexisting standardized elements. In the last two years, the portal is used in actual education at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Plovdiv. The third eLearning node, known as Agent Village, exhibits a purely agent-oriented architecture. The purpose of this node is to provide intelligent assistance to the services deployed on the Education Pportal. Currently, two kinds of assistants are implemented in the node - eTesting Assistants and Refactoring eLearning Environment (ReLE). A more complex architecture, known as Education Cluster, is presented in this thesis as well. The Education Cluster incorporates two eLearning nodes, namely the Education Portal and the Agent Village. eLearning services and intelligent agents interact in the cluster.

This thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of e-government portal success by developing a e-government success framework from a user’s perspective. The proposed framework is underpinned by relevant theories, such as DeLone and McLean’s IS success model, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), self-efficacy theory and trust. The culture aspect has also been taken into consideration by adopting personal values theory introduced by Schwartz (1992). Three data collection methods were used. First, an exploratory study was carried to explore the main aspects and factors for understanding e-government systems success. Second, a Delphi study was conducted to investigate which of the ten value types are particularly relevant to success or have a significant impact. Third, a survey-based study was carried out to validate empirically the proposed theoretical framework. Results of the exploratory study helped to identify the potential success factors of e-government systems. The results of the Delphi study suggest that four of the ten values, namely self-direction, stimulation, security, and tradition, most likely affect e-government portal success. Structural equation modelling techniques were applied to test the research model using a large-scale survey. The findings of hypothesis testing suggested that e-government portal success (i.e. net benefit) was directly affected by actual use and user satisfaction and indirectly affect by a number of factors concerning system quality, service quality, information quality, perceived risk, and computer self-efficacy. By combining IS success model and TAM, this study found system quality, information quality and service quality affected the perceived ease of us, but service quality had no effect on perceived usefulness. However, perceived risk seemed to have no effect on attitudes towards using, but very small negative effect on perceived usefulness. Users’ computer skills was found to have no effect on perceived ease of use and very small effect on perceived usefulness. These indicate that risk and IT skills are playing less significant role in the context of e-government. The research findings confirmed that adoption was not equivalent to success, but it was the necessary precondition to success. In the personal values-attitude-behaviour model, the empirical evidence suggested that Conservation affects attitude towards use which, in turn, affects behavioural intention to re-use. Openness to change had no effect on attitude toward using. The findings provide important implications for e-government research and practice.

M. Tech. Business Information Systems / Data underpins the smooth operations and strategic decision-making of the day-to-day operation of an organization’s business processes. With the increasing automation of an organization's activities, large volumes of data are generated faster than they may be consumed and digested. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is faced with such a generation of large volumes of data. The department could have benefited from data warehousing in which data is stored within a single repository. However, there is no framework that could inform the adoption of Data Warehousing by a South African government department. This research study therefore intended to design a framework for the adoption of Data Warehousing by a South African government department.

O advento da tecnologia da Internet, juntamente com a World Wide Web, popularizaram e permitiram uma grande expansão e demanda por aplicações web. Por executarem em um ambiete heterogêneo e complexo, as aplicações web apresentam várias características que as diferenciam dos sistemas tradicionais. As particularidades dessas aplicações tornam o fator qualidade essencial para o sucesso dessas aplicações. Alguns requisitos de qualidade, como usabilidade, confiabilidade, interoperabilidade e segurança devem, então, ser validados. Para assegurar a qualidade desejada, são necessárias executar as atividades de Verificação, Validação e Teste (VV&T). Dentre elas, as mais utilizadas são as atividades de teste. Os critérios, estratégias e ferramentas de teste precisam ser identificados e avaliados para se estabelecer uma relação entre os custos e benefícios entre elas, a fim de guiar a escolha de cada uma durante os testes de aplicações web. A realização de estudos experimentais para realizar essa análise beneficia tanto a academia, nas atividades de ensino e pesquisa, como a indústria, nas atividades de seleção e aplicação de critérios, estratégias e ferramentas de teste de aplicações web. Para que os resultados obtidos estejam acessíveis, é proposto o desenvolvimento de um portal de conhecimento que disponibilize de maneira sistemática o conhecimento obtido sobre critérios, estratégias e ferramentas de teste de aplicações web. Esse portal tem como objetivo oferecer às organizações um ambiente compartilhado de conhecimento, a fim de proporcionar a existência de um ciclo de criação, troca, retenção e reuso do conhecimento / The development of internet technology, along with the World Wide Web, made popular and allowed a demand boom and expansion of web applications. Web applications present some characteristics that differentiate them from the traditional systems, since they execute in a heterogeneous and complex environment. The particularities of these applications demand quality as an essential factor for success. Is this way, quality requirements, like usability, reliability, interoperability and security must be validated. To assure the desired quality, it\'s necessary to execute the activities of Verification, Validation and Test (VV&T), where the most used are the testing activities. The testing criteria, strategies and tools need to be identified and evaluated to establish a relation between the costs and benefits, in order to guide the choice of each one during the tests of web applications. The carrying out of experimental studies benefits the academy, in the activities of education and research, and the industry, in the activities of selection and application of criteria, strategies and tools of testing web applications. Moreover, these results need to be accessible to make available information to the interest people. This work presents the development of a knowledge portal, to facilitate knowledge sharing in a systematic way, with information of test criteria, strategies and tools for validating web applications. This portal intends to offer to the organizations and academic institutions a shared environment of web application test knowledge, in order to constitute a knowledge creation, change, retention and reuse cycle

Institutional Repository services require continuous, multi-channel promotion and support to attract and retain conferences, journals, and other campus collections. However, given the relative complexity of the services offered, balancing promotional messaging with a clear representation of repository offerings, policies, and procedures can be a challenge. Providing a flexible but robust marketing and support framework is especially important for institutions that rely on non-repository public services personnel to provide front-line promotion of repository services to faculty and administrators. During this session, we will look at Georgia Southern University's recently-developed Institutional Repository Services LibGuide as a model for providing such a framework (http://georgiasouthern.libguides.com/irservices/overview). This portal simultaneously provides 1) a front-line promotional tool, 2) a client-management tool for setup and support consultations, and 3) a storehouse for repository-related documents, forms, MOUs, and licenses. This portal further integrates with the library's other scholarly communications-related guides, providing seamless representation of these services to patrons. Participants will use this guide as a jumping-off point to discuss strategies and best practices for mediating institutional repository services, and for integrating repository promotion and support into libraries' broader scholarly communications initiatives.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of English

Σε αυτή την διπλωματική εργασία πραγματευόμαστε το αντικείμενο της αυτοματοποιημένης ανάπτυξης διαδικτυακών πυλών. Σχεδόν κάθε ιστοτόπος μπορεί να κατασκευαστεί είτε εξολοκλήρου με την συγγραφή κώδικα από την αρχή είτε με την χρησιμοποίηση ενός συστήματος διαχείρισης περιεχομένου (Content Management System – CMS). Στην εργασία αυτή μελετήσαμε τα συστήματα αυτά και αναλύσαμε μερικά από τα δημοφιλέστερα ανοιχτού κώδικα (open source) συστήματα. Κάνουμε μια συγκριτική αξιολόγηση αυτών όχι μόνο βάσει των χαρακτηριστικών τους αλλά χρησιμοποιώντας τα για την ανάπτυξη διαδικτυακών κόμβων εμπλουτισμένων με όλα τα σύγχρονα χαρακτηριστικά. Σκοπός είναι να δούμε στην πράξη τα πλεονεκτήματα και μειονεκτήματα των συστημάτων αυτών καθώς και να αναλύσουμε πότε αξίζει να τα χρησιμοποιούμε και πότε αξίζει η υλοποίηση ενός ισοτόπου με την συγγραφή κώδικα από την αρχή. Η εργασία αυτή ολοκληρώνεται με την υλοποίηση μιας ολοκληρωμένης, σύγχρονης διαδυκτυακής πύλης χρησιμοποιώντας ένα από τα συστήματα CMS που μελετήσαμε. / -

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 281-310.

Dt. Hochsch. für Verwaltungswiss., Habil.-Schr. 2007--Speyer, 2007.