The central question was how the relationship between trust-in-technology and intent-to-use Big Data Analytics in an organization is mediated by both Perceived Risk and Perceived Usefulness. Big Data Analytics is quickly becoming a critically important driver for business success. Many organizations are increasing their Information Technology budgets on Big Data Analytics capabilities. Technology Acceptance Model stands out as a critical theoretical lens primarily due to its assessment approach and predictive explanatory capacity to explain individual behaviors in the adoption of technology. Big Data Analytics use in this study was considered a voluntary act, therefore, well aligned with the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Technology Acceptance Model. Both theories have validated the relationships between beliefs, attitudes, intentions and usage behavior. Predicting intent-to-use Big Data Analytics is a broad phenomenon covering multiple disciplines in literature. Therefore, a robust methodology was employed to explore the richness of the topic. A deterministic philosophical approach was applied using a survey method approach as an exploratory study which is a variant of the mixed methods sequential exploratory design. The research approach consisted of two phases: instrument development and quantitative. The instrument development phase was anchored with a systemic literature review to develop an instrument and ended with a pilot study. The pilot study was instrumental in improving the tool and switching from a planned covariance-based SEM approach to PLS-SEM for data analysis. A total of 277 valid observations were collected. PLS-SEM was leveraged for data analysis because of the prediction focus of the study and the requirement to assess both reflective and formative measures in the same research model. The measurement and structural models were tested using the PLS algorithm. R2, f2, and Q2 were used as the basis for the acceptable fit measurement. Based on the valid structural model and after running the bootstrapping procedure, Perceived Risk has no mediating effect on Trust-in-Technology on Intent-to-Use. Perceived Usefulness has a full mediating effect. Level of education, training, experience and the perceived capability of analytics within an organization are good predictors of Trust-in-Technology.

The customer concept becomes more intertwined with the provider of products as serviceoriented business models is offered to the customer. This shift is referred as servitization in which innovation occurs in the company processes by shifting focus from providing products to providing product service systems (PSS). However, the servitization of the manufacturing industry has been slow compared to other sectors and there are many barriers to overcome for the transformation. Use phase data could be used as an enabler to resolve barriers to PSS. The collection of use phase data could be done through the usage of automatic identification technologies like QR codes. Despite the promising opportunities with collection of use phase data there are many challenges. Among them are the identification of use cases for the data. This study therefore aimed to identify both use cases and needed use phase data when collecting data using QR codes.  The manufacturing company Bosch Rexroth AB and their service department were chosen as a case study company, to establish their view on the use cases for QR codes. Additionally, a literature review identified the use phase data need for each use cases derived from the theory. The collected data was analyzed through an explanation building analysis in which plausible and rival explanations to the result was brought up. This resulted in five identified use cases for QR codes and from the use cases one identified need for use phase data. The identified use cases mainly providing value to the provider were derivation of new products or services and improvement of current products or services. The identified use cases mainly providing value to the external customer were the offering of predictive maintenance, the assistance in operations and the creation of a digital passport or image. The identified use phase data need was service data but also additional product related data that does not concern use phase of the products was also needed for the use cases.

This thesis consists of three chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of the impact of climate change on agriculture: the analysis of past evidence, the possible new solutions and the anticipation of future problems. The topics chosen are different but complementary and reflect the complex and multifaceted impact of this phenomenon on agriculture. This work uses global spatial data and information from the literature, combines weather forecast with a crop model, and uses an economic model coupled with robust econometric estimation approaches. The findings indicate that major crop yields in tropical and subtropical regions will likely suffer adverse effects, while temperate and continental areas, historically less favourable for agriculture, may experience mainly positive impacts. Under a medium development scenario, global crop production is projected to remain largely unaffected, masking a compensatory mechanism between tropical and temperate regions. Adaptation covers a significant positive role, and short- and medium-range weather forecasting can be an important and affordable tool for farmers to adapt their agricultural practices, if they know how to use it. The adoption of such meteorological information can enable rural households in developing countries to increase yields of staple crops, although the potential contribution of it may be hampered by social and economic barriers. However, adaptation in agriculture can have negative externalities, potentially creating a vicious circle, and the livestock sector is particularly vulnerable. Indeed, changing climate conditions may induce farmers to adjust the distribution of grazing livestock per unit of land in order to maximise profits. Temperate and continental countries may increase the number of grazing livestock per unit of land as climatic conditions improve for agricultural purposes, thereby increasing carbon dioxide emissions. On the other hand, tropical areas, mainly populated by developing countries, will see a deterioration of agricultural conditions and less livestock can be raised on rangelands and pasturelands. Once again, countries with pressing agricultural productivity needs bear a disproportionate burden of climate change effects, exacerbating already precarious living conditions. Conversely, northern countries, primarily developed, are likely to experience more beneficial effects.

Background: Coronary artery disease is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK. Interventional revascularisation procedures for addressing the disease include percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), which respectively seek to open up or bypass blocked arteries to restore blood flow to heart muscle. Rates at which these procedures are carried out have changed in recent years, as have clinical indications for referral. PCI is delivered by interventional cardiologists, while CABG is carried out by cardiothoracic surgeons, necessitating multi-disciplinary decision making. There is both within- and cross-speciality debate as to the optimal treatment strategy in some case types. Evaluation of the care provided is of clinical and political importance, and requires information about how post-procedure event rates per operator and hospital compare with those expected given the composition of patient populations. Methods: Two UK-wide audit databases of PCI and CABG procedures were used to explore a range of clinical outcome questions. The patient populations contained within each database were compared to see how they differed, and also how each had changed in recent years. In CABG patients, comparative effectiveness of two different surgical techniques (single vs bilateral mammary artery grafting) was assessed with respect to both short-term and long-term mortality outcomes. In PCI patients, a risk model to predict 30-day mortality was developed for use in clinical appraisal. Results: In both patient populations there had been changes to the relative frequencies of many characteristics over time. In the CABG population, multivariable analysis showed that patients undergoing single mammary artery grafting had lower odds of all-cause mortality within 30 days of procedure than those receiving bilateral mammary artery grafting, but had worse overall survival in the long term. In the PCI population, the developed risk model demonstrated good calibration and discrimination at predicting 30-day all-cause mortality. Discussion: The studies described above demonstrate that large-scale routinely collected data can be used to gain insights into clinical care quality and delivery. These resources are under-utilised at present; correcting this requires an understanding of the limitations of the data and how the information contained therein relates to actual clinical care.

This diploma thesis deals with the analysis, description and usage of sensor data from an intelligent home system. This term also describes the intelligent system BeeeOn, which provides a sensor data and the possibility of extending this system to automation tasks. This is followed by the analysis of all the measured physical quantities, their properties and their influence on humans. The results from the measured data were used to create a classifier based on deep neural networks to detect current events at home. Detected events can be used for the following automation system to help improve living conditions. At the end of this thesis are discussed the results and options to continue with this project.

In the modern era of high-stakes accountability, test data have become much more than a simple comparison (Schmoker, 2006; Payne & Miller, 2009). The information provided in modern data reports has become an invaluable tool to drive instruction in classrooms. However, there is a lack of good training for educators to evaluate data and translate findings into solid practices that can improve student learning (Blair, 2006; Dynarski, 2008; Light, Wexler, & Heinze, 2005; Payne & Miller, 2009). Some schools are good at collecting data, but often fall short at what to do next. It is the role of the principal to serve as an instructional leader and guide teachers to the answer the reoccurring question of "now what?" The purpose of this study was to investigate ways in which principals build successful data-driven instructional systems within their schools using a qualitative multi-site case study method. This research utilized a triangulation approach with structured interviews, on-site visits, and document reviews from various middle school supervisors, principals, and teachers. The findings are presented in four common themes and patterns identified as essential components administrators used to implement data-driven instructional systems to improve student achievement. The themes are 1) administrators must clearly define the vision and set the expectation of using data to improve student achievement, 2) administrators must take an active role in the data-driven process, 3) data must be easily accessible to stakeholders, and 4) stakeholders must devote time on a regular basis to the data-driven process. The four themes led to the conclusion of ten common steps administrators can use to acculturate their school or school division with the data-driven instruction process. / Ed. D.

Governments all over the world are being challenged to develop Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), to improve the access and use of spatial data for decision support and sustainable development. Therefore, SDI is part of the basic infrastructure that needs to be efficiently implemented and managed in the interest of any nation. The aim of this study, therefore, is to assess the feasibility of SDI implementation in Rwanda, using the Land administration geospatial data sector as a case study, given time constraints of the research. To achieve this, the concept of SDI is firstly explained in order to provide a common understanding of the concept. The new trends in the new Land Administration System of Rwanda, with emphasis on spatial data management are also presented. This information is generated from various written materials. Field work was also conducted by means of questionnaires, interviews and observation in attempt to assess Land Administration geospatial data, related assets and gaps with reference to SDI framework requirements. A situational analysis is carried out from the field work results. The research sets the scene providing the major findings. The main spatial data providers are public and based on national level. Land use and cadastral related spatial data are the least developed, and Land Administration application data are quiet non-existent. Various users, mainly decision makers, exist but lack effective access to data. A number of challenges, such as a high duplication of data collection and maintenance, lack of appropriate ways of data sharing, a shortage of human resources in Geo-information, absence of policies and regulations, are also found in the Land Administration spatial data sector. Nevertheless, the new Land Administration System orientations and national priorities in terms of information technology, offer a favourable environment for the implementation of SDI. Having considered this, the research proceeds to propose a Land Administration SDI prototype with its main application of Spatial Data discovery Facility, and then highlights its benefits. The research ends with a conclusion and recommendations for future research. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The issue of land recording and keeping in the Communal Area of Namibia has been a severe dilemma to the Government. Various types of land disputes are on increase and continue to be predominant despite various Acts, Policies and other related Legislations on the Land Administration and Management passed by Namibian Parliament. Since the establishment of the Oshana Communal Land Board, effort was made to keep conventional records of information pertaining to land parcels in communal areas of Oshana Region. However, spatial information about the land ownership records is still not available in a well-designed and organised system. The non-existence of Land Information Management (LIM) System using Land Information Systems (LIS) application as management tool contributed to this problem. However, Oshana Communal Land Board used manual based system with incomplete coverage and less comprehensive information. In most cases decision makers have to make critical decisions based on little or no information. Therefore, LIM System and data sharing are the major features of the OSHCLB and in order to facilitate these processes there is a need for the introduction of LIS application. Adequate land information is crucial to sustainable development and sound information systems are of vital importance to land management systems. This is also been expressed in the various reports including the Operational Manual for Communal Land Board in Namibia. The user needs and requirements were carefully considered during the data collection stage. The system was designed using proven methodologies, which were explained and reasons for the choice is discussed. However, the detailed LIS applications can be pursued by other researchers or consultants in the future to make the system complete. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Cette thèse propose de cartographier le parcours de navigation des usagers des EIAH pour le visualiser, visualiser pour interpréter et interpréter pour anticiper. Les profils d'apprentissage ont une influence sur les modes de navigation dans un environnement d'apprentissage en ligne. S’appuyant sur une méthodologie capable de modéliser le parcours de navigation d’un usager et d’anticiper son prochain clic sur une plateforme, notre étude cherche à élargir le champ des connaissances de l'efficacité/performance des styles d'apprentissage. La méthodologie utilisée repose sur l’analyse des traces d'utilisation élaborée à partir de 63 archives logs Web, incluant 4637 lignes de registre et 13 206 possibilités de choix de module. Le travail de recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre d’approches associant sémiologie, des sciences de l’information, psychologie cognitive et sciences de l’éducation. Trois observations ont été menées, générant des informations sur le profil de l’usager, la représentation des parcours et l’impact du style d’apprentissage dans le choix des fonctionnalités de travail offertes disponibles sur la plateforme. Les principaux résultats sont de deux types : d’une part, l’élaboration d’un outil convertissant les traces des fichiers log en parcours de navigation, et d’autre part, la confirmation d’un lien entre style d’apprentissage et mode de navigation. Ce deuxième résultat permet d’élaborer une méthode d’anticipation du nouveau choix de module sur une plateforme numérique de travail. Les applications pratiques visant à rendre exploitables ces traces dans les formations universitaires sont l’élaboration de bilans de qualité (ressources préférées, fonctionnalités moins utilisées) et l’identification des besoins de médiation pédagogique pour la compréhension de la tâche ou du processus (identifié par exemple dans l’insistance sur le module de consignes, le temps investi par un groupe ou par des trajets répétés). Cette thèse s’adresse principalement aux responsables pédagogiques universitaires décideurs de l’intégration des TIC, et par extension, aux étudiants universitaires et aux concepteurs d’outils d’apprentissage. / This thesis presents a methodology capable of modelling the course of educational browsing of an EIAH user to visualise it in order to interpret it and to anticipate. The learning profiles influence browsing styles in e-learning environment. Based on a methodology able to create models of the browsing behaviour of a user and to anticipate the following step on a platform, our study tries to widen the knowledge of the efficiency of different learning styles. The applied methodology is the analysis of the marks left by the user taken from 63 archives of Web logs including 4637 lines of register and 13 206 possible choices of modules. This research study combines theoretical approaches mixing semiology, sciences of information, cognitive psychology and sciences of education. Three observations have been led, giving information on users’ profile, representations of courses and impacts of the mode of learning in the choice of working features offered on the platform.The main contributions are two types: On one hand, the elaboration of a tool converting tracks of files log in signs possible to be visualized as courses of educational browsing. On the other hand, the confirmation of the relationship between ways of learning and styles of browsing giving rise to a method of anticipation of a new choice of module on the digital working platform. The practical applications aim at making exploitable these tracks in university education which can be of use to the elaboration of quality assessments (resources preferred, less used features) and the identification of the needs of educational mediation for clarification of the task or of the process (identified by the emphasis on the module of instructions, on time invested by a group or repeated routes).This thesis addresses mainly persons in charge of integrating ICTS at university level and further, university students and designers of learning tools.

Dagens samhälle förändras snabbt, och digitala marknader med det. Digitaliseringen har lett till revolutionerande utvecklingar av vårt samhälle, och bakom dessa förändringar står primärt ett fåtal dominerande teknikjättar och deras plattformar. Dessa dominerande digitala plattformar, och de marknader på vilka dessa verkar, är ofta flersidiga och karaktäriseras av särskilda möjligheter till kostnadsfördelning, utveckling och ett beroende av starka nätverkseffekter, samt möjligheter att utveckla affärsmodeller som på olika sätt utnyttjar och kapitaliserar på insamlad data. Detta möjliggör inte bara upprättandet och bibehållandet av marknadsmakt på dessa marknader, utan leder även till höga inträdeshinder med resultatet att marknadens aktörer blir få och att inträdeshindren är höga. Trots att digitaliseringen till stora delar måste anses positiv, har utvecklingen även medfört nya typer av konkurrensproblematik som inte alltid kan hanteras på ett effektivt och adekvat sätt av den tidigare EU-rättsliga konkurrenslagstiftningen. Denna framställning undersöker hur EU:s konkurrenslagstiftning kan tillämpas på nyare typer av dominansmissbruk på digitala plattformar genom att analysera den tidigare regleringen av dominansmissbruk och hur denna har tillämpats rent praktiskt. För att uppnå detta mål undersöker detta arbete de särskilda utmaningar och särdrag som finns på dessa marknader, och ger en utförlig sammanfattning av hur artikel 102 FEUF har använts för att hantera dessa. Här konstateras att denna konkurrenslagstiftning lämnar en del att önska, och att inträdeshinder och risken för tippning ger starka incitament för dominanta digitala plattformar att försöka kringgå prestationsbaserad konkurrens. Framställningen utvärderar även de kompletteringar som gjorts av konkurrenslagstiftningen på dessa områden genom DMA, och hur denna reglering kan tänkas påverka hanteringen av vissa av de dominanta digitala plattformarnas beteenden framöver. Här konkluderas att DMA är en välbehövlig komplettering av tidigare konkurrensreglering på området, men att det fortfarande finns osäkerheter och utvecklingspotential, samt att de snabbföränderliga marknaderna förr eller senare kommer att hitta nya, innovativa sätt att kringgå även denna reglering. Därmed är det viktigt att den EU-rättsliga konkurrensregleringen gör vad den kan för att ligga steget före.