New Publications are available for Economic, social and political aspects of computing
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New Publications are available now online for this publication.
Please follow the links to view the publication.Towards an explanatory theory of motivation in software engineering: a qualitative case study of a government organization
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic.2012.0010
Background - The research about motivation in software engineering has provided important insights in characterizing what are the factors and outcomes related to motivation. However, the complex relationships among these factors, including the moderating and mediating effects of organizational and individual characteristics, still require deeper explanatory investigation. Aim - Our general goal is to build explanatory theories of motivation in software organizations. In this article, we describe the construction of a grounded theory of motivation in the context of a government software development organization. Method - We performed a case study of a government software organization, focusing on the software engineers as the unit of analysis. For eight months, we conducted semi structured interviews, diary studies, and documental analyses, and analyzed the collected data using grounded theory procedures. Results - We extracted contextual factors that affect the motivation of software engineers and the outcomes associated with motivated behavior. Relationships among factors and outcomes were used to construct propositions that explain motivated behavior. Finally, the factors and propositions with higher explanatory power were used to create the central story of motivation in the organization. Conclusions - The balance between Job Stability and Growth Needs emerged as the core factors related to the motivation in the organization. Unclear growth perspectives combined with priorities based on political instead of technical aspects directly affected the intention to leave the organization.The influence of human aspects on software process improvement: qualitative research findings and comparison to previous studies
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic.2012.0015
Background: Understanding how to successfully deal with human and technical aspects involved in Software Process Improvement (SPI) programs is a challenging issue. Technical aspects are not enough to guarantee the success of activities. Human factors (e.g., experiences, opinions and perceptions) impact the effectiveness of SPI programs. Aim: this paper aims to improve our current understanding on how human aspects can influence SPI programs from the point of view of the professionals involved in such efforts. We compare our findings with the results of previous studies in order to analyze the different contexts in which human aspects influence SPI. Method: We conducted a qualitative study in the context of small companies involved in SPI programs in Amazonas State in Brazil based on the Brazilian Maturity Model - MPS.BR. We used semi-structural interviews with software engineers. Results: We identified findings about eleven of the fourteen investigated human aspects. We identified new characteristics that motivate actors to get involved in SPI programs. Finally, while previous research indicated that the process of individual decision making as a negative aspect, we identified this as a positive aspect. Conclusions: Despite the differences in companies' size and maturity models, our findings corroborate many of the important results of previous case studies. The consistency of the presented results with previous research in different organizations, teams, and countries suggest that these results are true for software engineering in general. However, there were differences related to the motivating factors and the perception of the individual decision making. In our study, we observed that the personality, perception and employee selection aspects were also significant to the SPI program's success. This has not been reported before in the literature. In fact, we need to stress that studies like the one presented are important because they help to create a body of evidence regarding SPI.Keynote: Using ethnography in empirical software engineering (Abstract only)
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic.2012.0023
Ethnography is a powerful qualitative empirical approach which can be used to understand and hence improve work practice. Ethnographically-informed methods are widely adopted in the Social Sciences but are not so popular with software engineering researchers. As with many inter-disciplinary approaches, ethnographic methods can be misunderstood and misapplied, leading to results being dismissed with a “so what?” response. Drawing on my own and other's experience of applying this approach in empirical studies of software practice, I will provide an overview of the role of ethnography in Software Engineering research. I will describe the use of ethnographic methods as a means to provide an in-depth understanding of the socio-technological realities surrounding everyday software development practice. The knowledge gained can be used to understand developers' work practices, to inform the development of new processes, methods and tools, and to evaluate and evolve existing practices.Using keystroke dynamics for gender identification in social network environment
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic.2011.0124
Social networking is now a very widely adopted and highly pervasive communication medium, especially among younger people. However, while offering exceptional opportunities to share and interact these media also introduce the risk of transactions with individuals who deliberately conceal their identity or, importantly, can easily misrepresent their personal characteristics. This paper introduces an approach to addressing such risks by using a form of biometric data accessible from routine interaction mechanisms to predict important user characteristics, thereby directly increasing trust and reliability with respect to the claims made to message receivers by those who communicate with them. (6 pages)Economic models of interaction improving a sustainable city
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp.2011.0318
The paper explores three dimensions: a) The utility to develop loops based on Web 2.0 arrangements in order to collect new sets of data to improve life and governance of huge metropolis like Shanghai ; b) The new models of economic sustainability be it in market oriented transactions or in public sphere involve from now on collective intelligence, prosumers but also open source and peer to peer production, all the forms of wiki contribution and participation in a urban context ; c) Public administration and urban governance are confronted to a new crisis of scissors: huge needs in funding to face new spending and difficulty in raising taxes. Economic models of social networks may provide better governance and a crowd financing through crowd sourcing. (5 pages)Bottom up urban simulation ICSSC 2011
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp.2011.0292
This paper aims at showing the importance of computational tools for urban planning as cities are complex systems. It proposes different innovative methods to solve traditional problems in simulation. To collect the data we propose to use an interactive serious game to obtain the data from citizens as recently used by MNC for marketing. To deal with complexity, we propose an open integrated trans disciplinary scientific approach, Finally, global gradualism is proposed as a method to provide realism, robustness and adaptability to the simulation tool. (3 pages)Crowd sourced security, trust & cooperation for learning digital megacities: valuing social intangible assets for competitive advantage and harmonious development
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp.2011.0316
This paper aims at providing some insights and evidence of the relevancy of a crowd sourced approach of security for complex socio technique systems, typical of those in a learning digital megacity. We argue that crowd sourced security associated with trust and cooperation are social intangible assets that can be valued for the attractiveness of a smart city, its competitive advantage, and its harmonious development. We show some empirical results concerning the use of security and trust enabling technologies and systems. (4 pages)Analysis of the spatial social and economic relationship between Shanghai central and peripheral areas
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp.2011.0276
With the development of urbanization, do central and peripheral areas of big cities in China eliminate segmentation of dualistic structure? It is the question that this passage mainly discusses. First of all, the passage takes Shanghai as the example, shows four stages of urban-rural development and analyzes the relationship of socioeconomic development between Shanghai central and peripheral areas nowadays. According to a great deal of surveys and the application of the factor analysis, the economic and social development of Shanghai periphery lags behind that of center, especially in terms of economic development. In addition, the whole development level falls as the spatial distance to the center increases. Furthermore, the panel data shows that industrial development can narrow the gap between central and peripheral areas. Moreover, second industry is critical to the urban-rural development and only by flourishing secondary industry in peripheral areas can the tertiary industry in central areas promote economic development. (6 pages)IT-trends under the aspect of medicine and education: technologies and scenarios
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20080234
Summary form only given. The article addresses a selection of recent IT-trends and views them under the aspect of medicine and education: - Web 2.0 - Web 3.0 - Web services - service oriented architecture (SOA) - telematics - mobile devices. The article investigates impacts of these technologies on the development of applications and on communities and will compile examples of scenario developments in the fields of education and medicine.Computational support for identifying safety and security related dependencies between national critical infrastructures
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20080735
Previous terrorist attacks, system failures and natural disasters have revealed the problems that many States face in preparing for national civil contingencies. The diversity of critical infrastructures and the interconnections between different systems makes it difficult for planners to 'think of everything'. For example, the loss of power distribution networks can disrupt rail and road transportation systems. Knock-on effects can also be felt across telecommunications infrastructures as the uninterruptible power supplies (UPS') that protect Internet routers and mobile phone base stations fail over time. Domestic water supplies are affected when pumping and treatment centres lose power. These interconnections make it hard to anticipate the many different safety-related systems that might be affected by particular contingencies. This paper introduces a Geographic Information System that is intended to help government agencies plan for the knock-on effects that propagate between major infrastructures. The intention is to provide a flexible system, which can easily be configured and updated. This is important given that technical innovation and routine maintenance continually introduce changes across national infrastructures. (6 pages)Using mathematical models to guide the simulation of improvised explosive devices in public spaces
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20080716
Terrorist attacks, for example in Madrid and London, have increased concern over the threat that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) pose to public safety. Insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan have developed relatively sophisticated tactics, including the use of synchronised attacks with multiple devices that have not yet been witnessed in Europe or North America. Some of these approaches specifically target the fire and rescue services. Computer simulations provide tools that can be used to plan the response to potential attacks. They can be used to work through a range of scenarios so that emergency personnel minimise their vulnerability and mitigate the threat posed to the general public. However, it can be difficult to simulate the range of human behaviours that are seen in the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Similarly, it is unclear how to develop appropriate blast and fragmentation models that capture a range of future Improvised Explosive Devices. The following pages present a brief overview of mathematical models that are being integrated into simulation tools to address these problems. (6 pages)Estimation of displacement along level straight paths through body center of mass accelerations
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20070392
User localization is crucial for the development of context aware applications for intelligent environments. Wearable systems based on accelerometry have been proposed in recent years to palliate the drawbacks posed by infrastructure based approaches. In this paper, we address the estimation of the displacement length of a user when walking straight ahead along flat surfaces by directly processing the raw accelerations from the body center of gravity. We analyze and compare two approaches from the state of the art. The effect of gender and excursion velocity on the performance of the estimators are especially addressed.Mobility and emotional distance: exploring the ceiling as an ambient display to provide remote awareness
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20070362
Living and working have become more and more mobile. This may have negative impacts on the quality of relationships. Recent research work on emotional communication showed the potential of new technologies to improve intimate long-distance communication. The goal of this project is to suggest the ceiling as a projection space in order to create a continuous feeling of remote awareness. We conducted a qualitative study to investigate how remote couples currently use technologies for communication. We also asked people about their preferences and desires concerning non-verbal information. People were most interested in knowing the emotional state of their partners and moreover, the fun factor of a new tool was very important to them. On the contrary, they rejected approaches that supported location, movement, or sound awareness. Based on these results we developed initial prototypes that can serve as a basis for future evaluations and further refinements.The government perspective - is there a problem?
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20060330
This paper discussed about the role of digital content industries in the growth of digital economy in UK and in the world. The paper also points out the problem that concerns with digital rights management that restricts things that were considered normal before, and seeks to introduce friction in frictionless environment. One key solution that emerge for this problem is interoperability, which is presented as the holy grail based on internationally agreed standards.Wireless broadband: the next communications revolution - bridging the digital divide (Abstract only)
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20060478
Summary form only given. The Internet has delivered unprecedented access to information on a truly global basis. However the delivery mechanism is creating a digital-divide that is benefiting a section of the population to the detriment of others. The UK government and industry is making it its business to redress the balance by exploiting wireless technology to close the digital-divide and create a better environment for business and to empower all citizens with access to information. Libera is part of this revolution - providing the first wave of powerful symmetrical broadband to businesses that are not well served by the current broadband networks.The ambient intelligence paradigm: a review of security and privacy strategies in leading economies
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060697
In this paper, we comparatively review the AmI paradigm, as it emerges in three of the world's leading economies, namely: European Union, United States and Japan. We identify agonies, trends, and strategies of the national governments and private industries, we discuss the way these new concepts are perceived in each national context, and we examine the perspective they adopt to deal with the rising security and privacy risks. Furthermore, we examine the social disruption issues introduced and we conclude by presenting some general observations regarding the emerging paradigm. (7 pages)Embedding an audiovisual interactive installation environment in urban space for enhancing social interaction
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060630
This paper documents the creative process and attempts to record the impact of an open-air, site specific, interactive multisensory installation environment titled "DETOUR", which was created by the interdisciplinary group "VE_design", as part of the "Athens by Art" international exhibition during the summer of 2004 . The site chosen for the installation was a very busy area within the urban context. DETOUR's aim was to afford an alternative environmental experience, embedded within the noise and introversion of the everyday cityscape. Visitors were invited to participate in a mediated communication game with the DETOUR system, as well as with other visitors within the installation environment. The paper also focuses on the manner in which visitors responded to certain aspects of this electronically mediated environmental experience, how they interacted with the system and certain elements of it, how they interacted with others within the environment and how they felt about their experience. It mainly focuses on the manner in which this environment instigated interpersonal communication amongst people who happened to be walking in this urban area. The analysis of this installation's impact is supported by interviews taken from visitors after their experience, reports by visitors after a certain period of time of experiencing the environment, video recordings and own observations. (7 pages)Integrating new media into spatial perception: a layered structure of representation
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060661
The paper explores the adaptation of the self into space with new media technologies. Adaptation in the urban milieu happens as a special kind of information transference of social values, reforming new representational aesthetic standards. Representation may be explained as a sequence of layers applied upon the body. The first layer of representation is the skin, whereas dress is next. Moving out from the body towards space, the wall "dresses" space and is also the primary element of spatial definition. With the new technological devices, the wall may be seen as a "screen interface" between space and the self and an active membrane of communication between them. (6 pages)The architecture of intelligent cities: integrating human, collective and artificial intelligence to enhance knowledge and innovation
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060620
Intelligent communities and cities (IC) belong to an emerging movement targeting the creation of environments that improve cognitive skills and abilities to learn and innovate. They represent environments that enable superior cognitive capabilities and creativity to be collectively constructed from combinations of individual cognitive skills and information systems that operate in the physical, institutional, and digital spaces of cities. Two academic traditions have been feeding the discussion concerning intelligent communities and cities: the literature on innovative environments and the planning of digital cities. Following an introduction on the meaning of ICs, we discuss the structuring of innovative environments such as clusters, technology districts and territorial systems of innovation, which rely on different architectures of knowledge networks enhancing product, process, and organizational innovation. Then we turn to digital cities and examine their concept, architecture, and constituent elements. In the final section of the paper we describe intelligent cities as overlapping of innovative clusters and digital cities. Intelligent cities integrate knowledge-intensive activities and clusters; embedded routines of social cooperation enabling knowledge sharing and innovation; advanced communication infrastructure and digital spaces for knowledge and innovation management; and proven ability to innovate and resolve problems that appear for the first time, since the capacity to innovate and manage uncertainty are critical factors in characterizing intelligence. (8 pages)The digital territory: a mathematical model of the concept and its properties
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060699
In this paper we attempt to define a mathematical model for the formal study of the concept of digital territories (DT) and its properties. We describe a simple DT model and employ the first order language of graphs and random graph properties in order to define and study properties of DTs that emerge as soon as the entities (within the DT) population reaches certain threshold points. Our aim is to show that the DT concept can be formalized and studied using mathematical tools that are within reach of any researcher in the DT domain in order to describe and study properties of interest. (4 pages)Reproject - social housing stock in Rome, a renovation design process
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060710
Italy is among the countries which are facing whit ageing and deteriorating processes. Considering the recent changes in the social structure, the emergency in the housing sector affecting the lower classes and the energy building consumption regulations that will proximately be obligatory, the renewal building task acquire national relevance. These were constructed applying industrialized technologies with low-quality materials and on the basis of urban and building schemes distant from the inhabitants requirements. An approach consists of mutually consider the physical, energetic and social developments as opportunity classes. A special focus can be demanded to new performing building facades and to the internal flexibility. The starting assumption is that the concept of sustainability in social housing renewal means the parallel redefinition of the energy, typology and social liveability of the existing features. Firstly, the paper considers the urban growth of the city of Rome in connection to the social housing changes. This brief introduction is functional to get a general overview on the features of the social complexes. Consequently, as for the innovative solution currently applied in Holland, this study briefly examines project already realized. The solutions transferable in the roman context are considered in the construction of a renovation model. Finally, theoretical renovation models are proposed and verified. (8 pages)Digital territories
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20060698
In the physical world, personal space is a recognised concept, protected by laws, socio-cultural norms and respected by society in general. With the advent of a fully digitalised and connected environment, this would also be required in the digital world, as more and more personal data would be required to be published, connected and remotely accessible. The concept of digital territories could provide a more systematic view on the blurring boundaries of public and private digital space, and thus assist towards tackling concerns of privacy, security and identity of people's online activities. (6 pages)Making a comprehensive business case for human factors integration: approaches to tracing the intangible
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20050453
The presentation of human factors (HF) benefits in business terms remains a central requirement to ensure the inclusion of HF activities into procurement project activities, especially when fundamental human factors integration (HFI) budget decisions are being made - usually by non-HF professionals. HF professionals, on the other hand, tend to have very little training in presenting HF benefits in terms of their cost effects. In the military domain, we are faced with the challenge of having to provide a comprehensive case, covering issues within all of the six HFI domains. To support the task for making a strong and clear argument for HFI, both process guidance and suitable evidence is required. This paper identifies requirements and approaches for cost-justifying HFI grounded in suitable evidence.Perceptions and reality in the implementation of formal management systems: a study of the human interface in Chinese and Polish factories
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20050461
This paper uses the organizational culture literature, and data derived from field work and consultancy in Poland and China, to argue that the lack of a logically coherent culture (for the company ideology) communicated from top management can lead to misunderstandings, willful or otherwise, both at the operator levels (the agencies), which are meant to carry out management policy, and also at the various management levels responsible for action-related decisions. Further, sub-cultures arising at lower management levels constrain any coherent drive for improvement in systems for innovation, product design and product and system users. An analysis of the perceptions of twelve managing directors and 152 managers and supervisors, related to knowledge, engineering, environmental and risk issues in twelve manufacturing factories is presented. These perception patterns are used to reflect the organizational cultures of each factory and thereby to understand more clearly why things do not happen the way they are supposed to. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions about how management can more effectively implement change in its culture for the better realization of the internal and external objectives sought in the implementation of formal management systems.Social aspects of NEC: information sharing and decision-making
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20050458
The concept of networked enabled capability (NEC) is fast becoming integral to many aspects of modern military operations. In this paper, we argue that NEC poses new challenges for human factors integration (HFI) that can be in part addressed with reference to the extant literature on information sharing, shared knowledge and decision making. This situation arises because NEC is to some extent a social technology affecting how groups and teams interact on a mass scale. In many cases such issues were already latent within UK armed forces and other organisations, but the technological capability to network individuals and systems appears likely to bring them focal attention. In particular we address the distinction between sharing information and knowledge, the need to establish transactive networks of human knowledge alongside laying down the physical infrastructure of information networks, and in general warn against the somewhat counterintuitive effects sharing information may have. Throughout we have tried where possible to discuss how the designers of systems can produce systems sympathetic to the cognitive limitations of individuals and - in particular - groups.Landscaping police organisational and technological changes in crime recording and analysis
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20050455
Since 2000, the United Kingdom's (UK) police service has employed the national intelligence model (NIM), as well as progressively implementing national technological and organisational tools to provide maximum effectiveness and consistent standards in the performance and delivery of intelligence-led policing to tackle crime. This paper presents the approach of distributed cognition (DCog) to elaborate a model of the components, the coordination and the flow of information within the `crime recording and analysis' system. This paper also reports ethnographic fieldwork in police command and control rooms (CMCR), in addition to the review of organisational tools (e.g. code of practice) used to understand potential challenges to the intended transformation and associated innovation. This paper concludes by pointing out how technological and organisational components impact all police forces in recording crime, as well as further enhance intelligence-led policing.Pervasive healthcare: clinical drive, technological innovations, and socio-economic benefits
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic.2005.0794
In delivering high quality healthcare to large diverse population, we have to look at new forms of well-being and disease process monitoring with pervasive healthcare. This paper aims to explore the clinical drive, technological innovations, and socioeconomic benefits of such systems to human populations.Privacy, freedom and control in the intelligent environment
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20050199
An intelligent environment, which responds automatically to the changing physical, emotional and informational needs of individuals, offers the potential to liberate people from the mundane mechanics of life and enable them to concentrate on what is important. To do this, the system must track and monitor individuals to build up a detailed behavioural profile. But who controls the data or information generated by the technology and to what extent is the user being controlled by someone or something else. The information used to free the individual from the mundane could be used to exercise an unparalleled degree of social control. This explores the issues of privacy, freedom and control in intelligent environments, and the new institutional structures that may emerge in response. (17 pages)The benefits and limitations of knowledge management in global software development
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20040316
The role of knowledge management practices and tools in global software development will be explored by empirical investigations. These investigations will look at global software development processes by taking into special account multicultural factors and will rely on both quantitative methods for project selection and qualitative methods for in depth study of the single project contexts.Economic aspects and needs in IT-security risk management for SMEs
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20040285
Business success depends increasingly on reliable IT-infrastructure. IT-security risk management aims at an optimal allocation of security resources regarding an "affordable" IT-security level. In comparison to large corporations small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) typically have few resources and little expertise in IT-security risk management. Therefore, they need SME-focused framework processes and methods for strategic planning and operational tool support. Long-term goal is to improve the general security level of SME IT infrastructure. We argue for a closer tie between economical and technical aspects of IT-security risk management. Based on the RiskIt risk management process we propose empirical investigations to tackle SME-specific data needs for risk analysis and multiobjective optimization for risk-countermeasure resource allocation.Ramp metering development in a UK context
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20040021
The article discusses operational experience and assessment work during 2002/2003, in particular the approach to ramp metering now operating on the M6 motorway in the UK Midlands, and further work associated with the ramp metering business case. Ramp metering is a traffic control system which uses traffic signals on the entry slip road (or 'ramp') to control the traffic joining the motorway from the slip road.Results of ITS metadata registry trial
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20040012
The paper presents the provisional results of a period of trial operation of an ITS Metadata Registry in the United Kingdom. In 2002 the Highways Agency commissioned a research and development project to investigate the use of standard description languages for the development of a metadata registry. The purpose of this work is to identify a suitable registry structure and mechanism that will meet the needs of the Agency and other organisations, specifically for Travel Information Highway (TIH), but with the possibility of extension to the wider ITS sector. A metadata registry is a formalised mechanism for describing data in a structured format, together with its status, ownership, and precision of definition. System or standards developers can re-use data definitions lodged by others, or can lodge their own new data definitions. During system specification the registry can be searched for re-usable definitions in specific functional areas. The registry can also be used as an online specification for data interchanges. The registry is not simply a database; it also has a formal registration process with an organisational structure to support it.The use of real-time traffic information in pre-trip planning
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20040014
The TIH (Travel Information Highway) is an open and independent association of information publishers and receivers who have an interest in exchanging travel information using an agreed set of principles Today, the TIH Forum is actively supported by government, regional assemblies, local authorities and passenger transport executives as well as an increasing number of private sector broadcasters and information service providers. As part of a contract with the Highways Agency (UK), TRL has developed a number of demonstration VASP (value added service provider) services using the data currently available from the Highways Agency using TIH principles. The paper describes two of these demonstration VASP applications: The Journey Time Planner and the Traffic Status Forecaster. The initial focus has been to concentrate on information available from the Highways Agency on the trunk road network before the start of operation of the HA National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC) using the pre-NTCC pilot information supply system called QMISS. Their individual capabilities are described. Following these descriptions, suggestions are provided for how they might be combined to provide an improved service.The 'digital divide' just isn't what it used to be
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20040191
We have observed real world computing environments and determined some requirements and testing issues we find common to SE and HCI. We believe that resolving these issues should help to bridge the gaps between SE and HCI as well as reducing today's digital divide. Some concerns common to both SE and HCI that we determined include: the development of adequate user interfaces; understanding of diverse computing environments; and socio-technical aspects of computer usage as it exists in the real world today. Instances include public-machine usage in a village library; electronic balloting experiments; and the potential development of the semantic Web. We believe that only by observing everyday peoples' computer usage in the real world can we reduce today's digital divide and bridge SE-HCI gaps. To succeed we must improve training and education, resolve social and technical problems, and deal with crucial areas of security and trust.Social aspects of conformables
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20030139
Wearable devices promise to help us perform our tasks more efficiently and more enjoyably. Advances in technology will make these devices smarter, smaller, and easier to use. At the same time, the use of these devices will raise several social and cultural issues. Some of the potential social benefits of wearables have already been discussed. For example, Steve Mann has discussed their potential for empowering the user in terms of privacy and access to information. This paper discusses issues in the use of a specific class of wearable devices called conformables. These issues involve social conventions, user's feelings regarding wearable technology incorporated into their possessions and in personal spaces including the home, and the concerns with becoming overly dependent on and loosing control over wearable systems. Failure to resolve these issues could significantly prevent people from utilizing these devices to their full potential.IEC 61511: fundamental principles, terms used, structure, requirements and issues
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20030263
The IEC standard for safety instrumented systems for the process sector is discussed. The article examines the following areas: IEC 61511 scope and structure, and differences to IEC 61508; prior use; differences to ANSI/ISA S84.01 - Application of Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industries; and other new areas in process sector standards. (14 pages)The economic impact of malicious code in wireless mobile networks
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20030326
The paper presents the findings from a study conducted by Mercer Management Consulting into wireless threats. The paper examines wireless technologies and the vulnerabilities that these new technologies bring. It also investigates current and future wireless threats and the reasons why malicious code will spread within wireless environments. Lastly it examines the potential damage, economic impact and critical factors for stopping wireless attacks.Cost analysis of IP macro-mobility for interconnected cellular IP radio access networks
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20030235
The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) micro-mobility management protocol cellular IP (CIP) can inter-network with mobile IP (MP) to provide wide area mobility. Most of CIP literature concentrates on the micro-mobility aspects of the protocol. The aim of this paper is to address the wide area mobility side of the protocol, i.e. the interconnection between CIP and MIP. More specifically the paper develops a cost function-based analytical model to assess the performance of the CIP-based wide area mobility. The performance of CIP with MIPv4 is compared with CIP with MIPv6.User attitudes to automated highway systems
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20010489
The paper reports on research undertaken for the Highways Agency in the UK on user attitudes and acceptance of intelligent vehicle and highway systems including: 1. An international review of research activities, government policies and deployment plans for intelligent vehicle systems (IVS) and automated highway systems (AHS) and of previous work carried out by leading researchers on user attitudes to these systems. 2. A market research programme involving qualitative and quantitative research that has been conducted to assess attitudes and levels of social acceptance of automated highway technologies among different categories of road users.Human factors research priorities for ADAS systems: a UK perspective
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20010492
The paper describes human factors research that is principally concerned with telematics and road transport. It identifies research issues relevant to the three global road transport objectives of the DETR: improvements in network efficiency, road casualty reductions and reduced environmental impact. The focus is on research requirements over short (5-7 years), medium (7-15 years) and long (15-25 years) perspectives.ADVISORS - a strategic approach to ADAS deployment
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20010488
ADVISORS is a project co-funded by DG TREN of the European Commission researching implementation scenarios and impact assessment of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The partners include governmental and other research institutes, transport and insurance companies, and manufacturers from ten different European countries. ADVISORS is a project of 32 months duration that began in April 2000 and costs approximately 3 million Euro.Do I trust thee? An approach to understanding trust in the domain of air traffic control
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/cp_20010441
We are concerned with the role of trust in air traffic controllers' interaction with other agents, use of technology, and acceptance of changes in technology. This paper summarises the result of the initial phase of our research. We first introduce our conceptualisation of trust, related to the dimensions of belief and dependence. A brief summary of our observations from visits to control centres is followed by a case study that illustrates our understanding of trust. The results of the cooperation questionnaire are presented and discussed. The questionnaire was developed to collect information on air traffic controllers' beliefs and expectations of their colleagues and technology, as well as anecdotes where trust played a role. The results are encouraging with regard to supporting our conceptualisation of trust. In our future work we hope to widen the scope in the domain of interest, and carry out an experimental evaluation of our conceptualisation.IP4EVAL: improving technical decision making in the IP design process
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20000411
There is significant turbulence in the microelectronics industry and new industry structures and business models are emerging. As part of these changes electronic design is increasing in complexity but also must be done faster as time to market pressures continue to rise. The new paradigm has often been referred to as the “System-on-Chip” (SoC) methodology. The approach necessitates a mix-and-match approach to system design at the silicon level, and the development of design for reuse strategies for internally and externally sourced Silicon Intellectual Property (IP). Therefore, one of the most critical and time consuming processes is the identification and selection of the IP block that best matches the technical specification of the designer's specific design application. IP4EVAL is a new initiative developed by The Alba Centre in Livingston, Scotland. Its aim is to break new ground in the re-use of IP and implementation of System-on-Chip designs. The project is tackling the issue of undertaking technical due diligence on IP blocks (or VCs) as part of the make, buy or re-use decision making process. The market is rapidly defining this process as IP Evaluation. (3 pages)Informing requirements: ethnography and social activities
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20000503
The past decade or so has seen in system design what has been termed, the turn to the social (Grudin, 1989; Bannon and Schmidt, 1989). The movement of the computer from the data processing room, to the desktop and now into the wider world, has been the occasion for system designers to recognise the need to take seriously the fact that most human activities are socially organised, and no more so than in work: a fact which can have more than incidental bearing on the success or failure of a system in use. It was also felt that traditional methods and approaches in HCI were insufficient to gaining an effective understanding of socially organised activities (Hughes et al., 1993). By happenstance the method that began to gain some prominence was the venerable method of anthropology, namely, ethnography. Put simply, ethnography is a method of social investigation which involves a fieldworker studying some situation as a real time, real world organisation of activities. It is rationale is to examine the actual organisation of work rather than the idealisations of job descriptions or plans, or the renderings of such as task analysis. The paper discusses the use of ethnography in informing design. (4 pages)IP reuse - pitfalls and providence
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20000412
We've all heard by now of the “Design Gap”, that latest of buzz words that keeps design managers awake at night and EDA vendors secure in their jobs. We know that the industry's ability to build more transistors onto a single piece of silicon is growing at a rate that far outstrips the growth in our ability to design new functionality. We know that one of the techniques that offers some relief from this state of affairs is to reuse existing functional blocks rather than designing each chip from the ground up. What we are now learning is that reuse is a complete discipline in itself, forcing the designer to take into consideration a whole new set of issues. In the course of this paper I would like to touch on some of these issues as they relate to specific areas such as IP creation, selection, integration and implementation. (5 pages)Soft IP block design considerations
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20000407
The focus of this paper is the design of soft intellectual property (IP) blocks. The perspective taken here is unusual: it reports on experiences arising from teaching postgraduate students how to "author" soft IP blocks as part of a course entitled DP block authoring in the MSc in system on chip (SoC) offered by the Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI). To date, few educational institutes offer courses in this area so the teaching practice is evolving alongside the technology. The importance of education in SoC should not be underestimated: globally there is an acute shortage of ASIC design engineers and as yet the majority of designers have had no exposure to the new rigour of SoC design methodologies. (5 pages)Developing personal identity through story telling
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_20000139
Everyone is an individual whether they are disabled or not. Children develop an identity from the moment they are born. The interaction of child and environment, together with the genetic inheritance of the child contribute to the development of personality. Children usually have a natural desire to become more independent as they grow. Many disabled children struggle to develop their personal identity because of factors such as over-protection and imposed limitations which can lead to learned helplessness. Research at Dundee has focussed on the interactive communication needs of children with severe expressive communication impairments. Communicating successfully is an essential tool for independence. It also allows the individual to develop self-image and hence a personal identity. (4 pages)Traffic information highway
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_19990470
The UK Government's White Paper on the future of transport published in July 1998 provided a new policy framework for the Highways Agency (HA), defining its main role in the future as a network operator rather than a road builder. The shift in policy comes at a time when forecasts predict that traffic could almost double by the year 2025 and the resources and space available to build and improve roads are limited. As a network operator, the Agency is tasked with “making better use of the roads we already have”. One way of achieving this objective is to provide the road user with better information so that informed travel choices can be made. The paper describes the HA's strategy for improving the availability of interurban traffic information and in particular the development of the Traffic Information Highway for the exchange of information between travel network operators and information service suppliers. (4 pages)Measuring industrial demand for usability
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_19990039
There is a fundamental lack of demand for usability/HCI in industry in the UK. The paper aims to show why many of the techniques used so far to sell usability to industry were and are doomed to failure. This failure has consequences for HCI education and research, and for the funding bodies that support that education and research. Without changes, current patterns of education and research will continue to be ineffective in an industrial context. (5 pages)Commerce 2020
http://dl-live.theiet.org/content/conferences/10.1049/ic_19980786
E-commerce is much more than just ordinary commerce with electronic cash. It will ultimately have far reaching consequences for our whole economic, social and political structures. By reducing the restrictions of geography, it will make commerce much more global, and as a second order effect, will force reform of monetary and taxation systems. The power of banks will be greatly reduced as cash can be held and managed just as easily by its owners. Similarly, shopping will evolve to use the best of electronic commerce, physical outlets and mass customisation, with a greatly improved distribution infrastructure. As many jobs are automated, we will see the rise of the care economy, with more focus on the human interaction side of jobs. But by then, even our interfaces to machines will look human. (4 pages)