System of Systems and Big Data analytics – Bridging the gap

Large data has been accumulating in all aspects of our lives for quite some time. Advances in sensor technology, the Internet, wireless communication, and inexpensive memory have all contributed to an explosion of “Big Data”. System of Systems (SoS) integrate independently operating, non-homogeneous systems to achieve a higher goal than the sum of the parts. Today’s SoS are also contributing to the existence of unmanageable “Big Data”. Recent efforts have developed a promising approach, called “Data Analytics”, which uses statistical and computational intelligence (CI) tools such as principal component analysis (PCA), clustering, fuzzy logic, neuro-computing, evolutionary computation (such as genetic algorithms), Bayesian networks, etc. to reduce the size of “Big Data” to a manageable size and apply these tools to (a) extract information, (b) build a knowledge base using the derived data, and (c) eventually develop a non-parametric model for the “Big Data”. This paper demonstrates how to construct a bridge between SoS and Data Analytics to develop reliable models for such systems. The subject material for this demonstration is using data analytics to generate a model to forecast produced photovoltaic energy to assist in the optimization of a micro grid SoS. Tools like fuzzy interference, neural networks, PCA, and genetic algorithms are used.     

Bridging the digital divide – an Australian story

There is increasing evidence that the lack of access to information and communication technology (ICT) or the ‘digital divide’ severely limits education, employment and economic prospects. This paper reports on the evaluation of a project that aims to bridge the digital divide. In particular, the case study data has been used to bring to life the impact that access to the internet, often for the first time, can make in people's lives. If you are isolated, suffer poor health or do not speak English then the internet can take on a very different meaning, it becomes an essential tool to your ability to communicate, feel connected and to your health and well-being. What is evident from this snapshot of practice of the Wired Community@Collingwood project is actually how it can improve these outcomes for the current participants. A multi-method approach was implemented in the first year of the evaluation, included the collection of qualitative data. Connecting with participants to engage them to tell their story provided the project with a rich source of information, but it required a time-consuming methodology that respected the barriers which participants faced. However, the narrative that is now a part of this project brought to life the impact of ICT in this community. Being a part of the digital divide in the twentieth century disconnects you from a part of your world that now exists for others. At Collingwood, these participants are making those connections on a daily basis and are excited about the new possibilities of being a part of the available technology. This study evidences the impact of bridging the digital divide in one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia.     

Reuse,repurposing and learning design – Lessons from the DART project

Digital Anthropological Resources for Teaching (DART) is a major project examining ways in which the use of online learning activities and repositories can enhance the teaching of anthropology and, by extension, other disciplines. This paper reports on one strand of DART activity, the development of customisable learning activities that can be repurposed for use in multiple contexts. Three examples of these activities are described and, based on their use and reuse, some key lessons for the learning technology community are identified. In particular, it is argued that repurposing is a route to successful reuse, and that engaging the teacher in a participative design process is an essential part of the repurposing process.     

‘Mind the Gap’: diagnosing the relationship between the IT organisation and the rest of the business

The senior management of many organisations are continually disappointed with the benefits and value which they perceive they are getting from their investments in IT. This frustration with IT, and in particular with the IT function, has seen many organisations choose to rid themselves of the ‘problem’ altogether by outsourcing IT activities to a third party. The fact that there is a separate organisational unit responsible for IT activities has led to the emergence of gap between this so called IT organisation and the rest of the business. Culture is often used to explain the gap as if this somehow justifies an organisations inability to effectively leverage IT. However, the premise underlying this article is that culture is an excuse for rather than a cause of ineffective application of IT for business benefits and value. The clear message from this article is that achieving high performance from IT is not just about the IT function's ability to build, maintain and deliver systems, but is an organisational wide activity requiring a strong business/IT partnership. A framework grounded in the research literature, which identifies the elements to manage in creating high performance from IT, is developed and operationalised. The findings of an exploratory survey are presented and research and practitioner implications developed.     

Understanding knowledge sharing between IT professionals – an integration of social cognitive and social exchange theory

The research includes various constructs based on social exchange theory and social cognitive theory. This study mainly explored the relationships among organisational justice, trust, commitment and knowledge-sharing cognition and verified their mediating effects through two variables of trust and commitment. A survey utilising a questionnaire was used with 252 IT professionals from IT companies and departments in Taiwan. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data and to evaluate the research model. The results showed that the research model fitted the data well, and the main determinant of knowledge-sharing intention was the building of organisational justice between knowledge intensive workers, confirming our hypotheses that trust and commitment foster organisational commitment. In turn, organisational commitment will help to build individual knowledge-sharing self-efficacy and both directly and indirectly affect intentions to share knowledge.     

Dissecting SpyEye – Understanding the design of third generation botnets

Botnet malware is improving with the latest (3rd) generation exemplified by the SpyEye and Zeus botnets. These botnets are important to understand because they target online financial transactions, primarily with banks. In this paper, we analyze the components from multiple generations of the SpyEye botnet in order to understand both how it works and how it is evolving. SpyEye is a sophisticated piece of malware with a modular design that eases the incorporation of improvements. We will discuss in detail the complete framework of SpyEye botnet consisting of the Bot Development Kit (BDK), the plugin architecture, the backend storage server, the bot design and the web-based Command and Control (C&C) management system. In addition, we also examine the techniques used by SpyEye to steal money.     

Studying the code compression design space – A synthesis approach

Embedded domain has witnessed the application of different code compression methodologies on different architectures to bridge the gap between ever-increasing application size and scarce memory resources. Selection of a code compression technique for a target architecture requires a detailed study and analysis of the code compression design space. There are multiple design parameters affecting the space, time, cost and power dimensions. Standard approaches of exploring the code compression design space are tedious, time consuming, and almost impractical with the increasing number of proposed compression algorithms. This is one of the biggest challenges faced by an architect trying to adopt a code compression methodology for a target architecture. We propose a novel synthesis based tool-chain for fast and effective exploration of the code compression design space and for evaluation of the tradeoffs. The tool-chain consists of a frontend framework that works with different compression/decompression schemes and a backend with high-level-synthesis, logic-synthesis, and power estimation tools to output the critical design parameters. We use the tool-chain to effectively analyze different code compression/decompression schemes of varying complexities.     

IT Challenges for the New Millennium – Research, Development, and Deployment Issues

Introduction

IT Challenges for the New Millennium – Research, Development, and Deployment Issues     

Identification of sparse impulse responses – design and implementation using the partial Haar block wavelet transform

This paper proposes an implementation for identifying sparse impulse responses. The new scheme follows the approach in which the location of the channel response peak is estimated in the wavelet domain. A short time-domain adaptive filter is then located about the estimated peak to identify the sparse response. The primary purpose of this paper is to present an efficient design of such a system. The use of a new block wavelet transform results in up to 70% less computational complexity and improved peak detection, as compared to previous solutions. A new robust time-domain adaptive filtering location and update scheme is also proposed that significantly reduces the occurrence of jitter problems and leads to improved residual mean-square error performance. The behavior of the transform-domain adaptive filter is analyzed, the Wiener solution is determined, and an accurate analytical model is obtained for the mean-square deviation of the adaptive coefficients. Monte Carlo simulations show excellent echo cancellation performance for typical ITU-T echo channels.     

The fashion blog as genre—between user-driven bricolage design and the reproduction of established fashion system

Abstract

Fashion as a phenomenon cannot be understood independently of the visual images and designed presentations that convey the content and forms of fashion. With the breakthrough of the digital media in the 2000s we were introduced to new ways of communicating and staging fashion where the blog in particular has established a new media culture for the distribution and exchange of potential fashion-based self-presentation forms and resulted in new design strategies. In this article, the fashion blog is presented as a specific genre that is characterised by remediating existing genre forms and combining them into new formats, where amateur bricolage approaches are combined with the reproduction of familiar features from the established fashion media. The article presents four types of fashion blogs, each representing a specific design strategy for presenting and interacting with fashion content. In closing, it is argued that the fashion blog as a phenomenon, on the one hand, has placed the ordinary fashion consumer centre stage as a producer of fashion content while also, on the other hand, helping to consolidate established hierarchical and communicative structures in the fashion system.     

Diagonal dominance design by Bode plots and root loci†

Bode plots and root loci are used for design of two-by-two systems based on diagonal dominance. The method provides insight into the effect of compensation, including minor loop feedback, on dominance characteristics which extends beyond this class.     

Compliance management ontology – a shared conceptualization for research and practice in compliance management

The diversity of stakeholders in compliance management initiatives contributes to the challenges organisations face when managing compliance, and consequently adds to the cost of compliance. In particular, there is evidence that the lack of a common or shared understanding of compliance management concepts is a barrier to effective compliance management practice. Taking an information-centric view to addressing this challenge, this paper reports on the development of an ontology intended to provide a shared conceptualisation of the compliance management domain for various stakeholders. The ontology is based on input from domain experts and practitioners, validated and refined through eight case studies, and subsequently evaluated for its usability in practice.     

Modelling,identification and control of sugar evaporation – theoretical design and experimental evaluation

This paper discusses the problem of controlling a multiple-stage industrial evaporator in a sugar factory. The control objectives are: syrup should have a sucrose concentration of 72%, the evaporator should produce the required amount of steam, and the steam consumption should be as low as possible. Achieving these objectives is difficult, due to the following plant features: strong disturbances, large time delays and many constraints. The control problem is solved by developing a physical model which is used as benchmark; then, a parametric identification is performed to obtain a control model. Finally, a successful real-time application of a multivariable GPC controller is presented.     

“What do you want for dinner?” – need anticipation and the design of proactive technologies for the home

This paper examines ‘the routine shop’ as part of a project that is exploring automation and autonomy in the Internet of Things. In particular we explicate the ‘work’ involved in anticipating need using an ethnomethodological analysis that makes visible the mundane, ‘seen but unnoticed’ methodologies that household members accountably employ to organise list construction and accomplish calculation on the shop floor. We discuss and reflect on the challenges members’ methodologies pose for proactive systems that seek to support domestic grocery shopping, including the challenges of sensing, learning and predicting, and gearing autonomous agents into social practice within the home.