Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Geographic Information Systems Work Group'

Group work and online discussions are not new terms in education and are important activities for Information Systems students. It has become important because it encourages creative thinking and provides more efficient problem-solving approaches. Online social networking sites, like Facebook, have pedagogical potential and the consideration of its academic application should not be ignored by lecturers or students. The main problem identified in this thesis is that the awareness and application of the emerging pedagogical potential of online social networking sites, like Facebook, especially for the purpose of group work and online discussions, is limited among Information Systems lecturers and students. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of awareness and application of Facebook as an academic tool by Information Systems lecturers and students, and whether it can enhance the learning experience of students, related to the effectiveness of group work and online discussions. The perceptions of both Information Systems lecturers and students were recorded by means of questionnaires and interviews. It was found that most lecturers and students were aware of Facebook’s pedagogical potential. However, the consideration and application of Facebook as an academic tool, by lecturers and students, are limited. From a cultural perspective, it was found that students from a private institution, where no Learning Management System was implemented, as well as black students, showed increased levels of utilisation and performance, in terms of enhanced learning experienced, on the academic groups on Facebook. The researcher developed a model for the academic application of Facebook for Information Systems students, based on the Task-Technology Fit and the Social Software Performance Model theories. This study concludes with the recommendation that Information Systems lecturers and students should become increasingly aware of and consider the pedagogical potential of Facebook as a supplementary tool and with suggestions for future research.<br>Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010.<br>Informatics<br>unrestricted

This paper evaluates how semi-randomly formed project groups, compared to forming groups at free will, affect students’ learning in a project-oriented setting. The findings are based on empirical data. We have analyzed students’ experiences by taking a course in the subject of Information Systems. The identified experiences are considered to be either a strength or a problem. We can conclude that how we form project groups has an effect on learning. We can also conclude that several of the experiences from semi-randomly formed project groups are of both a positive and negative nature. In the concluding chapter, we give some explanations in order to understand the differences in students’ experiences.

Organizations must consider increasing their decision-making capabilities in order to remain viable in a post-industrial society that Huber characterized as having "more and increasing knowledge, more and increasing complexity, and more and increasing turbulence" (1984). He sees the challenge for managers in the post-industrial environment as learning to make decisions in less time using greater quantities of more complex information. Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs) represent a computer-based technology that has the potential to increase an organization's decision-making capabilities, and to meet this post-industrial challenge. This dissertation investigated a specific GDSS to study how GDSS technology affects group decision making compared to the more traditional face-to-face group decision making. The research was conducted through the use of a laboratory study comparing face-to-face groups of size six to GDSS groups of the same size. The decision process was the same for both types of groups, i.e., the sequence of steps used to solve the problem was consistent for both. Additionally, all of the groups were given the same task. Process and decision outcomes were measured for the six sets of treatments considered feasible for the manipulation of the communication condition, leadership, and anonymity. The process outcomes included satisfaction, time to decision, consensus, participation and uninhibited comments. The quality of a group's decision was the decision outcome measurement. The major findings of this study are: (1) Decision quality was equivalent for both face-to-face and GDSS groups; (2) Time to decision was greater for GDSS; (3) Consensus was less likely to occur in GDSS groups; (4) Satisfaction was lower in GDSS groups; (5) Participation was more equitable in GDSS groups.

The Table Mountain group aquifer system has the potential to be an important supply of water. Although the aquifer system is used to some extent, a number of aspects relating to the aquifer system are poorly understood and unquantified. This study aimed to take into consideration the importance of differenct ecosytems, which is essential in predicting the effects of groundwater abstruction. However, the ecological requirements of systems that depend on groundwater are poorly understood. This project identified &quot<br>type areas&quot<br>for further detailed research into the impacts of large-scale groundwater abstraction from the Table Mountain group aquifer system based on the nature and functioning of ecosystems across groundwater dependent ecosystem boundaries of a regional scale.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Cape Town metropolitan area has limited water supply due to rapid population and urban growth. In many instances, surface water is the only source in water supply schemes. There is a need for additional water supplies to supplement the existing water sources. Groundwater systems can be used as primary or supplemental water supply sources especially in areas where there is high demand for water resources. The aim of this study is to evaluate the groundwater potential within the Table Mountain Group (TMG) with the assistance of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS). Previous hydrogeological studies have found the TMG to be the second largest hydrogeological unit in South Africa with extensively fractured and multi-porous rock. The study area is 5660 km2 with TMG covering 1336 km". In this study a Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image was used to identify lineaments. The identified lineaments were overlaid with vegetation, drainage patterns, faults and fractures digitized from 1:250 000 geological maps and borehole yields to show areas with promising groundwater resources. The results did not show correlation between vegetation and lineaments. Most of the lineaments intersected drainage lines at some points, and a few were parallel to the drainage lines. Forty five percent of the digitized faults and fractures overlap with the Landsat lineament. The most dominating lineaments are oriented in a NW-SE direction. High yielding boreholes with average yield of about 12 lIs were found within the distance of 150m from the lineaments. The lineaments were further analysed to locate areas that could be suitable for groundwater exploration. These areas were identified using Landsat lineaments, boreholes and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The results showed that the most favourable lineaments and geological features were oriented in a 135-180° and 0-45° direction and areas with slopes of less than 40% were found to be suitable for drilling boreholes. The amount of available groundwater within the TMG was also investigated by looking at both volume of recharge and amount that could be held in storage. Rainfall data was used to estimate recharge. Groundwater recharge was calculated to be 5% of the total precipitation that falls on this area. Based on the average rainfall of 600mm per annum, the results show that TMG has an average recharge value of 30mm per annum. The total recharge for the area covered by TMG, which has an area of 1336km2 , is 160 million nr'. Geological profiles and cross sections were drawn to determine the storage capacity of the TMG, which was estimated to be 525 million m.3 According to a study done by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DW AF) in 1996, the anticipated water demand in the Cape Town metropolitan area will increase from 243 million m3 in 1990 to 560 million m3 in 2020. The estimated volume of water that can be stored within the TMG can meet the current demand for the next 10 years and supplement the existing surface water sources. Groundwater vulnerability of the TMG to contamination was assessed and mapped by using the DRASTIC index. The results demonstrate that the TMG area is at low risk to contamination.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Vinnig groeiende bevolking en stedelike uitbreiding plaas toenemende druk op Kaapstad se water voorraad. Addisionele waterbronne sal benodig word om bestaande bronne aan te vul. Oppervlakwater is in die meeste gevalle die enigste waterbron, maar grondwater het die potensiaal om te dien as 'n primêre of aanvullende voorsieningsbron, veral in areas waar groot water tekorte bestaan. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die grondwaterpotensiaal van gesteentes van die Tafelberg Groep (TBG) te evalueer deur van afstandswaarneming en geografiese inligtingstelsels gebruik te maak. Geohidrologiese studies het getoon dat die TBG gesteentes met sy veelvuldige nate en breuksones, die tweede grootste geohidrologiese eenheid in Suid Afrika is. Die studiegebied beslaan 5660 km", waarvan 1336 km2 deur Tafelberg Sandsteen beslaan word. Vir hierdie studie is 'n "Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+)" beeld gebruik in die identifisering van breuksones (lineamente). Verdere analises is uitgevoer om areas geskik vir grondwater ontginning te identifiseer. Geïdentifiseerde verskuiwings op Landsat beelde is met plantegroei, dreinerings patrone en bekende verskuiwings en fraktuur sones vanaf gelogiese kaarte vergelyk in 'n poging om areas met belowende grondwaterbronne uit te wys. Bekende boorgat posisies en lewerings volumes was 'n primêre databron vir die berekening van groundwater reserves. Die studie het egter geen korrelasie tussen plantegroei en die voorkoms van lineamente gevind nie. Die riviere in die studiegebied word op verskeie plekke deur verskuiwings gekruis. Slegs 'n paar van die verskuiwings lê parallel met die dreinering. Daar is gevind dat vyf-en-veertig persent van bekende verskuiwings en fraktuursones met die geïdentifiseerd op Landsat beelde oorvleuel. Die mees prominente lineamente het 'n NW-SO oriëntasie. Boorgate met lewerings van gemiddeld 12 lis is binne 'n 150m afstand van die verskuiwings gevind. Die verskuiwings is ook geanaliseer om die mees produktiewe areas vir grondwater ontginning te identifiseer. Landsat beelde, boorgate en 'n Digitale Elevasie Model (DEM) is gebruik om moontlike boorposisies te identifiseer. Die mees produktiewe verskuiwings en geologiese verskynsels het 'n N 135-180W en NO-450 oriëntasie, terwyl areas met 'n helling < 40% vir die boor van boorgate geskik is. Berekeninge oor die hoeveelheid water wat binne die TBG gesteentes beskikbaar is, is gemaak deur die hoeveelheid aanvulling en stoorkapasiteit van die TBG gesteentes te beraam. Grondwater aanvulling, soos bereken vanaf reënval data, is 5% van die totale presipitasie van 'n gegewe area. Met 'n gemiddelde jaarlikse reënval van 600mm in die studie gebied is die TBG se jaarlikse aanvulling ongeveer 30mm. Daar word beraam dat die totale aanvulling in die 1336km2 TBG area 160-miljoen m3 per jaar is. Geologiese profiele en dwarsnitte is gemaak om die stoorvermoë van die TBG te bepaal, en is beraam op 525-miljoen rrr'. 'n 1996 navorsing studie deur die Departement van Waterwese en Bosbou toon dat waterverbruik in die Kaapse Metropolitaanse gebied sal toeneem vanaf die 1990 vlak van 243-miljoen m3 tot 560 miljoen m3 teen 2020. Die berekende volume water wat binne die TBG gestoor word, kan die water aanvraag oor die volgende 10 jaar bevredig en as aanvulling dien vir oppervlak waterbronne. Die kwesbaarheid van die TBG akwifer vir besoedeling is met behulp van die DRASTIC indeks geëvalueer en gekarteer. Die resultate toon dat die TBG 'n lae risiko vir besoedeling het.

Over the last decade, the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology has been increasingly depicted by scholars and policy-makers as being able to reduce or even stop deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Simultaneously, this technology was introduced into a growing number of governmental and non-governmental organizations as a policy-making and law enforcement tool. However, despite the growing importance of GIS the literature lacks studies that empirically examine the actual role of this technology in the region. In the light of the above omissions, the aim of this thesis is to explore the role of GIS in facilitating or hindering the joint work practices of the different groups which are involved in the formulation and enforcement of the deforestation control policy in the Amazon. From that this study intends also to contribute to debates concerning the 'dynamics behind the establishment and implications of boundary objects. This study was conducted through a yearlong fieldwork in Brazil during which time historical documents were collected, and interviews as well as work observations with scientists, politicians, senior officials, local managers, bureaucrats and forest rangers (among other groups) were made. The empirical material was mainly analyzed through the concepts of objectification and boundary objects. Specifically, GIS has been conceptualized as a boundary object which, in particular circumstances, is able to offer common ground to facilitate different forms of joint work (i.e. coordination, cooperation and collaboration) across occupational, spatial and political boundaries. From this analysis, three major conclusions emerged. Firstly, the establishment of GIS as a boundary object over the last decades can be explained by considering three interrelated dynamics: a) the political flexibility that enabled GIS to be tailored to suit political and work needs - which varied across historical and organizational contexts; b) the process of negotiation surrounding GIS that allowed different groups to reach compromises and build trust in the technology; and c) the epistemological affinity between the modernist values embedded in GIS and the historical roots of the Brazilian government. Secondly, the use of GIS as a boundary object has been central for the emergence of new forms of joint work across boundaries. Specifically, the process of objectification related to the functioning of GIS as a boundary object facilitated coordination and cooperation in three ways: a) the creation of objectifications on different scales (e.g. from broad policy documents to specific fines) while keeping a single identity allowed different groups to overcome occupational boundaries when coordinating each other's work; b) the objectification of location references into absolute geographic coordinates enabled the outcome of the work of different groups to travel long distances while still being decipherable, thereby overcoming the spatial boundaries involved in coordination and cooperation; and c) the objectification promoted by GIS allowed rangers and bureaucrats to erase the traces of the subjectivity of their own work and thereby to create legal documents that are deemed sufficiently trustworthy to transcend political boundaries. Thirdly, the over-reliance of GIS and the process of objectification also had long-term negative effects and contributed to 'boundary-blinding', namely, the inability of certain groups to understand the social reality and the work done across boundaries. In particular, GIS contributed to: a) the blinding of practices by preventing senior officials and scientists from appreciating the complex challenges involved in enforcing the law on the ground; b) the blinding of the outcomes of the practices and policies relating to the environmental protection of the Amazon, so that senior officials cannot understand the implications of abstract indicators and deforestation rates; and c) the blinding of the motives behind the use of GIS so that the introduction of this technology is believed to always reduce deforestation regardless of the political agenda of those using this technology. As a result of this, boundary-blinding is creating tensions and contradictions within the government that could ultimately undermine the very environmental protection practices that GIS was supposed to support. These three points taken together suggest that the Brazilian government should embrace more engaged forms of joint work. In particular, the government should attempt to move from instrumental forms of coordination and cooperation to forms of collaboration involving knowledge sharing and learning. In this way, the government would be able to deal with the boundary-blinding related to the use of GIS while benefiting from the ability of this technology to overcome spatial, occupational and political boundaries.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2007.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 19, 2009). Advisor: Jay Lee. Keywords: urban sprawl, vehicle emissions, air pollution, geographic information systems (GIS), home-work journey, simulation. Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-223).

The biological and socioeconomic feasibility of restoring elk (Cervus elaphus) to Virginia was assessed. Biological feasibility was determined by evaluating habitat suitability for elk while considering potential impacts of elk on existing fauna and flora in Virginia. Suitability was assessed by creating a habitat suitability index (HSI) model that measured the availability and accessibility of open foraging areas and forested cover areas, the availability of permanent water sources, and the degree of fragmentation by roads. Eight areas were identified as potential elk habitat: 1 in Southwest Virginia, 4 in the Shenandoah Mountains (Shenandoah, Highland, Big Meadows, Peaks of Otter), and 3 in the Southern Piedmont (Danville, Brookneal, Rehobeth). The highest potentials for supporting an elk herd were found in the Highland and Big Meadows study areas, medium biological feasibilities were found in the Southwest, Shenandoah, and Brookneal study areas, and low biological feasibilities were found in the Peaks of Otter, Danville, and Rehobeth study areas. A restored elk herd could negatively affect indigenous fauna and flora by changing the structure and diversity of existing forested ecosystems, but impacts can be minimized by maintaining elk populations at or below cultural carrying capacity. The introduction of diseases during restoration and possible transmission of those diseases from elk to humans, livestock, and other wildlife also are concerns, but these issues can be addressed by following a risk minimization protocol. <p> Socioeconomic feasibility was assessed with a statewide mail survey of Virginia residents, 4 regional stakeholder workshops, an analysis of economic costs and benefits associated with elk restoration, and an assessment of the risks of elk-human conflicts in each of the 8 study areas. Overall, most (61%) respondents agreed that elk restoration would be good for Virginia. However, the low response rate (30%) and low confidence among respondents (49%) in their knowledge about elk indicated that most residents do not have the interest and/or necessary information to form a definitive opinion. Residents believe that the greatest benefits of restoration would be the value-based and indirect ecological benefits, such as returning an extirpated species to its native range, whereas the greatest perceived costs were the economic impacts to property, crop depredation, and public safety hazards. In contrast, local stakeholder representatives identified economic returns from increased tourism due to the presence of elk and the creation of new recreational opportunities as the most anticipated benefits; important concerns were the potential for property damage by elk, the potential impacts on local ecosystems, and the costs of implementing and administering an elk restoration program and subsequent elk management. Proposed resolutions for these issues varied by region. Representatives from the Southwest and northern Shenandoah Mountain (Shenandoah and Big Meadows study site) Regions preferred not to restore elk, whereas those from the southern Shenandoah Mountain (Highland and Peaks of Otter study site) and the Southern Piedmont Regions preferred to start out small with a carefully controlled and monitored â experimentalâ population. <p> Economic benefits of elk restoration, as determined through analysis of data from other eastern states currently managing elk populations, are associated with tourism and the revenues brought to the community during elk hunting seasons, whereas economic costs are associated with crop damage, elk-vehicle collisions, and the administrative costs of managing an elk herd. Although the initial costs of transporting, releasing, and monitoring a founder population likely will exceed immediate benefits, once an elk population is established, benefits likely will exceed costs. However, an equitable distribution of costs and benefits must be devised so that the individuals who bear the costs are afforded a comparable or greater set of benefits. <p> Risk of landowner elk-conflicts was examined by comparing human population densities and growth rates, percent private versus public land, and agricultural trends across the 8 study areas. Highest risk for elk-human conflicts was identified in the Southern Piedmont Region and in the Shenandoah study site, risk was moderate in the Southwest, Big Meadows, and Peaks of Otter study sites, and risk in the Highland study site was low.<p> Overall, the Highland study site had the highest feasibility for elk restoration of all study areas examined; the Big Meadows and Southwest study sites both demonstrated moderate feasibility. Restoration in these areas is possible so long as management objectives remain flexible, plans are made in advance to address potential concerns, and the public is involved in the decision-making processes both before and after elk are released.<br>Master of Science

Thesis (MA (Geography and Environmental Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.<br>The Western Cape province of South Africa is a water scarce area with a Mediterranean climate. The majority of rainfall occurs in the cold winter months and the area experiences hot and dry summers. Studies done to investigate various water supply and water demand management options for the City of Cape Town, concluded that the Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer has the potential of yielding high volumes (estimated at 70Mm3/a) of good quality water, but that further research about this source as a potential augmentation supply to the City of Cape Town was necessary before extraction could commence. The aim of the study is to develop a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to be used by a hydrogeology project team, which includes hydrogeologists, environmentalists, ecologists, engineers and other stakeholders. The Table Mountain Group Aquifer (TMGA) SDSS is meant to be a decision support tool, but should also raise awareness about the use of spatial data and information and its capabilities for earth science and other multidisciplinary applications. By means of team discussions and interviews data, spatial analysis and data manipulation requirements were determined. Based on these requirements, four spatial analysis tools were developed. The spatial tool named “Borehole Analysis” analyses stratigraphic information obtained from existing boreholes and hydrogeological point data. The tool determines what groundwater use and monitoring has been undertaken in the area of interest. The “Topographic Analysis” tool identifies any topographical (e.g. rivers) and cadastral (e.g. farm boundaries) data within a certain distance from a possible borehole site. The “Sensitive Area Analysis” tool addresses queries with respect to sensitive areas, such as wetlands, statutory protected areas and private nature reserves. The “Image Classification” tool gives the team members an opportunity to use band ratios during image interpretation. The TMGA SDSS was developed using TNTmips v70, Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Spatial Manipulation Language (SML) and can be run on TNTAtlas v70, which is a free software. The TMGA SDSS enables the team members to have equal and ready access to data acquired by other members. This was found to support intra- and interdisciplinary conversation and facilitate understanding of how the data is being (or could be) used. It also contributes to levels of confidence in decision-making and supports a holistic approach to project design and implementation. Keywords: decision-making, geographic information system (GIS), spatial decision support systems (SDSS), spatial manipulation language (SML)

Students’ and teachers’ own choices and actions – their agency – are an integral part of language education, yet we know little about agency in specific classroom contexts. One such context is when students search for information online as part of their foreign language education. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the agency enacted through the choices and actions of six upper secondary Spanish students and their teacher. Their choices and actions take place while they are working with a task that asks the students to read authentic web sites with text originally written in Spanish for a native Spanish speaking audience. Using a sociocultural perspective on the process of language learning in this task, the research question is: Through what choices, actions and reports do the students and the teacher exercise and express their agency? The study was carried out in two student groups in their second year at upper secondary school. Primary data were collected during the first lesson of a theme and consist of multiple sources, including computer screen recordings, sound and video uptake along with prompted interviews performed with both students and teacher. The main findings suggest that student and teacher choices and actions did not cohere, due to different objects of their respective activity system. The data shows that when students search for information online as a part of their language studies, they: Act as producers at the same time as consumers Multitask Translanguage Focus on end product more than the learning process Divide their work between them rather than work collaboratively Finding “third spaces” – where students’ home practices are not easily applied to student or teacher objects of the activity systems, leads to a discussion concerning language view and language learning through the use of the Internet.

<p>When a task becomes shared the need for coordination arises. One fundamental factor for coordination is awareness. This study aimed to answer the question of how awareness-based coordination support systems could increase the efficiency in the processing of tasks generated by the Customer Support Unit in Skellefteå municipality, ultimately creating a better work situation for the officers responsible for the handling of tasks and increasing the service level for the customers of their services. This question was answered by conducting interviews, observing system usage and through analysis of pre-existing interviews from earlier studies of the municipality’s CSU project. This study shows that there are aspects in the task management that are in need of coordination support and presents a task classification system based on the logistic nature of the task. Furthermore this paper identifies the main problems related to the current task management and from an awareness perspective discusses and outlines various mechanisms and techniques to address these problems. Alongside these problems the general lack of coordination support in the current Document and Workflow System (FlexiteBPMS) is approached. Furthermore all outlined proposals share the common aspiration of lessening the burden for the officers without simply shifting the workload onto other units in the workflow chain.</p>

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Saving the life of another person cannot be measured in monetary terms. It is also impossible to describe the satisfactiori of carrying out a successful rescue to anybody. However, the disappointment and sense of failure when a rescue mission fails and a life is lost, is devastating. Many rescue workers, including those of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), have experienced this overwhelming sense of failure. Rescue workers often dwell on failed rescue attempts, wishing that they could have arrived on the scene earlier or knew where to start looking for people. The fact that lives are still lost, despite the best efforts of rescue workers, points to the need to improve on life saving techniques, procedures, equipment and technology. Providing the NSRI with a workable tool to help them manage and allocate resources, plan a rescue, determine drift speed and distance or create search patterns, may one day be just enough to save one more life. With this goal in mind, a search and rescue application, called RescueView, was developed utilising ArcView 3.2a. This application was specifically designed for use by the NSRI, and it will be used as a command centre in all NRSI control rooms and for all rescue efforts.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om die lewe van 'n ander persoon te red, kan nie in geldwaarde gemeet word nie. Dit is ook onmoontlik om aan enige iemand die bevrediging van 'n suksesvolle redding te beskryf. Die terleurstelling en gevoel van verlies is egter baie groot wanneer 'n reddingspoging misluk en 'n lewe verloor word. Menige reddingswerkers, insluitend dié van die Nasional Seereddingsinstituut (NSRI), het al hierdie oorweldigende gevoel van mislukking ervaar. Reddingswerkers tob dikwels oor onsuksesvolle reddingspogings en wens dat hulle vroeër op die toneel aangekom het of geweet het waar om vir mense te begin soek. Die feit dat lewensverlies steeds plaasvind, ten spyte van reddingswerkers se beste pogings, dui op die behoefte om lewensreddingstegnieke, -prosedures, -toerusting en -tegnologie te verbeter. ( Deur die NSRI met 'n werkbare instrument te voorsien, wat hulle kan help om hulpbronne te bestuur en toe te wys, 'n redding te beplan, dryfspoed en -afstand te bepaal of soekpatrone te skep, mag eendag dalk net genoeg wees om nog 'n lewe te red. Met hierdie doel in gedagte is RescueView, 'n soek- en reddingsapplikasie, deur middel van ArcView 3.2a ontwikkel. Hierdie applikasie is spesifiek ontwerp vir gebruik deur die NSRI en dit sal as beheersentrurn in alle NSRI kontrolekamers en vir alle reddingspogings gebruik word.

<p>Today’s market for companies doing statistical surveys is a market consisting of mostly standardized methods where differentiating your company from the competitors is hard. Simultaneously both the society at large and technology in specific is under constant development and everything needs to be done at a faster pace with better precision.</p><p> </p><p>One of the companies on the market mentioned above is Tradewell Group AB. During 2008/2009 Tradewell has developed a new method for doing statistical surveys. The method named by Tradewell is called Cellphone Survey System, CSS and include using existing technology in a, for this market, unknown way. By doing so Tradewell offer their customers fast and price worthy surveys where the results can be viewed online where they are constantly being updated.</p><p> </p><p>At this very moment CSS is about to be launched och so the purpose of this master thesis is to identify and analyse those factors impacting the success of product development and product launching and also to do a mapping over the market at which Tradewell is an actor. The goal is then to combine the above mentioned analyse and mapping with results given from my own market survey to discuss Tradewell at large and CSS in more detail which then will lead to recommendations regarding how to move further, both as a company and with their launch of CSS.</p><p> </p><p>The master thesis consists of a literature study where product development and product launching has been researched. It also includes a mapping over those methods most frequently used and offered on today’s market. Finally I did my own market survey among 72 of Tradewell’s potential customers, all respondents chosen in collaboration with the management at Tradewell. The purpose of the survey was to gain knowledge about potential customers and to see if there is any interest for a service like CSS.</p><p> </p><p>Some of the most important factors when launching a product that were identified during the work of the thesis were pricing, timing, market orientation and market communication. The results from the survey showed, among other things, that most of the respondents already do customer surveys and also that there is an interest for a service like CSS. The conclusions drawn from the results of the survey together with the literature study lead to the final discussion. The discussion brings up how Tradewell are doing today, seen in the light of the different factors; what they do well and what needs improvement. Finally it is discussed what can be done to make these improvements and why they are necessary and I give recommendations for how to move along with the launch of CSS.</p><br><p>Dagens marknad för företag som genomför statistiska undersökningar är en marknad med många standardiserade metoder och det är svårt att differentiera sig gentemot konkurrenterna. Samtidigt utvecklas både samhället i allmänhet och tekniken i synnerhet hela tiden och allt skall ständigt utföras med bättre precision på mindre tid.</p><p> </p><p>Ett av företagen på den ovan nämnda marknaden är Tradewell Group AB. Tradewell har under 2008/2009 utvecklat en ny metod att genomföra statistiska undersökningar med. Metoden, som de själva döpt, kallas Cellphone Survey System, CSS. Metoden utnyttjar den teknik som finns tillgänglig på ett, på denna marknad, ovanligt sätt och erbjuder kunderna snabba och kostnadseffektiva undersökningar där resultaten uppdateras i realtid online.</p><p> </p><p>CSS befinner sig i skrivande stund i lanseringsstadiet och syftet med examensarbetet är att identifiera och analysera de framgångsfaktorer som styr produktutveckling och produktlansering samt att kartlägga den marknad på vilken Tradewell är en aktör. Målet med examensarbete är sedan att kombinera den ovan nämnda analysen och kartläggningen med de resultat som fås från min marknadsundersökning för att föra en diskussion kring Tradewell i allmänhet och CSS i synnerhet och sedermera komma med rekommendationer för hur Tradewell skall gå vidare, dels som företag, dels med lanseringen av CSS.</p><p> </p><p>Examensarbetet har genomförts genom en litteraturstudie där teori om produktutveckling och produktlansering har behandlats. Arbetet innefattar också en kartläggning över de metoder på marknaden som i dagsläget är de vanligast förekommande och som flest undersökningsföretag erbjuder sina kunder. Slutligen gjordes även en marknadsundersökning bland 72 av Tradewells potentiella kunder, alla respondenter framtagna i samråd mellan mig och Tradewell, för att ge större kunskap om kunderna på marknaden och se om det finns intresse för en tjänst som CSS.</p><p> </p><p>Några av de viktigaste faktorerna vid en produktlansering som identifierades är prissättning, timing, marknadsorientering och marknadskommunikation. Marknadsundersökningen som gjordes visade att utav respondenterna så gör en stor del av dem i dagsläget undersökningar. Den visade också att det finns ett intresse för undersökningar gjorda med CSS. Utifrån resultaten som marknadsundersökningen gav dras sedan slutsatser som tillsammans med den litterära studien utgör grunden för den slutliga diskussionen. Där diskuteras Tradewells nuvarande läge sett till de olika faktorerna; vad de redan i dagsläget gör bra och vad jag anser kan bli bättre. Slutligen diskuteras också hur och varför de skall förbättra dessa faktorer och rekommendationer ges för hur de skall gå vidare med lanseringen av CSS.</p>

A Geographic Information System visually communicates both spatial and temporal analyses and has been available for at least twenty years in New Zealand. Using a Kaupapa Māori Research framework, this research investigates the benefits and barriers for Māori if they were to adopt GIS to assist their development outcomes. Internationally, indigenous peoples who have adopted GIS have reported they have derived significant cultural development benefits, including the preservation and continuity of traditional knowledge and culture. As Māori development continues to expand in an increasing array of corporate, scientific, management and cultural arenas, the level of intensity required to keep abreast of developments has also expanded. GIS has been used by some roopū to assist their contemporary Māori development opportunities; has been suggested as a cost effective method for spatial research for Waitangi Tribunal claims; has supported and facilitated complex textual and oral evidence, and has also been used to assist negotiation and empowerment at both central and local government level. While many successful uses are attributed to GIS projects, there are also precautionary calls made from practitioners regarding the obstacles they have encountered. Overall, whilst traditional knowledge and contemporary technology has been beneficially fused together, in some instances hidden or unforeseen consequences have impeded or imperilled seamless uptake of this new technology. Challenges to the establishment of a GIS range from the theoretical (mapping cultural heritage) to the practical (access to data) to the pragmatic (costs and resources). The multiple issues inherent in mapping cultural heritage, indigenous cartography and, in particular, the current lack of intellectual property rights protection measures, are also potential barriers to successful, long-term integration of GIS into the tribal development matrix. The key impediments to GIS establishment identified by surveyed roopū were lack of information and human resources, and prioritisation over more critical factors affecting tangata whenua. Respondents also indicated they would utilise GIS if the infrastructure was in place and the cost of establishment decreased. Given the large amount of resources to be invested into GIS, and the opportunity to establish safe practices to ensure continuity of the GIS, it is prudent to make informed decisions prior to investment. As an applied piece of Kaupapa Māori research, a tangible outcome in the form of an establishment Guide is presented. Written in a deliberately novice-friendly manner, the Guide traverses fundamental issues surrounding the establishment of a GIS including investment costs and establishment processes.

<p> Collaborative helping via social networking conversation threads can pose serious challenges in emergency situations. Interfaces that support complex group interaction and sense-making can help. This research applies human-computer interaction (HCI), computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), and collaboration engineering in developing an interactive design, the Mega-Collaboration Tool (MCT). The goal is to reduce the cognitive load of a group&rsquo;s growing mental model, thus increasing the general public&rsquo;s ability to organize spontaneous collaborative helping. </p><p> The specific aims of this research include understanding the dynamics of mental model negotiation and determining whether MCT can assist the group&rsquo;s sense-making ability without increasing net cognitive load. </p><p> The proposed HCI theory is that interfaces supporting collaborative cognition motivate contribution and reduce information bias, thus increasing the information shared. These research questions are addressed: 1. Does MCT support better collaborative cognition? 2. Does increasing the size of the shared data repository increase the amount of information shared? 3. Does this happen because group members experience 1) a greater sense of strategic commitment to the knowledge structure, 2) increased intrinsic motivation to contribute, and 3) reduced resistance to sharing information? </p><p> These questions were affirmed to varying degrees, giving insight into the collaborative process. Greater content did not motive group members directly; instead, half of their motivation came from awareness of their contribution&rsquo;s relevance. Greater content and organization improved this awareness, and also encouraged sharing through increased enthusiasm and reduced bias. Increased commitment was a result of this process, rather than a cause. Also, MCT increased collaborative cognition but was significantly hampered by Internet performance. This challenge indicates MCT&rsquo;s system components should be redesigned to allow asynchronous interaction. These results should contribute to the development of MCT, other collaboration engineering applications, and HCI and information science theory.</p>

碩士<br>國立中興大學<br>環境工程學系<br>86<br>The focus of this research is placed on the application of geographic information systems (GIS) to the routine work of air quality monitoring. Avenue, the built-in programming language of ArcView, is used to integrate GIS with the backward trajectory model and the Kriging interpolation method in order to make GIS a modular tool that supports analysis of the air pollution problems and decision making of the decision makers. This research utilizes the air quality monitoring data of EPA in 1997 to study the air quality situation of the midland of Taiwan, especially the trend of ozone concentration distribution and the reasons resulting in ozone episode days. The transport path of precursors of ozone in ozone episode day is also studied. Furthermore, Kriging standard deviation associated with population density are applied as indexes for the planning of air quality monitoring network in the midland of Taiwan.The results of Kriging analysis for several specific cases indicate that Tienchung town of Changhua county is considered the optimum place for EPA to build a new air quality monitoring station if necessary.This study shows that GIS is a powerful tool which is able to efficiently manage spatially distributed air quality monitoring data. The visualization of the simulated results make the transportation, diffusion and distribution pattern of air pollutant more clear and understandable which is useful for researchers and decision makers to figure out the reasons and solutions of air pollution problems.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005.<br>Advisor: Dr.Gregory Thompson, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences, Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 19, 2005) Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 104 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005.<br>Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-103). Also available online via the Florida State University website (http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/).

The problems posed by alien invasive plants to our environment and the need for clearing and control has been highlighted by the Working for Water (WFW) programme. Alien plant control requires careful planning, including budgeting. To date, costing and budgeting in alien plant control has largely been a combination of experience on the part of weed 'experts', coupled with much guess work. Weed controllers have through experience calculated the amount of time (or the work rate), recorded as labour days, required for different control actions of different weed habits. These work rates are for weed clearance under ideal conditions and do not take into account the effect of factors such as gradient, access and distance to the weed infestation. Factors affecting the work rate has been researched and modelled by researchers in both alien plant control and the timber industry. While the existing work rate model is useful in its present theoretical state, the model may be improved upon to make it more practical and applicable to the varying conditions of different areas. This research built on existing theoretical research on alien control work rates, and concentrated on two main areas: the adaption and incorporation of the existing research on work rates into a Geographical Information System (GIS), and the creation and demonstration of a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) for the management of alien plant control. The eMpofana river in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands was selected as the study area, as there was an existing alien plant control programme. Initially all factors, such as slope, access to weed infestations, terrain and penetrability of infestations, affecting the work rate in the research area were identified. An existing work rate model was then modified to account for the conditions of the research area. Regression analysis was used to derive the relationship between the various factors affecting work rate, creating a work rate model applicable to the study area. Using the results of the regression analysis together with work rate figures adapted from an existing alien plant control programme, a SDSS for alien plant control along the eMpofana River was created. The use of the work rate model and the SDSS in the development of weed control programmes was demonstrated by examining four different management approaches, each having a different management objective . The SDSS provides a spatial component to weed control planning and costing that has thus far not existed. What this research has achieved is the advancement of an alien control work rate model from a theoretical to a more realistic costing process. While some factors affecting work rate may not have been accounted for, the model does address the present inaccuracies in labour costing, and ultimately alien plant control costing. The research has highlighted the disadvantages of GIS in terms of affordability and expertise. The model has wider uses than the eMpofana River, and is the ground work for the further development of a user friendly model applicable throughout South Africa. More effective project budgeting will decrease the likelihood of project failure and this will directly benefit long-term weed control efforts.<br>Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

The study investigated the application of the crime threat analysis process at station level within the Nelson Mandela Metro City area with the objective of determining inhibiting factors (constraints) and best practices. Qualitative research methodology was applied and interviews were conducted with crime analysts and specialised investigators/intelligence analysts. The research design can be best described as descriptive and explorative in nature. The crime threat analysis process embroils the application of various crime analysis techniques and the outcomes thereof intends to have a dual purpose of generating operational crime management information in assisting crime prevention initiatives and crime detection efforts, mainly focussing on the criminal activities of group offenders (organised crime related), repeat offenders and serial offenders. During the study it became evident that crime analysts understand and thus apply the crime threat analysis process indifferently, which impeded on the relevancy and the utilisation thereof as an effective crime management tool.<br>Criminology<br>M.Tech. (Policing)