|
|
Area 1 - DATABASES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
Area 2 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Area 3 - INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION
Area 4 - INTERNET COMPUTING AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Area 1 - DATABASES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
| Title: |
DATA
SOURCES SERVER |
| Author(s): |
Pedro
Pablo Alarcón, Juan Garbajosa, Agustín Yagüe and Carlos García |
| Abstract: |
A proposal for a multi-platform architecture to work with
heterogeneous data sources is presented. It is based on a server that
allows the client applications to work with heterogeneous data sources
(heterogeneous RDBMS, XML files, text files, etc) without needing the
client application part to know any information on the data source. A
prototype based on the proposed architecture and oriented to heterogeneous
RDBMS has been implemented. |
|
| Title: |
DESCRIPTORS
AND META-DOCUMENTS FOR MONO-MEDIA AND MULTIMEDIA DOCUMENTS |
| Author(s): |
Ikram
Amous and Florence Sèdes |
| Abstract: |
This paper presents in the first time the use of XML to
structure media (text, fixed image, sound and animated image) in flexible
and extensible descriptors and in the second one the metadata that can be
extracted from each media. These metadata are stored in an XML document
called ‘meta-document’. To query the mono-media and/or multimedia
documents, we use in queries the two XML documents: the descriptor
(containing the document structures) and the meta-document (containing
metadata) in order to answer and respond better the user needs and
requests. These documents can be queried by languages like XML-QL, XQL,
etc. |
|
| Title: |
ORGANISING
AND MODELLING METADATA FOR MEDIA-BASED DOCUMENTS |
| Author(s): |
Ikram
Amous, Anis Jedidi and Florence Sèdes |
| Abstract: |
One of the main problems of information retrieval on the Web
is the poverty of describing and cataloguing information of different
type. One proposal to cope with this lack consists in introducing the
concept of metadata, to enrich and structure information description and
improve searching relevance We propose here a contribution to extend the
existing the media based metadata by a set of metadata describing
documents resulting from various media (text, image, audio and video).
These metadata are modeled in UML. The schema instantiation is structured
in XML documents, describing the media content and structure. The XML
documents, can be processed by query languages such as XML_QL. |
|
| Title: |
XML-BASED
DOCUMENT TO QUERY A RELATIONAL DATABASE |
| Author(s): |
Wilmondes
Manzi de Arantes Júnior, Christine Verdier and André Flory |
| Abstract: |
This paper deals with the design of a system which creates a
XML document for the different medical information systems-users in order
to display medical information on each computer for reading, modifying and
querying medical data. The system is structured on the main idea to link
relational database (with structured data) and XML (with semi-structured
data). The system works as follows : the medical expert creates a document
(with the help of a HMI) and the system checks the document is
semantically correct, creates the document XML and its DTD, generates
automatically the SQL queries to build the document and to fill in. |
|
| Title: |
MEDIWEB:
A MEDIATOR-BASED ENVIRONMENT FOR DATA INTEGRATION ON THE WEB |
| Author(s): |
Ladjane
S. Arruda, Cláudio S. Baptista and Carlos A. A. Lima |
| Abstract: |
Data integration of heterogeneous information systems has
been investigated for a long time. However, with the advent of the
Internet this problem has gained more attention due to many reasons. One
of the main aims in interoperable systems is to provide in a transparent
way access to the distributed data using a unified view of the whole
system. It is important to mention that the underlying data sources may be
independent and heterogeneous. This paper addresses the problem of data
integration on web-based systems. We present an architecture and design of
a web-based query system in which users, by using an ontology, can specify
their queries and submit to the underlying data sources. These data
sources can be either database systems or XML files. The system interface
uses several devices. 1 INTRODUCTION Data integration of heterogeneous
information systems has been investigated for a long time. However, with
the advent of the Internet this problem has acquired more attention due to
many reasons including different data features - structured,
semi-structured and unstructured data; the increasing demand on semantic
web using, for instance, ontologies for data integration, and the growing
number of applications on the Web which demand system interoperability –
for example, business-to-business and business-to-customer applications.
One of the main aims in interoperable systems is to provide in a
transparent way access to distributed data using a unified view of the
whole system. It is important to mention that the underneath data sources
may be independent and heterogeneous. Molina (Mol at al, 2000) addresses
some general problems concerning system integration: • Data type
differences; • Value differences - different constants might represent
different concepts in different |
|
| Title: |
THE
ROLE OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE FOR PLANNING AND MANAGING FUTURE
INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTEGRATION |
| Author(s): |
Thomas
Birkhölzer and Jürgen Vaupel |
| Abstract: |
Complex IT-environments are characterized by deconstruction
of traditional packaging and consolidation of common infrastructure and
services. In a “consolidated” business environment, the business
success depends crucially on a successful embedding of own systems and
products into the overall environment. This requires more than just some
external interfaces, but coordination with and anticipation of this
environment. This task is described in this paper as “Enterprise
Architecture”. The relation to other architectural roles in software
engineering is similar to the well-understood and established relation
between “city planning” and “building blue-prints” in the building
domain. There is a difference in scale, scope, necessary competences and
methodologies. This paper outlines these distinct roles, their tasks, and
scopes in order to stimulate the understanding summarized in the following
two theses:
- Enterprise Architecture is a necessary and distinct architectural role.
Successful large-scale system development requires appreciation and
inclusion of this role in the IT-engineering process.
- Enterprise Architecture means cross-system coordination with similar
stakeholders, e.g. system development efforts, outside the own business
ownership. This distinguishes Enterprise Architecture from traditional
architectural roles and implies distinct tasks, methodologies, and
required skills. |
|
| Title: |
FSQL:
A FLEXIBLE QUERY LANGUAGE FOR DATA MINING |
| Author(s): |
Ramón
Alberto Carrasco, María Amparo Vila and José Galindo |
| Abstract: |
At present we have a FSQL server available for Oracle©
Databases, programmed in PL/SQL. This server allows us to query a Fuzzy or
Classical Database with the FSQL language (Fuzzy SQL). The FSQL language
is an extension of the SQL language, which permits us to write flexible
(or fuzzy) conditions in our queries to a fuzzy or traditional database.
In this paper we show an extension of FDBR architecture of FSQL for fuzzy
handling of different types of data. The main advantage is that any user
can to define his own fuzzy comparator for any specific problem. We
consider that this model satisfies the requirements of Data Mining systems
(handling of different types of data, high-level language, efficiency,
certainty, interactivity, etc) and this new level of personal
configuration makes the system very useful and flexible. |
|
| Title: |
PREDICATE-BASED
CACHING SCHEME FOR WIRELESS ENVIRONMENTS |
| Author(s): |
Pauline
Chou and Zahir Tari |
| Abstract: |
Wireless computing has recently increased its demand.
Although it provides greater convenience, flexibility to end users,
wireless communication has its limitations such as low bandwidth and long
latency. In addition, mobile devices usually have limited power resources.
To address such limitations, caching techniques (with consistency control
mechanisms) are used to reduce the communication between clients and
servers over wireless networks. In this paper we propose a server-based
broadcasting caching approach that uses predicates to reflect updates in
the broadcasted reports, called Cache Invalidation Reports (CIR). A
predicate mapping function is associated with each attribute, which
produces a binary representation of the attribute. A matching algorithm is
also designed for detecting relevancy between the cache predicate and the
predicates in the CIR. The proposed predicate-based CIR has several
advantages (e.g. efficient in overall bandwidth usage) as it informs the
cache manager which items need to be refreshed, and which ones need to be
discarded. |
|
| Title: |
SEMI-AUTOMATIC
WRAPPER GENERATION AND ADAPTION |
| Author(s): |
Michael
Christoffel, Bethina Schmitt and Jürgen Schneider |
| Abstract: |
The success of the Internet as a medium for the supply and
commerce of various kinds of goods and services leads to a fast growing
number of autonomous and heterogeneous providers that offer and sell goods
and services electronically. The new market structures have already
entered all kinds of markets. Approaches for market infrastructures
usually try to cope with the heterogeneity of the providers by special
wrapper components, which translate between the native protocols of the
providers and the protocol of the market infrastructure. Enforcing a
special interface to the provider limits their independence. Moreover,
requirements such as a direct access to the internal business logic and
databases of the providers or fix templates for internal data structures
are not suitable to establish a real open electronic market. A solution is
the limitation of the access to the existing Web interface of the
provider. This solution keeps the independence of the providers without
burdening them additional work. However, for efficiency reasons, it keeps
necessary to tailor a wrapper for each provider. What comes more, each
change in the provider or its Web representation forces the modification
of the existing wrapper or even the development of a new wrapper. In this
paper, we present an approach for a wrapper for complex Web interfaces,
which can easily be adapted to any provider just by adding a source
description file. A tool allows the construction and modification of
source descriptions without expert knowledge. Common changes in the Web
representation can be detected and comprehended automatically. The
presented approach has been applied to the market of scientific
literature. |
|
| Title: |
A
SYSTEM FOR DATA CHANGE PROPAGATION INHETEROGENEOUS INFORMATION SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
Carmen
Constantinescu, Uwe Heinkel, Ralf Rantzau and Bernhard Mitschang |
| Abstract: |
Today, it is common that enterprises manage several mostly
heterogeneous information systems to supply their production and business
processes with data. There is a need to exchange data between the
information systems while preserving system autonomy. Hence, an
integration approach that relies on a single global enterprise data schema
is ruled out. This is also due to the widespread usage of legacy systems.
We propose a system, called Propagation Manager, which manages
dependencies between data objects stored in different information systems.
A script specifying complex data transformations and other sophisticated
activities, like the execution of external programs, is associated with
each dependency. For example, an object update in a source system can
trigger data transformations of the given source data for each destination
system that depends on the object. Our system is implemented using current
XML technologies. We present the architecture and processing model of our
system and demonstrate the benefit of our approach by illustrating an
extensive example scenario. |
|
| Title: |
TEMPORAL
DATA WAREHOUSING: BUSINESS CASES AND SOLUTIONS |
| Author(s): |
Johann
Eder, Christian Koncilia and Herbert Kogler |
| Abstract: |
Changes in transaction data are recorded in data warehouses
and sophisticated tools allow to analyze these data along time and other
dimensions. But changes in master data and in structures, surprisingly,
cannot be represented in current data warehouse systems impeding their use
in dynamic areas and/or leading to erroneous query results. We propose a
temporal data warehouse architecture to represent structural changes and
permit correct analysis of data over periods with changing master data. We
show how typical business cases involving change in master data can be
solved using this approach and we discuss architectural variants for the
implementation. |
|
| Title: |
A
FRAMEWORK TO ANALYSE MOST CRITICAL WORK PACKAGES IN ERP IMPLEMENTATION
PROJECTS |
| Author(s): |
José
Esteves and Joan A. Pastor |
| Abstract: |
In order to achieve success in a software project, it is
important to define and analyze the most critical processes within the
project. A common approach to define most critical processes is the
Process Quality Management (PQM) method. However, the process structure of
the PQM method is too simple since it only provides one level of process
analysis. Real cases imply project process structures that are more
complex. We have improved the PQM analysis section to provide more depth
to real project structures. This study attempts to analyze this issue in a
specific type of software projects: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
implementation projects. We present a framework to analyze most critical
work packages in ERP implementation projects. We then apply the result of
the analysis to SAP implementation projects. The result is a list of
critical work packages in each phase of a SAP implementation project.
These results show the higher importance of work packages related with
organizational and project management aspects compared with the technical
ones. Therefore, these results evidence the need of project managers to
focus on these work packages. |
|
| Title: |
INFORMATION
ORGANIZER: A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW ON REUSE |
| Author(s): |
Erik
Gyllenswärd, Mladen Kap and Rikard Land |
| Abstract: |
Within one organization, there are often many conceptually
related but technically separated information systems. Many of these are
legacy systems representing enormous developmºp-ç m,ent efforts, and
containing large amounts of data. The integration of these often requires
extensive design modifications. Reusing applications “as is” with all
the knowledge and data they represent would be a much more practical
solution. This paper describes the Business Object Model, a model
providing integration and reuse of existing applications and cross
applications modelling capabilities and a Business Object Framework
implementing the object model. We also present a product supporting the
model and the framework, Information Organizer, and a number of design
patterns that have been built on top of it to further decrease the amount
of work needed to integrate legacy systems. We describe one such pattern
in detail, a general mechanism for reusing relational databases. |
|
| Title: |
A
PROCESS MODEL FOR ENTERPRISE-WIDE DESIGN OF DATA ACQUISITION FOR DATA
WAREHOUSING |
| Author(s): |
Arne
Harren and Heiko Tapken |
| Abstract: |
Data warehouse systems nowadays are well established to
provide a technical fundament to decision support. Due to their integrated
and unified view over data of various operational and external systems
they provide a reliable platform for enterprise-wide, strategic data
analyses and business forecasts. Therefore sound data acquisition with
data from various data sources is crucial at construction time as well as
at maintenance time. Within the scope of this paper we present a process
model for the design of data acquisition processes. Comprehensibility and
maintainability of acquisition processes are achieved by clear distinction
between process descriptions and corresponding implementations.
(Semi-)Automatic derivation of optimized implementations is provided.
Although not limited to a single application domain we mainly focus on the
area of data warehouse systems. In this paper we sketch the underlying
framework and propose the process model. |
|
| Title: |
DATA
INTEGRATION USING THE MONIL LANGUAGE |
| Author(s): |
Mónica
Larre, José Torres, Eduardo Morales and Sócrates Torres |
| Abstract: |
Data integration is the process of extracting and merging
data from multiple heterogeneous sources to be loaded into an integrated
information resource. Solving structural and semantic heterogeneities
between source and target data is the most complex problem for data
integration. With the appearance of Data Warehouse technology, the
developing of tools for effectively exploiting source data to populate
Data Warehouses, has become a challenging issue. This paper describes an
integration language called MONIL as an alternative to solve integration
problems. MONIL is an expressive programming language based on: a) An
integration metamodel, b) A set of built-in conversion functions, and c)
An algorithm to automatically suggest integration correspondences. MONIL
language is embedded in a framework with a set of tools to develop, store
and execute integration programs following a 3-phase integration process.
When a MONIL program is executed, MONIL code is translated into both Java
language and JDBC commands. The MONIL Language has been sucessfully used
to integrate several sources with different levels of heterogeneity. |
|
| Title: |
DIDAFIT:
DETECTING INTRUSIONS IN DATABASES THROUGH FINGERPRINTING TRANSACTIONS |
| Author(s): |
Wai
Lup Low, Joseph Lee and Peter Teoh |
| Abstract: |
The most valuable information assets of an organization are
often stored in databases and it is pertinent for such organizations to
ensure the integrity and confidentiality of their databases. With the
proliferation of ecommerce sites that are backed by database systems,
databases that are available online 247 are ubiquitous. Data in these
databases ranges from credit card numbers to personal medical records.
Failing to protect these databases from intrusions will result in loss of
customers’ confidence and might even result in lawsuits. Database
intrusion refers to the unauthorized access and misuse of database
systems. Database intrusion detection systems identify suspicious,
abnormal or downright malicious accesses to the database system. However,
there is little existing work on detecting intrusions in databases. We
present a technique that can efficiently identify anomalous accesses to
the database. Our technique charaterizes legitimate accesses through
fingerprinting their constituent SQL statements. These fingerprints are
then used to detect illegitimate accesses. We illustrate how this
technique can be used in a typical client-server database system setup.
Experimental results show that the technique is efficient and scales up
well. Our contributions include introducing a novel process for
fingerprinting SQL statements and developing an efficient technique to
detect anomalous database accesses. |
|
| Title: |
AN
INTEGRATED OBJECT DATABASE AND DESCRIPTION LOGIC SYSTEM FOR ONLINE CONTENT
AND EVENT-BASED INDEXING AND RETRIEVAL OF A CAR PARK SURVEILLANCE VIDEO |
| Author(s): |
Farhi
Marir, Kamel Zerzour and Karim Ouazzane |
| Abstract: |
This paper addresses the need for a semantic video-object
approach for efficient storage and manipulation of video data to respond
to the needs of several classes of potential applications when efficient
management and deductions over voluminous data are involved. We present
the VIGILANT model for content and event-based retrieval of video images
and clips using automatic annotation and indexing of contents and events
representing the extracted features and recognised objects in the images
captured by a video camera in a car park environment. The underlying
video-object model combines Object-Oriented modelling (OO) techniques and
Description Logics (DLs) Knowledge representation. The OO technique models
the static aspects of video clips and instances and their indexes will be
stored in an Object-Oriented Database. The DLs model will extend the OO
model to cater for the inherent dynamic content descriptions of the video,
as events tend to spread over a sequence of frames |
|
| Title: |
A
MODEL FOR ADVANCED QUERY CAPABILITY DESCRIPTION IN MEDIATOR SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
Alberto
Pan, Paula Montoto, Anastasio Molano, Manuel Álvarez, Juan Raposo and
Ángel Viña |
| Abstract: |
Mediator systems aim to provide an unified global data
schema over distributed heterogeneous structured and semi-structured data
sources. These systems must deal with limitations on the query
capabilities of the sources. This paper introduces a new framework for
representing source query capability along with the algorithms needed to
compute the query capabilities of the global schema from sources. Our
approach for computing query capabilities is able to support a richer
capabilities representation framework than the ones previously presented
in the literature. We show that those approaches are insufficient to
properly represent many real sources, and how our approach can solve those
limitations. |
|
| Title: |
USING
FULL MATCH CLASSES FOR SELF-MAINTENANCE OF MEDIATED VIEWS |
| Author(s): |
Valéria
Magalhães Pequeno and Vãnia Maria Ponte Vidal |
| Abstract: |
Sharing information among multiple heterogeneous and
autonomous data sources has emerged as a new and strategic requirement in
modern enterprises. In this paper, we use a mediator-based approach for
integrating multiple heterogeneous data sources. The mediator supports
materialized views (mediated views) which are stored in a centralized
repository. The queries on the view can be processed directly from the
integrated view, with no need for accessing the remote sources. The main
difficulty with this approach is to maintain the consistency of the
materialized view with respect to the source databases updates. Usually,
match classes are not self-maintainable. In a prior paper, we presented a
technique for self-maintenance of full match classes. In this work, we
show how to make other types of match classes self-maintainable by using
full match classes as auxiliary classes. |
|
| Title: |
PROPOSING
A METHOD FOR PLANNING THE MATERIALISATION OF VIEWS IN A DATA WAREHOUSE |
| Author(s): |
Alexander
Prosser |
| Abstract: |
Data warehouses store multidimensional and aggregate data
for analysis and decision support. The question arises which aggregates
should be materialised given user access profiles. The paper proposes the
Aggregation Path Array (APA) as a framework for (i) systematically
representing all cubes that can be derived from a given set of dimensions
and hierarchy levels in a compact way, (ii) representing the cubes which
are of interest to the users, (iii) finding out which cubes can be derived
from a given materialised cube (=view), and (iv) to support the decision
which cubes to materialise by showing the ceteris paribus “net effect”
of materialising a certain cube. The paper also presents a software tool
to implement the method shown which is available as freeware from
http://erp.wu-wien.ac.at/install.exe. |
|
| Title: |
DATA
REPRESENTATION IN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
Claudia
Raibulet and Claudio Demartini |
| Abstract: |
The specification and implementation of data related to
heterogeneous resources are still actual problems in industrial systems in
spite of the variety of data storage models and technologies available on
the market today. And this is because industrial resources have associated
proprietary specifications and implementations for their related data. The
paper proposes two possible solutions to these problems. The first
specifies a Distributed Repository Model that aims at providing a
unified/common view of the heterogeneous resources in an industrial
system. This approach makes use of the ISO 10303 standard. The second
proposes the definition of an industrial-specific language that provides
the syntax and the rules to create logical data models for industrial
systems. It is based on the eXtensible Markup Language. Both approaches
are independent of any implementation detail and/or storage-model
architecture. A comparison of the two solutions is provided at the end of
the paper. |
|
| Title: |
D-ANTICIP:
A PROTOCOL SUITABLE FOR DISTRIBUTED REAL-TIME TRANSACTIONS |
| Author(s): |
Bruno
Sadeg, Samia Saad-Bouzefrane and Laurent Amanton |
| Abstract: |
Many problems arise when we address issues on distributed
real-time database systems (DRTDBMSs). A distributed database consists in
general of a database located in a main site, the master, where is
executed the coordinator process and of other databases located in other
sites, the participant sites, where are executed cohort processes. The
main problem is then to maintain the distributed database consistency
while insuring that the transactions meet their deadlines. Even, in
centralized RTDBMSs, this objective is difficult to reach. When the
database is distributed the problem is much more difficult due to the
communication delays. Hence, one of problems to solve is to manage
efficiently real-time subtransactions in participant sites. A
subtransaction is a part of a global transaction that executes within a
participant site. In this paper, we present a protocol (D-ANTICIP) a that
permits to enhance subtransactions performances, enhancing then the global
transactions performances. Simulation results show that the mechanism we
have used increases the number of subtransactions that meet their
deadlines in comparison with the traditional two-phase commit protocol. |
|
| Title: |
USING
DATA MINING TECHNIQUES TO ANALYZE CORRESPONDENCES BETWEEN PARTITIONS |
| Author(s): |
D.
Sánchez, J.M. Serrano, M.A.Vila, V. Aranda, J. Calero and G. Delgado |
| Abstract: |
In many occasions, information and knowledge employed to
make decisions about a certain topic come from different sources. The
fusion of information is needed in order to facilitate its analysis,
comparison and exploitation. One particular case is that of having two
different classifications (partitions) of the same set of objects. A first
step to integrate them is to study their possible correspondence. In this
paper we introduce several kinds of possible correspondences between
partitions, and we propose the use of data mining techniques to measure
its accuracy. For that purpose, partitions are represented as relational
tables, and correspondences are identified with association rules and
approximate dependencies. The accuracies of the former are then measured
by means of accuracy measures of the latter, and some results relating
accuracy values to correspondence cases are shown. Finally, we provide
some examples of application of our proposal in a real-world problem, the
integration of user and scientific classification of soils, that is of
primary interest for decision making in agricultural environments. |
|
| Title: |
A
HIERARCHICAL APPROACH TO COMPLEX DATA CUBE QUERIES |
| Author(s): |
Rebecca
Boon-Noi Tan and Guojun Lu |
| Abstract: |
Data Cube has become a topical issue among the research
community for its multidimensional presentation of data. However, there is
no existing data cube query classification technique that covers all the
aspect of data cube queries model. In this paper, we propose a
comprehensive study of complex data cube queries in OLAP. A query
classification is essential, especially to exploit the full capacity of
data cube queries. The classification is also essential for query
optimization purposes as it now becomes clear that the types of data cube
queries need to be optimized. Consequently, the domain of query
optimization is determined by the scope of data cube queries. |
|
| Title: |
IMPLEMENTATION
OF FUZZY CLASSIFICATION QUERY LANGUAGE IN RELATIONAL DATABASES USING
STORED PROCEDURES |
| Author(s): |
Yauheni
Veryha |
| Abstract: |
A framework of the fuzzy classification query language
(fCQL) for data mining in information systems is presented. The fuzzy
classification query language provides easy-to-use functionality for data
extraction similar to the conventional non-fuzzy classification and SQL
querying. The developed prototype is based on the stored procedures and
database extensions of Microsoft SQL Server 2000. It can be used as data
mining tool in large information systems and easily integrated with
conventional relational databases. The benefits of using the presented
approach include high flexibility for data analysis, user-friendly data
presentation at the report generation phase and additional data security
features due to the introduction of additional viewbased data layer. |
|
| Title: |
AN
XML-BASED VIRTUAL PATIENT RECORDS SYSTEM FOR HEALTHCARE ENTERPRISES |
| Author(s): |
Zhang
Xiaoou and Pung Hung Keng |
| Abstract: |
With the advent of shared care, there is a need to integrate
patient records which spread in disparate information systems. In this
paper, the design and implementation of an XML-based Virtual Patient
Records System, XVPRS, is described. It uses World Wide Web to consolidate
patient data across multiple organizations. The system uses XML-encoded
HL7 as the application level protocol between legacy systems and XML as
the main information format in the system itself. XVPRS also demonstrates
how to transmit and process a clinical document using CDA. Our experience
in XVPRS shows that using XML as the primary information format not only
simplifies the development of single information system but also
facilitates information integration among enterprise systems. |
|
| Title: |
IMPORTING
XML DOCUMENTS TO RELATIONAL DATABASES |
| Author(s): |
Ale
Gicqueau |
| Abstract: |
XML has made such a big impression on the technology
industry that many thought that XML databases would eventually replace
more traditional RDBMS. Now that IT professionals have started to
implement viable XML solutions and the first excitement and sensation
generated by this new technology has passed, we are realizing that XML and
RDBMS can be considered complementary technologies. In fact, the value
brought by the intelligent use of these combined technologies is
significant because their individual strengths reside in very different
areas. XML has become the lingua franca for data exchange between
heterogeneous systems because it is text-based, platform independent,
license free with a self-descriptive nature to present information and its
structure. However, in many instances, you still need a traditional
relational database like Oracle, DB2 or SQL Server to store, query and
manipulate this data as XML is still inefficient as a data storage and
access mechanism. Relational databases are by far the most commonly-used
type of database today because it provides superior querying abilities,
reduced data set size and richer data type support. For this reason, RDBMS
and XML are here to stay and it is imperative to know how to map XML
documents to relational databases. After reviewing the differences between
XML and RDBMS format, this session will present you with programmatic ways
and methods to import XML documents corresponding to any DTD into any
relational database. |
|
| Title: |
MANAGING
UNCERTAIN TRAJECTORIES OF MOVING OBJECTS WITH DOMINO |
| Author(s): |
Goce
Trajcevski, Ouri Wolfson, Cao Hu, Hai Lin, Fengli Zhang and Naphtali Rishe |
| Abstract: |
This work describes the features of the DOMINO (Database fOr
MovINg Objects) system, which brings several novelties to the problem of
managing moving objects databases. Our robust model of a trajectory
captures the inherent parameter of uncertainty of the moving objects
location, which impacts both the semantics of spatio – temporal queries
and the algorithms for their processing. In DOMINO, we present a set of
novel operators which capture the spatial, temporal and uncertainty
aspects of a moving object. The operators are implemented as UDFs (User
Defined Functions) on top of existing ORDBMS and can be used for answering
queries and generating notification triggers. DOMINO’s implementation,
in which ORDBMS are coupled with other systems, seamlessly integrates
several technologies: 1. existing electronic maps are used to generate the
trajectory plan on behalf of a mobile user; 2. real-time traffic sources
are used to automatically update the moving object’s trajectories; 3.
powerful (web-browser) GUI enables users to monitor and pose queries about
objects. |
|
| Title: |
AN
INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR FINDING ENROUTE BEST ALTERNATE ROUTE |
| Author(s): |
M.
A. Anwar and S. Hameed |
| Abstract: |
Finding a good route for traveling has been a necessity of
human beings and also one of the major problems faced by the
transportation industry. The huge and complicated road network in a modern
country makes it difficult to find a best route for traveling from one
place to another and in developing countries this problem becomes more
complex and complicated due to small number of inevitable links and
road-track-crossing links, etc. The route searched by the shortest path
algorithm alone may be a shortest one but could not guaranteed as a best
route because many irrelevant/unusable road segments may be the part of
the solution. Moreover, enROUTE emergencies may cause already decided
route unusable or more time is required than in normal situations. In this
paper, we discuss and propose adhoc database changes to find enroute best
alternate route in case of any emergency. We also used knowledge-based
techniques. |
|
| Title: |
DATA
MODELING FOR THE PURPOSE OF DATABASE DESIGN USING ENTITYRELATIONSHIP MODEL
AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS |
| Author(s): |
Joseph
Barjis and Samuel Chong |
| Abstract: |
Database is the core of most Information Systems. While
developing a new information system or analyzing an existing one, the
analyst definitely has to deal with analysis and design of database as
well. In order to design and develop a successful database application, it
is very important to apply an appropriate modeling and formalization
technique while building a conceptual model. In this paper the authors
demonstrate the application of two modeling techniques for conceptual
modeling of database application. The first one is semantic analysis,
which is founded on the semiotic principles and the second is the
Entity-Relationship (ER) model, which is a popular high-level conceptual
data model. For illustration of these techniques in practice, the paper
introduces a ‘Car Dealership’ case study. By way of the case study,
this paper will demonstrate how the semantic analysis and its deliverable
can add value to the ER model. |
|
| Title: |
TOOLKIT
FOR QOS MONITORING IN MIDDLEWARE |
| Author(s): |
Peter
Bodorik, Shawn Best and Dawn Jutla |
| Abstract: |
Problems associated with provisioning of Quality of Service
(QoS) include negotiation and renegotiation of QoS level contracts between
clients and servers, monitoring of services and system parameters,
estimating performance by modeling, storage and management of data
describing the system state, management of resources for QoS, and others.
This paper describes a toolkit, developed for the Java platform, that
facilitates monitoring of middleware components of e-business
applications, particularly when they are accessing DBs. The toolkit
provides for use of classes to measure delays of critical activities to
“probe” the state of the system. The tookkit provides agents that
collect and report data, and agents that initiate probes to obtain data on
the system performance. Also provided is an agent that controls these
monitoring activities. This approach is applicable to any QoS in which
delays of activities need to be measured and which require probing the
system to determine its state. |
|
| Title: |
WEB
APPLICATION MAKER |
| Author(s): |
Miguel
Calejo, Mário Araújo, Sónia Mota Araújo and Nuno Soares |
| Abstract: |
Declarativa's Web Application Maker (WAM) is a software
development tool to build and maintain web interface front-ends to
relational database back-ends, using a model-based approach. To specify
interfaces it pragmatically extends a mainstream database application
model: the relational database schema itself. Interface generating
capabilities are available to the application programmer at runtime,
minimizing the traditional conflict between model-based and customized
code. The initial WAM prototype supports Microsoft SQL Server and Active
Server Pages, for Windows and Macintosh browsers, and is being used in
several customer projects. |
|
| Title: |
USING
PERSISTENT JAVA TO CONSTRUCT A GIS |
| Author(s): |
Mary
Garvey, Mike Jackson and Martin Roberts |
| Abstract: |
Object oriented databases (OODB) have been portrayed as
being the solution for complex applications such as Geographical
Information Systems (GIS). One problem found with current GIS is that they
concentrate on spatial data, rather than aspatial, ideally both should be
able to be accessed within the one system. This paper discusses the
development of a GIS that integrates both environments, which uses an
object-oriented database and persistent programming technology. |
|
| Title: |
VIRTUAL
REALITY WEB-BASED ENVIRONMENT FOR WORKCELL PLANNING IN AN AUTOMOTIVE
ASSEMBLY |
| Author(s): |
Oleg
Gusikhin, Erica Klampfl, Giuseppe Rossi, Celestine Aguwa, Gene Coffman and
Terry Marinak |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes a new distributed, interactive software
system to plan and optimize the layout of workcells in an automotive
assembly line environment. The new system integrates a web-based client
server architecture, a Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) interface,
and mathematical algorithms capable of computing the total time required
to complete a given sequence of tasks within a workcell. The system is
designed to facilitate collaboration between the different functions that
participate in the assembly line planning process. |
|
| Title: |
PERSISTENCE
FRAMEWORK FOR MULTIPLE LEGACY DATABASES |
| Author(s): |
Sai
Peck Lee and Chin Heong Khor |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes the development of an object
persistence framework in the Java language to work with different storage
mechanisms, while concentrating on transparency and reusability aspects.
The persistence framework is made up of reusable and extendable sets of
classes that provide services for persistence objects such as for
translation of objects to records to be saved in a certain type of
relational database and translation of records to objects when retrieving
from the database. It supports storage in relational databases, flat
files, e-mail servers, and the ObjectStore object database. The framework
was found to be successful in providing basic persistence services while
maintaining transparency. |
|
| Title: |
INTRODUCING
AN ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) SYSTEM IN A HOSPITAL |
| Author(s): |
Steve
C. A. Peters |
| Abstract: |
The introduction of integrated systems like ERP systems in
service organisations often leads to unforeseen problems. Even when all
necessary conditions for good project management are fulfilled, the
implementation project gives problems. After our research with financial
services companies we studied a similar project in a hospital. Based on
our findings we developed a model explaining the reasons for the problems
and suggesting another approach using a multi layer agent system to
support the knowledge intensive processes. |
|
| Title: |
STATE-SENSITIVE
DESIGN OF DATABASE TRANSACTIONS |
| Author(s): |
Yoshiyuki
Shinkawa and Masao J. Matsumoto |
| Abstract: |
Many of the programs in enterprise information systems are
performed in the form of database transactions. Unlike ordinary programs
or modules, programs in this form do not transform input data uniquely
into output data, whereas those in the ordinary forms transform input data
uniquely. This non-deterministic property of database transactions causes
the program semantics and correctness to be subtle, and make the design of
enterprise information systems difficult. In addition, most enterprise
business processes and operations are composed of those transactions, and
designing such processes and operations is also a hard task because of the
above non-determinism. This paper presents a formal approach to dealing
with non-deterministic property of database transactions from enterprise
information system and business process viewpoints. First we discuss the
environmental characteristics that affect database transactions and
business processes. Next we present a way to deal with concurrent
transaction processing and state transition in an enterprise information
system, which cause the non-determinism. Then we extend the discussion
from single transaction to a complex of partially ordered transactions,
which is referred to as a business process. Lastly, we consider
non-determinism in inter-enterprise business processes which are often
implemented as web-based collaboration systems. |
|
| Title: |
DESIGNING
AN OBJECT AND QUERY CACHE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR CODAR DATABASE ADAPTER |
| Author(s): |
Zahir
Tari, Abdelkamel Tari and Vincent Dupin |
| Abstract: |
CODAR is a CORBA-based adapter, designed at by the
Distributed Object Research Group at RMIT University. It enables
transparently making object persistent across different databases,
including relational and object-oriented databases. CODAR is an extension
of the OMG’s Portable Object Adapter (POA) to deal with specific aspects
of the life cycle of persistent distributed objects. The first version of
CODAR (Tari et al., 2002) had all the required core functionalities,
however it failed to provide appropriate performance required by most of
distributed applications. This paper presents an extension of CODAR to
include an appropriate caching technique so better performance are
obtained. Because CODAR also deals with (SQL) queries, object and query
caches were proposed. The former caches generic collections so they can be
re-used in later interactions, whereas the query cache deals with the
eviction of objects based on several parameters (e.g. number of
collections, frequency of access and update, cost of remote retrieval). A
multi-level queue is designed to efficiently deal with the eviction of
objects. |
|
| Title: |
MODELING
RELATIONAL DATA BY THE ADJACENCY MODEL |
| Author(s): |
Jari
Töyli, Matti Linna and Merja Wanne |
| Abstract: |
The World-Wide-Web contains data that cannot be constrained
by a schema. Another source for such data is heterogenous corporate
systems which are integrated in order to get better service for the users.
Such data is commonly called semistructured data. Semistructured data has
been under intensive investigation during the last few years. The main
focus of interest has been on the development of new data models and new
query languages. The most widely used data model for representing
semistructured data is a graph-like or tree-like structure. The problem is
to develop a model which could be all-embracing. In order to develop such
a model we have introduced a new model called the Adjacency Model (AM).
Our model is a general model which can be used to represent semistructured
data as well as relational data. |
|
| Title: |
THE
MILLENNIUM INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS) FOR EUROPEAN PUBLIC HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT NETWORK (EPHEN) |
| Author(s): |
Frank
Wang, Ruby Sharma, Na Helian, Farhi Marir and Yau Jim Yip |
| Abstract: |
The European Public Health and Environment Network (EPHEN)
had a pressing need to change the way their work activities were
conducted. The aim of this project is to create a multi-user network
information system to automate the daily activities carried out by the
members’ of EPHEN. An integral part of the system will be the addition
of a personalised internal email system to facilitate the flow of
communication within the group. Also an innovative element will be
integrated into the system to promote health awareness, especially as
EPHEN’s primary concern is to encourage public health in society. |
|
| Title: |
AN
ELECTRONIC SCIENTIFIC NOTEBOOK: METADATA AND DATABASE DESIGN FOR
MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY DATA |
| Author(s): |
Laura
Bartolo, Austin Melton, Monica Strah, Cathy Lowe, Louis Feng and Christopher
Woolverton |
| Abstract: |
This work in progress defines a user-based approach in the
effective organization and management of data objects generated within a
scientific laboratory from data creation to long-term use. The project
combines a computer science approach of database systems with an
information science approach of metadata formatting to organize and tag
laboratory data. Long-term goals of this project include 1) learning how
to organize and store biotechnology information, from raw data to finished
research papers and electronic presentations, in formats which will
encourage multidisciplinary use of the information; 2) applying the
organizing knowledge gained and tools developed in storing biotechnology
information to the storage of other similar scientific information; 3)
developing an environment in which scientific information from different
disciplines can be made more easily accessible by and meaningful to
multidisciplinary research teams; and 4. ) constructing electronic
scientific notebooks for the storage, retrieval, and dissemination of
multidisciplinary scientific information. |
|
| Title: |
THE
IMPACT OF CHANGE ON IT PROFESSIONALS |
| Author(s): |
Matthew
C. F. Lau and Rebecca B. N. Tan |
| Abstract: |
This paper presents the results of an online survey carried
out to establish the impact of change on Information Technology (IT)
professionals in Singapore. The online questionnaire survey covered two
major issues - the extent of the impact of change, and management
response. It was found that most of the organizations are in the advanced
stage of IT maturity, with a large majority having client/server
technology implemented in consultation with staff and providing
professional development for them. Though most of the respondents found
their new role more exciting after implementing change and that their
preferred career path is towards a management role with more varied
skills, a significant percentage were interested in higher remuneration as
well and not ruling out moving to better paid positions even in a volatile
market. These findings are of practical significance for organizations
involved in change management in general and in improving IT change
management policies and strategies in particular, in today’s
ever-changing business environment. |
|
Area 2 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
| Title: |
SEMIQUALITATIVE
REASONING FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT BY CONSTRAINT PROGRAMMI |
| Author(s): |
Pedro
J. Abad, Antonio J. Suárez, Sixto Romero and Juan A. Ortega |
| Abstract: |
This paper presents a new approach for problem of the human
effort estimation in software development projects (SDP). It represents a
variation to the work presented by the same authors in the Third
International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems
[Suarez&Abad’01]. The subsystem of human resources of the
Abdel-Hamid’s dynamic system is simulated in a semiqualitative way. In
this approach we mix the purely qualitative information with the
quantitative one to offer more precise results than obtained in the
precedent work. We use CSP (Constrains Satisfaction Problem) for modelling
the human resource subsystem. This way we generate a program under the
constraint-programming paradigm that contains all the restrictions that
should be full satisfied. Results of the simulation offer us a
quantitative and qualitative idea of the necessity of human resources in
software project. |
|
| Title: |
INSURANCE
MARKET RISK MODELING WITH HIERARCHICAL FUZZY RULE BASED SYSTEMS |
| Author(s): |
R.
Alcalá, O. Cordón, F. Herrera and I. Zwir |
| Abstract: |
The continued development of large, sophisticated,
repositories of knowledge and information has facilitated the
accessibility to vast amounts of data about complex objects and their
behavior. However, in spite of the recent renewed interest in
knowledge-discovery techniques (or data mining), the usefulness of these
databases is partially limited by the inability to understand the
system-related characteristics of the data. Some applications from the
financial or insurance market –such the ones concerned with risk
analysis– require to meet solutions that emphasize precision while
aiding to understand and validate their structure and relations. We
present results about an ongoing project being carried out by the
Argentinian State Insurance Agency for tracking the status of the
insurance companies, i.e., for screening and analyzing their condition
through time. Specifically in this paper, we will tackle with the modeling
of the mathematical reserves of the premiums, or risk reserves, of the
insurance companies in the local insurance market. To do so, we propose
the use of Linguistic Modeling which is one of the most important
applications of Fuzzy Rule-Based Systems. Particularly, we apply
Hierarchical Linguistic Modeling with the aim of obtaining the desired
trade-off between accuracy and interpretability of the system modeled,
i.e., decomposing such nonlinear systems into a number of simpler
linguistically interpretable subproblems. The achieved results will be
also compared with global hierarchical methods and other system modeling
techniques, such as classical regressions and neural networks. |
|
| Title: |
NEURAL
NETWORKS AND WAVELETS FOR FACE RECOGNITION |
| Author(s): |
Li
Bai and Yihui Liu |
| Abstract: |
In this paper we present two novel face recognition methods
based on wavelets and neural networks: one combines wavelets with
eigenfaces, the other uses wavelets only. We also discuss face recognition
methods based on orthogonal basis vectors such as the eigenface and
fisherface methods. Though in different shapes and forms, there is
something common in all the face recognition methods mentioned - they all
involve producing a new set of orthogonal basis vectors to re-represent
face images. We report the results of our extensive experiments on the new
methods. Though there have been many pattern recognition methods based on
wavelets and neural networks, our methods are novel in the sense that they
either combine wavelets and eigenfaces in a novel way, or apply wavelets
on 2D face images represented as 1D signals. Both methods have achieved
better recognition rates than the known methods in the literature. The
experiments are conducted on the ORL face database using a hierarchical
radial basis function neural network classifier. |
|
| Title: |
SUPPORTING
ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS WITH AN INTELLIGENT COMPLIANCE AGENT A WAY TO
ENSURE A STANDARD COMPLIED PROCESS |
| Author(s): |
Larry
Y. C. Cheung, Paul W. H. Chung and Ray J. Dawson |
| Abstract: |
Current workflow management systems (WfMSs) lack the ability
to ensure a process is planned and performed in accord with a particular
standard. The current best practice of providing reliable systems is to
embody the development process in recent industry safety standards and
guidelines, such as IEC 61508. These standards are generic, however, their
every application is different because of the differences in project
details. Our Compliance Flow research project aims to provide support for
handing standard complied, complex, ad-hoc, dynamic changing, and
collaborative engineering design process. This paper describes the use of
an intelligent compliance agent, called Inspector, in Compliance Flow to
ensure a standard complied process. The standard that the design process
intended to be complied with is required to be modelled using the Standard
Modelling Language in advanced in order to facilitate the compliance check
performed by Inspector. The modelling is performed by means of a software
tool called Standard Modeller in the system. Some examples drawing on a
draft version of IEC 61508 are used to illustrate the mechanism of the
modelling of standards and the compliance check. |
|
| Title: |
APPLICABILITY
OF ESTIMATION OF DISTRIBUTION ALGORITHMS TO THE FUZZY RULE LEARNING
PROBLEM: A PRELIMINARY STUDY |
| Author(s): |
M.
Julia Flores and José A. Gámez |
| Abstract: |
Nowadays, the machine learning is one of the most relevant
problems in the computational scientific world. It results specially
attractive to learn models showing both a predictive and descriptive
behaviour at the same time. It is also desirable for these models to be
able to deal with uncertainty and vagueness, inherent in almost every real
world problem. Fuzzy Linguistic Rule-Based Systems represent one of the
models that have all these features. Recently a methodology to learn such
systems has been proposed: it treats the problem as a combinatorial
optimization task. Several evolutionary algorithms have been used to guide
the search, such as ant colonybased algorithms. In this paper, we propose
to study the applicability of a family within evolutionary algorithms that
has recently appeared: estimation of distribution algorithms. Since this
is a first approach, we will focus on the simplest variants of this
family, for example those based on univariate models. The experiments that
have been carried out show them as competitive with regard to other
evolutionary algorithms, e.g. genetic algorithms, with the advantage of
requesting less input parameters and using fewer generations in one of the
studied cases. |
|
| Title: |
GROUP
DECISION MAKING BASED ON THE LINGUISTIC 2-TUPLE MODEL IN HETEROGENEOUS
CONTEXTS |
| Author(s): |
F.
Herrera and L. Martínez |
| Abstract: |
Lot of activities carried out in the enterprise implies
Group Decision Making processes. In Group Decision Making is difficult
that all experts have an exact knowledge about the problem. At the
begining, Group Decision Making problems manage uncertainty with real
values within a predefined range, soon interval valued approaches were
proposed and more recently fuzzy-interval valued and linguistic approaches
have obtained successfull results. In this paper, we shall deal with Group
Decision Making problems in which the experts can express their knowledge
over the alternatives using different types of information: numerical,
interval valued, fuzzy-interval valued or the linguistic one, that is
called Heterogeneous Information. The main problem to deal with
heterogeneous information is: how to aggregate it?. The aim of the
contribution is to develop an aggregation method able to combine all
different types of information in the decision process. To do so, we shall
use the the linguistic 2-tuple representation model. |
|
| Title: |
USING
ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS TO PROVE HYPOTHETIC CAUSE-ANDEFFECT RELATIONS:
A METAMODEL-BASED APPROACH TO SUPPORT STRATEGIC DECISIONS |
| Author(s): |
Christian
Hillbrand and Dimitris Karagiannis |
| Abstract: |
Decision models which are based on recent management
approaches often integrate cause-and-effect relations in order to identify
critical operational measures for a strategic goal. Designers of Decision
or Executive Support Systems implementing such a model face the problem
that many of the supporting indicators are of non-financial nature (e.g.:
customer satisfaction, efficiency of certain business processes, etc.) and
cannot be easily quantified as a consequence. Since
fuzzy-logic-applications provide numerous specific approaches in this
area, our interest focuses on another issue which arises in this context:
Due to this lack of numeric assessability of many lag indicators, the
interdependencies between those figures cannot be formally described like
between financial ratios. In this work, we propose an approach to overcome
some shortcomings of many DSS/ESS which force their users to make unproven
assumptions about existing interrelations: Because the accuracy of these
hypotheses is one of the key quality issues of a decision model we provide
a framework to evaluate and prove hypothetic cause-and-effect relations by
the use of Artificial Neural Networks. |
|
| Title: |
SUPPORTING
THE OPTIMISATION OF DISTRIBUTED DATA MINING BY PREDICTING APPLICATION RUN
TIMES |
| Author(s): |
Shonali
Krishnaswamy, Seng Wai Loke and Arkady Zaslavsky |
| Abstract: |
There is an emerging interest in optimisation strategies for
distributed data mining in order to improve response time. Optimisation
techniques operate by first identifying factors that affect the
performance in distributed data mining, computing/assigning a “cost”
to those factors for alternate scenarios or strategies and then choosing a
strategy that involves the least cost. In this paper we propose the use of
application run time estimation as solution to estimating the cost of
performing a data mining task in different distributed locations. A priori
knowledge of the response time provides a sound basis for optimisation
strategies, particularly if there are accurate techniques to obtain such
knowledge. In this paper we present a novel rough sets based technique for
predicting the run times of applications. We also present experimental
validation of the prediction accuracy of this technique for estimating the
run times of data mining tasks. |
|
| Title: |
STRATEGIC
POSITION OF FIRMS IN TERMS OF CLIENT’S NEEDS USING LINGUISTIC AND
NUMERICAL INFORMATION THROUGH A NEW MODEL OF SOFM |
| Author(s): |
Raquel
Flórez López |
| Abstract: |
The analysis of the strategic position of firms working in a
specific market is very useful to understand the strengths and weakness of
each company and to develop successful competitive positions [Porter,
1986]. In that way, there are many variables that influent the relative
situation of companies, more of them expressed in linguistic terms (‘strong’,
‘weak’, ‘leadership’, etc). Even when classical statistical
techniques, like Principal Component Analysis or Factorial Analysis, are
very robust in mathematical terms, they do not allow integrating this sort
of ‘fuzzy’ information in the model, reducing its efficiency.
Additionally, these methods consider very restrictive initial hypotheses
that used not to be fulfilled by data, not obtaining a global map over the
final situation of enterprises but partial representations based on
general combinations of them (factors). The employment of the Fuzzy Sets
Theory and specially the 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic method to combine both
numerical and linguistic information, together to the Artificial Neural
Net known as Self Organizing Feature Map [Kohonen, 1990] permits to
improve the whole positioning, obtaining an only final map that considers
all disposable data in an efficient way and lets observe the relative
distance among firms. |
|
| Title: |
A
CASE-BASED EXPERT SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING THE COST OF REFURBISHING
CONSTRUCTION BUILDINGS |
| Author(s): |
Farhi
Marir , Frank Wang and Karim Ouazzane |
| Abstract: |
CBRefurb is a case-based reasoning (CBR) system for the
strategic cost estimation for building refurbishment. This domain is
characterised by many uncertainties and variation. Its cost estimation
involves large amount of interrelated factors whose impact is difficult to
assess. This paper report on the problems faced by the building cost
information Services (BCIS) databases and several rule-based expert
systems to tackle this complex cost estimation problem and, the design and
evaluation of CBRefurb system implemented using ReMind Shell. CBRefurb
imitates the domain expert in its approach of breaking down the whole
building work into smaller work (building items) by organising the
refurbishment cases as a hierarchical structure composed of cases and
subcases. The process of estimation imitates the expert by considering
only these pieces of previous cases of similar situation (or context). For
this purpose, CBRefurb defines some of the building and its component (or
items) features as a global context and local context information used to
classify cases and subcases into context cases and subcases, and to
decompose the cost estimation problem into adaptable subproblems. This is
followed by a two indexing schemes to suit the hierarchical structure of
the case and the problem decomposition and to allow classification and
retrieval of contextual cases. CBRefurb features consolidate the aim of
the project that is allowing multiple retrieval of appropriate pieces of
the refurbishment which are easier to adapt, reflecting the expert method
of estimating cost for complex refurbishment work. |
|
| Title: |
DATA
MINING MECHANISMS IN KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM |
| Author(s): |
I-Heng
Meng, Wei-Pang Yang, Wen-Chih Chen and Lu-Ping Chang |
| Abstract: |
Data Mining and Knowledge Management are hot topics in
business and academic domain in recent years. Data Mining means
discovering interesting knowledge and patterns from large amounts of data.
There are different models in Data Mining: association rule, sequential
pattern, classification, clustering, outlier mining, and collaborative
filtering. In this thesis, the data mining mechanisms are applied for
knowledge management system and result in a better knowledge environment.
The intelligent search engine, Collaborative prediction, virtual bookshelf
and knowledge map are implemented by data mining mechanisms. |
|
| Title: |
CONTROLLING
AND TESTING A SPACE INSTRUMENT BY AN AI PLANNER |
| Author(s): |
MD.
R-Moreno, M. Prieto, D. Meziat, J. Medina and C. Martin |
| Abstract: |
The PESCA instrument has been designed and built with the
purpose of studying the Solar Energetic Particles and the Anomalous Cosmic
Rays. It will be part of the Russian PHOTON satellite payload that is
scheduled to be launched in December of 2002. The instrument comprises two
different blocks: the PESCA Instrument Amplification and Shaping
Electronics (PIASE), for the amplification and analog to digital
conversion, and the PESCA Instrument Control and Acquisition System
(PICAS), for the control of the whole instrument and manages the
communication with the satellite. An Electrical Ground Support Equipment
(EGSE) software has been implemented using AI planning techniques to
control and test the PESCA instrument and the communication process with
the satellite. The tool allows complete and autonomous control,
verification, validation and calibration of the PESCA instrument. |
|
| Title: |
A
TRAINING ENVIRONMENT FOR AUTOMATED SALES AGENTS TO LEARN NEGOTIATION
STRATEGIES |
| Author(s): |
Jim
R. Oliver |
| Abstract: |
Automated negotiation by artificial adaptive agents (AAAs)
holds great promise for electronic commerce, but many practical issues
remain. Consider the case of a vendor that wishes to deploy a system of
AAAs for negotiating with customers, which could be either human or
machine. One disadvantage of earlier systems is the agent learning
environment requires complete information about both sides involved in the
negotiation, but a vendor will not have such private information about
each customer’s preferences and negotiating strategies. We propose a
computerized training environment that minimizes the information
requirements about the opposing side. In our approach, customers are
grouped into market segments. General characteristics of the segment are
inputs to a simulation of multiple customers. The vendor’s agents learn
general negotiation strategies for customers in each segment under the
direction of a genetic algorithm. We describe a general system
architecture, develop a prototype, and report on a set of experiments. The
results provide preliminary evidence that this is a promising approach to
training AAAs. |
|
| Title: |
A
DENSITY-BASED APPROACH FOR CLUSTERING SPATIAL DATABASE |
| Author(s): |
Abdel
Badee Salem, Taha ElAreef, Marwa F. Khater and Aboul Ella Hassanien |
| Abstract: |
Many applications require the management of spatial data.
Clustering large spatial databases is an important problem, which tries to
find the densely populated regions in the feature space to be used in data
mining knowledge discovery, or efficient information retrieval. In this
paper, we present a clustering algorithm which is based on a density-based
approach that has been proven in its ability in processing very large
spatial data sets Density-based approach requires only one input parameter
and supports the user in determining an appropriate value for it. The
applied algorithm is designed to discover clusters of arbitrary shape and
noise. We experimented the algorithm using a sample of 452 points
representing the latitude, the longitude, the depth and the magnitude of
the earthquake. The algorithm works for k-dimensional data, we tried 2, 3
and 4-dimensional data sets. Our objective was to cluster these data
points to study the earthquake behaviour in each cluster. |
|
| Title: |
SIMPLE
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM BASED ON FUZZY REPERTORY TABLE |
| Author(s): |
J.J.
Castro-Schez, L. Jimenez, J. Moreno and L. Rodriguez |
| Abstract: |
This paper shows how fuzzy repertory table technique (Castro
et al., 2001) can be used as a simple decision support system for helping
to a manager of a company when he is faced with a choice in which the
options are clear (for instance, the choice of a suppliers from among all
existing suppliers, or the choice of sell one product from among all
existing posiblities). The manager must analyse each option making use of
his knowledge, with the aim to highlight its characteristic qualities
which are admirable in themselves or useful for our purpose and also its
defective qualities. Next, the manager choices the more advantageous
opcion according to this information. When the possible options are clear,
the analysis implies make comparisons among the several options. Thus, the
manager find out the characteristic and defective qualities associated to
each option. With the suggested method in this paper, we identity the
relevant information (characteristic and defective) associated to each
option and recommend one option according to this information. |
|
| Title: |
A
MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION AID AGENT APPLIED TO THE SELECTION OF THE BEST
RECEIVER IN A TRANSPLANT |
| Author(s): |
Aïda
Valls, Antonio Moreno and David Sánchez |
| Abstract: |
In this paper we describe an agent that applies a new
multi-criteria decision methodology to analyse and rank a list of possible
receivers for a particular organ. The ranking obtained is of great help
for the Hospital Transplant Co-ordinator who has to make the final
decision of which patient receives the organ. The agent that we have
designed and implemented can be used in any other similar problem in which
we have a list of alternatives that are evaluated with several qualitative
preference criteria. |
|
| Title: |
NEURAL
NETWORKS FOR B2C E-COMMERCE ANALYSIS SOME ELEMENTS OF BEST PRACTICE |
| Author(s): |
Alfredo
Vellido |
| Abstract: |
The proliferation of Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Internet
companies that characterised the late ‘90s seems now under threat. A
focus on customers’ needs and expectations seems more justified than
ever and, with it, the quantitative analysis of customer behavioural data.
Neural networks have been proposed as a leading methodology for data
mining. They can be specially useful to deal with the vast amount of
information usually generated in the Internet context. In this brief
paper, a few guidelines for the application of neural networks to the
analysis of the on-line customer market are proposed. |
|
| Title: |
PROOF
RUNNING TWO STATE-OF-THE-ART PATTERN RECOGNITION TECHNIQUES IN THE FIELD
OF DIRECT MARKETING |
| Author(s): |
Stijn
Viaene, Bart Baesens, Guido Dedene, Jan Vanthienen and Dirk Van den Poel |
| Abstract: |
In this paper, we synthesize the main findings of three
repeat purchase modelling case studies using real-life direct marketing
data. Historically, direct marketing — more recently, targeted web
marketing — has been one of the most popular domains for the exploration
of the feasibility and the viable use of novel business intelligence
techniques. Many a data mining technique has been field tested in the
direct marketing domain. This can be explained by the (relatively)
low-cost availability of recency, frequency, monetary (RFM) and several
other customer relationship data, the (relatively) well-developed
understanding of the task and the domain, the clearly identifiable costs
and benefits, and because the results can often be readily applied to
obtain a high return on investment. The purchase incidence modelling cases
reported on in this paper were in the first place undertaken to trial run
state-of-the-art supervised Bayesian learning multilayer perceptron (MLP)
and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) classifiers. For each of
the cases, we also aimed at exploring the explanatory power (relevance) of
the available RFM and other customer relationship related variable
operationalizations for predicting purchase incidence in the context of
direct marketing. |
|
| Title: |
MEDICAL
DATA BASE EXPLORATION THROUGH ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS |
| Author(s): |
Lucimar
F. de Carvalho, Candice Abella S. Dani, Hugo T. de Carvalho, Diego Dozza,
Silvia M. Nassar and Fernando M. de Azevedo |
| Abstract: |
The objective of this work is the consideration and
implementation of some basic premises used in the learning process in
Artificial Neural Networks (ANN`s). Initially the net will be trained with
the algorithm of competitive learning through the Kohonen Self-Organizable
Map to, starting from the result, be compared with the Active X
Neusciences simulator. The chosen domain for the implementation of the
learning algorithms was the application in the Clinical Diagnosis of the
Convulsive Crises, based on the International Classification League
Against Epilepsy ILAI/81 (COMMISSION, 1981). According to the results of
the simulator, the base of training of the net, the net showed a
satisfactory performance in 77,7% of the neurons used in the
classification of patterns. Only 22,3% of the neurons of the net didn't
obtain a high index of convergence. Through the implementation of the
standard algorithm of Kohonem and using the 2x2 configuration, in other
words, four exit neurons, the test set of the net obtained an index of
classification of 100%. |
|
| Title: |
EVALUATING
EMS VALUE - THE CASE OF A SMALL ACCOUNTANCY FIRM |
| Author(s): |
Carlos
J. Costa and Pedro Antunes |
| Abstract: |
This paper discusses the evaluation of Electronic Meeting
Systems (EMS). More specifically, it tackles the problem of evaluating the
perceived organizational value of these systems. EMS lay down one sub area
of research crossing Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and Group
Support Systems (GSS) in particular and information systems in general.
Based on these multiple perspectives, we developed an evaluation grid for
EMS. The evaluation grid identifies several EMS components as well as
different levels of organizational impact. Our hypothesis is that with
this grid it is possible to analyse and evaluate the organisational, group
and individual impact of EMS. The paper also presents an application of
the grid to a real organization: an accountancy firm. |
|
| Title: |
USING
CELLULAR AUTOMATA IN TRAFFIC MODELING |
| Author(s): |
Monica
Dascalu, Sergiu Goschin and Eduard Franti |
| Abstract: |
The paper presents a traffic simulator intended to be used
in Bucharest, Romania, in order to solve usual traffic problems and obtain
better traffic management performances with the same basic route network.
The simulator makes short time traffic predictions starting from data
extracted from real traffic. Usually, traffic predictors use statistic
methods instead of simulation techniques. The advantage of a performant
simulation over statistic prediction comes mainly from its ability to
treat the untypical situations, exactly the ones that need a precise
prediction. The traffic simulator is based on cellular automata model, a
very simple and regular massive parallel model, which is able to make real
time computations in such complex situations that the traffic simulations
imply. The cellular automata simulator has been adapted to the topology
given by the Bucharest city center map and its performances were tested in
various real situations. The simulation proved to be very performant in
cases like two-lane streets intersections, narrowing due to accidents or
street repairs etc. |
|
| Title: |
THE
AEX METHOD AND ITS INSTRUMENTATION |
| Author(s): |
Sabine
Delaitre, Alain Giboin and Sabine Moisan |
| Abstract: |
We aim at elaborating a decision support system to manage
concrete experience, using Artificial Intelligence methods, such as
Case-Based Reasoning. We target any organization that wishes to capture
and exploit its employees’ experience. This paper focuses on a key
point: the method to obtain the system memory. We present AEX, an
experience feedback method that we developed and instrumented for risk
managers to help them share their experience and to support their critical
tasks (e.g., intervention). The elaboration of AEX was based on the
analysis and modeling of the risk managers’ real activity (esp., their
decision-making and knowledge management processes). The instrumentation
of AEX resulted in a computer tool based on a corporate memory. The paper
reviews the AEX method, and illustrates and discusses its use through a
scen | |
