Ian Newman

A system for identifying datasets for GIS users

Abstract The collection and entry of data are very expensive, and have been identified as a major cost in establishing a working GIS. There are, therefore, considerable benefits to be gained from establishing a mechanism that will identify the existence of datasets that have already been collected and entered and may therefore be available for use by others. With the widespread use of GIS and the consequent very rapid increase in the number of datasets being created, the problem is unlikely to be solved by using existing database technology to hold information about available datasets, and requires a radically-different approach. This article describes a system being developed by the Midlands Regional Research Laboratory which aims to solve the problem of identifying relevant existing datasets. Both holders of data and enquirers will provide a description of the data in their own words, which will be refined interactively by the system to remove ambiguities before conducting the search. The system is to b...

Discovering environmental data: metadatabases, network information resource tools and the GENIE system

Abstract The existence of global computer networks in conjunction with various computer based tools offers the GIS community the possibility of identifying existing spatial data in a faster and more complete way. Using such tools could help the GIS community reduce the high costs of data collection. This paper focuses on the discovery of environmental data using metadatabases and network information resource tools and includes comments on some of the limitations of these computer based tools. The article will conclude by describing how the system developed by the GENIE project attempts to overcome some of these limitations.

Challenges in teaching capstone courses

Many of us run capstone project courses and do so in different ways. The members of this panel come from different countries, belong to different types of institutions, teach in different computing disciplines and the capstone projects they run also vary considerably. Yet, there is a strong sense of consensus about what a capstone project is and how valuable it is as a learning experience for students.The panel discussion will serve as an inspiration to develop new, and change old capstone project courses. The main aim is to discuss why, or why not, different approaches work in a capstone project. What are the learning objectives behind the approach? What are the problems? What are the benefits? How is assessment managed? What resources, tools and techniques are used to administer and manage the projects?Concrete examples of how capstone projects are run at the six institutions represented by the panellists will be given, and issues such as framework, methodologies, project examples and technologies used in the process of producing projects will be addressed.

General-purpose crossassembler for 8-bit microprocessors

Abstract A study of microprocessor instruction sets is presented. The techniques devised to implement a general-purpose crossassembler for 8-bit machines are described. The program has been implemented on a VAX-11/750 under Berkeley Unix 4.1 BSD.

Observations on relationships between initial professional education for software engineering and systems engineering-a case study

This paper identifies some strong similarities between software engineering and systems engineering based on the experiences of creating a programme of initial professional education for systems engineers at the request of a major UK-based defence contractor. The paper uses the analysis of the requirements for initial professional education for software engineers put forward by Ford and Gibbs (1996) and describes some clear relationships between the teaching and learning requirements for the two subjects. Evidence is provided to show that the context, in terms of the indicators of professional maturity of the two disciplines is comparable. It is also shown that the skills needed are very similar and there are common knowledge areas (a fact already noted in the SWEBOK Stoneman draft). It is, therefore, suggested that aspects of the teaching approach used in the successful systems engineering course may be applicable for the initial professional education of software engineers. The paper explains the requirements and constraints for the systems engineering course and outlines the educational philosophy adopted, indicating how prior software engineering experience (practice and teaching) was used to guide the approach taken. Relevant experiences gained from running the course are summarised and some of the lessons that have been learned are evaluated for their potential application to software engineering.

GENIE: a global environmental network for information exchange

Future policy decisions concerning global environ mental change (GEC) will be influenced, increasingly, by data and research collated from the physical and social sciences. The GENIE project addresses the imperative needs of GEC researchers to identify, locate, retrieve and process relevant datasets and associated information which are distributed in Data Centres and Archives, and, further, to exchange per sonal or domain-related perspectives of the datasets. The provision of appropriate facilities is an endeavour with impli cations for the combined disciplines of computer and informa tion science.

Methods, models and architectures for graphical user interface design: IFIP working groups 13.2/2.7 joint workshop, Loughborough, UK, September 1994

The purpose of this workshop was to bring together researchers and practitioners to focus on GUI design problems. The two working groups represent methodological (13.2) and an architectures/tool (2.7) interests, so the workshop focused on intersection of how methods can support tools and user interface development and vice versa, how tools, architectures and reusable components can empower the design process. The suggested topics for the workshop were:

Designing a relational datafile for local history

Abstract The paper is concerned with the use of 16th and 17th century wills and inventories as a suitable subject for computer-aided analysis in local history research. The problems of the use and interpretation of them as historical sources are considered, and an outline given of their value to the historian. The principles behind the design of the datafiles are discussed, taking into account both the need for efficiency and flexibility in the system, and the needs of potential users. Reasons for the choice of database management system are given. The design sequence is described, showing how progressive modification to the original design produced the current set of files. User access to the system is briefly discussed.

Migrating to reuse: the DesignMatcher approach

Reuse can provide major long-term benefits for software development within an organisation, in terms of cost savings and reliability. However, these benefits can only be achieved if the organisation is able to devote sufficient resources to establishing and (re)using a source of components. This paper describes an approach to establishing a source of reusable components and retrieving them during the development process, which has been designed to promote reuse while minimising the resources required of the host organisation. In order to obtain these benefits, the DesignMatcher approach is based on the principle that the developers understanding of the problem and possible solutions evolve during the design and development process. DesignMatcher works by making it easy to add design and code fragments to a design store, and offering unobtrusive suggestions for possible matching components as the new system is designed.

Simplifying Database Design and Integrating It into Dynamic Web Site Construction

The web offers an effective way of providing access to functionality in a distributed environment. Systems built on and for the web are also fashionable and thus desired by many people. However, most useful web systems need to provide access to information that is constantly changing. This is usually achieved by coupling a web server application to a database management system, which requires an understanding of both server and database technology separately as well as an understanding of the interface between them. In practice this is conceptually difficult for many people. One solution is to provide support tools which simplify the construction process. An alternative, which is presented in this paper, is to look for ways of integrating the database and server design and implementation processes. The context (students who are not computer specialists but need to design dynamic web based systems) is outlined and a simplified approach to database design is explained, showing how it integrates with the web and automatically ensures good practice. A set of tools which support the approach are briefly described. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated by describing some systems which have been designed and implemented by the students.