José Leomar Todesco

Factors influencing the adoption of the internet as a teaching tool at foreign language schools

The present article describes a research that determined the factors influencing language schools in Brazil to adopt the Internet as a teaching tool. The theoretical framework used was Rogers, E. (1995). Diffusion of innovation (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press. theory of perceived attributes. A survey was carried out with 92 language schools located in Curitiba, South of Brazil. Results revealed that the Internet is adopted in 55% of the schools analysed. Both the model of linear multiple regression and the model of logistic regression predicted 77% of the cases of adoption and, therefore, represented satisfactorily the data from the questionnaire used. The variables observability and trialability were found to be the two most significant predictors of adoption. Adoption took place in 65% of the schools where pedagogical coordinators were brought under pressure by teachers to have the Internet adopted as a teaching tool, implying that this variable may influence the adoption rate. The variables size and amount of time the school has been functioning did not emerge as significant predictors.

SBI: a semantic framework to support business intelligence

Despite the importance of analytical tools to organizations, they still lack the inference power needed to solve the requests of decision makers in a flexible and smarter way. We present a framework called SBI -- Semantic Business Intelligence - in which we apply ontologies on the description of business rules and concepts in order to support semantic-analytical functionalities that extend traditional OLAP operations. Such approach enables developers to customize BI solutions according to organizations specific analytical requirements and allows developers align BI solutions to the latest business analytic requirements. We present how semantic inference is supported using batch and on-the-fly based strategies. In addition, we show how such semantic infrastructure makes the access to heterogeneous data sources transparent. Finally, we illustrate the benefits of our approach through Extracta, an analytical tool that relies on SBI ontologies and modules. Extracta enables an easy access to information and provides novel exploratory funcionalities based on semantics towards faster and smarter decisions.

Toward assessing Quality of Context parameters in a ubiquitous assisted environment

This paper provides an approach to assessing Quality of Context (QoC) parameters in a ubiquitous Ambient Assisted Living (ALL) environment. Lack of quality can lead assisted systems to respond inappropriately, resulting in errors related to assistance or support, or putting the user at risk. QoC assessments can improve these systems and set them to perform specific actions whenever lapses in quality occur. Initially, the study presents a literature review of QoC. Then it introduces the context management architecture used. The proposal is verified with the Siafu simulator in an ALL scenario where the users health is monitored with information about blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. Considering some parameters, the proposed QoC assessment shall allow verifying the extent to which the context information is up-to-date, valid, accurate, complete and significant. Assessing QoC parameters and the QoC value is important and helpful to detect anomalies or inconsistencies in sensors, generate alerts, activate backup sensors, discard data with insufficient QoC, choose appropriate providers, etc.

Implementation of information technology (IT) governance through IT strategic planning

Information technology (IT) governance is identified as an organizational skill of great importance to the strategic alignment and delivery of value through information technology (IT). Implementing IT governance, however, is a challenge to organizations. This paper aims to demonstrate the application of a method of information technology strategic planning (ITSP) forxa0implementation of IT governance. This method has been developed considering the contributions of ITSPmethods and guidelines for implementation of IT governance, both available in existing literature. The proposed method was then applied to twenty Brazilian organizations from different sectors. The application results indicate that IT strategic planning is adequate for implementation of IT governance, creating a structured approach of implementation and emphasizing the IT strategic alignment. n n xa0 n n Key words:xa0Information technology (IT) strategic planning, IT governance.

Análise da colaboração científica departamental através de redes de coautoria

The understanding of the collaboration network of a department of postgraduate allows the identification of a number of items related to the process of scientific collaboration, such as level of cooperation of the community involved, average distance between collaborators, authors who most collaborate, groups collaborating with more intensity etc. Through the bibliographic production informed to CAPES system for the period 2005-2012 coauthorship networks were created and analyzed using social network analysis. It was found an average of 3.4 collaborative authors per publication, coauthorship networks with low density, a larger number of components in the early years of the program and authors with high productivity, but with low degree centrality. It is believed that the analysis and discussion of the results presented in this paper have achieved the goal of diagnosing macro bibliographic production of the program in terms of scientific collaboration and is expected to be a useful tool for decision making in organizational and individual level.

Modelo de conhecimento para mapeamento de instrumentos da gestão do conhecimento e de agentes computacionais da engenharia do conhecimento

This article is based on an interdisciplinary view of the Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management practices in the knowledge processes (creation, organization, formalization, sharing, application and refinement). A literature review of these areas revealed some misunderstanding of the constructs used in interdisciplinary researches and developments, and the necessity of a model for the convergence of involved constructs. So, it is discussed a knowledge model for mapping the use of Knowledge Engineering Computational Agents in Knowledge Management Instruments. By the Ontological Engineering, the technical feasibility of the developed model has been proved in two scenarios, confirming its ability to: organize, formalize and share already established knowledge, and create new knowledge, not established academically, to be applied and/or refined. The model was also verified by domain experts from the involved fields who pointed, among the results: i) a set of questions that guide the understanding of interdisciplinary research objects of the Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management; and ii) a form to integrate knowledge units in the design of Agents Computational Engineering Knowledge as technology solutions more adherent to Knowledge Management Instruments.

Ferramenta ontoKEM: uma contribuição à Ciência da Informação para o desenvolvimento de ontologias

No campo da Ciencia da Informacao, ontologias tem sido desenvolvidas e aplicadas para organizar o conhecimento. Neste contexto, munir-se de metodologias e ferramentas adequadas em trabalhos de desenvolvimento de ontologias e pertinente. Este artigo trata da ferramenta para o desenvolvimento de ontologias ontoKEM, na perspectiva de sua contribuicao a Ciencia da Informacao. Conclui-se que, mediante um processo metodologico incorporado, os artefatos de documentacao e exemplos de aplicacao da ontoKEM tem sua utilidade perante outros estudos na Ciencia da Informacao.

Knowledge Engineering: Survey of Methodologies, Techniques and Tools

This paper presents a broad overview of Knowledge Engineering (KE). This is a research area that aims to develop methodologies, techniques and tools to support the construction of knowledge-based systems, supporting management and dissemination of knowledge. The objective of this paper is to bring together, in a single document, important definitions and concepts of KE, presenting its history, main methodologies, tools and techniques found in the literature. Knowledge systems are increasingly needed, due to the constant growth of data and information. The integration and interoperability between these systems are challenges in this area, where KE can contribute through its available mechanisms.

An Enhanced Quality of Context Evaluating Approach in the e-Health Sensor Platform

This paper presents an enhanced approach to the evaluation of Quality of Context (QoC) parameters in a ubiquitous Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) e-Health platform, supporting the care of people with special needs (elderly or with health problems) thus improving their quality of life. At the outset, the study presents a literature review of QoC. Then it introduces the proposed context management architecture. The proposal is initially verified with the Siafu simulator in an AAL scenario where the users health is monitored with information about blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. The research proceeded with the use of the e-Health Sensor Platform, a differentiated real environment. The experiment used the sensors: pulse and oxygen in blood, body temperature, blood pressure, patients position and falls. Considering some parameters, the proposed QoC evaluation allowed verifying the extent to which the context information is up-to-date, valid, accurate, complete and significant. Just as in the simulation, and with the QoC evaluation, the completed real experiment confirmed instances of insufficient QoC and its possible causes, in addition to alerts to potential health problems. This proposal means a big social impact and a technological innovation applied to AAL, at the disposal and support of a significant number of individuals such as elderly or sick people, and with a more precise technology.

An Approach to Evaluating Quality of Context Parameters in an Ambient Assisted Living Environment

This paper provides an approach to evaluating Quality of Context (QoC) parameters in a ubiquitous Ambient Assisted Living (ALL) environment. The study presents the proposed context management architecture, which is then verified with the Siafu simulator in an ALL scenario where the users health is monitored with information about blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. Considering some parameters, the proposed QoC assessment shall allow verifying the extent to which the context information is up-to-date, valid, accurate, complete and significant. The implementation of this proposal can mean a big social impact and a technological innovation applied to AAL, at the disposal and support of a significant number of individuals such as elderly or sick people, and with a more precise technology.