Lee A. Freeman

Information Systems Knowledge: Foundations, Definitions, and Applications

A key component of research within information systems is the use of valid instruments to measure numerous aspects of technology, organizations, and people. Validated instruments exist for many different variables and more are available all the time. Knowledge of a particular domain is an integral part of working competently, effectively, and successfully within that domain (N.M. Degele, World Futures, 50, 743–755, 1997). Therefore, this paper will describe the rationale for the development of an instrument to measure the information systems knowledge of individuals. This rationale is rooted in several streams of research, such as absorptive capacity and certainty of knowledge, and focuses on three main questions: why measure knowledge of information systems, how to measure this knowledge, and what to actually measure. The definitions of knowledge and information systems knowledge are developed and refined through an analysis of the literature covering the philosophical, psychological, and educational aspects of knowledge. The resulting models of knowledge and specifically information systems knowledge are then applied to research streams within the information systems discipline as well as practitioner-oriented needs.

A refresher in data flow diagramming: an effective aid for analysts

During the requirements analysis phase of information systems development, the user and analyst attempt to come to an agreement on the purpose of the system and the needs of the future users. When completed effectively, this process leads to the creation of an information system that fulfills the intended purpose and meets the needs of users and their organization, on time and within budget [3]. This, of course, is dependent on the successful completion of the rest of the development process including the designing, coding, and testing of the system. Problems unsolved in the requirements elicitation phase may worsen during the remainder of the systems development project. As over 50% of the errors in systems design and development are a result of inaccurate requirements, it is imperative this phase be completed accurately [6]. Often, information systems are designed and created that do not meet the needs of the users or fulfill their intended purpose [3, 6]. The deficiencies of these systems are often the result of problems such as miscommunication between the users and the analysts, poor elicitation of requirements, poor conversion of requirements to designs, and poor analysis or analyst technique [3, 5]. The last category, poor analysis or analyst technique, can be further broken down into a lack of training of data processing professionals [11]; poor user understanding of data models due to their design [4]; and poor or error-prone communication between the user and analyst [2, 10]. Specifically, the data flow diagram (DFD) created by the analyst toward the end of the requirements analysis phase can reflect many of these problems, and often reflects an incorrect system. Any research that successfully elicits factors that can be controlled and then used to improve this process is valuable to the entire systems development industry. An Experiment Attempts have been made to modify the process of creating data flow diagrams in an effort to increase their clarity, level of comprehension, learnability, and usability [7, 8, 9]. While the results have been fairly positive, the problems mentioned previously still

Social Media Exploitation by Covert Networks: A Case Study of ISIS

Social media has quickly become a dominant mode of professional and personal communication. Unfortunately, groups who intend to perform illegal and/or harmful activities (such as gangs, criminal groups, and terrorist groups) also use it. These covert networks use social media to foster membership, communicate among followers and nonfollowers, and obtain ideological and financial support. This exploitation of social media has serious political, cultural, and societal repercussions that go beyond stolen identities, hacked systems, or loss of productivity. There are literal life-and-death consequences of the actions of the groups behind these covert networks. However, through tracking and analyzing social media content, government agencies (in particular those in the intelligence community) can mitigate this threat by uncovering these covert networks, their communication, and their plans. This paper introduces common social media analysis techniques and the current approaches of analyzing covert networks. A case study of the Syrian conflict, with particular attention on ISIS, highlights this exploitation and the process of using social media analysis for intelligence gathering. The results of the case study show that covert networks are resilient and continually adapt their social media use and presence to stay ahead of the intelligence community.