Phillip Olla

Creating architectural approaches to knowledge management: an example from the space industry

Purpose – This article aims to provide an insight into the work carried out by a consortium of organizations that have an interest in space activities and to provide a focus on the knowledge architecture that is needed to ensure a viable short‐ and long‐term plan for implementing a successful knowledge management program.Design/methodology/approach – The data for the study were collected by analyzing documents, interviews, group discussions, reviewing technical specifications, and by participating in online group discussions via a dedicated knowledge management portal created for the groupFindings – Generating and maintaining organizational knowledge and identifying lessons learned from space project management activities is a crucial activity for planning future projects. One of the most important elements in transferring knowledge is creating a knowledge management system that supports the organizational processes and is based on a sound technical foundation.Practical implications – This article has res...

Mobile health solutions for biomedical applications

Clinical decision support system Context aware systems Framework for mobile healthcare Managing mobile healthcare knowledge Mobile health applications and technologies Mobile nutrition tracking applications Mobile personal health records Patient consent in pervasive healthcare applications Patient monitoring and wearable devices Patient monitoring in diverse environments Virtual electronic patient record.In this chapter, the authors describe a new framework for pervasive healthcare applications where the patient’s consent has a pivotal role. In their framework, patients are able to control the disclosure of their medical data. The patient’s consent is implicitly captured by the context in which his or her medical data is being accessed. Context is expressed in terms of workflows. The execution of a task in a workflow carries information that the system uses for providing access rights accordingly to the patient’s consent. Ultimately, the patient is in charge of withdrawing consent if necessary. Moreover, the use of workflow enables the enforcement of the need-to-kwon principle. This means that a subject is authorised to access sensitive data only when required by the actual situation.

The role of knowledge management in the space industry: important or superfluous?

Purpose – This article aims to describe the importance of knowledge management (KM) to the space industry.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from a range of literature published in the academic and industry arenas, also including articles published in this special issue. The authors also apply their personal experience and practical knowledge.Findings – Implementations in KM within aerospace organizations and space industry have grown beyond mere technology thrusts, and now include aspects of culture, people, and process. These more sophisticated KM tasks build on technology and information to help guide organizations through the intricacies of working with international teams and making ever‐more‐complex decisions.Practical implications – All organizations make mistakes; an important factor for recovering from these errors and avoiding the repetition of these problems is the implementation of a knowledge management system (KMS).Originality/value – Most general KM articles discuss KM from the technolog...

The M-Health Reference Model: An Organizing Framework for Conceptualizing Mobile Health Systems

The reference model presented in this article encourages the breakdown of M-Health systems into the following five key dimensions: (1) Communication Infrastructure: a description of mobile telecommunication technologies and networks; (2) Device Type: the type of device being used, such as PDA, sensor, or tablet PC; (3) Data Display: describes how the data will be displayed to the user and transmitted, such as images, e-mail, and textual data; (4) Application Purpose: identification of the objective for the M-Health system; (5) Application Domain: definition of the area in which the system will be implemented. Healthcare stakeholders and system implementer can use the reference model presented in this article to understand the security implications of the proposed system and to identify the technological infrastructure, business requirements, and operational needs of the M-Health systems being implemented. A reference model that encapsulates the emerging M-Health field is needed for cumulative progress in this field. Currently, the M-Health field is disjointed, and it is often unclear what constitutes an M-Health system. In the future, M-Health applications will take advantage of technological advances such as device miniaturizations, device convergence, high-speed mobile networks, and improved medical sensors. This will lead to the increased diffusion of clinical M-Health systems, which will require better understanding of the components that constitute the M-Health system.

Mobile technology utilization for social development in developing countries: An ethnographic futures research study

This exploratory paper aims to apply a qualitative, method known as Ethnographic Futures Research (EFR) to predict the future for mobile phones when used for social development in developing countries. The EFR approach was used in a participatory manner to provide scenarios of the future for mobile phone growth. By employing EFR there is an opportunity to consider different paradigms of mobile services creation deployment in developing environments where historically tele-center models are shown to be unsustainable. The implication of this research study is the provision of a novel way of determining diffusion strategies within regions displaying increasing mobile services adoption patterns. In terms of decision making, this research provides an alternative approach to considering scenarios using a qualitative approach, something amiss within decision support systems literature.

The Diffusion of Information Communication and Space Technology Applications into society

There have been formidable advancements in space science and space technology over the past five decades, yet most people instinctively associate these advancements to deep space flights, lunar stations, and thrilling outer space adventures. The fact is that the majority of the human technology in space, which is comprised of interconnected satellites, points towards earth, and most of this technology, is used to provide services and fulfill the goals for people on earth. The growing role of space technology is so profound; it has become prevalent in earthy society. In recent years The Information Technology (IT)/Information Systems (IS) professionals have began to comprehend the important role that must undertaken to sustain a viable biosphere. Over the next decade there will be an increased need for innovative earth information systems to support the initiatives of the international space community. This article describes some of the most important Information, Communication and Space Technology (ICST) applications being created, along with the space infrastructure upgrades underway to support these applications.

Opening Pandora?s 3D Printed Box

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is the practice of creating a physical object from a digital model. This is achieved by using an additive process of laying down successive thin layers of a material. It is not completely clear what impact 3D printers will have on altering our society, but there is no denying that a transformative social, economic, and technical 3D printing revolution is underway. Our world is being 3D printed all around us, creating unforeseen opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs [29], policy makers, and society at large.

A mobile point of care reader for immediate diagnostics and analysis

In this paper, we describe a mobile point of care system designed to improve the healthcare workflow. We have created a rapid diagnostic test reader that can interpret the results from lateral flow point of care tests. Our approach exploits the use of mobile technology and cloud based services to closely integrate the clinic with the community.

Open Source E-Learning Systems: Evaluation of Features and Functionality

E-learning applications are becoming commonplace in most higher education institutions, and some institutions have implemented open source applications such as course management systems and electronic portfolios. These e-learning applications initiatives are the first step to moving away from proprietary software such as Blackboard and WEBCT toward open source. With open source, higher education institutions can easily and freely audit their systems. This article presents evaluation criteria that was used by a higher education institution to evaluate an open source e-learning system.

E-waste education strategies: teaching how to reduce, reuse and recycle for sustainable development

The constantly changing world of technology is the worlds largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry. The vast growth and rapid product obsolescence has brought about the serious problem of e-waste, which is now the fastest growing form of waste in the industrialised world. E-waste encompasses a broad and growing category of electronic devices ranging from large household appliances such as refrigerators, microwave ovens and air conditioners to consumer electronics such as cellular phones, televisions, personal stereos and computers. Electronic equipment contains a variety of toxic ingredients, including hazardous heavy metals that pollute the environment and are very dangerous to human health. This paper discusses some of the principles that are being employed to alleviate the environmental impact of e-waste such as extended producer responsibility, design for environment (DfE), consumer driven solutions. This article also discusses educational strategies that can be employed to educate global audiences.