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Ontological Meta-Analysis and Synthesis

We present ontological meta-analysis and synthesis as a method for reviewing, mapping, and visualizing the research literature in a domain cumulatively, logically, systematically, and systemically. The method will highlight the domain’s bright spots which are heavily emphasized, the light spots which are lightly emphasized, the blank spots which are not emphasized, and the blind spots which have been overlooked. It will highlight the biases and asymmetries in the domain’s research; the research can then be realigned to make it stronger and more effective. We illustrate the method using the emerging domain of Public Health Informatics (PHI). We present an ontological framework for the domain, map the literature onto the framework, and highlight its bright, light, and blank/blind spots. We conclude with a discussion of how (a) the results can be used to realign PHI research, and (b) the method can be used in other information systems domains.

Design Thinking and Evaluation Using an Ontology

We present the use of an ontology as a tool for thinking about the idealized design of a system and the evaluation of the realized design. The ontology concisely encapsulates the logic of the system. It can be used to think through all the potential components of the system in a natural language. By mapping the actual requirements on to the ontology one can highlight the gaps between the idealized and realized designs and evaluate them. Thus, it will help recognize the logical coherence or lack of it in the design. The paper describes the method of (a) logically constructing an ontology, (b) thinking about the design, and (c) evaluating the design. We illustrate the method with its application to the multi-stage design for enhancing the meaningful use of healthcare information systems in USA by its Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS).

An Ontological Map for Meaningful Use of Healthcare Information Systems (MUHIS)

An ontological map of meaningful use of healthcare information systems (MUHIS) is the visualization of its requirements and practices using an ontology. We map (a) the Stages 1and 2 meaningful use requirements set by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) for Electronic Health Records (EHR), and (b) the current literature on meaningful use, to derive the ontological map of the requirements and practices respectively. The map is fragmented and incomplete. The results will focus attention on the gaps (a) in the requirements, (b) in practices, and (c) between requirements and practices, and highlight the bright, light, blank, and blind spots in MUHIS. These gaps should be (a) bridged if they are important, (b) ignored if they are unimportant, or (c) reconsidered if they have been overlooked. Feedback based on incremental ontological maps over time will help to continuously improve MUHIS.

Ontological meta-analysis and synthesis of HIPAA

We present ontological meta-analysis and synthesis of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) as a method for reviewing, mapping, and visualizing the research literature in the domain cumulatively, logically, systematically, and systemically. The method will highlight the domain’s bright spots which are heavily emphasized, the light spots which are lightly emphasized, the blind spots which have been overlooked, and the blank spots which may never be emphasized. It will highlight the biases and asymmetries in the domain’s research; the research can then be realigned to make it stronger and more effective. We present an ontology for HIPAA, map the literature onto the ontology, and highlight its bright, light, and blank/blind spots in an ontological map. We conclude with a discussion of how such a map can be used to realign HIPAA research and practice.

Editorial: an ontology of E-commerce - mapping a relevant corpus of knowledge

The development of the e-commerce field revolutionized the practice of commerce by the addition of the possibility to connect buyers and sellers in virtual environments for the trade of goods and services. The possibility to easily access information about products and reach customers globally created new business possibilities and transformed business processes. At the same time it brought important challenges about security, privacy, legal compliance, etc. -all by the simple addition of the prefix

A Unified Definition of a Smart City

There is some consensus among researchers that the first urban civilization labeled a ‘city’ was Sumer in the period 3,500–3,000 BC. The meaning of the word, however, has evolved with the advancement of technology. Adjectives such as digital, intelligent, and smart have been prefixed to ‘city’, to reflect the evolution. In this study, we pose the question: What makes a ‘Smart City’, as opposed to a traditional one? We review and synthesize multiple scientific studies and definitions, and present a unified definition of Smart City—a complex concept. We present the definition as an ontology which encapsulates the combinatorial complexity of the concept. It systematically and systemically synthesizes, and looks beyond, the various paths by which theory and practice contribute to the development and understanding of a smart city. The definition can be used to articulate the components of a Smart City using structured natural English. It serves as a multi-disciplinary lens to study the topic drawing upon concepts from Urban Design, Information Technology, Public Policy, and the Social Sciences. It can be used to systematically map the state-of-the-research and the state-of-the-practice on Smart Cities, discover the gaps in each and between the two, and formulate a strategy to bridge the gaps.

China’s National Health Policies: An Ontological Analysis

The health care system in China is facing a multitude of challenges owing to the changing demographics of the country, the evolving economics of health care, and the emerging epidemiology of health as well as diseases. China’s many national health care policies are documented in Chinese text documents. It is necessary to map the policies synoptically, systemically, and systematically to discover their emphases and biases, assess them, and modify them in the future. Using a logically constructed ontology of health care policies based on the common bodies of knowledge as a lens, we map the current policies to reveal their ‘bright’, ‘light’, and ‘blind/blank’ spots. The ontological map will help (a) develop a roadmap for future health care policies in China, and (b) compare and contrast China’s health care policies with other countries’.

Australia's National Health Programs: An Ontological Mapping

Australia has a large number of health program initiatives whose comprehensive assessment will help refine and redefine priorities by highlighting areas of emphasis, under-emphasis, and non-emphasis. The objectives of our research are to: (a) systematically map all the programs onto an ontological framework, and (b) systemically analyse their relative emphases at different levels of granularity. We mapped all the health program initiatives onto an ontology with five dimensions, namely: (a) Policy-scope, (b) Policy-focus, (c) Outcomes, (d) Type of care, and (e) Population served. Each dimension is expanded into a taxonomy of its constituent elements. Each combination of elements from the five dimensions is a possible policy initiative component. There are 30,030 possible components encapsulated in the ontology. It includes, for example: (a) National financial policies on accessibility of preventive care for family, and (b) Local-urban regulatory policies on cost of palliative care for individual-aged. Four of the authors mapped all of Australia’s health programs and initiatives on to the ontology. Visualizations of the data are used to highlight the relative emphases in the program initiatives. The dominant emphasis of the program initiatives is: [National] [educational, personnel-physician, information] policies on [accessibility, quality] of [preventive, wellness] care for the [community]. However, although (a) information is emphasized technology is not; and (b) accessibility and quality are emphasized cost, satisfaction, and quality are not. The ontology and the results of the mapping can help systematically reassess and redirect the relative emphases of the programs and initiatives from a systemic perspective.

The Bright, Light, and Blind/Blank Spots in HIPAA Research: An Ontological Analysis

We present an ontological analysis of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) research to date. The analysis highlights the researchs bright spots which are heavily emphasized, the light spots which are lightly emphasized, the blind spots which have been overlooked, and the blank spots which may never be emphasized. Thus, it explicates the biases in the domains research, the research could be realigned to correct the biases and make it stronger and consequently HIPAA more effective. We present an ontology for HIPAA, map the literature onto the ontology, and highlight its bright, light, and blank/blind spots using ontological maps of monads, dyads, and select triads within the ontology. We conclude with a critique current HIPAA research and its potential impact on HIPAA effectiveness.

Strong and Meaningful Use of Healthcare Information Systems (HIS)

The translation of science to practice to policy for meaningful use of healthcare information system (HIS) is embedded in a complex milieu of meaningful, meaningless, non-, and mis- use of the system by a variety of stakeholders seeking to manage the cost, quality, safety, and parity of healthcare. The problem of HIS use can be modeled as an ontology which encapsulates the core logic of use. The ontology includes the three components of translation, the four types of use, the key stakeholders, and the four basic outcomes. It is a comprehensive structured natural-language model which can be extended and refined. It is parsimonious and can be easily understood and interpreted by all the stakeholders. We argue that such a model is necessary to develop a roadmap for strengthening the meaningful use of HIS. In its absence meaningful use of HIS will be weak.