Systems Research Showcase - Bristol, UK, 30th March

I presented at this event last year. This is a good event for anyone wanting to find out about the latest doctoral level research in Systems Engineering.

The details are below :-

"The Bristol Local Group Presents
Systems Research Showcase
Once again, the Industrial Doctorate Centre at the University of Bristol invites you to its Knowledge Exchange Suite in Woodlands Road to see a cross section of systems research activities being undertaken by the region's universities.

This is an opportunity for researchers to see the work of others in similar fields, and for practitioners to discuss the application of systems research with those currently immersed in its investigation and use.

Date: Wednesday 30th March – 6.30pm for 7pm till 9pm

Location: Knowledge Exchange Suite, Ground Floor, Merchant Venturers Building University of Bristol, Woodlands Road, Bristol, BS8 1UB.

NON-MEMBERS WELCOME.

This event is free, and refreshments will be provided, however to ensure appropriate catering arrangements can be made please register online at: www.incoseonline.org.uk/EventBooking/AutoBooking/MainPage.aspx?CatID=Events&EventID=163. "

Postgraduate Conference for Computing: Applications and Theory (PCCAT 2011)

I have submitted a paper to this conference at Exeter University in June. These are the details of the conference - http://www.pccat.ex.ac.uk/ -

"Home Page
Welcome to the website of the second Postgraduate Conference for Computing: Applications and Theory (PCCAT 2011). Following the great success of PCCAT 2010, we are pleased to announce that the University of Exeter will host PCCAT on 8th June 2011.

PCCAT 2010 proved a great success, both in terms of networking and introducing the vital world of conferencing to postgraduate students.

We are inviting the submission of abstracts, which if accepted will be extended into either a short paper or a poster for presentation on the day. More details can be found on the Submissions Page

In the new year, we will be inviting interested parties to join the paper review panel, which will be responsible for reviewing and providing feedback for short papers. If this is something you feel you would be interested in, please contact us (details of how to contact the committee are here

We hope to see you at PCCAT 2011, and look forward to hearing from you.


Max Dupenois and David Walker
(PCCAT 2011 Programme Chairs)"

This is my Abstract for the paper -

"Abstract: This paper is about potential to provide an interactive visual taxonomy management system. It has been and is part of efforts to structure, manage, and enable understanding of complex engineering, business and/or scientific information to enable those involved to collaborate using a systems approach. The aim and objectives are to close the link between requirements gathering and end-user modellers. The main subject will be editing and display of product data structures (already implemented), business process modelling, and discussion of possible application to phylogenic/phylogenetic (biology taxonomy) knowledge. Modelling in all these areas could make possible new insights. This approach could also be used for public understanding work and visualisation, e-science, and information management. The aim is to apply novel end-user programming research to enable the editing, management, and representation of anything tree/taxonomy based by uniting the software taxonomy structure with the taxonomy structure of the domain to be modelled and visualised, and using Semantic Web technologies to link this with overall ontologies then to end-users for visualisation.

The purpose of this work is to ease management of development use, and re-use of software and make this a continuous integrated process.

To achieve the above aim what is necessary is to establish or link to a computing infrastructure for representation of complex, engineering, business, and scientific information. This kind of Computer Science/Software Engineering research allows for bringing together related fields of Semantic Web and ontology/taxonomy management, end-user programming, and visualisation and interaction with complex information. Then management of software development with and for such professionals can be eased and all be involved via the web.

Further, the structure and accessibility of Semantic Web technologies may also assist with broadening this approach to accessibility for people with various disabilities, and also for environmental modelling."

Government IT use must change: Institute for Government

This BBC article summarises the important point that for IT projects it is crucial to roll them out in increments and test each with the users and for the purpose they are designed for. This is essential for IT project success in the public and private sector also.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12616777.

The article begins -

"The government's handling of IT is locked in a 'vicious circle of costs and failures' and moves at a 'glacial' pace, according to a report.

The Institute for Government recommends sweeping changes to the way ministers order new computer systems.

One recommendation is that new IT systems should be built piece by piece and tested by those who use them."

This article is based on a report by The Institute for Government - http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publications/23/system-error

System Error
Fixing the flaws in government IT
Author: Justine Stephen, James Page, Jerrett Myers, Adrian Brown, David Watson, Ian Magee
Date: 01 March 2011

Resources for Programming Languages

Resources for Programming Languages -http://www.guidetocomputertraining.com/library/programming-languages-basics

This resource is very useful containing a history of programming and programming languages with appropriate links to good articles.

Then there is a section on popular programming languages of the modern day, and another section on uses of programming languages, again with useful links.

This is the description of the site :-

"Computer science is no longer a burgeoning field in education -- it is one of the more popular. With steadily growing job markets due to increased reliance on computers and the internet, learning programming languages may one day be a secondary-school requirement like taking Spanish or French.

For those interested in staying ahead of the curve or just pursuing their interests in programming, there are lots of resources out there available for students and teachers alike. Novices need not be lost, especially because the first language is always the hardest -- after that, they come much more easily. For background information on how programming languages have evolved, and how you can use them, check out the links below to some of the top sites around."

Social Media - Interesting BBC articles - Social Media, Future and Egypt Protests

For my 200th blog post I was inspired to write by reading of 2 BBC articles. One is about the role of Social Media in the Tunisian and Egypt Protests.

Internet role in Egypt's protests - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12400319. - 9 February 2011 Last updated at 06:00 - By Anne Alexander - University of Cambridge.

This article discusses the way Social Media acted as an aid to organisation of the protests, and that this worked in conjunction with ways of spreading the word and existing organisations. The Egyptian Governments shutting down of the internet was not successful because these other ways of organising were already established through a mixture of word of mouth and Social Media

The other article is about the future of Social Media, and the other about the future of friends: Who can topple Facebook? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2011/02/the_future_of_friends_-_who_ca.html - Rory Cellan-Jones 08:00 UK time, Wednesday, 9 February 2011.

This article also mentions the radio 4 program on this subject, which is available at - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y8xdv, with links to the previous 2 episodes. The article argues whether Facebooks dominance is likely to continue or whether new competitors will challenge this.

INCOSE - Systems Thinking

This event was a very useful talk and discussion (Bristol, England) about What is Systems Engineering and Systems Thinking, and examining of a booklet (Z Guide) that describes results of an attempt to write down an explanation of this.

The talk was by Patrick Godfrey of University of Bristol. The description and link are here :-

"Systems Thinking

This event features Patrick Godfrey, the author of the recent Systems Thinking Z Guide, explaining what Systems Thinking is and how it is essential to the work that we do as Systems Engineers. "

http://www.incoseonline.org.uk/Groups/Bristol/Show_Event_Details.aspx?.CatID=Groups&EventID=162

The next event is good also, I gave a talk at last years', it's a chance for PhD and EngD students to present their research.

"Bristol Local GroupEvent Title: Systems Research Showcase
Event Date: 30/03/2011
Event Time: 18:30
Event Details Once again, this event will provide a chance to see some of the latest postgraduate research in the systems arena being conducted in the south west. This event will take place at the University of Bristol. "

http://www.incoseonline.org.uk/EventBooking/AutoBooking/MainPage.aspx?CatID=Groups&EventID=163

INCOSE Stands for - International Council on Systems Engineering

First Day Back At Vassall Centre - Social Media

I'm a volunteer at Vassall Centre and restarting for my first day of working part time whilst finishing my PhD Amendments.

This describes what Vassall Centre does, and our website is - http://www.vassallcentre.org/.

"The Vassall Centre Trust, a charity led by disabled people, is transforming a former military hospital in Bristol to make it fully accessible for people with all forms of impairment, to empower them and enable them to work on equal terms with non-disabled people. The fully accessible David Hiatt Baker Conference Centre is based within the Vassall Centre."

I'm working on web, and database. On my first day back today I'm creating a Yahoo Pipe of Vassall Centre related news. A good test for this will be that my Yahoo Pipe should bring in this Post as searched for by the tag Vassall.

Yahoo Pipes is a drag and drop way of mashing together RSS feeds, this enables searching, filtering and sorting of feeds via linked information source boxes and operators. This is interesting to me because it involved drag and drop programming without code, a key technology for my PhD.

http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/.

Internet of Things Consultation Workshop, Jan 28th

Interesting event :-

EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) consultation workshop entitled: "Kick-starting the Internet Of Things Ecosystem" on January 28th, led by three Knowledge Transfer Networks on behalf of the TSB, and with support from RCUK Digital Economy Programme and BIS. This workshop is to explore the opportunities of, and barriers to, an Internet of Things ecosystem of application and services. This professionally facilitated workshop will bring together present and potential actors of the ecosystem and will explore, debate and make recommendations on these key issues. The output of the workshop will inform potential investments and initiatives by the Technology Strategy Board in this space.

The workshop is open to all, and it will fill up quickly, so if you are interested, please register asap.

From EPSRC Information link is to :-

https://ktn.innovateuk.org/web/2206770%20alt%20=%22Funding%20Workshop%20Web%20address%22%20/%3E

PhD Viva Presentation

I've put online the presentation I gave at my Viva recently. I'm also putting it on my blog one or 2 slides at a time with an explanation of the research in each area, so will keep doing this roughly once a week, with some posts in between about workshops and events that are happening early this year that look interesting.


This is my PhD Viva presentaion and it's a PowerPoint 2007 file - https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bx_KguSfl6vSYTY4NDhiN2YtNDc3Yy00MmJkLTlkOTUtNjQ0ZGI5ZGZkNDQ1&hl=en- PowerPoint 2003 version - https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bx_KguSfl6vSMTdiYjdiMWItMmRmNC00YTJkLThkYmYtYmIwM2VkM2IzZjRm&hl=en.

User Driven Modelling: Visualisation and Systematic Interaction for End-User Programming

Peter Hale

Director of Studies – Tony Solomonides

Supervisor – Ian Beeson

PhD Viva Result

I have passed my PhD Viva subject to the usual obligations to make agreed amendments. These amendments are minor but extensive.

I'm relieved and delighted with this result, and these amendments will feed into my blog.

Feedback that I've got from comments and surveys on the blog and websites has been a massive help to me.

Thank you to my PhD team, Tony Solomonides and Ian Beeson, and everyone else who assisted me.

Open Standard Layered Architecture Tools

This diagram examines my thinking for 2009-10. This reflects the need to build up from layers of simpler generic information representation and tools that are generic. For representation of information this is more high level and more customised, less generic from right to left. For modelling this is more high level and less generic from bottom to top. Greater use of computer to human translation increases the modelling capabilities. Good interoperability improves the ease of translation, and the layering of simpler information formats with more complex and less generic layers built on top.

Thus it is possible to build on layers of generic solutions from bottom right, and get as far as possible towards the top left, building re-usable solutions before at some point building a final layer of a more customised less generic solution.

This approach maximises re-use and improves maintenance.

Open Standard Layered Architecture for computer to human translation

This diagram shows a central infrastructure of an open standards layered architecture. This enables interoperability at the Computer to computer layer. This gives advantages to developers for maintenance and re-use. This infrastructure aids translation from computer and developers upwards, to end users. Visualising the model/program structure translated upward from code to a navigable interactive visualisation enables accessibility, thus assisting with modelling and end user programming. This infrastructure that aids computer to computer interoperability thus also aids human to human collaboration. This all aids ease of use and re-use of models/programs also.

So far this translation has been enabled upwards from computer to human. Future research could involve translation from human to computer and interaction to make this an iterative, interactive life-cycle process.

Abstract and Poster - BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) AHRC (Arts & Humanities Research Council) Workshop

BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) AHRC (Arts & Humanities Research Council) Workshop - 16th and 17th November 2010 - Abstract and Poster - Requirements for Phylogenetic Tree Visualisation - A User Driven Approach - Authors: Peter Hale, Tony Solomonides, Ian Beeson, Neil Willey, Karen Bultitude, Darren Reynolds

Abstract: This poster presentation is about potential to provide an interactive visual taxonomy management system. It will be part of our efforts to structure, manage, and enable understanding of complex scientific information to enable scientists to collaborate using a systems approach. The main subject will be editing and display of phylogenic/phylogenetic knowledge, this could make possible new insights. The project will build on the knowledge of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (FHLS) in this biological field, the FHLS Science Communication Unit’s excellent public understanding work and the visualisation, e-science, and information management abilities of the Centre for Complex Cooperative Systems (CCCS) The CCCS team will apply novel end-user programming research to enable the editing, management and representation of biological and environmental information including phylogenetic trees.

UWE has established a computing infrastructure for representation of complex scientific information, has in depth experience in applied scientific research, and on public understanding of science outreach. UWE Computer Science research allows for bringing together related fields of Semantic Web and ontology/taxonomy management, end-user programming, and visualisation and interaction with complex information.

Although web based taxonomies already exist, there are still opportunities to improve the visualisation and interactivity capabilities of taxonomy representation. In addition, Semantic Web techniques can enable automated structuring and management of information.

This research in management, structuring, and visualisation of information will enable visualisation of complex e-science problems to assist in enabling understanding of them, and the CCCS centre has many years of experience in gathering and enabling representations of such problems. This will enable the UWE Science Communication Unit to manage a process of making information managed in this project public. The main scientific information will be based on the work of experienced Faculty of Applied Science (FAS) researchers in Biology and Environmental Sciences. These staff have many years of research experience and much research data to make publicly available, such as phylogenetic information. The taxonomy management system will enable the use of such information and a methodology for its representation and contextualisation in varied interactive ways, according to what is most useful for particular people and types of information. This could be applied to the field of phylogenetic systematic in order to combine biological and environmental approaches and solutions.

UWE has used this technology and approach to visualise engineering product data structures and processes, but there is no reason why this strategy could not be applied to visualisation of phylogenetic taxonomy structures and to the debate on how to classify life forms which is an ontology matter. The use of visualisation via end-user HCI advances and the Semantic Web can widen this debate.

Poster - https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bx_KguSfl6vSZDM2ZGY3ZjMtOTNlZi00YmJjLWI2MWItODJjNWRmYmVmNzNh&hl=en.

Research intelligence - Damming the 'data deluge'

This is an article in the Times Higher Education about an interesting workshop that I'll be attending -

Research intelligence - Damming the 'data deluge'
7 October 2010

By Neha Popat

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=413722&c=2

"A workshop aims to bring design to bear on increasingly complex scientific information. Neha Popat reports

Rapid advances in the technology and methods used in research have undoubtedly yielded great benefits for scientists and society at large.

But the new techniques have also resulted in a surge in both the volume and complexity of the information researchers are expected to analyse.

The challenges of coping with this "data deluge" have been recognised by the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. They are working in tandem to address the lack of "visualisation" techniques available to present biological data in a user-friendly way.

David McAllister, the strategy and policy manager at the BBSRC, said visualisation was not just about how information is presented on web pages or other electronic media.

"Rather, it is about how researchers can handle and present their data in ways in which new and better analyses can take place. For example, spreadsheets are a good way to store large amounts of numerical data, but are less good as tools for spotting a particular pattern or trend," he said.

To examine the problem, a workshop to be held jointly by the two research councils next month, titled The Challenges of Visualising Biological Data, will bring biologists together with researchers in other disciplines to discuss the difficulties they face and provide insights into how large and complex datasets can be 'fully exploited'."

I'm looking forward to it and designing a poster for it. It's 16th and 17th November invitation only due to numbers, but I hope to link to whatever is put online.

Peter Hale

BBC News - Who'd Be a Web Scientist? - 29 September 2010

This is a very an interesting BBC article about a Semantic Web conference :-

"Bill Thompson thinks you can treat the web as an object of scientific study.

I've spent two days this week at the Royal Society in London sitting in the front row of their Web Science conference as one of the nominated 'Twitter chairs'.

It may not sound much, but along with Jamillah Knowles from Radio 5 Live's Outriders and Les Carr from the University of Southampton, I had the interesting task of attempting to manage the conversation about the conference taking place on the Twitter social network.

All the while, speakers as distinguished as Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Wendy Hall and professors Nigel Shadbolt, Jonathan Zittrain and Manuel Castells speak on stage."

BBC News - Who'd Be a Web Scientist? - 29 September 2010 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11425795

Ways of providing openness in a web age

What interests me is the implications of this report on the need for and ways of providing research information. A change is necessary in order to find ways to involve and inform people in an age of blogs, Wikis, and Web 2.0/3.0 and Semantic Web.

Further it is important then to be able to visualise complex data and uncertainty in combination with text, so that it is understandable and conveys the true meaning. This is a problem that in itself needs research.


CRU climate scientists 'did not withold data' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10538198.stm

By Richard Black

Environment correspondent, BBC News

Climate e-mails review condemns lack of openness - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/2010/07/climate_emails_review_condemns.html

Martin Rosenbaum

Semantic Web Advantages

I think the main advantages of the Semantic Web are structuring of information, leading to adaptability of systems to changes and flexibility for a fast paced fast changing world. This also helps with extensibility of the system and/or of its use by increased numbers and range of types of user/contributor.

User Driven Modelling/Programming - Overall Aims

The aim for this research has for some time been to enable empowerment and indepedence of people creating models/programs within their team from :-

• Changes in the strategy of the organisation or the environment in which it operates.
• Changes in the software environment, e.g. what software the IT services will allow.
• Problems in having time and skills for learning and using computer languages.
• Difficulties in visualising and representing the software created.
• Difficulties in enabling collaboration.
• Inaccessibility of software created, caused by use of proprietary, department only, or specialist software.
• Maintenance problems.
• Mistakes in reuse, caused by lack of visualisation and representation of previous use.

The means for this is development of diagrammatic visualised software over the web as far as possible, where the visualisation matches the structure and therefore enables the collaborion by cutting through uneccessary barriers.

The main possible uses so far are models/problems that suit a tree/network based structure, such as process modelling, business modelling, and scientific taxonomies, and family trees.

European Healthgrids: A glimpse of the future? - Tony Solomonides

Interesting and useful talk :-

European Healthgrids: A glimpse of the future?
Start: 20/04/2010 - 19:00
End: 20/04/2010 - 21:00
Speaker: Tony Solomonides
City of Bristol College, Bristol

Following a number of grid projects for health and biomedical research, Tony Solomonides led the development of the integrated road map for healthgrid research and deployment in the SHARE project. He has since focussed on two open problems in that field: live knowledge management in a healthgrid and automatic privacy and confidentiality negotiation also in a healthgrid. Having set the scene with an outline of projects and the road map, Tony will report on his and his students' work in healthgrids. - http://www.bristol.bcs.org.uk/?q=node/87.

Empowering engineers and others to create software

With my PhD work, there was extensive prototyping of software solutions created and feedback from engineers. At first engineers tended to ask for software that followed the strategy of the business and met its deadlines. What emerged over time though was a desire from engineers to have more control over the software so that they could do this themselves and have input into this strategy. With a top down strategy and inflexible software and rules about what can be used and installed, missing of deadlines, and problems in meeting aims were built into the system, and engineers realised this.

So even in engineering, an industry that by its nature has to be conservative, due to safety needs, it is realised that empowerment is necessary in software development. So there was a need to empower the engineers by provision of collaborative software that could be installed and used as easily as possible and be adaptable. Empowering the engineers to be fully involved in the creation and maintenance of such software, because they're interested in the software and what it can do, was essential to make the use, re-use and maintenance of the software practical. This is necessary because it would not be possible to achieve application of useful software by any top down strategy, with limited involvement of higher managers and software suppliers. Visualisation and modelling of the software by a large range of people can be achieved by use of diagrams to show the problem and software structure, as part of the software and how it is used.

Further feedback was obtained from others via an online survey of a greater cross section of others rather than only engineers. This bore out that people want more control and involvement in software development and use, and that visual editing of the software over the web is the best way to achieve this.