This is a forum organised by Vitae who assist research stuents and staff in their development. Vitae will refund travel expenses for this focus group.
This is the event description and contact details copied and pasted from Vitae :-
The Researcher Development Framework (RDF) is a comprehensive new approach to enhancing the careers of researchers. It was developed through interviews with successful researchers in a range of disciplines. It encourages you to identify your strengths and prioritise your professional development. Divided into four domains and 63 descriptors it covers all the skills and attributes to become a successful researcher. The RDF enables you to consider skills and experiences that will enhance your career prospects and articulate your knowledge, behaviours and attributes to employers. It is not exclusive to people hoping to pursue an academic career (there are some frequently asked questions on the RDF).
The RDF has been incorporated into a 'Professional Development Planner' to allow you to identify the areas you want to develop further, create an action plan and record evidence of your progress. You can use it to help you plan for your long term career ambitions but also to make a feasible short term plan. The planner allows you to set targeted aspirational goals. For each descriptor there are successive phases of ability. Read the phases and decide which phase best describes you currently (with as much evidence as possible). Decide where you would like to be and come up with an action plan with realistic goals and time lines to get you there (using training, experience, practice, networking etc.)
I will be starting a pilot on using the RDF planner next week, culminating in a focus group in London on 15 June. This is a great chance for you to focus on your personal development and get help drawing up your action plan. It is also an opportunity for you to inform the development of a powerful career tool for all researchers in the UK. Your input would be invaluable in ensuring the Researcher Development Framework is an effective personal, professional and career enhancing resource for postgraduate researchers and research staff.
We’ll refund travel expenses for the focus group. Please send me an email at tennie.videler@vitae.ac.uk to take part or get some more information, ideally before 1 June.
Looking forward to seeing some of you on 15 June!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The value of an EngD in Systems – what an EngD did for me
This is a useful event for anyone interested in EngDs or in engineering R and D in general. The event is organised by University of Bristol, involving INCOSE Bristol Group also.
This is the description by INCOSE Bristol group of the event :-
"Want to know more about the Engineering Doctorate in Systems? In a spirit of inclusivity, this INCOSE BLG event forms part of the University of Bristol's Second Annual Research Conference for Engineering Doctorate in Systems, and will include refreshments on arrival, a poster session by 50 Research Engineers, talks from two Research Engineers who have recently completed their EngD courses, and a Q&A session with the Systems Centre staff.
Delegates wishing to attend the main University of Bristol event can find more information here: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/eng-systems-centre/events/2011/conference-engd.html. The University of Bristol has kindly reserved 20 places for delegates who usually attend INCOSE BLG meetings, but these are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration for the main event needs to be done directly with the University of Bristol, not INCOSE UK. "
Date: Tuesday 24th May – 5.30pm for 6pm till 8pm
Location:Room 1.01-1.01a, 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: http://www.incoseonline.org.uk/EventBooking/AutoBooking/MainPage.aspx?CatID=Events&EventID=187."
This is the description by INCOSE Bristol group of the event :-
"Want to know more about the Engineering Doctorate in Systems? In a spirit of inclusivity, this INCOSE BLG event forms part of the University of Bristol's Second Annual Research Conference for Engineering Doctorate in Systems, and will include refreshments on arrival, a poster session by 50 Research Engineers, talks from two Research Engineers who have recently completed their EngD courses, and a Q&A session with the Systems Centre staff.
Delegates wishing to attend the main University of Bristol event can find more information here: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/eng-systems-centre/events/2011/conference-engd.html. The University of Bristol has kindly reserved 20 places for delegates who usually attend INCOSE BLG meetings, but these are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration for the main event needs to be done directly with the University of Bristol, not INCOSE UK. "
Date: Tuesday 24th May – 5.30pm for 6pm till 8pm
Location:Room 1.01-1.01a, 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: http://www.incoseonline.org.uk/EventBooking/AutoBooking/MainPage.aspx?CatID=Events&EventID=187."
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Computer Software, Users and Trust
I'm at the What's up Doc Research Blogging training event today and very much enjoying it - http://www1.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/346441/Whats-up-doc-blog-for-postgraduate-researchers.html.
I wrote this post on the train from Bristol to Birmingham, I've just been working on my PhD changes and on an NVQ 2 in business admin. I often undertake vocational training to keep my research focused. The combination of the PhD changes, Communications Unit I just finished, and the What's up Doc? event hashelped me generate this post.
Communication is the key to successful computing, so this involves person to person, person to computer, and computer to person communication.
For some tasks the person does not need to know how the computer is doing the tasks. Feedback is still very important. For example when applying formatting to a document a person does not need to know how the computer processes this, only how it's applied. Just like in person to person communication what is needed is trust. The software provides feedback illustrating what has been done. The person then trusts that what he or she has intended has been done. A failure of trust may occur when formatting on screen and in print preview looks a certain way and the printout looks different. That loss of trust affects the quality of user interaction for the task, the application such as the word processor, and the persons' trust in computers and computer applications.
For modelling and calculation, the user seeing the results is not enough to establish trust. When taught maths at school we were taught 'show your working'. We could get follow through marks even if our result was wrong, because exactly where the mistake happened could be seen. The same is true for computer systems, they must show the whole calculation chain. The more complex the calculation, then the more effort is needed to ensure good representation, visualisation, and interaction with the calculation including the 'workings'. This must be done in an audit trail that is developed with the users in mind. Then as users have different needs it should be possible to choose different visualisations. More advanced users may want to create and edit their own model and visualisation. This is where the end-user programming/modelling comes in.
The user needs to be able to interact with the way models/calculations are performed to create and edit them, and choose how they display. The more this can be achieved via diagrammatic programming skills such as drag and drop, then the wider the range of people that can model/program this way.
For written information also, trust is required, this is often called 'provenance' in science for example, who is the source? and can they be trusted. Wikipedia documents show an audit trail of changes. A more structured and visualised view of sources and provenance helps a user track these sources and establishes trust in the document writers (if the trust is deserved), the document, and the document management system. Semantic Web based systems based on RDF (Resource Description Framework) can track these relationships of provenance/trust. Visualising and enabling of user interaction with this would enable trust built on greater user interaction.
Users aren't stupid, so developers should always enable the maximum interaction that is necessary and useful, then trust the user to get it right, but leave them a way of backing out when they make a mistake.
I wrote this post on the train from Bristol to Birmingham, I've just been working on my PhD changes and on an NVQ 2 in business admin. I often undertake vocational training to keep my research focused. The combination of the PhD changes, Communications Unit I just finished, and the What's up Doc? event hashelped me generate this post.
Communication is the key to successful computing, so this involves person to person, person to computer, and computer to person communication.
For some tasks the person does not need to know how the computer is doing the tasks. Feedback is still very important. For example when applying formatting to a document a person does not need to know how the computer processes this, only how it's applied. Just like in person to person communication what is needed is trust. The software provides feedback illustrating what has been done. The person then trusts that what he or she has intended has been done. A failure of trust may occur when formatting on screen and in print preview looks a certain way and the printout looks different. That loss of trust affects the quality of user interaction for the task, the application such as the word processor, and the persons' trust in computers and computer applications.
For modelling and calculation, the user seeing the results is not enough to establish trust. When taught maths at school we were taught 'show your working'. We could get follow through marks even if our result was wrong, because exactly where the mistake happened could be seen. The same is true for computer systems, they must show the whole calculation chain. The more complex the calculation, then the more effort is needed to ensure good representation, visualisation, and interaction with the calculation including the 'workings'. This must be done in an audit trail that is developed with the users in mind. Then as users have different needs it should be possible to choose different visualisations. More advanced users may want to create and edit their own model and visualisation. This is where the end-user programming/modelling comes in.
The user needs to be able to interact with the way models/calculations are performed to create and edit them, and choose how they display. The more this can be achieved via diagrammatic programming skills such as drag and drop, then the wider the range of people that can model/program this way.
For written information also, trust is required, this is often called 'provenance' in science for example, who is the source? and can they be trusted. Wikipedia documents show an audit trail of changes. A more structured and visualised view of sources and provenance helps a user track these sources and establishes trust in the document writers (if the trust is deserved), the document, and the document management system. Semantic Web based systems based on RDF (Resource Description Framework) can track these relationships of provenance/trust. Visualising and enabling of user interaction with this would enable trust built on greater user interaction.
Users aren't stupid, so developers should always enable the maximum interaction that is necessary and useful, then trust the user to get it right, but leave them a way of backing out when they make a mistake.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
What's up doc? Blog Training Day - Attending May 12th - Birmingham
I'm delighted to have been accepted for this event, and looking forward to going on May 12th. It's a good opportunity for me.
I'll include the details below -
"Blog Training Day - a few places still left!
12 May 2011, Birmingham
'What's up doc?' is a new blog which provides a forum for postgraduate researchers to share experience, give information and tips on matters relevant to them in a fun, yet informed way.
As part of the launch we will run a free blog training day in Birmingham on 12 May. Apart from learning what makes a good blog post, we will also explore how to increase your online profile. To apply:
post an example of an article on the
'What's up doc?' blog
send an email outlining why you want to be involved, what discipline your research is in and what you would do to champion 'What's up doc?' to tennie.videler@vitae.ac.uk before 9 May.
We will select applicants based on this and reimburse reasonable travel expenses. Places are limited.
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/whatsupdoc"
I'll include the details below -
"Blog Training Day - a few places still left!
12 May 2011, Birmingham
'What's up doc?' is a new blog which provides a forum for postgraduate researchers to share experience, give information and tips on matters relevant to them in a fun, yet informed way.
As part of the launch we will run a free blog training day in Birmingham on 12 May. Apart from learning what makes a good blog post, we will also explore how to increase your online profile. To apply:
post an example of an article on the
'What's up doc?' blog
send an email outlining why you want to be involved, what discipline your research is in and what you would do to champion 'What's up doc?' to tennie.videler@vitae.ac.uk before 9 May.
We will select applicants based on this and reimburse reasonable travel expenses. Places are limited.
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/whatsupdoc"
Friday, April 29, 2011
The Human Semantic Web - Further Reflection
The web is a useful environment for enabling people to add their knowledge in both a less structured Web 2.0 way (development of less structured but interactive web tools/programs), and a more structured Semantic Web way. The greater interaction in the Web 2.0 approach at least makes it more likely that Semantic disagreements will be spotted, but it takes the structuring in the Semantic Web approach to then show the meaning of terms more clearly and unambiguously so that agreement or disagreement about and mapping of terms can be reached. This then makes possible Naeve’s (2005) ‘Semantic Collaboration’ through and also defining the ‘Human Semantic Web’ that Naeve advocates. This then enables moving on from the Web being an environment only for simple tasks to one where sophisticated programs and models could be run that enable calculation and decision support.
This combination in approaches of enabling greater human interaction, and more definition of semantics can be illustrated by adapting the table displayed in my previous post.
Table - Language and Tool Mapping - Further Development
Thus Increased Semantic Structuring and Collaboration from right to left, combined with Increased Human Interaction from bottom to top makes it more possible to undertake modelling and programming because the information is then well mapped and structured, and made available for visualisation and human interaction. On reflection AJAX/Web 2.0 technology spans more than one part of this diagram depending on the emphasis of whether to structure it and/or enable greater interaction. To reach the top left of the diagram requires layered use of technology as per the diagram developed by Berners-Lee (2000) and also McGuinness (2003). This layering of technology is needed in order to translate from the computer centred representations in the bottom right to the human centred representations and modelling in the top left. Human centred representations are too abstract for computers and computer centred representations are too abstract for humans. Therefore the technologies in the top left are not superior to those below and to the right as they need to be built on those technologies. Further there is more than one way to reach the top left, e.g. along the diagonal arrow from Naeve’s (2005) Semantic Isolation through Semantic Coexistence to Semantic Collaboration, or by moving up then left, or left then up. Following the diagonal arrow based on Naeve’s analysis is best for planning and building such a project from the start, but the other forms of navigation might be the best way to build on an existing project that has already been moving in a particular direction, that is not on this diagonal arrow.
References
Berners-Lee, T., (2000) Semantic Web on XML – Slide 10 - http://www.w3.org/2000/Talks/1206-xml2k-tbl/slide10-0.html
McGuinness, D. L., 2003. Ontologies Come of Age. In: Dieter Fensel, Jim Hendler, Henry Lieberman, and Wolfgang Wahlster, ed. Spinning the Semantic Web: Bringing the World Wide Web to Its Full Potential. MIT Press, 2003.
Naeve, A., 2005, The Human Semantic Web – Shifting from Knowledge Push to Knowledge Pull. International Journal of Semantic Web and Information Systems (IJSWIS), Vol 1(3) (July-September 2005) pp 1-30.
Naeve - http://kmr.nada.kth.se/wiki/Amb/HomePage
This combination in approaches of enabling greater human interaction, and more definition of semantics can be illustrated by adapting the table displayed in my previous post.
Table - Language and Tool Mapping - Further Development
Thus Increased Semantic Structuring and Collaboration from right to left, combined with Increased Human Interaction from bottom to top makes it more possible to undertake modelling and programming because the information is then well mapped and structured, and made available for visualisation and human interaction. On reflection AJAX/Web 2.0 technology spans more than one part of this diagram depending on the emphasis of whether to structure it and/or enable greater interaction. To reach the top left of the diagram requires layered use of technology as per the diagram developed by Berners-Lee (2000) and also McGuinness (2003). This layering of technology is needed in order to translate from the computer centred representations in the bottom right to the human centred representations and modelling in the top left. Human centred representations are too abstract for computers and computer centred representations are too abstract for humans. Therefore the technologies in the top left are not superior to those below and to the right as they need to be built on those technologies. Further there is more than one way to reach the top left, e.g. along the diagonal arrow from Naeve’s (2005) Semantic Isolation through Semantic Coexistence to Semantic Collaboration, or by moving up then left, or left then up. Following the diagonal arrow based on Naeve’s analysis is best for planning and building such a project from the start, but the other forms of navigation might be the best way to build on an existing project that has already been moving in a particular direction, that is not on this diagonal arrow.
References
Berners-Lee, T., (2000) Semantic Web on XML – Slide 10 - http://www.w3.org/2000/Talks/1206-xml2k-tbl/slide10-0.html
McGuinness, D. L., 2003. Ontologies Come of Age. In: Dieter Fensel, Jim Hendler, Henry Lieberman, and Wolfgang Wahlster, ed. Spinning the Semantic Web: Bringing the World Wide Web to Its Full Potential. MIT Press, 2003.
Naeve, A., 2005, The Human Semantic Web – Shifting from Knowledge Push to Knowledge Pull. International Journal of Semantic Web and Information Systems (IJSWIS), Vol 1(3) (July-September 2005) pp 1-30.
Naeve - http://kmr.nada.kth.se/wiki/Amb/HomePage
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Human Semantic Web
My thoughts on the work of Naeve http://kmr.nada.kth.se/wiki/Amb/HomePage and Enoksson on the Human Semantic Web and implementation of Concept Maps.
Enoksson (2006) explains the advantages for extensibility of an open standard language, he used RDF for Conceptual Browsing on the Semantic Web. Enoksson (2006) models things with concept maps that break an overall ontology down into concept sub-ontologies/taxonomies.
Naeve (2005) argue that “combining the human semantics of UML with the machine semantics of RDF enables more efficient and user-friendly forms of human-computer interaction.” Using UML for production of ontologies is as advocated by Baclawski et al. (2001) and Kogut et al. (2002), and Enoksson (2006). Naeve (2005) examines this strong separation between types (classes), and instances (objects) and considers this to be a weakness, which he rectifies for ULM (Unified Language Modeling) developed from UML.
Naeve (2005) gives an example of the need for “semantic mapping” between different words with the same meaning such as ‘author’ in one ontology and ‘creator’ in another ontology in order to establish interoperability and machine readability.
The Table below shows tools, technologies, and languages that can assist in this, and where they are based in a hierarchy from low level information centred interaction to high level user centred interaction (bottom to top), and computing focused to human focused representation (right to left). The Table also shows how each tool fits in with Naeve’s (2005) analysis based on “characteristics of the three different semantic stages” of “Semantic Isolation, Semantic Coexistence, and Semantic Collaboration” :-
Table - Language and Tool Mapping
Naeve (2005) describes Semantic Isolation where databases are available but hidden behind web portals, though the portals advertise their address. Semantic Coexistence is achieved by databases being structured in such a way that it is possible to search them without having to know their location. Naeve gives the example of RDF Schema - RDF(S), this standardises the structuring of the information across RDF(S) databases. RDF(S) provides standardised elements for the description of ontologies, so assisting to enable Semantic mapping. Semantic mapping enables Semantic Coexistence due to Semantic mapping enabling agreement on terms. For the table above the argument presented is that high level user centred interaction (bottom to top), and computing focused to human focused representation (right to left), enable Semantic Coexistence. The tools in the top left are built from those below and to the right of them so the Semantic Coexistence is built from Berners Lee’s (2000) Layered Architecture. Naeve (2005) argues the need for semantics that are understandable to humans as well as machines. That is an important objective of the research outlined in my thesis as without semantics that are understandable to humans, it is not possible for non programmer domain experts to undertake collaborative modelling. Naeve (2005) discusses a bottom up approach where there is a set process of deciding what can be agreed on, what cannot, and on documenting both.
Naeve (2005) argues that where knowledge is tacit it is vital to keep track of the individuals or groups who have this tacit knowledge, and that also the ‘Human Semantic Web’ can help elevate tacit knowledge to explicit.
References
Baclawski, K., Mieczyslaw, K., Kogut, P., Hart, L., Smith, J., Holmes, W., Letkowski, J., Aronson, M., 2001. Extending UML to Support Ontology Engineering for the Semantic Web. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on The Unified Modeling Language, Modeling Languages, Concepts, and Tools, pp 342-360.
Berners-Lee, T., (2000) Semantic Web on XML – Slide 10
http://www.w3.org/2000/Talks/1206-xml2k-tbl/slide1-0.html
Enoksson, N. (2006) Serverside Solution for Conceptual Browsing on the Semantic Web. MSc. Dissertation, Stockholm University.
Kogut, P., Cranefield, S., Hart, L., Dutra, M., Baclawski, K., Kokar, M., Smith, J., 2002. UML for Ontology Development. The Knowledge Engineering Review Vol 17(1) pp 61-64.
Naeve, A., 2005, The Human Semantic Web – Shifting from Knowledge Push to Knowledge Pull. International Journal of Semantic Web and Information Systems (IJSWIS), Vol 1(3) (July-September 2005) pp 1-30.
Enoksson (2006) explains the advantages for extensibility of an open standard language, he used RDF for Conceptual Browsing on the Semantic Web. Enoksson (2006) models things with concept maps that break an overall ontology down into concept sub-ontologies/taxonomies.
Naeve (2005) argue that “combining the human semantics of UML with the machine semantics of RDF enables more efficient and user-friendly forms of human-computer interaction.” Using UML for production of ontologies is as advocated by Baclawski et al. (2001) and Kogut et al. (2002), and Enoksson (2006). Naeve (2005) examines this strong separation between types (classes), and instances (objects) and considers this to be a weakness, which he rectifies for ULM (Unified Language Modeling) developed from UML.
Naeve (2005) gives an example of the need for “semantic mapping” between different words with the same meaning such as ‘author’ in one ontology and ‘creator’ in another ontology in order to establish interoperability and machine readability.
The Table below shows tools, technologies, and languages that can assist in this, and where they are based in a hierarchy from low level information centred interaction to high level user centred interaction (bottom to top), and computing focused to human focused representation (right to left). The Table also shows how each tool fits in with Naeve’s (2005) analysis based on “characteristics of the three different semantic stages” of “Semantic Isolation, Semantic Coexistence, and Semantic Collaboration” :-
Table - Language and Tool Mapping
Naeve (2005) describes Semantic Isolation where databases are available but hidden behind web portals, though the portals advertise their address. Semantic Coexistence is achieved by databases being structured in such a way that it is possible to search them without having to know their location. Naeve gives the example of RDF Schema - RDF(S), this standardises the structuring of the information across RDF(S) databases. RDF(S) provides standardised elements for the description of ontologies, so assisting to enable Semantic mapping. Semantic mapping enables Semantic Coexistence due to Semantic mapping enabling agreement on terms. For the table above the argument presented is that high level user centred interaction (bottom to top), and computing focused to human focused representation (right to left), enable Semantic Coexistence. The tools in the top left are built from those below and to the right of them so the Semantic Coexistence is built from Berners Lee’s (2000) Layered Architecture. Naeve (2005) argues the need for semantics that are understandable to humans as well as machines. That is an important objective of the research outlined in my thesis as without semantics that are understandable to humans, it is not possible for non programmer domain experts to undertake collaborative modelling. Naeve (2005) discusses a bottom up approach where there is a set process of deciding what can be agreed on, what cannot, and on documenting both.
Naeve (2005) argues that where knowledge is tacit it is vital to keep track of the individuals or groups who have this tacit knowledge, and that also the ‘Human Semantic Web’ can help elevate tacit knowledge to explicit.
References
Baclawski, K., Mieczyslaw, K., Kogut, P., Hart, L., Smith, J., Holmes, W., Letkowski, J., Aronson, M., 2001. Extending UML to Support Ontology Engineering for the Semantic Web. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on The Unified Modeling Language, Modeling Languages, Concepts, and Tools, pp 342-360.
Berners-Lee, T., (2000) Semantic Web on XML – Slide 10
http://www.w3.org/2000/Talks/1206-xml2k-tbl/slide1-0.html
Enoksson, N. (2006) Serverside Solution for Conceptual Browsing on the Semantic Web. MSc. Dissertation, Stockholm University.
Kogut, P., Cranefield, S., Hart, L., Dutra, M., Baclawski, K., Kokar, M., Smith, J., 2002. UML for Ontology Development. The Knowledge Engineering Review Vol 17(1) pp 61-64.
Naeve, A., 2005, The Human Semantic Web – Shifting from Knowledge Push to Knowledge Pull. International Journal of Semantic Web and Information Systems (IJSWIS), Vol 1(3) (July-September 2005) pp 1-30.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
How Ontology and Modelling Tools were chosen for my PhD
The modelling tool Vanguard System was chosen because it handles Units and uncertainty well something that was necessary for the DATUM project with Rolls-Royce as partners (Scanlan et. al, 2006). The same advantage was the case for the PhD because of the need for extensibility such as risk and uncertainty modelling. Other advantages of Vanguard System were ease of installation and use, ease of linking to spreadsheets and databases, facilities for web enabling of models, and the ease with which formulae can be entered and linked with a high level programming language where necessary (similar to spreadsheets but with a tree based user interface). Experimentation with Protégé showed it was possible to translate the Protégé tree into a Vanguard System tree. This fit in well with the stepped translation to be developed. The open standard nature of Protégé made it possible to use this software without being locked in to it. Tools such as TopBraid Composer can provide additional higher level functionality such as an improved user interface and more tools for user interaction and modelling by end-users so is future work.
There was a need for the DATUM project and for the PhD to minimise programming, so Jena was not used, but Leavers' (2008) MSc project used this effectively, and there was regular contact with the developers of ACUITy (Aragones et. al., 2006), to examine how that more software centred approach was used. Given more time that approach could have been used. Metatomix M3t4 was also used effectively as a high level tool to interact with Jena. So results of research with Jena and/or ACUITy and m3t4 would have shown similar results to the approach of using Protégé and Vanguard System.
These types of tools improve with research and development each year so reproducing this research is becoming easier. New ways of modelling at high level with involvement of end-users is thus practical.
References
Jena - A Semantic Web Framework for Java [online]. Available from: http://jena.sourceforge.net/ [Accessed 21 April 2011].
Leaver, N. (2008) Using RDF as an Enabling Technology. MSc. Dissertation, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Metatomix M3t4 Dashboard [online]. Available from: http://wiki.m3t4.com/homepage.action [Accessed 21 April 2011].
Protégé Welcome to Protégé [online]. Available from: http://protege.stanford.edu/
[Accessed 21 April 2011].
Scanlan, J., Rao, A., Bru, C., Hale, P., Marsh, R., 2006. DATUM Project: Cost Estimating Environment for Support of Aerospace Design Decision Making. Journal of Aircraft, 43(4).
TopBraid Composer, The Complete Semantic Modeling Toolset [online]. Available from: http://www.topquadrant.com/products/TB_Composer.html [Accessed 21 April 2011].
Vanguard System [online]. Available from: http://www.vanguardsw.com/solutions/application/modeling-and-simulation/
[Accessed 21 April 2011].
There was a need for the DATUM project and for the PhD to minimise programming, so Jena was not used, but Leavers' (2008) MSc project used this effectively, and there was regular contact with the developers of ACUITy (Aragones et. al., 2006), to examine how that more software centred approach was used. Given more time that approach could have been used. Metatomix M3t4 was also used effectively as a high level tool to interact with Jena. So results of research with Jena and/or ACUITy and m3t4 would have shown similar results to the approach of using Protégé and Vanguard System.
These types of tools improve with research and development each year so reproducing this research is becoming easier. New ways of modelling at high level with involvement of end-users is thus practical.
References
Jena - A Semantic Web Framework for Java [online]. Available from: http://jena.sourceforge.net/ [Accessed 21 April 2011].
Leaver, N. (2008) Using RDF as an Enabling Technology. MSc. Dissertation, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Metatomix M3t4 Dashboard [online]. Available from: http://wiki.m3t4.com/homepage.action [Accessed 21 April 2011].
Protégé Welcome to Protégé [online]. Available from: http://protege.stanford.edu/
[Accessed 21 April 2011].
Scanlan, J., Rao, A., Bru, C., Hale, P., Marsh, R., 2006. DATUM Project: Cost Estimating Environment for Support of Aerospace Design Decision Making. Journal of Aircraft, 43(4).
TopBraid Composer, The Complete Semantic Modeling Toolset [online]. Available from: http://www.topquadrant.com/products/TB_Composer.html [Accessed 21 April 2011].
Vanguard System [online]. Available from: http://www.vanguardsw.com/solutions/application/modeling-and-simulation/
[Accessed 21 April 2011].
Monday, April 11, 2011
What's up doc? Join the blog for postgraduate researchers - My case for an invite
This relates to my previous post of April 7th about the research blogging event in Birmingham next month. I've posted to their blog and emailed them to make my case for inclusion. This is my post to their 'What's up doc?' blog - Postgraduate Conference for Computing: Applications and Theory (PCCAT 2011). The post itself is about a different event, a computing Conference at Exeter University and the abstract of my paper for that.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
What's up doc? Join the blog for postgraduate researchers
Below are details of an interesting event about blogs for and by researchers :-
'What's up doc?' is a new blog which provides a forum for postgraduate researchers to share experience, give information and tips on matters relevant to them in a fun, yet informed way.
It replaces GRADBritain, which has been a popular online magazine written by and for postgraduate researchers studying in the UK.
As part of the launch we will run a free blog training day in Birmingham on 12 May. Apart from learning what makes a good blog post, we will also explore how to increase your online profile. To apply:
* post an example of an article on the 'What's up doc?' blog
* send an email outlining why you want to be involved, what discipline your research is in and what you would do to champion 'What's up doc?' to tennie.videler@vitae.ac.uk before 25 April.
We will select applicants based on this and reimburse reasonable travel expenses. Places are limited.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
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. "
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. "
Saturday, March 19, 2011
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."
"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."
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, February 22, 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."
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."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
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
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
Monday, January 17, 2011
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."
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/.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
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.
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
Sunday, December 26, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
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.
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