Smart spaces, or smart environments, represent the next evolutionary development in buildings, banking, homes, hospitals, transportation systems, industries, cities, and government automation. By riding the tide of sensor and event processing technologies, the smart environment captures and processes information about its surroundings as well as…

Various Web 2.0 technologies can be used to support pedagogy. Examples include wikis, blogs, and social media including forum discussions. Online class forum discussions involving electronic text can result in robust strings of data containing meta-knowledge, inherent meaning, themes and patterns. Based on instructional design, learning outcomes…

An analysis of the question of the optimal depth of indexing in order to design an effective document retrieval system is presented. It is shown that some more fundamental questions about indexing and retrieval rather than indexing depth are central to the issue. (Author/MBR)

A model which relates the access control and indexing functions. The model is based on concept protection which allows a practically unbounded number of levels (subsets) of protection without requiring a fixed hierarchy among the levels. This protection is offered independently for each of the user operations allowed. (Author)

Reports on study analyzing 13 abstracting and indexing (A&I) operations in order to ascertain those steps in specific processes that added value (i.e., were of benefit to user in making choices from information displayed). The user-driven/value-added model and a summary of value-added processes in A&I services are highlighted. (11…

The retrieval decision problem is considered from the viewpoint of a decision theory approach. A threshold rule based on earlier rules for indexing decisions is considered and analyzed for retrieval decisions as a measure of retrieval performance. The threshold rule is seen as a good descriptive design measure of what a reasonable retrieval system…

A framework is developed to evaluate expected search length, an important measure of an information storage and retrieval system's performance, as a function of the size of the information file and its organization in terms of indexing search structure. Previous research pertaining to search length by W.S. Cooper and others is surveyed and…

Presents costs and benefits of document information systems as well as a design methodology. Highlights include the method of working, method of modelling, multiple data types, access structure and indexing, and a case study of the implementation of a document information system in the Netherlands. (Author/LRW)

The Latent Semantic Indexing and MatchPlus systems examine similar contexts in which words appear and create representational models that capture the similarity of meaning of terms and then use the representation for retrieval. Text Retrieval Conference experiments using these systems demonstrate the computational feasibility of using…

Describes a model for the standardization of names in bibliographic databases. Discusses a prototype that was developed to demonstrate feasibility of the model, and investigates the impact of implementing the model. Findings suggested that the new model will revolutionize name authority control and that the prototype verifies the technical…

The six papers that comprise this document deal with topics related to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and/or its online document retrieval system, NIOSHTIC. Specific subjects include: (1) a method to catalog multiple sources of NIOSH publications for dissemination; (2) an input rejection algorithm used to provide…

A descriptive model of the Fire Education Resources Information System (FERIS) is examined in this document. Information regarding educational materials relating to fire prevention, protection, and suppression is discussed. A description of the model is presented in two sections. Section 1, Problem Definition, surveys the background and needs for…

RESULTS ARE REPORTED OF A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF A NATIONAL ADULT EDUCATION INFORMATION CENTER, IN WHICH IT WAS PROPOSED TO (1) STUDY INFORMATION PROBLEMS AND RESOURCES IN ADULT EDUCATION AND RECOMMEND NEW SERVICES WHICH WOULD BE MOST USEFUL TO THE FIELD , (2) DEVELOP THE TOOLS OF SUBJECT ANALYSIS WHICH WOULD BE NEEDED IN THESE SERVICES, AND…