Internet is starting to permeate politics much as it has previously revolutionised education, business or the arts. Thus, there is a growing interest in areas of e-government and, more recently, e-democracy. However, most attempts in this field have just envisioned standard political approaches facilitated by technology, like e-voting or e-debating. Alternatively, we could devise a more transforming strategy based on deploying web based group decision support tools and promote their use for public policy decision making.

This book delineates how this approach could be implemented. It addresses foundations, basic methodologies, potential implementation and applications, together with a thorough discussion of the many challenging issues.

This innovative text will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of e-government, e-democracy and e-participation and research in decision analysis, negotiation analysis and group decision support.

This book presents advances in biomedical imaging analysis and processing techniques using time dependent medical image datasets for computer aided diagnosis. The analysis of time-series images is one of the most widely appearing problems in science, engineering, and business. In recent years this problem has gained importance due to the increasing availability of more sensitive sensors in science and engineering and due to the wide-spread use of computers in corporations which have increased the amount of time-series data collected by many magnitudes. An important feature of this book is the exploration of different approaches to handle and identify time dependent biomedical images. Biomedical imaging analysis and processing techniques deal with the interaction between all forms of radiation and biological molecules, cells or tissues, to visualize small particles and opaque objects, and to achieve the recognition of biomedical patterns. These are topics of great importance to biomedical science, biology, and medicine. Biomedical imaging analysis techniques can be applied in many different areas to solve existing problems. The various requirements arising from the process of resolving practical problems motivate and expedite the development of biomedical imaging analysis. This is a major reason for the fast growth of the discipline.

With a variety of emerging and innovative technologies combined with the active participation of the human element as the major connection between the end user and the digital realm, the pervasiveness of human-computer interfaces is at an all time high. Emerging Research and Trends in Interactivity and the Human-Computer Interface addresses the main issues of interest within the culture and design of interaction between humans and computers. By exploring the emerging aspects of design, development, and implementation of interfaces, this book will be beneficial for academics, HCI developers, HCI enterprise managers, and researchers interested in the progressive relationship of humans and technology.

1 2 D. Avison andS. Conger Wewerehonoredtobeaskedtoopenthe5thConferenceoftheItalianChapterof theAssociationforInformationSystems(ItAIS)inPariswhichtookplaceovertwo daysinDecember2008. Thegoalofthechapteristopromotetheexchangeof ideas,experiences,andknowledgeamongscholarsandprofessionalsengagedin thedevelopment,management,anduseofinformationandcommunicationss- temsandtechnology. Thisconferencewasoneofaround30conferences,consortia andworkshopsthattookplaceimmediatelybeforetheInternationalConferencein InformationSystems(ICIS2008). AsPresidentoftheAISandtheVice-PresidentAISforChaptersandSpecial InterestGroups,wewereparticularlydelightedtoparticipateastheItalianChapter oftheAIShasprovensosuccessful. Howeverwewerenotreadyfortheexcellent attendance and outstanding presentations that are re?ected in this volume that represents the best of the conference. Further, the conference highlighted both researchandpractice. Toooften,conferencesinISdonotevidencetheimpactof research on practice. The conference chairs, Alessandro D'Atri and Domenico ' Sacca,alongwiththeorganizingandprogramcommittees,deserveourgratitude forthesuccessoftheeventandtheexcellenceofthisvolume. TheconferencetracksthatincludedE-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors, Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT,InformationandKnowledgeMana- ment,ISDevelopmentandDesignMethodologies,ISTheoryandResearchMe- odologies,LegalandethicalaspectsofIS,NewthemesandfrontiersinISStudies, Organizational change and Impact of IT, Human Computer Interaction and the StrategicroleofIS,notonlyprovideacrosssectionofItalianresearchinISbut researchinISmoregenerally. Itiscommonthatourresearchinformsourcla- rooms,andifthisconferenceisanyevidence,ItalianITprogramsshould?ourish. ItisimportantfortheAISthatregionalandcountrygroupsarefosteredandgrow asthishelpstoensurethatthedisciplinedevelopsnewideasandisin?uencedby diverseresearchandscholarshipcontributions. TheItalianchapterisamodelfor 1 PresidentoftheAIS2008-2009,ESSECBusinessSchool,France,avi-son@essec. fr 2 AISVicePresidentSIGsandChapters2007-2010,UniversityofDallas,USA,sconger@aol. com v vi Foreword chaptersuccessandwehopetheItalianchaptercanhelpleadthewayindeveloping regionalgroupsaswell. Inexaminingthisvolume,thereadermightaskwhether thereissomethingdifferentaboutItalianresearchand,moregenerally,research fromtheMediterraneanarea(thereisafourthMediterraneanConferenceinInf- mationSystems(MCIS)inAthensinOctober2009). Thisvolumeofpapersisa goodplacetostartansweringthatquestion. Contents Introduction...1 AlessandroD'1 2 D. Avison andS. Conger Wewerehonoredtobeaskedtoopenthe5thConferenceoftheItalianChapterof theAssociationforInformationSystems(ItAIS)inPariswhichtookplaceovertwo daysinDecember2008. Thegoalofthechapteristopromotetheexchangeof ideas,experiences,andknowledgeamongscholarsandprofessionalsengagedin thedevelopment,management,anduseofinformationandcommunicationss- temsandtechnology. Thisconferencewasoneofaround30conferences,consortia andworkshopsthattookplaceimmediatelybeforetheInternationalConferencein InformationSystems(ICIS2008). AsPresidentoftheAISandtheVice-PresidentAISforChaptersandSpecial InterestGroups,wewereparticularlydelightedtoparticipateastheItalianChapter oftheAIShasprovensosuccessful. Howeverwewerenotreadyfortheexcellent attendance and outstanding presentations that are re?ected in this volume that represents the best of the conference. Further, the conference highlighted both researchandpractice. Toooften,conferencesinISdonotevidencetheimpactof research on practice. The conference chairs, Alessandro D'Atri and Domenico ' Sacca,alongwiththeorganizingandprogramcommittees,deserveourgratitude forthesuccessoftheeventandtheexcellenceofthisvolume. TheconferencetracksthatincludedE-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors, Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT,InformationandKnowledgeMana- ment,ISDevelopmentandDesignMethodologies,ISTheoryandResearchMe- odologies,LegalandethicalaspectsofIS,NewthemesandfrontiersinISStudies, Organizational change and Impact of IT, Human Computer Interaction and the StrategicroleofIS,notonlyprovideacrosssectionofItalianresearchinISbut researchinISmoregenerally. Itiscommonthatourresearchinformsourcla- rooms,andifthisconferenceisanyevidence,ItalianITprogramsshould?ourish. ItisimportantfortheAISthatregionalandcountrygroupsarefosteredandgrow asthishelpstoensurethatthedisciplinedevelopsnewideasandisin?uencedby diverseresearchandscholarshipcontributions. TheItalianchapterisamodelfor 1 PresidentoftheAIS2008-2009,ESSECBusinessSchool,France,avi-son@essec. fr 2 AISVicePresidentSIGsandChapters2007-2010,UniversityofDallas,USA,sconger@aol. com v vi Foreword chaptersuccessandwehopetheItalianchaptercanhelpleadthewayindeveloping regionalgroupsaswell. Inexaminingthisvolume,thereadermightaskwhether thereissomethingdifferentaboutItalianresearchand,moregenerally,research fromtheMediterraneanarea(thereisafourthMediterraneanConferenceinInf- mationSystems(MCIS)inAthensinOctober2009). Thisvolumeofpapersisa goodplacetostartansweringthatquestion. Contents Introduction...1 AlessandroD'AtriandDomenicoSacca' PartI E-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors InformationTechnology,MarketingandOrganizationalFactor inCorporatee-banking:AQualitativeResearch ...7 DanielaPettinao TheRoleofCustomerInvolvementinLibraryE?services ...15 AdaScupolaandHanneWesthNicolajsen TechnologyasaToolofTransformation:e-Cities andtheRuleofLaw ...23 JohnM. EgerandAndreaMaggipinto UserRealitiesandtheFutureofe-governmentServices ...31 KonstadinosKutsikosandGerasimosKontos TheUseofWebServicesforInclusiveDecisionProcess: TowardstheEnhancementofe-Democracy ...39 FrancescaCabiddu TheChallengesofe-governmentEvaluation ...49 MaddalenaSorrentino IntegrationofDifferentOrganizationsandStakeholders inE-servicesDesignandImplementation:theCase oftheSpiderCard ...5 7 MariaChiaraDiGuardoandIoneZuccarello vii viii Contents B2GElectronicInvoicingasEnforcedHighImpact Service:OpenIssues...65 PietroLucaAgostiniandRaffaellaNaggi NetworkOutcomeasTriggerfortheEvolutionofaDesign Network:CoordinationProcessesBetweenActors andObjects...73 FrancescoBoliciandFrancescoVirili GovernanceandOrganizationalAspectsofanExperimental GroupwareintheItalianPublicAdministrationtoSupport Multi-InstitutionalPartnerships...81 NunzioCasalinoandMauroDraoli BusinessProcessModellingWithintheCycleofContinuous Improvement ...91 LindaPacicco,AurelioRavarini,andFedericoPigni InformationExtractionfromMultimediaDocuments fore-GovernmentApplications...101 F. Amato,A. Mazzeo,V. Moscato,andA. Picariello PartII Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT OperationsStrategyofSmallSoftwareFirmsUsingOpen SourceSoftware...111 BernhardGlatt,AlbertoSillitti,andGiancarloSucci ITValueinPublicAdministrations:AModelProposal fore-Procurement ...121 AlessioMariaBracciniandTommasoFederici ValueAssessmentofEnterpriseContentManagement Systems:AProcess-OrientedApproach ...131 J. vomBrocke,A. Simons,C. Sonnenberg,P. L. Agostini,andA. Zardini AMaintenanceMetricModelforOpenSourceGovernance ...1 39 PasqualeArdimento,GiovanniBruno,DaniloCaivano,andMartaCimitile KeyPerformanceIndicatorstoRelateKnowledge GovernancewithKnowledgeProcess ...147 P. Ardimento,M. T. Baldassarre,M. Cimitile,andG. Mastelloni Contents ix MeasuringDataQualityWhenApplyingDataSwappingand Perturbation...157 G. CanforaandC. A. Visaggio VirtualEnterpriseTransactions:ACostModel ...165 A. D'1 2 D. Avison andS. Conger Wewerehonoredtobeaskedtoopenthe5thConferenceoftheItalianChapterof theAssociationforInformationSystems(ItAIS)inPariswhichtookplaceovertwo daysinDecember2008. Thegoalofthechapteristopromotetheexchangeof ideas,experiences,andknowledgeamongscholarsandprofessionalsengagedin thedevelopment,management,anduseofinformationandcommunicationss- temsandtechnology. Thisconferencewasoneofaround30conferences,consortia andworkshopsthattookplaceimmediatelybeforetheInternationalConferencein InformationSystems(ICIS2008). AsPresidentoftheAISandtheVice-PresidentAISforChaptersandSpecial InterestGroups,wewereparticularlydelightedtoparticipateastheItalianChapter oftheAIShasprovensosuccessful. Howeverwewerenotreadyfortheexcellent attendance and outstanding presentations that are re?ected in this volume that represents the best of the conference. Further, the conference highlighted both researchandpractice. Toooften,conferencesinISdonotevidencetheimpactof research on practice. The conference chairs, Alessandro D'Atri and Domenico ' Sacca,alongwiththeorganizingandprogramcommittees,deserveourgratitude forthesuccessoftheeventandtheexcellenceofthisvolume. TheconferencetracksthatincludedE-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors, Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT,InformationandKnowledgeMana- ment,ISDevelopmentandDesignMethodologies,ISTheoryandResearchMe- odologies,LegalandethicalaspectsofIS,NewthemesandfrontiersinISStudies, Organizational change and Impact of IT, Human Computer Interaction and the StrategicroleofIS,notonlyprovideacrosssectionofItalianresearchinISbut researchinISmoregenerally. Itiscommonthatourresearchinformsourcla- rooms,andifthisconferenceisanyevidence,ItalianITprogramsshould?ourish. ItisimportantfortheAISthatregionalandcountrygroupsarefosteredandgrow asthishelpstoensurethatthedisciplinedevelopsnewideasandisin?uencedby diverseresearchandscholarshipcontributions. TheItalianchapterisamodelfor 1 PresidentoftheAIS2008-2009,ESSECBusinessSchool,France,avi-son@essec. fr 2 AISVicePresidentSIGsandChapters2007-2010,UniversityofDallas,USA,sconger@aol. com v vi Foreword chaptersuccessandwehopetheItalianchaptercanhelpleadthewayindeveloping regionalgroupsaswell. Inexaminingthisvolume,thereadermightaskwhether thereissomethingdifferentaboutItalianresearchand,moregenerally,research fromtheMediterraneanarea(thereisafourthMediterraneanConferenceinInf- mationSystems(MCIS)inAthensinOctober2009). Thisvolumeofpapersisa goodplacetostartansweringthatquestion. Contents Introduction...1 AlessandroD'AtriandDomenicoSacca' PartI E-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors InformationTechnology,MarketingandOrganizationalFactor inCorporatee-banking:AQualitativeResearch ...7 DanielaPettinao TheRoleofCustomerInvolvementinLibraryE?services ...15 AdaScupolaandHanneWesthNicolajsen TechnologyasaToolofTransformation:e-Cities andtheRuleofLaw ...23 JohnM. EgerandAndreaMaggipinto UserRealitiesandtheFutureofe-governmentServices ...31 KonstadinosKutsikosandGerasimosKontos TheUseofWebServicesforInclusiveDecisionProcess: TowardstheEnhancementofe-Democracy ...39 FrancescaCabiddu TheChallengesofe-governmentEvaluation ...49 MaddalenaSorrentino IntegrationofDifferentOrganizationsandStakeholders inE-servicesDesignandImplementation:theCase oftheSpiderCard ...5 7 MariaChiaraDiGuardoandIoneZuccarello vii viii Contents B2GElectronicInvoicingasEnforcedHighImpact Service:OpenIssues...65 PietroLucaAgostiniandRaffaellaNaggi NetworkOutcomeasTriggerfortheEvolutionofaDesign Network:CoordinationProcessesBetweenActors andObjects...73 FrancescoBoliciandFrancescoVirili GovernanceandOrganizationalAspectsofanExperimental GroupwareintheItalianPublicAdministrationtoSupport Multi-InstitutionalPartnerships...81 NunzioCasalinoandMauroDraoli BusinessProcessModellingWithintheCycleofContinuous Improvement ...91 LindaPacicco,AurelioRavarini,andFedericoPigni InformationExtractionfromMultimediaDocuments fore-GovernmentApplications...101 F. Amato,A. Mazzeo,V. Moscato,andA. Picariello PartII Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT OperationsStrategyofSmallSoftwareFirmsUsingOpen SourceSoftware...111 BernhardGlatt,AlbertoSillitti,andGiancarloSucci ITValueinPublicAdministrations:AModelProposal fore-Procurement ...121 AlessioMariaBracciniandTommasoFederici ValueAssessmentofEnterpriseContentManagement Systems:AProcess-OrientedApproach ...131 J. vomBrocke,A. Simons,C. Sonnenberg,P. L. Agostini,andA. Zardini AMaintenanceMetricModelforOpenSourceGovernance ...1 39 PasqualeArdimento,GiovanniBruno,DaniloCaivano,andMartaCimitile KeyPerformanceIndicatorstoRelateKnowledge GovernancewithKnowledgeProcess ...147 P. Ardimento,M. T. Baldassarre,M. Cimitile,andG. Mastelloni Contents ix MeasuringDataQualityWhenApplyingDataSwappingand Perturbation...157 G. CanforaandC. A. Visaggio VirtualEnterpriseTransactions:ACostModel ...165 A. D'AtriandDomenicoSacca' PartI E-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors InformationTechnology,MarketingandOrganizationalFactor inCorporatee-banking:AQualitativeResearch ...7 DanielaPettinao TheRoleofCustomerInvolvementinLibraryE?services ...15 AdaScupolaandHanneWesthNicolajsen TechnologyasaToolofTransformation:e-Cities andtheRuleofLaw ...23 JohnM. EgerandAndreaMaggipinto UserRealitiesandtheFutureofe-governmentServices ...31 KonstadinosKutsikosandGerasimosKontos TheUseofWebServicesforInclusiveDecisionProcess: TowardstheEnhancementofe-Democracy ...39 FrancescaCabiddu TheChallengesofe-governmentEvaluation ...49 MaddalenaSorrentino IntegrationofDifferentOrganizationsandStakeholders inE-servicesDesignandImplementation:theCase oftheSpiderCard ...5 7 MariaChiaraDiGuardoandIoneZuccarello vii viii Contents B2GElectronicInvoicingasEnforcedHighImpact Service:OpenIssues...65 PietroLucaAgostiniandRaffaellaNaggi NetworkOutcomeasTriggerfortheEvolutionofaDesign Network:CoordinationProcessesBetweenActors andObjects...73 FrancescoBoliciandFrancescoVirili GovernanceandOrganizationalAspectsofanExperimental GroupwareintheItalianPublicAdministrationtoSupport Multi-InstitutionalPartnerships...81 NunzioCasalinoandMauroDraoli BusinessProcessModellingWithintheCycleofContinuous Improvement ...91 LindaPacicco,AurelioRavarini,andFedericoPigni InformationExtractionfromMultimediaDocuments fore-GovernmentApplications...101 F. Amato,A. Mazzeo,V. Moscato,andA. Picariello PartII Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT OperationsStrategyofSmallSoftwareFirmsUsingOpen SourceSoftware...111 BernhardGlatt,AlbertoSillitti,andGiancarloSucci ITValueinPublicAdministrations:AModelProposal fore-Procurement ...121 AlessioMariaBracciniandTommasoFederici ValueAssessmentofEnterpriseContentManagement Systems:AProcess-OrientedApproach ...131 J. vomBrocke,A. Simons,C. Sonnenberg,P. L. Agostini,andA. Zardini AMaintenanceMetricModelforOpenSourceGovernance ...1 39 PasqualeArdimento,GiovanniBruno,DaniloCaivano,andMartaCimitile KeyPerformanceIndicatorstoRelateKnowledge GovernancewithKnowledgeProcess ...147 P. Ardimento,M. T. Baldassarre,M. Cimitile,andG. Mastelloni Contents ix MeasuringDataQualityWhenApplyingDataSwappingand Perturbation...157 G. CanforaandC. A. Visaggio VirtualEnterpriseTransactions:ACostModel ...165 A. D'AtriandA. Motro PartIII InformationandKnowledgeManagement EffectiveStorageofSemanticWebData...177 RobertoDeVirgilio,PierluigiDelNostro,GiorgioGianforme, StefanoPaolozzi,andRiccardoTorlone AReferenceArchitectureforSemanticKnowledge Coordination ...185 S. Castano,A. Ferrara,andS. Montanelli Service-BasedNetworkedCollaboration...195 DevisBianchini,ValeriaDeAntonellis,andMicheleMelchiori HowtoExploitDataMiningWithoutBecomingAwareofit ...203 N. Ciaramella,andA. Albano AMethodologicalApproachtoEnableCooperative ProcessDesignThroughWebServices...211 D. Bianchini,C. Cappiello,V. DeAntonellis,andB. Pernici TowardanEffectiveandEf?cientQueryProcessing intheNeP4BProject ...

Steganography, a means by which two or more parties may communicate using "invisible" or "subliminal" communication, and watermarking, a means of hiding copyright data in images, are becoming necessary components of commercial multimedia applications that are subject to illegal use. This is a comprehensive survey of steganography and watermarking and their application to modern communications and multimedia. It helps the reader to understand steganography, the history of this previously neglected element of cryptography, the hurdles of international law on strong cryptographic techniques, and a description of the methods you can use to hide information in modern media. Included in this discussion is an overview of "steganalysis", methods which can be used to break stenographic communication. This resource also includes an introduction to and survey of watermarking methods, and discusses this method's similarities to and differences from steganography. The reader should gain a working knowledge of watermarking's pros and cons, and learn the legal implications of watermarking and copyright issues on the Internet.

The growth and health of our digital economies and societies depend on the core protocols and infrastructure of the Internet. This technical and logical substructure of our digital existence is now in need of protection against unwarranted interference in order to sustain the growth and the integrity of the global Internet. The Internet's key protocols and infrastructure can be considered a global public good that provides benefits to everyone in the world. Countering the growing state interference with this 'public core of the Internet' requires a new international agenda for Internet governance that departs from the notion of a global public good. Core ingredients of this strategy are: - To establish and disseminate an international norm stipulating that the Internet's public core - its main protocols and infrastructure- should be considered a neutral zone, safeguarded against unwarranted intervention by governments. - To advocate efforts to clearly differentiate at the national and international level between Internet security (security of the Internet infrastructure) and national security (security through the Internet). - To broaden the arena for cyber diplomacy to include new coalitions of states (including the so called 'swing states') and private companies, including the large Internet companies as well as Internet intermediaries such as Internet Service Providers.

The Background to the Institute The NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) 'People and Computers - Applying an Anthropocentric Approach to Integrated Production Systems and Organisations' came about after the distribution of a NATO fact sheet to BruneI University, which described the funding of ASls. The 'embryonic' director of the ASI brought this opportunity to the attention of the group of people, (some at BruneI and some from outside), who were together responsible for the teaching and management of the course in Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in BruneI's Department of Manufacturing and Engineering Systems. This course had been conceived in 1986 and was envisaged as a vehicle for teaching manufacturing engineering students the technology of information integration through project work. While the original idea of the course had also included the organisational aspects of CIM, the human factors questions were not considered. This shortcoming was recognised and the trial run of the course in 1988 contained some lectures on 'people' issues. The course team were therefore well prepared and keen to explore the People, Organisation and Technology (POT) aspects of computer integration, as applied to industrial production. A context was proposed which would allow the inclusion of people from many different backgrounds and which would open up time and space for reflection. The proposal to organise a NATO ASI was therefore welcomed by all concerned.

Welcome to the 6th International Conference on Open Source Systems of the IFIP Working Group 2. 13. This year was the ?rst time this international conf- ence was held in North America. We had a large number of high-quality papers, highlyrelevantpanelsandworkshops, acontinuationofthepopulardoctoralc- sortium, and multiple distinguished invited speakers. The success of OSS 2010 was only possible because an Organizing Committee, a Program Committee, Workshop and Doctoral Committees, and authors of research manuscripts from over 25 countries contributed their time and interest to OSS 2010. In the spirit of the communities we study, you self-organized, volunteered, and contributed to this important research forum studying free, libre, open source software and systems. We thank you Despite our modest success, we have room to improve and grow our conf- ence and community. At OSS 2010 we saw little or no participation from large portions of the world, including Latin America, Africa, China, and India. But opportunitiestoexpandarepossible. InJapan, weseeahotspotofparticipation led by Tetsuo Noda and his colleagues, both with full-paper submissions and a workshopon"OpenSourcePolicyandPromotionofITIndustries inEastAsia. " The location of OSS 2011 in Salvador, Brazil, will hopefully result in signi?cant participation from researchers in Brazil - already a strong user of OSS - and otherSouthAmericancountries. UndertheleadershipofMeganSquire, Publicity Chair, we recruited RegionalPublicity Co-chairscovering Japan (Tetsuo Noda), Africa(SulaymanSowe), the MiddleEastandSouthAsia(FaheenAhmed), R- sia and Eastern Europe (Alexey Khoroshilov), Western Europe (Yeliz Eseryel), UK and Ireland (Andrea Capiluppi), and the Nordic countries (Bj] orn Lundell)."

This book explores coordination within and between teams in the context of large-scale agile software development, providing readers a deeper understanding of how coordinated action between teams is achieved in multiteam systems. An exploratory multiple case study with five multiteam systems and a total of 66 interviewees from development teams at SAP SE is presented and analyzed. In addition, the book explores stereotypes of coordination in large-scale agile settings and shares new perspectives on integrating conditions for coordination. No previous study has researched this topic with a similar data set, consisting of insights from professional software development teams. As such, the book will be of interest to all researchers and practitioners whose work involves software product development across several teams.

In many international settings, regional economies are declining resulting in lowered opportunities for these communities. This result attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies, and increases social, health, economic and sustainability problems. Community informatics research, education and practice is an emerging area in many countries, which seeks to address these issues. The primary objective of Using Community Informatics to Transform Regions is to provide leaders, policy developers, researchers, students and community workers with successful strategies and principles of Community Informatics to transform regions. This book embraces an integrative cross-sectoral approach in the use of Community Informatics to increase both social and cultural capital as a means to increased sustainability for regional communities.

"Security and Privacy in Social Networks" brings to the forefront innovative approaches for analyzing and enhancing the security and privacy dimensions in online social networks, and is the first comprehensive attempt dedicated entirely to this field. In order to facilitate the transition of such methods from theory to mechanisms designed and deployed in existing online social networking services, the book aspires to create a common language between the researchers and practitioners of this new area- spanning from the theory of computational social sciences to conventional security and network engineering.

Enhancing Learning Through Human Computer Interaction is an excellent reference source of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) applications and designs. This premier reference source provides a complete analysis of online business training programs and e-learning in the higher education sector. It describes a range of positive outcomes for linking information management techniques, which exploit the educational benefits of Web-mediated learning in computer-supported collaborative learning. Case studies depicting practical approaches for increasing the human dimension of HCI are also included to supply researchers and practitioners with innovative real-life examples.

Evolution of Information Technology in Educational Management As the editors of this volume we are very happy to publish a selection of the papers that were presented at the eighth Conference of Working Group 3.7 of the International Federation for Information Processing which was held in July 2008. The focus of Working Group 3.7 is on ITEM: Information Technology in Educational Management (for more information, please visit our website http: //item.wceruw.org/), and the theme of its 2008 conference was on the Evolution of Information Technology in Educational Management. Our Working Group started its activities (officially we were not an IFIP Working Group at that time) in 1994 in Israel, so it made sense to look at how ITEM has evolved over the years and to reflect on what its future may be. The conference took place in Darwin (northern Australia) which even during the Australian winter is a very pleasant location for having a conference. The town of Darwin was given its name by the Captain of the Beagle (the ship on which Darwin travelled when he made the investigations on which he based his Theory of Evolution) who came to the area and named the town after the giant of science he admired

This edited collection opens up new intellectual territories and articulates the ways in which academics are theorising and practicing new forms of research in 'wild' contexts. Many researchers are choosing to leave the familiarity of their laboratory-based settings in order to pursue in-situ studies 'in the wild' that can help them to better understand the implications of their work in real-world settings. This has naturally led to ethical, philosophical and practical reappraisals with regard to the taken for granted lab-based modus operandi of scientific, cultural and design-based ways of working. This evolving movement has led to a series of critical debates opening up around the nature of research in the wild, but up until now these debates have not been drawn together in a coherent way that could be useful in an academic context. The book brings together applied, methodological and theoretical perspectives relating to this subject area, and provides a platform and a source of reference material for researchers, students and academics to base their work on. Cutting across multiple disciplines relating to philosophy, sociology, ethnography, design, human-computer interaction, science, history and critical theory, this timely collection appeals to a broad range of academics in varying fields of research.

This unique volume explores cutting-edge management approaches to developing complex software that is efficient, scalable, sustainable, and suitable for distributed environments. Practical insights are offered by an international selection of pre-eminent authorities, including case studies, best practices, and balanced corporate analyses. Emphasis is placed on the use of the latest software technologies and frameworks for life-cycle methods, including the design, implementation and testing stages of software development. Topics and features: * Reviews approaches for reusability, cost and time estimation, and for functional size measurement of distributed software applications * Discusses the core characteristics of a large-scale defense system, and the design of software project management (SPM) as a service * Introduces the 3PR framework, research on crowdsourcing software development, and an innovative approach to modeling large-scale multi-agent software systems * Examines a system architecture for ambient assisted living, and an approach to cloud migration and management assessment * Describes a software error proneness mechanism, a novel Scrum process for use in the defense domain, and an ontology annotation for SPM in distributed environments* Investigates the benefits of agile project management for higher education institutions, and SPM that combines software and data engineering This important text/reference is essential reading for project managers and software engineers involved in developing software for distributed computing environments. Students and researchers interested in SPM technologies and frameworks will also find the work to be an invaluable resource. Prof. Zaigham Mahmood is a Senior Technology Consultant at Debesis Education UK and an Associate Lecturer (Research) at the University of Derby, UK. He also holds positions as Foreign Professor at NUST and IIU in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Professor Extraordinaire at the North West University Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Offers a unique multidisciplinary overview of how humans interact with soft objects and how multiple sensory signals are used to perceive material properties, with an emphasis on object deformability. The authors describe a range of setups that have been employed to study and exploit sensory signals involved in interactions with compliant objects as well as techniques to simulate and modulate softness - including a psychophysical perspective of the field. Multisensory Softness focuses on the cognitive mechanisms underlying the use of multiple sources of information in softness perception. Divided into three sections, the first Perceptual Softness deals with the sensory components and computational requirements of softness perception, the second Sensorimotor Softness looks at the motor components of the interaction with soft objects and the final part Artificial Softness focuses on the identification of exploitable guidelines to help replicate softness in artificial environments.

In today's market, emerging technologies are continually assisting in common workplace practices as companies and organizations search for innovative ways to solve modern issues that arise. Prevalent applications including internet of things, big data, and cloud computing all have noteworthy benefits, but issues remain when separately integrating them into the professional practices. Significant research is needed on converging these systems and leveraging each of their advantages in order to find solutions to real-time problems that still exist. Challenges and Opportunities for the Convergence of IoT, Big Data, and Cloud Computing is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the relation between these technologies and the impact they collectively have in solving real-world challenges. While highlighting topics such as cloud-based analytics, intelligent algorithms, and information security, this publication explores current issues that remain when attempting to implement these systems as well as the specific applications IoT, big data, and cloud computing have in various professional sectors. This book is ideally designed for academicians, researchers, developers, computer scientists, IT professionals, practitioners, scholars, students, and engineers seeking research on the integration of emerging technologies to solve modern societal issues.

This timely interdisciplinary work on current developments in ICT and privacy/data protection, coincides as it does with the rethinking of the Data Protection Directive, the contentious debates on data sharing with the USA (SWIFT, PNR) and the judicial and political resistance against data retention. The authors of the contributions focus on particular and pertinent issues from the perspective of their different disciplines which range from the legal through sociology, surveillance studies and technology assessment, to computer sciences. Such issues include cutting-edge developments in the field of cloud computing, ambient intelligence and PETs; data retention, PNR-agreements, property in personal data and the right to personal identity; electronic road tolling, HIV-related information, criminal records and teenager's online conduct, to name but a few.

"Online Matchmaking "examines the joys, fears, and disappointments of hooking up with people in cyberspace. Unlike most other books that exist in this field, this collection includes studies by experts from a variety of disciplines, including Communications, Cultural studies, English, Health, Journalism, Psychology, Rhetoric, and Sociology. "Online Matchmaking" could be used as a primary or secondary resource for any subject that focuses on cyber-relationships.

Despite its increasing importance, the verification and validation of the human-machine interface is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of system development. Although much has been written about the design and developmentprocess, very little organized information is available on how to verifyand validate highly complex and highly coupled dynamic systems. Inability toevaluate such systems adequately may become the limiting factor in our ability to employ systems that our technology and knowledge allow us to design. This volume, based on a NATO Advanced Science Institute held in 1992, is designed to provide guidance for the verification and validation of all highly complex and coupled systems. Air traffic control isused an an example to ensure that the theory is described in terms that will allow its implementation, but the results can be applied to all complex and coupled systems. The volume presents the knowledge and theory ina format that will allow readers from a wide variety of backgrounds to apply it to the systems for which they are responsible. The emphasis is on domains where significant advances have been made in the methods of identifying potential problems and in new testing methods and tools. Also emphasized are techniques to identify the assumptions on which a system is built and to spot their weaknesses.