Category: Information Systems

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Design Information Systems PORTFOLIO

INFO VISUALIZATION: Emergency Management – SFU

Simon Fraser University, SIAT, PHD student work, Research Assistant, Fall 2011

In my first three terms as a Ph.D. student at SIAT I had a cooperative Research Assistantship with Dr. Brian Fisher and Dr. Ron Wakkary. I worked in the field of Interaction Design and Visual Analytics (VA) for Emergency Management. Through ethnographic observations during the GreyCup activations of the Vancouver Emergency Operation Center (EOC) I started prototyping a VA tool for Situational Awareness with the consideration of integrating social media as a source of information. The tool presented scenarios of how to present and interact with situational reports that are pulled together through gathered information from multiple sources, including social media.

We presented a poster about this research at ISCRAM2012 (Integrative and Analytical Approaches to Crisis Response and Emergency Management Information Systems).

Calderon, N, Hauser, S., and Bartram, L., “Addressing Situational Awareness Analytical Systems: an Information Visualization Approach,” In Poster abstracts of the 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management 2012 (ISCRAM 2012). Vancouver, Canada.

 

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Information Systems PORTFOLIO

IMPLEMENTATION: Schedule- & Roomplanning System – HfG

Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Schwäbisch Gmünd. February – July 2011. Lead of the project.

This project was done during my employment at the HfG. The school was in the need of an efficient schedule- and room-planning system. An academic assistant had been doing all the scheduling and planning in Adobe inDesign without any software helping with logic, issues etc! It was a very nerve-wrecking job to do over the summer. I felt I had to put my information science skills to use and help out.

I did a thorough research of different software options and settled for a collaboration with a company that had a product for high schools. It fit best with all the needs and wants we had at the HfG in terms of scheduling lecturers and Professors that are only available at certain times, because they are working in industry half of their time. My information science skills were extremely useful for this project. I lead this collaboration.

The implementation and all the work towards it took about 5 months and turned out to be a great success. The system is still in use.

HfG schedule with new system
HfG schedule with new system
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Design Information Systems PORTFOLIO

APPLICATION DESIGN: Schedule- & Roomplanning System – HfG

Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Schwäbisch Gmünd. Spring, Summer 2010. Supervised by: Prof. Hans Krämer

This project was done during my employment at the HfG. The school was in the need of an efficient schedule- and room-planning system. Up until that time an academic assistant had done all the scheduling and planning in inDesign and without any software helping with logic, issues etc!

I worked on developing an information system that was supposed to be used for the universities schedule and room planning. Among other abilities, the system exports its information through different channels such as terminal displays, that will be located on different sites on campus, personalized schedules in common formats that can be downloaded and email information services. Through the process of that project, I monitored the different user-groups and conceited the system along with its information structure. After implementing the database, Markus Lorenz Schilling as a Research Assistant and I developed the graphical user interface.

Unfortunately, the system was never realized; costs ended up being too high. However, I did end up finding a system on the market used in secondary schools, that worked for the HfG and was in a leading position organizing the implementation of it in 2011. That system is still in use.

 

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Design Information Systems PORTFOLIO

MASTER THESIS: Portal System Design for Geo-Applications – HfG

Master Thesis, HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd, MA Communication Planning and Design, July 2009. Supervisor: Prof. Joerg Beck and Prof. Ralf Dringenberg

 

Title: ageo is a system for creating individual applications that use geographic data.

Through a comprehensive analysis of satellite navigation and in particular the European system Galileo, the concept of ageo was created. ageo is a draft for a user-oriented tool, based on the following factors:
– the enormous market development of satellite navigation
– the state of today‘s geo-applications
– current research on software and application model
– the development of online users from regular consumers to prosumers (professional consumers) to produsers (producing consumers)
– the Open Source trend of Web 2.0

ageo presents an online platform, which is available for users without programming knowledge but also for those with substantial programming skills. Individual applications for stationary or mobile use are created by selecting multiple data in a browser system. The data can be found on the one hand on the system database that is supplied and extended by users and on the other hand personal data can be added.

After selecting the data for the application, the user selects various settings and then exports the application. According to a better presentation and perception, scenarios of using the system and screen drafts have been created. They are also the basis for further processing. The concept has to be enhanced by a system-specific processing, including several evaluation processes.

I presented a thorough analysis of satellite navihgation and galileo, a new concept for an online platform system, scenarios in which the system would be benefitial, application designs of the system, and a detailed use scenario. An ovierview of it all can be seen on the poster seriesin the images below. See also application design screens, and parts of my documentation of the design project.

My documentation can be found HERE.

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Information Systems PORTFOLIO Research

DIPLOM THESIS: Prediction markets, decision sup. tool – HDa

Diplom Dissertation, Information and Knowledge Management, Hochschule Darmstadt, June 2007. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bernd Joers

The latest findings on experimental economics and decision making almost leave no doubt that when it comes to forecasts, we have to rethink. Forecast errors can be expensive and the search for alternatives has not been exhausted. This dissertation presents the topic of prediction markets, and thereby keeps a constant detailed scientific evidence guide.

After an introduction on the issue and its problems, an explanation of fundamental theories and methods concerning the complex subject follows. Including forecasting, fundamentals of the decision theory and decision-support systems. Consequently, the author then focuses entirely on prediction markets, their fundamentals and performance. Prediction markets are successfully expanding in the areas of culture and entertainment, politics, sports and business. Compared to traditional market research studies prediction markets convince with great potential.

A detailed elaboration of the conditions to be observed in the implementation of virtual markets is developed. The conditions are addressed to market participants, the system and its design.

Three experimental implemented test markets, which showed positive results and an outlook that prediction markets can be classified as a future trend, complete the work.

 

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Information Systems PORTFOLIO

INFORMATION SYSTEM: Database Mgmnt, Course Work – HDa

Hochschule Darmstadt, Fall 2005, Information Technology Practicum, Instructor: Prof. Geribert Jakob

In this IT Project, I worked on the creation, specification and implementation of a database-supported management system for a food goods depot. The focus of the project was the functionality of the system. The design really didn’t matter (as you can see! – at that point I didn’t know anything about design).

We identified the problems and module gateways and created a semantic database model. Of course we potinted out the functionality with Use Cases and Process Diagrams in UML. We created a physical database model and a storyboard of the system. Then we implemented the database model in MySQL and programmed the modules in PHP. We also programmed some extensions in JavaScript. We had to keep a professional project plan up-to-date and write a documentation about the project and potential extensions.

This project was done at Hochschule Darmstadt in collaboration with two more students on my team: Johanna Dobrick and Olivia Shepherd.