End-user Application Development Research Articles

Analysis of End-User Mashup Application in Web applications

Mashup technologies that enable users to edit Web content are used to create end-user application development paradigms. It is not just a crucial technique that must be understood; it is also a crucial mechanism for developing effective end-user apps. It is recognised that consumers without computer programming experience can easily deploy and use mashup technology This paper describes research that aims to conduct an experiment to confirm this claim. Observable end-user application development requirements are also outlined, along with the research methodology and measuring techniques used to present the findings. The remix of a meta-application to evaluate mashup development employed two different Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), one from Flickr and the other from Google Map. The experimenters instructed the participants to create their own meta-application using any of the three mashup tools: Yahoo! Pipes, Intel Mash Maker, and Dapper. The findings disproved the notion that mashup development is simple enough for non-programmers to perform, demonstrating that creating mashup meta-applications is difficult for end users who lack programming and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) abilities.

Enabling Virtual Met Masts for wind energy applications through machine learning-methods

As wind is the basis of all wind energy projects, a precise knowledge about its availability is needed. For an analysis of the site-specific wind conditions, Virtual Meteorological Masts (VMMs) are frequently used. VMMs make use of site calibrated numerical data to provide precise wind estimates during all phases of a wind energy project. Typically, numerical data are used for the long-term correlation that is required for estimating the yield of new wind farm projects. However, VMMs can also be used to fill data gaps or during the operational phase as an additional reference data set to detect degrading sensors. The value of a VMM directly depends on its ability and precision to reproduce site-specific environmental conditions. Commonly, linear regression is used as state of the art to correct reference data to the site-specific conditions. In this study, a framework of 10 different machine-learning methods is tested to investigated the benefit of more advanced methods on two offshore and one onshore site. We find significantly improving correlations between the VMMs and the reference data when using more advanced methods and present the most promising ones. The K-Nearest Neighbors and AdaBoost regressors show the best results in our study, but Multi-Output Mixture of Gaussian Processes is also very promising. The use of more advanced regression models lead to decreased uncertainties; hence those methods should find its way into industrial applications. The recommended regression models can serve as a starting point for the development of end-user applications and services.

2D printed multicellular devices performing digital and analogue computation

Much effort has been expended on building cellular computational devices for different applications. Despite the significant advances, there are still several addressable restraints to achieve the necessary technological transference. These improvements will ease the development of end-user applications working out of the lab. In this study, we propose a methodology for the construction of printable cellular devices, digital or analogue, for different purposes. These printable devices are designed to work in a 2D surface, in which the circuit information is encoded in the concentration of a biological signal, the so-called carrying signal. This signal diffuses through the 2D surface and thereby interacts with different device components. These components are distributed in a specific spatial arrangement and perform the computation by modulating the level of the carrying signal in response to external inputs, determining the final output. For experimental validation, 2D cellular circuits are printed on a paper surface by using a set of cellular inks. As a proof-of-principle, we have printed and analysed both digital and analogue circuits using the same set of cellular inks but with different spatial topologies. The proposed methodology can open the door to a feasible and reliable industrial production of cellular circuits for multiple applications.

Effects of functionality on the transport properties of thiol-ene/acrylate systems: A molecular dynamics study

Photopolymerization reaction of thiol-ene/acrylate systems are known to be of multi-faceted use in fabrication of materials from areas such as materials science, bioconjugation and drug delivery. Knowledge of various properties of the starting modular units helps in development of end user applications. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation technique, with the help of Generalized Amber Force Field (GAFF), is employed to predict self-diffusivity and viscosity of six ‘acrylate’, five ‘thiol’ and five ‘ene’ monomers within a temperature range of 293–333K. Applicability of GAFF is validated for this work with the prediction of viscosity and density of methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and butyl acrylate at the said temperature range. The deviation of predicted viscosity and densites from experimental values fell within 20% and 0.18% respectively. A range of transport properties with respect to self-diffusion (~10−10m2s−1) and viscosity (~100mPa·s) were obtained across all the five ‘thiol’, five ‘ene’ and six ‘acrylate’ monomers. Reaction-diffusion mechanism of thiol-ene/acrylate photopolymerization requires computation of multicomponent diffusion as it is often seen to be the rate limiting step. Predictive Darken equation is used to obtain Fick's diffusivity values from Maxwell-Stefan diffusivities for fourteen binary systems which shows resemblance with experimental findings. Viscosity values for the mixtures have also been reported.

Second Order Interactive End User Development Appropriation in the Public Sector

This paper seeks to respond to the research question: How does appropriation take place in the public sector in the development of end user applications by civil servants? Appropriation is defined as taking advantage of opportunities related to the development and use of applications, when the developer has in-depth knowledge of the problem domain and is also the primary user of the application. The author's results showed that public servants who have deep problem domain knowledge can take advantage of end user tools (e.g. spreadsheet programs) in the problem- solving process to solve vaguely defined problems. Appropriation is manifested in the continuous development of various ICT applications. In this paper, the author differentiates between first- and second-order appropriation. First-order appropriation takes place when the potential of the development tool is appropriated by the end user. Second-order appropriation takes place when an application is continuously developed and refined in parallel with the end user's learning process and the development of organizational requirements.

Supporting End-User Development through a New Composition Model: An Empirical Study

End-user development (EUD) is much hyped, and its impact has outstripped even the most optimistic forecasts. Even so, the vision of end users programming their own solutions has not yet materialized. This will continue to be so unless we in both industry and the research community set ourselves the ambitious challenge of devising end to end an end-user application development model for developing a new age of EUD tools. We have embarked on this venture, and this paper presents the main insights and outcomes of our research and development efforts as part of a number of successful EU research projects. Our proposal not only aims to reshape software engineering to meet the needs of EUD but also to refashion its components as solution building blocks instead of programs and software developments. This way, end users will really be empowered to build solutions based on artefacts akin to their expertise and understanding of ideal solutions

End-User Perceptions of the Benefits and Risks of End-User Web Development

The development of applications by end users has become an integral part of organizational information provision. It has been established that there are both benefits and risks associated with end-user development, particularly in the areas of spreadsheets and databases. Web development tools are enabling a new kind of end-user development. The fact that Web page creation may impact, not only locally but also globally, significantly raises the importance of this type of end-user application development. This article reports on the extent of Web page development amongst end users and investigates their perceptions of the benefits and risks of end-user Web development relative to those associated with spreadsheet development and explores approaches to reducing the risks.

The role of spreadsheet knowledge in user-developed application success

Spreadsheets are the most commonly used tool for end user development of applications, and organizations depend heavily upon them for decision making. This paper reports on a study to investigate the role of spreadsheet knowledge in the successful use of spreadsheet applications. It considers both the spreadsheet knowledge of the user developer and the spreadsheet knowledge of the user and tests a model of the effect of spreadsheet knowledge on the success of a user-developed spreadsheet application. Spreadsheet knowledge was shown to be important in two ways. It influences the quality of the system being developed, but it also acts directly upon the individual impact of the application. Successful use appears to require sufficient knowledge to understand and, if necessary, alter the application.

The Effect of End User Development on End User Success

End user development of applications forms a significant part of organizational systems development. This study investigates the role that developing an application plays in the eventual success of the application for the user developer. The results of this study suggest that the process of developing an application not only predisposes an end user developer to be more satisfied with the application than they would be if it were developed by another end user, but also leads them to perform better with it. Thus, the results of the study highlight the contribution of the process of application development to user developed application success.

Real-Time Modelling of HFIR Accident Releases

A multitude of variables affect an accurate determination of exposure risk to the public following an accidental release of fission products from a nuclear installation. A rapid estimate of fuel damage, expected mitigating equipment availability, and short- and long-term meteorological forecasts are necessary for emergency response personnel to mitigate the consequences of an accidental release most effectively. Critical analogue and digital plant parameters are monitored, displayed, and archived at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) through a suite of programmes developed by the Instrumentation and Controls Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. By providing distribution of low-level formatted plant data across a wide area network, these programmes allow tremendous flexibility in the development of end-user applications. An Excel spreadsheet has been developed at ORNL that interacts with the HFIR on-line monitoring system (i.e. using Excel's Dynamic Data Exchange function) to import real-time plant and meteorological variables and create a time history of the pertinent variables necessary for emergency response personnel in off-site decision-making support. The spreadsheet imports raw data in the form of noble gas, iodine and particulate releases, and/or radiation levels, as well as real-time meteorology, stack flow rate, and water PH and from this estimates a core damage fraction as well as expected release rates for the duration of the accident. These estimates are based upon release studies performed using precomputed results from a TRENDS model developed in support of the HFIR FSAR. Through these estimates, the HFIR Accident Release (HAR) spreadsheet allows the results of off-line sophisticated modelling to be used automatically to generate real-time input decks from measured and inferred releases for use in the RASCAL emergency management dose consequence code. The use of this spreadsheet is expected to (1) improve real-time decision making support, especially in the event of an accidental release occurring during the evening hours when many trained technical personnel may be off-site, and (2) provide a readily formatted, archived, time-history of HFIR accident releases for post event evaluations. An accident simulation that makes online use of the HFIR Monitoring System and HAR spreadsheet is presented along with discussion of how these results would be used by emergency response personnel during an accidental release at the HFIR.

An empirical investigation of two alternative approaches to control of end-user application development process

An empirical investigation of two alternative approaches to control of end-user application development process

Supporting End-User Application Development with the Information Transformation-Analysis-Management Model

Supporting End-User Application Development with the Information Transformation-Analysis-Management Model

Browsing a la carte in Object-Oriented Databases

In this paper we present a user interface to the KIWI object oriented database system. The system combines ease of use with a powerful customisation facility which greatly simplifies the development of end-user applications. This is achieved by using the underlying object-oriented language (OOPS+) features such as inheritance to define a consistent and orthogonal set of graphical object classes that can be used to attach a tailor-made external representation of (a view on) objects and/or classes. In addition, using the same tools, it becomes a simple matter to define general purpose browsing and manipulation tools which otherwise would have to be developed separately.

APL: The language of science and management

APL (A Programming Language) has been in use at the Space Department of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) for scientific problem solving. APL was a very attractive alternative to the slow, expensive and often unavailable pool of scientific programmers, and became the language of choice for a variety of scientific projects. APL was not considered to be suitable for solving business and management related problems or for building end-user applications. A critical need for modern management tools, the availability of experienced APL Programmer/Analysts, and the introduction at JHU/APL of APL Application Development Programming Productivity (ADPP) tools, resulted in management decision to explore the potential of APL for developing end-user applications. The two business (management) oriented applications which have been developed have resulted in management's acceptance of APL as an end-user application development language in addition to its traditional role in science and engineering. The rationale for choosing APL to develop end-user business applications and a short description of some of the ADPP tools and applications developed are the subject of this paper.

Information systems strategy and end-user application development

End-user computing in organizations with different information systems strategies was studied to determine the nature and characteristics of user-developed applications, systems development practices, quality assurance methods, and policies and procedures for end-user development. The findings showed that the information systems strategies of the firms studied did not markedly affect end-user computing activities. In most of these firms, strategic end-user systems were being designed by functional specialists, suggesting their role as catalysts for introducing strategic uses of information technology in user departments in which computing had been primarily valuable for operational efficiency in the past. Formal systems development practices such as data validation, documentation, and data security were not being followed, indicating a need for user training. Although policies and procedures for hardware and software acquisition were in effect, users were largely unaware of policies or guidelines addressing application development issues.