Information Management Framework Research Articles

Information management in lean office deployment contexts

PurposeLean office covers the improvement of administrative processes and information flows. In offices, one of the essential challenges is to coordinate the development of information management capabilities. Thus, this paper aims to identify the key factors of information management in lean office deployment contexts.Design/methodology/approachBy adopting a qualitative approach, it consists of theoretical research that applies grounded theory's coding technique and exploits 27 scientific studies on lean office published in the past 20 years.FindingsIt identifies five key factors for managing information into an organizational structure that optimizes information flow, such as “information-seeking,” “access to information,” “information quality,” “information processing” and “use of information and communication technology”.Research limitations/implicationsData analysis was restricted in scientific research regarding lean office deployment. Therefore, the accuracy of the concepts and categories of information management proposed in this paper can be adjusted and validated in future research, thus deepening the discussion of its findings.Practical implicationsIt highlights issues for managing information in contemporary organizations such as failures in information retrieval, restrictions on access to information, lack of quality information, inadequate information processing criteria and inefficiency of information systems infrastructure.Originality/valueIt analyzes the lean office deployment from the theoretical framework of information management. Thus, it differs from other studies in this field because it is not limited to the operational aspects of lean management. Nevertheless, it shows that lean office reconfigures information flows and continually improves organizations’ strategic management.

Lifecycle information transformation and exchange for delivering and managing digital and physical assets

The rapid pace of digitalisation within the Construction Industry and the divergence from traditional practice inherent to this transformation requires the development of new knowledge to frame these emerging practices. Acting on increasing digitalisation pressures, many national and international standards, protocols, and specifications have been generated with little conceptual framing or with no theoretical underpinning. This positioning paper responds to practical business needs of organisations and project teams, builds upon existing conceptual constructs, and delivers a modular information management framework. The Lifecycle Information Transformation and Exchange (LITE) framework is an extendable conceptual skeletal for defining, managing, and integrating project and asset information. Developed, described, and explained for ongoing field testing, the LITE framework integrates multiple components - information statuses, states, milestones, flows, gates, routes, loops, actions, sets, and tiers – which collectively lay the foundations for an open access digital platform being developed by an international Community of Research and Practice. The framework describes – and aims to predict - information flows across an asset's lifecycle. Its modular conceptual structure, iterative flows, and task-oriented terminology are calibrated to guide the integrated design, delivery, and utilisation of assets of any type, function, or scale.

Blockchain-based framework for improving supply chain traceability and information sharing in precast construction

Precast construction has great potential for driving innovations in clean, safe, high-efficient construction methods in the industry. However, current precast supply chain management often faces challenges such as fragmentation, poor traceability, and lack of real-time information. To address these challenges, this study builds a novel blockchain-based information management framework for a precast supply chain, which extends the applications of blockchain in the domain of construction supply chains. In this study, a blockchain framework and its development processes are presented in detail, and algorithms for smart contracts are developed for the model implementation. Finally, the performance of this framework is validated with a case study in which a visualization system is presented to achieve (1) information sharing management, (2) real-time control of scheduling, and (3) information traceability. The results suggest that the proposed framework facilitates the on-time delivery of precast components (PCs) and tracks the reasons for disputes centered on PCs in the precast supply chain.

End-user activities context information management framework for sustainable building operation

The concept of sustainable buildings includes not only technological aspects related to energy efficiency and resources usage optimization, but also aspects related to end-users’ comfort, wellbeing, and everyday needs support. To understand the end-users’ life activities in general and their preferences in particular, is necessary to enrich standard Building Management Systems (BMS) with human-generated and personal data. In this conceptual paper, we present an end-user context information management framework, which includes a reasoning layer, an acquisition layer, and a dissemination layer. The proposed framework is currently implemented in the KTH Live-in-Lab – a fully equipped testbed for research and innovation in the build environment.

A nonequilibrium thermodynamics perspective on nature-inspired chemical engineering processes

Nature-inspired chemical engineering (NICE) is promising many benefits in terms of energy consumption, resilience and efficiency etc. But it struggles to emerge as a leading discipline, chiefly because of the misconception that mimicking Nature is sufficient. It is not, since goals and constrained context are different. Hence, revealing context and understanding the mechanisms of nature-inspiration should be encouraged. In this contribution we revisit the classification of three published mechanisms underlying nature-inspired engineering, namely hierarchical transport network, force balancing and dynamic self-organization, by setting them in a broader framework supported by nonequilibrium thermodynamics, the constructal law and nonlinear control concepts. While the three mechanisms mapping is not complete, the NET and CL joint framework opens also new perspectives. This novel perspective goes over classical chemical engineering where equilibrium based assumptions or linear transport phenomena and control are the ruling mechanisms in process unit design and operation. At small-scale level, NICE processes should sometimes consider advanced thermodynamic concepts to account for fluctuations and boundary effects on local properties. At the process unit level, one should exploit out-of-equilibrium situations with thermodynamic coupling under various dynamical states, be it a stationary state or a self-organized state. Then, nonlinear phenomena, possibly provoked by operating larger driving force to achieve greater dissipative flows, might occur, controllable by using nonlinear control theory. At the plant level, the virtual factory approach relying on servitization and modular equipment proposes a framework for knowledge and information management that could lead to resilient and agile chemical plants, especially biorefineries.

Design and Implementation of a Trust Information Management Platform for Social Internet of Things Environments.

As the vast amount of data in social Internet of Things (IoT) environments considering interactions between IoT and people is accumulated and processed through cloud and big data technologies, the services that utilize them are applied in various fields. The trust between IoT devices and their data is recognized as the core of IoT ecosystem creation and growth. Connection with suspicious IoT devices may pose a risk to services and system operation. Therefore, it is essential to analyze and manage trust information for devices, services, and people, as well as to provide the trust information to the other devices or users that need it. This paper presents a trust information management framework which contains a generic IoT reference model with trust capabilities to achieve the goal of converged trust information management. Additionally, a trust information management platform (TIMP) consisting of trust agents, trust information brokers, and trust information management systems has been proposed, which aims to provide trustworthy and safe interactions among people, virtual objects, and physical things. Implementing and deploying a TIMP enables a trustworthy ecosystem to be built while activating social IoT businesses by reducing transaction costs, as well as by eliminating the uncertainties in the use of social IoT services and data transactions.

Balanced Growth using Ontology-based Tantra Framework

Indian Economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, currently growing at around 7%. However, India’s growth has been highly uneven and lop-sided. Sectors such as services relying on exports have grown far more whereas manufacturing and agriculture have languished. As global trade environment becomes tougher, there is increasing realization that India’s domestic economy needs to grow lot more. In this context, balanced growth theory proposed by Ragnar Nurkse and many other Economists in 1950s is worth revisiting. Nurkse called for unleashing growth across different sectors of domestic economy simultaneously. Nurkse identified productivity as key determinant of market size and considered the poor as participants in the growth process than as mere beneficiaries. Even though balanced growth model is an ideal to aspire for, there are very few success stories which laid a clear roadmap to achieve it. Further, we need to reimagine the balanced growth model for today’s context to take into consideration newer challenges and opportunities compared to 1950s. In addition, the role of the Government needs to be recalibrated to be a catalyst in market economy in contrast to planned economies. To accomplish this complex task, we need an information framework that has an ecosystem approach and looks at society holistically. We propose the use of Ontology-based Tantra Social Information Management Framework to steer India towards the balanced growth ideal. This paper contains the description of Tantra Framework and our approach to realize balanced growth using Tantra Framework.

An application framework for development of a maintenance management system based on building information modeling and radio-frequency identification: case study of a stadium building

Identifying, tracking, controlling, and managing facilities and the associated problems are critical tasks in facility management. In addition, the facility maintenance information needs to be constantly updated, which leads to an extra workload for staff using paper and two-dimensional drawings. To overcome these challenges, a system based on building information modeling (BIM) and radio-frequency identification (RFID) is developed for managing and maintaining facilities. The proposed system simultaneously connects the BIM model using industry foundation class (IFC) data structures, the facility maintenance database, and the RFID reader and shows the accessible data through the internet on a handheld screen. This approach provides a general framework for maintenance information management of building facilities. The framework invokes the proposed system to be for preventive maintenance and the reports based on it. The system is implemented in the case study of the building maintenance of a soccer stadium to validate the proposed system and demonstrate the system’s effectiveness for maintenance management.

Building Information Management (BIM) and Blockchain (BC) for Sustainable Building Design Information Management Framework

At present, sustainable design is experiencing energy consumption and cost-effectiveness challenges in the building industry. A recent body of literature argues that the development of emerging smart digital technologies, such as Building Information Management (BIM) and blockchain (BC), offer immediate benefits to the industry. However, the current application of BIM and BC in the sustainable design and construction process focuses on smart energy and construction management, with little attention to addressing challenges for applying BIM to sustainable design and proposing strategies in terms of the usability of these technologies in the management of building construction projects. Therefore, this paper sets out to explore the potential roles of an integrated BIM and BC approach for sustainable building design information management. The first attempt is presented to use BC aided BIM for sustainable building design coordination and collaboration in multiple building stages. BC has the potential to address challenges that hinder the industry from using BIM for sustainable design, which has been unearthed. An innovative BC enhanced transaction process in BIM is required for sustainable building development. Roles of a user level driven smart contract system of BC can be used to enhance BIM system in the sustainable buildings process. The role of BC is primarily at user level driven smart contracts and their record value exchange capabilities. A user level (BIM stakeholders) driven BC technology for transaction in BIM process flow is revealed, and the user level (sustainable building design project stakeholders/BIM clients) driven and the smart contract enabled BIM+ BC architecture to address challenges of BIM for sustainable design has been further circulated according to the literature. Subsequently, a conceptual architecture of BIM + BC for Sustainable Building Design Information Management Framework in building project management has been proposed, validated, and refined. The Framework has two level encompassing structures and flow. The high-level framework is focused on strategy, whilst the low-level framework demonstrates technical components in detail. This architecture supporting project stakeholders in managing information, has the potential to achieve and ensure the realization of sustainable design goals through the interactive realization of smart contracts integrated into the user level driven BIM + BC system and its recording value exchange function through three user-driven levels, namely user, system, and transaction.

Validating Tantra Framework using entropy

In this paper, ontology-based Tantra Social Information Management Framework is proposed to manage information about a complex system such as society in a unified manner. The objective of Tantra Framework is to usher in good governance and social change by playing a prominent role in E-Governance. Tantra Framework enables four different viewpoints of social information: (1) collection of entities, (2) hierarchy of macrostates and microstates, (3) multi-modal social network and (4) social system with macrolevel properties and propensities. An entropy construct is crafted as an instrument for validation of Tantra Framework that can work with each of these viewpoints. With its generic nature and power of detailing, Tantra Framework can become a harbinger of next-generation information systems.

Transforming India’s electoral democracy using Tantra framework

India has a rich tradition where good governance is highly valued. The theme of good governance is emphasized by a lineage of thought leaders from Kautilya in 230 BCE (परजासख सख राजञः परजाना च हित हितम । नातमपरिय हित राजञः परजाना त परिय हितम ॥ अरथशासतरः १.१९.४३ ॥ Chapter 19 titled राजपरणिधिः duties of the king in Arthashastra of Kautilya. The happiness of the king is in the happiness of the people, his welfare is in the welfare of the people. The welfare of the king lies not in what he desires, but what his subjects desire) to Mahatma Gandhi [Mahatma Gandhi propounded the concept of “Su-raj” and according to him “good governance” has the following eight attributes, which link it to its citizens: (1) accountable, (2) transparent, (3) responsive, (4) equitable and inclusive, (5) effective and efficient, (6) follows the rule of law, (7) participatory and (8) consensus oriented] in recent times. However, achieving good governance in a country of size of India is hard. Good governance needs to address social, cultural, ethical and process dimensions. Governance not only needs to be good and efficient, but needs to human-centric. At times even well-intentioned and well-thought out processes of Government cause lot of trauma to common citizens. On the contrary doing away with safeguards is inviting disaster. To meet the objective of human-centric good governance, we have developed Tantra social information management framework. Tantra framework makes use of concepts from Zachman framework and unified foundational ontology. The framework itself is modeled as a social network (entity–entity network). Tantra framework interoperates with models such as balanced score card, theory of change and Bartels’ theory of separations. This paper describes the Tantra framework and how it can be applied to transform India’s electoral democracy.

Balanced Development using Ontology-Based Tantra Framework

The idea of Balanced Development is to ensure equitable distribution of necessities of life and creation of productive remunerative employment across society. Balanced development is a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity. To facilitate this challenging task, we have proposed an Ontology-based Tantra Social Information Management Framework that can help set goals, design and evaluate interventions, define and monitor relevant metrics in an ongoing basis. Tantra Framework represents social information using ideas from Zachman Framework and concepts from Unified Foundational Ontology. Tantra Framework inter-operates with well-regarded models. Balanced Scorecard is used to define development objectives. Bartels’ Theory of Separations is used to identify barriers to access, consumption and profitable participation. Theory of Change process is used to arrive at right intervention. Distributed Ledgers are proposed to handle Change Management. A Social Information Management Process is proposed to keep the framework populated, complete and current. Tantra Framework can lead to broader Digital Governance Framework with strong cognizance of Social dimension. The paper explains how Tantra Framework can be used to realize Economic Development in Indian context.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING AND PROJECT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

The study aims to develop an effective BIM-project information management framework (BIM-PIMF) and associated assessment model for construction projects with a view to enhancing the functional management of project information. An explanatory case study technique and case study evidence from four BIM construction projects form the study’s research design. The study identified and established the three sub-criteria of the BIM-PIMF model which are the BIM process level factors, BIM product level factors, and the key indicators for a successful BIM deployment on construction project sites. These criterias were semantically linked to the development of the BIM-PIMF framework on a five-point metric scale. The deliverables of this study include the development of the BIM-PIMF framework, together with its analytical scoring system. The findings of the study will improve the information channels of and ease the integration of technological innovations in construction processes while improving the technical competencies of project staff. The study highlighted a basket of effective recommendations and strategies to enhance the deployment of BIM throughout a project lifecycle. Policymakers and government departments can utilize the model in assessing the level of usage of BIM in a construction project as one of the useful measures in gauging which construction firms to be provided subsidies.

Modeling and problem solving of building defects using point clouds and enhanced case-based reasoning

Abstract Many factors, including improper maintenance and material aging, may lead to the occurrence of defects during the operation of the various functions of buildings. Building defect information is normally stored in a discrete and unstructured way, and for this reason, building a case-based reasoning framework regarding building defects to enhance the level of building maintenance management has become an important field in the related research. At present, there is limited research available on the integration of geometric data models that are built by means of scanning and multi-attribute selection strategies. This study proposes an integrated information management framework for superficial defects in buildings, which is compatible with a point clouds model as a central data source. It features the attributes of defects used in multi-criteria decision analysis. A CBR (case-based reasoning) approach that considers case-based distance is used to enhance the performance of similarity calculations and case retrieval. A case-based distance model is utilized for the data processing stage and concentrates on a smaller case set that contains best alternatives. The potential benefit offered by this approach is that more efficient results can be obtained from classified cases during the retrieval phase process. A comparison of a CBR query with ungrouped sample data is performed to establish patterns to verify the effectiveness of the calculation method of determining case similarity, which is supported by the pre-processing of classified information about the building defects. The analytical results show that the proposed method performs well in solving the multi-attribute classification of building defects and avoiding ambiguous answers retrieved from unrelated subsets. This approach might be capable of investigating the practical problems involved in building maintenance in the AEC domains.

An ontology-based data integration framework for construction information management

Information management during the construction phase of a built asset involves multiple stakeholders using multiple software applications to generate and store data. This is problematic as data come in different forms and are labour intensive to piece together. Existing solutions to this problem are predominantly in proprietary applications, which are sometimes cost prohibitive for small engineering firms, or conceptual studies with use cases that cannot be easily adapted. In view of these limitations, this research presents an ontology-based data integration framework that makes use of open-source tools that support Semantic Web technologies. The proposed framework enables rapid answering of queries over construction data integrated from heterogeneous sources, data quality checks and reuse of project software resources. The attributes and functionalities of the proposed solution align with the requirements common to small firms with limited information technology skill and budget. Consequently, this solution can be of great benefit for their data projects.

Delivering Healthcare to Rural Ghana: telmedx and Mahiri Mobile Serve Patients in Remote Areas

The quality of healthcare varies greatly throughout Ghana. Urban centers are well served, with hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. In comparison, rural areas often lack modern healthcare. Patients in these areas either rely on traditional African medicine or travel great distances for western healthcare. 
 In 2010, the Government of Ghana launched the national e-health strategy. The key components included streamlining the regulatory framework for health data and information management, building sector capacity for wider application of eHealth solutions in the health sector, increasing access and bridging equity gap in the health sector through the use of information and communication technology, and development of a paperless records and reporting system.

Cloud Based Gamification Model Canvas for School Information Management

Information management especially related to teaching and learning materials is an important application in school in order to bring education system more effective and systematic. Modern education requires fundamental changes in current education system platform for ensuring teaching method becomes more efficient. The challenges of current school information management are non-integrated system, difficulty in configuration and deployment as well as complexity of storage provision. These issues reduce the motivation among teachers to participate in sharing teaching and learning materials in school information management system. This article proposes a gamification model canvas framework for school information management under cloud computing environment. The aim is to provide a method for encouraging the teachers to share their teaching materials. Motivation element provided in model canvas method such as dynamics, behavior, component and aesthetic are used in the proposed framework. With the proposed framework, a cloud based prototype will be developed and can be used by schools.

The building blocks of electronic records and information management framework for Malaysia public agencies: contexts and approaches

Electronic Records and Information Management (e-RIM) framework is paramount for organizations in formulating strategies for managing, use, maintain and protect electronic records and information (e-RI). Since the existing frameworks are nearing to perfection (resulting in difficulty to achieve and implement), therefore inappropriate for adoption particularly by the Malaysia public agencies. The absence of an appropriate framework has hindered the public agencies from implementing the satisfactory e-RIM initiative. This paper seeks to develop a framework which is grounded on the concept of reasonableness rather than perfection. Prior to developing the framework, it is deem necessary to explore and understand the contexts underlying the e-RIM issues and problems and the criteria that manifest the concept of reasonableness. It is identified that people, organization, technology and processes are the interrelated contexts underlying the issues and problems in Malaysia public agencies while articulation of e-RIM vision, equilibrium and adaptability, rationale, practical, relevant and responsive are the criteria that manifest the concept of reasonableness. The contexts and criteria serve as the base for the proposed conceptual model of reasonable e-RIM framework for the study. Keywords: electronic records; electronic records and information management; reasonableness, public agencies

Fundamentals of Information Management in Organization Academic Writing

Studies have present that, one of the global‘s essential reference is information as necessary to resolve difficulty and make decisions influencing by both current and the upcoming. On that point is decent grounds to justify that the level of achiever utilize by company and its associate rely on mostly the good information is carry off. The intent of this article is to determined assessment of several main examination on information management in command to qualify the perceptive of present knowledge, pattern, determine the spread and form an example for advance survey in the field of information management. The research document were produce from known journals such as Emerald, Science direct, IJRIC South African Journal of Information Management and many mores. The assessment inform that information management is multi-disciplinal that combining ability and reference from some fields. The assessment also found that information management is outlined various from information technology. While investing in information technology has not issue related effect on company operation, investiture in information management has fix causing company execution. Deficiency of reference such as finances, manlike assets, and structure and management assistance have been clarified as the primary difficulty to information management framework. The assessment discover by the conceptualization of policies and plan in formation with the company aims and structure, the dealings of suitable technologies and managerial assist are essential for efficiency information management. Finally, the assessment has identify that the specialized view of information management has been direct accented but balanced attraction has not been compensated to the governance characteristic. It is, consequently, suggested that researchers’ characteristic demand to be manageable into information management.

A framework for collaborative information management in construction industry

A framework for collaborative information management in construction industry