Information Requirements Research Articles

Assessing the spatial coherence of forest cover indicators from different data sources: A contribution to sustainable development reporting

The accuracy of forest area estimates has improved over time as a result of field/cadastral surveys, enhanced remote sensing techniques, and the effectiveness of algorithms for automatical recognition of land cover types. However, forest statistics seem to be less accurate in disaggregated spatial domains such as small administrative units. To evaluate the contribution of different data sources to small-area forest cover estimation in Europe, we compared seven indicators with different spatial coverage and resolution. The analysis considered multiple information sources from innovative initiatives, such as the Copernicus Land monitoring scheme, and traditional (national) surveys. More specifically, the study examined the spatial coherence of these indicators at the municipal scale in Italy to achieve two objectives: (i) assessing the overall precision of forest cover rates and (ii) identifying spatial variations in forest cover rates associated with the technical characteristics of each data source. A spatial econometric approach was used to identify the sources of spatial divergence in forest cover rates and determine the data providers best suited to meet the information requirements of environmental reporting at the desired spatial scale. The results reveal that the selected indicators show varying degrees of internal coherence, with some indices displaying strong correlations and others delineating heterogeneous spatial patterns. Our study highlights the importance of choosing the right information source assessing forest area at the municipal level and provides a valuable approach quantifying the coherence and reliability of environmental indicators in monitoring key aspects of sustainable development.

АВТОМАТИЗАЦИЯ ПРОЦЕССОВ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ИНФОРМАЦИОННОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ НА ОСНОВЕ РАЗРАБОТКИ МОДЕЛИ МИНИМИЗАЦИИ РИСКОВ КОНСТРУКТОРСКО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ПРОЕКТА

Minimizing risks in developing intellectually intensive products, connected with the exclusion of unauthorized entry into the design and technological project security system, is the most important task of preserving the development of Russian creative potential. The research method is to identify and analyse the application of engineering and psychological aspects of the design activities of intellectual-intensive products. Clearly formed and documented requirements for information and technological security, supplemented by research in the field of engineering psychology, make it possible to minimise the risks of threats to enter the system along the entire chain of the design and production process. Building a model for minimising the risks of a design and technological project, which makes it possible to fulfil technological safety requirements based on developing quality assessment criteria, considering the use of engineering and psychological knowledge, is the solution to a very urgent problem.

Developing typical profiles of generation Z students to improve the quality of the educational process

Global digital platforms that influence the development of local digital platforms (from national-level platforms to the platform of a particular enterprise), in order to be more effective, must take into account the informational requirements of users, including those determined by their emotional and psychological characteristics. For this purpose, their developers need to know the typical emotional and psychological profiles of users.The construction of typical emotional and psychological profiles of Generation Z learners is necessary for correct and efficient operation of information and educational platforms, in particular, adaptive e-learning environments, which, among other things, implement gamification approaches.To identify the above-mentioned profiles of Generation Z learners, we use R. Cattell’s multifactor testing methodology (form C) and subsequent processing of the obtained results using statistical methods (in the form of cluster analysis). To ensure the representativeness of the results, the study involved 994 students from various universities (the survey results were used in an impersonal form).The analysis of clustering results makes it possible to identify the share of students who are able to independently form new knowledge and obtain original results of intellectual activity, to determine the share of students with a pragmatic attitude to life, as well as those who possess the qualities of business leadership, etc.Based on these results, recommendations for improving the quality of the educational process as a special case of adaptive e-learning environment are formulated.

A multilayer network diffusion-based model for reviewer recommendation

With the rapid growth of manuscript submissions, finding eligible reviewers for every submission has become a heavy task. Recommender systems are powerful tools developed in computer science and information science to deal with this problem. However, most existing approaches resort to text mining techniques to match manuscripts with potential reviewers, which require high-quality textual information to perform well. In this paper, we propose a reviewer recommendation algorithm based on a network diffusion process on a scholar–paper multilayer network, with no requirement for textual information. The network incorporates the relationship of scholar–paper pairs, the collaboration among scholars, and the bibliographic coupling among papers. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art recommendation methods that use graph random walk and matrix factorization and methods that use machine learning and natural language processing, with improvements of over 7.62% in recall, 5.66% in hit rate, and 47.53% in ranking score. Our work sheds light on the effectiveness of multilayer network diffusion-based methods in the reviewer recommendation problem, which will help to facilitate the peer-review process and promote information retrieval research in other practical scenes.

Broad consent for biobank research in South Africa - Towards an enabling ethico-legal framework

ABSTRACT Broad consent is permitted by the South African National Department of Health Ethics Guidelines but appears to be prohibited by section 13(1) of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. Additionally, the Act mandates that all personal data (including biobank sample data) be collected for lawful, explicit, and clearly defined purposes. There is possibility for ambiguity in interpretation because of this discrepancy between the two instruments. Given the association between the transfer of samples and data, the long-term nature of biobanking, which makes it impractical to provide too much or enough information because it is simply not available at the time of sample collection, and the various ways that the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 have been interpreted, we aim to demonstrate that South Africa’s current regulatory framework should appropriately permit broad consent use for biobank research where the transfer of samples and their associated data are contemplated. In summary, the proposed amendments include removing regulatory ambiguity regarding broad consent use, ensuring adequate safeguards for research participants by specifying rules for data access and personal information processing, and incorporating consent form information requirements into the national Consent Template.

BIM-based design and setup of structural health monitoring systems

The adoption of a BIM-based approach for the design and setup of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system is an unexplored topic in the scientific literature. This paper presents a methodology designed to optimize the information management of the entire process using Building Information Modeling (BIM), defining the exchange information requirements (EIRs), Process Map, and Levels of Information Need (LoINs).Moreover, to verify the consistency of the information exchanged, this paper employs the information delivery specification (IDS) standard, developing a script that, using LoINs and the BIM model as input, verifies the desired requirements at each stage of the process.The proposed approach is applied to a viaduct on the Naples-Salerno highway, achieving a fully digital and interoperable platform for stakeholders involved in the processes. The results highlight the advantages of the proposed methodology over traditional approaches.

Using collective intelligence methods to improve government data infrastructures and promote the use of complex data: The example of the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study

BackgroundThis paper discusses how collective intelligence (CI) methods can be implemented to improve government data infrastructures, not only to support understanding and primary use of complex national data but also to increase the dissemination and secondary impact of research based on these data. The case study uses the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS), a member of the UK family of census/administrative data longitudinal studies (UKLS).MethodsA stakeholder-engaged CI approach was applied to inform the transformation of the NILS Research Support Unit (RSU) infrastructure to support researchers in their use of government data, including collaborative decision-making and better dissemination of research outputs.ResultsWe provide an overview of NILS RSU infrastructure design changes that have been implemented to date, focusing on a website redesign to meet user information requirements and the formation of better working partnerships between data users and providers within the Northern Ireland data landscape. We also discuss the key challenges faced by the design team during this project of transformation.ConclusionOur primary objective to improve government data infrastructure and to increase dissemination and the impact of research based on data was a complex and multifaceted challenge due to the number of stakeholders involved and their often conflicting perspectives. Results from this CI approach have been pivotal in highlighting how NILS RSU can work collaboratively with users to maximize the potential of this data, in terms of forming multidisciplinary networks to ensure the research is utilized in policy and in the literature and providing academic support and resources to attract new researchers.

Основные требования к средствам связи и информационной поддержке медицинской эвакуации железнодорожным транспортом

During the special operation in 2022, more than 60 railway runs have been carried out to evacuate wounded servicemen to military medical organizations, including transportation by rail. The rolling stock used for the military sanitary train does not fully meet the modern requirements for equipping with information and telecommunication systems, and, therefore, does not contribute to the effective use of military sanitary train for its intended purpose. Purpose: To consider the issue of improving the equipment of MST communication facilities and improving information and communication support for the passenger fleet of railway transport used for medical evacuation needs. Methods: Methods of system analysis and operations research theory have been used. Results: A prospective model for information exchange among personnel within the MST has been developed. The main requirements for communication and information support means for medical evacuation by rail have been determined. An algorithm of tasks has been formulated for further organizational and methodological research on the implementation of information and telecommunication technologies, including measures for developing tactical and technical requirements for communication means of military medical train personnel. Practical significance: Requirements for communication and information support means for medical evacuation by rail have been identified. These requirements are to be used in the course of experimental and design work on the development of an information and telecommunication complex for the military medical train.

Information on health promotion and prevention on the websites of Baden-Württemberg's public health services-afirst approach

Health promotion and prevention are core tasks of German public health services (Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst). Health communication is, among other things, central to their effectiveness. As the Internet has become an important source of health information and public health services are increasingly in the public eye, their websites are gaining more focus. We therefore investigated how public health services present topics on health promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases (HPP-NCDs) on their websites. The websites of the 38public health service departments in Baden-Wuerttemberg were examined using qualitative content analysis from June to October 2022. The presentation of the HPP-NCDs topic on the websites as well as the relevant measures were documented. For each measure/activity the addressed target group, the topic, and the type of intervention was collected. The HPP-NCDs topic is addressed on all websites (n = 38); however, the presentation style is heterogeneous. Atotal of 243 HPP-NCDs measures/activities were identified across the 38websites. There was abroad spectrum of topics, target groups, and types of intervention used in the measures/activities presented. The study shows an extensive but heterogeneous presentation of HPP-NCDs on the websites of public health services. In doing so, they are caught between the requirements of public relations and health information. The use of synergy effects through the joint promotion of nationally relevant informational materials and measures could be beneficial for public health services.

The Reality of Presentation and Disclosure of Information on Financial Instruments in Non – Financial Enterprises in Vietnam

Financial instruments are increasingly diverse and complex that makes users' requirements for information of financial instruments more demanding. It is necessary to clearly understand the full disclosure of information about financial instruments in enterprises. Therefore, researching the current status of presentation and disclosure of information about financial instruments in enterprises in Vietnam serves a basis for perfecting the system of legal documents related to accounting for financial instrument. This article studies the current status of presentation and disclosure of information about financial instruments in non-financial enterprises listed on the Vietnam Stock Exchange to help researcher and issuers in promulgating accounting standards for financial instruments in Vietnam.

Legal Aspects of Alzheimer Prediction

AbstractBackgroundWhen diagnostic and therapeutic measures are increasingly replaced by predictive methods and preventive treatments, the applicable law is also subject to a variety of effects. In particular, a major question is about the eligibility of predictive measures for reimbursement by the statutory health insurance schemes in different countries. Secondly, in spite of the chances associated with early knowledge about disease risks, there can be negative legal and factual disadvantages, e.g. disclosure obligations for insurance contracts. Thirdly, the existing requirements for medical information and consent must be reassessed: The decision about the determination of future risks is particularly and increasingly complex, while the extent of the legal obligation of the physician to inform about decision‐relevant but not specifically medical remote effects has not yet been conclusively clarified.MethodWe scrutinize existing legislation and jurisprudence from Germany, Switzerland and Spain to identify uncertainties, hindrances or gaps in the existing legal framework, suggest adjustment and recommend legally safe and ethically justified paths for medical care in light of the changes described above.ResultThe existing legal framework bears uncertainties for the application of increasingly available methods to predict the individual risk for Alzheimer’s dementia. Therefore, an ethico‐legal framework for responsible and patient‐oriented dementia prediction is being developed.ConclusionThe poster highlights the most pertinent legal questions and challenges associated with dementia prediction, and shows the integration of empirical data and ethical assessments into an ethico‐legal framework.

The Dynamics of Interorganizational Collaboration in Disaster Management: A Network Study Based on Flood Disasters in China

Interorganizational collaboration networks have become an important tool for disaster management. However, research on how different organizations can effectively collaborate throughout the entire disaster management process in centralized states such as China is scarce. This study begins to fill this lacuna by investigating interorganizational collaboration in different phases of disaster management and analyzing changes in the structure of the networks constructed during the preparedness and response phases of the 2020 flood disaster in Hubei Province, China. Building on the complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory, we argue that interorganizational collaboration changes dynamically according to its tasks and requirements. In the preparedness phase, interorganizational collaborations primarily follow established plans and choose horizontal self-organized collaboration mechanisms. However, when the urgent information and resource requirements increase in the response phase, many organizations choose vertical mandatory collaboration mechanisms. We found that organizations at the central and provincial levels in China were well positioned to coordinate information and resources and strengthen the interorganizational collaboration and communication that is crucial in disaster management. These findings contribute to the study of interorganizational collaboration networks in disaster management.

Medical Information Protection in Internet Hospital Apps in China: Scale Development and Content Analysis.

Hospital apps are increasingly being adopted in many countries, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Web-based hospitals can provide valuable medical services and enhanced accessibility. However, increasing concerns about personal information (PI) and strict legal compliance requirements necessitate privacy assessments for these platforms. Guided by the theory of contextual integrity, this study investigates the regulatory compliance of privacy policies for internet hospital apps in the mainland of China. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the regulatory compliance of privacy policies of internet hospital apps in the mainland of China and offer recommendations for improvement. We obtained 59 internet hospital apps on November 7, 2023, and reviewed 52 privacy policies available between November 8 and 23, 2023. We developed a 3-level indicator scale based on the information processing activities, as stipulated in relevant regulations. The scale comprised 7 level-1 indicators, 26 level-2 indicators, and 70 level-3 indicators. The mean compliance score of the 52 assessed apps was 73/100 (SD 22.4%), revealing a varied spectrum of compliance. Sensitive PI protection compliance (mean 73.9%, SD 24.2%) lagged behind general PI protection (mean 90.4%, SD 14.7%), with only 12 apps requiring separate consent for processing sensitive PI (mean 73.9%, SD 24.2%). Although most apps (n=41, 79%) committed to supervising subcontractors, only a quarter (n=13, 25%) required users' explicit consent for subcontracting activities. Concerning PI storage security (mean 71.2%, SD 29.3%) and incident management (mean 71.8%, SD 36.6%), half of the assessed apps (n=27, 52%) committed to bear corresponding legal responsibility, whereas fewer than half (n=24, 46%) specified the security level obtained. Most privacy policies stated the PI retention period (n=40, 77%) and instances of PI deletion or anonymization (n=41, 79%), but fewer (n=20, 38.5%) committed to prompt third-party PI deletion. Most apps delineated various individual rights, but only a fraction addressed the rights to obtain copies (n=22, 42%) or to refuse advertisement based on automated decision-making (n=13, 25%). Significant deficiencies remained in regular compliance audits (mean 11.5%, SD 37.8%), impact assessments (mean 13.5%, SD 15.2%), and PI officer disclosure (mean 48.1%, SD 49.3%). Our analysis revealed both strengths and significant shortcomings in the compliance of internet hospital apps' privacy policies with relevant regulations. As China continues to implement internet hospital apps, it should ensure the informed consent of users for PI processing activities, enhance compliance levels of relevant privacy policies, and fortify PI protection enforcement across the information processing stages.

Pairwise Comparison Evolutionary Dynamics With Strategy-Dependent Revision Rates: Stability and $\delta$-Passivity

We report on new sufficient conditions for the stability of evolutionary dynamics in population games. A large number of agents interact noncooperatively in a population game by selecting strategies based on their payoffs. Each agent is allowed to revise its strategy repeatedly with an average frequency referred to as the revision rate. We are interested in the case where an agent's current strategy influences directly the revision rate. Existing stability results for this case assume that a memoryless potential game generates the strategies' payoffs. This article extends these results to allow for payoff mechanisms that can be either dynamic or memoryless games that do not have to be potential. To make our analysis concrete, we assume that the agents' revision preferences follow a so-called pairwise comparison protocol. These protocols are ubiquitous because they operate fully decentralized and with minimal information requirements (they need to access only the payoff values, not the mechanism). We use a well-motivated example to illustrate an application of our framework.

Етапи впровадження автоматизованої системи управлінського обліку

The article investigates the relevance of the implementation of management accounting sys-tems using information technology. Digitalization and digital transformation significantly influence business processes, accounting procedures, and the enterprise management system in general. It is established that management accounting is an information base for the use of information by man-agement in making managerial decisions and assessing the results of economic activity. Therefore, the relevance, efficiency, timeliness, and interpretation of data are impossible without its automa-tion. The main tasks that the automated management accounting system allows solving are present-ed, as well as the list of objectives, the achievement of which it will provide. The advantages of implementing an automated system of management accounting are brief-ly reflected: efficiency, quality, reliability of obtaining, storing and processing information; obtain-ing relevant information by the staff of the enterprise in the shortest possible time; realization of qualitative and timely forecasts on economic activity of the enterprise; formation of balance sheet (financial plan, budget) at any moment of time, dynamics of indicators, state of assets and their sources for a particular reporting period, funds flow; efficiency of calculation of financial perfor-mance indicators: profitability, turnover; implementation of all types of accounting in a single in-formation system; obtaining operational analytical information on different areas of the enter-prise's activities: types of activities, types of products (works, services), business segments, expens-es, revenues, etc.; control of business process activities at all stages of management; consolidation of data of several companies, formation of consolidated financial statements; transformation of re-porting according to other rules and standards (accounting policy of the host company, Internation-al Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)). The main stages of implementation of the automated system of management accounting at the enterprise are proposed, and the types of work at each stage are characterized: assessment of in-formation requirements; analysis of the existing/current accounting system; development and ap-proval of the organizational structure of the enterprise; development of management reporting; de-velopment of accounting policies; internal control systems; terms of reference. It is proved that the automation of management accounting at the enterprise allows the cre-ation of a global system that provides solutions to a number of problems related to company man-agement, strategic and operational planning.

Donor Perceptions of Nonprofit Organizations’ Transparency: Conceptualization and Operationalization

In the wake of unethical practices by some nonprofit organizations (NPOs), donors have called for better monitoring, to which some NPOs have responded by adjusting their donor-based transparency practices. Yet despite momentum for such efforts, a comprehensive conceptualization and operationalization of NPOs’ transparency remains missing, partly because knowledge about donors’ information requirements is limited. Accordingly, the present research proposes conceptualizing NPOs’ transparency, as perceived by donors, as a three-dimensional construct, composed of information accessibility, completeness, and accuracy. With a scale development procedure and three distinct empirical studies, this article establishes a reliable, valid measure of NPOs’ perceived transparency. Combined, the conceptualization and operationalization offer a comprehensive overview of donors’ information needs that can enhance the study of organizational transparency.

Situation awareness in Sweden’s emergency medical services: a goal-directed task analysis

Situation awareness is knowing what is going on in the situation. Clinicians working in the emergency medical services (EMS) encounter numerous situations in various conditions, and to be able to provide efficient and patient safe care they need to understand what is going on and possible projections of the current situation. The design of this study encompassed a Goal-Directed Task analysis where situation awareness information requirements were mapped in relation to goals related to various aspects of the EMS mission. A group of 30 EMS subject matter experts were recruited and answered a web-based survey in three rounds related to what they though themselves or a colleague might need to achieve situation awareness related to the specific goals of various situations. The answers were analysed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. Answers reached consensus at a predetermined level of 75%. Those who reached consensus were entered into the final goal-directed task analysis protocol. The findings presented that EMS clinicians must rely on their own, or their colleagues prior experience or knowledge to achieve situation awareness. This suggests that individual expertise plays a crucial role in developing situation awareness. There also seems to be limited support for situation awareness from organizational guidelines. Furthermore, achieving situation awareness also involves collaborative efforts from the individuals involved in the situation. These findings could add to the foundation for further investigation in this area which could contribute to the development of strategies and tools to enhance situation awareness among EMS clinicians, ultimately improving patient care and safety.

Co-design of a Mobile App for Engaging Breast Cancer Patients in Reporting Health Experiences: Qualitative Case Study.

The World Health Organization recommends incorporating patient-reported experience measures and patient-reported outcome measures to ensure care processes. New technologies, such as mobile apps, could help report and monitor patients' adverse effects and doubts during treatment. However, engaging patients in the daily use of mobile apps is a challenge that must be addressed in accordance with the needs of people. We present a qualitative case study documenting the process of identifying the information needs of breast cancer patients and health care professionals during the treatment process in a Chilean cancer institution. The study aims to identify patients' information requirements for integration into a mobile app that accompanies patients throughout their treatment while also providing features for reporting adverse symptoms. We conducted focus groups with breast cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy (n=3) or who completed chemotherapy between 3 months and 1 year (n=1). We also surveyed health care professionals (n=9) who were involved in patient care and who belonged to the oncology committee of the cancer center where the study took place. Content analysis was applied to the responses to categorize the information needs and the means to satisfy them. A user interface was designed according to the findings of the focus groups and was assessed by 3 trained information system and user interaction design experts from 2 countries, using heuristic evaluation guidelines for mobile apps. Patients' information needs were classified into 4 areas: an overview of the disease, information on treatment and day-to-day affairs, assistance on the normality and abnormality of symptoms during treatment, and symptoms relevant to report. Health care professionals required patients to be provided with information on the administrative and financial process. We noted that the active involvement of the following 4 main actors is required to satisfy the information needs: patients, caregivers, social network moderators, and health professionals. Seven usability guidelines were extracted from the heuristic evaluation recommendations. A mobile app that seeks to accompany breast cancer patients to report symptoms requires the involvement of multiple participants to handle the reports and day-to-day information needs. User interfaces must be designed with consideration of the patient's social conventions and the emotional load of the disease information.

SMPs (accountants) and their role in the face of new sustainability reports

In recent years, the non-financial information or sustainability reporting has experienced exponential interest and increase. Undoubtedly, the impetus that led to continued work with more intensity in this line was the so-called “Green Deal” that the European Commission announced in 2019. The steps to reform the directives with relations or influence on non-financial information or sustainability have meant that, in some way, the information requirements by all stakeholders in this process have increased. Therefore, the information corporations must prepare and publish is not only restricted to traditional financial information included in their financial statements but also includes non-financial or sustainability information. SMPs (accountants) can and should advise our companies, entities, and institutions where we work, we are partners, or they are our clients, on how they can adopt sustainable management practices within the so-called ESG and improve their sustainability performance. We certainly have a crucial role in supporting the quest for sustainability and a sustainable economy in the EU. This presents a double challenge, namely a significant opportunity and responsibility, for which our profession is undoubtedly prepared and will continue to grow in the coming years. In this area, two new facts were key in 2022, to be highlighted with the content of this article and that demonstrate the determined impulse of the EU in this area: on the one hand, the approval of the so called CSRD Directive and, on the other, the elaboration of the draft of the first group of European standards for corporatereporting on sustainability (ESRS). – SET 1), which has recently been adopted as a delegated act of the European Commission, and we are awaiting final publication by the European Parliament and Council for effective use from 1 January 2024.

A Decoder Structure Guided CNN‐Transformer Network for face super‐resolution

AbstractRecent advances in deep convolutional neural networks have shown improved performance in face super‐resolution through joint training with other tasks such as face analysis and landmark prediction. However, these methods have certain limitations. One major limitation is the requirement for manual marking information on the dataset for multi‐task joint learning. This additional marking process increases the computational cost of the network model. Additionally, since prior information is often estimated from low‐quality faces, the obtained guidance information tends to be inaccurate. To address these challenges, a novel Decoder Structure Guided CNN‐Transformer Network (DCTNet) is introduced, which utilises the newly proposed Global‐Local Feature Extraction Unit (GLFEU) for effective embedding. Specifically, the proposed GLFEU is composed of an attention branch and a Transformer branch, to simultaneously restore global facial structure and local texture details. Additionally, a Multi‐Stage Feature Fusion Module is incorporated to fuse features from different network stages, further improving the quality of the restored face images. Compared with previous methods, DCTNet improves Peak Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio by 0.23 and 0.19 dB on the CelebA and Helen datasets, respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the designed DCTNet offers a simple yet powerful solution to recover detailed facial structures from low‐quality images.