Real-time Information Services Research Articles

Enabling real-time information service on telehealth system over cloud-based big data platform

We design a data coherence protocol for the PHR-based distributed system.We propose a flow estimating algorithm for the telehealth cloud system.We apply several predicting methods for the future bandwidth consumption.We present a telehealth framework for bandwidth balance on emergency. A telehealth system covers both clinical and nonclinical uses, which not only provides store-and-forward data services to be offline studied by relevant specialists, but also monitors the real-time physiological data through ubiquitous sensors to support remote telemedicine. However, the current telehealth systems do not consider the velocity and veracity of the big-data system in the medical context. Emergency events generate a large amount of the real-time data, which should be stored in the data center, and forwarded to remote hospitals. Furthermore, patients' information is scattered on the distributed data center, which cannot provide a high-efficient remote real-time service. In this paper, we proposes a probability-based bandwidth model in a telehealth cloud system, which helps cloud broker to provide a high performance allocation of computing nodes and links. This brokering mechanism considers the location protocol of Personal Health Record (PHR) in cloud and schedules the real-time signals with a low information transfer between different hosts. The broker uses several bandwidth evaluating methods to predict the near future usage of bandwidth in a telehealth context. The simulation results show that our model is effective at determining the best performing service, and the inserted service validates the utility of our approach.

Effects of real-time transit information services on the patronage behavior of passengers

Previous research regarding customer relationship management has shown that acquiring a new customer costs much more than retaining an existing customer. Thus, from the perspective of transit agencies, maintaining existing passengers is a cost-effective strategy. This paper investigates the patronage behavior of bus passengers when real-time transit information (RTTI) is made available. Survival analysis based on survey data collected in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan, shows that the risk of RTTI users ceasing their use of transit was 32.9% that of RTTI non-users. Moreover, passengers using RTTI tended to use public transportation 0.15 years longer than those who did not use RTTI. This study found that RTTI helps to retain passengers and provides concrete suggestions regarding RTTI promotion and bus business management for administrators.

A Space weather information service based upon remote and in-situ measurements of coronal mass ejections heading for Earth

The Earth’s magnetosphere is formed as a consequence of interaction between the planet’s magnetic field and the solar wind, a continuous plasma stream from the Sun. A number of different solar wind phenomena have been studied over the past 40 years with the intention of understanding and forecasting solar behavior. One of these phenomena in particular, Earth-bound interplanetary coronal mass ejections (CMEs), can significantly disturb the Earth’s magnetosphere for a short time and cause geomagnetic storms. This publication presents a mission concept consisting of six spacecraft that are equally spaced in a heliocentric orbit at 0.72 AU. These spacecraft will monitor the plasma properties, the magnetic field’s orientation and magnitude, and the 3D-propagation trajectory of CMEs heading for Earth. The primary objective of this mission is to increase space weather forecasting time by means of a near real-time information service, that is based upon in-situ and remote measurements of the aforementioned CME properties. The obtained data can additionally be used for updating scientific models. This update is the mission’s secondary objective. In-situ measurements are performed using a Solar Wind Analyzer instrumentation package and fluxgate magnetometers, while for remote measurements coronagraphs are employed. The proposed instruments originate from other space missions with the intention to reduce mission costs and to streamline the mission design process. Communication with the six identical spacecraft is realized via a deep space network consisting of six ground stations. They provide an information service that is in uninterrupted contact with the spacecraft, allowing for continuous space weather monitoring. A dedicated data processing center will handle all the data, and then forward the processed data to the SSA Space Weather Coordination Center which will, in turn, inform the general public through a space weather forecast. The data processing center will additionally archive the data for the scientific community. The proposed concept mission allows for major advances in space weather forecasting time and the scientific modeling of space weather.

CTD 교정 시스템 구축 및 불확도 평가

The quality control of ocean observations data is becoming a major issue as real-time observational data and information services have increased recently. Therefore, it is necessary for oceanographic instruments to calibrate. In this paper, we first introduce the CTD calibration system and traceability. Next, CTD calibration procedures and estimation of uncertainty of measurement are described. The expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of the temperature, pressure and conductivity are 0.<TEX>$0.003^{\circ}C$</TEX>, <TEX>$6.0{\times}10^{-5}$</TEX> and 0.006 mS/cm respectively. Finally, the excellence of CTD calibration and its measurement capability has been proven by comparing the inter-calibration result of KIOST and Sea-Bird Electronics (SBE). CTD calibration residuals are less than <TEX>${\pm}0.0001^{\circ}C$</TEX>, <TEX>${\pm}0.001$</TEX> MPa, <TEX>${\pm}0.0001$</TEX> S/m for SBE 3plus temperature sensor, SBE 19plus pressure sensor and SBE 4C conductivity sensor respectively.

Is There an App for That? The Impact of Community Knowledge Workers in Uganda

Rapidly increasing mobile phone coverage, cheaper technology, and an open platform that allows for the development of applications that extend the use of mobile devices provide new ways to reach farmers in isolated places. We investigate the impact of an intervention that uses information and communication technology devices to provide real-time agricultural information and extension services in Uganda. Using a difference-in-differences setup, we find that the introduction of this technology through a network of community knowledge workers induce farmers to adapt their crop portfolio, moving away from low-risk, low-value crops toward more commercially oriented commodities.

A Data Delivery Controller for Mobile Communication Based on Multiple Threads Mechanism

With the rapid development of communication technology, wireless internet technology and the increasing number of mobile phone users, people were more concern on the efficiency of real-time information service. Based on communication mechanism of multiple threads, a data delivery controller for mobile phone communication was presented in this paper. The server side controller designed on Java multiple threads and provided efficiency data response for request of android mobile phones. By our experiment, the average response time on the server was 3.8s on ten million times addition calculation, which can effectively meet the real-time requirements of mobile communication.

Traffic Radio as a Precursor to Smart Travel Planning Systems: The Challenge of Organizing “Collective Intelligence”

This paper depicts how a Swedish radio station organized a means of real-time information management to report on local traffic conditions long before the common use of the Internet. Drawing on a history of the Stockholm traffic radio staff the study examines particular conditions for organizing a service that may inform next generations of smart travel planning systems. The author notes how a vision of involving the public together with the use of increasingly mobile and interconnected communication devices provided the service with an opportunity for harnessing collective intelligence. The study highlights critical success factors and barriers for organizing collective intelligence and the importance they may have had for providing a real-time information service to the public.

Analyzing the Behavior of Smartphone Service Users

This paper reports the findings of a study into the behavior of the users of a mobile service. The study analyses the behavior of travelers using a Smartphone application to access real-time transit information and contrasts such user behavior with that of users accessing a transit information service from a website. Previous research in this field has tended to focus upon the perceived benefits of providing real-time transit information and without investigating when and how often passengers would use such real-time transit information services. This paper specifically explores the behavior patterns of travelers using a Smartphone service and those of using a website to provide real-time transit information. Based on empirical data derived from real information services, the impact on user behavior of providing a mobile service is analyzed and contrasted to traditional Web-based service provision. The Smartphone service is furthermore used to conduct a passenger survey to obtain information on the individuals using the mobile service. The results of the analysis presented demonstrate that the demand for information from the website is constant throughout the working week whereas demand for Smartphone information increases during the week peaking during late afternoons and on Fridays. The results of the passenger survey demonstrate that over 80 percent of Smartphone application users are between 18 and 49 years of age and perhaps most importantly, that Smartphone survey questions are twice as likely to be answered compared to the response rates for Web or mail surveys.

Passengers’ Perception of and Behavioral Adaptation to Unreliability in Public Transportation

Reliability is regularly cited by users of public transportation as one of the most important qualities of service. However, it is not yet well understood how transit riders are affected by unreliability, particularly in the long term. To gain a better understanding of the importance of reliability, a survey focusing on users of San Francisco's public transportation system in California was developed to investigate the link between people's past experiences of unreliability and the adaptation strategies that they used. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of a number of reliability aspects; the aspects found to be most important were the absence of a gap at a transfer stop and the ability to walk up to a stop and leave within 10 min. Users also reported that they considered reliability when planning trips. Common strategies for handling unreliability were using services and routes deemed more reliable and using real-time information. In addition, an ordinal logit model linking past experiences of unreliability to a reduction in transit use was estimated. The most significant negative experiences that drove a reduction in transit use were delays perceived to be the fault of the transit agency, long waits at transfer points, and being prevented from boarding because of crowding. These results have implications in transit planning: passengers may prefer more frequent service with occasional crowding over less frequent buses that are larger and less crowded. In addition, the growing use of real-time information services will continue to affect how people view transit service and perhaps even intensify the unattractiveness of infrequent service.

A Real-Time Information Service Platform for High-Speed Train

In this paper, a real-time information service platform for high-speed train was proposed and implemented. With this platform, all passengers of train will freely to get access by Wi-Fi or other wireless network to enjoy movie, music, train information and travel information. Besides, the platform was connected to a FPGA based data processing center to collect train operation data including instantaneous power, traction and braking force, also convertor temperature. The server was designed based on opening protocol, and the data processing center is designed based on FPGA system. We setup a specific scene to verify the feasibility and achieve good results.

The Study of Mine Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) is integration of information systems and physical systems, so as to achieve real-time perception, dynamic control and information services of large-scale engineering systems, but the research is still in infancy. Based on the wide applications and good prospects of CPS in the future, this paper has introduced CPS briefly, described its structure and characteristics. Furthermore, this paper combines the CPS with the mine, proposes the basic framework of the mine CPS and introduces its key technologies and challenges, striving the technical service to mine.

Hip and trendy: Characterizing emerging trends on Twitter

Twitter, Facebook, and other related systems that we call social awareness streams are rapidly changing the information and communication dynamics of our society. These systems, where hundreds of millions of users share short messages in real time, expose the aggregate interests and attention of global and local communities. In particular, emerging temporal trends in these systems, especially those related to a single geographic area, are a significant and revealing source of information for, and about, a local community. This study makes two essential contributions for interpreting emerging temporal trends in these information systems. First, based on a large dataset of Twitter messages from one geographic area, we develop a taxonomy of the trends present in the data. Second, we identify important dimensions according to which trends can be categorized, as well as the key distinguishing features of trends that can be derived from their associated messages. We quantitatively examine the computed features for different categories of trends, and establish that significant differences can be detected across categories. Our study advances the understanding of trends on Twitter and other social awareness streams, which will enable powerful applications and activities, including user-driven real-time information services for local communities. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

COST ES0602: towards a European network on chemical weather forecasting and information systems

Abstract. The COST ES0602 action provides a forum for benchmarking approaches and practices in data exchange and multi-model capabilities for chemical weather forecasting and near real-time information services in Europe. The action includes approximately 30 participants from 19 countries, and its duration is from 2007 to 2011 (http://www.chemicalweather.eu/). Major efforts have been dedicated in other actions and projects to the development of infrastructures for data flow. We have therefore aimed for collaboration with ongoing actions towards developing near real-time exchange of input data for air quality forecasting. We have collected information on the operational air quality forecasting models on a regional and continental scale in a structured form, and inter-compared and evaluated the physical and chemical structure of these models. We have also constructed a European chemical weather forecasting portal that includes links to most of the available chemical weather forecasting systems in Europe. The collaboration also includes the examination of the case studies that have been organized within COST-728, in order to inter-compare and evaluate the models against experimental data. We have also constructed an operational model forecasting ensemble. Data from a representative set of regional background stations have been selected, and the operational forecasts for this set of sites will be inter-compared and evaluated. The Action has investigated, analysed and reviewed existing chemical weather information systems and services, and will provide recommendations on best practices concerning the presentation and dissemination of chemical weather information towards the public and decision makers.

Timeliness-Accuracy Balanced Collection of Dynamic Context Data

In the future, we are likely to see a tremendous need for context-aware applications which adapt to available context information such as physical surroundings, network, or system conditions. We aim to provide a fundamental support for these applications - a real-time context information collection service. This service delivers the right context information to the right user at the right time. The complexity of providing the real-time context information service arises from 1) the dynamically changing status of information sources, 2) the diverse user requirements in terms of data accuracy and service latency, and 3) constantly changing system conditions. In this paper, we take into consideration these dynamics and focus on addressing the trade-offs between timeliness, accuracy, and cost for information collection in distributed real-time environments. We propose a middleware-based approach to enable a judicious composition of services for accuracy-aware scheduling and cost-aware database maintenance. Specifically, we characterize the problem in terms of quality-of-service satisfaction (QoSSat), quality-of-data satisfaction (QoDSat), and cost. We propose a middleware framework for the real-time information collection process, where the information mediator coordinates and facilitates communication between information sources and consumers. We design a family of algorithms for real-time request scheduling, request servicing, and directory service maintenance to be implemented at the mediator to support QoSSat and QoDSat. Our studies indicate that the composition of our proposed scheduling algorithm and directory service maintenance policy can improve the overall efficiency of the system. We also observe that the proposed policies perform very well as the system scales in the number of information sources and consumer requests

QCWS: an implementation of QoS-capable multimedia web services

QoS, that defines service quality such as latency, availability, timeliness and reliability, is important for Web applications that provide real-time information, multimedia content, or time-critical services. Many Web applications require a guaranteed server processing capacity. We study the QoS control issues using the current Web services standards. We propose a QoS Web service architecture, QCWS, by deploying a QoS broker between Web service clients and Web service providers. In the QCWS architecture, a QoS broker collects the QoS information about service providers that may offer qualified Web services to a client, makes selection decisions based on some cost criteria, and negotiates with servers to secure QoS service commitment from one of them. We have implemented a QCWS prototype using IBM WSDK, enhanced with simple QoS capabilities. We have also measured the performance running under different service priorities.

Public perception of realtime information services for environmental monitoring and management of asthma

A questionnaire was distributed to asthma patients and relatives of paediatric patients in the Royal Brompton Hospital outpatient clinic in London during March 2003. The aim was to determine how well informed those affected by asthma and allergic diseases were, to find out the best medium for distributing relevant information (e.g. Internet, mobile phones) and to discover the type of information they wished to receive. A total of 298 questionnaires were distributed and all were completed (100% response rate). The level of education of the respondents was high and the majority lived outside the London area. The questionnaire showed that the respondents would like to be informed about a wide range of information related to monitoring and self-management of asthma. Avoidance measurements and prevention was the first choice, followed closely by information on substances, and the environment and allergies. The Internet was the preferred means of communication with an information service provider. The telephone was also popular, and more popular than the mobile phone. The majority of participants were not willing to pay for an information service.

Competing in the Brazilian real-time financial information services industry: Commitment and adaptation

In this study, we examine two very different firms operating in the Brazilian real-time financial information services (RTFIS) industry. We conducted two separate qualitative studies 7 years apart analyzing how a technology-based incumbent reacted to the entry of a challenger with better content-generation capabilities. We concluded that even when facing an entrant with new technologies and environmental changes, commitment to its own IS resources represented the best long-term strategy for the incumbent firm, because the incumbent kept focused on what it did best and invested in the redeployment of its flexible IS resources to redefine its industry processes and activities.

Air pollution monitoring and GIS modeling: a new use of nanotechnology based solid state gas sensors

Air pollution is a serious problem in thickly populated and industrialized areas in Thailand, especially in Bangkok. The air pollution in Bangkok is abundant, especially in areas where pollution sources and the human population are concentrated. Economic growth and industrialization are proceeding at a rapid pace, accompanied by increasing emissions of air polluting sources. Furthermore, though th variety and quantities of polluting sources have increased dramatically, the development of a suitable method for monitoring the pollution causing sources has not followed at the same pace. Environmental impacts of air pollutants have impact on public health, vegetation, material deterioration etc. To prevent or minimize the damage caused by atmospheric pollution, suitable monitoring systems are urgently needed that can rapidly and reliably detect and quantify polluting sources for monitoring by regulating authorities in order to prevent further deterioration of the current pollution levels. Consequently, it is important that the current real-time air quality monitoring system, controlled by the Pollution Control Department (PCD), should be adapted or extended to aid in alleviating this problem.Nanotechnology has been applied to several industrial and domestic fields, for example, applications for gas monitoring systems, gas leak detectors in factories, fire and toxic gas detectors, ventilation control, breath alcohol detectors, and the like. Here we report an application example of studying air quality monitoring based on nanotechnology ‘solid state gas sensors’.So as to carry out air pollution monitoring over an extensive area, a combination of ground measurements through inexpensive sensors and wireless GIS will be used for this purpose. This portable device, comprising solid state gas sensors integrated to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) linked through Bluetooth communication tools and Global Positioning System (GPS), will allow rapid dissemination of information on pollution levels at multiple sites simultaneously. The AQ report generated can be then published using Internet GIS to provide a real-time information service for the PCD, for increase public awareness and enhanced public participation. The local deterministic and geostatistical interpolation methods have been used for spatial prediction, and to find out the most suitable method for studying air pollution, based on observations at each monitoring site.

An Integrated Knowledge Management Environment: A Study of Counter Terrorism Technologies

This paper investigates the impact of knowledge management on business practice and proposes a software environment that is in line with our vision. It necessarily ties together a plethora of interrelated computing disciplines — including artificial intelligence, database systems, and software development environments. These disciplines are treated from an applications perspective. The counter-terrorism domain was chosen to demonstrate the links between the technologies and corporate requirements as well as to demonstrate the practical values that can be achieved under the current state of development and business culture. In keeping with our vision, it is further demonstrated that the large volume of commercial and corporate data can be effectively used and controlled through the integration of data and knowledge management techniques to meet real-time information services.

Comparing Driver Information Systems in a Dynamic Modeling Framework

A modeling framework is developed to assess the performance of driver information systems. The two main components of the framework are a route choice module and a traffic simulation module. In the route choice module, three types of driver information systems are studied: the pretrip information service, the in-car route guidance system, and the variable message signs. The traffic simulation module controls the dynamics in a road network as traffic evolves over time in response to driver information. The dynamic properties of the framework are demonstrated in a test network and a simplified Singapore road network. The results suggest that there could be an optimal level of subscription to driver information or market penetration. Subscription to real-time driver information services is recommended, but a high level of subscription may result in extra delay. Variable message signs are not as effective as either pretrip information or in-car route guidance at their respective optimal levels of market penetration.