Quality of bus services performance: benefits of real time passenger information systems

One of the main problems in urban areas is the steady growth in car ownership and traffic levels. Therefore, the challenge of sustainability is focused on a shift of the demand for mobility from cars to collective means of transport. For this purpose, buses are a key element of the public transport systems. In this respect Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems help people change their travel behaviour towards more sustainable transport modes. This paper provides an assessment methodology which evaluates how RTPI systems improve the quality of bus services performance in two European cities, Madrid and Bremerhaven. In the case of Madrid, bus punctuality has increased by 3%. Regarding the travellers perception, Madrid raised its quality of service by 6% while Bremerhaven increased by 13%. On the other hand, the users¿ perception of Public Transport (PT) image increased by 14%.

Two risky and costly end-user related taboos when developing information systems: qualifications and accountability

This work highlights two critical taboos in organizations: 1)taking for granted the quality of certain capabilities and attitudes of the end-user representatives (EUR) in information systems development projects (ISDP), and 2) the EUR´s inherent accountability for losses in IS investments. These issues are neither addressed by theory nor research when assessing success/ failure. A triangulation approach was applied to combine quantitative and qualitative methods, having convergent results and showing that in problematic cases, paradoxically, the origin of IS rejection by end users (EU) points towards the EUR themselves. It has been evaluated to what extent some EUR factors impacted a macro ISDP involving an enterprise resource planning (ERP) package, ranking the ‘knowledge of the EUR’ as the main latent variable. The results validate some issues found throughout decades of praxis, confirming that when not properly managed the EUR role by itself has a direct relationship with IS rejection and significant losses in IS investments.

Sight distance studies on roads: influence of digital elevation models and roadside elements

Sight distance plays an important role in road traffic safety. Two types of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are utilized for the estimation of available sight distance in roads: Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Digital Surface Models (DSMs). DTMs, which represent the bare ground surface, are commonly used to determine available sight distance at the design stage. Additionally, the use of DSMs provides further information about elements by the roadsides such as trees, buildings, walls or even traffic signals which may reduce available sight distance. This document analyses the influence of three classes of DEMs in available sight distance estimation. For this purpose, diverse roads within the Region of Madrid (Spain) have been studied using software based on geographic information systems. The study evidences the influence of using each DEM in the outcome as well as the pros and cons of using each model.

A Fuzzy approach based on dynamic programming and metaheuristics for selecting safeguards for risk management for information systems

In this paper we focus on the selection of safeguards in a fuzzy risk analysis and management methodology for information systems (IS). Assets are connected by dependency relationships, and a failure of one asset may affect other assets. After computing impact and risk indicators associated with previously identified threats, we identify and apply safeguards to reduce risks in the IS by minimizing the transmission probabilities of failures throughout the asset network. However, as safeguards have associated costs, the aim is to select the safeguards that minimize costs while keeping the risk within acceptable levels. To do this, we propose a dynamic programming-based method that incorporates simulated annealing to tackle optimizations problems.

Inter-organizational information systems adoption for service innovation in building sector

The building sector has experienced a significant decline in recent years in Spain and Europe as a result of the financial crisis that began in 2007. This drop accompanies a low penetration of information and communication technologies in inter-organizational oriented business processes. The market decrease is causing a slowdown in the building sector, where only flexible small and medium enterprises (SMEs) survive thanks to specialization and innovation in services, which allow them to face new market demands. Inter-organizational information systems (IOISs) support innovation in services, and are thus a strategic tool for SMEs to obtain competitive advantage. Because of the inherent complexity of IOIS adoption, this research extends Kurnia and Johnston's (2000) theoretical model of IOIS adoption with an empirical model of IOIS characterization. The resultant model identifies the factors influencing IOIS adoption in SMEs in the building sector, to promote further service innovation for competitive and collaborative advantages. An empirical longitudinal study over six consecutive years using data from Spanish SMEs in the building sector validates the model, using the partial least squares technique and analyzing temporal stability. The main findings of this research are the four ways an IOIS might contribute to service innovation in the building sector. Namely: a) improving client interfaces and the link between service providers and end users; b) defining a specific market where SMEs can develop new service concepts; c) enhancing the service delivery system in traditional customer?supplier relationships; and d) introducing information and communication technologies and tools to improve information management.

Collecting and harvesting biological data: the GPCRDB and NucleaRDB information systems

The amount of genomic and proteomic data that is entered each day into databases and the experimental literature is outstripping the ability of experimental scientists to keep pace. While generic databases derived from automated curation efforts are useful, most biological scientists tend to focus on a class or family of molecules and their biological impact. Consequently, there is a need for molecular class-specific or other specialized databases. Such databases collect and organize data around a single topic or class of molecules. If curated well, such systems are extremely useful as they allow experimental scientists to obtain a large portion of the available data most relevant to their needs from a single source. We are involved in the development of two such databases with substantial pharmacological relevance. These are the GPCRDB and NucleaRDB information systems, which collect and disseminate data related to G protein-coupled receptors and intra-nuclear hormone receptors, respectively. The GPCRDB was a pilot project aimed at building a generic molecular class-specific database capable of dealing with highly heterogeneous data. A first version of the GPCRDB project has been completed and it is routinely used by thousands of scientists. The NucleaRDB was started recently as an application of the concept for the generalization of this technology. The GPCRDB is available via the WWW at http://www.gpcr.org/7tm/ and the NucleaRDB at http://www.receptors.org/NR/.

A model driven framework for geographic knowledge discovery

Geographic knowledge discovery (GKD) is the process of extracting information and knowledge from massive georeferenced databases. Usually the process is accomplished by two different systems, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the data mining engines. However, the development of those systems is a complex task due to it does not follow a systematic, integrated and standard methodology. To overcome these pitfalls, in this paper, we propose a modeling framework that addresses the development of the different parts of a multilayer GKD process. The main advantages of our framework are that: (i) it reduces the design effort, (ii) it improves quality systems obtained, (iii) it is independent of platforms, (iv) it facilitates the use of data mining techniques on geo-referenced data, and finally, (v) it ameliorates the communication between different users.

Information systems offshore outsourcing: managerial conclusions from academic research

In the light of the growing interest raised by Information Systems Offshore Outsourcing both in the managerial world and in the academic arena, the present work carries out a revision of the research in this area. We have analysed 89 research articles on this topic published in 17 prestigious journals. The analysis deals with aspects such as research methodologies, level of analysis in the studies, data perspective, economic theories used or location of vendors and clients of these services; and it additionally identifies the most frequent topics in this field as well as the most prolific authors and countries. Although other reviews about the research in this area have been published, the present paper achieves a greater level of detail than previous works. The review of the literature in the area could have interesting implications not only for academics but also for business practice.

The information systems integration for a better caring and chronic patients´ empowerment

The technology innovation (TI) in the health system has been confirmed as the best format to share information and to facilitate the communication between all the actors involved in the chronic patients´ care.

Information systems contracts and relationships: A Spanish perspective

Despite the proliferation of academic research on information systems outsourcing, not many studies analyze the characteristics of outsourcing contracts. This research aims to provide an in-depth description of information systems outsourcing. An additional objective is to examine how these characteristics evolve over time. Finally, this study reports on the usefulness of measuring such characteristics over time to assess the maturity level of the information systems outsourcing. This study gathers the data from the responses of the information systems managers of the largest Spanish firms to a questionnaire. This longitudinal study covers 12 years of research and compares authors' previous research results with the results of this study.

Exploring the future of Indian Health information systems /

"February 1998."