The naturally imperfect form : investigations of the application of digital sculpting methods - extracted art : incorporating and translating ‘found art’ into the medium of digital sculpture

This dissertation analyses how physical objects are translated into digital artworks using techniques which can lead to ‘imperfections’ in the resulting digital artwork that are typically removed to arrive at a ‘perfect’ final representation. The dissertation discusses the adaptation of existing techniques into an artistic workflow that acknowledges and incorporates the imperfections of translation into the final pieces. It presents an exploration of the relationship between physical and digital artefacts and the processes used to move between the two. The work explores the 'craft' of digital sculpting and the technology used in producing what the artist terms ‘a naturally imperfect form’, incorporating knowledge of traditional sculpture, an understanding of anatomy and an interest in the study of bones (Osteology). The outcomes of the research are presented as a series of digital sculptural works, exhibited as a collection of curiosities in multiple mediums, including interactive game spaces, augmented reality (AR), rapid prototype prints (RP) and video displays.

Gartner AR Process Modelling Movie

AR process modelling movie presented at Gartner BPM Summit in Sydney, August, 2011.

AR Services Video

Video presented as part of the USECA 2011 workshop at WISE 2011. Real-time sales assistant service is a problematic component of remote delivery of sales support for customers. Solutions involving web pages, telephony and video support prove problematic when seeking to remotely guide customers in their sales processes, especially with transactions revolving around physically complex artefacts. This process involves a number of services that are often complex in nature, ranging from physical compatibility and configuration factors, to availability and credit services. We propose the application of a combination of virtual worlds and augmented reality to create synthetic environments suitable for remote sales of physical artefacts, right in the home of the purchaser. A high level description of the service structure involved is shown, along with a use case involving the sale of electronic goods and services within an example augmented reality application. We expect this work to have application in many sales domains involving physical objects needing to be sold over the Internet.

Augmented Reality Process Modelling Tool

Video presented as part of BPM2011 demonstration(France). In this video we show a prototype BPMN process modelling tool which uses Augmented Reality techniques to increase the sense of immersion when editing a process model. The avatar represents a remotely logged in user, and facilitates greater insight into the editing actions of the collaborator than present 2D web-based approaches in collaborative process modelling. We modified the Second Life client to integrate the ARToolkit in order to support pattern-based AR.

Collaborative 3D BPMN Editor

Video presented as part of ACIS 2009 conference in Melbourne Australia. This video outlines a collaborative BPMN editing system, developed by Stephen West, an IT Research Masters student at QUT, Brisbane, Australia. The editor uses a number of tools to facilitate collaborative process modelling, including a presentation wall, to view text descriptions of business processes, and a tile-based BPMN editor. We will post a video soon focussing on the multi-user capabilities of this editor. For more details see www.bpmve.org.

Virtual world process education

Video presented as part of Smart Services CRC Participants meeting. A short demonstration video of our ideas for using Business Process Software in Virtual Worlds for Process Education.

Personal processes interface mock up

Situated on Youtube, and shown in various locations. In this video we show a 3D mock up of a personal house purchasing process. A path traversal metaphor is used to give a sense of progression along the process stages. The intention is to be able to use console devices like an Xbox to consume business processes. This is so businesses can expose their internal processes to consumers using sophisticated user interfaces. The demonstrator was developed using Microsoft XNA, with assistance from the Suncorp Bank and the Smart Services CRC. More information at: www.bpmve.org

A methodological evaluation of business process compliance management frameworks

Existing compliance management frameworks (CMFs) offer a multitude of compliance management capabilities that makes difficult for enterprises to decide on the suitability of a framework. Making a decision on the suitability requires a deep understanding of the functionalities of a framework. Gaining such an understanding is a difficult task which, in turn, requires specialised tools and methodologies for evaluation. Current compliance research lacks such tools and methodologies for evaluating CMFs. This paper reports a methodological evaluation of existing CMFs based on a pre-defined evaluation criteria. Our evaluation highlights what existing CMFs offer, and what they cannot. Also, it underpins various open questions and discusses the challenges in this direction.

Digital storytelling as everyday activism : Queer identity, voice and networked publics

This thesis investigates the role of personal Digital Stories shared in public spaces as catalysts for social change. By analysing the influence of workshop facilitators, organisations, digital platforms and networked publics on voice and self-representation, it sheds light on shifting meanings of publicness and privacy, both face to face and online. This thesis argues that, despite numerous obstacles, the cumulative influence of diverse voices dispersed among networked publics shape new cultural norms, thereby contributing to gradual social change.

Digital soapboxes : towards an interaction design agenda for situated civic innovation

We argue that there are at least two significant issues for interaction designers to consider when creating the next generation of human interfaces for civic and urban engagement: (1) The disconnect between citizens participating in either digital or physical realms has resulted in a neglect of the hybrid role that public place and situated technology can play in contributing to civic innovation. (2) Under the veneer of many social media tools, hardly any meaningful strategies or approaches are found that go beyond awareness raising and allow citizens to do more than clicking a ‘Like’ button. We call for an agenda to design the next generation of ‘digital soapboxes’ that contributes towards a new form of polity helping citizens not only to have a voice but also to appropriate their city in order to take action for change.

Assessment of precision timing and real-time data networks for digital substation automation

This project researched the performance of emerging digital technology for high voltage electricity substations that significantly improves safety for staff and reduces the potential impact on the environment of equipment failure. The experimental evaluation used a scale model of a substation control system that incorporated real substation control and networking equipment with real-time simulation of the power system. The outcomes confirm that it is possible to implement Ethernet networks in high voltage substations that meet the needs of utilities; however component-level testing of devices is necessary to achieve this. The assessment results have been used to further develop international standards for substation communication and precision timing.

Women's participation in the Australian digital content industry

The research investigated women’s participation in the Australian Digital Content Industry, which encompasses both multimedia and games production. The Digital Content Industry is an area of growing economic and social significance, both in Australia and internationally. Women are under-represented in core Digital Content Industry work but there has been little theoretical or empirical investigation of the underlying issues. This research identified a range of influences on women’s participation and provides a better understanding of this complex social phenomenon by proposing that influences should be understood from the perspective of agent-driven mechanisms. The key contribution is a new theory - the Acts of Agency Theory - which was used to discuss the phenomenon and issues underpinning women’s participation and to recommend strategies that should foster greater participation of women in the Digital Content Industry.

Identifying the triggers for management services in business transformation management

Business transformations are complex organisational change endeavours that result in a business performing current work differently, or performing different work. Information Technology (IT) is a key enabler of such initiatives, but comes with its challenges, as revamping the IT infrastructure in large-scale organisations implies high complexity, high risk, and often high failure rates. We view business transformations as a collection of management services that are demanded and enacted at a program level, defined as abstract resources that provide the managerial capabilities necessary for business transformations. In this research-in-progress, we explore what triggers the need for management services in response to the challenges in business transformation management. We analyse data from two exploratory case studies using the critical incident technique as our qualitative analysis method. Early findings indicate that management service triggers reside on either the strategic level, which may be internally or externally driven, or at the program management level, which may be situational, influential or reactional. We detail implications for our on-going research.