Paper: Interactive product browsing and configuration using remote augmented reality sales services

Just had a paper "Interactive product browsing and configuration using remote augmented reality sales services" accepted into the ICSOC 2012 Workshop : Service Clouds in the Enterprise and Beyond.  QUT ePrints Link is here.

Abstract: Real-time remote sales assistance is an underdeveloped component of online sales services. Solutions involving web page text chat, telephony and video support prove problematic when seeking to remotely guide customers in their sales processes, especially with configurations of physically complex artefacts. Recently, there has been great interest in the application of virtual worlds and augmented reality to create synthetic environments for remote sales of physical artefacts. However, there is a lack of analysis and development of appropriate software services to support these processes. We extend our previous work with the detailed design of configuration context services to support the management of an interactive sales session using augmented reality. We detail the context and configuration services required, presenting a novel data service streaming configuration information to the vendor for business analytics. We expect that a fully implemented configuration management service, based on our design, will improve the remote sales experience for both customers and vendors alike via analysis of the streamed information.

Many thanks to Helen Paik (UNSW) and Alistair Barros (QUT) for their contributions.

Ross

Paper: Neural network-based detection of virtual environment anomalies

Just had a paper Neural network-based detection of virtual environment anomalies accepted to Neural Computing and Applications, with Alfredo Nantes and Frederic Maire.  The paper is here at QUT ePrints, and here at Springer.

Abstract The increasingly widespread use of large scale 3D virtual environments has translated into an increasing effort required from designers, developers and testers. While considerable research has been conducted in assisting the design of virtual world content and mechanics, to date, only limited contributions have been made regarding the automatic testing of the underpinning graphics software and hardware. In this work, two novel neural network-based approaches are presented to predict the correct visualization of 3D content. Multi-Layer Perceptrons and Self Organizing Maps are trained to learn the normal geometric and color appearance of the objects from validated frames, and used to detect novel or anomalous renderings in new images. Our approach is general, for the appearance of the object is learned rather than explicitly represented. Experiments were conducted on a game engine to determine the applicability and effectiveness of our algorithms. The results show that the neural network technology can be effectively used to address the problem of automatic and reliable visual testing of 3D virtual environments.

Well done Alfredo!

Ross

CFP: Ninth Asia-Pacific Conference on Conceptual Modelling (APCCM) 2013

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            C A L L   F O R   R E S E A R C H   P A P E R S

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         Ninth Asia-Pacific Conference on Conceptual Modelling

                              (APCCM 2013)

      January 29 - February 01, 2013 -- Adelaide, South Australia

                         http://2013.apccm.org/

The Asia-Pacific Conferences on Conceptual Modelling provide an annual forum for disseminating the results of innovative research in information modelling and related areas.

The ninth conference of the series will be held in January/February 2013 as part of the Australasian Computer Science Week (ACSW 2013).  ACSW 2013 will be hosted in Adelaide, at the City West Campus of University of South Australia.

Registration to APCCM will enable delegates to attend sessions in any conference participating in the Australasian Computer Science Week.

KEY INFORMATION

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- Abstract Submission Due Date: Aug 06, 2012

- Paper Submission Due Date: Aug 13, 2012

- APCCM 2013 Best Paper Award: The best paper, as judged by the APCCM Program Committee, will receive an award of AU $500.- sponsored by the School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and the School of Computer and Information Science, University of South Australia, Australia.

- APCCM 2013 Best Student Paper Award: The best student paper, as judged by the APCCM Program Committee, will receive an award of AU $500.- sponsored by CORE, Australia.  Student paper criteria are outlined on the APCCM 2013 Web-site.

SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE

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The amount, complexity and diversity of information held in computer systems are constantly on the increase, and so are the requirements and challenges to be met for useful access and manipulation of this information. Conceptual modelling is fundamental to the development of up-to-date information and knowledge-based systems. The conference series aims at bringing together experts from all areas of computer science and information systems with a common interest in the subject.

APCCM invites contributions addressing current research in conceptual modelling as well as experiences, novel applications and future challenges. Topics of interest include, but are not restricted to:

   * Business, enterprise, process and services modelling;

   * Concepts, concept theories and ontologies;

   * Conceptual modelling and user participation;

   * Conceptual modelling for decision support and expert systems; digital libraries; e-business, e-commerce and e-banking systems; health care systems; knowledge management systems; mobile information systems; user interfaces; and Web-based systems;

   * Conceptual modelling of semi-structured data and XML;

   * Conceptual modelling of spatial, temporal and biological data;

   * Conceptual modelling quality;

   * Conceptual models for cloud computing applications;

   * Conceptual models for supporting requirement engineering;

   * Conceptual models in management science;

   * Design patterns and object-oriented design;

   * Evolution and change in conceptual models;

   * Implementations of information systems;

   * Information and schema integration;

   * Information customisation and user profiles;

   * Information recognition and information modelling;

   * Information retrieval, analysis, visualisation and prediction;

   * Information systems design methodologies;

   * Knowledge discovery, knowledge representation and knowledge management;

   * Methods for developing, validating and communicating conceptual models;

   * Models for the Semantic Web;

   * Philosophical, mathematical and linguistic foundations of conceptual models;

   * Reuse, reverse engineering and reengineering; and

   * Software engineering and tools for information systems development.

PAPER SUBMISSION AND PUBLICATION

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APCCM invites papers describing original contributions in all fields of conceptual modelling and related areas. Papers should be no more than 10 pages in length conforming to the formatting instructions as outlined below.

Each paper will be judged on its originality, significance, technical quality, relevance and presentation. The quality of accepted papers is further strengthened by a low acceptance rate of about 30%.

APCCM proceedings will be published in the CRPIT Series. Please note that it is CRPIT policy that at least one author of all accepted papers to the conferences and workshops in the series would both register and present at the event concerned. Failure to do so without a reason acceptable to the organisers of the event will result in the paper being retrospectively withdrawn from both the proceedings and all citation sources.

It is also CRPIT policy that all papers be original and not concurrently submitted elsewhere. Once again, we reserve the right to retrospectively withdraw a paper from the proceedings if we later find this not to be the case.

After the conference, authors of the best papers will be invited to submit an extended version for publication in a joint Special Issue of the Journal of Universal Computer Science (J.UCS).

Formatting Guidelines

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The proceedings of this event will be published by the ACS in the CRPIT Series. The formatting requirements and resources for authors can be found on the CRPIT Authors Page together with a list of all upcoming volumes.

Electronic Submission

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Submission to APCCM 2013 will be electronically only via EasyChair.  The online submission system is accessible via the APCCM 2013 Web-site ( http://2013.apccm.org/ ).

IMPORTANT DATES

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Abstract Submission:            August 06, 2012 (23:59 GMT)

Full Paper Submission:          August 13, 2012 (23:59 GMT)

Author Notification:            October 08, 2012

Camera-ready Paper Submission:  October 29, 2012

Author Registration:            November 05, 2012

Early-bird Registration:        December 03, 2012

ACSW 2013 Conferences:          January 29 - February 01, 2013

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

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Program Committee Chairs

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Flavio Ferrarotti, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Georg Grossmann, University of South Australia, Australia

Publicity Chair

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Markus Kirchberg, National University of Singapore

Marko Boskovic, Research Studios Austria, Austria

Program Committee Members

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Joao Paulo A. Almeida, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Brazil

Boualem Benatallah, University of New South Wales, Australia

Marko Boskovic, Research Studios Austria

Ross Brown, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Denise de Vries, Flinders University, Australia

Gillian Dobbie, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Dragan Gasevic, Athabasca University, Canada

Sven Hartmann, Clausthal University of Technology, Germany

Brian Henderson-Sellers, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Annika Hinze, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Marta Indulska, University of Queensland, Australia

Markus Kirchberg, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Yasushi Kiyoki, Keio University, Japan

Ryan Ko, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Singapore

Aneesh Krishna, Curtin University of Technology, Australia

Lam-Son Le, University of Wollongong, Australia

Chiang Lee, National Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan

Sebastian Link, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Jixue Liu, University of South Australia, Australia

Hui Ma, Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand

Christine Natschlaeger, Software Competence Centre Hagenberg, Austria

Shamkant Navathe, Georgia Institute Of Technology, United States

Martin Necasky, Charles University, Czech Republic

Sudha Ram, University of Arizona, United States

Jan Recker, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Motoshi Saeki, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Michael Schrefl, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria

Nigel Stanger, University of Otago, New Zealand

Markus Stumptner, University of South Australia, Australia

Ernest Teniente, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain

Riccardo Torlone, Roma Tre University, Italy

Qing Wang, Australian National University, Australia

FURTHER INFORMATION

-------------------

For further information, please, refer to the APCCM 2013 Web-site at http://2013.apccm.org/ 

Paper: Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Collaborative Process Modelling System

Just had our paper "Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Collaborative Process Modelling System" accepted for CyberWorlds 2012 in Darmstadt, run by Fraunhofer IGD.

Paper is found here.

Abstract - Identifying, modelling and documenting business processes usually requires the collaboration of many stakeholders that may be spread across companies in inter-organizational business settings. While there are many process modelling tools available, the support they provide for remote collaboration is still limited. This paper investigates the application of virtual environment and augmented reality technologies to remote business process modelling, with an aim to assisting common collaboration tasks by providing an increased sense of immersion in a shared workspace. We report on the evaluation of a prototype system with five key informants. The results indicate that this approach to business process modelling is suited to remote collaborative task settings, and stakeholders may indeed benefit from using augmented reality interfaces.

Ross

Paper: Assisting ICU training management with virtual worlds

Have just had an invited paper "Assisting ICU training management with virtual worlds," accepted for ICU-Management, the official management voice of the ‘International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine’ (ISICEM).  In this paper, we have focussed on benefits to the management of ICU training that can occur from 3D Virtual Worlds.

Submitted version of paper can be found here.

Abstract - Conventional training methods for nurses involve many physical factors that place limits on potential class sizes. Alternate training methods with lower physical requirements may support larger class sizes, but given the tactile quality of nurse training, are most appropriately applied to supplement the conventional methods. However, where the importance of physical factors are periphery, such alternate training methods can provide an important way to increase upper class-size limits and therefore the rate of trained nurses entering the important role of critical care. A major issue in ICU training is that the trainee can be released into a real-life intensive care scenario with sub optimal preparation and therefore a level of anxiety for the student concerned, and some risk for the management level nurses, as patient safety is paramount. This lack of preparation places a strain on the allocation of human and non-human resources to teaching, as students require greater levels of supervision. Such issues are a concern to ICU management, as they relate to nursing skill development and patient health outcomes, as nursing training is potentially dangerous for patients who are placed in the care of inexperienced staff. As a solution to this problem, we present a prototype ICU handover training environment that has been developed in a socially interactive virtual world. Nurses in training can connect remotely via the Internet to this environment and engage in collaborative ICU handover training classes.

Ross

#2 PhD scholarship available at QUT’s Information Systems School

PhD scholarships available with my colleague/co-author Prof. Jan Recker.  Contact details are below.

=====================

PhD scholarship available at QUT’s Information Systems School

Applications are invited from suitable qualified graduates for a PhD scholarship at the School of Information Systems at Queensland University of Technology as part of the ARC project “Designing Process Models for Decision-Making”. The term of the scholarship is three years. The scholarships provide financial support towards study and living costs.

Project Background

When seeking to re-design business processes – a perennial top priority of chief information executives – organisations use graphical documentations of their business processes, so called process models. These models act as blueprints of organizational processes, and are a key tool for making re-design decisions, i.e., decisions about where, how and why changes to the processes should be enacted to warrant increased revenues, business growth, improved operational efficiency, cost reductions or increased compliance.

A process model that documents a business process in an incomplete, incorrect, cumbersome to decipher, or otherwise deficient manner will not convey the information about the business domain to the decision maker such that a good decision can be facilitated. Any organizational re-design of the processes, in consequence, will then fail to deliver the expected benefits. When creating process models, therefore, analysts require principles that guide them in conceiving graphical representations of business processes that are useful, intuitive and accurate to the decision-makers (process owners, process managers, business analysts, systems designers and the like) working with these models.

This project aims to develop a theory, and theory-driven guidelines, for developing understandable process models. Specifically, it will deliver:

•       A fundamental theory about factors and consequences of process modelling for decision-making tasks; and

•       on the basis of the new and validated theory, practical guidelines based on rigorous empirical insights to guide the creation of useful, intuitive and accurate process models for decision-making.

Project Governance

The research project is led by Professor Jan Recker, PhD. Jan is Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellow and Woolworths Chair of Retail Innovation at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. His main areas of research include process design in organizational practice, organizational innovation and business transformation management. His research is published in the MIS Quarterly, the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, the European Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems, and other key journals.

More information is available from www.janrecker.com/.

The Research Environment

QUT’s Information Systems School is currently the highest ranked IS research department in Australia based on research quality and the only IS research group that was ranked with a perfect '5-out-of-5' score in the 2010 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment. The school is also among the highest ranked IS departments in terms of publications in the top IS journals worldwide.

QUT’s Information Systems School has a global reputation for its work on Business Process Management and Process Innovation. The School has an unconditional focus on rigorous research with demonstrated practical relevance. Research from the school has appeared in premier journals such as the MIS Quarterly, the Journal of the AIS, the European Journal of IS, Decision Support Systems, Information Systems, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, and others.

To find out more, please visit http://www.qut.edu.au/science-engineering/about/about-the-faculty/school-of-information-systems.

Application Criteria

The successful applicant

-       has a Master's degree in management, information systems, finance, marketing, business administration or a comparable field. He or she completed the Master’s degree with a GPA of 6 or higher (or equivalent).

-       has the ambition and capabilities to complete a high-quality PhD project within 3 years.

-       has a strong research mindset, and evidence of skills in theoretical and empirical research.

-       possesses strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

-       speaks and writes fluently in English.

-       likes to work in an international setting.

Application Procedure

Applicants are required to submit a letter of application for the scholarship to Associate Professor Jan Recker (j.recker@qut.edu.au) by 15 June 2012, briefly describing qualifications, relevant skills and areas of research interest.

Applicants will be screened and, if suitable, invited for further assessment and interviews.

The following supporting documents are required:

-       CV including a comprehensive list and details of all publications if any.

-       Certified copies of academic transcripts.

-       Copies of most important research papers or theses

-       A letter stating how the above criteria are met by the applicant

-       2 letters of reference from academics who have taught/supervised the applicant at university.

PhD scholarship available at QUT’s Information Systems School

PhD scholarships available with my colleague/co-author Prof. Jan Recker.  Contact details are below.

=====================

PhD scholarship available at QUT’s Information Systems School

Applications are invited from suitable qualified graduates for a PhD scholarship at the Information Systems School at Queensland University of Technology as part of the “Woolworths Chair of Retail Innovation” initiative.

The term of the scholarship is three years. The scholarship provides financial support towards study and living costs.

Project Background

The PhD student will work in the Woolworths Chair for Retail Innovation initiative at the Information Systems School at Queensland University of Technology. The initiative’s objective is to conduct applied research on innovations in business, processes and technology-based systems, and the management of innovation processes in organisations. The domain of the initiative is the retail sector, especially Supermarket operations. Topics will address a variety of business, management, process, service and IT-components, and thus require holistic and multi-disciplinary approaches to research.

The project is driven by a demand to deliver innovative transformations to retail operations, processes and business models, with a focus on customer-centric value provision. At the core of this demand are the two foci of (a) exploring and exploiting innovation potential in the retail sector, and (b) creating a culture of innovation within retail organisations.

The Research Environment

QUT’s Information Systems School is currently the highest ranked IS research department in Australia based on research quality and the only IS research group that was ranked with a perfect '5-out-of-5' score in the 2010 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment. The school is also among the highest ranked IS departments in terms of publications in the top IS journals worldwide.

QUT’s Information Systems School has a global reputation for its work on Business Process Management and Process Innovation. The School has an unconditional focus on rigorous research with demonstrated practical relevance. Research from the school has appeared in premier journals such as the MIS Quarterly, the Journal of the AIS, the European Journal of IS, Decision Support Systems, Information Systems, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, and others.

To find out more, please visit http://www.qut.edu.au/science-engineering/about/about-the-faculty/school-of-information-systems.

Application Criteria

The successful applicant

-  has a Master's degree in management, information systems, finance, marketing, business administration or a comparable field. He or she completed the Master’s degree with a GPA of 6 or higher (or equivalent).

-      has the ambition and capabilities to complete a high-quality empirical PhD project within 3 years.

-       has a strong research mindset, and evidence of skills in theoretical and empirical research.

-       possesses strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

-       ideally has a background and interest in the retail sector.

-       speaks and writes fluently in English.

-      likes to work in an international setting and in an applied research setting in close interaction with a key industry partner.

Application Procedure

Applicants are required to submit a letter of application for the scholarship to Jan Recker (j.recker@qut.edu.au) by 15 June 2012, briefly describing qualifications, relevant skills and areas of research interest.

Applicants will be screened and, if suitable, invited for further assessment and interviews.

The following supporting documents are required:

-       CV including a comprehensive list and details of all publications if any.

-       Certified copies of academic transcripts.

-       Copies of most important research papers or theses

-       A letter stating comprehensively how the above criteria are met by the applicant

-       2 letters of reference from academics who have taught/supervised the applicant at university.