1 Peter Fox Xinformatics 4400/6400 - PowerPoint Presentation

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Peter Fox

Xinformatics 4400/6400Module 12, April 17, 2018

XInformatics course summary

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ContentsSummary of this courseWhat you needed to learn/ objectivesYour X?

Projects?

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The key is:

As the volume, complexity and heterogeneity of information increases…Suddenly information looks more like a continuumNot always in the ‘right’ structureAll known methods, algorithms do not scale (except for very simple operations)And because it is information, humans are part of the loop and you’ve all seen how modern information systems are more or less useable depending on a number of factorsThus - understand and apply theoretical foundationsTo date these are developed in an analog world, not a digital one!!

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Intersecting disciplines:

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Library Science

Organizes- Cataloging and classification

Preservation -

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maintaining or restoring access to artifacts’

Cognitive Science

mental representation,

the nature of expertise,

and intuition

Social Science

Collaboration

Cultural norms

Rewards

Information Science

Computer Science

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A Use Case … is a collection of possible sequences of interactions between the information system under discussion/ design and its actors, relating to a particular goal

… consists of a prose description of an information system's behavior when interacting with the actors … is a technique for capturing functional requirements of an information system … captures non-functional requirements

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Ultimately: Wetware‘Before you make the software interoperable, you need to make the people interoperable’: Ian Jackson,

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Data-Information-Knowledge Ecosystem

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Data

Information

Knowledge

Producers

Consumers

Context

Presentation

Organization

Integration

Conversation

Creation

Gathering

Experience

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THE PHYSICS OF INFORMATION

© 2005 EvREsearch LTD

EvREsearch©

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PresentationSeparation of content from presentationThe theory here is empirical or semi-empiricalIs developed based on an understanding of minimizing information uncertainty beginning with content, context and structural considerations and cognitive and social factors to reduce uncertainty

Physiology for humans, color, …

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OrganizationOrganizations - producers v/s consumersOrganization of information presentation, e.g. layout on a web pageYes - content, context and structure

How to organize:What have you seen?Needed?Not had resolved?

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Physics of information = entropy = uncertainty/ integrityInformation of a random variable is defined as the Sum of p

x log p, where p=probability. It represents the uncertainty of the variableMutual information of two variables = how much information one variable contains about the other i.e. the decrease of the uncertainty of one variable by knowing the otherIn probabilistic terms, the entropy decreases by conditioning on the distribution

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Information theorySemiotics - study of sign processes or signification and communication, signs and symbols, into three branches:

Syntax: Relation of signs to each other in formal structuresSemantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer - meaningPragmatics: Relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them

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Semiotics

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Syntax

Semantics

Pragmatics

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Abductionmethod of logical inference (Peirce) prior to induction and deduction i.e. "hunch”

starts with a set of (seemingly unrelated) facts + intuition (some connection) and brought together – via abductive reasoningabduction is the process of inference that produces a hypothesis as its end result

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Mode of noise introduction

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From Shannon and Weaver (1949)

Information Source

Web Content, Structure

Noise source

Web browser?

HTML page, user

Msg?

Signal?

Recvd?

Msg?

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NoiseUncertainty, especially any that is introduced is a source of noise, or more accurately – bias in the use or interpretation of the information

Is context and structure dependentNoise/ bias contamination is rampant in information systemsQuality assessment, control and verification is less developed for information sources

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Information integrationInvolves: combining information residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of themGetting the ‘unified view’ – lots of informatics here – recall unify from design?

Recall the domain examples:Geo?Medical/ health?Others?

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“Unstructured Information”If a structured representation of fundamentally unstructured information is useless how do we respond?Remember – USE!What role does visual representation play in structuring information? Remember this?

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Mental RepresentationThinking = representational structures + procedures that operate on those structuresDid you make progress?

Methodological consequence: what have you learned about the study how we think about information systems?

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Behind this: Information ModelsConceptual models, domain models, explore domain concepts High-level conceptual models are created as part of initial requirements envisioning efforts - to explore the high-level static

business or science or medicine structures and concepts and relations among them Conceptual models are created as the precursor to logical models or as alternatives to themTo build something they must be followed by logical and physical models

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(Information) ArchitecturesDefinition: “is the art of expressing a

model or concept of information used in activities that require explicit details of complex systems” (wikipedia)“… as in the creating of systemic, structural, and orderly principles to make something work - the thoughtful making of either artifact, or idea, or policy that informs because it is clear.” Wuman

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ArchitecturesBuilding on content, context, and structure, think of information architectures as “in front of the interface” and “behind the interface”

What’s the proportion – is it just like an iceberg? I.e. the majority of information architecture work is out of sight, "below the water.”

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Reference architectures“provides a proven template solution for an architecture for a particular domain. It also provides a common vocabulary with which to discuss implementations, often with the aim to stress commonality.

A reference architecture often consists of a list of functions and some indication of their interfaces (or APIs) and interactions with each other and with functions located outside of the scope of the reference architecture.” (wikipedia)At this stage of the course, have you seen a reference architecture? Did you like it?

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Design?In the context of information systems design, information architecture refers to the analysis and design of the data stored by information systems, concentrating on entities, their attributes, and their interrelationships.

It refers to the modeling of information for an individual source …

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Design theoryElementsFormValue

TextureLinesShapesDirectionSizeColorRelation to signs and relations between/ among them

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Principles of designBalanceGradationRepetitionContrast

Harmony DominanceUnity

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Broad life-cycle elementsAcquisition: Process of recording or generating a concrete artefact from the concept (the act of transduction)Curation:

The activity of managing the use of data from its point of creation to ensure it is available for discovery and re-use in the futurePreservation: Process of retaining usability of data in some source form for intended and unintended useStewardship: Process of maintaining integrity across acquisition, curation and preservation

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AcquisitionWhat do you know about the developer of the means of acquisitionDocuments –not easy to find/ read/ understand

Remember unclear use cases, information model, all lead to uncertainty and bias!!!Have a checklist (the Management list) and review it often

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CurationActivity that takes information from Producers to Consumers!Organization and presentation may need to changeDocument what is done and why, track the provenance!

How do you remain as technology-neutral as possible and why would you want to?Add metainformation

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PreservationArchiving is but one componentIntent is that ‘you can open it any time in the future

’ and that ‘it will be there’Involves steps not be conventionally thought ofThink far into the future …. history gives some guide to future considerations

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Information auditAnalysis and evaluation of a firm's information system (whether manual or computerized) to detect and rectify blockages, duplication, and leakage of information.

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Objective of an audit?

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The

objectives

of an audit are to improve accuracy, relevance, security, and timeliness of the recorded information

It is a process that effectively determines the current information environment within an organization by identifying and mapping:

What information is currently available?

Where the information lives?

Etc.

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Information WorkflowSeries of tasks performed to produce a final outcome – you know like the steps in a use case!Information workflow = “

analysis pipeline”Automate tedious jobs that users traditionally performed by hand for each datasetProcess large volumes of data/ information faster than one could do by handDocument what is doneCollect provenance, enable an audit, etc.

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Benefits of Workflows

Documentation of aspects of analysisVisual communication of analytical stepsEase of testing/debuggingReproducibilityReuse of part or all of workflow in a different project

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Information ManagementCreation of logical collectionsPhysical handling

Interoperability supportSecurity supportOwnershipMetadata collection, management and access.PersistenceKnowledge and information discoveryDissemination and publication

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Discovery?Discussion What is the reality? Did any of you find the recording of the sound of an (African) swallow?Finding media types

Information retrieval and information architecture considerations – when a usual search engine cannot find what you wantContent-based discovery, context-based, and yes, structure-based…

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Visualization?Reducing the amount of data, quantizationPatternsFeaturesEvents

TrendsIrregularitiesExit points for analysisAlso presentation of “data”Cognitive science and the mental representation

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Data<->Information<->Knowledge

What’s in your future?

Data ScienceSemantic eScienceJob!

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Data

Information

Knowledge

Context

Presentation

Organization

Integration

Conversation

Creation

Gathering

Experience

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In one slide?Use case – you have to know the goal (+more)Conceptual and logical models -> information models -> architectureUnderstand information flows and uncertainties (sign systems), the life cycle and manage them

Apply information, library, cognitive, social science, and design elements to developing a design of an architectureThink the design through (e.g. get closer to the physical model (workflow?)) and assess the presentation, organization, content, context, structure, syntax, semantic and pragmatics

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What would your slide include?

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ObjectivesTo instruct future information architects how to sustainably generate information models, designs and architecturesTo instruct future technologists how to understand and support essential data and information needs of a wide variety of producers and consumers

For both to know tools, and requirements to properly handle data and informationWill learn and be evaluated on the underpinnings of informatics, including theoretical methods, technologies and best practices.

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Learning OutcomesDevelop and demonstrate skill in development and conduct of multi-skilled teams in the application of informaticsDevelop conceptual and logical information models and explain them to non-experts

Demonstrate the application information theory and design principles to information systemsDemonstrate knowledge and application of informatics standardsDevelop and demonstrate skill in informatics tool use and evaluation

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DiscussionAll of the materialPlease fill out the course evaluation

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