Research in the Department of Information Science

Current and recent research projects (2000-2001)

Assessing Research Outputs Database (ROD). Wellcome Trust. 2000-2003. Dr Ian Rowlands. A collaborative project to develop an evidence base for funders of biomedical and healthcare research. The project’s main resource is a comprehensive database of UK and Irish biomedical publications from 1988, licensed from ISI, to which additionally policy-relevant information relating to the funding, productivity and impact of biomedical research. The Research Outputs Database (ROD) is a dataset of national significance that models and summarises the performance of the UK health science base.
Evaluation of Austrian Biomedical Research Outputs, 1991-2000. Austrian Ministry for Arts, Science and Culture. 2001-2002. Professor Grant Lewison A profile of Austrian biomedical publications, 1991-2000, employing a similar methodology to that used for the Wellcome Trust’s influential study of UK research outputs, Mapping the Landscape (1998). The study will consider research inputs (funding sources, addresses, research levels) and research outputs (citations by papers, citations by patents, journal impact category). National comparisons with Germany, Israel, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK will be undertaken.

Tools for Innovative Publishing in Science (TIPS). EU Fifth Framework Programme. 2000-2002. Dr Murat Karamuftuoglu The EU project, Tools for Innovative Publishing in Science, involves the creation of a web-based interface to an Okapi database of papers in high-energy physics, and research into the application of collaborative filtering to improve the performance of the probabilistic IR model.

National electronic Library for Communicable Disease. Department of Health, Public Health Laboratory Service. 1999-2001. Professor Julius Weinberg This project will develop an Internet based resource of best evidence for those practising in the investigation, treatment, prevention and control of communicable disease. Methods will be developed for the maintenance and quality assurance of "best evidence". Research will be undertaken into the use of the resource and how clinical information making is influenced. The results will influence the development of the National electronic Library for Health.

The Web for people with visual impairment, dyslexia and motor impairment. JISC. 1999-2000. Dr Penelope Yates-Mercer. This project examined the progress in making Web (and intranet) sites produced by higher education lecturers for their students accessible to those with visual and motor impairment and dyslexia, by examining the W3C Guidelines, surveying lecturers' awareness of them and evaluating a sample of their sites.

An evaluation of pilot projects exploring the health applications of digital interactive television. Department of Health. 2001 - 2002. Professor David Nicholas. An evaluation of pilot projects exploring possible health applications of digital interactive television (DiTV) using a methodology based on the analysis of the computerised use logs the DiTV programmes generate. The pilot projects start in June 2001 and will demonstrate and test possible NHS uses for digital TV. Current projects include expanding NHS Direct to develop live links between NHS Direct nurses and individuals; providing general health information to schools and workplaces; support for groups of people suffering from chronic conditions and their carers; and developing training and recruitment packages for NHS staff.

The Web, the kiosk, digital TV and the changing and evolving face of consumer health information provision: a national impact study. Department of Health. 2000 - 2002. Professor David Nicholas An investigation of the ways in which people interact with these ICT-based consumer health services on a nation-wide and longitudinal basis. Examines the contribution that the information received makes towards meeting health information needs and its impact on consumers’ awareness of health issues and patterns of information seeking behaviour. It is a 'big picture' experimental, interactive research programme that will provide both an aerial view and detailed insights into the impact (and potential impact) that ICTs are having within the UK. The analysis of computer logs - the CCTV of cyberspace features strongly in this study.

NHS Direct Online: online interactive project evaluation. NHS Executive. 2001 – 2002. Professor David Nicholas There are 5 phases to the NHS plan to develop interactive Web based services. City’s task is to evaluate the interactive web site in terms of its take-up, usability and value. Specific objectives are to: monitor site usage by computer log analysis; measure the extent and nature of interactivity by both computer logs and survey data; examine search terms/words used; typical search terms used by users, to identify potential ISPs; observe users undertaking information retrieval tasks to obtain data on ease of use, the accessibility of information and user behaviour generally; and assess user behaviour and reaction to and perceptions of the layout, format and information content; determine attitudes, opinions and expectations about the service via interview and questionnaire.

Participatory approach to develop web content. International Institute for Communication and Development. April - September 2000. Professor David Nicholas and Mike Chivhanga. The project arose as a result of Chivhanga’s doctoral thesis that focuses on building a participatory web design methodology that can be used to produce web based information resources for development. The result of the six months study was the refining of the web design methodology - A People Approach to Produce Web Content (PAPWEC). A prototype web site to provide trade and market information to export oriented farmers in Zambia was produced on the basis of PAPWEC. The methodology has been welcomed by leading international organisations at the forefront of promoting ICTs in developing settings such as the World Bank's InfoDev initiative, ECA (the Economic Commission for Africa), and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Wireless Kids - UK Study of mobile phone use by children. Nokia. 2001-2002. Professor David Nicholas and Mike Chivhanga, The Wireless Kids project, initiated by Finnish researchers at the Information Society Research Centre at the University of Tampere, is part of an international study involving five countries, namely the UK, Finland, USA, Italy and Japan. The aim of the UK national study in pursuance of the aims of the international study, is to analyse the patterns of changing behaviour among children and teenagers living in different communities in the UK as a result of the uptake of mobile phones and compare that with other teenagers living in other countries, especially those living in the countries involved in the study.

Easy and friendly access to geographic information for mobile users (Hypergeo). EU Fifth Framework Programme. 2000-2001 Prof. Jonathan Raper and Mr David Mountain Hypergeo is providing technical tools to implment value-added location-based information services related to tourist information. The technical objectives are to develop and integrate, in single system, innovative software components enabling the users to formulate advance requests, to access information in both pull and push modes, and to display the information in efficient "multi-layered" form on hand held mobile devices.

Geographically relevant information for mobile users in protected areas (Webpark). EU Fifth Framework Programme. 2001-2003 Prof. Jonathan Raper and Mr David Mountain Webpark aims to develop personalised value-added location-based services for recreation in coastal, rural and mountainous areas by assembling a consortium of protected/recreation areas, data integrators, GIS researchers/developers and tourist operators. These services will build on existing information delivered to users of recreation and protected areas via CD, kiosk and web. The services will be built around a personalised user profile maintained centrally with input from the user and a flow of positional information. Information will be 'pulled' by the user from distributed databases and charged using micropayments or subscription. Information will be pushed to them when the webpark intelligent agent detects that their position or context warrants the offering of a value added LBS. Information will be adapted and filtered for the type of device used.

Virtual Field Course. Joint Information Systems Committee. 1997-1999. Prof. Jonathan Raper, Dr. J. Wood, Dr. J. Dykes and Mr David Mountain The Virtual Field Course project provides computer-based support for fieldwork and a visual environment for exploring spatially referenced information. The VFC provides free software and educational resources to support fieldwork and handling of field data in the UK higher educational sector. That support is in the form of a series of software components for visualising and interacting with spatial information, a shared database accessible and updateable over the internet containing useful fieldwork-related data and a collection of project ideas that use the software and data.