Dissertations

in Progress

Viktoria Pammer

Support for ontology engineering with special regard to evaluation of ontologies

Goal of this research is, to support human users who are not ontology experts with creating ontologies by providing an intelligent, easy-to-use tool. Special focus of this work is evaluation of ontologies, both of already available as well as just created ontologies.

Ontologies are knowledge models, who relate general concepts and specific individuals to each other via hierarchic and non-hierarchcic relations. Depending on the power of the representation language that is used, various logic restrictions can be modelled.
In the recently hyping Semantic Web, description of websites using as vocabulary underlying ontologies is an application for ontologies. By this, among other things, interoperability of agents and machine-readability of websites and other resources can be made possible. In the more traditional research areas of artificial intelligence and database systems, ontologies were used on the one hand directly as knowledge models on the other hand as schema for the storage of data.

However, there are two vital problems related to the engineering and usage of ontologies. The firs is, to make explicit the knowledge implicitly available in a human being, in order to be able to model it (knowledge bottleneck). The second is, to take an available ontology, and be able to judge its quality or usefulness for a certain task.

As outcome of this research, a tool shall be made available, that allows easy cration of ontologies not only for an ontology engineer. The support must exceed the facilitation of creating a syntactically correct ontology and particularly support the conceptual work needed for modelling an ontology. As part of this support, the tool shall be able to evaluate the created ontology, and/or present publicly available similar ontologies to the user.

Andreas Rath

A Low-Level Based Task and Process Support Approach for Knowledge-Intensive Business Environments

This work concerns the development of an approach for supporting the execution and design of tasks and processes in knowledge intensive business environments.

Knowledge-intensive work plays an important role in organizations of all types. Knowledge workers typically need significant flexibility in structuring their activities in order to react to ever changing business needs. This results in a dilemma of contradictory ambitions, between the organizational need for standardization and control on the one hand and flexibility needed by knowledge workers on the other hand.

The goal of this research is to narrow this gap of contradictory ambitions by employing a bottom up approach for supporting process executers and process engineers. Current bottom up approaches for process mining are operating on data based on high level logs, e.g., from Workflow Management Systems (WfMS).

The approach investigated in this thesis is to use fine granular usage data based on observed system and user interaction events for task pattern discovery. By aggregating and utilizing these observed task patterns from several knowledge workers of an organization process patterns can be identified. These process patterns can then act as a guideline for process engineers when modelling the organizational processes. They can also be used to provide task guidance to the individual knowledge worker when needed and are a good basis for the identification of knowledge and learning needs. A prototype will be implemented and evaluated in a knowledge-intensive business environment.

Relevant research results will be:

• Discovering, modelling and distinguishing tasks of knowledge workers.
• Revealing task patterns based on fine-granular user and system observation data.
• A new approach for doing process mining based on detailed described task patterns.

Barbara Kump

Evaluating Adaptivity for Technology-Enhanced Work-Integrated Learning

One central aspect of successful workplace learning is the appropriateness of the learning content given to the users: a worker should receive support exactly then, when he or she needs help, and he or she should be provided with adaptive support, i.e. with exactly these resources that are most helpful with regard to the worker’s capabilities.

Currently, a suchlike approach is being integrated within the APOSDLE project (Advanced Process-Oriented Self-Directed Learning Environment, www.aposdle.org). A task-based approach was chosen for realizing adaptivity by retrieving ideal learning content for a user in a learning situation. If the worker, during her daily work, arrives at a task she is not able to perform, the task serves as a trigger for learning. In a concrete learning situation, content presentation for learning purposes can be tailored to the learner’s current learning needs which can be derived from (a) requirements of the current task and (b) available knowledge, skills and experience of the learner.

Formal models are required for realizing adaptivity in a computer-based learning- and teaching environment. Within APOSDLE, a modeling methodology was developed that is factoring in the assumptions of Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory for building the formal models. The theory has been developed in the 1980ies and 90ies as formal (mathematical) qualitative approach for the effective computerised diagnosis of a learner’s knowledge and it has been successfully applied in adaptive testing and tutoring systems (www.aleks.com).

The aim of the thesis is to develop and apply a framework for evaluating the validity of the formal models that have been developed for 3 different realistic APOSDLE application domains. Therefore, a serious of validation studies shall be conducted, criteria shall be established for identifying shortcomings of the models, and the models shall be corrected and that way iteratively refined.

Completed

Peter Scheir

Associative Retrieval for the Semantic Web - A network-based search approach in consideration of semantic and content-based similarity

While in the current Web information is largely gathered by humans, the Semantic Web aims at having this task performed by computer programs. To achieve this goal information on the Web is enriched with machine-interpretable data that allows for identifying the meaning (semantics) of information on the Web. Approaches to search on the Semantic Web build upon this semantic metadata and integrate it as additional information into the process of search to increase retrieval effectiveness. While assigning semantic metadata to resources on the Web is seen as a central aspect for realizing the vision of the Semantic Web, only a small fraction of resources on the current Web is annotated with such metadata.

The work at hand contributes to the research field of search on the Semantic Web - currently being an early stage - by developing and evaluating an approach to information retrieval for the Semantic Web. In addition to exact search based on semantic metadata, methods stemming from associative information retrieval are integrated into the developed retrieval model. Associative information retrieval is a search paradigm which aims at identifying additional relevant information starting from information already known to be relevant and at increasing the performance of a retrieval system by this means. In the present work associations are based on semantic similarity between concepts from an ontology and on content-based similarity between resources. Besides an overall increase of retrieval effectiveness, the developed approach addresses situations in which few resources are annotated with semantic metadata, aiming at improving the results of a retrieval system that is based on the developed model. The model is implemented into a system for search on the Semantic Desktop and evaluated based on this implementation.

(in German language)

Johannes Farmer

AD-HOC - A Methodology for the Development of Virtual Work-and-Learning Environments

Organizations rely heavily on their knowledge workers to learn efficiently and to apply knowledge effectively within their work processes. Hence virtual work-and-learning environments are needed that support newcomers and experienced workers in equal measure and provide task-specific learning support ad hoc. However, by now contextualized learning support is costly, because it has to be tailored and introduced as a new system from scratch.

This problem has been solved with this thesis: an efficient design and implementation process for virtual work-and-learning environments - the so called AD-HOC Methodology - has been developed. With the AD-HOC Methodology learning needs are related to learning patterns. These patterns provide - similar to the object-oriented design patterns - predesigned learning support solutions for recurring learning problems. Then, the learning support solutions are implemented using generic functions. These functions map design requirements to communication, cooperation and information tools provided by the organization's information and communication (ICT)
infrastructure, in which the virtual environment will be embedded. Finally, the AD-HOC Methodology was applied in three case studies and tested successfully in different domains.

In summary, this doctoral thesis provides a powerful framework - the AD-HOC Methodology - for the efficient design and implementation of virtual work-and-learning environments for the first time.

Keywords: Knowledge Management, E-Learning, CSCL, Knowledge Work, Learning
Pattern Language, Generic Functions, Productivity, System Design.

(in German language)

Tobias Ley

Organizational Competency Management - A Competence Performance Approach

This work is concerned with a new approach in organizational Competency Management.

The goal is to develop a method that is practically feasible for organizational settings, is firmly based in psychological conceptions of human competence and performance in the workplace, and employs a degree of mathematical formalization that improves possibilities for establishing the validity of the implementation. The approach is developed on the basis of the Competence Performance approach (Korossy, 1997, 1999) which is based on the fundamental idea of establishing prerequisite relations on the set of competencies and performances, so as to allow efficient assessment. The structures that can be derived from these relations can also be interpreted as formalizing learning paths on the competence and performance level. The approach is applied in one case study in the automotive industry and two empirical investigations in a dynamic research based setting. In the empirical investigations, documents are used as performance outcomes. The repertory grid technique is used as an interview method. The competence performance matrix is introduced as a means to derive competence performance structures. For evaluation purposes, quality criteria which measure reliability and validity of the resulting models are introduced. A scenario for work integrated competency assessment and development shows the practical relevance of the approach for workplace learning.

Summary:

Full text:

Tobias Ley: Organizational Competency Management – A Competence Performance Approach (ISBN 3-8322-5051-4)

is published at Shaker Verlag

Thomas Dietinger

Aspects of e-Learning Environments

Tremendous advances in computer technology and the evolution of the Internet have led to new approaches in learning and training which are summarized under the term e-Learning. This thesis will explain what can be expected from e-Learning and although especially focused on the technological basis, will examine all kinds of requirements for e-Learning environments: pedagogical, functional and non functional requirements. A special chapter will be dedicated to all relevant standards in the field of eLearning due to its importance for increasing interoperability, cutting costs and gaining acceptance.
An example for a state of the art e-Learning system, which has been designed by and developed under the guidance of the author, will be given, successfully completed projects based on this environment will be presented to show possible operational areas, and ideas for further developments will be sketched.

Markus Strohmaier

B-KIDE: A Framework and a Tool for Business Process Oriented Knowledge Infrastructure Development

The need for an effective management of knowledge is gaining increasing recognition in today’s economy. To acknowledge this fact, new promising and powerful technologies have emerged from industrial and academic research. With these innovations maturing, organizations are more and more willing to adapt such new knowledge management technologies to improve their knowledge intensive businesses. However, the successful application in given business contexts is a complex, multidimensional challenge and a current research topic. Therefore, this PhD thesis addresses this challenge and introduces a framework for the development of business process-supportive, technological knowledge infrastructures. While business processes represent the organizational setting for the application of knowledge management technologies, knowledge infrastructures represent a concept that can enable knowledge management in organizations. The B-KIDE Framework introduced in this work provides support for the development of knowledge infrastructures that comprise innovative knowledge management functionality and are visibly supportive of an organization’s business processes. The developed B-KIDE Tool eases the application of the B-KIDE Framework for knowledge infrastructure developers. Three empirical studies that were conducted with industrial partners from heterogeneous industry sectors corroborate the relevance and viability of the introduced concepts.

Dolly Kandpal

Augmenting Knowledge-Based Systems with Dynamic Personalisation Concepts

In the knowledge-intensive society of today, the emphasis is on delivering the right kind and quantity of just-in-time knowledge to the knowledge workers. Personalization, i.e. the adaptation of a system according to a user's needs, is gaining increasing relevance as an enabler for delivering such relevant knowledge. Personalization can be of type static or dynamic. Static personalization takes place at compile or design time, whereas dynamic personalization takes place at run-time. Static personalization is limited in that it defines a personalization at a certain point in time reflecting only the current interest and knowledge background of a knowledge worker. The limitations are obvious: dynamic changes of the interest and knowledge cannot be covered by the existing concepts. This is why concepts for dynamic personalization are becoming increasingly important. The main idea of dynamic personalization is to provide support for knowledge workers, allowing them to define personalization features which continuously adapt themselves to the needs, interest, context and environment in which the knowledge workers operate. Currently, although a number of scientific approaches deal with static personalization in different domains, very little work has been done to address dynamic personalization at a conceptual level. Also, an extensive study of existing knowledge-intensive systems in various domains reveals that many of them already offer features that support dynamic personalization. But from a scientific point of view, no sound conceptualization of the main aspects of dynamic personalization exists.

The objective of this work is to treat dynamic personalization at a conceptual level. This is achieved by establishing a common understanding and definition of dynamic personalization, and by introducing a framework for dynamic personalization of knowledge-intensive systems based on the current user context. The user context comprises not only of the user preferences and profile information, but also environmental aspects like time, location, access device and network characteristics. The framework comprises of an abstract meta-model for providing dynamic personalization, the domain-specific models, and the Mapping methodology. By using the methodology (a sequence of guidelines) called the Mapping methodology, the generic meta-model is used to derive dynamic personalization models for various knowledge-intensive domains, called domain-specific models in the context of this work. The dynamic personalization features of models and applications in various knowledge-intensive domains can then be modeled using the dynamic personalization features of the domain-specific model. The framework is held generic to enable its applicability to a number of knowledge-intensive domains where dynamic personalization aspects are required.

Herwig Rollett

Knowledge Management Technologies in Context

Most of the knowledge management literature to date is written either from a business perspective, tending to ignore important technological considerations, or from a technology perspective, tending to ignore the larger organizational context. By contrast, this thesis focuses on the role of technologies in knowledge management without losing sight of organizational issues, firmly placing the discussion of technologies in a business context.
Two different but complementary views of knowledge management are presented, one based on processes, the other one on interactions. Lessons learned from past knowledge management projects are collected, summarized, categorized, and used to highlight the most pressing issues in knowledge management. Seven knowledge management processes and their relationships are discussed in detail: Planning, creating, integrating, organizing, transferring, maintaining, and assessing knowledge. Technologies with the potential to support knowledge management are split into eleven groups, and their relevance to knowledge management is systematically examined by assessing the contribution of each group of technologies to each of the knowledge management processes. Many open issues and opportunities for future research and development are identified, both organizational and technological. A very comprehensive knowledge management bibliography concludes the thesis.

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Diploma Thesis

Completed

Barbara Kump

Technology-Enhanced Workplace Learning: Modelling Competence and Performance for the Case of Requirements Engineering

From a psychological point of view, two models are required for the construction of an adaptive learning environment for informal, self-directed work-integrated learning (e.g., APOSDLE): the Knowledge Base, a model of the structured expert knowledge of a domain, and the Student Model, a model of the competencies of the learners. Based on these two components, individual learning paths can be optimised and appropriate learning resources can be selected.

In the course of this work, a modelling method should be developed in order to model the Knowledge Base and the Student Model for an adaptive learning environment. The theoretical framework chosen was the Competence Performance Approach, a mathematical-psychological theory on human learning and performance. One of the decisive advantages of Competence Performance theory is that it allows for integrating the Knowledge Base and the Student Model of an adaptive learning environment into one single model.

The developed modelling method was examined for the learning domain Requirements Engineering and the resulting models were evaluated in a case study. Both, document analyses and systematic expert interviews were conducted in order to acquire domain knowledge.

Karl Köberl

Acquisition of User Information with AJAX

As a result of the huge amount of information in the recent years it is hard for a user to find important information. A solution is to use personalized systems in an intranet system or an Internet application. For a personalized system a user model is needed. To get a model, some information of a user must be captured. Implicit feedback is retrieved to get long term interests of a user. With this information a user model is generated.

First in this thesis some information about the topic interest indicators are gathered. Then a own taxonomy of evaluable implicit interest indicators has been developed. In this taxonomy are nine indicators which describe the user’s interests. The captured indicators provide a basis for a generic user model. In this thesis a ”history-based-model“ is used. In the practical part of the thesis a web application to gather information of the user is implemented. This system can track user behaviour and build a user model. For the application the new technology AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is used. So a part of this thesis gives a detailed introduction in AJAX.

(in German)

Thomas Moser

Steuerungsinstrumente und Maßnahmen für Wissensrisiken

As a result of rising competition in most branches, new laws and regulations the need for effective risk management increases. Effective risk management requires critical risks identification and treatment. In this paper the author wants to determine how far the task of risk response planning can be supported.

For this purpose, the author combines the key risks for companies with knowledge intensive processes and business operations to a new definition. The definition distinguishes between risks based on knowledge gaps and risks which endanger the resource knowledge. Based on this definition for the term knowledge risk, the author formulates the Risk Response Planning Model and implements it in a software prototype for an easier application.

Essential parts of the model are a catalog on generic risks and a catalog on adequate risk responses. These two catalogs are linked together with a logic, which is developed by the author. If a user instances a new specific risk from a generic one, the model will propose adequate generic risk responses. Thus the model and the prototype support the user by the planning of adequate risk responses for knowledge risks.

Elisabeth Hackl

The Knowledge Map as a Tool to Support the Reuse of Project Related Information

Knowledge Maps are generally seen as tools that increase efficiency within organisations by facilitating the location of a company's knowledge and therefore avoid redundancies. This thesis aims to answer the question, how the Know-Center's Knowledge Map has to be designed to support the reuse of project related solutions and knowledge.

Based on related research on Knowledge Maps a concept is developed showing how to support the target group's information needs regarding project related information. In addition, the tool will be evaluated in view of the research question.

Manuel Fischer

A Contribution to Affinity Measures in Knowledge Management Systems

Starting point of this thesis is experience that has shown that additional value is created in knowledge-management systems, if the relationship between knowledge carriers is made explicit to users. Knowledge carriers can be users as well as documents, in this context. Based on this, the goal of this work is to identify and measeure correlations within a documentbase, between users among themselves and between documents and users.
Concepts for this functionality can be found in the field of people locator and recommender systems. The application environment is PADDLE - "Personal Adaptable Digital Library Environment" - developed with participation of the Know-Center. PADDLE provides the document base and will be extended by the mentioned functionality.
As the foundation similarity measures on the basis of meta-data of different types, like thematic, temporal or geographic descriptions, are developed to identify similarity between knowledge carriers. The primary focus is on thematic meta-data, describing the content of a knowledge carrier with a few keywords. These concepts are implemented prototypically and integrated into PADDLE. Evaluation is carried out to compare results of the measures with different sets of parameters with the subjective jedgement of "similarity" within the documentbase of PADDLE.

Herbert Pacnik

Blended Learning - Integration of eLearning with Traditional Teaching Methods

eLearning can be introduced from the scratch within corporate environments only in rare cases. Most often traditional training concepts are well established and need to be taken into account when developing an integrated concept for eLearning. Much literature is available on how to build eLearning right from the beginning, but hardly anyone addresses the process of seamlessly integrating eLearning into existing traditional training structures. The purpose of this theses is to describe such an integration process together with a real world example. It also shows how to deal with such integration using a a well known eLearning system.

Eduard Stoisser

Information Technologies for Knowledge Networks - Tools in the Context of Knowledge Management

Networks for knowledge creation, knowledge use and knowledge transfer are well known since existence of all forms of human organization. A knowledge network is defined as the deliberate interlinking of knowledge carriers leading to cooperation and common use of knowledge. The role of information technology in this field is currently the topic of fierce debates by researchers and practitioners alike. While supporting technology is not a condition for the creation and persistence of knowledge networks, it helps to improve the general context in a lot of areas. This work discusses temporal relevance, use and suitability of different information technologies for support of knowledge networks. The main emphasis lies is the examination of integrated solutions within a knowledge management framework. By analysing applied contexts, ways of deploying information technologies for knowledge networks with respect to the particular needs are being derived.

Michael Hausenblas

Semantic Representation and Query of Legal Norms in the Area of Academic Law

The motivation for this work is driven by solving the problem of retrieving relevant legal fragments in the realm of the austrian academic law starting from the statement of affairs. This can be seen as the legal process of subsumption, i.e. to find a passage in a law text that regulates a matter of fact.
Starting with this goal, the idea of creating a high level language for the Semantic Web got more and more important. This direction of impact can be justified with the increasingly spread of Semantic Web vocabularies like Topic Maps. Still the human factor is the ultimate limitation in the utilization of these techniques. Quite frankly, Semantic Web languages nowadays are, what the Assembler language is to third and fourth generation languages like LISP and Java. Using high level languages can enormously increase the creation and maintenance of knowledge bases and ontologies.
Last but not least this work proposes a new way of knowledge representation. Based on Heraklits Panta Rhei, an ontology representation founded on the description of so called threads is given.
This paper and its realisation is assigned to the area of applied AI and should be understand as a contribution to the evolving Semantic Web with a strong interest on the benefits of the practical results.

Leander Härter

Strategies and Tools for Structuring and Managing Heterogenous Datasets

Information created by several sources and target groups is complicated to organise. Different requirements need to be considered in order to accurately draw up a process for the target groups. This Master Thesis is describing strategies and tools which serve the administration of the heterogeneous data set, and should improve the work with this system. Three different areas displaying the information assimilation cycle are being looked at: The area "Publish" deals with the process of how information is stored in a database. In the area "Search and Navigate" aids and tools can be found which help to arrive at the requested documents. Finally, the area "Maintenance" describes ways on how the existing tools can be made suitable to deal with the requirements of a growing system.

Peter Scheir

Supporting Customer Relationship Management through Knowledge Management - Concepts, Technologies and a Prototype

This thesis shows how knowledge management can be applied for the successful realization of customer relationship management activities. First, this thesis introduces the topics 'knowledge management' and 'customer relationship management'. Next, aspects of both are combined into knowledge management in customer relationship management or 'customer knowledge management', for short. A concept showing how to support various persons in acquiring customer knowledge is presented. Based on those theoretical insights an information system to support employees concerning customer knowledge is implemented. Additionally, convenient technologies for this implementation are evaluated.