Abstract In this paper we present JETCAT, a Japanese-English transfer-based machine translation system. Our main research contribution is that the transfer rules are not handcrafted but are learnt automatically from a parallel corpus. The system has been implemented in Amzi! Prolog, which offers scalability for large rule bases, full Unicode support for Japanese characters, and several APIs for the seamless integration... In this paper we present JETCAT, a Japanese-English transfer-based machine translation system. Our main research contribution is that the transfer rules are not handcrafted but are learnt automatically from a parallel corpus. The system has been implemented in Amzi! Prolog, which offers scalability for large rule bases, full Unicode support for Japanese characters, and several APIs for the seamless integration of the translation functionality into common office environments. As a first user interface we have developed a translation environment under Microsoft Word. The dynamic nature of our system allows for an easy customization of the rule base according to the user’s personal preferences by simply post-editing the translation results, which leads to an automatic update. The user interface for Microsoft Word also provides the possibility for the user to display token lists, parse trees, and transfer rules, which makes JETCAT also a very useful tool for language students. Read More Read Less

Abstract The Self-Organising Map (SOM) has been proposed as an alternative interface for exploring Digital Libraries or other big document collections, in addition to conventional search and browsing. With advanced visualisations assisting the user in understanding the contents of the map and its structure, as well as advanced interaction modes as zooming, panning and area selection, the SOM becomes a feasible... The Self-Organising Map (SOM) has been proposed as an alternative interface for exploring Digital Libraries or other big document collections, in addition to conventional search and browsing. With advanced visualisations assisting the user in understanding the contents of the map and its structure, as well as advanced interaction modes as zooming, panning and area selection, the SOM becomes a feasible alternative to classical search interfaces. Several applications show the SOM’s utility for this task. However, there are still shortcomings in helping the user understanding the ma, which is essential to fully exploit the SOM’s potential as an Information Management tool. There are insufficient methods developed for describing the map to support the user in the analysis of the map contents. In this paper, we give an overview of existing techniques and applications of SOMs in Digital Libraries, and present recent work in assisting the user in exploring the map by automatically describing maps using advanced labelling and summarisation of map regions, focusing on text collections. Therewith, the SOM becomes an attractive tool for Information Management in large corpora. Read More Read Less

Abstract Information and Communication Technologies have transformed the way people work and have a growing impact on long life learning. Organizational Learning is an increasingly important area of research that concerns the way organizations learn and thus augment their competitive advantage, innovativeness, and effectiveness. Within the project MEMORAe2.0, we are interested by the capitalization of knowledge in the context of an... Information and Communication Technologies have transformed the way people work and have a growing impact on long life learning. Organizational Learning is an increasingly important area of research that concerns the way organizations learn and thus augment their competitive advantage, innovativeness, and effectiveness. Within the project MEMORAe2.0, we are interested by the capitalization of knowledge in the context of an organization and by organizational learning. We developed the EMEMORAe2.0 environment which is based on the concept of learning organizational memory. In this paper, we present the organizational learning approach; we stress the role of an organizational memory in this approach; we define the concept of learning organizational memory; and we specify the use of a forum concept in such a context. Then we present the approach MEMORAe, the environment E-MEMORAe2.0 we developed and its evaluation. Read More Read Less

Abstract Computational science is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field that has a need for scalable, distributed, and efficient data management. In our research, we see the peer-to-peer (P2P) paradigm a possible solution to some of the problems in distributed data management. P2P has already proved to be suitable in contexts like file sharing, distributed computations, and distributed search. In our research... Computational science is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field that has a need for scalable, distributed, and efficient data management. In our research, we see the peer-to-peer (P2P) paradigm a possible solution to some of the problems in distributed data management. P2P has already proved to be suitable in contexts like file sharing, distributed computations, and distributed search. In our research we are aiming at using P2P to solve some problems in the domain of distributed databases. In this paper we 1) present PORDaS, a distributed DBMS based on P2P techniques, 2) describe query processing and query planning in PORDaS, and 3) present results from an experimental evaluation of different query planning variants. Read More Read Less

Abstract In recent years, the growing number of digital audiovisual media files available over the internet or even on users hard discs is overwhelming. In order to support efficient storage and retrieval of those data, several comprehensive and rich multimedia retrieval systems (MMRS) have been introduced. Unfortunately, a standardized query format does not yet exist and almost every retrieval framework provides... In recent years, the growing number of digital audiovisual media files available over the internet or even on users hard discs is overwhelming. In order to support efficient storage and retrieval of those data, several comprehensive and rich multimedia retrieval systems (MMRS) have been introduced. Unfortunately, a standardized query format does not yet exist and almost every retrieval framework provides its own proprietary solution. Therefore, the ISO/IEC SC29 WG11 committee decided to contribute to this application by establishing the MPEG Query Format (MPQF). The MPQF is currently in Final Committee Draft (FCD) status and provides besides the standardization of messages from and to multimedia services also functionalities for service discovery, aggregated services and definition of service capability descriptions. In this context, the paper briefly introduces the MPQF and concentrates thereby on the management part. Based on this, a Web Service based framework is presented that realizes the management functionalities of MPQF. One of its central novel features is the distribution of a MPQF request to multiple multimedia services and the aggregation of individual result sets. Read More Read Less

Abstract In the last decade there has been an increasing interest in the use of tools for the creation of geographic maps. However, these tools include functionalities that allow users to insert information without verifying their consistency with the constraints defined by the designer. In this paper we propose an approach based on visual language parsing for guaranteeing the integrity of... In the last decade there has been an increasing interest in the use of tools for the creation of geographic maps. However, these tools include functionalities that allow users to insert information without verifying their consistency with the constraints defined by the designer. In this paper we propose an approach based on visual language parsing for guaranteeing the integrity of data produced during the map editing process. According to our approach, constraints are expressed by using high-level data model, such as OMT-G, and converted in a proper visual language grammar automatically. From such a grammar, a parser able to identify incorrect aggregation of spatial data input is generated. The grammar formalism also allows us to associate suitable semantic actions with productions in order to perform automatic corrections of inconsistent input data, error recognition and visualization, prompting actions for error recovery. We also present a system prototype supporting the proposed process. Read More Read Less

Abstract Organizations increasingly utilize Web Content Management Systems (WCMS) to improve development speed, online flexibility and cost effectiveness for web applications. However, organizations lack the organizational processes and structure to effectively maintain WCMS. We propose a WCMS Process Framework for the operation and maintenance phase of Web Engineering. In this paper we elaborate on the construction of the framework. It encompasses... Organizations increasingly utilize Web Content Management Systems (WCMS) to improve development speed, online flexibility and cost effectiveness for web applications. However, organizations lack the organizational processes and structure to effectively maintain WCMS. We propose a WCMS Process Framework for the operation and maintenance phase of Web Engineering. In this paper we elaborate on the construction of the framework. It encompasses the description of a generic IT Management framework and the inclusion of Web Content Management processes into a strategic, tactical, and operational level. The framework is validated through an expert validation consisting of three industry experts and a case study at a large Dutch telecommunications services provider. The case study substantiates our vision that the WCMS Process Framework contains a set of process descriptions that effectively supports the operations and maintenance of web applications. Read More Read Less

Abstract This paper aims to propose a route navigation method for disabled access GIS. We focused the disabled’s psychologies as well as their physical conditions. This paper represents quantization of physical and psychological burden of the disabled persons inflicted by various barrier factors. Also it represents estimation of total burden of a route to determine the optimum route. The route is... This paper aims to propose a route navigation method for disabled access GIS. We focused the disabled’s psychologies as well as their physical conditions. This paper represents quantization of physical and psychological burden of the disabled persons inflicted by various barrier factors. Also it represents estimation of total burden of a route to determine the optimum route. The route is represent ed by graph theory and route navigation method which is based on Dijkstra algorithm is applied. We extend the algorithm to make it possible to provide information on obstacles even when there are no accessible routes available to destination. The result of this study is being implemented and published as 3D Web Disabled Access GIS. Read More Read Less