1. XInformatics course summary
Peter Fox
Xinformatics 4400/6400
Module 12, April 17, 2018

2. Contents Summary of this course What you needed to learn/ objectives
Your X?
Projects?

4. The key is:
As the volume, complexity and heterogeneity of information increases…
Suddenly information looks more like a continuum
Not always in the ‘right’ structure
All 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 factors
Thus - understand and apply theoretical foundations
To date these are developed in an analog world, not a digital one!!

5. Intersecting disciplines:
Information Science
Computer Science
Library Science
Organizes- Cataloging and classification
Preservation - ‘maintaining or restoring access to artifacts’
Cognitive Science
mental representation,
the nature of expertise,
and intuition
Social Science
Collaboration
Cultural norms
Rewards

6. 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

7. Ultimately: Wetware
‘Before you make the software interoperable, you need to make the people interoperable’: Ian Jackson,
Wetware – attributed to SCEC PI Tom Jordan, USC

8. Data-Information-Knowledge Ecosystem
Producers
Consumers
Experience
Data
Information
Knowledge
Creation
Gathering
Presentation
Organization
Integration
Conversation
Context

9. THE PHYSICS OF INFORMATION
© 2005 EvREsearch LTD
Courtesy: P Berkman (2005).
EvREsearch©

10. Presentation Separation of content from presentation
The theory here is empirical or semi-empirical
Is 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, …

11. Organization Organizations - producers v/s consumers
Organization of information presentation, e.g. layout on a web page
Yes - content, context and structure
How to organize:
What have you seen?
Needed?
Not had resolved?

12. Physics of information = entropy = uncertainty/ integrity
Information of a random variable is defined as the Sum of p x log p, where p=probability. It represents the uncertainty of the variable
Mutual 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 other
In probabilistic terms, the entropy decreases by conditioning on the distribution

13. Information theory
Semiotics - study of sign processes or signification and communication, signs and symbols, into three branches:
Syntax: Relation of signs to each other in formal structures
Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer - meaning
Pragmatics: Relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them
Wikipedia, see also Peirce:

14. Semiotics
Syntax
Semantics
Pragmatics

15. Abduction method 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 reasoning
abduction is the process of inference that produces a hypothesis as its end result

16. Mode of noise introduction
From Shannon and Weaver (1949)
Msg?
Signal?
Recvd?
Msg?
Information Source
Shannon, C.E., & Weaver, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of communication. Urbana: University of Illinois Press
Web Content, Structure
Web browser?
HTML page, user
Noise source

17. Noise
Uncertainty, 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 dependent
Noise/ bias contamination is rampant in information systems
Quality assessment, control and verification is less developed for information sources

18. Information integration
Involves: combining information residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of them
Getting the ‘unified view’ – lots of informatics here – recall unify from design?
Recall the domain examples:
Geo?
Medical/ health?
Others?

19. “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?

20. Mental Representation
Thinking = representational structures + procedures that operate on those structures
Did you make progress?
Methodological consequence: what have you learned about the study how we think about information systems?

21. Behind this: Information Models
Conceptual 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 them
To build something they must be followed by logical and physical models

22. (Information) Architectures
Definition:
“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
R.S. Wurman: "Information Architects”

23. Architectures
Building 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.”

24. 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?

25. 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 …

26. Design theory Elements
Form
Value
Texture
Lines
Shapes
Direction
Size
Color
Relation to signs and relations between/ among them
Based on

27. Principles of design Balance Gradation Repetition Contrast Harmony
Dominance
Unity

28. Broad life-cycle elements
Acquisition: 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 future
Preservation: Process of retaining usability of data in some source form for intended and unintended use
Stewardship: Process of maintaining integrity across acquisition, curation and preservation

29. Acquisition
What do you know about the developer of the means of acquisition
Documents –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

30. Curation Activity that takes information from Producers to Consumers!
Organization and presentation may need to change
Document 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

31. Preservation Archiving is but one component
Intent is that ‘you can open it any time in the future’ and that ‘it will be there’
Involves steps not be conventionally thought of
Think far into the future …. history gives some guide to future considerations

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

33. Objective of an audit?
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.

34. Information Workflow
Series 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 dataset
Process large volumes of data/ information faster than one could do by hand
Document what is done
Collect provenance, enable an audit, etc.
Adapted from Slides by Bill Howe UW 2006

35. Benefits of Workflows Documentation of aspects of analysis
Visual communication of analytical steps
Ease of testing/debugging
Reproducibility
Reuse of part or all of workflow in a different project
Adapted from Slides by Bill Howe UW 2006 35 35

36. Information Management
Creation of logical collections
Physical handling
Interoperability support
Security support
Ownership
Metadata collection, management and access.
Persistence
Knowledge and information discovery
Dissemination and publication

37. 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 want
Content-based discovery, context-based, and yes, structure-based…

38. Visualization? Reducing the amount of data, quantization
Patterns
Features
Events
Trends
Irregularities
Exit points for analysis
Also presentation of “data”
Cognitive science and the mental representation

39. Data<->Information<->Knowledge
What’s in your future?
Data Science
Semantic eScience
Job!
Experience
Data
Information
Knowledge
Creation
Gathering
Presentation
Organization
Integration
Conversation
Context

40. In one slide? Use case – you have to know the goal (+more)
Conceptual and logical models -> information models -> architecture
Understand 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 architecture
Think the design through (e.g. get closer to the physical model (workflow?)) and assess the presentation, organization, content, context, structure, syntax, semantic and pragmatics

41. What would your slide include?

42. Objectives
To instruct future information architects how to sustainably generate information models, designs and architectures
To 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 information
Will learn and be evaluated on the underpinnings of informatics, including theoretical methods, technologies and best practices.

43. Learning Outcomes
Develop and demonstrate skill in development and conduct of multi-skilled teams in the application of informatics
Develop conceptual and logical information models and explain them to non-experts
Demonstrate the application information theory and design principles to information systems
Demonstrate knowledge and application of informatics standards
Develop and demonstrate skill in informatics tool use and evaluation

44. Discussion
All of the material
Please fill out the course evaluation