electronic communication and knowledge systems
DESCRIPTION
Using the internet for communicating research information. Author: Jarmo SaarikkoDate: 11-Nov-2000Event: From Research to Application - the second Nordic Forum, 11-12.5.2000, Espoo, FinlandTRANSCRIPT
WebMetla/Jarmo Saarikko
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From Research to Application - the second Nordic Forum,
11-12.5.2000, Espoo, Finland
Electronic communication and knowledge systems
Jarmo SaarikkoSkogsforskningsinstitutet, Unionsgatan 40A,
FIN-00170 HELSINGFORS,Finland
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World Wide web
• WWWW has affected the ways we work• Information access and exchange• From the global level to the local• The full impact on the way we work and on
society is still unknown
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Advantages
• Permanence of 24-hours per day• Immediacy of information discovery• Content diversity• Accessibility from almost anywhere• De-centralised approaches allowing content
owners to maintain full rights• Value for money with low-cost solutions
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General search engines
• No more able to cover the whole net• The next generation of search tools will contain
more specialised and targeted services, • More and more services will be provided to
registered clients• User interfaces can be modified according to
personal requirements
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Competition for users
• one user usually cannot effectively use but a few different services
• most services on the internet have been free, their funding is often based on advertising
• Research information in forestry is often non-competetive
• However, if the target audience is the general public the information producer enters the same competitive field as described above
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New kinds of services
• Simple provision of announcements and communications is not enough
• Net users demand ways to give feed-back, chat-rooms, customisation
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How does anyone know you are there?
• All traditional means of marketing have to be used
• This is very costly• Something has to be new or updated all the time
otherwise the users do not come back• How to know that something new is available?
A community of registered users makes this goal easier to accomplish.
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One-way communication:Web-pages
PRO
Clean type-setting
Easy to produce and publish
Size is not a limitation
CON
Difficult to announce new pages - links on homepage or on a 'what's new list'
Long delay until new pages are found by search engines
Web-pages need to have a user-friendly design
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One-way: e-mail
PRO
Rather easy to install
Use mailing list software• Automatic subscription• Listserv, Majordomo etc.
Distribution to dedicated subscribers
Cheaper than traditional means - larger distribution possible
CON
List has to be moderated
Simple text-only
Yet another format to be distributed
Images cannot be used
(html email is still unwanted)
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Interactive communication:mailing lists
PRO
Interactivity
Clients may discuss with each other
May lead to a community
Questions and answers are mutually beneficial
Discussons can be viewed on a web-site
Distirbution is global
CON
List may be dominated by a few active talkers
Negative feedback cannot be blocked
• unless the list is moderated
List should be moderated
• more work
Attachments may spread viruses (esp. Microsoft)
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Interactive: Newsgroups
PRO
New messages appear automatically to readers
Many groups are archived on the web
• http://www.deja.com/
CON
Requires a news-server
Private newsgroups are more difficult to propagate
Public groups are often spam-prone
Group should be moderated
Messages disappear rather quickly
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Interactive: Hypernews
PRO
Use with a web-browser
Allows anonymous use
No email necessary
Sometimes e-mail notification
Usually no moderation
Hierarchical groups
http://www.hypernews.org/
CON
Following discussions means constant checking at the web-service
Message deletion difficult?
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Interactive: IRC
PRO
Global
Widely known
Easy to use
Instant
Private channels
Good for private long distance discussions
Many servers
Internet Relay Chat
CON
Usually considered as a playground for school children
Documentation of discussions is problematic
Specific IRC software required
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Interactive: chat-rooms
PRO
Usually cgi-based or with java-applications
Interactive and instant
May be used for on-line Questions and Answers with a named specialist or on a TV-show
CON
People need rules for their behaviour in rooms
Large groups may be difficult for newcomers
Usually not linked to other chat services
Private groups not available
Funded by ads
May be addictive
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Chat with a specialist on yahoo
www.yahoo.com
10.5.2000
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Electronic Communities
PRO
Often with a pack of free services
• Web-based e-mail• Calendar• Chat-rooms• Document archives
Usually founded around a topic or for a customer groupe.g. www.animalscience.com
CON
Identity of participants not always known or certain
Large system to install
Longevity of free services is uncertain
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Examples of free communities
You may start your own groups in these. Some systems allow private groups which can be used by invitation only.
• Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com/
• E-groups http://www.egroups.org/
• Intranetshttp://www.intranets.com/
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www.eGroups.com
Group
view by a
registered
users
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www.eGroups.com
Egroup view of a non-registerd user
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Egroup view by a registered user
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Intranet view by a registered user at intranets.com
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23Knowledge systems: standalone
• Currently CD-ROMs• Usually a system includes full-text databases
with some intelligence handling the requests or results
• Hyperlinks, interactive images and maps• Concurrent search with various criteria• The results found may be combined or extracted
to be used in reports and papers• e.g. CABI Forestry Compendium CD
• http://tree.cabweb.org/efctext.htm
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CABI Forestry compendium
Source: http://tree.cabweb.org/comp_demo/page2.htm
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25Knowledge systems: Networked
• Portals• Forest Finland, Skogsverige, Skogen is Skolan• These are developing from link collections into
knowledge systems and/or e-communities
• Topical services• E.g. SIREX and Skogsskada
services for forest pest diagnosis and handbook• Often registration is required
• Extranets• Access to internal systems for registered clients or
subscribers
• Traditional: On-line databases, Library OPACs
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Knowledge discovery
• TROPIS - The Tree Growth and Permanent Plot Information System by CIFOR
• seeks to help forest scientists make better use of existing tree growth information by newsletters, searchable index and database - newsletter, link, people database, permanent study plots
• GIAN - Gujarat Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network
• GIAN aims to establish linkages between grassroots innovators, entrepreneurs and investors to scale up - newsletter, discussion, research papers
• UNDP Evaluation Knowledge System (EKSYST) • assists in generating, storing and sharing available information
gained through evaluations of projects
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Links
PORTALSForest Finland
Skogssverige
Skogen I Skolan
DATABASESMetinfo
Sirex
Skogsskada
TROPIS
UNDP EKSYST
INFORMATIONDELIVERY
GIAN - innovation network
Biodiversity events
http://www.forest.fi/
http://www.skogssverige.se/
http://www.skogeniskolan.se/
http://www.metla.fi/metinfo/
http://www.metla.fi/sirex/
http://www-skogsskada.slu.se/
http://www.cgiar.org/cifor/research/tropis.html
http://www.ifad.org/ifadeval/public_html/eksyst/toc/index.html
http://csf.colorado.edu/sristi/gian.html
http://www.biodiv.org/conv/Bio-Calendar2000.html
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Problems for discussion
How to choose a proper tool for electronic communication?
• One-way or interactive?• Announcing new research results or finding new research
problems needing answers?• Target groups for tools?• Regular ‘traditional’ or irregular ‘new’ clients?
Knowledge system vs. Expert system• Is there a difference?• Database vs. a static system?• When a knowledge system should be developed?
• Parameters and/or problems given by the client