Integrating Open and Big Data via ‘e-Oman’: prospects and issues

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena

While ‘e-Oman’ is a repository of Open Data, its significance in terms of being a potent source for Big Data deserves attention. This paper seeks to underscore how important is the integration of Big and Open Data in e-Oman – the e-government portal of Oman. Drawing evidence from four case studies based on the Higher Education Admissions Center (HEAC) ‘e-Portal’ – an online portal meant for the payment of electricity bills, traffic fines and visa applications – the paper lends support to the implementation of integration of Big and Open Data which, for a number of purposes, could be better harnessed. Thus, while the paper identifies the opportunities entailed in achieving the integration of Big and Open Data in the context of the case studies chosen for the study, there are concomitant challenges impacting this integration that need to be addressed. Specifically, e-Oman needs to be updated with Open Data and the government needs to take steps to build and maintain a robust physical, human and information infrastructure for harnessing the potential of integrating Open and Big Data in the public sector. The paper concludes with directions for future research.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Sajeev Abraham George ◽  
Anurag C. Tumma

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the operational and financial performances of the major Indian seaports to help derive useful insights to improve their performance. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology has been used with the help of data collected on the 13 major seaports of India. The first stage of the DEA captured the operational efficiencies, while the second stage the financial performance. Findings A window analysis over a period of three years revealed that no port was able to score an overall average efficiency of 100 per cent. The study identified the better performing units among their peers in both the stages. The contrasting results of the study with the traditional operational and financial performance measures used by the ports helped to derive useful insights. Research limitations/implications The data used in the study were majorly limited to the available sources in the public domain. Also, the study was limited to the major seaports which are under the Government of India and no comparisons were carried out with other local or international ports. Practical implications There is a need to prioritize investments and improvement efforts where they are most needed, instead of following a generalized approach. Once the benchmark ports are identified, the port authorities and other relevant stakeholders should work in detail on the factors causing inefficiencies, for possible improvements in performance. Originality/value This paper carried out a two-stage DEA that helped to derive useful insights on operational efficiency and financial performance of the India seaports. A combination of the financial and operational parameters, along with a comparison of the DEA results with the traditional measures, provided a different perspective on the Indian seaport performance. Considering the scarcity of research papers reported in the literature on DEA-based benchmarking studies of seaports in the Indian context, it has the potential to attract future research in this field.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7347
Author(s):  
Jangwan Ko ◽  
Seungsu Paek ◽  
Seoyoon Park ◽  
Jiwoo Park

This paper examines the main issues regarding higher education in Korea—where college education experienced minimal interruptions—during the COVID-19 pandemic through a big data analysis of news articles. By analyzing policy responses from the government and colleges and examining prominent discourses on higher education, it provides a context for discussing the implications of COVID-19 on education policy and what the post-pandemic era would bring. To this end, we utilized BIgKinds, a big data research solution for news articles offered by the Korea Press Foundation, to select a total of 2636 media reports and conducted Topic Modelling based on LDA algorithms using NetMiner. The analyses are split into three distinct periods of COVID-19 spread in the country. Some notable topics from the first phase are remote class, tuition refund, returning Chinese international students, and normalization of college education. Preparations for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), contact and contactless classes, preparations for early admissions, and supporting job market candidates are extracted for the second phase. For the third phase, the extracted topics include CSAT and college-specific exams, quarantine on campus, social relations on campus, and support for job market candidates. The results confirmed widespread public attention to the relevant issues but also showed empirically that the measures taken by the government and college administrations to combat COVID-19 had limited visibility among media reports. It is important to note that timely and appropriate responses from the government and colleges have enabled continuation of higher education in some capacity during the pandemic. In addition to the media’s role in reporting issues of public interest, there is also a need for continued research and discussion on higher education amid COVID-19 to help effect actual results from various policy efforts.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Lisa Grace S. Bersales ◽  
Josefina V. Almeda ◽  
Sabrina O. Romasoc ◽  
Marie Nadeen R. Martinez ◽  
Dannela Jann B. Galias

With the advancement of technology, digitalization, and the internet of things, large amounts of complex data are being produced daily. This vast quantity of various data produced at high speed is referred to as Big Data. The utilization of Big Data is being implemented with success in the private sector, yet the public sector seems to be falling behind despite the many potentials Big Data has already presented. In this regard, this paper explores ways in which the government can recognize the use of Big Data for official statistics. It begins by gathering and presenting Big Data-related initiatives and projects across the globe for various types and sources of Big Data implemented. Further, this paper discusses the opportunities, challenges, and risks associated with using Big Data, particularly in official statistics. This paper also aims to assess the current utilization of Big Data in the country through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Based on desk review, discussions, and interviews, the paper then concludes with a proposed framework that provides ways in which Big Data may be utilized by the government to augment official statistics.


Author(s):  
Francesco Sofo ◽  
Michelle Sofo

This chapter aims to raise awareness in leaders and practitioners on how critical thinking is embedded within the performance of virtual teams. The increasingly important nexus between critical thinking and team performance is demonstrated within the specific context of the virtual environment. The chapter is interspersed with brief case studies that demonstrate some of the experiences of Australian-based higher education staff in their efforts to incorporate both critical thinking and virtual teamwork into their pedagogy. A framework of success factors and challenges inherent to virtual teams and critical thinking is provided, which covers five influential factors: technology, student characteristics, educator characteristics, social aspects, and team dynamics. The chapter concludes with some directions for future research.


Author(s):  
Yfantis Vasileios ◽  
Abel Usoro ◽  
Tseles Dimitrios

The current work explores the use of social computing as a tool to improve the interactions between the government and other parties. Social computing, which is known as Web 2.0, is applied in the public sector through the concept of e-Government 2.0. This chapter proposes a conceptual model that will measure e-Government 2.0 adoption by combining known information technology theories. The conceptual model is based on a combination of the Technology Acceptance Model, Theory of Planned Behavior and indexes from the United Nation's database. Future research should validate the empirical model. Meanwhile, the implications of the model are presented.


2019 ◽  
pp. 150-177
Author(s):  
Alex Griffiths

This chapter focuses on one particularly salient application of algorithmic regulation in the public sector—for the purposes of risk assessment to inform decisions about the allocation of enforcement resources, focusing on their accuracy and effectiveness in risk prediction. Drawing on two UK case studies in health care and higher education, it highlights the limited effectiveness of algorithmic regulation in these contexts, drawing attention to the pre-requisites for algorithmic regulation to fully play to its predictive strengths. In so doing, it warns against any premature application of algorithmic regulation to ever-more regulatory domains, serving as a sober reminder that delivering on the claimed promises of algorithmic regulation is anything but simple, straightforward or ‘seamless’.


Author(s):  
Rhoda Joseph

This chapter examines the use of big data in the public sector. The public sector pertains to government-related activities. The specific context in this chapter looks at the use of big data at the country level, also described as the federal level. Conceptually, data is processed through a “knowledge pyramid” where data is used to generate information, information generates knowledge, and knowledge begets wisdom. Using this theoretical backdrop, this chapter presents an extension of this model and proposes that the next stage in the pyramid is vision. Vision describes a future plan for the government agency or business, based on the current survey of the organization's environment. To develop these concepts, the use of big data is examined in three different countries. Both opportunities and challenges are outlined, with recommendations for the future. The concepts examined in this chapter are within the constraints of the public sector, but may also be applied to private sector initiatives pertaining to big data.


Author(s):  
Chika Sehoole

This article makes case of how South Africa has been able to use its laws and policies to achieve its objectives of regulating private higher education. This happened in the context of an ascendancy of neo-liberal policies which favoured deregulation and the rolling back of the state. Through these policies the government was able to protect the public even during the global financial crisis as it had registered credible and financially sound institutions which could weather off the financial crises which affected many private companies worldwide.


Author(s):  
Hayley Watson ◽  
Rachel L. Finn

In a relatively new area of research for crisis management, this article presents a discussion of some of the privacy and ethical implications surrounding the use of social media in the event of a crisis. The article uses the travel chaos caused by the eruptions of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 to contextualise the analysis. It begins by providing an overview of the use of social media in crisis management, before continuing to present two case studies of the use of social media by members of the public and the aviation industry during the crisis caused by the ash plume. The article then proceeds to examine some select ethical and privacy implications stemming from the use of social media such as privacy infringements and inequality. The article concludes by briefly summarising the findings and considering next steps for future research in this area.


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