Infobuttons are context-sensitive links from electronic health records (EHRs) to knowledge resources. I have described them in more detail in two previous posts, covering both a standard implementation and a web services implementation. In this post I would like to share with you some recent discussions around that topic. Read further >
As we round the corner on the first month of 2012, it seems like we’re reaching a turning point for the coming of age of semantic technologies, linked open data, big data, and user driven content. Over the past decade, several trends and truths have become clear about the information (and knowledge) age. Many of our previous assumptions about how the world works and how to generate value have been challenged and we are in for a re-think. Read further >
A quiet sunday morning, I’m channel surfing on my big screen when I come across an enticing teaser on the Wolters Kluwer Channel. I carrousel through the Health and Tax panels and select Legal. I start reading the news articles and a particular phrase intrigues me. I spread my arms to zoom in and make a left to right swiping gesture in the air to select it… Read further >
With growing emphasis on electronic health record systems in the United States, a louder discussion is beginning on whether or not a universal patient identification number or “UPI” should be issued to citizen patients across the country. Similar to a Social Security Number, a UPI would belong to a person for life and would be used to identify all of their medical records over their lifetime, making records easily connected and accessible to physicians and hospitals across the country. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a poll for their readers, asking whether or not patients should have a UPI assigned for their medical records, after discussing the privacy concerns and the logistical benefits. Proponents of a unique identification number argue that the number would: Read further >
In my first post on the IS blog, I was claiming that “Search was Yesterday”. In my view, this is a true statement, but I think that also the opposite is true – at least with regard to retrieval engines.
Let’s have a look at contemporary, modern retrieval engines. They present a very solid and proven technology, they can handle a high volume of (textual) data and there are ways to solve the challenge around change both from the angle of data (new data comes in very quickly) as well as from the angle of the user (different users want different things and one user also evolves over time).
I’ve been blessed with several wonderful mentors in my professional life, including legendary tax expert, author and instructor, Sid Kess, and retired CCH Editorial Vice-President and former boss, Jim Rooney. But the person who has made the greatest impression on me is a 79-year old plumber from South Chicago. A child of the Great Depression and an orphan by the time he was age 11, this self-made man overcame tremendous obstacles in his life to become a master plumber, a father of six children, and a great role model for me and countless other people. This special person is my Dad, John Gornick. Read further >
A value-added service in many public search engines has been auto-complete and pre-search suggested searches for searchers. You go to Google or Bing and begin typing a query, for example, “bus”, and Google’s auto-complete suggests “bus times,” “business links,” “business for sale,” and “bus timetable.” This feature is very helpful in several aspects. By displaying alternative word forms, the researcher has the opportunity to discover a better formulated version of his or her query. The suggestions might be words that are directly related to the searcher’s intent but which also serve to expand or refine the user’s search. Auto-complete in mobile devices, where the logic seems to be driven by an app in the smartphone itself, such as in my iPhone, can be quite annoying because frequently the suggested terms are wholly unrelated to my search intent and I experience it as low value-add, in fact, a nuisance. But I’ve adapted my search workflow to the iPhone. Read further >
“To infinity and beyond!” charges Buzz Lightyear, space ranger and hero of the hit movie Toy Story. The amount of data in our world has been exploding, well beyond the “cloud” – is “infinity” within reach? Creating, storing, managing, and analyzing these vast digital data sets – so call “big data” – is all the buzz in the information technology world of 2012. Data analytics research firm McKinsey Global Institute has touted big data as “the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity.” Read further >
User satisfaction is key in retaining customers and in achieving competitive advantages. Users now are expecting publishers to deliver more and more ubiquitous and real-time information and services to them. I would like to examine and summarize which are the critical success factors to gain a rapid adoption of our apps and mobile websites. Some theories and models are available to evaluate mobile site success. Have you ever heard about the Information Systems Success theory? Many years ago, two scientists defined a model which covers different perspectives in evaluating information systems. Read further >
Just recently, I read an interesting post by Tom Foremski on the game-changing approach of Google – to shift traffic (and this means revenues) from smaller businesses to Google. This has made me think of some interesting implications for publishers. Read further >
