Introduction to Databases

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Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing: Exploring the scope
Maurya, Brajesh Kumar
[Report]
URL:  http://hdl.handle.net/10760/14562


(Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing)

Cloud computing refers to a paradigm shift to overall IT solutions while raising the accessibility, scalability and effectiveness through its enabling technologies. However, migrated cloud platforms and services cost benefits as well as performances are neither clear nor summarized. Globalization and the recessionary economic times have not only raised the bar of a better IT delivery models but also have given access to technology enabled services via internet. Cloud computing has vast potential in terms of lean Retail methodologies that can minimize the operational cost by using the third party based IT capabilities, as a service. It will not only increase the ROI but will also help in lowering the total cost of ownership. In this paper we have tried to compare the cloud computing cost benefits with the actual premise cost which an organization incurs normally. However, in spite of the cost benefits, many IT professional believe that the latest model i.e. “cloud computing” has risks and security concerns. This report demonstrates how to answer the following questions: (1) Idea behind cloud computing. (2) Monetary cost benefits of using cloud with respect to traditional premise computing. (3) What are the various security issues and how these threats can be mitigated? We have tried to find out the cost benefit by comparing the Microsoft Azure cloud cost with the prevalent premise cost.


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We all have probably heard of cloud computing. New technologies are bound to pave its way into our lives faster than the Formula Rossa rollercoaster in Abu Dhabi. We may not be aware of it, but we all have been exposed to the cloud computing technology.


This article made me aware that cloud computing is about two things: (1) that it can provide moving services and (2) it has transformed IT hardware requirements into a simple cost-effective scheme. This simply means that for developers, they can now create/ provide applications without worrying about hardware purchases. For companies, this means saving up on capital and operational expenditures thus, avoiding unnecessary expenses. One example would be purchasing of servers. We all know that servers are not just expensive, they also wear out in time. Unless we are able to maximize its use, it is just money thrown down the drain. 


I also learned that there are 3 major categories of services provided by cloud computing services. They are: (1) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), (2) Platform as a Service (PaaS) and (3) Software as a Service (Saas). 


IaaS is about building Application Program Interface (APIs) and make it available to costumers through a pay-as-you-go service wherein they can only pay for the amount of service they are able to get. (Example: Amazon) SaaS on the otherhand uses these APIs to create their own applications. (Example: Salesforce). Lastly, SaaS allows users to use their applications and that alone. (Good example: Facebook, Twitter)


From an information specialist point of view, cloud computing services could mean a better understanding of information management through the web. It could give us a more graphical presentation of where our information goes, what it does once it is in the cloud and how to be able to present information to those who need it.

Open Access Online Journals for Libraries

Business Models as Driver for Change

The Impact of Electronic Publishing: The Future for Publishers and Librarians. David J. Brown and Richard Boulderstone. Munich: K. G. Saur, 2008. p[161]-184.


This article tackled Open Access as seen in the Market. Open access is said to be more of a business model as it is involved with selling publicly funded research materials to a wide array of readers. It stated that open access is slowly being accepted as it battles the traditional way of journal subscription. The subscription model offers limited access and only reaches a limited market. If commercially based controls are taken out of picture, then, open access promises to reach a wider audience providing more freedom in accessing information.

Open access however, still has a limited number of audiences. It is mostly the Academic and Research Institutions that uses open access as they have the funds to back them up provided to them by public or private organizations . Consider in the picture the so called "disenfranchised." They are the people outside the the two institutions mentioned. They are faced with constraints such as their actual buying power, how would they benefit from Open access then? Experts then have tried to justify transition from a subscription mode to Open Access to answer information needs.Things I've learned:

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Things I've learned:

Open Access promulgated from the idea of "openness" and that are 2 different types of openness--the green route and the gold route.

The gold route. Think gold -- think money. We can derive a there's no such thing as free lunch to fit as the definition of this type of OA. This is where an article when accessed by a user undergoes a per article processing fee. But there are also instances in which private funding organizations support the idea of free open access journal publishing, thus they fund the use of OA for free to those who wish to access information for free (for public use). There is also the new idea of Hybrid journals which includes "a mix of author Paid (OA) and toll-based articles access (TA -- or could also be referred to as the subscription mode)

The green route is the opposite of the gold route. Green supports are one in seeking for the ultimate free-access system for research information.

Backtracking from the previous reading assignment, I've mentioned TRUST as part of intellectual rights and copyright issues. This topic is also present in this article as this is essential for publishers of online journals. In the end, it all boils down to the credibility of an article to pass a good research material and for it to reach a wider audience. If researchers are able to process good information, we must understand that it is not the author who will benefit from this, it will be the community that it serves.

Intellectual rights and copyright issues

Trust
The Impact of Electronic Publishing: The Future for Publishers and Librarians. David J. Brown and Richard Boulderstone. Munich: K. G. Saur, 2008. p[319]-321


Trust in publication systems is essential but measuring it is "ill-defined." Publication systems need to maintain their integrity so as to attract more users and retain loyal clientele. Through the years, these publication systems looked for ways to control fraudulent articles from circulating.They have created trust-based systems that would allow them to have control over articles submitted for publishing. It goes through a referee system, a review process that shows whether a research paper has passed.


In the internet world, it is harder to employ a trust-based system because the information space is so vast, but there have been ways developed to address these concerns. There is the use of feedback as a trust metric (Ebay), reviews from book purchasers (Amazon) and Page Rank system (Google).


Nowadays, publishers buy software systems that can detect plagiarism because they want to ensure the integrity of all their published articles. Having a good reputation is good for their business and it means more future submission of articles and more patronizers of these published works.

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Today, I became aware of the different measures that publication systems go through before publishing an article. This keeps a good balance between those who wish to submit and share articles for others to learn and users being able to have their hands on a trusted article. I learned about software systems being able to recognize plagiarized materials and best of all, users are rest assured that the materials have gone through rigorous reviews and that publishing systems exhausts all efforts to provide trusted reading materials.

User Interfaces of IRs (Visualization)

Interface Design
Digital Libraries: Principles and Piractices in a Global Environment. Ed. Lucy A. Tedd and Andrew Large. Munich: K. G. Saur, 2005. p[129]-161


This article highlights the importance of the user interface as a means for the user to interact with the information that is stored in the digital library. Galitz defined the user interface as "...a part of a computer and its software that people can see, hear, touch, talk to, or otherwise understand or direct." Interface design is concerned with two components, first, the input component that oversees that the user is able to "communicate needs or desires to the computer?, and second, the output component that shows how the "computer conveys results of its computation to the user."


The interface design is important for it is the determining factor for whether a visit to the digital library is considered a success or failure. The factors include (1) the information retrieved and (2) the user experience. Dilton formulates 5 questions that he thinks designers should consider in creating a digital library interface.


1. How do we attract users to our resources, and make them stay?
2. What will bring a user back to our resources again?
3. How do i build an interface that supports a richer comprehension or appreciation of the contents?
4. What makes material more learnable by users?
5. Can novices learn from viewing an expert's construction of an information space?


In Summary, Galitz emphasizes that in the end, "the best interface is one that is not noticed," rather an interface that allows users to find what they are seeking for "quickly, accurately and with the least effort."

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Reading this article made me realize my unconscious behavior towards using the user interfaces of Information retrieval systems. I have realized that sometimes I'm biased with just the looking at its outward appearance. Questions like, "Where do i type in my query?" and "Will it lead me to the right information?" always pops to mind. 

The article gives a good insight as to how user interfaces affects the behavior of users as they search for the information they need. I learned that different users have diverse methods of searching and this is because they are influenced by their own understanding and use of language and even of cultural background. I also learned that though aesthetically a user interface must be appealing to the eyes, the utmost importance must be given to users and as to how they can efficiently seek information and achieve satisfactory results.

As an Information Specialist, I believe it is important to know, recognize and even learn how to evaluate a good user interface. Seeking behavioral patters and learning about Human-computer interaction can be an advantage as well. Being in the profession of information management, I do feel that it is important to understand the whole concept of Information Retrieval--not just the theories. We learn it not so we can boast about it, but because we want to understand the technology and how to better reach a good number of audiences and be able to provide valuable information.

Web 2.0 technology application to Libraries

Using Interactive Technologies in Libraries
Edited by Kathlene Hanson and H. Frank Cervone
Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2004

This book first tells us of the hype a new technology can bring to the community. When something new comes out in the market, people always have higher expectations towards it. The same is true for libraries and librarians who are keeping up with the information age. Nowadays, librarians would also research for different technologies to best meet the demands of its users. The book presented different interactive technologies that answers information distribution, subscription to database content, how to use the Wiki as a research guide, using blog feeds to reach its patrons and lastly the idea of "podcasting."

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I've learned that technologies presents more avenues for information to circulate. Even though the format and nature of information evolves on its own, librarians still have a way of presenting these recorded knowledge. It is a call for us then to learn about new technologies that go around. When I think of applying all the useful interactive technologies, I can picture how great and beneficial it would be to my patrons. 

I also learned about Podcasting. This is a new portable way of presenting information to the public. It is said that Filipinos are more auditory learners than visual learners. They'd rather hear someone explain things and concepts to them than them reading about it. In the case at my workplace, podcast are more likely to be seen used than books. 

This second generation of services gives opportunity for people to share information with each other. The web is also playing a big part in promoting levels of interest and diversity among its users. Time and time again, technology has bridged information gap. Now, even those people who are handicapped or have no access to libraries will be able to have ways of accessing information.

The Internet and the WWW: implications to libraries

Libraries adapting to meet demands of Internet age
by Richard Chang, Reuters
Business World Online


With the advent of technology, the old shushing librarians have slowly been replaced by social networks and books have gone digital as well. Librarians will be seen answering queries and posting updates of their latest acquisitions on Facebook and Twitter. Libraries are slowly accommodating  room for interaction (information commons) and even cafes to improve service and invite an atmosphere of sharing information with others. 


The internet presents so much information that it is impossible to compete with Google. Despite this, the role of librarians cannot be taken out of the picture. They aim to serve the community as content providers. Libraries have gone online, circulations in electronic format are growing rapidly in numbers and now information seekers are able to search at the comfort of their home or offices. 

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I know for a fact that librarians and libraries will remain essential to the community. It is good to learn that we are not lagging behind. If we think about it carefully, libraries have always tried to meet the demands of its users. It is our duty to present information to users whether it be in print format or electronically accessed. 

Ranganathan's fifth law states that the library is a growing organism. Growth must always be present in the libraries may it mean staff training, acquiring new information in various formats or changing the physical look of the library. 

So long as human beings continue to use the knowledge they have inherited from their ancestors and learned from their contemporaries, so long as human ingenuity and creativity increases the store of information, there will be a need for persons and institutions to collect, to catalog, to preserve, and to guide. Books, and libraries, have changed over the thousands of years since the invention of writing … But the essential task of the librarian has remained the same: to collect and preserve the record of human accomplishment and imagination, and to put this record in the hands of those who would use it. - Fred Lerner