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Background: Climate change has a significant impact on population health. Population vulnerabilities depend on several determinants of different types, including biological, psychological, environmental, social and economic ones. Surveillance of climate-related health vulnerabilities must take into account these different factors, their interdependence, as well as their inherent spatial and temporal aspects on several scales, for informed analyses. Currently used technology includes commercial off-the-shelf Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Database Management Systems with spatial extensions. It has been widely recognized that such OLTP (On-Line Transaction Processing) systems were not designed to support complex, multi-temporal and multiscale analysis as required above. On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) is central to the field known as BI (Business Intelligence), a key field for such decision-support systems. In the last few years, we have seen a few projects that combine OLAP and GIS to improve spatio-temporal analysis and geographic knowledge discovery. This has given rise to SOLAP (Spatial OLAP) and a new research area. This paper presents how SOLAP and climate-related health vulnerability data were investigated and combined to facilitate surveillance. Results: Based on recent spatial decision-support technologies, this paper presents a spatiotemporal web-based application that goes beyond GIS applications with regard to speed, ease of use, and interactive analysis capabilities. It supports the multi-scale exploration and analysis of integrated socio-economic, health and environmental geospatial data over several periods. This project was meant to validate the potential of recent technologies to contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between public health and climate change, and to facilitate future decision-making by public health agencies and municipalities in Canada and elsewhere. The project also aimed at integrating an initial collection of geo-referenced multi-scale indicators that were identified by Canadian specialists and end-users as relevant for the surveillance of the public health impacts of climate change. This system was developed in a multidisciplinary context involving researchers, policy makers and practitioners, using BI and web-mapping concepts (more particularly SOLAP technologies), while exploring new solutions for frequent automatic updating of data and for providing contextual warnings for users (to minimize the risk of data misinterpretation). According to the project participants, the final system succeeds in facilitating surveillance activities in a way not achievable with today's GIS. Regarding the experiments on frequent automatic updating and contextual user warnings, the results obtained indicate that these are meaningful and achievable goals but they still require research and development for their successful implementation in the context of surveillance and multiple organizations.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal, effective, fair, and consistent methods for evaluating faculty scholarly activities have remained elusive for years. This research utilized the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to assess the professoriate's own perceptions of the appropriate assessment of faculty research. The paper also incorporated the Boyer model of scholarship as one of the main criteria for scholarship evaluation. We addressed the "how" and "how much" in the weighting of scholarship output based on a survey of faculty at five Canadian teaching-intensive universities. The surprising lack of weighting value assigned to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and the overall structure of the AHP model present interesting results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Sociology is the property of Canadian Journal of Sociology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nowadays, the majority of the people find out the required websites information including virtual exhibitions through web search engines. The most commonly used search engines in the market are Google, Yahoo and MSN. This paper basically provides tips to the developers of virtual exhibition websites to make their sites more visible to the public. This is one of the marketing strategies of the web search engines are following to get best returns on their investment. This is a short paper based on the research work done at Canadian Heritage Information Network and their results are communicated in form of short paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Government of Canada's Atlas of Canada has, for over 100 years, produced maps of Canada's geography and history reflecting its social, environmental and economic diversity. The current online 6th Edition offers interactive and static thematic, reference and topographic maps. Initial interactive mapping user interfaces contained tools that were based on the developers' GIS experience. Users had, however, difficulty using these tools. To resolve this, the Atlas undertook considerable user and usability research initiatives and adopted and integrated a User Centred Design (UCD) process. This paper will look specifically at the methods used by the Atlas, the issues encountered and solutions achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Information & Library Sciences is the property of Canadian Association for Information Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper discusses two primary issues that arose from cataloging educational sites as part of the Cataloguing Internet Resources Project in Canada. First, the complex hierarchies in which many education-related resources are found is discussed-along with the need for new policies to determine ''extent'' for documents embedded in the interlinked bibliographic universe. Second, the concept of and the need to re-evaluate the definition of the ''edition statement'' in the Web environment are discussed. Overall, further communication is needed between the educational and cataloguing community to provide access to educational resources in the electronic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Environmental movements depend on mass media to reach the public and shape political decision-making. Without media access, social movements experience political marginality. In this paper, we examine whether the internet is a more open space than traditional media for activists to speak on behalf of nature. Our analysis is based on newspaper coverage and environmental organization websites that focus on the conflict over the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort ski resort in British Columbia. Environmental websites and mass media texts both define Jumbo Pass as wilderness and grizzly bear habitat, while focusing on ecological concerns as well as questions of local democracy. However, environmental group websites discuss a greater range of environmental risks and provide more detailed discussion of these issues. Environmentalist websites also integrate scientific experts and celebrity supporters to a greater degree than mass media texts, which are dominated by environmentalist, ski industry, and provincial government news sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many digitization projects are currently underway, to help preserve Indigenous traditions, few explore the full potential of the development of digital media and networked technology through Indigenous cultures. This paper outlines the three phases necessary for a robust digital preservation, promotion and growth project: 1) Straightforward documentation of Indigenous traditions; 2) Translation of Indigenous traditions into emerging technology and contemporary cultural modes of expression; 3) Application of principles of Indigenous traditions to develop new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Canadian government shifted to a neo-liberal policy regime, social service delivery was "contracted out" to community organizations such as the Riverview Centre. The outsourcing objectives were to keep delivery costs low and to build in efficiencies by relying on new technological systems. This paper shows the problems arising from the Riverview Centre's inadequate technology system when interfacing with advanced government networks to report on employment services provided to clients. These advanced networks centralized control of social-service labour through digital Taylorization practices. Electronic reporting tasks have been standardized and routinized such that labour processes are shaped by the digital technology systems. The delivery of employment services conceals the dual aspect of the commodification of the social workers' labour through contract employment and technological means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a survey posted on the Canadian Medical Association Journal's web site to determine demographic information on its users. Wide range of ages, nationalities, and professional interests of the respondents; Willingness of the users to pay for access to the online journal; Feedback from readers regarding what they thought of the journal.

The article discusses the Coastal Marine Informatics (CMI) Initiative as a web-based resource for coastal and nearshore marine operations in Canada.

Copyright of Canadian Public Administration is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Historical Review is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Building on the 1962 Glassco Commission report, this article argues that the duality of collective and individual ministerial responsibility in the Canadian Westminster model is under-recognized and remains highly relevant. While reforms since the 1960s favoured individual responsibility, the growing impact of information and communications technologies ( ICTs) gives renewed significance to collective responsibility. This article reviews accountability challenges arising from ICT-influenced changes in the federal government's organization and relationships, including the shift from a traditional vertical departmental model towards an increasingly horizontal one. Accountability for this re-collectivized environment risks ineffectiveness for two reasons: the prime minister's view of his own role, and Parliament's difficulty in dealing with horizontal issues. If the risks are not recognized, Canadian democracy will be diminished. Sommaire En se fondant sur le rapport Glassco de 1962, le présent article soutient que la dualité de la responsabilité ministérielle collective et individuelle dans le modèle de Westminster au Canada n'est pas suffisamment reconnue et demeure hautement pertinente. Alors que, depuis les années 1970, les réformes ont encouragé la responsabilité individuelle, l'incidence croissante des technologies de l'information et des communications ( TIC) donne une importance renouvelée à la responsabilité collective. Cet article passe en revue les défis de la responsabilité découlant des changements influencés par les TIC dans l'organisation et les relations du gouvernement fédéral, y compris le glissement d'un modèle ministériel vertical traditionnel vers un modèle de plus en plus horizontal. L'imputabilité pour cet environnement re-collectivisé risque d'entraîner l'inefficacité pour deux raisons : la perception qu'a le Premier ministre de son propre rôle, et la difficulté qu'a le Parlement à traiter les questions horizontales. Faute de reconnaître les risques, c'est la démocratie canadienne qui sera perdante. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern organizations, information technologies IT often help drive organizational strategies. As such, IT require both judicious planning and oversight. While executive oversight over IT is quite common nowadays, several studies indicate that due to the many benefits and risks associated with IT, more/better board-level oversight may be in order. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of research on the involvement of board members in IT governance. We attempt to partially fill this gap by empirically examining the degree to which the 27 IT governance questions that make up an IT board governance framework recommended by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants are raised by the board members of 94 Canadian firms. We also investigate the extent to which the questions are considered important. Our findings show that: board members use only some of the IT governance questions and not all the recommended ones; there is a gap between the IT governance questions board members ask and the ones they perceive to be important; and the number and importance of IT governance questions that board members ask appear to vary with both their organization's strategic use of IT and the need for IT reliability. Implications for research and practice are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Public Administration is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article reviews several web sites, including Statistics Canada at www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html, Health Canada and the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

Copyright of Canadian Public Policy is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We performed a qualitative study of the practice of informed consent for videoconsultation in Canada. Fourteen cases were examined: the 13 provinces and territories, and the Federal jurisdiction representing aboriginal groups. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with key informants (14 telehealth experts, 13 legal experts). The telehealth experts were people with direct experience of telehealth practice. The majority of the telehealth experts agreed that videoconsultations had not been integrated into the health-care system. An interesting finding of the study was that the integration status of videoconsultations was not indicative of informed consent practices. Telehealth providers favoured express written consent, or risk management practices, although there was a desire to move towards implied consent models for videoconsultations. The study also showed that the legal ramifications of the electronic transmission of non-recorded, real-time, personal health information had not been explored. This represents an important factor in guiding future consent for videoconsultations in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the rhetorical concept of ethos, this study explores the professional identities, health-care relationships, and forms of community constructed by two midwifery websites in Ontario. Rather than facilitating communal and dialogic modes of communication with the public, these websites enact primarily a unidirectional consumption model. This design structure both reflects and reinforces the complexities of midwifery's recent shift from being an explicitly alternative form of health care, to becoming part of the dominant health-care framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on trends in Canadian telemedicine that are changing the nature of health care and education. Resurgence of interest in further developing the electronic medical record; Increase in availability of journals electronically; How Internet health care resources for patients increase in popularity and need improvement; Role of online or distance education in studying medicine; Obstacles that telemedicine development faces, including high costs.

The article focuses on the use of the Champlain BASE eConsult online platform for electronic consultation to provide psychiatric services. It mentions that the platform connects primary care providers and specialists. It notes that there was initial doubt that the service could provide satisfactory care when it comes to psychiatry.

The editorial introduction to the October 2011 issue is presented, focusing on the history of Jews in Canada and commenting on the journal's online resources.

The article focuses on the electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) system in Dalhousie University Medical School in Canada. It states that EMR helps students to generate a referral letter that clearly provides the consultant's requirements as well as the information he needs to triage the patient. It notes that the electronic system contributes for the progress of physicians and enhances the safety of patients. It also lays the three main themes perceived to improve cancer care communications using information technology (IT) in physician offices.

Presents several Internet services focusing on medical care in Canada. Features of the Canadian Medical Association home page; Steps for registering in MD Consult; Access to Medline literature at the PubMed Web site.

Features an Internet site developed by the Human Resources/Public Relations Department at Ottawa's Riverside Hospital, Ontario, Canada. Site's provision of overview of hospital's services, health care in Ontario, and self-care information.