Search

The large variety of formats currently used for creating digital documents calls for a detailed analysis and evaluation of their functionality. Accessibility, portability and methods of creation are essential factors to consider when selecting a format. Choosing the appropriate format involves a search for a widely accepted standard to ensure that the documents won’t become incompatible with new formats developed in the future. The present article reviews all of the formats which have appeared in recent years, with special attention given to XML, one of the more promising, created for internet and a likely successor to HTML.

This article attempts to establish a definition for "text mining" and, at the same time, to identify its relationship with other fields: text retrieval, data mining and computational linguistics. In addition, there is an analysis of the impact of text mining, a reference to existing commercial applications on the market and, lastly, a brief description of the techniques used for developing and implementing text mining systems.

The implementation of electronic medical records has been of paramount importance in facilitating the access and availability of information in the medical treatment of patients. However, because different centers and areas have adopted heterogeneous information models and technical solutions to handle medical records there may be a risk when the patient requests medical assistance in a jurisdiction other than the one in which he normally seeks medical treatment. The international standards for medical records offer common models to organize information and ensure the exchange and interoperability between technical solutions. This paper analyzes the adoption of the main technical standards (ISO 13606 and HL7) in the Hcdsns project, developed by the Spanish Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad.

Informe

Technical solutions for content management have reached a high level of maturity. Under the heading of ECM (enterprise content management), several technical approaches for the management of unstructured information have been grouped. The acceptance of content management in different contexts is indicative of the value that these practices contribute to organizations. There is, however, a risk of interpreting this maturity as a synonym for being past its prime: we should consider whether there are still some opportunities for improvement and niches of activity on which to focus efforts, or if instead there is little room for innovation. The author contends that once we have laid the foundation for the deployment of such solutions and content management has become a familiar term for information technology (IT) users, there remain many opportunities related to: a) the analysis of data usage and user experience, including complex issues such as opinion mining, and b) the design of ECM solutions that combine best practices in the areas of IT and information management.

The main features of ICA-AtoM, a free software developed by the Canadian company Artefactual Systems, under the patronage of ICA (International Council of Archives) and Unesco, are described.

The usage of open source software in archives is usually related to two projects especially relevant for the community: Archivist Toolkit and Archon, whose integration in a common project was announced in August 2009. Two months later, in October 2009, an initial draft with the specifications of the software to be built as a result of this integration of efforts. The contribution summarizes the features anticipated in this draft. The author indicates the convenience of releasing a detailed plans and schedule for the integration activities, as this can contribute to remove some of the doubts that users usually have about open source projects not supported by relevant industry players.

The OvidSP® information service is described. OvidSP offers a unified platform for access to a wide range of information resources (e-journals, e-books, etc.) to professionals in the health-care and medical areas. OvidSP is the result of the evolution of the previous SilverPlatter and Ovid platforms, based on a detailed market research to identify and satisfy the information management needs of the user communities. OvidSP also provides additional information retrieval capabilities by means of Ovid Universal SearchTM , giving simultaneous access to databases from other providers like PubMed, SpringerLink, Ebsco-Host, ScienceDirect, Wiley InterScience, UpToDate, etc., as well as to internal information resources like the library opac, and clinical decision-support tools.

Content management –both in its meaning, more related to the creation and maintenance of web sites and in its broader approach referred to the management of textual and documentary information– has been reinforced in recent years in the practice of most organizations. To this end has contributed the maturity of commercial and open source software products. During 2009, despite the crisis scenario, there has been much activity in this area of documentary computer science. The text summarizes the main developments that have characterized the year 2009 from the reports published by leading consultancy firms. It also identifies some significant trends and events expected for 2010, including the consolidation of the Cmis standard.

The main virtues of the document management software developed by Alfresco are described as well as the economic viability of open source in general. Despite criticism that receives, issues such as business rigour, the generation of partners’ networks and a strong entrepreneurial approach make open source a completely viable business model.

Emergency and crisis management professionals work in complex conditions. Information management is a key factor in ensuring the efficiency of their work. In this area of activity we can find numerous requirements for managing real-time information to coordinate the efforts of the different teams involved in these complex scenarios. These requirements include the identification and diffusion of alerts in response to actual or potential crisis, management of and access to logistic and geographical information, etc. This brief overview of some relevant information systems dedicated to emergency and crisis management (ReliefWeb and AlertNet) also addresses the use of open source software tools to organise and manage this information.

Open source software is a key component in the technological development of Central and South American nations. In many cases, it is the only option that avoids the problems of the “digital divide”. Strengthening the use of open source software in public administration and academic communities is a necessary step toward being able to offer quality information services to citizens. A number of interesting initiatives are highlighted in Central and South America, where free software is contributing to numerous projects that offer interesting learning opportunities.

Innovative Interfaces Inc., III, maker of the Innopac Millennium integrated system for public libraries, has introduced new products that are primarily related to user access to opac and to library services via handheld devices (cellphone, PDA, etc.). There are also new tools to strengthen and facilitate user participation through opac and to provide more flexibility in service delivery and communication between the user community and library personnel.

The management of electronic resources has become a crucial need for libraries and documentation centres. The number of e-resources that a library must manage and give access to is continually increasing. Simultaneously, new tools are needed for effective control of information about licenses, overlap between databases, contacts, and technical issues related to e-resources. The Innovative Interfaces e-resources management software, which includes a variety of integrated products that can also be deployed individually with a high level of interoperability with other companies’ products. We highlight Electronic Resources Management (ERM), the WebBridge Link Resolver, ResearchPro (a federated search engine) and the innovative Encore, which has reformulated the traditional opac approach to information access. Innovative Interfaces has also launched the CASE service, which offers coverage data about e-journals and e-resources, with additional services like marc records for e-resources to facilitate their integration in the catalogue.

ISIS –the popular software developed at UNESCO– is a classic tool for database management. Nonetheless, in some cases the fact that it is freeware has made it seem less desireable than commercial alternatives. Although not designed as open software (despite being distributed free of charge), some modules and additional applications, such as the IsisMarc editor, have been developed using open code. IsisMarc provides an interface that is easily adapted to various MARC formats for catalog management, incorporates a Z39.50 client, and permits authority control. It can be integrated with other ISIS tools to publish databases to the web. ISIS also provides the foundation for various open software programs for library management (Catalis and OpenMarcoPolo).

Document design has long been a standard task for information professionals. Nonetheless, the use of XML to encode and transfer electronic documents across networks and the development of various methods to describe the characteristics of various document types (XML schemas, RelaxNG, etc.) and their metadata have made clear the need for a more formal, structured approach to the design of various document types and their implementation using XML standards. This insight, combined with the requirements of new technological approaches to integrating software applications – web services or service-oriented architecture (SOA) - that rely on XML for document exchange across platforms, results in a need for documents whose structure is precisely defined. The work of Robert J. Glushko, specifically document engineering, provides the primary theoretical approach to this problem. Document engineering includes the activities necessary for the design of document types and their use as interfaces between systems in SOA environments. His work offers a formal, academic approach to what is currently one of the most interesting opportunities for information professionals.

The large variety of formats currently used for creating digital documents calls for a detailed analysis and evaluation of their functionality. Accessibility, portability and methods of creation are essential factors to consider when selecting a format. Choosing the appropriate format involves a search for a widely accepted standard to ensure that the documents won’t become incompatible with new formats developed in the future. The present article reviews all of the formats which have appeared in recent years, with special attention given to XML, one of the more promising, created for internet and a likely successor to HTML., La gran cantidad de formatos existentes en la actualidad para desarrollar documentos digitales lleva, en ocasiones, a analizar y evaluar profundamente las prestaciones que cada uno presenta. Su accesibilidad, portabilidad y métodos para su creación se convierten en puntos esenciales a tener en cuenta a la hora de elegir entre uno u otro. Esta situación trae consigo la búsqueda de estándares lo más ampliamente aceptados posible que permitan su máximo desarrollo en el futuro, y que los documentos que han sido ya creados no se queden incompatibles con los nuevos formatos. En este artículo se hace un repaso esencial a todos aquellos que en los últimos años han ido apareciendo, prestando especial atención a xml como uno de los formatos más interesantes desarrollados para internet y como posible sucesor de html.