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Publications

Publications by CITE

2019

Smart cities and smart tourism: What future do they bring?

Authors
Matos, A; Pinto, B; Barros, F; Martins, S; Martins, J; Au Yong Oliveira, M;

Publication
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Abstract
We have sought to understand the current state of the art on smart tourism and on smart cities. Furthermore, we have sought to understand community awareness and the will to embrace innovation, as they are decisive factors to acquire base knowledge and overcome barriers in (soon to be) overpopulated cities and for those who are looking for a limited time culture experience - known as tourists. We live in an age where technology is increasingly present in our lives and provides us solutions to societal problems. Problems such as traffic, infrastructure and natural resources management, or even increasing citizens’ participation in governance, bringing them closer to decision-making. The objective is to understand the current level of people’s knowledge about the impact that technologies have on the society in which we live and their perception of the usefulness in solving these same problems. Therefore, an anonymous questionnaire was carried out (176 valid answers were received), as well as a focus group with two experts on the Smart Cities subject. What future is brought by those who live and breathe technology? Are people willing to accept a paradigm shift?. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

2019

Conceptual Approach for an Extension to a Mushroom Farm Distributed Process Control System: IoT and Blockchain

Authors
Branco, F; Moreira, F; Martins, J; Yong Oliveira, MA; Gonçalves, R;

Publication
New Knowledge in Information Systems and Technologies - Volume 1, World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies, WorldCIST 2019, Galicia, Spain, 16-19 April, 2019

Abstract
Collecting, storing, integrating and transforming data, together with the problem of security and privacy, are topics that present great challenges for society. The needs of the industry in general and agri-food in particular in the mushroom production sector, due to their specificities, requires the adoption of emerging technologies to make them more productive and more competitive in this global market. In this type of industry it is important, and essential, the control of the environmental variables of the production areas and the way they are presented, because the information associated with these variables would provide an important complement to the established production control system. In this paper we propose a conceptual approach for an extension to a mushroom farm distributed process control system with IoT and blockchain integration that not only allows to collect distributed data on the environmental indicators inherent to the mushrooms production, but also complement the already existent production control system, which is extremely important for the overall success of the farm management information system used by the group managers. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

2019

Kitchen robots: The importance and impact of technology on people’s quality of life

Authors
Fonseca, E; Oliveira, I; Lobo, J; Mota, T; Martins, J; Au Yong Oliveira, M;

Publication
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Abstract
The interest in technology allied to household chores has been growing exponentially. Robots like Bimby have revolutionized the way of cooking, since they perform several functions, which were once done manually. How do users of kitchen robots see this continuous evolution and what is the impact on their routines? What are the main advantages associated with this technology and how do non-users see them? This study is a focus on the variables gender, quality of life and technological evolution, as a way to determine if women and men use kitchen robots on an equal scale, if the potentialities of these machines contribute to real improvements in the lives of their users and if, in a near future, this technology will replace the human element in the preparation of meals. To answer these questions, two methodological approaches were followed: quantitative (via questionnaires) and qualitative (via interviews and a focus group). The first approach allowed us to conclude on the profile of kitchen robots and their impact on people’s quality of life. The second approach led us to understand the interest of suppliers, and whether the interest is to help human beings or to replace their role altogether in the kitchen. With this study we conclude that kitchen robots have effectively brought improvements in terms of time spent with household tasks, the typical user of this technology is indeed a woman and, finally, that it will be difficult for a robot to replace humans entirely, since anyone who really likes to cook will never stop doing it. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

2019

Microtransactions in the company’s and the player’s perspective: a manual and automatic analysis

Authors
Gusmão, P; Almeida, T; Lopes, F; Muryn, Y; Martins, J; Au Yong Oliveira, M;

Publication
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Abstract
Microtransactions dominate today’s video game industry and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, despite all the controversy it brings. To approach this problem, we created a survey, shared it on several gaming forums (a total of 1661 answers were obtained), then we designed a theoretical model and based on that, an automatic analysis was performed to understand what microtransactions are adequate to certain types of videogames. In parallel, we also performed a manual analysis that helped us gain insights into player preferences. Through the manual analysis we can conclude that players show a greater tendency to spend on microtransactions in mobile games. On average, respondents spend more on microtransactions than on purchasing videogames per month; with this, we can understand why the market of microtransactions has been growing greatly in recent years. Players that have jobs spend more on time savers microtransactions, and this probably happens because of the lack of time these players have comparing to the rest and the fact that they have an income to spend. Players aged 25 and above have shown to be more inclined to spend money to remove advertisements from games; however, players under the age of 25 are more inclined to spend money on general microtransactions in contrast to their older counterparts. It is also noticeable the negative sentiment towards players that spend money on advantageous items. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

2019

Assessing the success behind the use of education management information systems in higher education

Authors
Martins, J; Branco, F; Goncalves, R; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Oliveira, T; Naranjo Zolotov, M; Cruz Jesus, F;

Publication
TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS

Abstract
The continuous use of dynamic and disruptive ICT as energizing elements of the educational process is a reality of current days, where millennials are the centre of an education paradigm in which students are much more inclined to use technologies than enrolling in a traditional nondigital course. Considering education management information systems (EMIS) capacities to collect, analyse, process and publish information and data, it is easy to perceive their relevance to both education organizations and students. Nevertheless, and despite EMIS complexity and inherent possibilities, the existing literature does not provide for a detailed characterization on the impact these systems might have on students' success. Thus, this research focuses on understanding the use of EMIS by students and the arising of net benefits; it introduces an EMIS success model which posits that to ensure net benefits for students, education institutions must safeguard that their education management information systems are of high quality, while at the same time students are maintained satisfied with the system and engage in continuous use. To assess the posed model, an empirical study has been performed, involving students from higher education institutions. Findings from the study allow us to perceive that, as information systems (IS) success models state, EMIS use and students' satisfaction are predictors of net benefits. This same model also claims that the available information quality and EMIS inherent service quality are also strong determinants of both continuous EMIS use and student satisfaction.

2019

Accessible software development: a conceptual model proposal

Authors
Silva, JSE; Goncalves, R; Branco, F; Pereira, A; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Martins, J;

Publication
UNIVERSAL ACCESS IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Abstract
Equal access to all software and digital content should be a reality in the Digital Era. This argument is something defended both by existing regulations, norms and standards, and also business organizations and governments. Despite this acknowledgement, the reality is still far from the desired equality. For certain groups of disabled or impaired citizens, such as the visually impaired, the existence of e-accessibility compliance represents an opportunity to integrate, in a more simple and straightforward manner, their societies. Despite the existing poor results on e-accessibility compliance, the mentioned citizens insist on using digital devices in their daily lives. Even though, in the last decade, multiple standards and regulations have been published towards indicating how to develop accessible digital user interfaces, there are still two major issues surrounding its implementation: the complexity and disparity of the documents containing the abovementioned norms, and also the lack of e-accessibility know-how by software experts. With this in mind, a proposal for an accessible software development model that encompasses e-accessibility incorporation as one of the development process activities has been presented. This model might represent a very interesting support tool for software development organizations and a novel resource for learning and training institutions to be able to improve their computer science and informatics students' skills on e-accessibility.

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