Abstract

Abstract
The right choice of the method of organizational analysis to use is a key factor ill the process of requirements analysis and specification of an information system. Although a high number of approaches of organizational analysis exist, the choice of the most appropriate option for each concrete case will influence the quality of the results obtained in the analysis of requirements and consequent specification. This paper presents a new way for organizational analysis to improve the quality of the requirements of systems that support information management and where collaboration is an important aspect. This is achieved through the application of the social network analysis approach, applied to refine, classify and prioritize the requirements for collaboration and information management in an organization. The paper begins by analysing shortly content management systems and wiki systems as IT platforms for collaboration and information management. After having described the method, a practical case of application of SNetCol method to an R&D institution is presented. The paper finishes by presenting the results of the evaluation of the two particular technological options considered for satisfying the specified requirements are described.

Abstract
The development of ontologies to unify and to put into context the different concepts and terms of the sometimes rather traditional and locally coloured construction industry domains is a necessary step to avoid misinterpretations and inefficient communication. The KNOW-CONSTRUCT project, as an approach to this task, decided to re-use, as far as possible, existing ontologies, classification systems and other semantic resources in order to develop a system for the integration, management and reuse of the area specific knowledge via a common knowledge base in order to consolidate and provide access to integrated knowledge, making community emergent knowledge a significant added value. Copyright © 2006 IFAC.

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Abstract