Social Science Computer Review current issue

Special Issue on e-Social Science

Halfpenny, P., Procter, R. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

Crisis in a Networked World: Features of Computer-Mediated Communication in the April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech Event

Palen, L., Vieweg, S., Liu, S. B., Hughes, A. L. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

Crises and disasters have micro and macro social arrangements that differ from routine situations, as the field of disaster studies has described over its 100-year history. With increasingly pervasive information and communications technology and a changing political arena where terrorism is perceived as a major threat, the attention to crisis is high. Some of these new features of social life have created changes in disaster response that we are only beginning to understand. The University of Colorado is establishing an area of sociologically informed research and information and communications technology development in crisis informatics. This article reports on research that examines features of computer-mediated communication and information sharing activity during and after the April 16, 2007, crisis at Virginia Tech by members of the public. The authors consider consequences that these technology-supported social interactions have on emergency response and implications for methods in e-Social Science.

Social Network Services as Data Sources and Platforms for e-Researching Social Networks

Ackland, R. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

Social network services such as Facebook provide new data for social science research into, for example, the role of individual characteristics in friendship formation and the diffusion of tastes in social networks. This article assesses the potential of social network services for social science research in two ways. First, it is argued that social scientists conduct hyperlink analysis differently to applied physicists and researchers from the library and information sciences, and face constraints (relating to theory, methods and availability of appropriate tools) that are not encountered in the other disciplinary approaches. However, the constraints regarding theory and methods are less likely to be faced by researchers of online social networks, and for this reason, the rise of Facebook and other similar services is a potential boon for empirical social scientists interested in networks. The second part of the article focuses specifically on the availability of research tools, and it is argued that social network services may eventually serve as e-Research platforms for delivering social network analysis tools.

MoSeS: A Grid-Enabled Spatial Decision Support System

Birkin, M., Turner, A., Wu, B., Townend, P., Arshad, J., Xu, J. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

The authors present an architecture for simulation modeling using the resources of grid computing. The use of the grid provides access to the substantial data storage and processing power, which are necessary to translate such models from computational tools into genuine planning aids. As well as providing access to virtualized compute resources, the architecture allows customized applications to meet the needs of an array of potential user organizations. A number of key obstacles in the deployment and integration of e-Science services are identified. These include the high computational costs of simulation modeling at the microscale for typical ‘‘what if’’ scenario questions in research and policy settings; the management and technical issues relating to security in licensing common data sources; sociocultural, legal, and administrative restrictions on the privacy of individual-level response data; and the slow development and lack of uptake of agreed standards such as JSR-168 compliant portlets in the construction of useable applications.

Supporting Systematic Reviews Using Text Mining

Ananiadou, S., Rea, B., Okazaki, N., Procter, R., Thomas, J. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

In this article, we describe how we are using text mining solutions to enhance the production of systematic reviews. The aims of this collaborative project are the development of a text mining framework to support systematic reviews and the provision of a service exemplar serving as a test bed for deriving requirements for the development of more generally applicable text mining tools and services.

Mapping for the Masses: Accessing Web 2.0 Through Crowdsourcing

Hudson-Smith, A., Batty, M., Crooks, A., Milton, R. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

The authors describe how we are harnessing the power of web 2.0 technologies to create new approaches to collecting, mapping, and sharing geocoded data. The authors begin with GMapCreator that lets users fashion new maps using Google Maps as a base. The authors then describe MapTube that enables users to archive maps and demonstrate how it can be used in a variety of contexts to share map information, to put existing maps into a form that can be shared, and to create new maps from the bottom-up using a combination of crowdcasting, crowdsourcing, and traditional broadcasting. The authors conclude by arguing that such tools are helping to define a neogeography that is essentially ‘‘mapping for the masses,’’ while noting that there are many issues of quality, accuracy, copyright, and trust that will influence the impact of these tools on map-based communication.

Enabling Quantitative Data Analysis Through e-Infrastructure

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

This article discusses how quantitative data analysis in the social sciences can engage with and exploit an e-Infrastructure. We highlight how a number of activities that are central to quantitative data analysis, referred to as ‘‘data management,’’ can benefit from e-Infrastructural support. We conclude by discussing how these issues are relevant to the Data Management through e-Social Science (DAMES) research Node, an ongoing project that aims to develop e-Infrastructural resources for quantitative data analysis in the social sciences.

e-Social Science and Evidence-Based Policy Assessment: Challenges and Solutions

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

The PolicyGrid project is exploring the role of Grid, Semantic Web, and Web 2.0 technologies to support e-Social Science, with particular emphasis on tools to facilitate evidence-based policy making. In this article, we discuss the challenges associated with construction of a provenance framework to support evidence-based policy assessment. We then discuss ourSpaces, a virtual research environment for e-Social Science that uses the Web 2.0 paradigm as well as Semantic Grid technologies and which provides researchers with facilities for management of digital resources using a novel natural language interface.

Giving Them Something to Hate: Using Prototypes as a Vehicle for Early Engagement in Virtual Organizations

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

There are recognized problems in the course of requirements analysis and design for heterogeneous, distributed, and dynamic systems. These are particularly evident where the context of future use is not yet clear to users, and where the implementation of these systems will reconfigure the costs, risks, and benefits for stakeholding groups. The article provides examples of the value of collaborative early prototyping with users in two such cases—the design of a HealthGrid portal and a telehealth portal. We provide further examples of the value of the prototype as a vehicle for engagement, a sandbox for exploring emerging opportunities, a landscape for negotiating the reconfiguration of roles and resources, and as an early warning system for early identification of emerging problems likely to impact on usability.

Case Studies of e-Infrastructure Adoption

Barjak, F., Lane, J., Kertcher, Z., Poschen, M., Procter, R., Robinson, S. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:25 PDT

This article reports results from a study of e-Infrastructure adoption in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). The authors find that bridging barriers between computer and domain scientists is of key importance. In particular, SSH communities have to be accepted as being distinct and not suited to a ‘‘one size fits all’’ strategy of e-Infrastructure diffusion. Sustainability was also a core issue, whereas barriers to resource sharing could mostly be resolved with technological solutions, and skills and training activities are a reflection of the general ‘‘user dilemma.’’ The authors’ recommendations to European Union (EU) policy makers point the way to promoting e-Infrastructure development and wider application in the SSH.