Factors impacting the design of a mobile application for soil management: a case study of the Eastern Cape crops
- Authors: Botha, Stephan
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mobile soil management application
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MIT
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44581 , vital:38127
- Description: Some of the biggest challenges the global community has to face are the ever-dwindling levels of freshwater resources, the drastic impact of the greenhouse gases on the global climate and the loss of non-renewable fertile soil. South African agriculture contributes a total of 12.7% to the overall South African GDP (gross domestic product). Only a small portion of the South African soil is considered as being able to grow healthy and nutritious crops. The world of information communication technology (ICT) is extremely vast and growing daily with newly created tools, to accommodate the needs of a specific sector, such as agriculture. As the ICT-based agricultural solutions increase and improve, the uptake of these solutions within the South African agricultural sector becomes even smaller. The reasons for the low uptake of mobile soil management solutions for crop growing farmers are unknown, due to limited research conducted. The identified problem was a lack of understanding of the way mobile technologies can be designed to adequately support farmers to correctly manage their soil to produce the best possible crops. The primary objective of this research study was to identify factors, which may have a significant impact on the design of a mobile soil management application for crop farmers in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). The secondary objectives were as follows: (i) to determine what soil management is and which aspects are required to implement soil management effectively; (ii) to identify possible mobile technologies suitable to act as an effective support structure for a mobile soil management application; and (iii) to identify which user experience guidelines are key for the development of an effective mobile soil management solution and to compile a user experience guideline for an effective mobile soil management solution. Achieving these objectives, resulted in a better understanding of the identified problem. The problem was addressed by conducting a thorough literature review and a case study to better grasp the different aspects of the identified problem. Quantitative data was collected by conducting a user interface evaluation. Qualitative data were also gathered by means of a field test using the mobile soil management application. The field test was done in conjunction with a heuristic evaluation, completed by the participants. Data triangulation was used to compare the results of the gathered data. The results from the data triangulation were used to confirm the factors, which made the most significant impact on the success of the soil management application. These confirmed design factors were used to produce a list of guidelines to improve the design of future mobile ICT soil management applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Botha, Stephan
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mobile soil management application
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MIT
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44581 , vital:38127
- Description: Some of the biggest challenges the global community has to face are the ever-dwindling levels of freshwater resources, the drastic impact of the greenhouse gases on the global climate and the loss of non-renewable fertile soil. South African agriculture contributes a total of 12.7% to the overall South African GDP (gross domestic product). Only a small portion of the South African soil is considered as being able to grow healthy and nutritious crops. The world of information communication technology (ICT) is extremely vast and growing daily with newly created tools, to accommodate the needs of a specific sector, such as agriculture. As the ICT-based agricultural solutions increase and improve, the uptake of these solutions within the South African agricultural sector becomes even smaller. The reasons for the low uptake of mobile soil management solutions for crop growing farmers are unknown, due to limited research conducted. The identified problem was a lack of understanding of the way mobile technologies can be designed to adequately support farmers to correctly manage their soil to produce the best possible crops. The primary objective of this research study was to identify factors, which may have a significant impact on the design of a mobile soil management application for crop farmers in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). The secondary objectives were as follows: (i) to determine what soil management is and which aspects are required to implement soil management effectively; (ii) to identify possible mobile technologies suitable to act as an effective support structure for a mobile soil management application; and (iii) to identify which user experience guidelines are key for the development of an effective mobile soil management solution and to compile a user experience guideline for an effective mobile soil management solution. Achieving these objectives, resulted in a better understanding of the identified problem. The problem was addressed by conducting a thorough literature review and a case study to better grasp the different aspects of the identified problem. Quantitative data was collected by conducting a user interface evaluation. Qualitative data were also gathered by means of a field test using the mobile soil management application. The field test was done in conjunction with a heuristic evaluation, completed by the participants. Data triangulation was used to compare the results of the gathered data. The results from the data triangulation were used to confirm the factors, which made the most significant impact on the success of the soil management application. These confirmed design factors were used to produce a list of guidelines to improve the design of future mobile ICT soil management applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Factors impacting the introduction of information technology usage in netball coaching
- Authors: Daniell, Janine
- Subjects: Information technology , Netball -- Coaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9828 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020878
- Description: With the growth in the use of technology in sports, there has been an improvement in sporting performances. Some may argue that the two go hand in hand, while others will write it off as coincidence. Nevertheless the use of technology in sport is seen on a daily basis. Cricket uses Hotspot, tennis uses Hawk-Eye and rugby uses slow motion video replays. In these sports codes, technology is already an aid to umpires. Little is known, however, about the technologies used to assist coaches in sports codes such as netball. This study investigated the factors impacting the introduction of information technology in the coaching of netball. The study commenced with using the term technology in the broader sense of the word to gain an understanding from netball coaches as to how technology could be incorporated into the sport. It was later narrowed down more specifically to computer technologies. The investigation was done at the Spar National Netball Championships in 2012, where coaches were surveyed about the preparation for the tournament of the provincial teams. The surveys included questions to coaches regarding the technologies used in preparation for a national tournament. The results obtained from the coaches were used to identify the current technologies used. Interviews were conducted after the analysis of the initial results to probe into the potential use of social media as a tool to assist coaches. Based on the results of the study, a number of factors that impact on the introduction of technology in the coaching of netball were identified. The factors and basic guidelines were validated through expert focus groups. Based on the findings from the experts, the factors and guidelines were refined. It is envisaged that the findings from this research can be used to assist netball coaches in deciding how to introduce the use of information technology into the sport.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Daniell, Janine
- Subjects: Information technology , Netball -- Coaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9828 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020878
- Description: With the growth in the use of technology in sports, there has been an improvement in sporting performances. Some may argue that the two go hand in hand, while others will write it off as coincidence. Nevertheless the use of technology in sport is seen on a daily basis. Cricket uses Hotspot, tennis uses Hawk-Eye and rugby uses slow motion video replays. In these sports codes, technology is already an aid to umpires. Little is known, however, about the technologies used to assist coaches in sports codes such as netball. This study investigated the factors impacting the introduction of information technology in the coaching of netball. The study commenced with using the term technology in the broader sense of the word to gain an understanding from netball coaches as to how technology could be incorporated into the sport. It was later narrowed down more specifically to computer technologies. The investigation was done at the Spar National Netball Championships in 2012, where coaches were surveyed about the preparation for the tournament of the provincial teams. The surveys included questions to coaches regarding the technologies used in preparation for a national tournament. The results obtained from the coaches were used to identify the current technologies used. Interviews were conducted after the analysis of the initial results to probe into the potential use of social media as a tool to assist coaches. Based on the results of the study, a number of factors that impact on the introduction of technology in the coaching of netball were identified. The factors and basic guidelines were validated through expert focus groups. Based on the findings from the experts, the factors and guidelines were refined. It is envisaged that the findings from this research can be used to assist netball coaches in deciding how to introduce the use of information technology into the sport.
- Full Text:
Factors that impact on the user experience of a mobile school health application
- Authors: Chetty, Avineshin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Wireless communication systems in medical care , Medical informatics Application software Technology -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21801 , vital:29780
- Description: In South Africa, the National Department of Health through its Integrated School Health Policy, use school nurses, to visit schools and perform health screening of learners which focus mainly on nutrition, eyesight and hearing. To date, this was done manually, but with the advance of technology, there is a need to investigate the use of for example, mobile applications to assist with health screening tasks. As part of the TECH4RED project in the Chris Hani district, a mobile school health assessment application was implemented and used over a period three years. As this is a new way of conducting the health screening, there is a need to understand the user experiences of the end users who interact with both the technology and the application. The objective of this study was to investigate the perceived factors that impact on the UX of the school health assessment application. The research aimed to understand the uses, advantages and disadvantages of mobile health applications. It also aimed at determining whether there are unique characteristics of the targeted end users and if so, whether such characteristics would affect the overall UX when using the application. Determining the levels of satisfaction and investigating the apparent challenges the users faced while interacting with the application provided some insights into underlying factors. A theoretical framework was constructed using existing literature. Using a case study approach, data was collected by means of end user satisfaction and user experience questionnaires. Additional data collection was done by means of an expert review to obtain feedback on the content and workflow of the school health assessment application. The resulting findings from the research included, a descriptive list of factors that impact the school health assessment application, as well as a subsequent list of recommendations for improvements. These key-findings could lead to possible guidelines, while additionally, providing valuable insight into mobile school health applications on the whole.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Chetty, Avineshin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Wireless communication systems in medical care , Medical informatics Application software Technology -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21801 , vital:29780
- Description: In South Africa, the National Department of Health through its Integrated School Health Policy, use school nurses, to visit schools and perform health screening of learners which focus mainly on nutrition, eyesight and hearing. To date, this was done manually, but with the advance of technology, there is a need to investigate the use of for example, mobile applications to assist with health screening tasks. As part of the TECH4RED project in the Chris Hani district, a mobile school health assessment application was implemented and used over a period three years. As this is a new way of conducting the health screening, there is a need to understand the user experiences of the end users who interact with both the technology and the application. The objective of this study was to investigate the perceived factors that impact on the UX of the school health assessment application. The research aimed to understand the uses, advantages and disadvantages of mobile health applications. It also aimed at determining whether there are unique characteristics of the targeted end users and if so, whether such characteristics would affect the overall UX when using the application. Determining the levels of satisfaction and investigating the apparent challenges the users faced while interacting with the application provided some insights into underlying factors. A theoretical framework was constructed using existing literature. Using a case study approach, data was collected by means of end user satisfaction and user experience questionnaires. Additional data collection was done by means of an expert review to obtain feedback on the content and workflow of the school health assessment application. The resulting findings from the research included, a descriptive list of factors that impact the school health assessment application, as well as a subsequent list of recommendations for improvements. These key-findings could lead to possible guidelines, while additionally, providing valuable insight into mobile school health applications on the whole.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Fostering information security culture through intergrating theory and technology
- Van Niekerk, Johannes Frederick
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Johannes Frederick
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Information technology -- Security measures , Data protection , Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9754 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1404 , Information technology -- Security measures , Data protection , Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Description: Today information can be seen as a basic commodity that is crucial to the continuous well-being of modern organizations. Many modern organizations will be unable to do business without access to their information resources. It is therefor of vital importance for organizations to ensure that their infor- mation resources are adequately protected against both internal and external threats. This protection of information resources is known as information security and is, to a large extent, dependent on the behavior of humans in the organization. Humans, at various levels in the organization, play vital roles in the pro- cesses that secure organizational information resources. Many of the prob- lems experienced in information security can be directly contributed to the humans involved in the process. Employees, either intentionally or through negligence, often due to a lack of knowledge, can be seen as the greatest threat to information security. Addressing this human factor in information security is the primary focus of this thesis. The majority of current approaches to dealing with the human factors in information security acknowledge the need to foster an information security culture in the organization. However, very few current approaches attempt to adjust the "generic" model(s) used to define organizational culture to be specific to the needs of information security. This thesis firstly proposes, and argues, such an adapted conceptual model which aims to improve the understanding of what an information security culture is. The thesis secondly focuses on the underlying role that information security educational programs play in the fostering of an organizational information security culture. It is argued that many current information security edu- cational programs are not based on sound pedagogical theory. The use of learning taxonomies during the design of information security educational programs is proposed as a possible way to improve the pedagogical rigor of such programs. The thesis also argues in favor of the use of blended and/or e-learning approaches for the delivery of information security educational content. Finally, this thesis provides a detailed overview demonstrating how the various elements contributed by the thesis integrates into existing trans- formative change management processes for the fostering of an organizational information security culture.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Johannes Frederick
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Information technology -- Security measures , Data protection , Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9754 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1404 , Information technology -- Security measures , Data protection , Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Description: Today information can be seen as a basic commodity that is crucial to the continuous well-being of modern organizations. Many modern organizations will be unable to do business without access to their information resources. It is therefor of vital importance for organizations to ensure that their infor- mation resources are adequately protected against both internal and external threats. This protection of information resources is known as information security and is, to a large extent, dependent on the behavior of humans in the organization. Humans, at various levels in the organization, play vital roles in the pro- cesses that secure organizational information resources. Many of the prob- lems experienced in information security can be directly contributed to the humans involved in the process. Employees, either intentionally or through negligence, often due to a lack of knowledge, can be seen as the greatest threat to information security. Addressing this human factor in information security is the primary focus of this thesis. The majority of current approaches to dealing with the human factors in information security acknowledge the need to foster an information security culture in the organization. However, very few current approaches attempt to adjust the "generic" model(s) used to define organizational culture to be specific to the needs of information security. This thesis firstly proposes, and argues, such an adapted conceptual model which aims to improve the understanding of what an information security culture is. The thesis secondly focuses on the underlying role that information security educational programs play in the fostering of an organizational information security culture. It is argued that many current information security edu- cational programs are not based on sound pedagogical theory. The use of learning taxonomies during the design of information security educational programs is proposed as a possible way to improve the pedagogical rigor of such programs. The thesis also argues in favor of the use of blended and/or e-learning approaches for the delivery of information security educational content. Finally, this thesis provides a detailed overview demonstrating how the various elements contributed by the thesis integrates into existing trans- formative change management processes for the fostering of an organizational information security culture.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Friction hydro pillar riveting process of Ti-6AI-4V titanium sheet
- Authors: Tsikayi, Davies Shamiso
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Friction welding , Titanium alloys -- Welding , Sheet-metal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6357 , vital:21078
- Description: Mechanical fasteners are used extensively in the joining of two or more metal plates or sheets. Riveted joints have been the joints of choice mainly for the Aerospace Industry. However for this research, Friction Hydro Pillar Processing has been used to develop and characterise a new riveting technique termed Friction Hydro Pillar Riveting (FHPR). Two overlapping 3.17 mm Ti-6Al-4V sheets were joined together using Ø6 mm rivet which was friction processed. This research has focussed on the initial development of Friction Hydro Pillar Riveting thereby establishing a basic understanding of the influences of main process parameters, rotational speed and axial force - and also joint configurations. The results showed that with a decrease in the bottom hole chamfer angle, there was resulting overall increase in the rivet joint pull off strength. From the best performing joint configuration in pull off tests, shear tests were conducted whilst a blind hole FHPR joint was also done and tested in pull off and shear strength. The shear test fracture surfaces exhibited ductile failure. The microstructure of the joints was thus evaluated. From parent material, heat affected zone and to weld zone there was a variation in the microstructure analysed. The hardness profiles showed increased hardness in the weld zone which partly explained the shear results. The hardness increase was mainly due to grain refinement in the weld zone by the Friction Hydro Pillar Riveting process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Tsikayi, Davies Shamiso
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Friction welding , Titanium alloys -- Welding , Sheet-metal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6357 , vital:21078
- Description: Mechanical fasteners are used extensively in the joining of two or more metal plates or sheets. Riveted joints have been the joints of choice mainly for the Aerospace Industry. However for this research, Friction Hydro Pillar Processing has been used to develop and characterise a new riveting technique termed Friction Hydro Pillar Riveting (FHPR). Two overlapping 3.17 mm Ti-6Al-4V sheets were joined together using Ø6 mm rivet which was friction processed. This research has focussed on the initial development of Friction Hydro Pillar Riveting thereby establishing a basic understanding of the influences of main process parameters, rotational speed and axial force - and also joint configurations. The results showed that with a decrease in the bottom hole chamfer angle, there was resulting overall increase in the rivet joint pull off strength. From the best performing joint configuration in pull off tests, shear tests were conducted whilst a blind hole FHPR joint was also done and tested in pull off and shear strength. The shear test fracture surfaces exhibited ductile failure. The microstructure of the joints was thus evaluated. From parent material, heat affected zone and to weld zone there was a variation in the microstructure analysed. The hardness profiles showed increased hardness in the weld zone which partly explained the shear results. The hardness increase was mainly due to grain refinement in the weld zone by the Friction Hydro Pillar Riveting process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Friction welding of thin walled zircaloy-4 tubes for the nuclear industry
- Authors: Koloi, Nthatisi Dinah
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Friction welding Zirconium alloys
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEng
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18794 , vital:28724
- Description: This work reports on the process development of solid state welding as an alternative joining process for assembling Zircaloy-4 fuel rod components for the nuclear industry. A typical fuel rod consists of a thin tube that is blocked at both ends by end-caps. The welding of the thin wall tubes onto the end-caps is currently accomplished by employing fusion techniques. Due to limited thin wall Zircaloy-4 tube supplied, preliminary welding was initially performed with thin wall 316L stainless steel tube for the development of a joint geometry and establishment of an experimental welding and testing setup. A suitable joint geometry that would achieve higher static strength equal or above that of the parent material, as well as complete circumferential bonding was investigated through welding a tube on different volume interface geometries of the end-caps. Higher joint efficiency was obtained from a tube-to-tube joint geometry that allowed sufficient frictional heat input at the interface. Consequently, the successful joint geometry was employed to develop a friction welding process for the joining of thin wall Zircaloy-4 tubes. The influential process parameters, axial force, rotational speed and upset distance were varied during the investigation. The completed weld joints were evaluated by visual, metallurgical and mechanical means. Successful welds showed complete circumferential bonding and high joint efficiency that was above the parent plate material as well as parent tube material. The evaluation of the microstructure showed transformation of grain structure on the heat affected zone (HAZ) and friction weld zone when compared to the parent materials. Even though, this work could not resolve inner flash formation, there is enough evidence that friction welding can be used for assembling fuel rod components in the nuclear industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Koloi, Nthatisi Dinah
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Friction welding Zirconium alloys
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEng
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18794 , vital:28724
- Description: This work reports on the process development of solid state welding as an alternative joining process for assembling Zircaloy-4 fuel rod components for the nuclear industry. A typical fuel rod consists of a thin tube that is blocked at both ends by end-caps. The welding of the thin wall tubes onto the end-caps is currently accomplished by employing fusion techniques. Due to limited thin wall Zircaloy-4 tube supplied, preliminary welding was initially performed with thin wall 316L stainless steel tube for the development of a joint geometry and establishment of an experimental welding and testing setup. A suitable joint geometry that would achieve higher static strength equal or above that of the parent material, as well as complete circumferential bonding was investigated through welding a tube on different volume interface geometries of the end-caps. Higher joint efficiency was obtained from a tube-to-tube joint geometry that allowed sufficient frictional heat input at the interface. Consequently, the successful joint geometry was employed to develop a friction welding process for the joining of thin wall Zircaloy-4 tubes. The influential process parameters, axial force, rotational speed and upset distance were varied during the investigation. The completed weld joints were evaluated by visual, metallurgical and mechanical means. Successful welds showed complete circumferential bonding and high joint efficiency that was above the parent plate material as well as parent tube material. The evaluation of the microstructure showed transformation of grain structure on the heat affected zone (HAZ) and friction weld zone when compared to the parent materials. Even though, this work could not resolve inner flash formation, there is enough evidence that friction welding can be used for assembling fuel rod components in the nuclear industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
From desktop to mobile : a framework for function and content transformation
- Authors: Jurgens, Geert Dirk
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Mobile computing , Pocket computers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9752 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1429 , Mobile computing , Pocket computers
- Description: The use of mobile phones and other mobile devices are becoming widespread and almost all of these mobile devices have some sort of mobile Internet access. Due to the increase in mobile Internet usage, many websites need altering in order to become mobile compatible. Creating a mobile compatible version of a website is challenging due to formatting and capability restrictions imposed by the mobile device. Currently, one of the popular methods of creating a mobile compatible website involves the creation of a new, dedicated mobile version of the website. However, this approach can prove to be expensive, and repetitive, since a fully functional desktop version of the website often already exists. A second method involves the use of a transformation proxy to transform the traditional website into a mobile compatible version. This research develops a transformation framework that enables a web developer to create a single set of source files that can be used to render output compatible with both traditional and mobile devices. In developing this framework, capabilities and restrictions of the mobile device were examined. Furthermore, current mobile web development guidelines and best practices were discussed. This resulted in the development of a method to identify and outline areas of a traditional website for transformation into a mobile friendly format. Furthermore, a transformation engine that allowed processing of the traditional website into a mobile compatible website was developed. This transformation engine extracted the outlined areas, and rendered the extracted content, all while maintaining the website’s original functionality. The development of a prototype verified that the transformation concepts are valid, and provided for the development of guidelines and recommendations. The development of a framework to enable the web developer to create a website once, and enable it to adapt its output for mobile devices, will have a positive impact on the development of content for the mobile web.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Jurgens, Geert Dirk
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Mobile computing , Pocket computers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9752 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1429 , Mobile computing , Pocket computers
- Description: The use of mobile phones and other mobile devices are becoming widespread and almost all of these mobile devices have some sort of mobile Internet access. Due to the increase in mobile Internet usage, many websites need altering in order to become mobile compatible. Creating a mobile compatible version of a website is challenging due to formatting and capability restrictions imposed by the mobile device. Currently, one of the popular methods of creating a mobile compatible website involves the creation of a new, dedicated mobile version of the website. However, this approach can prove to be expensive, and repetitive, since a fully functional desktop version of the website often already exists. A second method involves the use of a transformation proxy to transform the traditional website into a mobile compatible version. This research develops a transformation framework that enables a web developer to create a single set of source files that can be used to render output compatible with both traditional and mobile devices. In developing this framework, capabilities and restrictions of the mobile device were examined. Furthermore, current mobile web development guidelines and best practices were discussed. This resulted in the development of a method to identify and outline areas of a traditional website for transformation into a mobile friendly format. Furthermore, a transformation engine that allowed processing of the traditional website into a mobile compatible website was developed. This transformation engine extracted the outlined areas, and rendered the extracted content, all while maintaining the website’s original functionality. The development of a prototype verified that the transformation concepts are valid, and provided for the development of guidelines and recommendations. The development of a framework to enable the web developer to create a website once, and enable it to adapt its output for mobile devices, will have a positive impact on the development of content for the mobile web.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Genetic algorithm for Artificial Neural Network training for the purpose of Automated Part Recognition
- Authors: Buys, Stefan
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008356 , Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Description: Object or part recognition is of major interest in industrial environments. Current methods implement expensive camera based solutions. There is a need for a cost effective alternative to be developed. One of the proposed methods is to overcome the hardware, camera, problem by implementing a software solution. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are to be used as the underlying intelligent software as they have high tolerance for noise and have the ability to generalize. A colleague has implemented a basic ANN based system comprising of an ANN and three cost effective laser distance sensors. However, the system is only able to identify 3 different parts and needed hard coding changes made by trial and error. This is not practical for industrial use in a production environment where there are a large quantity of different parts to be identified that change relatively regularly. The ability to easily train more parts is required. Difficulties associated with traditional mathematically guided training methods are discussed, which leads to the development of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based evolutionary training method that overcomes these difficulties and makes accurate part recognition possible. An ANN hybridised with GA training is introduced and a general solution encoding scheme which is used to encode the required ANN connection weights. Experimental tests were performed in order to determine the ideal GA performance and control parameters as studies have indicated that different GA control parameters can lead to large differences in training accuracy. After performing these tests, the training accuracy was analyzed by investigation into GA performance as well as hardware based part recognition performance. This analysis identified the ideal GA control parameters when training an ANN for the purpose of part recognition and showed that the ANN generally trained well and could generalize well on data not presented to it during training.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Buys, Stefan
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008356 , Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Description: Object or part recognition is of major interest in industrial environments. Current methods implement expensive camera based solutions. There is a need for a cost effective alternative to be developed. One of the proposed methods is to overcome the hardware, camera, problem by implementing a software solution. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are to be used as the underlying intelligent software as they have high tolerance for noise and have the ability to generalize. A colleague has implemented a basic ANN based system comprising of an ANN and three cost effective laser distance sensors. However, the system is only able to identify 3 different parts and needed hard coding changes made by trial and error. This is not practical for industrial use in a production environment where there are a large quantity of different parts to be identified that change relatively regularly. The ability to easily train more parts is required. Difficulties associated with traditional mathematically guided training methods are discussed, which leads to the development of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based evolutionary training method that overcomes these difficulties and makes accurate part recognition possible. An ANN hybridised with GA training is introduced and a general solution encoding scheme which is used to encode the required ANN connection weights. Experimental tests were performed in order to determine the ideal GA performance and control parameters as studies have indicated that different GA control parameters can lead to large differences in training accuracy. After performing these tests, the training accuracy was analyzed by investigation into GA performance as well as hardware based part recognition performance. This analysis identified the ideal GA control parameters when training an ANN for the purpose of part recognition and showed that the ANN generally trained well and could generalize well on data not presented to it during training.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Governing information security using organisational information security profiles
- Authors: Tyukala, Mkhululi
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Data protection , Computer security -- Management , Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9788 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/626 , Data protection , Computer security -- Management , Computer networks -- Security measures
- Description: The corporate scandals of the last few years have changed the face of information security and its governance. Information security has been elevated to the board of director level due to legislation and corporate governance regulations resulting from the scandals. Now boards of directors have corporate responsibility to ensure that the information assets of an organisation are secure. They are forced to embrace information security and make it part of business strategies. The new support from the board of directors gives information security weight and the voice from the top as well as the financial muscle that other business activities experience. However, as an area that is made up of specialist activities, information security may not easily be comprehended at board level like other business related activities. Yet the board of directors needs to provide oversight of information security. That is, put an information security programme in place to ensure that information is adequately protected. This raises a number of challenges. One of the challenges is how can information security be understood and well informed decisions about it be made at the board level? This dissertation provides a mechanism to present information at board level on how information security is implemented according to the vision of the board of directors. This mechanism is built upon well accepted and documented concepts of information security. The mechanism (termed An Organisational Information Security Profile or OISP) will assist organisations with the initialisation, monitoring, measuring, reporting and reviewing of information security programmes. Ultimately, the OISP will make it possible to know if the information security endeavours of the organisation are effective or not. If the information security programme is found to be ineffective, The OISP will facilitate the pointing out of areas that are ineffective and what caused the ineffectiveness. This dissertation also presents how the effectiveness or ineffctiveness of information security can be presented at board level using well known visualisation methods. Finally the contribution, limits and areas that need more investigation are provided.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Tyukala, Mkhululi
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Data protection , Computer security -- Management , Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9788 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/626 , Data protection , Computer security -- Management , Computer networks -- Security measures
- Description: The corporate scandals of the last few years have changed the face of information security and its governance. Information security has been elevated to the board of director level due to legislation and corporate governance regulations resulting from the scandals. Now boards of directors have corporate responsibility to ensure that the information assets of an organisation are secure. They are forced to embrace information security and make it part of business strategies. The new support from the board of directors gives information security weight and the voice from the top as well as the financial muscle that other business activities experience. However, as an area that is made up of specialist activities, information security may not easily be comprehended at board level like other business related activities. Yet the board of directors needs to provide oversight of information security. That is, put an information security programme in place to ensure that information is adequately protected. This raises a number of challenges. One of the challenges is how can information security be understood and well informed decisions about it be made at the board level? This dissertation provides a mechanism to present information at board level on how information security is implemented according to the vision of the board of directors. This mechanism is built upon well accepted and documented concepts of information security. The mechanism (termed An Organisational Information Security Profile or OISP) will assist organisations with the initialisation, monitoring, measuring, reporting and reviewing of information security programmes. Ultimately, the OISP will make it possible to know if the information security endeavours of the organisation are effective or not. If the information security programme is found to be ineffective, The OISP will facilitate the pointing out of areas that are ineffective and what caused the ineffectiveness. This dissertation also presents how the effectiveness or ineffctiveness of information security can be presented at board level using well known visualisation methods. Finally the contribution, limits and areas that need more investigation are provided.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Governing information security within the context of "bring your own device" in small, medium and micro enterprises
- Authors: Fani, Noluvuyo
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Data protection , Computer security -- Management , Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7626 , vital:22114
- Description: Throughout history, information has been core to the communication, processing and storage of most tasks in the organisation, in this case in Small-Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). The implementation of these tasks relies on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT is constantly evolving, and with each developed ICT, it becomes important that organisations adapt to the changing environment. Organisations need to adapt to the changing environment by incorporating innovative ICT that allows employees to perform their tasks with ease anywhere and anytime, whilst reducing the costs affiliated with the ICT. In this modern, performing tasks with ease anywhere and anytime requires that the employee is mobile whilst using the ICT. As a result, a relatively new phenomenon called “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) is currently infiltrating most organisations, where personally-owned mobile devices are used to access organisational information that will be used to conduct the various tasks of the organisation. The use of BYOD in organisations breeds the previously mentioned benefits such as performing organisational tasks anywhere and anytime. However, with the benefits highlighted for BYOD, organisations should be aware that there are risks to the implementation of BYOD. Therefore, the implementation of BYOD deems that organisations should implement BYOD with proper management thereof.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Fani, Noluvuyo
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Data protection , Computer security -- Management , Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7626 , vital:22114
- Description: Throughout history, information has been core to the communication, processing and storage of most tasks in the organisation, in this case in Small-Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). The implementation of these tasks relies on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT is constantly evolving, and with each developed ICT, it becomes important that organisations adapt to the changing environment. Organisations need to adapt to the changing environment by incorporating innovative ICT that allows employees to perform their tasks with ease anywhere and anytime, whilst reducing the costs affiliated with the ICT. In this modern, performing tasks with ease anywhere and anytime requires that the employee is mobile whilst using the ICT. As a result, a relatively new phenomenon called “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) is currently infiltrating most organisations, where personally-owned mobile devices are used to access organisational information that will be used to conduct the various tasks of the organisation. The use of BYOD in organisations breeds the previously mentioned benefits such as performing organisational tasks anywhere and anytime. However, with the benefits highlighted for BYOD, organisations should be aware that there are risks to the implementation of BYOD. Therefore, the implementation of BYOD deems that organisations should implement BYOD with proper management thereof.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Green building guidelines at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Authors: Smit, Gerrit
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Sustainable buildings , Sustainable architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , College campuses
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9697 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1010974 , Sustainable buildings , Sustainable architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , College campuses
- Description: Although much research has been conducted on the greening of universities in the international context, not many studies focus on this topic in the South African context. A literature overview also identified that there are insufficient guidelines for green buildings at South African universities. Even though the Green Star rating tool is implemented in South Africa, no set of guidelines for green buildings exits at South African universities. The development of guidelines for green buildings at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan is a challenge which needs to be investigated. From the literature overview, it was possible to develop a framework containing seventeen green building aspects which could assist in developing green building guidelines. For this study, a two stage process was used to obtain information to evaluate green building guidelines critically at South African universities. Green building guidelines, as available at South African universities, were firstly explored by conducting a content analysis of all South African university websites. The information available on South African university websites regarding green buildings was scant and only two universities, namely the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria, reported that they had a green building. Stage two in the research process involved the empirical investigation of guidelines for green buildings at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that most building guidelines were perceived as important, but difficult to implement. The building guideline that was ranked the most important was the design of buildings that required low levels of maintenance or were maintenance free. The building guideline that was ranked the easiest to implement was to save energy in general. Considering the 17 suggested aspects and the five groups identified, a proposed set of green building guidelines was developed. The data gathered in this study is important as it could be utilised by the university to develop and implement the proposed green building guidelines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Smit, Gerrit
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Sustainable buildings , Sustainable architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , College campuses
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9697 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1010974 , Sustainable buildings , Sustainable architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , College campuses
- Description: Although much research has been conducted on the greening of universities in the international context, not many studies focus on this topic in the South African context. A literature overview also identified that there are insufficient guidelines for green buildings at South African universities. Even though the Green Star rating tool is implemented in South Africa, no set of guidelines for green buildings exits at South African universities. The development of guidelines for green buildings at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan is a challenge which needs to be investigated. From the literature overview, it was possible to develop a framework containing seventeen green building aspects which could assist in developing green building guidelines. For this study, a two stage process was used to obtain information to evaluate green building guidelines critically at South African universities. Green building guidelines, as available at South African universities, were firstly explored by conducting a content analysis of all South African university websites. The information available on South African university websites regarding green buildings was scant and only two universities, namely the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria, reported that they had a green building. Stage two in the research process involved the empirical investigation of guidelines for green buildings at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that most building guidelines were perceived as important, but difficult to implement. The building guideline that was ranked the most important was the design of buildings that required low levels of maintenance or were maintenance free. The building guideline that was ranked the easiest to implement was to save energy in general. Considering the 17 suggested aspects and the five groups identified, a proposed set of green building guidelines was developed. The data gathered in this study is important as it could be utilised by the university to develop and implement the proposed green building guidelines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Green procurement for municipal construction projects
- Authors: Maboza, Luthando Sithembele
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Sustainable construction , Construction industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3165 , vital:20407
- Description: The study is a qualitative investigation of the implementation of green procurement in the construction sector at Local Government level. The focus is on the Metropolitan Municipalities of EThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay and City of Cape Town. For the purpose of realising an extended comparative perspective, an additional three smaller municipalities were also reviewed. Green procurement is the tool used by governments to source the supply of products and services that are environmentally friendly to counter the global problem of climate change. The study commences with the exposition of the aspects of green procurement from the basis of the enabling legal framework to the scholarly contribution from which the study can be predicated. It becomes apparent from this review of legislation that there is a scope within the existing body of legislation for the use of green procurement as an environmental tool. Scholarly work addresses adoption of green procurement and considers, inter alia, the Bottom-up Approach, the Top-down Approach, and the Procura + Milestones model. Literature indicates that development has a negative impact on the environment, which includes vegetation loss, illegal dumping, and greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the literature recommends green lifecycle design and production of construction projects to reduce the impact of construction on the environment. A systematic investigation of municipalities by means of interviews with relevant municipal officials involved with the procurement of products and services, infrastructure services and environmental affairs officials made it possible to identify factors that impact on the implementation of green procurement. The investigation finds that the major obstacles to green procurement are socio-economic challenges that confront municipalities, lack of policy, and lack of awareness. Recommendations include the proposal of initiatives that encourage and improve the implementation of green procurement. The study hopes to inspire innovation in the implementation of green procurement in the construction sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Maboza, Luthando Sithembele
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Sustainable construction , Construction industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3165 , vital:20407
- Description: The study is a qualitative investigation of the implementation of green procurement in the construction sector at Local Government level. The focus is on the Metropolitan Municipalities of EThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay and City of Cape Town. For the purpose of realising an extended comparative perspective, an additional three smaller municipalities were also reviewed. Green procurement is the tool used by governments to source the supply of products and services that are environmentally friendly to counter the global problem of climate change. The study commences with the exposition of the aspects of green procurement from the basis of the enabling legal framework to the scholarly contribution from which the study can be predicated. It becomes apparent from this review of legislation that there is a scope within the existing body of legislation for the use of green procurement as an environmental tool. Scholarly work addresses adoption of green procurement and considers, inter alia, the Bottom-up Approach, the Top-down Approach, and the Procura + Milestones model. Literature indicates that development has a negative impact on the environment, which includes vegetation loss, illegal dumping, and greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the literature recommends green lifecycle design and production of construction projects to reduce the impact of construction on the environment. A systematic investigation of municipalities by means of interviews with relevant municipal officials involved with the procurement of products and services, infrastructure services and environmental affairs officials made it possible to identify factors that impact on the implementation of green procurement. The investigation finds that the major obstacles to green procurement are socio-economic challenges that confront municipalities, lack of policy, and lack of awareness. Recommendations include the proposal of initiatives that encourage and improve the implementation of green procurement. The study hopes to inspire innovation in the implementation of green procurement in the construction sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Guidelines for a job role based approach for Phishing awareness in an academic Institution
- Authors: Mahonga,Sandisiwe
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Identity theft -- South Africa , Computer networks --Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55855 , vital:54394
- Description: Phishing attacks have become a perpetual threat to organisations and internet users in general. Phishing websites and emails impersonating well-known entities are launched frequently, with the intent to trick unsuspecting employees to give out sensitive information such as login details to acquire access to corporate networks. Various solutions have been developed to combat Phishing emails from reaching employees and internet users. However, security experts and Phishing attackers are in a race as Phishing attacks are also refined as solutions are developed. Thus, this raises a critical need for security awareness. Reports and Phishing studies have noted that Phishing attacks targeted towards specific job roles have been on the rise. Even though research studies and industry reports provided by organisations dedicated to information security have taken note of this phenomenon, not much guidance, recommendations or guidelines are provided on how Phishing awareness can be provided for the job roles that are most vulnerable to Phishing attacks. Therefore, the problem identified within this research is that there is a need for guidelines for a job role based approach for Phishing awareness. The primary research objective of this study, therefore, is to develop guidelines to aid towards a job role based approach for Phishing awareness. In order to meet the primary research objective, secondary research objectives were defined and met, namely; To determine the current state of Phishing trends facing organisations in relation to the job role of employees; to determine the level of Phishing awareness employees have; to identify security awareness elements from security awareness standards, best practices and frameworks; to integrate the identified security awareness elements from standards, best practices and frameworks including themes identified from the questionnaire results to formulate the proposed guidelines for a Phishing awareness approach that is relevant for the job role of employees in order to the formulate guidelines. 5 Mixed methods were used to achieve this study’s research objectives. The research methods used included a literature review which was used to define and provide an indepth discussion relating to the domain in which this study is contained, namely: Social engineering, Phishing and information security awareness and training. Furthermore, a survey which took the form of a questionnaire, was used ascertain the level of Phishing awareness amongst employees within an academic institution in South Africa. Argumentation was used to argue towards the proposed guidelines. Finally, an elite interview was conducted, in the form of a questionnaire, to evaluate the proposed guidelines. It is envisaged that the guidelines proposed for a job role Phishing awareness approach could assist organisations to equip employees in job roles that are vulnerable Phishing attacks with adequate awareness and training. , Thesis (MIT) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, School of Information and Communication Technology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Mahonga,Sandisiwe
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Identity theft -- South Africa , Computer networks --Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55855 , vital:54394
- Description: Phishing attacks have become a perpetual threat to organisations and internet users in general. Phishing websites and emails impersonating well-known entities are launched frequently, with the intent to trick unsuspecting employees to give out sensitive information such as login details to acquire access to corporate networks. Various solutions have been developed to combat Phishing emails from reaching employees and internet users. However, security experts and Phishing attackers are in a race as Phishing attacks are also refined as solutions are developed. Thus, this raises a critical need for security awareness. Reports and Phishing studies have noted that Phishing attacks targeted towards specific job roles have been on the rise. Even though research studies and industry reports provided by organisations dedicated to information security have taken note of this phenomenon, not much guidance, recommendations or guidelines are provided on how Phishing awareness can be provided for the job roles that are most vulnerable to Phishing attacks. Therefore, the problem identified within this research is that there is a need for guidelines for a job role based approach for Phishing awareness. The primary research objective of this study, therefore, is to develop guidelines to aid towards a job role based approach for Phishing awareness. In order to meet the primary research objective, secondary research objectives were defined and met, namely; To determine the current state of Phishing trends facing organisations in relation to the job role of employees; to determine the level of Phishing awareness employees have; to identify security awareness elements from security awareness standards, best practices and frameworks; to integrate the identified security awareness elements from standards, best practices and frameworks including themes identified from the questionnaire results to formulate the proposed guidelines for a Phishing awareness approach that is relevant for the job role of employees in order to the formulate guidelines. 5 Mixed methods were used to achieve this study’s research objectives. The research methods used included a literature review which was used to define and provide an indepth discussion relating to the domain in which this study is contained, namely: Social engineering, Phishing and information security awareness and training. Furthermore, a survey which took the form of a questionnaire, was used ascertain the level of Phishing awareness amongst employees within an academic institution in South Africa. Argumentation was used to argue towards the proposed guidelines. Finally, an elite interview was conducted, in the form of a questionnaire, to evaluate the proposed guidelines. It is envisaged that the guidelines proposed for a job role Phishing awareness approach could assist organisations to equip employees in job roles that are vulnerable Phishing attacks with adequate awareness and training. , Thesis (MIT) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, School of Information and Communication Technology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Guidelines for cybersecurity education campaigns
- Authors: Reid, Rayne
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Computer security Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14091 , vital:27416
- Description: In our technology- and information-infused world, cyberspace is an integral part of modern-day society. As the number of active cyberspace users increases, so too does the chances of a cyber threat finding a vulnerable target increase. All cyber users who are exposed to cyber risks need to be educated about cyber security. Human beings play a key role in the implementation and governing of an entire cybersecurity and cybersafety solution. The effectiveness of any cybersecurity and cybersafety solutions in a societal or individual context is dependent on the human beings involved in the process. If these human beings are either unaware or not knowledgeable about their roles in the security solution they become the weak link in these cybersecurity solutions. It is essential that all users be educated to combat any threats. Children are a particularly vulnerable subgroup within society. They are digital natives and make use of ICT, and online services with increasing frequency, but this does not mean they are knowledgeable about or behaving securely in their cyber activities. Children will be exposed to cyberspace throughout their lifetimes. Therefore, cybersecurity and cybersafety should be taught to children as a life-skill. There is a lack of well-known, comprehensive cybersecurity and cybersafety educational campaigns which target school children. Most existing information security and cybersecurity education campaigns limit their scope. Literature reports mainly on education campaigns focused on primary businesses, government agencies and tertiary education institutions. Additionally, most guidance for the design and implementation of security and safety campaigns: are for an organisational context, only target organisational users, and mostly provide high-level design recommendations. This thesis addressed the lack of guidance for designing and implementing cybersecurity and cybersafety educational campaigns suited to school learners as a target audience. The thesis aimed to offer guidance for designing and implementing education campaigns that educate school learners about cybersecurity and cybersafety. This was done through the implementation of an action research process over a five-year period. The action research process involved cybersecurity and cybersafety educational interventions at multiple schools. A total of 18 actionable guidelines were derived from this research to guide the design and implementation of cybersecurity and cybersafety education campaigns which aim to educate school children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Reid, Rayne
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Computer security Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14091 , vital:27416
- Description: In our technology- and information-infused world, cyberspace is an integral part of modern-day society. As the number of active cyberspace users increases, so too does the chances of a cyber threat finding a vulnerable target increase. All cyber users who are exposed to cyber risks need to be educated about cyber security. Human beings play a key role in the implementation and governing of an entire cybersecurity and cybersafety solution. The effectiveness of any cybersecurity and cybersafety solutions in a societal or individual context is dependent on the human beings involved in the process. If these human beings are either unaware or not knowledgeable about their roles in the security solution they become the weak link in these cybersecurity solutions. It is essential that all users be educated to combat any threats. Children are a particularly vulnerable subgroup within society. They are digital natives and make use of ICT, and online services with increasing frequency, but this does not mean they are knowledgeable about or behaving securely in their cyber activities. Children will be exposed to cyberspace throughout their lifetimes. Therefore, cybersecurity and cybersafety should be taught to children as a life-skill. There is a lack of well-known, comprehensive cybersecurity and cybersafety educational campaigns which target school children. Most existing information security and cybersecurity education campaigns limit their scope. Literature reports mainly on education campaigns focused on primary businesses, government agencies and tertiary education institutions. Additionally, most guidance for the design and implementation of security and safety campaigns: are for an organisational context, only target organisational users, and mostly provide high-level design recommendations. This thesis addressed the lack of guidance for designing and implementing cybersecurity and cybersafety educational campaigns suited to school learners as a target audience. The thesis aimed to offer guidance for designing and implementing education campaigns that educate school learners about cybersecurity and cybersafety. This was done through the implementation of an action research process over a five-year period. The action research process involved cybersecurity and cybersafety educational interventions at multiple schools. A total of 18 actionable guidelines were derived from this research to guide the design and implementation of cybersecurity and cybersafety education campaigns which aim to educate school children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Guidelines for secure cloud-based personal health records
- Authors: Mxoli, Ncedisa Avuya Mercia
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cloud computing -- Security measures , Computer security Data mining Medical records -- Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14134 , vital:27433
- Description: Traditionally, health records have been stored in paper folders at the physician’s consulting rooms – or at the patient’s home. Some people stored the health records of their family members, so as to keep a running history of all the medical procedures they went through, and what medications they were given by different physicians at different stages of their lives. Technology has introduced better and safer ways of storing these records, namely, through the use of Personal Health Records (PHRs). With time, different types of PHRs have emerged, i.e. local, remote server-based, and hybrid PHRs. Web-based PHRs fall under the remote server-based PHRs; and recently, a new market in storing PHRs has emerged. Cloud computing has become a trend in storing PHRs in a more accessible and efficient manner. Despite its many benefits, cloud computing has many privacy and security concerns. As a result, the adoption rate of cloud services is not yet very high. A qualitative and exploratory research design approach was followed in this study, in order to reach the objective of proposing guidelines that could assist PHR providers in selecting a secure Cloud Service Provider (CSP) to store their customers’ health data. The research methods that were used include a literature review, systematic literature review, qualitative content analysis, reasoning, argumentation and elite interviews. A systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis were conducted to examine those risks in the cloud environment that could have a negative impact on the secure storing of PHRs. PHRs must satisfy certain dimensions, in order for them to be meaningful for use. While these were highlighted in the research, it also emerged that certain risks affect the PHR dimensions directly, thus threatening the meaningfulness and usability of cloud-based PHRs. The literature review revealed that specific control measures can be adopted to mitigate the identified risks. These control measures form part of the material used in this study to identify the guidelines for secure cloud-based PHRs. The guidelines were formulated through the use of reasoning and argumentation. After the guidelines were formulated, elite interviews were conducted, in order to validate and finalize the main research output: i.e. guidelines. The results of this study may alert PHR providers to the risks that exist in the cloud environment; so that they can make informed decisions when choosing a CSP for storing their customers’ health data.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mxoli, Ncedisa Avuya Mercia
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cloud computing -- Security measures , Computer security Data mining Medical records -- Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14134 , vital:27433
- Description: Traditionally, health records have been stored in paper folders at the physician’s consulting rooms – or at the patient’s home. Some people stored the health records of their family members, so as to keep a running history of all the medical procedures they went through, and what medications they were given by different physicians at different stages of their lives. Technology has introduced better and safer ways of storing these records, namely, through the use of Personal Health Records (PHRs). With time, different types of PHRs have emerged, i.e. local, remote server-based, and hybrid PHRs. Web-based PHRs fall under the remote server-based PHRs; and recently, a new market in storing PHRs has emerged. Cloud computing has become a trend in storing PHRs in a more accessible and efficient manner. Despite its many benefits, cloud computing has many privacy and security concerns. As a result, the adoption rate of cloud services is not yet very high. A qualitative and exploratory research design approach was followed in this study, in order to reach the objective of proposing guidelines that could assist PHR providers in selecting a secure Cloud Service Provider (CSP) to store their customers’ health data. The research methods that were used include a literature review, systematic literature review, qualitative content analysis, reasoning, argumentation and elite interviews. A systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis were conducted to examine those risks in the cloud environment that could have a negative impact on the secure storing of PHRs. PHRs must satisfy certain dimensions, in order for them to be meaningful for use. While these were highlighted in the research, it also emerged that certain risks affect the PHR dimensions directly, thus threatening the meaningfulness and usability of cloud-based PHRs. The literature review revealed that specific control measures can be adopted to mitigate the identified risks. These control measures form part of the material used in this study to identify the guidelines for secure cloud-based PHRs. The guidelines were formulated through the use of reasoning and argumentation. After the guidelines were formulated, elite interviews were conducted, in order to validate and finalize the main research output: i.e. guidelines. The results of this study may alert PHR providers to the risks that exist in the cloud environment; so that they can make informed decisions when choosing a CSP for storing their customers’ health data.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Guidelines for the adaptation of the TETRA educational programme at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to address human behavioural issues
- Authors: Fouche Nico Pieter
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University -- Communication systems , Human behavior
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9801 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012248 , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University -- Communication systems , Human behavior
- Description: Information is a vitally important asset to organizations and the information should be protected to sustain the value it provides to the organization. Information is transferred via different mediums in these organizations. An example would be Terrestrial Trunked Radio or TETRA, which is utilized within organizations to provide a technically very secure form of digital radio communication. TETRA is a communications technology that is currently being successfully used throughout the world for secure, reliable and robust critical communication. TETRA is used by Public Safety and Security (PSS) and transportation sectors, amongst others. PSS includes police officers, fire marshals and emergency medical units who require protected and accurate information that could influence decisions that could make difference between life and death. The TETRA educational programme offered by the TETRA Academy at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), educates TETRA users in various aspects of the TETRA standard. TETRA is viewed as a technically very secure communication standard, as it utilizes security features such as mutual authentication, air interface encryption, end-to-end encryption, jamming detection and ambience listening, amongst other security techniques to ensure that the information traversing through the network is kept secure. The TETRA educational programme material includes many physical and technical controls to assist TETRA users in protecting information. However, to what extent does the TETRA educational programme address operational controls? Operational controls address what is often referred to as the weakest link in information security – human behavioural issues. Humans can be exploited through human manipulation attacks, which include social engineering and bribery. Therefore, this study argues towards adapting the TETRA educational programme offered at the NMMU to address these human behavioural issues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Fouche Nico Pieter
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University -- Communication systems , Human behavior
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9801 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012248 , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University -- Communication systems , Human behavior
- Description: Information is a vitally important asset to organizations and the information should be protected to sustain the value it provides to the organization. Information is transferred via different mediums in these organizations. An example would be Terrestrial Trunked Radio or TETRA, which is utilized within organizations to provide a technically very secure form of digital radio communication. TETRA is a communications technology that is currently being successfully used throughout the world for secure, reliable and robust critical communication. TETRA is used by Public Safety and Security (PSS) and transportation sectors, amongst others. PSS includes police officers, fire marshals and emergency medical units who require protected and accurate information that could influence decisions that could make difference between life and death. The TETRA educational programme offered by the TETRA Academy at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), educates TETRA users in various aspects of the TETRA standard. TETRA is viewed as a technically very secure communication standard, as it utilizes security features such as mutual authentication, air interface encryption, end-to-end encryption, jamming detection and ambience listening, amongst other security techniques to ensure that the information traversing through the network is kept secure. The TETRA educational programme material includes many physical and technical controls to assist TETRA users in protecting information. However, to what extent does the TETRA educational programme address operational controls? Operational controls address what is often referred to as the weakest link in information security – human behavioural issues. Humans can be exploited through human manipulation attacks, which include social engineering and bribery. Therefore, this study argues towards adapting the TETRA educational programme offered at the NMMU to address these human behavioural issues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Guidelines for the analysis of student web usage in support of primary educational objectives
- Authors: Von Schoultz, Dean John
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Information behavior , Searching behavior , Internet in higher education , World Wide Web , Educational technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4965 , vital:20772
- Description: The Internet and World Wide Web provides huge amounts of information to individuals with access to it. Information is an important driving factor of education and higher education has experienced massive adoption rates of information and communication technologies, and accessing the Web is not an uncommon practice within a higher educational institution. The Web provides numerous benefits and many students rely on the Web for information, communication and technical support. However, the immense amount of information available on the Web has brought about some negative side effects associated with abundant information. Whether the Web is a positive influence on students’ academic well-being within higher education is a difficult question to answer. To understand how the Web is used by students within a higher education institution is not an easy task. However, there are ways to understand the Web usage behaviour of students. Using established methods for gathering useful information from data produced by an institution, Web usage behaviours of students within a higher education institution could be analysed and presented. This dissertation presents guidance for analysing Web traffic within a higher educational institution in order to gain insight into the Web usage behaviours of students. This insight can provide educators with valuable information to bolster their decision-making capacity towards achieving their educational goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Von Schoultz, Dean John
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Information behavior , Searching behavior , Internet in higher education , World Wide Web , Educational technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4965 , vital:20772
- Description: The Internet and World Wide Web provides huge amounts of information to individuals with access to it. Information is an important driving factor of education and higher education has experienced massive adoption rates of information and communication technologies, and accessing the Web is not an uncommon practice within a higher educational institution. The Web provides numerous benefits and many students rely on the Web for information, communication and technical support. However, the immense amount of information available on the Web has brought about some negative side effects associated with abundant information. Whether the Web is a positive influence on students’ academic well-being within higher education is a difficult question to answer. To understand how the Web is used by students within a higher education institution is not an easy task. However, there are ways to understand the Web usage behaviour of students. Using established methods for gathering useful information from data produced by an institution, Web usage behaviours of students within a higher education institution could be analysed and presented. This dissertation presents guidance for analysing Web traffic within a higher educational institution in order to gain insight into the Web usage behaviours of students. This insight can provide educators with valuable information to bolster their decision-making capacity towards achieving their educational goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Guidelines for the design of a mobile phone application for deaf people
- Authors: Yeratziotis, George
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems -- Design and construction , Deaf -- Means of communication
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9750 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1007925 , Mobile communication systems -- Design and construction , Deaf -- Means of communication
- Description: Deaf people in South Africa are no longer a minority group and their needs regarding communication and interaction must therefore be taken into consideration. This demographic does not communicate and interact in the same way as hearing people, which means that any existing usability or accessibility guidelines do not apply. As a result, Deaf people do not have access to information in the same way that a hearing person does. Providing proper access to Information and Communications Technology services, which meet their particular needs, will help the hearing impaired to better integrate into society. The importance of demolishing the communication barrier between the hearing and the hearing impaired is very important. Many people assume that sign language is somehow based on oral language. However, this is not the case. Sign languages are natural visual-spatial languages, and form a contrast with spoken languages which are auditory-vocal based. Acknowledging this fact in 2008, the South African Sign Language Policy Implementation Conference together with several governmental bodies suggested that South African Sign Language should become recognized as the 12th official language of South Africa. Due to the fact that cell phone technology continues to evolve, it will remain a tool of communication upon which Deaf people heavily rely on. The cell phone fulfils a basic need for everyone, but especially for the Deaf demographic as they rely on the short message system to communicate. Deaf people are currently faced with a lack of appropriate mobile phone applications, which would allow them to communicate with hearing as well as deaf people. The primary objective of this research was therefore to make mobile technology equally accessible meaning usable to members of the Deaf demographic. The focus of the research was to investigate the communication barrier and a range of variables that can influence the deaf user’s experience. Topics such as user interface design, usability and interaction were investigated. The outcome of this research was to propose a set of guidelines that, when applied to the design of a website or to phone application accessibility, would ensure communication and interaction from a deaf user. The proposed set of guidelines was then applied to the design of the high fidelity prototype of a mobile phone application. The specific application is a messaging phone application that allows deaf users to communicate with other deaf and hearing users via short message system. A mobile phone application that allows Deaf people to send and receive messages based on the sign language alphabet. The application was named Signchat. Purpose of this was to visibly display how the guidelines were implemented in Signchat. While Signchat’s main purpose is to accommodate the needs of Deaf people, it is also a learning tool and an application that bridges the gap by allowing deaf and hearing users to communicate.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Yeratziotis, George
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems -- Design and construction , Deaf -- Means of communication
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9750 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1007925 , Mobile communication systems -- Design and construction , Deaf -- Means of communication
- Description: Deaf people in South Africa are no longer a minority group and their needs regarding communication and interaction must therefore be taken into consideration. This demographic does not communicate and interact in the same way as hearing people, which means that any existing usability or accessibility guidelines do not apply. As a result, Deaf people do not have access to information in the same way that a hearing person does. Providing proper access to Information and Communications Technology services, which meet their particular needs, will help the hearing impaired to better integrate into society. The importance of demolishing the communication barrier between the hearing and the hearing impaired is very important. Many people assume that sign language is somehow based on oral language. However, this is not the case. Sign languages are natural visual-spatial languages, and form a contrast with spoken languages which are auditory-vocal based. Acknowledging this fact in 2008, the South African Sign Language Policy Implementation Conference together with several governmental bodies suggested that South African Sign Language should become recognized as the 12th official language of South Africa. Due to the fact that cell phone technology continues to evolve, it will remain a tool of communication upon which Deaf people heavily rely on. The cell phone fulfils a basic need for everyone, but especially for the Deaf demographic as they rely on the short message system to communicate. Deaf people are currently faced with a lack of appropriate mobile phone applications, which would allow them to communicate with hearing as well as deaf people. The primary objective of this research was therefore to make mobile technology equally accessible meaning usable to members of the Deaf demographic. The focus of the research was to investigate the communication barrier and a range of variables that can influence the deaf user’s experience. Topics such as user interface design, usability and interaction were investigated. The outcome of this research was to propose a set of guidelines that, when applied to the design of a website or to phone application accessibility, would ensure communication and interaction from a deaf user. The proposed set of guidelines was then applied to the design of the high fidelity prototype of a mobile phone application. The specific application is a messaging phone application that allows deaf users to communicate with other deaf and hearing users via short message system. A mobile phone application that allows Deaf people to send and receive messages based on the sign language alphabet. The application was named Signchat. Purpose of this was to visibly display how the guidelines were implemented in Signchat. While Signchat’s main purpose is to accommodate the needs of Deaf people, it is also a learning tool and an application that bridges the gap by allowing deaf and hearing users to communicate.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Guidelines for the effective use of telemedicine in public healthcare in resource constrained settings
- Authors: Kativu, Kevin
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Telecommunication in medicine , Medical care- technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9820 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020061
- Description: On September 8 2000, world leaders gathered at the United Nations summit and resolved to help citizens in the world's poorest countries to achieve a better life by the year 2015. This resolve was outlined in the Millennium Development Goals that were subsequently published with goals 4, 5 and 6 specific to healthcare. The integration of ICT‘s in the remote delivery of services has opened new avenues from which centralised, scarce resources can be accessed remotely for the benefit of the general population. Telemedicine has made great strides in the developed world with remote populations benefiting from the improved access to healthcare. In the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, the sub-field of teleradiology has shown promise for enabling the wider delivery of specialist services. However, in resource constrained settings such as developing countries, telemedicine has had limited success and as a result, the equitable access to healthcare for remote populations remains inconceivable. This is exacerbated by the migration of healthcare professionals both domestically and internationally. The public sector has suffered the most with acute staff shortages in the public healthcare institutions, more so in rural and remote areas. This study identifies the prevailing challenges posing as barriers to the effective use of telemedicine services in the Public health sector in resource constrained settings and provides recommendations and guidelines aimed at facilitating the adoption and effective use of telemedicine. Challenges are identified from literature and from the first person accounts of specific role-players who are directly involved with telemedicine in their respective institutions. Participants are drawn from institutions offering telemedicine services within the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Challenges identified from literature are collated with those identified from the participant interviews to provide a concise list of factors that is used as input to the recommendation and guideline development process. The results thus far point to an enthusiastic environment coupled with a semi-capable infrastructure but however hampered by staff shortages and a general lack of support structures and propulsion mechanisms to adequately encourage the wider use of telemedicine. The proposed guidelines aim to address the challenges at the different role-player levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Kativu, Kevin
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Telecommunication in medicine , Medical care- technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9820 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020061
- Description: On September 8 2000, world leaders gathered at the United Nations summit and resolved to help citizens in the world's poorest countries to achieve a better life by the year 2015. This resolve was outlined in the Millennium Development Goals that were subsequently published with goals 4, 5 and 6 specific to healthcare. The integration of ICT‘s in the remote delivery of services has opened new avenues from which centralised, scarce resources can be accessed remotely for the benefit of the general population. Telemedicine has made great strides in the developed world with remote populations benefiting from the improved access to healthcare. In the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, the sub-field of teleradiology has shown promise for enabling the wider delivery of specialist services. However, in resource constrained settings such as developing countries, telemedicine has had limited success and as a result, the equitable access to healthcare for remote populations remains inconceivable. This is exacerbated by the migration of healthcare professionals both domestically and internationally. The public sector has suffered the most with acute staff shortages in the public healthcare institutions, more so in rural and remote areas. This study identifies the prevailing challenges posing as barriers to the effective use of telemedicine services in the Public health sector in resource constrained settings and provides recommendations and guidelines aimed at facilitating the adoption and effective use of telemedicine. Challenges are identified from literature and from the first person accounts of specific role-players who are directly involved with telemedicine in their respective institutions. Participants are drawn from institutions offering telemedicine services within the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Challenges identified from literature are collated with those identified from the participant interviews to provide a concise list of factors that is used as input to the recommendation and guideline development process. The results thus far point to an enthusiastic environment coupled with a semi-capable infrastructure but however hampered by staff shortages and a general lack of support structures and propulsion mechanisms to adequately encourage the wider use of telemedicine. The proposed guidelines aim to address the challenges at the different role-player levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Guidelines for the successful integration of ICT in schools in Cameroon
- Authors: Nangue, Calvain Raoul
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Education -- Data processing , Computers and children -- Cameroon
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9756 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1311 , Education -- Data processing , Computers and children -- Cameroon
- Description: ICT integration in secondary schools in Sub-Saharan Africa is still at an early stage and already faces several setbacks that may undermine the various initiatives undertaken by governments and the private sector to promote the use of computers in schools. Based on literature and other research, this may be attributed to the fact that no guidelines for proper ICT adoption in secondary schools exist; and furthermore, most integration cases were done haphazardly with no systematic approach based on the existing frameworks or tailored towards the real context in the schools concerned. The present study aimed to provide guidelines for the successful integration of ICT into schools in Cameroon. A review of some existing frameworks for ICT integrations in schools, as well as the innovative pathways that some developing countries have taken to ensure the successful integration of ICT into schools were explored through a literature review, revealing the trends and challenges of ICT integration in schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current status of ICT in schools in Cameroon being at an introductory stage was established from the available literature. This led to the use of a single case study from the Western Region of Cameroon, where four secondary schools were selected from the most advanced schools in terms of ICT integration. Participants consisting of principals, ICT co-ordinators, teachers, and students were interviewed, in order to establish the current status of ICT in each school, as well as those factors affecting or promoting the adoption of ICT. Teachers’ and students’ surveys, as well as existing documentation were used to triangulate the data gathered from interviews with school principals and ICT co-ordinators. Data were descriptively analysed – and the findings revealed that ICT is at the introductory stage of integration in the Fluck’s Model of ICT development in schools. At school level, the lack of infrastructure and an ICT adoption plan were found to be the key opposing factors to ICT integration, whereas several enablers were identified, such as the positive attitude of teachers towards ICT, the existence of a minimum recurring budget for ICT adoption through parents’ funding, as well as the continually decreasing cost of ICT infrastructure in the market. Based on the findings and experiences from successfully proven projects, a set of guidelines were derived for schools’ decision-makers. It is critical to put in place a well-structured policy for ICT in the school and to recognise all the ICT-related costs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Nangue, Calvain Raoul
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Education -- Data processing , Computers and children -- Cameroon
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9756 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1311 , Education -- Data processing , Computers and children -- Cameroon
- Description: ICT integration in secondary schools in Sub-Saharan Africa is still at an early stage and already faces several setbacks that may undermine the various initiatives undertaken by governments and the private sector to promote the use of computers in schools. Based on literature and other research, this may be attributed to the fact that no guidelines for proper ICT adoption in secondary schools exist; and furthermore, most integration cases were done haphazardly with no systematic approach based on the existing frameworks or tailored towards the real context in the schools concerned. The present study aimed to provide guidelines for the successful integration of ICT into schools in Cameroon. A review of some existing frameworks for ICT integrations in schools, as well as the innovative pathways that some developing countries have taken to ensure the successful integration of ICT into schools were explored through a literature review, revealing the trends and challenges of ICT integration in schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current status of ICT in schools in Cameroon being at an introductory stage was established from the available literature. This led to the use of a single case study from the Western Region of Cameroon, where four secondary schools were selected from the most advanced schools in terms of ICT integration. Participants consisting of principals, ICT co-ordinators, teachers, and students were interviewed, in order to establish the current status of ICT in each school, as well as those factors affecting or promoting the adoption of ICT. Teachers’ and students’ surveys, as well as existing documentation were used to triangulate the data gathered from interviews with school principals and ICT co-ordinators. Data were descriptively analysed – and the findings revealed that ICT is at the introductory stage of integration in the Fluck’s Model of ICT development in schools. At school level, the lack of infrastructure and an ICT adoption plan were found to be the key opposing factors to ICT integration, whereas several enablers were identified, such as the positive attitude of teachers towards ICT, the existence of a minimum recurring budget for ICT adoption through parents’ funding, as well as the continually decreasing cost of ICT infrastructure in the market. Based on the findings and experiences from successfully proven projects, a set of guidelines were derived for schools’ decision-makers. It is critical to put in place a well-structured policy for ICT in the school and to recognise all the ICT-related costs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011