209399498
The BUCKY Object-Relational Benchmark (Experience Paper).
2984369
BigSur: A System For the Management of Earth Science Data
In this paper we present a prototype system for the management of earth science data which is novel in that it takes a DBMS centric view of the the task. Our prototype -called "BigSur" -is shown in the context of its use by two geographically distributed scientific groups with demanding data storage and processing requirements. BigSur currently stores 1 Terabyte of data, about one thousandth of the volume EOSDIS must store. We claim that the design principles embodied in BigSur provide sufficient flexibility to achieve the difficult scientific and technical objectives of Mission to Planet Earth.
12789110
Interoperability, Distributed Applications and Distributed Databases: The Virtual Table Interface
Users of distributed databases and of distributed application frameworks require interoperation of heterogeneous data and components, respectively. In this paper, we examine how an extensible, objectrelational database system can integrate both modes of interoperability. We describe the Virtual Table Interface, a facility of the INFORMIX-Dynamic Server Universal Data Option, that provides simplified access to heterogeneous components and discuss the benefits of integrating data with application components.
31883432
Implicit Fitness Functions for Evolving a Drawing Robot
We describe an approach to artificially evolving a drawing robot using implicit fitness functions, which are designed to minimise any direct reference to the line patterns made by the robot. We employ this approach to reduce the constraints we place on the robot's autonomy and increase its utility as a test bed for synthetically investigating creativity. We demonstrate the critical role of neural network architecture in the line patterns generated by the robot.
208943256
Programming Apache Axis
739681
BHUNT: Automatic Discovery of Fuzzy Algebraic Constraints in Relational Data
We present the BHUNT scheme for automatically discovering algebraic constraints between pairs of columns in relational data. The constraints may be "fuzzy" in that they hold for most, but not all, of the records, and the columns may be in the same table or different tables. Such constraints are of interest in the context of both data mining and query optimization, and the BHUNT methodology can potentially be adapted to discover fuzzy functional dependencies and other useful relationships. BHUNT first identifies candidate sets of column value pairs that are likely to satisfy an algebraic constraint. This discovery process exploits both system catalog information and data samples, and employs pruning heuristics to control processing costs. For each candidate, BHUNT constructs algebraic constraints by applying statistical histogramming, segmentation, or clustering techniques to samples of column values. Using results from the theory of tolerance intervals, the sample sizes can be chosen to control the number of "exception" records that fail to satisfy the discovered constraints. In query-optimization mode, BHUNT can automatically partition the data into normal and exception records. During subsequent query processing, queries can be modified to incorporate the constraints; the optimizer uses the constraints to identify new, more efficient access paths. The results are then combined with the results of executing the original query against the (small) set of exception records. Experiments on a very large database using a prototype implementation of BHUNT show reductions in table accesses of up to two orders of magnitude, leading to speedups in query processing by up to a factor of 6.8.
2503385
Fix my street or else: using the internet to voice local public service concerns
UK local governments have invested heavily in ICT in recent years to improve public service delivery. Most local governments now operate contact centres and websites to exchange information and transactions with citizens. But the aspirations of central government go much further - to service "transformation" - and the expectation that citizens and communities will be actively engaged in service design and delivery. In parallel with this new political agenda, technological developments are enabling users to create their own online fora, and to generate their own content. These fora often address public service areas, such as healthcare, crime and education. This paper presents an evaluation of one of the first citizen-driven systems for local public service improvement in the UK: FixMyStreet.com (FMS). The system enables citizens to report, view or discuss local problems such as graffiti, fly tipping, broken paving slabs or street lighting, and to track their resolution by the local government concerned. The system went live in February 2007. FMS has attracted over 3000 problem reports and updates in its first six months, and is viewed very favourably by the citizens surveyed here. But many problems reported to the site remain "unfixed" with status "unknown". Local government officers voice a number of concerns: the site duplicates their own websites; they cannot report fixes directly to ensure the information is up-to-date; nor can they manage user expectations regarding service performance. And the site has no "sense of virtual community" (SOVC) [1], with individuals posting in isolation without the support of fellow citizens to amplify their voices or to contribute to problem resolution. The paper concludes by combining the concept of SOVC, factors identified as encouraging growth in online communities, and the example of a successful London community website, BRAIN, to suggest possible future developments for FMS and for public service fora in general.
17228561
DAMIA - A Data Mashup Fabric for Intranet Applications
Damia is a lightweight enterprise data integration service where line of business users can create and catalog high value data feeds for consumption by situational applications. Damia is inspired by the Web 2.0 mashup phenomenon. It consists of (1) a browser-based user-interface that allows for the specification of data mashups as data flowfgraphs using a set of operators, (2) a server with an execution engine, as well as (3) APIs for searching, debugging, executing and managing mashups. Damia offers a framework and functionality for dynamic entity resolution, streaming and other higher value features particularly important in the enterprise domain. Damia is currently in perpetual beta in the IBM Intranet. 
 
In this demonstration, we showcase the creation and execution of several enterprise data mashups, thereby illustrating the architecture and features of the overall Damia system.