Search results
1 – 10 of over 33000Adekunle Sabitu Oyegoke, Saheed Ajayi, Muhammad Azeem Abbas and Stephen Ogunlana
The lack of a proper register to store, match and display information on the adapted property has led to a waste of resources and prolonged delays in matching the disabled and…
Abstract
Purpose
The lack of a proper register to store, match and display information on the adapted property has led to a waste of resources and prolonged delays in matching the disabled and elderly people with appropriate properties. This paper presents the development of a Housing Adaptations Register with user-matching functionalities for different mobility categories. The developed system accurately captures and documents adapted home information to facilitate the automated matching of disabled/aged applicants needing an adapted home with suitable property using banding, mobility and suitability index.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical review was conducted to identify parameters and develop adaptations register construct. A survey questionnaire approach to rate the 111 parameters in the register as either moderate, desirable or essential before system development and application. The system development relied on DSS modelling to support data-driven decision-making based on the decision table method to represent property information for implementing the decision process. The system is validated through a workshop, four brainstorming sessions and three focus group exercises.
Findings
Development of a choice-based system that enables the housing officers or the Housing Adaptations Register coordinators to know the level of adaptation to properties and match properties quickly with the applicants based on their mobility status. The merits of the automated system include the development of a register to capture in real-time adapted home information to facilitate the automated matching of disabled/aged applicants. A “choice-based” system that can map and suggest a property that can easily be adapted and upgraded from one mobility band to the other.
Practical implications
The development of a housing adaptation register helps social housing landlords to have a real-time register to match, map and upgrade properties for the most vulnerable people in our society. It saves time and money for the housing associations and the local authorities through stable tenancy for adapted homes. Potentially, it will promote the independence of aged and disabled people and can reduce their dependence on social and healthcare services.
Originality/value
This system provides the local authorities with objective and practical tools that may be used to assess, score, prioritise and select qualified people for appropriate accommodation based on their needs and mobility status. It will provide a record of properties adapted with their features and ensure that matching and eligibility decisions are consistent and uniform.
Details
Keywords
Bruno C.N. Oliveira, Alexis Huf, Ivan Luiz Salvadori and Frank Siqueira
This paper describes a software architecture that automatically adds semantic capabilities to data services. The proposed architecture, called OntoGenesis, is able to semantically…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes a software architecture that automatically adds semantic capabilities to data services. The proposed architecture, called OntoGenesis, is able to semantically enrich data services, so that they can dynamically provide both semantic descriptions and data representations.
Design/methodology/approach
The enrichment approach is designed to intercept the requests from data services. Therefore, a domain ontology is constructed and evolved in accordance with the syntactic representations provided by such services in order to define the data concepts. In addition, a property matching mechanism is proposed to exploit the potential data intersection observed in data service representations and external data sources so as to enhance the domain ontology with new equivalences triples. Finally, the enrichment approach is capable of deriving on demand a semantic description and data representations that link to the domain ontology concepts.
Findings
Experiments were performed using real-world datasets, such as DBpedia, GeoNames as well as open government data. The obtained results show the applicability of the proposed architecture and that it can boost the development of semantic data services. Moreover, the matching approach achieved better performance when compared with other existing approaches found in the literature.
Research limitations/implications
This work only considers services designed as data providers, i.e., services that provide an interface for accessing data sources. In addition, our approach assumes that both data services and external sources – used to enhance the domain ontology – have some potential of data intersection. Such assumption only requires that services and external sources share particular property values.
Originality/value
Unlike most of the approaches found in the literature, the architecture proposed in this paper is meant to semantically enrich data services in such way that human intervention is minimal. Furthermore, an automata-based index is also presented as a novel method that significantly improves the performance of the property matching mechanism.
Details
Keywords
Philip Booth and George Matysiak
Looks at the role of property in pensions funds pre and post minimum funding requirement (MFR). Suggests that while property has a role as a matching asset in pension funds, this…
Abstract
Looks at the role of property in pensions funds pre and post minimum funding requirement (MFR). Suggests that while property has a role as a matching asset in pension funds, this role has declined in recent years. This is partly because of poor performance but also because other asset categories can perform the role that property has played. The introduction of the MFR may make property still less attractive to pension funds because of the equity/gilt valuation benchmark. However, we expect any effect in the short term to be limited.
Details
Keywords
M. CAYROL, H. FARRENY and H. PRADE
Pattern‐directed inference systems (P.D.I.S.) are among the most largely used tools in A.I. to‐day in order to represent and exploit knowledge. Generally, P.D.I.S.'s use…
Abstract
Pattern‐directed inference systems (P.D.I.S.) are among the most largely used tools in A.I. to‐day in order to represent and exploit knowledge. Generally, P.D.I.S.'s use production rules triggered by matching between rule patterns and elements of the data base. However, the lack of flexibility in the matching remains a drawback in this kind of system. In the framework of the communication in natural language with robots, approximate descriptions of real world situations and approximately specified rules are needed; furthermore, similarity in the matching process does not always need to be perfect. Thus, the pervading fuzziness of natural language can be taken into account. The following levels, belonging to the real interval [0,1], are evaluated: The possibility of similarity between referents designated in the data and in the pattern respectively; the necessity that a referent designated in the data is similar to a referent designated in the pattern. Designations are fuzzy when the pattern or the data are fuzzy, which is usual with words of a natural language.
Jingshan Huang, Jiangbo Dang, Michael N. Huhns and Yongzhen Shao
The purpose of this paper is to present ontology alignment as a basis for mobile service integration and invocation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present ontology alignment as a basis for mobile service integration and invocation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents an automated schema‐based approach to align the ontologies from interacting devices as a basis for mobile service invocation. When the ontologies are ambiguous about the services provided, compatibility vectors are introduced as a means of maintaining ontology quality and deciding which service to choose to reduce the ambiguity.
Findings
Both precision and recall measurements are applied in the evaluation of the alignment approach, with promising results. In addition, for the compatibility vector system, it is not only proved theoretically that the approach is both precise and efficient, but it also shows promising results experimentally.
Originality/value
In cases where sufficient resources are not available and only a certain number of mobile devices can be chosen for interaction, this approach increases the efficiency by choosing suitable mobile device(s).
Research limitations/implications
This current approach makes use of a center ontology, but introduces the problem of how to handle the vulnerability issue inherent in this centralized solution. To analyze and solve this problem is a potential research direction.
Details
Keywords
Jeffrey G. Robert and Velma Zahirovic-Herbert
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the parcel-level impacts of the zoning change.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the parcel-level impacts of the zoning change.
Design/methodology/approach
Using hedonic regression and propensity score matching econometric techniques, this paper analyses single-family housing prices within Fulton County Georgia. This paper combines data on the parcel-level zoning changes with nearby housing sales transactions to study the potential externality effects because of rezoning induced by private parties.
Findings
The paper finds evidence of heterogeneous rezoning effects, depending upon the type of rezoning conducted. At a distance within 0.75 miles, housing prices appreciate by 8.31% when nearby privately initiated rezoning maintains the residential character of a neighbourhood. However, housing prices decline by 21.26% when residential housing zones are converted to non-residential housing zones. The negative influences of rezoning residential use to non-residential uses decline as distance increases.
Originality/value
The analysis provides quantitative information on the impact of rezoning on residential property prices. Planning officials and developers can use these results to assuage homeowner fears of potential negative housing price effects associated with rezoning.
Details
Keywords
Neil Crosby, Steven Devaney and Vicki Law
The paper addresses the practical problems which emerge when attempting to apply longitudinal approaches to the assessment of property depreciation using valuation‐based data…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper addresses the practical problems which emerge when attempting to apply longitudinal approaches to the assessment of property depreciation using valuation‐based data. These problems relate to inconsistent valuation regimes and the difficulties in finding appropriate benchmarks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a case study of seven major office locations around Europe and attempts to determine ten‐year rental value depreciation rates based on a longitudinal approach using IPD, CBRE and BNP Paribas datasets.
Findings
The depreciation rates range from a 5 per cent PA depreciation rate in Frankfurt to a 2 per cent appreciation rate in Stockholm. The results are discussed in the context of the difficulties in applying this method with inconsistent data.
Research limitations/implications
The paper has methodological implications for measuring property investment depreciation and provides an example of the problems in adopting theoretically sound approaches with inconsistent information.
Practical implications
Valuations play an important role in performance measurement and cross border investment decision making and, therefore, knowledge of inconsistency of valuation practice aids decision making and informs any application of valuation‐based data in the attainment of depreciation rates.
Originality/value
The paper provides new insights into the use of property market valuation data in a cross‐border context, insights that previously had been anecdotal and unproven in nature.
Details
Keywords
Morteza Mohammadi Ostani, Jafar Ebadollah Amoughin and Mohadeseh Jalili Manaf
This study aims to adjust Thesis-type properties on Schema.org using metadata models and standards (MS) (Bibframe, electronic thesis and dissertations [ETD]-MS, Common European…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to adjust Thesis-type properties on Schema.org using metadata models and standards (MS) (Bibframe, electronic thesis and dissertations [ETD]-MS, Common European Research Information Format [CERIF] and Dublin Core [DC]) to enrich the Thesis-type properties for better description and processing on the Web.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is applied, descriptive analysis in nature and is based on content analysis in terms of method. The research population consisted of elements and attributes of the metadata model and standards (Bibframe, ETD-MS, CERIF and DC) and Thesis-type properties in the Schema.org. The data collection tool was a researcher-made checklist, and the data collection method was structured observation.
Findings
The results show that the 65 Thesis-type properties and the two levels of Thing and CreativeWork as its parents on Schema.org that corresponds to the elements and attributes of related models and standards. In addition, 12 properties are special to the Thesis type for better comprehensive description and processing, and 27 properties are added to the CreativeWork type.
Practical implications
Enrichment and expansion of Thesis-type properties on Schema.org is one of the practical applications of the present study, which have enabled more comprehensive description and processing and increased access points and visibility for ETDs in the environment Web and digital libraries.
Originality/value
This study has offered some new Thesis type properties and CreativeWork levels on Schema.org. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time this issue is investigated.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to examine the estate agency sector as a case study of an industry sector in which the internet business model has evolved from experimental dot.com towards the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the estate agency sector as a case study of an industry sector in which the internet business model has evolved from experimental dot.com towards the integrated use of the internet to enhance service delivery.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected by visiting a range of property related sites, including property portals and the sites of individual estate agents. The focus is on UK property sites, but some comparisons are made with US sites. The services offered by property portals are discussed and used to illustrate the potential role of the internet in estate agency.
Findings
Portals provide content in the form of information, advice and news, links to other businesses including individual estate agency chains, search facilities, and opportunities for registration which support personalisation of communication with customers. Individual estate agency chains generally have less developed, but adequate, web sites. The sector is described as having evolved through the three stages of experimentation, promotion, customer service, and, for the future, the final stage of optimal integration of the internet into business functions is on the horizon.
Originality/value
Building on an earlier model of the strategic development of e‐business, a four‐stage model of the evolution of internet estate agency is proposed, which includes experimentation, promotion, customer service, and integration. Research and development agendas associated with this final stage, integration, are identified.
Details