Search results

1 – 10 of over 37000
Book part
Publication date: 24 September 2018

Deborah Lupton and Gavin J. D. Smith

In this chapter, we draw on our study involving interviews with Australians who identify as current self-trackers to discuss why and how they monitor themselves. Our approach for…

Abstract

In this chapter, we draw on our study involving interviews with Australians who identify as current self-trackers to discuss why and how they monitor themselves. Our approach for analysing self-tracking practices is based on a sociomaterial perspective, viewing enactments of voluntary self-tracking as shifting heterogeneous assemblages, bringing together diverse actors who are both human and non-human. We use vignettes to illustrate the ways in which our participants enacted self-tracking and to identify some of the diverse meanings and motivations that mediate decisions to self-track and resultant uses of the information thus generated. We found that a varied range of self-tracking practices were taken up by our interviewees, including not only digital devices and methods, but also recording their details using pen-and-paper, or simply maintaining mental awareness and using memory. We identified several agential capacities in our participants’ accounts of why and how they monitor themselves. These capacities are interrelated, but can be loosely grouped under the headings of ‘self-improvement’, ‘exerting control’ and ‘identifying patterns and achieving goals’. They are motivators and facilitators of monitoring practices. The broader sociocultural contexts in which monitoring of the body/self is undertaken were also revealed in the participants’ accounts. These include ideas about the moral virtues of self-responsibility and the individual management of life circumstances to avoid chaos and risk, and the notion that monitoring practices can successfully achieve these virtues.

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2019

Xixing Li, Baigang Du, Yibing Li and Kejia Zhuang

In practical workshop production process, there are many production emergencies, e.g. new manufacturing tasks, facilities failure and tasks change. On one hand, it results in poor…

Abstract

Purpose

In practical workshop production process, there are many production emergencies, e.g. new manufacturing tasks, facilities failure and tasks change. On one hand, it results in poor timeliness and reliability of real-time production data collection, acquisition and transmission; on the other hand, it increases the difficulty of real-time data tracking and monitoring. This paper aims to develop a novel RFID-based tracking and monitoring approach of real-time data in production workshop (TMrfid) to solve them.

Design/methodology/approach

At first, a three-layer model of real-time data based on RFID has been constructed, which contains RFID-based integrated acquisition center; “RFID & Cloud-service-rules”-based calculation and analysis center; and “RFID & Ontology-knowledge-base”-based monitoring and scheduling center. Then, a targeted analysis and evaluation method of TMrfid with feasibility, quality and performance has been proposed. Finally, a prototype platform of a textile machinery manufacturing enterprise has been built to verify the effective of TMrfid.

Findings

The effectiveness of TMrfid is verified by applying two groups of actual experimental data from the case enterprise, the results show that TMrfid can promote the efficiency, reliability and feasibility of tacking and monitoring of real-time data in production workshop.

Originality/value

RFID-based tracking and monitoring approach of real-time data in production workshop has been developed to solve the data information transmission and sharing problem. Three analysis and evaluation approaches have been introduced to solve the un-standardized evaluation problem of RFID application. A prototype platform of a textile machinery manufacturing enterprise has been constructed.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 39 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 September 2018

Ruwini Edirisinghe

The future construction site will be pervasive, context aware and embedded with intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to explore and define the concept of the digital skin of…

22958

Abstract

Purpose

The future construction site will be pervasive, context aware and embedded with intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to explore and define the concept of the digital skin of the future smart construction site.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a systematic and hierarchical classification of 114 articles from both industry and academia on the digital skin concept and evaluates them. The hierarchical classification is based on application areas relevant to construction, such as augmented reality, building information model-based visualisation, labour tracking, supply chain tracking, safety management, mobile equipment tracking and schedule and progress monitoring. Evaluations of the research papers were conducted based on three pillars: validation of technological feasibility, onsite application and user acceptance testing.

Findings

Technologies learned about in the literature review enabled the envisaging of the pervasive construction site of the future. The paper presents scenarios for the future context-aware construction site, including the construction worker, construction procurement management and future real-time safety management systems.

Originality/value

Based on the gaps identified by the review in the body of knowledge and on a broader analysis of technology diffusion, the paper highlights the research challenges to be overcome in the advent of digital skin. The paper recommends that researchers follow a coherent process for smart technology design, development and implementation in order to achieve this vision for the construction industry.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Abstract

Details

The Politics and Possibilities of Self-Tracking Technology
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-338-0

Article
Publication date: 27 May 2014

Nawaf Alharbe and Anthony S. Atkins

This paper aims to outline the results of a study of the potential use of sensor technology such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and/or ZigBee technology in providing…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to outline the results of a study of the potential use of sensor technology such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and/or ZigBee technology in providing real-time tracking and tracing of patients and equipment in hospitals. The government of Saudi Arabia has given high priority to providing the best practice in patients’ care. However, the growing requirement of the healthcare industry to obtain real-time information and data from various applications that can improve the performance and accuracy of management systems has not been addressed seriously in Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

ZigBee and RFID are both emerging technologies and have become important topics in recent years. RFID technology is a non-contact identification technology that does not require direct eyesight to the target object. It is cheap and reliable, but its coverage zone is limited. ZigBee is another communication technology, which has a larger coverage and can also be used as an automatic identification technology with the benefits of lower power consumption.

Findings

This paper proposes a smart hospital management system that can be used to detect, locate and monitor patients and track assets and equipment using modern sensor technologies in a real-time environment for e-health systems in Saudi Arabia.

Originality/value

A novel management information system/knowledge management system framework based on sensor technologies for supporting and speeding up development of healthcare systems.

Details

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-7371

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2021

Gursans Guven and Esin Ergen

The purpose of this study is to monitor the progress of construction activities in an automated way by using sensor-based technologies for tracking multiple resources that are…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to monitor the progress of construction activities in an automated way by using sensor-based technologies for tracking multiple resources that are used in building construction.

Design/methodology/approach

An automated on-site progress monitoring approach was proposed and a proof-of-concept prototype was developed, followed by a field experimentation study at a high-rise building construction site. The developed approach was used to integrate sensor data collected from multiple resources used in different steps of an activity. It incorporated the domain-specific heuristics that were related to the site layout conditions and method of activity.

Findings

The prototype estimated the overall progress with 95% accuracy. More accurate and up-to-date progress measurement was achieved compared to the manual approach, and the need for visual inspections and manual data collection from the field was eliminated. Overall, the field experiments demonstrated that low-cost implementation is possible, if readily available or embedded sensors on equipment are used.

Originality/value

Previous studies either monitored one particular piece of equipment or the developed approaches were only applicable to limited activity types. This study demonstrated that it is technically feasible to determine progress at the site by fusing sensor data that are collected from multiple resources during the construction of building superstructure. The rule-based reasoning algorithms, which were developed based on a typical work practice of cranes and hoists, can be adapted to other activities that involve transferring bulk materials and use cranes and/or hoists for material handling.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Household Self-Tracking during a Global Health Crisis
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-915-3

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Heng Luo, Minjie Zhu, Sengang Ye, Hanping Hou, Yong Chen and Larissa Bulysheva

Monitoring the real-time temperature, humidity, and physical position status of goods is vital in the cold chain. Diverse logistics technologies and systems have been adopted in…

3268

Abstract

Purpose

Monitoring the real-time temperature, humidity, and physical position status of goods is vital in the cold chain. Diverse logistics technologies and systems have been adopted in the cold chain for monitoring perishable goods. However, these technologies and systems are independent from each other. Data and information in them are not integrated so that information control is not effective. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

By integrating Internet of Things and tracking technologies, this paper proposes an intelligent tracking system, which is designed to achieve effective and fast live monitoring of goods in the cold chain at the lowest cost and with the largest network capacity and simplest protocols.

Findings

Structure and information platform design mechanism are introduced. The key part of this system is a wireless sensor network built on Zigbee. Wireless sensors located in cold storages or refrigerated trucks are able to collect and transmit live data quickly and efficiently.

Originality/value

Users of the proposed system can easily monitor goods transported in cold chains. In addition, the system assigns specific servers to save historical data for inquiries.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 September 2014

Boyang Zhang and Marita Vos

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the aims, monitoring methods and challenges of social media monitoring from the perspective of international companies. Trends in the…

7549

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the aims, monitoring methods and challenges of social media monitoring from the perspective of international companies. Trends in the literature are also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a systematic literature review, 30 key articles from 2008 to 2012 were further analysed.

Findings

International companies need real-time monitoring software, expertise and dynamic visualization to facilitate early detection and prognoses supporting strategy making. This is a costly affair, prompting questions about return on investment. A recent trend in the research literature concerns the development of models describing how issues spread in social media with the aim of facilitating prognoses.

Research limitations/implications

The online databases used comprised refereed peer-reviewed scientific articles. Books were not included in the search process.

Practical implications

Because information spreads fast in social media and affects international companies, they need to identify issues early, in order to monitor and predict their growth. This paper discusses the difficulties posed by this objective.

Originality/value

Social media monitoring is a young research area and research on the topic has been conducted from many different perspectives. Therefore, this paper brings together current insights geared towards corporate communication by international companies.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2016

Nawaf Alharbe and Anthony S. Atkins

Expert knowledge is an important organisational resource, and organisations need to retain the knowledge learned by experience, which can be shared as part of inter-professional…

Abstract

Purpose

Expert knowledge is an important organisational resource, and organisations need to retain the knowledge learned by experience, which can be shared as part of inter-professional learning. In a healthcare context, radio-frequency identification (RFID) and ZigBee technologies can be used together, to provide real-time information for decision support and to create a secure and reliable smart hospital management information system (SHMIS) that allows the dynamic control of objects and transforms operational processes, while minimising any potential risks to patients and staff. Currently, the RFID technology in Saudi Arabia is being solely used for the monitoring of newborn infants, and some difficulties have been encountered during the different stages of tagging and monitoring. The current system in Medina Maternity and Children’s Hospital (MMCH) uses battery-powered active RFID tags, which are expensive and require routine maintenance. This study aims to discuss the way in which the MMCH in Medina, Saudi Arabia, could be transformed into an SHMIS.

Design/methodology/approach

The extraordinary growth of RFID and ZigBee technologies has made it possible to identify, locate and track objects in various environments in real time. The RFID technology is a non-contact identification technology that is cheap and reliable but has limited range in the case of passive tags. ZigBee has greater range and lower power consumption, giving more precise location of the object’s movements (0.6 m). Passive RFID when combined with ZigBee technology can be used to improve services provided by healthcare organisations through continuous data collection and supporting real-time decision-making, by applying expert knowledge of domain experts to data produced by communication from electronic and sensor technologies.

Findings

A prototype object-tracking system using RFID and ZigBee was developed to support the knowledge transformation for knowledge reasoning for decision support (KRDS), and the outcome of this research was validated with domain experts in hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Two feasibility case studies were conducted at MMCH in Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the proposed system. A survey was also conducted to address the requirements at MMCH, and the researcher adopted a range of strategy techniques, including interviews and meetings with staff, and the setting up of communities of practise (CoPs) at the target hospital.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has investigated the transformation process of an automatic healthcare tracking and monitoring systems for the purpose of developing a smart system in Saudi hospitals. For the scope of the project, the prototype implementation was restricted to a laboratory environment, to demonstrate the proposed proof of concept. The next phase will include conducting a scale up of the system, with implementation and testing done in a real hospital environment.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a prototype application of an (SHMIS that allows the dynamic control of objects and transforms operational processes, while minimising any potential risks to patients and staff.

Details

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-7371

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 37000