However, both in everyday use and in the usage of the word ... majority of people use it for their needs. .... Late nineties saw the introduction of Aldus PageMaker.
53 Knowledge Management: Digital Context Mr. NagarkarAtul Ramdas Dr. Khot Namita B. Abstract Data, information, knowledge and wisdom are products of the mind that are acquired and perfected. They are not of equal value in terms of utility and application. Rather, they are evaluated in an ascending scale of values, data having the least value, wisdom the greatest. These concepts in their totality constitute valuable human intellectual assets and hence, serve as the most precious human capital in all developmental processes. Digital Data has a vital role in this modern age, and data privacy and protection are important. Council of Europe celebrates 28 January as ‘Data Protection Day’. [1] Knowledge comprises a large number of fields and sub-fields, known as subjects, which interlock and interlink. This paper focuses on knowledge management with a digital perspective. It defines the concept of knowledge, digital information. Today information and knowledge are increasing rapidly, so efforts for knowledge management are mandatory. This paper highlights binary coding, binary numbers and digital text.The paper mainly discusses the concept of database management system (DBMS), digital repository, optical character recognition (OCR), Cloud Computing, E-Publishing, and Consortia. The paper would be useful for managing digital content for the fulfilment of various needs of the users. Keywords:Knowledge Management, Digital Repository, DBMS – Database Management, OCR- Optical Character Recognition,Cloud Computing, Consortia.
Introduction Data, information, knowledge and wisdom are products of the mind that are acquired and perfected. They are not of equal value in terms of utility and application.Information is news, facts, statistics, reports of contemporary events and activities, legislation, tax-codes, judicial decisions and the like. Knowledge is interpretation in context, exegesis (critical explanations and interpretations, especially of scriptures), relatedness, conceptualisation and forms of argument. The results of knowledge are theories - the effort to establish relevant relationships or connections between facts, data and other information in some coherent form and to explain the reasons for these generalisations. However, both in everyday use and in the usage of the word among specialists, knowledge is universally regarded as a much wider concept than information or data. Knowledge is a summation of many bits of information or data, organised into some sort of a coherent entity. Comprehension and understanding result from the acquisition of information. Knowledge has always been the prime source through which human societies have advanced materially and elevated themselves spiritually. The universe of knowledge is infinite, dynamic and continuously expanding. The structure of a subject is never complete or closed; every aspect of it remains always open, offering new problems for further study and research. Knowledge is also seen as personal and public knowledge, as tacit/implicit and explicit knowledge. Popper sees knowledge as three world’s viz., physical, subjective and objective knowledge; although these three worlds are independent, they also interact. As humans living on earth, we are part and parcel of the physical world, dependent for our continued existence on heat and light from the sun, oxygen from the air, carbon-dioxide being absorbed by plants, fresh water from springs, carbohydrates and proteins from our food and so on. Through our mind and intellect and other sense faculties, humans observe everything in their environment and make our own subjective understandings. In this modern world human thought, ideas Libra ria n, Doodhsak harMahavidya laya, BidriDept. Library & Information Science, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India
and experiences are recorded in the form of print and non-print media which are the stock in trade for all libraries and information centres. Information may be available in electronic form using analogue or digital technology. For example, in a conventional audio cassette, information is recorded using analogue technology whereas on a CD-ROM information is recorded using digital technology. Information which is available in digital form, represented by ones and zeros, is called digital information. It is very important to manage digital information in a proper way. Knowledge Definition According to Daniel Bell, “Knowledge is an organised set of statements of ideas, presenting a reasoned judgment or an experimental result which is transmitted to others through some communication medium in a systematic form.” Working definition of knowledge Knowledge is a highly organised intellectual product of humans that includes personal experiences, skills, understanding of the different contexts in which we operate our activities, assimilation of all these and recording all this in a form that could be communicated to others. This communication of recorded experiences, data, information, etc. makes for further growth.[2] Digital Information Digital information is central to our daily activities these days. Much information is available on various websites and majority of people use it for their needs. Advances in computer and communication technologies have brought about representation, recording and communication of information in electronic form.Digital information is created and managed by using three digital technologies: digital computer, digital communication and digital storage technology. In addition, there are end devices that acquire information in digital form.
270 Examples of such devices are digital voltmeters, digital telephones and digital facsimile. Digital information is capable of being stored inside a computer,processed by a computer and transmitted over a digital communication system. A large volume of information in this universe is in non-electronic or in analogue form. This information needs to be digitised before it can be handled by digital technologies. For example, printed information may be digitised and stored inside a computer using a scanner or a digital camera that is attached to the computer. The computer controls these devices, and acquires and stores the digital images produced by them. Alternatively, digital information may be created directly on the computer by entering information via the keyboard or other input devices like mouse. For example, this report is prepared directly on the computer by inputting text using the keyboard and making drawings using the mouse. Thus, we may say that digital information is created either directly on a computer or from other sources with the help of a computer. Examples of digital information include e-mail messages, computerised files, digital books, e-news, textual databases, on-line journals and encyclopaedias on CD-ROMs. Binary Coding The underlying idea in information representation is that we form strings of two symbols to any desired length and preassign a meaning to these strings. This is called coding i.e., we are coding known information as binary strings. Then, a sequence of strings may represent a meaningful message. For example, consider the following strings with their pre-assigned meanings: 0001 A 0011 C 0000 P 0100 T We have listed four strings above. In each string, there are four binary digits. A binary digit is called a bit. Therefore, we say that each string has 4 bits. If a sequence is transmitted comprising bit strings 2, 1 and 4 in that order, i.e. 00110001 0100, then the information conveyed is the word CAT. Similarly, the sequence of strings 2, 1 and 3 conveys CAP, the sequence 1, 2 and 4, ACT and the sequence 3, 1, 2 and 4, PACT. Binary Numbers It is important how we represent numbers using binary digits (bits). We use a place value concept while representing numbers in the decimal system. For example, the number 5657 has a value equal to 5 ´ 103 + 6 ´ 102 + 5 ´ 101 + 7 ´ 100 = 5000 + 600 + 50 + 7 = 5657 Each place in a number is assigned a value that is a power of ten and the digit in the place is multiplied by that value. If we identify the place of the digits starting from the right, then we have 7 in place 1, 5 in place 2, 6 in place 3, and 5 in place 4. The digit 5 has a value 50 in place 2 and a value 5000 in place 4 i.e., the value assigned to a digit depends on its place in the number. We use a similar place value system to represent numbers in the binary system. Since there are only two symbols in the system, the place value is a power of 2. For example,
MR. NAGARKARATUL RAMDAS DR. KHOT NAMITA B.
the string 1101 has a value 1 ´ 23 + 1 ´ 22 + 0 ´ 21 + 1 ´ 20 = 8 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 13 Similar to the decimal system, very large numbers can be represented by using a long string of bits. For example, a 32-bit string allows us to represent numbers up to 429, 49, 67,296 i.e., approximately 430 crore or 4.3 billion. There are certain binary string lengths that are used widely in information representation. They are 4 bits, 8 bits, 16 bits and 32 bits. A 4-bit string is called a nibble and a 8-bit string a byte. The others are referred to by their actual length like 16-bit or 32-bit word. Digital Text Text consists of alpha, numeric and special characters. English alphabet has 26 upper case and 26 lower case letters. Indo-Arabic numerals have 10 digits, 0 - 9. There are special symbols like +, -, &, * and %. All these add up to a total of 95 characters. We call this sum total as the character set for text. With a 6-bit string, we can have a maximum of 64 (26) combinations which are inadequate to represent all the characters in the text character set. If we choose a string of 7 bits, then the maximum number of combinations we can have is 128 which is adequate to represent all the characters. Hence, a 7-bit string (code) is used to represent characters inside a computer. The most widely used 7-bit code is the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). We have an equivalent Indian Standard code called Indian Standard Code for Information Interchange (ISCII). Since we have only 95 characters, we are left with 33 combinations in a 7-bit code which can be used for other purposes. In fact, many of the spare 7-bit combinations in ASCII are used for controlling various aspects of the information communication process. These combinations are called control characters or control codes. Control characters are non-printable and are invisible on a computer monitor. They, however, communicate special signals to devices like printers and other communication devices. Knowledge Management in Digital Context Knowledge Management emerged as a scientific discipline in the early 1990s.[3] Different standards and tools are currently used for representing multimedia information components. Multimedia information may be available in the form of text, images, audio and video forms. So it is a big challenge to store it properly and arrange for easy retrieval. Information Retrieval systems are increasingly computerised, although printed indexes and card catalogues still exist in libraries. Computer databases have grown phenomenally and are in all conceivable areas. Global databases in academic disciplines that include all education and research materials in almost every specialised area, business and industry, government resources, current affairs, finance, legal matters are all burgeoning rapidly. These are accessible through internet and on-line services through commercial information service vendors. Full texts of documents, document surrogates like indexes, abstracts, and a host of bibliographic and other forms of information are accessible to users. Digital representations of information and multimedia technologies have given further versatility to IR systems. Following tools can be used while managing digital content.
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: DIGITAL CONTEXT
1) Database Management System (DBMS) Database A database is a collection of logically related data arranged in a structured form designed to meet the information requirements of multiple users. It may also be defined as a collection of non-redundant operational data, sharable between different application systems. Database Management System (DBMS) It is a collection of software that is used to store, delete, modify and retrieve data that is stored in a database. DBMS acts as an interface between the user and the data.
Fig. 1 Data, DBMS and Users
gone through the process of OCR, a document can be manipulated and managed by its contents i.e., using the words available in the text. OCR does not actually convert an image into text but rather creates a separate file containing the text, leaving the image intact. 4) Cloud Computing The cloud is not simply the latest fashionable term for the internet. Though internet is a necessary foundation for the cloud, the cloud is something more than the internet. The cloud is where you go to use technology when you need it. You do not install anything on your desktop, and you do not pay for the technology when you are not using it. The cloud can be both software and infrastructure.[4]Cloud computing is a term that describes the means of delivering any and all IT, from computing power to computing infrastructure, applications, business processes and personal collaboration to end users as service, wherever and whenever they need it.The cloud in cloud computing is the set of hardware, software, storage, services, and interfaces that combine to deliver aspects of computing as a service; shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and others devices on demand. Much of the internet is dedicated to the access of content-based IT resources published via the World Wide Web. The resources provided by cloud environments, on the other hand, are dedicated to supplying back-end processing capabilities and user-based access to these capabilities. Another key distinction is that it is not necessary for clouds to be Webbased even if they are commonly based on internet protocols and technologies. Protocols refer to standards and methods that allow computers to communicate with each other in a predefined and structured manner. A cloud can be based on the use of any protocols that allow for the remote access to its IT resources.
2) Digital Repository
5) E-Publishing
Digital repository is a computerized system that systematically collects, digitizes, preserves and disseminates intellectual output in digital form. They are focused on scholarly communication. It is a digital archive of the intellectual property created by the faculty, research staff and students of the institution. It offers an opportunity to the staff of the institution to provide easy access to their research work within and outside the institution. Most of the repositories are developed using open source software, for example, DSpace, EPrints, Fedora and Greenstones etc. Libraries have to maintain the server and take backup of the repositories on a regular basis.
Publishing depends on writing, paper and printing. Writing numbers for record keeping was started before writing of language. Writing of language was invented in Mesopotamia and Mesoamerica. And writing systems were invented in Egypt and China. In the early days writing was done by engraving on stone or metal. Later, plaster (gypsum) was used along with stone. In Egypt, with the invention of papyrus, writing spread and it was in great demand in the different parts of the world; later parchment sheepskins, after the removal of wool, was also used for writing. In 1040 China developed the world’s first movable type printing technology. Johannes Gutenberg improved movable type printing in the year 1450 and in 1456 the Bible became the first book in the world to be printed in a press. World’s first magazine was published in the year 1731 in London. With the invention of the camera in the year 1790 and the invention of lithography in 1796, printing of high quality images was possible. Photojournalism flourished in 1847. Invention of linotype machine saw typesetting and reduction in labour. Early nineties saw the four colour rotary press and offset lithography. The mid nineties marked the internet revolution. Late nineties saw the introduction of Aldus PageMaker software, the desktop era. The era begins with the development of online versions of newspapers, self publishing, Google on the internet, Facebook & Twitter which have become a hub of information dissemination. Drastic changes in publish-
3) OCR or Text Recognition OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or text recognition is the process of electronically identifying text in a bit-mapped page image or set of images and generate a file containing that text in ASCII code or in a specified word processing format, leaving the image intact in the process. OCR programs are software tools that are used to transform scanned textual page images into word processing files. The process of OCR is used in order to make every word in a scanned document readable and fully searchable without having to manually key-in everything into the computer. Once a bit-mapped page image has
272 ing are seen at the end of 20 century. New technologies have transformed the processes of publishing and distribution. It has made it competitive, commercial and technology driven. The different publishing models that evolved are e-journal, ebooks, e-magazines, e-newspapers, databases etc.[5]
MR. NAGARKARATUL RAMDAS DR. KHOT NAMITA B.
the ongoing consortia in the country. There are some isolated efforts from UGC Infonet and Indest in this regard, but they are yet to make any significant strides. National level licensing of information products could be achieved through this model. Publisher Initiatives
6) Consortium A consortium could be described as a group of organisations who come together to fulfil a combined objective that requires co-operation and the sharing of resources. They need to have a clear mutual goal in order to ensure its success. The aim should be to deliver “more than the sum of the individual parts”. A library consortium formation can be at local, regional, state, national and international level.[6] Consortia models Open consortia This type of consortia is open ended and provides facility for the libraries to join and leave as they please. In this case, publishers define a minimum number of libraries for the consortium to take off, at a specific rate per product. This type of consortia are generally driven by small homogeneous groups who have a need to cross-share the resources in a specific subject area. INDEST consortium is run by the Ministry of HRD, GOI. The closed group consortium stays exclusive within a defined group. This type of consortium emerges either by coalition, affiliation and collaboration among organisations (CSIR, DAE, IIM Consortium). Here the information and operation of the consortia guidelines, and its administration are fairly simple and easy. Centrally Funded Model In this model, the very existence of the consortium solely depends on the central funding agency. The strength of this model is that the financial responsibility of running the consortium is shouldered by the parent body. INDEST, UGC INFONET, CSIR, ICMR Consortia etc. are examples of this model. Shared Budget Model In this model the participating libraries take the lead and form the consortium. IIM and FORSA are examples of this model. The operational aspects of the consortium, especially the management of funds etc., are individually handled. Entering into a MoU for a better and strong footing is always recommended for this model. National Consortium This is a conceptual model or a framework as far as India is concerned, which is not being seriously attempted by any of
In addition to the above, India has seen publisher initiated consortia models too, coming up in the recent years. The Emerald Full-Text Library published by the Emerald Publishing Group (formerly MCB University Press) is an example. Conclusion The sole purpose of knowledge management is to cater digital information to needy persons who want the right information at the right time in a right way. Knowledge management with a digital perspective enables users to access the desired information, putting more emphasis on the electronic objects or digital form, rather than stored in the traditional printed book form, and thus provides universal access to the information distributed on net. The author discussed digital repository which will be useful for scholarly communication. It is a computerized system that systematically collects, digitizes, preserves and disseminates intellectual output in digital form. Examples mentioned are : Database management system (DBMS), optical character recognition (OCR), Cloud Computing, E-Publishing, and Consortia. Digital transformation is in its infancy with numerous opportunities for innovators, change agents and publishers. There is a need to rethink the way we create, manage, publish and deliver content in innovative ways. Our processes need to be reengineered to create a more flexible and sustainable future.[7]A production process needs to be identified that would free the content for easy transformation into whatever new formats and devices users desire today. References 1. http://www.coe.int/Data Protection Day,Retrieved on 31 January 2016. 2 . Ghosh, S. B. (2010). Knowledge management concepts and tools. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Open University. 3 . McInerney, Claire(2002). Knowledge Management and the Dynamic Nature of Knowledge. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 53 (12). 4 . Kumbhar, Anuradha (2014). Management of Cloud Computing. National Conference Proceeding, Jaysingpur, Maharashtra, India. Pg. 69-85. 5 . Sha rma, Vinod Kumari (2015). Pub lish ing New Techno logical Changes. International Conference Proceeding, Delhi: DESIDOC, Pg. 111-117. 6 . Chavan, R. R. (2014). Consortia as a Tool to access E- Resources in Modern Libraries. National Conference Proceeding, Kolhapur: Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu College, Pg. 86-89. 7 . Wikipaedia. (2016, January 27). Knowledge Management , from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopaedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Knowledge Management.
