New from IGI Global
By Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Lib., Washington, DC -- Library Journal, 6/15/2009
Intelligent Data Analysis: Developing New Methodologies Through Pattern Discovery and Recovery. IGI Global. 2009. 360p. ed. by Hsiao-Fan Wang. ISBN 978-1-59904-982-3. $180. REFThis highly specialized resource explores the software and algorithms capable of mathematically analyzing inconclusive or "fuzzy" data, mining for meaningful patterns, assisting in the unambiguous classification of overlapping components, and mapping out other consequential relationships. Wang (Web-Based Green Products Life Cycle Management Systems) divides the book into four thematic segments and 18 chapters, each composed from research conducted by 38 subject specialists. Intended for the computer-science professional, each essay is rich with field-specific jargon, but the topics covered are also relevant to the concerns of e-commerce administrators, public interest groups, and civil policymakers.
Proliferation of the Internet Economy: E-Commerce for Global Adoption, Resistance, and Cultural Evolution. IGI Global. 2009. 320p. ed. by Mahmud Akhter Shareef & others. ISBN 978-1-60566-412-5. $165. REFAddressing the rapidly changing field of electronic commerce, which has revolutionized global merchandising, Shareef (research assoc., Ontario Research Network for Electronic Commerce), Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi (business & economics, Swansea Univ.), Michael D. Williams (business & economics, Swansea Univ.), and Nitish Singh (coauthor, The Culturally Customized Web Site) divide the expansive subject into four segments and 13 chapters. Despite the nod to traditional academic form, chapter essays are largely (though not entirely) jargon-free and accessibly written. They will prove a valuable map to merchants adrift in a sea of alterations to conventional storefront trade.
Social Computing in Homeland Security: Disaster Promulgation and Response. IGI Global. 2009. 320p. ed. by Amy Wenxuan Ding. ISBN 978-1-60566-228-2. $165. REFIn an effort to mitigate the chaos associated with terrorism and natural disasters, Ding (computer science, Univ. of Illinois) has compiled a series of mathematical programs to disseminate and relay information between disaster response forces themselves and their impacted public. Basing her models on psychological response studies and cognitive theory, Ding develops mathematically based computer simulations and puts the resulting extrapolation-capable programs into the service of existing response mechanisms, like emergency evacuations and border patrols. An amazing specialist's resource.
Social Web Evolution: Integrating Semantic Applications and Web 2.0 Technologies. IGI Global. 2009. 340p. ed. by Miltiadis D. Lytras & Patricia Ordoñez de Pablos. ISBN 978-1-60566-272-5. $195. REFThis definitive guide divides an expansive, recently distinguished, and rapidly evolving subject into 19 thematic chapters, dealing with informational facets as diverse as social networking sites, public comment applications, e-commerce, online learning, and information diffusion models. Lytras and Ordoñez de Pablos (coeditors, Knowledge Networks) bring together the scholarship of 44 field professionals, who employ international empirical case studies to support assertions and concepts. Each chapter-long essay is divided by issue heading and closes with a multipage bibliography. A more expansive, scholarly complement to Ann Bell's Exploring Web 2.0.
