Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Research Note On Ethics In The Emerging Age Of Überveillance, M. G. Michael, Sarah Jean Fusco, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Advanced location-based services (A-LBS) for humancentric tracking and monitoring are now emerging as operators and service providers begin to leverage their existing infrastructure and invest in new technologies, toward increasingly innovative location application solutions. We can now point to humancentric tracking and monitoring services where the person (i.e. subject) has become an active node in the network. For example, in health applications through the use of embedded technologies such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) or in campus applications through the use of electronic monitoring techniques in the form of global positioning systems (GPS). These technologies, for the greater part, have been …

Towards Chipification: The Multifunctional Body Art Of The Net Generation, Katina Michael, M G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

This paper considers the trajectory of the microchip within the context of converging disciplines to predict the realm of likely possibilities in the shortterm future of the technology. After presenting the evolutionary development from first generation to fourth generation wearable computing, a case study on medical breakthroughs using implantable devices is presented. The findings of the paper suggest that before too long, implantable devices will become commonplace for everyday humancentric applications. The paradigm shift is exemplified in the use of microchips, from their original purpose in identifying humans and objects to its ultimate trajectory with multifunctional capabilities buried within the …

The Hybridization Of Automatic Identification Techniques In Mass Market Applications: Towards A Model Of Coexistence, Katina Michael, M. G. Michael, Holly Tootell, V. Baker

Professor Katina Michael

The number and type of automatic identification technologies in the market have grown since the bar code was introduced in the retail sector in the late 1960s. This paper studies the selection environment of auto-ID and defines, describes and gives examples of three main patterns of innovation: migration, integration, and convergence. The findings indicate that technology adoption is not always about choosing the dominant design but about how to future-proof an auto-ID implementation. Enterprises wishing to adopt auto-ID techniques need to be aware that technology is not static, auto-ID techniques are not stand-alone, and consumers may have wide-ranging requirements for …

National Security: The Social Implications Of The Politics Of Transparency, M G. Michael, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

This special issue of Prometheus is dedicated to the theme of the Social Implications of National Security Measures on Citizens and Business. National security measures can be defined as those technical and non-technical measures that have been initiated as a means to curb breaches in national security, irrespective of whether these might occur by nationals or aliens in or from outside the sovereign state. National security includes such government priorities as maintaining border control, safeguarding against pandemic outbreaks, preventing acts of terror, and even discovering and eliminating identification fraud. Governments worldwide are beginning to implement information and communication security techniques …

Microchip Implants For Humans As Unique Identifiers: A Case Study On Verichip, Katina Michael, M G. Michael, Rodney Ip

Professor Katina Michael

Microchip implants for humans are not new. The installation of pacemakers in humans and a great number of other medical innovations for prosthesis are now considered straightforward procedures. Today we have even realised the potential for microchip implants to be embedded inside the body of humans for the purpose of acting as unique lifetime identifiers (ULI). Tiny radiofrequency identification (RFID) devices are now being utilised to store a unique 16-digit identification number.

The Need For A Digital Aid Framework In Humanitarian Relief, J. Sargent, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Humanitarian relief organizations are increasingly becoming reliant upon the use of Information Technology & Telecommunications (IT&T) for the distribution of aid to refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) throughout the world. Traditionally, basic telecommunications infrastructure like the public switch telephone network (PSTN) has been used to transmit important information but today humanitarian relief organizations are attempting to utilize emerging technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) telephones and geographic information systems (GIS). For the greater part IT&T utilization by relief organizations has happened in an ad-hoc manner in response to specific events. This paper proposes the use of a complete …

Location-Based Services: A Vehicle For It&T Convergence , Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Location-based services (LBS), more than any other mobile commerce application area has served to bring together information technology and telecommunications (IT&T) industries. While much has been written on the potential of LBS, literature on how it is a catalyst for digital convergence is scant. This paper identifies and explores the various levels of converging technologies in mobile commerce by using three LBS case studies. Through literal replication the findings indicate that IT&T technologies are converging at the infrastructure, appliance and application level. It is predicted that mCommerce applications will increasingly rely on industry convergence to achieve their desired outcomes.

Location-Based Services And The Privacy-Security Dichotomy, Katina Michael, L. Perusco, M G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Location-based services (LBS) rely on knowledge of a user’s location to provide tailored services or information by means of a wireless device. LBS applications have wide-ranging implications for society, particularly in the context of tracking and monitoring groups of individuals such as children, invalids, and parolees. Despite a great deal of attention paid to technical and commercial aspects of LBS technologies, consideration of the legal, ethical, social and technology momentum issues involved has been wanting. This paper examines some of the more pressing issues that are expected to arise from the widespread use of LBS. The outcome of this paper …

Trends In The Selection Of Automatic Identification Technology In Electronic Commerce Applications, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Since the 1970s, automatic identification (auto-ID) technologies have been evolving to revolutionise the way people live and work. Previous research has not addressed auto-ID technological innovation as a field of study, despite its growing importance on consumer, business and government electronic commerce (EC) applications. This paper is specifically concerned with five auto-ID technologies, bar codes, magnetic-stripe card, smart card, biometrics and radiofrequency identification (RF/ID) tags and transponders. Using multiple embedded case studies and applying the fundamental concepts of the systems of innovation (SI) approach, the overall aim is to understand the selection environment of the auto-ID industry. The results show …

Minimizing Product Shrinkage Across The Supply Chain Using Radio Frequency Identification: A Case Study On A Major Australian Retailer, N. Huber, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

This paper identifies the contributing factors of product shrinkage and investigates the current state of anti-theft technology as part of the loss prevention strategy for a major Australian retailer. Using a case study approach a total of eleven interviews were conducted with employees of the retailer to identify factors contributing to product shrinkage and ways to overcome these through the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Known sources of product shrinkage included: warehouse discrepancies, internal and external theft, product recalls, shop return fraud, extortion, human and system error, poor stock control, poor rotation of stock, misplaced product items, lost …

The Use Of Information And Communication Technology For The Preservation Of Aboriginal Culture: The Badimaya People Of Western Australia, Katina Michael, L. Dunn

Professor Katina Michael

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been applied successfully to numerous remote Indigenous communities around the world. The greatest gains have been made when requirements have been first defined by Indigenous members of the community then pattern matched to an ICT solution.

Barriers To Rfid Adoption In The Supply Chain, Nick Huber, Katina Michael, Luke Mccathie

Professor Katina Michael

This paper explores the current barriers to adoption of radio-frequency identification (RFID) for supply chain applications, and documents the perceptions of key players in the Australian RFID market. The paper contains data collected from interviews of both technology providers (e.g. RFID vendors), and prospective business customer (i.e. a large retailer). Data collected is analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and supported with figures and tables. The findings show that the three main barriers to RFID adoption are: the cost of RFID implementation (especially ongoing tag costs), lack of customer awareness and education, and a technology which is only at the beginning …

The Emerging Ethics Of Humancentric Gps Tracking And Monitoring, Katina Michael, Andrew Mcnamee, M G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is increasingly being adopted by private and public enterprise to track and monitor humans for location-based services (LBS). Some of these applications include personal locators for children, the elderly or those suffering from Alzheimer’s or memory loss, and the monitoring of parolees for law enforcement, security or personal protection purposes. The continual miniaturization of the GPS chipset means that receivers can take the form of wristwatches, mini mobiles and bracelets, with the ability to pinpoint the longitude and latitude of a subject 24/7/365. This paper employs usability context analyses to draw out the emerging ethical …

Location-Based Intelligence – Modeling Behavior In Humans Using Gps, Katina Michael, Andrew Mcnamee, M G. Michael, Holly Tootell

Professor Katina Michael

This paper introduces the notion of location-based intelligence by tracking the spatial properties and behavior of a single civilian participant over a two-week study period using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and displaying them on a geographic information system (GIS). The paper clearly shows the power of combining speed (S), distance (D), time (T) and elevation (E) data with the exact longitude and latitude position of the user. The issues drawn from the observation and the civilian’s personal diary are useful in understanding the social implications of tracking and monitoring objects and subjects using GPS. The findings show that …

Vendor Perceptions Of How Rfid Can Minimize Product Shrinkage In The Retail Supply Chain, N. Huber, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

The objective of this paper is to investigate product shrinkage in the retail supply chain, and to consider how radio frequency identification (RFID) could act as a partial solution toward a retailer’s loss prevention strategy. The research uses semi-structured interviews to collect data, and a qualitative content analysis to present the results. Given that the number of RFID deployments in the retail supply chain is limited, RFID vendors, resellers, and associations are instead used to gather the current value propositions. Representatives from nine Australian RFID vendors and associations were interviewed in August and September of 2006. The results indicate that …

From Dataveillance To Überveillance (Uberveillance) And The Realpolitik Of The Transparent Society, K. Michael, M. G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

The 2007 Workshop on the Social Implications of National Security: from Dataveillance to Überveillance and the Realpolitik of the Transparent Society was organised by the Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA) funded by the Australian Research Council. The Workshop will become a biennial event bringing together both researchers and practitioners in the fields relating to the national research priority entitled Safeguarding Australia. In 2007, the workshop was held on the 29th October, at the Function Centre at the University of Wollongong between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm.

The Workshop was organised by RNSA members from the IP Location-Based Services …

Total Curriculum Management: A Lifecycle Approach, K. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

No abstract provided.

Is Rfid Safe And Secure?, E. Latham, K. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

No abstract provided.

Australia's National Security: An Interview With Dr Katina Michael, G. Messaris, K. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

No abstract provided.