Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.

Framework IV Programme

INFORMATION ENGINEERING

CONSULTATIVE POSITION PAPER

Version 3.0

European Communities
DG XIII Luxembourg

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 1 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................................................................................... 2

1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE USERS AND THE MARKET ................................................................. 3
1.1.1 USER NEEDS ......................................................................................................................... 3
1.1.2 MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................ 5
1.1.3 THE ACTORS ......................................................................................................................... 6
1.2 EUROPEAN VALUE ADDED........................................................................................................ 6
1.3 RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE PROGRAMME ................................. 7
1.3.1 BUILDING ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE ................................................................................... 8
1.3.2 INTEGRATION ........................................................................................................................ 8
1.3.3 USABILITY ............................................................................................................................ 8
2. SELECTED PRIORITIES AND THEIR RATIONALE............................................................ 9
2.1 ACTION LINES ........................................................................................................................... 9
2.2 PROGRAMME ORGANISATION ................................................................................................. 10
2.3 PROPOSED PROGRAMME FOCUS ............................................................................................. 11
3. AREAS & NATURE OF THE WORK ...................................................................................... 11
3.1 RTD WORK ............................................................................................................................. 11
3.1.1 ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING. ................................................................................................... 11
3.1.2 CORPORATE INFORMATION SERVICES.................................................................................. 12
3.1.3 RESEARCH NETWORKS AND BASIC RESEARCH ..................................................................... 13
3.2 VALIDATION & EXPLOITATION................................................................................................ 13
3.2.1 VALIDATION PILOTS ............................................................................................................ 13
3.2.2 USABILITY METRICS ........................................................................................................... 14
3.2.3 STANDARDISATION ............................................................................................................. 14
3.2.4 BEST PRACTISE ................................................................................................................... 14
3.2.5 EXPLOITATION .................................................................................................................... 15
3.3 ACCOMPANYING MEASURES ................................................................................................... 15
3.3.1 DIFFUSION........................................................................................................................... 15
3.3.2 TRAINING & AWARENESS ................................................................................................... 15
3.3.3 INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION ......................................................................................... 16

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 2 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

1. INTRODUCTION

'...we need to create a

"European information
infrastructure" to serve as the
real arteries of the economy of
the future and to stimulate the
information industry...'.

President of the European

Commission, Copenhagen
Summit, June 1993.

This paper encapsulates the combined views of those who have been involved in the consultative
process.
The last 5 years has seen a substantial increase in information dissemination in an electronic
form, accompanied by changes in information creation, information access and use. There
has been a paradigm shift in information technology away from the narrow concept of
information processing towards the difficult issues of information management, presentation
and use.
The objective of information engineering is to use existing systems and networks to develop
information resource management methods and tools that provide improved opportunities for
suppliers and users to exploit information, and that make information future-proof by
protecting it from obsolescence through technological development.
The fourth framework programme initiative in information engineering, aims to improve the
content and value of electronic information by applying information engineering principles,
particularly information management, to the production, distribution and retrieval areas of the
information chain1.
Production covers the activity of information generation including authoring and corporate
data generation. Distribution includes physical movement of the information and the
manner of it's storage. Retrieval includes user access to the information that he requires, it's
delivery to him and the integration into his own information environment.
Selected projects should conduct relevant experiments in pilot situations at the European
level with real users within the 1994-98 time frame. Only the stimulating effect of a well
planned, EC sponsored R&TD programme, bringing together the main actors, will allow the
issues to be tackled on a sufficient scale within that time.
Such a programme should achieve this by enhancing the global competitive position of the
European information industry for the 21st Century and by delivering services that can aid
workers, support corporate decision making and allowing European citizens to effectively
access information of a quality never envisaged before.

1.1 Characteristics of the users and the market

1.1.1 User Needs

There is a need to apply information engineering across the whole spectrum of European
industrial, administrative and personal activity. The information chain plays a central role in
human life from childhood, through professional life and increasingly in old age when
mobility declines.

1 The term information chain is a descriptive model broadly illustrating three main process steps in the
dissemination of information from those who produce it, to those who eventually use it.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 3 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

The majority of European citizens and enterprises will not be able to make full use of the
advantages of the coming information revolution unless methods and tools are adapted to the
'new age' through information engineering research and development.
The young, the handicapped, the elderly and the LFR's are at a disadvantage in the
conventional information society. The future increase in accessibility and ease of use of
adequately designed electronic information systems will enhance the opportunities for
enlightenment and development of these groups and regions. Rural communities will become
less isolated from the intellectual and cultural activities that currently tend to benefit only
those in proximity to large population centres.
SME's have specific information needs and strict criteria for investment in technology.
Research into the information requirements and structures particularly suited to SME's would
assist in promoting a wider spread use of information use by sectors who are largely novices
in IT. Special efforts should be made to ensure that the long-term focus of the programme (5-
10 years) does not deter smaller and less wealthy companies from participating.
The programme should be founded on a commercial view of the world, in which user demand
for services is the driving force, rather than technical issues. All actors in the information
chain are potential users, from authors and publishers, to those in public groups and
corporations. The needs of the information community which the programme represents are
therefor many and varied.
• Robust professional information creation environments are required for both corporate
and market publishing.
• A framework for the financial handling of information transactions over open networks
is needed
• Considerable development of access methods is required to overcome the problems
posed by the volume of information that will be available in future electronic systems.
• Authors will need access to advanced data capture facilities, authoring tools, and
authoring services (including training).
• New skills will be required by future authors working in such multi-faceted
environments.
• Publishers will need methods and systems which will enable them to exploit the
capabilities of the new technologies in communications and database facilities.
• Protection of intellectual property rights in an environment where copying of computer
data is easy and commonplace is a central problem for publishers.
• Tools and management systems to control the dissemination of information are required.
• The tools to make investment in information products proof against technical
developments, to create information products that are infrastructure independent, are
either not available or poorly understood by publishers.
• Similar problems exist for information managers in corporate environments.
• End-user requirements range from identifying information needs, through accessing
information sources and retrieving information, to presenting the information obtained
and its further use in applications.
• Users accessing information need to be able to determine what access rights they have,
how far they can go in reusing the information they have received and what charges they
are incurring

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 4 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

• Users need to able to assess the reliability and completeness of the services they are
using. Charging mechanisms need to reflect the quality of the information delivered to
the user.
Simply put, information should reach the user at the right time, at an adequate level of detail,
in a form suitable for the user's needs, and at a justifiable price.

1.1.2 Market Characteristics and Opportunities

The increase in the use of information in an electronic form has been largely technology
driven, by improvements in local and wide area networks, the growth of exchangeable media
like CD-ROM, and the increase in personal computing power. Opportunistic factors, such as
growth in the installed base, and commercial imperatives leading to shortening of
development and delivery times, have also played a part.
The global electronic information industry is subsequently a growth area in all developed
countries. In Europe, the industry is currently estimated to be worth more than 3.5 BECU p.a.
and will grow at more than 15% p.a. to reach 12 BECU by the year 20002. By comparison,
the US market was double the size and growing by 17.5% p.a. in 19923. Industry analysts
predict that by 2000, electronic products could account for 40% of publishing as a whole.
Indications are that many factors will contribute to this growth.
• An increasing proportion of paperbound publishing will yield to electronic delivery.
• Corporate publishing, which is already a huge industry, will move quickly toward
electronic systems.
• An increasing percentage of the software industry's publishing requirements will be met
by electronic media.
• More companies will recognise the positive effects of the less-paper office on
productivity and the environment.
• Increasing worker mobility will stimulate a growing demand for electronic information
that is truly portable.
• Integration of media, communications and computer technology in the home will
stimulate demand from consumers.
The effect of these developments will be to produce a very large, highly competitive and
rapidly expanding market, in which Europe can play a role if it moves fast enough in an
innovative way. The proposed Information Engineering programme should aid the translation
of the industry's potential into coherent facilities by stimulating the development of methods,
experimentation with systems, and promoting RTD actions.

2 DGXIII (1993) Strategic Study - New Opportunities for Publishers in the Information Services Market
3 IMO 3rd Annual Report - June 1993

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 5 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

1.1.3 The Actors

Information Engineering initiatives must be undertaken in collaboration between user
communities and a wide range of organisations including publishers, content owners,
information distributors, software and hardware companies, telecommunication companies,
universities and value added network providers. In addition, the face of the information
industry is set to change with many new actors entering the arena with products exploiting
the use of technologies such as television, advanced public telecommunications and satellite
broadcasting. The diversity of the actors and their interrelation within the information
industry is represented by the following diagram.

Media and
Electronic

Entertainment
Industry
Publishing
I.C.T. Industry
Industry Multimedia
Electronic
Databases Communication Documents
Networks etc.
Services
The Industry
Electronic
Information Remote
Industry Corporate Teaching
Information
Educational
Other
Institutes
Industry &
Commerce

Figure 1.1: Actors in the Electronic Information Industry

(the activities within the bold circle depict the part of the core business pertaining to the information industry)

1.2 European Value Added

Europe has a number of strong assets on which to base its move to the new information age,
including its large resource of content (texts, images, art, etc.) and the leading position of its
communications industry in the global market. As well as reinforcing European strengths in
these areas, we consider that the main value-added effects of implementing the programme
will be:

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 6 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

1. to increase European economic competitiveness by:

• helping advances in the European information industry (providers &
infrastructure)
• improving / facilitating the use of advanced information systems in enterprise in
order to improve the functioning and quality of management
2. to enhance the value of the social infrastructure by:
• providing easy access to information for all citizens
• developing the means to overcome language / cultural information barriers
3. to support existing European community policy in related areas by:
• furthering the commitment to open systems within the common information space
• strengthening the basis for European cohesion and social policies
Though undeniably rich in content, and with the potential to exploit it, Europe currently lacks
a true information economy. The Information programme, by addressing the three main
elements of the information chain, and fully utilising the new networking possibilities of the
next decades, including those emerging from RACE and ENS, has the potential to lay the
foundations for an effective European information trading capability.
A successful European electronic information industry can be looked on as a driving force
behind the more established industries and institutions who can, as a consequence of this
success, achieve new opportunities for commercial growth. This will in turn safeguard the
future of existing professionals and ensure new employment opportunities in the novel
enterprises that will emerge.
Implementing areas according to the goals and priorities set for the programme will lead to
further development of co-operative relationships among organisations, between Member
States and with other EC R&TD initiatives. A consistent approach at European level would
also help to secure the interoperability of systems, lower existing barriers and avoid the
formation of new ones between individual Member States and with other countries.
The programme should add value to the concept of the common information space, by
realising increased accessibility, ease of use, richness of content and profitability. Achieving
these aims will depend mainly on developing new methods and tools that combine emerging
expertise in cognitive processes with existing experience in the development of advanced
software systems and databases.

1.3 Recommended Guidelines for the Execution of the Programme

The vision of is that of a Community-wide, open information space within which a
flourishing and globally competitive European information economy, featuring products and
systems of great utility and universal appeal, will develop. The workplan should therefore
incorporate specific research and development goals which will add tangible value to the
contents, services and products in the information chain, increase the competitiveness of
information services, and have a specifically European dimension that has synergy with local
initiatives but cannot be achieved at national level.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 7 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

1.3.1 Building on Previous Experience

The Community already runs a number of RTD initiatives in areas potentially covered by the
Information Engineering subject matter in a limited way. These include programmes in
information (IMPACT2), telecommunications (RACE), informatics (ESPRIT), distance
learning (DELTA) and infrastructure (ENS). It is essential that the programme exploits the
results of those programmes by building and maintaining active links which permit the
evaluation, testing and integration of their results. Industry-related projects such as Red Sage
and Tulip, and network initiatives such as the European ATM trial, should also come under
this focus.
The nature of the Information Engineering and the Information Market, however, is such that
only a dedicated programme can offer realistic solutions for the problems described earlier
and provide an adequate environment for the generation of commercially viable concepts and
products. There are, moreover, a number of generic issues (technological, legal and
commercial) which can not be addressed in existing programmes or that only cover narrow,
specific aspects of the Information Engineering field.

1.3.2 Integration
In the distributed IT environments of the 1990s, open communication between widely
differing hardware and software environments is necessary for information to be quickly
made available to the end-user. Systems integration, the technique of facilitating inter-
working of platforms and applications, is a growing cost of implementation. New products
and techniques from basic research have to be welded into the evolving infrastructure.
Whatever application the end-user is engaged in, the information required from other workers
has to be brought transparently into that application and the results passed on to the next
person in the chain. Information management is at the centre of successful systems
integration. At the same time, however, information management should be as independent as
possible of the specific enabling technologies that support the information services.

1.3.3 Usability
User-centred design 4 has been shown to enhance the commercial value of products as well
as their attractiveness to consumers. Ease of use speeds market growth and penetration but is
a factor not often taken into account in R&D programmes. The challenge for the programme
will be to stimulate capabilities that can deliver usable or 'user- tailored' information,
seamlessly integrated into the user environment, whilst employing generic tools.

4 Information provisions which conform to the users specific needs and which integrate seamlessly into
his information environment.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 8 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

2. SELECTED PRIORITIES AND THEIR RATIONALE

2.1 Action Lines

Information engineering must support the information producer and the information user in
areas that are common to the various vertical divisions of the industrial and social
information space. The work should help to solve the problems of creating and distributing
information and improve the usability of information. User centred design will be applied to
the key problems of usability, interworking and connectivity. To this end the following
specific action lines will be covered:
1. Content creation and management. The creators and publishers of information need
improved methods of capturing information and creating information products with added
value over traditional paper products. The process of creating products and disseminating
them requires tools to improve the management of this process. Information should be stored
in forms that insulate the content from technical change. The improvements in ease of use
desired by end-users must be designed and created at this stage. The information provider
must manage the transition from the raw information stored in editorial databases or data
warehouses to the delivery of products tailored to individual users and their working
environment.
2. Navigation and information transactions. Between the end-user and the provider of
information services, there must be a well defined socio-economic contract. Tools and
methods are required to allow the contract to be open and transparent. The end-user should
be able to see what services are offered, what they cost and what limitations there are on their
use. Specific actions are required to create navigation aids to enable the buyer to discover the
resources on offer, and to carry through an information transaction with the information
owner. This layer in the exchange will include services that enhance the value of information
to the end user, aiding transfer between information services and processing services and
improving access and retrieval tailored to user requirements. Users should be able to locate
and use information without advanced knowledge of its structure or specific content.
3. User interfaces and productivity aids. The user will only be encouraged to make use of
new information services if they are easy to access and use, if they offer tangible
improvements over current practise and if they are cost effective. Considerable
improvements are needed in the tools available, to make them attractive to use. The user
should have greater control over access to the information and be involved in generating his
own indexing, directing search methods, controlling the user interface and interactively
defining his requirements. Tools to aid the user in subsequent information analysis,
management and re-use are needed. The system costs of information integration should be
lowered by better application of standards.
4. Research networks and basic research. The resources of the information engineering
community are thinly spread across Europe. This observation is true of both the industrial
sector and the academic sphere. Actions to achieve better co-operation between the players
are needed. In the academic area there is a need to promote research in information science
looking ahead to the requirements of the next decade.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 9 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

2.2 Programme Organisation

In order to achieve concrete results it is necessary to focus the actions carefully. The RTD
activities recommended, by their horizontal nature, could easily become diffuse. The tools
and methods to be developed require a heterogeneous set of services in place for their
validation. The work should therefore be in three phases: a first stage in which suitable user
and provider groups are identified, a second stage in which services are identified and
developed as necessary, and a third stage in which the specific tools and methods to meet the
action line objectives are developed and validated. In practice the first phase would be the
preparation for the programme, and phases two and three would be refined through a
definition phase, ensuring design interoperability of projects, and an implementation phase in
which a reduced set of projects are fully supported.
It is important that a greater degree of co-operation be required of participants in the work
than has been the case with programmes of this sort in the past, due to the horizontal inter-
operational nature of the actions envisaged. This co-operation means that projects must be
grouped and managed in clusters at a European level.
Building on existing work in other programmes at both a national and European level is
essential to the success of the activity and action line 4 has specific actions to ensure that
synergy of this sort occurs.
The primary vehicle for achieving the objectives should be through pilot / demonstration
projects that prototype solutions to the problems identified. These prototypes are expected to
achieve secondary aims in standardisation, education and awareness, supporting the vertical
lines in the telematics programme, and validating organisational methods for introducing and
controlling new information management methods. In addition there must be studies and
conferences to identify barriers to success, to bring the different actors together to improve
European co-operation and to improve awareness. These actions will be particularly
important in relation to standards, education and training, and legal aspects of information
engineering.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 10 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

2.3 Proposed Programme Focus

The work should be structured around three main activities:
1. Electronic publishing. Both the commercial and corporate publishing sectors are in a key
position with regard to the first three proposed actions lines. It is they who organise the
creation of information products and the markets in which they are sold. They are the primary
market for tools for creation and dissemination. They must create, in the first instance, the
descriptive material that navigational aids will present to the user. They have to agree on the
practical control and exploitation of intellectual property. The first priority will be to ensure
their active participation in the work programme.
2. Corporate information services. The company sector is usually the first to actively
exploit new technologies, before they reach the home consumer or the public sector. Efficient
use of information has become a major factor in the success of companies. Capturing and
recording existing knowledge in a form that can be easily distributed to other workers and
used by them is a challenge that requires new methods. The management of information as a
resource within companies and tools to aid that management are another critical area for
RTD. Improving the flow of information within companies and the integration of information
both as an input to, and a product of, group inter-working is an aim of such management.
3. Research networks and basic research. There is a need to achieve greater coherence in
the research resources offered to clients by research centres in Europe. The research centres
could offer education and training courses in a complimentary as well as a competitive
framework. Co-operation could expand the range of services offered. The programme should
aim to improve the standard of academic research in information science through a limited
programme of basic research aimed at requirements in the 10-15 year timescale.

3. AREAS & NATURE OF THE WORK

3.1 RTD work

3.1.1 Electronic publishing.

There are a number of basic tasks for the developers to address, although in the time scale of
the actions it would not be possible to cover all of them. The final result will depend on the
degree to which individual projects, offered and selected, are capable of interacting to create
a positive synergy between them:
• many existing projects have been on a small scale and it is necessary to validate the
scaling of these technologies to a mass market;
• the market aspects of telepublishing, creating the conditions for buyers and sellers to
interact in the way that they are familiar with for physical goods and services, must be
developed in an electronic information space, whether open or controlled. This action
involves methods for the protection of intellectual property rights and their effective
exploitation;
• users in open information spaces have great difficulty in navigating amongst the different
products and services on offer. Tools to aid in this task are under development in specific
environments such as Internet (Gophers, WAIS, WWW, MOSAIC) but their ease of use
needs improvement and they need extension into a wider public and commercial
environment;
• users suffer from a lack of tools and services to help them import information into their
local information space whether for a personal or a professional task. This problem is a

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 11 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

combination of poor product design in the information services and user interfaces, and a
failure to apply standards for document interoperability in applications.
Prototypes that tackle these problems will have to act throughout the information chain.
Actions are needed to improve the tools that are used: to create and manage multimedia
products, to create and manage the databases that contain the information, to attach databases
to networks, to design user friendly interactive products, to import information into user
environments, to manage intellectual property rights and their commercial exploitation, to
navigate and browse networks, to manage information resources, and to improve user
interaction with and use of information. The solutions will be found in improved software,
management methods and organisation.
The prototypes projects should also act as a focus to improve general awareness of the
coming 'information space' that will shape society in the future.
A number of potential user communities have been identified which form a focus for the
electronic publishing actions:
the publishers buy and sell assets amongst themselves. A system to meet their needs
in this area would subsume many of the problems of intellectual property rights,
resource discovery, multimedia data types (audio, video, script), user interfaces and
user import/integration. In addition it would clarify the issues to an important set of
actors without excessive commercial risk.
users of STM publishing output, principally the academic community and industrial
research laboratories, are already strongly involved in the use of electronic
information. The publishers of such products, an area in which Europe is strong, have
begun experiments to pave the way for a shift to electronic delivery. In view of the
progress to date, the programme could take an integrated approach to this activity
without the initial delays in start up studies that will be necessary in most areas.
There is scope for combining projects in this area with work on related professional
services for the corporate sector, for example, electronic newsletters and digests, and
remote printing applications.
RTD actions are also required to promote education and training of authors and editors,
information managers and associated professionals. The socio-legal aspects of intellectual
property rights in this market need to be explored. Research into the factors that motivate
users to accept one facility or interface and to reject another, is urgently required in relation
to the creation of interactive information products.

3.1.2 Corporate information services.

The efficient use of information in the corporate sector can be aided by the RTD programme.
The import of information into the corporation, the circulation and management of
information inside, and the export of information to customers and sub-contractors are all
areas where improvements can be made.
Areas of research that have been identified and recommended are:
• the capture and recording of corporate knowledge, the company memory, so that skills
can be more easily passed between individuals in the company and used in the training
and induction of new employees;
• information management in the distributed systems of management and production that
typify the modern company. Management of new information tools such as video-
conferencing, work flow analysis and group inter-working systems is required, and must
handle such aspects as archiving, access and retrieval, and integration into the work
environment;

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 12 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

• tools to improve the use of information through filtering and summarising of raw
information, and better presentation methods;
• improvements in the interoperability of applications and information are needed with the
growth of docu-centric systems in areas such as the integration of the design process with
the generation of technical documentation and training material;
• improved user interfaces are required to match the new data types and interactions that
result from the introduction of multimedia and virtual reality into the workplace.

Research in this area should be of a nature which is firmly anchored in the needs and
experiences of Corporate Europe. The programme must provide catalytic and dynamic
assistance to corporate entities to improve their competitive position and thereby increase the
prospects for employment.

3.1.3 Research networks and basic research

The research resource centres in Europe should be encouraged to present a common face to
their users. Support in providing a coherent set of training and educational resources for
authors, publishers and the corporate sector must be one part of the activity. Another area is
to encourage joint actions that will enable a wider range of projects to be attempted than
would be possible by individual research centres. Improving awareness of the resources
available to potential clients is a third strand.
To aid in ensuring the active participation of the academic institutions, a research panel of
representatives from the information science academic community should be encouraged to
advise on the direction of research support and the implications of existing research for the
programme. This panel should meet regularly and report on new research, and advise on
basic research to promote information science and studies in particular areas.

3.2 Validation & Exploitation

3.2.1 Validation Pilots

Information Engineering as a horizontal programme has to define and validate new methods
and tools across vertical markets. To do this, user communities are required with access to a
variety of products and services so that prototypes of generic tools and methods can be
developed and tested in a heterogeneous environment.
The central place of pilot/demonstration prototypes in such a workplan will emphasise the
importance given to validation. The phasing should be designed to ensure that a sufficient
body of users, with access to a heterogeneous set of services, are used as the test bed for the
tools and methods that are a main objective of the programme. It is essential that user
involvement is enlisted throughout the project definition, design and implementation stages
of projects. Validation planning must include both users involved in the design stages and
independent users of the final prototypes in a working environment.5
Projects are expected to apply a coherent body of validation techniques using standard
methods6 in the pilots. This should include the application of results from Community

5 In some cases, this distinction may be blurred. Publishers, for example, regard themselves both as users
and providers in an information engineering context
6 ISO 9241-11 Guidance on Specifying and measuring usability (1993)
ISO 9241-10/14 Dialogue Principles, ISO 9126 Software Quality.
IBM CUA Guides to User Interface Design (1991)
CEC Display Screen Directive (1190) "workstations to be easy to use and embody the principles of
software ergonomics"

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 13 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

research programmes such as the usability metrics from the Esprit MUSiC7 and similar
programmes.
Frequent assessment and evaluation meetings should be organised at which representatives of
the pilot projects, potential user groups and teams of acknowledged experts can summarise
the results to date and formulate recommendations (new developments or changes of focus)
with a view to integrating them back into the programme.

3.2.2 Usability Metrics

The metrics of system usability should be explored and applied to all stages of the pilot
projects. Usability is a concept which has at least two distinct aspects in relation to
Information Engineering. These are component usability and overall system usability.
Component usability is simply the usability description or measurement of certain system
components such as software products or the information content. In principle, component
usability is just part of overall system usability, however historically the measurement of
products, being much more tractable, has progressed in advance of the other areas.
Usability is not currently easy to measure in any direct way, although most users will readily
gauge it's degree for any system. It is usually created when a user sees a product or resource
as easy to use. The latest ISO definition on usability recommends usability measurement on
the axis of 'effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction'.8 For information to be usable it
must be more than attractively presented, it must be harmonised in time and form to the needs
of the use for which it is being employed.

3.2.3 Standardisation
Standardisation is a key factor in achieving success in many of the objectives of the
programme, integration of diverse information sources and creating future-proof editorial
databases are two potent examples. The projects will be expected to use standards, approved
by the project clusters, at all stages of the workplan.
Previous experience in the IMPACT programme has shown that standards are often available
but rarely applied. Specific actions should be initiated to create a coherent plan for the
application of standards in the information engineering area and by extension in the vertical
actions. This plan must be created in co-operation with similar activities elsewhere in the
Commission, such as DG III (EPHOS), the other parts of the Telematics programme and
other programmes (ESPRIT, RACE).

3.2.4 Best Practise

Some of the methods and technologies that will become best practise in the next five years
are already under review in leading edge companies, such as Multi-media MIS in Shell, use
of electronic reviewing by STM companies, group working in Unilever9, usability test
laboratories in Microsoft 10. These mechanisms have to be researched and developed to
ensure that they become generally available to improve the competitiveness of European
industry. Their economics and usability must also be evaluated. Their implications for the
organisation of business and how they can be integrated into working practise should become
fully understood by the programme developers and participants.

7 Esprit Project 5429 - MUSiC (Metrics for Usability Standards in Computing)

8 ISO 9241 - 11 (1993) See definition in Appendix & description in section 1.4
9 WorkGroup systems Quetzal Q-POS - Manages Office procedures and user requests.
10 Correspondence Dr Nigel Bevan NPL UK

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 14 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

3.2.5 Exploitation
It is imperative that the Information Engineering programme place great emphasis on the
transfer of research results into engineering disciplines and the conversion of demonstrations
prototypes into industrial grade products. This could be achieved through an aggressive and
continuous policy of validation and commercial exploitation of results which should be
maintained throughout and beyond the programme.

3.3 Accompanying Measures

A range of accompanying measures should be initiated to ensure the maximum potential for
take-up of the new opportunities that the programme will produce. The success of these
measures will influence the level to which new products and services which the programme
will stimulate are capitalised on by industry and the consumer.

3.3.1 Diffusion
Successful and widespread diffusion of project results into everyday use and their application
in industry carries the dual-edged benefit of contributing to Europe's economic future, while
at the same time generating some return on the investment made in the programme by both
the CEC and the partners.
To ensure a smooth and consistent approach to diffusion using proven methods, established
CEC channels such as the VALUE and SPRINT programmes should be called on to assist
with the valorisation and technology transfer aspects of the diffusion process. The prospects
for successful diffusion would also be enhanced by a specific programme of awareness-
generating events such as conferences and seminars, and through regular feature articles in
appropriate journals.

3.3.2 Training & Awareness

The programme should pay special attention to the necessity of implementing new training
and education initiatives oriented both to end users and to professionals within the industry.
The research panel could have a strong role to play here by ensuring that training channels
within industry are operated successfully, as part of their edict is to support the provision of
these resources to the main actors in the information chain.
Potential obstacles whose effects can be limited or removed by training must be identified.
For example, Europe's chances to exploit its wealth of content are limited by the fact that
most of it currently exists in a format unsuitable for high-quality digital applications. There is
therefore a need to train information content owners, authors and artists to appreciate the
need for, and subsequently deliver, material in a format and standard suitable for use in
multimedia products.
Many of the future potential users are unaware that they are in the midst of an information
revolution. This is particularly true of many SME's who for various reasons continue to
practise very basic forms of information management. A true information market can only
emerge if the public is aware of the nature, content and advantages of the developments
which will affect them. An essential effect of Information Engineering will be to instil a
sense of awareness of the possibilities and advantages of the European information space.
Even within organisations who are in a position to utilise modern information technology and
practises, there is a need to ensure that awareness of systems and services is optimal. There is
a need to focus in particular on information professionals and network managers within
corporations, as very often it is their personal knowledge, preferences and prejudices that
dictate what information services are available to the workforce.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 15 of 16 08/11/93

Framework IV:Consultative Position Paper - Version 3.0

There is a need to educate senior management as to the benefits of information technology

and information management possibilities. It is also true that the nature of corporations is
changing, with a move in the decision-making process towards smaller working groups. A
higher level of awareness is therefore necessary to aid the decision making process, when
investment in information capability is being considered.
To ensure that opportunities exist for training, there must be a steady flow of results from the
programme which is easily transferable into relevant courseware and syllabus material.
Frequent liaison with training authorities and with the appropriate units within the CEC, e.g.
the Task Force for Human Resources, Education, Training and Youth (TFHR), will help to
maximise this opportunity.

3.3.3 International Co-operation

International co-operation and cohesion aspects within the community must be achieved on
several levels. Between the CEC and central and eastern Europe, co-operations could be
forged through links with the PHARE and TACIS programmes, while the development of
axes of collaboration should be encouraged between the Less Favoured Regions and their
more developed neighbours.
The nature of the information market that will be supported by information engineering
programme is global. It is important, that in areas such as standardisation and information
transaction engineering, we do not create barriers to the export of European products and
services to other developed countries. Some effort should be directed to international co-
operation with countries such as the US and Japan to ensure that barriers are not
inadvertently created.

DGXIII Luxembourg Page 16 of 16 08/11/93