PH Thesis: MODELS AND MECHANISMS FOR SOCIAL AND BEST PRACTICE NETWORKS

Chapter 1 is oriented to clarify the knowledge concepts in the history, its features, the knowledge treatment models studied in course of the time, especially taking into account the SECI model, studied by Nonaka and Takeuchi, that sees the knowledge as a collection of facts, information, skills that a person has acquired in during the life. The knowledge is not seen as a static concept but as a continuous becoming: a set of ideas that born, are spread and grow up among through people interactions. In Chapter 2, the technologies that can be applied to the management of knowledge flow are analysed. The most diffused ICTs on how the information can be acquired, retrieved, shared, managed, discovered, used to extract new knowledge, protected, etc. are identified, analysed, described in details and finally compared among them. As a conclusion of the comparison, a Best Practice Network is identified as the best infrastructure for the knowledge treatment taking into account both the content management and the social interactions. In Chapter 3, the Architecture of the Best Practice Network developed is described. This architecture has been designed in a way in which it can be easily customised and consequently applied in many different contexts. In the subsequent chapters, three different scenarios in which the defined Best Practice Network model is applied are described. Chapter 4 describes the Mobile Medicine health care content distribution service. It has been realised to be used for any sharing and multi-channel distribution of multimedia and digital content mainly for educational purposes and to offer support during hospital emergency occurrences and first aid treatments. In the portal, groups for discussion on procedures and content are created, thus some suggestions can be provided on both PC and Mobiles. In Chapter 5, the European Collected Library of Artistic Performance Project is described. ECLAP is an ICT PsP project of the European Commission, it develops a Best Practice Network acting as a Content Aggregator, making use of advanced database and delivery tools for the production and dissemination of the rich multilingual European heritage. In Chapter 6, the Sportello APRE Toscana is described. It promotes Italian and Tuscan participation in the European Union’s Programmes of research, development a Regional APRE Committee, supports, cooperates and provides the strategic policy for APRE’s development activitie