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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hi,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Please find attached and appended the CFP for WITS 2013. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The WITS 2013 organizing team will make every effort to ensure that the Workshop is of very high quality. The theme for the workshop is “<b>Leveraging Big Data Analytics for Societal Benefits</b>”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>While the theme is in the area of BIG DATA and the conference actively seeks papers in this area, traditional topics that have been part of past WITS are also welcome. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>WITS is successful because of your support and contributions. We would like to ask you for that support. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The URL for WITS 2013 is: <a href="http://www.som.buffalo.edu/isinterface/wits2013/" target="_blank">http://www.som.buffalo.edu/isinterface/wits2013/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The URL works well when viewed with Safari, Chrome, Firefox and IE 9 and above now as long as Compatibility View is not deliberately enforced. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>We are working to all fix browser related display problems. If you encounter any browser related issues – please e-mail <a href="mailto:raj.sharman@gmail.com">raj.sharman@gmail.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The website will be updated with the list of PC members next week.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>We look forward to receiving your contributions. We hope that you will support WITS 2013 as you have done over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Regards<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>WITS 2013 Organizing Team<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Raj Sharman, Sandeep Purao, Silvana Castano, Radhika Jain, Jingguo Wang, Ashish Gupta and Monica Chiarini Tremblay<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>==========================================================================================<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>WITS 2013 Call for Papers<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>23<sup>rd</sup> Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems 2013<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Milan, Italy<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>December 14-15, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Conference Theme: </span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Leveraging Big Data Analytics for Societal Benefits<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Conference URL: <a href="http://www.som.buffalo.edu/isinterface/wits2013/">http://www.som.buffalo.edu/isinterface/wits2013/</a> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Electronic Submission System: <a href="https://www.easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?conf=wits2013">https://www.easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?conf=wits2013</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Accelerated technological change has been implicated as the major cause for societal and cultural transformations. The data deluge we are witnessing today presents yet another opportunity in this context. The billions of e-mails, millions of blogs, multimedia uploads, chatter on the social networks, sensor data from hours of surveillance videos, tapping of conversations and tracking of movements is yielding data at a very high velocity with greater variety and veracity. Large corporations as well as government agencies have access to these unprecedented and ever-increasing masses of data. Ensuring that the data is used for societal <i>benefits</i> instead of to its <i>detriment</i>, therefore, remains a challenge. From a business perspective, the paramount question of importance is: ‘How can we monetize this opportunity with Big Data? Applications, approaches, models, architectures, systems and practices are needed to effectively harness the power of big data analytics. These solutions may take the form of computational models as well as human-computer partnerships to unlock the positive potential of these data stores and streams from a consumer, business and governance perspectives. For example, new systems can benefit from computational techniques to support decisions in real-time, provide policy implications, generate novel correlations that can benefit society and allow individuals access to historical and predictive models that can enrich lives. Application areas where these outcomes can play out include healthcare, big pharma, extreme events, information assurance, energy, sustainability and several others. As we move into these, somewhat non-traditional domains for the IS community, we should also see reconfigurations and repurposing of IT investments that can point to new claims for realizing benefits from these IT investments. Traditional areas such designing IT artifacts, Systems Design and Ontologies for Big Data become increasingly relevant in this new world order. The 2013 WITS is designed to provide researchers a forum to discuss all of these – computational models and methods, empirical analyses of applications, as well as challenges related to economics and policy related to leveraging big data for societal benefits. We look forward to novel approaches and research outcomes that contribute to the base of knowledge related to the design of IT artifacts, particularly in the context of big data analytics, in tomorrow’s world. In addition to topics relating to ‘big dada’, topics that are a traditional part of the WITS workshop, are actively solicited. Papers describing novel research ideas that may be at a relatively early stage of development are also welcome. Research topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Big Data infrastructure and models, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Big Data Monetization and Applications<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Collaboration and Negotiation systems<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Conceptual Modeling<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Database and Information Integration<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Data, Text and Web Mining <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Data Warehousing and OLAP<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Web 2.0 and Social Networking Applications <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Distributed Computing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Economics of IT Investments<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Information Quality<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Information Systems Security and Privacy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Intelligent Agent-based Systems<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Intelligent Systems and Technologies<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>IT Infrastructure<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Knowledge Management Technologies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Multi-Media Computing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Ontology-Driven Information Systems<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Recommender Systems<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Search Engine design and Optimization<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Semantic Web <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Social Analytics<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Systems Analysis and Design<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>System Optimization<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Wireless Technologies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Workflow Management Systems<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>REGULAR PAPER SUBMISSIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Submitted research papers are limited to 10 single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, 8.5" by 11" pages (including tables, figures, and references and 1" margins on all sides). All submissions will be subject to double blind review. Selection for presentation at the workshop and publication in the proceedings will be based on originality, contribution to the field, and workshop interest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>RESEARCH PROTOTYPE AND INSTRUCTIONAL INNOVATION SUBMISSIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Prototypes showcase implementations of innovative IT artifacts (i.e., constructs, models, methods). They provide opportunities to demonstrate and discuss emerging IT artifacts with researchers and practitioners. Research prototype submissions should include, wherever feasible, links to the associated software or demo (along with screenshot(s) to provide the audience an indication of the functionality). Instructional technology submissions should emphasize innovative use of IT in the classroom and/or innovations related to teaching IS/IT topics. The objective of innovations in instructional technology is to bring together well-developed ideas that can assist the academic community in their quest to deliver information technology curricula. The submitted instructional materials must include technology overview and demonstration, along with an integrated business application context. Instructional technology submissions should follow a similar format as prototype submissions but instead articulate the quest to improve IT curricula, or teaching pedagogy..Prototypes and instructional technology papers should follow the same formatting requirements as regular papers, but should not exceed 6 pages. Accepted prototypes and instructional technology papers will be presented as posters during the workshop.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>INFORMATION FOR PANEL ORGANIZATION<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Panel discussions are forums that allow researchers to discuss complementary or conflicting perspectives. Typical panel proposals will have the following elements: Introduction, Specific issue and (conflicting) positions from panelists, panel structure (timing, format, etc), commitment to attend from the workshop from panel members, biographical information on the panelists and moderator reflecting their expertise on the subject, and references. Please submit your panel proposals directly to the program co-chairs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>JOURNAL PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Authors of selected workshop papers and research prototypes will be invited to submit complete versions of their research for review and possible publication in a special issue of ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems (ACM TMIS, <a href="http://tmis.acm.org/">http://tmis.acm.org/</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>SUBMISSIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>All submissions must be sent in electronic form using the WITS 2013 submission system (<a href="https://www.easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?conf=wits2013">https://www.easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?conf=wits2013</a>). The electronic submission system, as well as instructions, will be available in 1 July 2013. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='color:#1F497D'>IMPORTANT DATES<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Deadline for paper submissions: August 1, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Notification of paper acceptance: September 15, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Prototype and panel submission: October 1, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Notification of prototype and panel: October 15, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Camera-ready copy due: October 15, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Program Chairs<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Raj Sharman, Associate Professor, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Sandeep Purao, Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Local Arrangements Chair <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Silvana Castano, Professor, University of Milano, Italy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Review Coordinators </span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Radhika Jain, Assistant Professor, Baruch College, CUNY, New York, NY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Jingguo Wang, Assistant Professor, University of Texas, Arlington, TX<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>Prototype Demo Chair<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Ashish Gupta, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Monica Chiarini Tremblay, Assistant Professor, Florida International University, Miami, FL<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>