Process map is a global-system process model that is used to outline the processes that make up the business system and how they interact with each other. Process map shows the processes as objects, which means it is a static and non-algorithmic view of the processes. It should be differentiated from a detailed process model, which shows a dynamic and algorithmic view of the processes, usually known as a process flow diagram. There are different notation standards that can be used for modelling process maps, but the most notable ones are TOGAF Event Diagram, Eriksson-Penker notation, and ARIS Value Added Chain. == Global process models == Global characteristics of the business system are captured by global or system models. Global process models are presented using different methodologies and sometimes under different names. Most notably, they are named process map in Visual Paradigm and MMABP, value-added chain in ARIS, and process diagram in Eriksson-Penker notation – which can easily lead to the confusion with process flow (detailed process model). Global models are mainly object-oriented and present a static view of the business system; they do not describe dynamic aspects of processes. A process map shows the presence of processes and their mutual relationships. The requirement for the global perspective of the system as a supplementary to the internal process logic description results from the necessity of taking into consideration not only the internal process logic but also its significant surroundings. The algorithmic process model cannot take the place of this perspective since it represents the system model of the process. The detailed process model and the global process model represent different perspectives on the same business system, so these models must be mutually consistent. A macro process map represents the major processes required to deliver a product or service to the customer. These macro process maps can be further detailed in sub-diagrams. It is often the case that process maps cross different functional areas of the organization. Process maps are used by many companies to have a holistic view of all processes and the connections between them. Maps help in navigating the sub-processes and make understanding of the organization's operations easier. The process map shows relationships and dependencies between processes and its focus should be on core business processes of the organization. A process map can be seen as the most abstract level of the process architecture, and it acts as the introduction to the more detailed levels. A process map that is correctly designed is able to provide a general understanding of a company's operations. Designing the process map is an important and strategic step for the organization, and it is followed by further business process modelling implementation. == Context == Methodology for Modelling and Analysis of Business Process (MMABP) is a business process modelling methodology developed at the Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Informatics and Statistics of the Prague University of Economics and Business. The methodology is defined as a “general methodology for modelling business systems using informatics methods and approaches”. Methodology is used to analyse business processes and to develop a comprehensive model of the system. The goal of developing a model is to be used for process optimization. The model should be created following the characteristics and specifics of the organization in question and following external influences that can affect the organization. The model should be optimal from an economic perspective, but it should also be optimal from a factual perspective, meaning that it should be as simple as possible while maintaining complete functionality. Business system modelling is based on a two-dimensional approach: Real World structure (substance) – set of objects and their relationships Real World behaviour – set of mutually connected business processes Additionally, there are also two views of the systems: Global view of the system Detailed view of the system's parts This results in the need to model the system from four different perspectives in order to achieve the complete and comprehensive view of the business system. MMABP also proposes which notation languages can be used for modelling each perspective, and it also suggests some improvements to the notation languages in order to fit the purpose. Global view of the objects – Conceptual model (Class diagram) Detailed view of the objects – Object life cycle (State Chart) Global view of the processes – Process map (Eriksson-Penker Diagram/TOGAF Event Diagram/ARIS VAC) Detailed view of the processes – Model of the process flow (BPMN Diagram) Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is additional diagram used for describing the required functionalities of the information system. == Notation standards == === Eriksson-Penker Diagram === Eriksson-Penker diagram is a tool used in business model analysis and design. It is named after Hans-Erik Eriksson and Magnus Penker, who developed the concept in their book "Business modelling with UML: Business Patterns at Work”. Eriksson-Penker diagrams are used to map out the key components of a business model and how they interact with one another. The diagrams typically consist of a series of boxes and lines that represent the different elements of the business model, such as the value proposition, customer segments, channels, revenue streams, and key resources. The lines between the boxes represent the relationships and dependencies between the different elements of the business model. These diagrams are useful for visualizing and understanding the various components of a business model, and can help organizations identify potential areas for improvement or areas of risk. They can also be used as a communication tool to help stakeholders understand the business model and its underlying assumptions. These diagrams are useful for visualizing and understanding the various components of a business model, and can help organizations identify potential areas for improvement or areas of risk. They can also be used as a communication tool to help stakeholders understand the business model and its underlying assumptions. It is possible to use Eriksson-Penker diagrams to create a global process view of a business. In this case, a diagram would be used to map out the key processes and activities that are involved in the business, as well as the relationships and dependencies between these processes. For example, an Eriksson-Penker diagram could be used to depict the various steps involved in the product development process, from concept development to market launch. It could also be used to show how different functions within the organization, such as marketing, sales, and production, interact and depend on one another to support the overall business. Eriksson-Penker diagram is one of the most popular de facto standards that can be used for an object-oriented global view of business processes. It is developed as an extension of the UML, and it is often used together with the BPMN to compensate for the lack of possibility to model the global view with this widely accepted standard. === TOGAF Event Diagram === TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) is a framework for enterprise architecture that provides a common language and set of standards for designing, planning, implementing, and governing an enterprise's IT architecture. TOGAF event diagrams are diagrams used in the TOGAF framework to represent the flow of events within a system or process. The TOGAF Event Diagram is a visual representation of the events within an organization or system. It can be used to show the sequence of events that occur in a particular process, as well as the relationships between the events and the stakeholders involved. TOGAF Event Diagrams can be useful in creating a global process view because they provide a visual representation of the events, which can be helpful in understanding how the process fits into the larger context of the organization. TOGAF Event Diagram is the most perspective standard for the system view of processes today. It is used to represent the system of processes as well as their connections to the functional organizational structure. === ARIS Value Added Chain === ARIS (Architecture of Integrated Information Systems) is a methodology and a set of tools for designing and managing business processes. It is based on the idea that business processes are the core of an organization and that they can be modelled and optimized to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The ARIS methodology provides a framework for understanding and analysing business processes, as well as for designing and implementing improvements to those processes. It includes a set of graphical modelling languages and tools for creating process models, as well as a database for storing and managing pr
Electronic business
Electronic business (also known as online business or e-business) is any kind of business or commercial activity that includes sharing information across the internet. Commerce constitutes the exchange of products and services between businesses, groups, and individuals; and can be seen as one of the essential activities of any business. E-commerce focuses on the use of ICT to enable the external activities and relationships of the business with individuals, groups, and other organizations, while e-business does not only deal with online commercial operations of enterprises, but also deals with their other organizational matters such as human resource management and production. The term "e-business" was coined by IBM's marketing and Internet team in 1996. == Market participants == Electronic business can take place between a very large number of market participants; it can be between business and consumer, private individuals, public administrations, or any other organizations such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These various market participants can be divided into three main groups: Business (B) Consumer (C) Administration (A) All of them can be either buyers or service providers within the market. There are nine possible combinations for electronic business relationships. B2C and B2B belong to E-commerce, while A2B and A2A belong to the E-government sector which is also a part of the electronic business. == History == One of the founding pillars of electronic business was the development of the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) electronic data interchange. This system replaced traditional mailing and faxing of documents with a digital transfer of data from one computer to another, without any human intervention. Michael Aldrich is considered the developer of the predecessor to online shopping. In 1979, the entrepreneur connected a television set to a transaction processing computer with a telephone line and called it "teleshopping", meaning shopping at distance. From the mid-nineties, major advancements were made in the commercial use of the Internet. Amazon, which launched in 1995, started as an online bookstore and grew to become nowadays the largest online retailer worldwide, selling food, toys, electronics, apparel and more. Other successful stories of online marketplaces include eBay or Etsy. In 1994, IBM, with its agency Ogilvy & Mather, began to use its foundation in IT solutions and expertise to market itself as a leader of conducting business on the Internet through the term "e-business." Then CEO Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. was prepared to invest $1 billion to market this new brand. After conducting worldwide market research in October 1997, IBM began with an eight-page piece in The Wall Street Journal that would introduce the concept of "e-business" and advertise IBM's expertise in the new field. IBM decided not to trademark the term "e-business" in the hopes that other companies would use the term and create an entirely new industry. However, this proved to be too successful and by 2000, to differentiate itself, IBM launched a $300 million campaign about its "e-business infrastructure" capabilities. Since that time, the terms, "e-business" and "e-commerce" have been loosely interchangeable and have become a part of the common vernacular. According to the U.S. Department Of Commerce, the estimated retail e-commerce sales in Q1 2020 were representing almost 12% of total U.S. retail sales, against 4% for Q1 2010. == Business model == The transformation toward e-business is complex and in order for it to succeed, there is a need to balance between strategy, an adapted business model (e-intermediary, marketplaces), right processes (sales, marketing) and technology (Supply Chain Management, Customer Relationship Management). When organizations go online, they have to decide which e-business models best suit their goals. A business model is defined as the organization of product, service and information flows, and the source of revenues and benefits for suppliers and customers. The concept of the e-business model is the same but used in online presence. === Revenue model === A key component of the business model is the revenue model or profit model, which is a framework for generating revenues. It identifies which revenue source to pursue, what value to offer, how to price the value, and who pays for the value. It is a key component of a company's business model. It primarily identifies what product or service will be created in order to generate revenues and the ways in which the product or service will be sold. Without a well-defined revenue model, that is, a clear plan of how to generate revenues, new businesses will more likely struggle due to costs that they will not be able to sustain. By having a revenue model, a business can focus on a target audience, fund development plans for a product or service, establish marketing plans, begin a line of credit and raise capital. ==== E-commerce ==== E-commerce (short for "electronic commerce") is trading in products or services using computer networks, such as the Internet. Electronic commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web for at least one part of the transaction's life cycle, although it may also use other technologies such as e-mail. == Concerns == While much has been written of the economic advantages of Internet-enabled commerce, there is also evidence that some aspects of the internet such as maps and location-aware services may serve to reinforce economic inequality and the digital divide. Electronic commerce may be responsible for consolidation and the decline of mom-and-pop, brick and mortar businesses resulting in increases in income inequality. === Security === E-business systems naturally have greater security risks than traditional business systems, therefore it is important for e-business systems to be fully protected against these risks. A far greater number of people have access to e-businesses through the internet than would have access to a traditional business. Customers, suppliers, employees, and numerous other people use any particular e-business system daily and expect their confidential information to stay secure. Hackers are one of the great threats to the security of e-businesses. Some common security concerns for e-Businesses include keeping business and customer information private and confidential, the authenticity of data, and data integrity. Some of the methods of protecting e-business security and keeping information secure include physical security measures as well as data storage, data transmission, anti-virus software, firewalls, and encryption to list a few. ==== Privacy and confidentiality ==== Confidentiality is the extent to which businesses makes personal information available to other businesses and individuals. With any business, confidential information must remain secure and only be accessible to the intended recipient. However, this becomes even more difficult when dealing with e-businesses specifically. To keep such information secure means protecting any electronic records and files from unauthorized access, as well as ensuring safe transmission and data storage of such information. Tools such as encryption and firewalls manage this specific concern within e-business. ==== Authenticity ==== E-business transactions pose greater challenges for establishing authenticity due to the ease with which electronic information may be altered and copied. Both parties in an e-business transaction want to have the assurance that the other party is who they claim to be, especially when a customer places an order and then submits a payment electronically. One common way to ensure this is to limit access to a network or trusted parties by using a virtual private network (VPN) technology. The establishment of authenticity is even greater when a combination of techniques are used, and such techniques involve checking "something you know" (i.e. password or PIN), "something you need" (i.e. credit card), or "something you are" (i.e. digital signatures or voice recognition methods). Many times in e-business, however, "something you are" is pretty strongly verified by checking the purchaser's "something you have" (i.e. credit card) and "something you know" (i.e. card number). ==== Data integrity ==== Data integrity answers the question "Can the information be changed or corrupted in any way?" This leads to the assurance that the message received is identical to the message sent. A business needs to be confident that data is not changed in transit, whether deliberately or by accident. To help with data integrity, firewalls protect stored data against unauthorized access, while
Is an AI Logo Maker Worth It in 2026?
Looking for the best AI logo maker? An AI logo maker is software that uses machine learning to help you get more done — it can save you hours every week by automating repetitive work. Most options offer a generous free tier, with paid plans unlocking higher limits, faster processing, and team features. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the right AI logo maker slots into your workflow and pays for itself fast. This guide breaks down the top picks, their pros and cons, and who each one is best for.
Ancient text corpora
Ancient text corpora are the entire collection of texts from the period of ancient history, defined in this article as the period from the beginning of writing up to 300 AD. These corpora are important for the study of literature, history, linguistics, and other fields, and are a fundamental component of the world's cultural heritage. Chinese, Latin, and Greek are examples of ancient languages with significant text corpora, although much of these corpora are known to us via transmission (frequently via medieval manuscript copies) rather than in their original form. These texts – both transmitted and original – provide valuable insights into the history and culture of different regions of the world, and have been studied for centuries by scholars and researchers. Other ancient texts – particularly stone inscriptions and papyrus scrolls – have been published following archaeological research, notably the cuneiform corpus of c.10 million words and the c.5 million words in ancient Egyptian. Through advances in technology and digitization, ancient text corpora are more accessible than ever before. Tools such as the Perseus Digital Library and the Digital Corpus of Sanskrit have made it easier for researchers to access and analyze these texts. == Quantifying the corpora == Two types of ancient texts are known to modern scholars – those that have only survived in younger manuscripts, but whose great age is undisputed (this applies to the bulk of the Chinese, Brahmi, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Avestan tradition), and those known from original inscriptions, papyri and other manuscripts. Counting of the words in each corpus presents significant methodological challenges – in principle, every single occurrence of a word in the text is counted separately, but in the case of parallel transmission of literary texts, only a single transmission is taken into account. Just as the Book of the Dead and the coffin texts are only included once in the number given for the Egyptian, the Greek and Latin literary works should only be counted according to one manuscript. If, on the other hand, tombs, royal inscriptions or economic documents of certain ancient languages often show a more or less identical form, this is not evaluated as a purely "parallel tradition". Attached prepositions are counted as separate words, except in the case of the definite article in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek since it has no equivalent in most languages, so its frequency would significantly affect the comparability of numbers. === Languages with known size estimates === === South Asian === Sanskrit (Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit) Indus script (3,800 items, c.20,000 characters) Brahmi script Old Tamil Early Indian epigraphy and Indian epic poetry Kharosthi Pali literature List of historic Indian texts === Mesoamerican === Olmec hieroglyphs Maya script === East Asian === Old Chinese Chinese classics The pre-Qin corpus: a collection of ancient Chinese texts written before the Qin dynasty (221 BCE). The corpus includes texts from Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and other schools of thought. The pre-Han corpus: a collection of ancient Chinese texts written before the Han dynasty (202 BCE). The corpus includes texts from Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and other schools of thought. See the Chinese Text Project Chinese bronze inscriptions, Oracle bone script, Seal script, Clerical script === Central Iranian languages === Prior to 300 AD, the Central Iranian languages are mainly in the form of Sassanid stone inscriptions in the two closely related idioms Middle Persian (Pahlavi scripts and Inscriptional Parthian), there are 5000 for the corpus of Middle Persian (mostly 3rd, but also 4th/5th centuries) and for the corpus of Parthian (3rd century) 3000 words. To what extent some of the Manichaean Middle Persian literary texts may date back to the 3rd century is difficult to estimate; Mani is said to have personally written the Shabuhragan totaling about 5000 words. In any case, if we combine Middle Persian and Parthian, we come to over 10,000 words. === Proto-Sinaitic === Proto-Sinaitic script has no more than about 400 letters (number of words is unknown since the script has not been fully interpreted). To a similar extent, there are probably approximately contemporaneous Proto-Canaanite inscriptions (ibid.). === Anatolian === Luwian cuneiform, approx. 3000 words the Palaic language few hundred words. Hieroglyphic Luwian the Lycian alphabet (the best attested Anatolian successor language written in alphabetic script) with about 5000 words The Lydian alphabet 109 inscriptions comprising about 1500 words The Phrygian alphabet the in-tomb inscriptions from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD (approx. 1000 words) and in the so-called "old Phrygian" inscriptions less than 300 words The Carian alphabets whose texts, mainly from Egypt, contain around 600 words. === Old Italic === the Umbrian language attested essentially by the sacrificial instructions of the Iguvinian Tables with 5000 words the Oscan language (ibid.) with 2000 words the Messapic language with probably a good 1000 words (the estimate is difficult because most texts in this hardly understandable language do not use word separators) the Venetic language a few hundred words the Faliscan language a few hundred words Cisalpine Celtic inscriptions amount to approximately 2000 words, to which are added a number of glosses by classical authors === Iberia === Iberian scripts, more rarely written in Greek or Latin script, approx. 2500 words Celtiberian script, which refers to Celtic language testimonies in Iberian, but also in Latin script from Spain (approx. 1000 words) Southwest Paleohispanic script, 78 inscriptions, a few hundred words Lusitanian language, three monuments in Latin script, approx. 60 words === Germanic Northern Europe === Runic inscriptions dated before the 4th century amount to about 30 pieces, which contain no more than 50 words in total === Africa === Geʽez script: comparatively few inscriptions with a total of around 1,000 words before 300 AD. Following Christianization in the 4th century, more extensive texts are known. Libyco-Berber alphabet: over 1,000 inscriptions from the Maghreb, which are dated to Roman times. Most texts do not use a word separator; Peust estimates that the total number of words could be around 5,000 Meroitic script (Ancient Nubian): about 900 texts are known, which Peust estimates may contain approximately 10,000 words, albeit with uncertainty from the fact that the word separator is not used consistently in the Meroitic script. === Aegean === The Cretan Linear A inscriptions that have not yet been deciphered are available in about 2500 texts, which contain a total of around 20,000 characters. The total number of words can hardly be determined; Peust tentatively put it in the same order of magnitude as in Meroitic. In addition to the Linear A texts, there are also inscriptions Cretan hieroglyphs of a few hundred characters and texts written in the Greek alphabet, but not in Greek, with a few dozen words Cypriot syllabary in the first millennium BC, in which mostly Greek texts were recorded. The relevant texts comprise around 100 to 200 words. === Micro corpora === There are a significant number of ancient micro-corpus languages. Estimating the total number of attested ancient languages may be as difficult as estimating their corpus size. For example, Greek and Latin sources hand down an enormous amount of foreign-language glosses, the seriousness of which is not always certain. == Preservation and curation == Historic preservation and maintaining ancient text corpora presents several challenges, including issues with preservation, translation, and digitization. Many ancient texts have been lost over time, and those that survive may be damaged or fragmented. Translating ancient languages and scripts requires specialized expertise, and digitizing texts can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. == Corpus linguistics == The field of corpus linguistics studies language as expressed in text corpora. This includes the analysis of word frequency, collocations, grammar, and semantics. Ancient text corpora provide a valuable resource for corpus linguistics research, enabling scholars to explore the evolution of language and culture over time.
Alex James (professor)
Alex James is an Indian scientist who is a professor of AI hardware at School of Electronic Systems and Automation, and Dean at Digital University Kerala (IIITM-K). He is the professor in charge of Maker Village, Kochi, Chief Investigator of the centre for Intelligent IoT Sensors, and India Innovation Centre for Graphene. James features in top 1% scientists list published by Elsevier BV in the world in the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He appeared in the list for the third consecutive time. He specializes in the scientific field of Memristive Systems, AI hardware, Neuromorphic VLSI (very-large-scale integration) system, Intelligent Imaging and Machine learning, and Analogue electronics. == Education and career == James earned his Ph.D. degree from the Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Since 2009, he has been working as a faculty member at different universities in Australia and India. He was a Member of IET Vision and Imaging Network, and is a Member of BCS’ Fellows Technical Advisory Group (F-TAG). He is the founding chair for IEEE Kerala Section Circuits and Systems Society, and is a fellow of British Computer Society (FBCS), and Institution of Engineering and Technology. He was an Editorial Board Member of Information Fusion (2010–2014), Elsevier, and associate editor for HCIS (2015–2020), Springer; and Guest Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence (2017). Currently he is serving as an Associate Editor of IEEE Access, Frontiers in Neuroscience, and IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers journal. == Scientific research == IIITM-K has achieved a breakthrough in developing Analogue Integrated circuit for implementing Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) in a joint research project with Analogue Circuits and Image Sensors Lab, Siegen university and Fraunhofer, Germany, and Centre for Excellence in Artificial general intelligence and Neuromorphic Systems (neuroAGI). According to A. P. James, professor at the School of Electronics at IIITM-K, this complicated and meticulous AI circuits research can accelerate and operate GAN applications in low power devices. It also can be used to analyze and interpret 2019-nCoV data for a possible solution to the pandemic. An AI Semantic search engine has been created by a research team led by A.P. James to help researchers gain deeper insights into Scientific Investigation, particularly since the COVID-19 issue has necessitated the collection of a significant amount of complex scientific data. The search engine is called "www.vilokana.in, which is Sanskrit for "finding out. == Awards and honors == James is a member of IEEE CASS Technical committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, IEEE CASS Technical committee on Cellular Nanoscale networks and Memristor Array Computing, IEEE Consumer Technology Society Technical Committee on Quantum in Consumer Technology (QCT), Technical Committee on Machine learning, Deep learning and AI in CE (MDA) and Member of BCS’ Fellows Technical Advisory Group (F-TAG). James was awarded best associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers TCAS-I, by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (IEEE CASS) for the year 2020–21. He has been an associate editor for the journal since 2017. He is also an editorial board member of PeerJ CS and a Senior Member of IEEE, Life Member of ACM, Senior Fellow of HEA.
Google Gadgets
Google Gadgets are dynamic web content that can be embedded on a web page. They can be added to and interact strongly with Google's iGoogle personalized home page (discontinued in November 2013, although iGoogle Gadgets still work on other websites) and the Google Desktop (discontinued in September 2011) application, as well as Google Wave (also no longer supported by Google) and Google Sites. Webmasters can add and customize a gadget to their own business or personal web site, a process called "syndication". Gadgets are developed by Google and third-party developers using the Google Gadgets API, using basic web technologies such as XML and JavaScript. == Multi-user persistent - Wave Gadgets == With the advent of Google Wave (now Apache Wave), gadgets became able to have persistent storage and multi-user capabilities and better state management. Gadgets using Google Wave in this way were simply known as 'Wave Gadgets'. For instance, a game written using a Google Gadget could use Google Wave technology to record a list of users and high scores without having to worry about how to permanently store the scores on a hosted server. The use of Google Wave would give the gadget multi-user and permanent storage capabilities. For example, scores could be stored in a Google Wave hosted permanently by Google at no cost to the user. As of early 2013, Google Gadgets were deprecated in Google Spreadsheets. Shortly after, they were removed from all spreadsheets. == Technology == Google Gadgets are written in XML and can have HTML and JavaScript components, and were able to use Google Wave. Here is an example of a Hello World program written using Google Gadget technology. Google Gadgets API is a Google API which allows developers to create Google Gadgets easily.
AI Image Generators: Free vs Paid (2026)
Looking for the best AI image generator? An AI image generator is software that uses machine learning to help you get more done — it can save you hours every week by automating repetitive work. Most options offer a generous free tier, with paid plans unlocking higher limits, faster processing, and team features. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the right AI image generator slots into your workflow and pays for itself fast. This guide breaks down the top picks, their pros and cons, and who each one is best for.