Collaborative Platform for Multicultural Herbal Information

Transcription

1 Pacific Neighborhood Consortium (PNC) Annual Conference and Joint Meetings (PNC 2011), October 19-21, 2011, Sasin Hall, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, THAILAND Collaborative Platform for Multicultural By Verayuth Lertnattee* Sinthop Chomya Virach Sornlertlamvanich

2 Outline Introduction Collecting Implementation of KUIHerb Conclusion and Extended Work 2

3 Introduction

4 Introduction Herbal medicine is very important from the past until the present and also in the future Knowledge about herbal medicine varies from different area and different time Using conventional methods, it is hard to collect herbal information from several cultures in a systematic approach 4

5 Motivation on the Research The problems of collecting herbal information were addressed Multicultural knowledge Require several experts for contributing better knowledge Locations of herbal experts The Internet is popular, collaborative work on the Internet is possible Some young generations who are interested in traditional medicine is a group of key persons who can transfer knowledge from traditional doctors (tacit knowledge) to the knowledge in digitized form (explicit knowledge) 5

6 The Aim of This Work Design a system for Collecting Using the concept of collective intelligence Using the Internet for collaboration Using the concept of the future web 6

7 Collective Intelligence From the concept Under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people From, Wisdom of the Crowds, by James Surowiecki, business columnist for New Yorker 7

8 The Internet Technology With the Internet, users around the world can connect and communicate to each other The most popular service one on the Internet is World Wide Web (WWW), especially in GUI Web technology moves from 1.0 to 2.0 and is going to the next version 8

9 Trends of the Future Web Wisdom of the experts Control of information No or less controversial The intelligent web 9

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11 General Characteristics It is a special type of information dealing with medicinal herbs The relationship between herbs and their names is Many-Many An herb with several names Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.: Wan hang chora khe, Hang ta khe, Wan fai mai A name with several herbs Prayarakdum: Polyalthia cerasoides (Roxb.) Benth. ex Bedd., Diospyros variegata Kurz., Jussiaea suffruticosa Linn. 11

12 Useful Features of Herb name General characteristics Image Part used Indication Method for preparation Precaution Toxicity Additional Information 12

13 Collecting

14 Four Major Topics Herb identification Vocabulary collection Intercultural usages Precautions and toxicity 14

15 Herb Identification Using scientific name and images of an herb for common understanding Several parts of a medicinal plant may be used with different proposes. Images for ease part should be collected in fresh form and dry form The synonyms for an herb are useful for identification 15

16 Vocabulary Collection In KUIHerb, a set of names for an herb and the locations which call it, should be collected Some mechanisms should be applied for increasing an existing of the name and the right locations Names of the herb may be Several languages Common and local names for each language 16

17 An Herb with Several Names (Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f.) ARABIC األلوة CHINESE 龙舌兰 ENGLISH Barbados aloe Coastal aloe THAI ว านหางจระเข ว านไฟไหม 17

18 Multicultural Usages The usages of an herb depend on An herb Part used Method for preparation Traditional knowledge of the culture 18

19 An example, Ginger Common ginger grows from thick fleshy underground stems called "rhizomes, but sometime called ginger root In China The dried root treats depleted yang, removes cold, is useful for "cold" pain of the stomach and abdomen, is useful for diarrhea due to cold deficiency, cough, rheumatism and many other uses. In India Fresh ginger has been used for cold-induced disease, nausea, asthma, cough, colic, etc. In Jamaica The warm steamy fumes of hot ginger tea are used as an inhalant to relieve head colds In Europe European tradition values ginger tea for digestive disturbances 19

20 Precautions and Toxicity Although several herbs are frequently used, they may cause some problems For example, Ginkgo biloba L. Ginkgo may improve thinking, learning, and memory in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) Small children of few years old have died from taking just less than ten pieces of Ginkgo biloba L. Adults are rarely affected by its toxicity but this does not mean it will not happen. Sharing experiences about precautions and toxicity is a very useful topic 20

21 Implementation of KUIHerb

22 Implementation of KUIHerb Tools for building KUIHerb Linux Apache MySQL PHP Four Components in KUIHerb Accessing information Sharing information Providing information Web site statistics 22

23 Levels of Access Information Administrator Register Administrative Right Modify own and the other information/opinions Member Register Modify own information/opinions Visitor View only 23

24 Accessing Information Keyword search Thai common name English common name Local name Scientific name Family name Directory search By part used By symptom 24

25 Keyword Search Directory Search 25

26 Sharing and Voting for Herbal Information A member can express his/her opinions The other members can vote their opinions Topics for Voting Herb Name Local Name Location Medicinal Use Part Used Indication for the part used Method for preparation for the indication of the part used 26

27 Herb Identification Given a scientific name, a member can contribute his/her images of the herb into the system Whole plants and parts for medicinal uses should be contributed A contributor may input some keywords and comments for the image The order of image is arranged by popularity of viewing the image 27

28 Whole plant and parts used Click for larger view Popular images are shifted Comment 28

29 Vocabulary Collection Local names of herbs are suggested by members Multi-lingual names can also be applied The location or the language which uses the name may be given The majority voting is applied Each member has only one vote for an opinion. The opinion with the higher score will be moved to the upper part of the window 29

30 Sharing Herb Names and Its Locations Voting Score Names of an herb with multiple languages 30

31 Multicultural Usages A list of predefined parts which may be used for treatments is provided A member may select the part and suggest its indications The method for preparation can be suggested The majority voting is applied The English or local languages can be conducted 31

32 Multicultural Usages 32

33 Precautions/Toxicity and Additional Information Two topics are separated Precautions and toxicity Additional information Free text comment without the majority voting Some interesting topics should be suggested in additional information 33

34 A Precaution for an Herb According to one survey, dust exposure to tamarind flours may induced chronic changes in lung function 34

35 Conclusion and Extended Work

36 Conclusion The problems of collecting herbal information were addressed Multicultural knowledge and languages Require several experts for contributing better knowledge Different locations of herbal experts KUIHerb was introduced to solve these problems 36

37 Conclusion (cont.) Concepts of KUIHerb Collective Intelligence Internet technologies based on Web 2.0 and some features of the future web Several topics on herbal information are considered Herb identification Different Languages and Local Names Part used, indication and method for preparation Precaution/toxicity and additional information 37

38 Extended Work The KUIHerbRx, a version for a supplement for learning herbal medicine A mobile application for herb identification An application for identification of herbal products by DNA barcode 38

39 The KUIHerbRx Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 39

40 Initial Information Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 40

41 Collaborative Work from Students Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 41

42 Medicinal Usages Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 42

43 Some Images -> Data Sets Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 43

44 An Application in Mobile Phone for Herb Identification Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 44

45 Herb Identification by Images Collaborative Platform for Multicultural 45

46 Questions and Answers Thank You 46