Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

148 digital dashboardThe ownership and control of the intellectual property representedby music, video, and film has also been complicatedby the combination of digitization and the pervasiveInternet. For example, during 2000–2001 the legal battlesinvolving Napster, a program that allows users to sharemusic files pitted the rights of music producers and artiststo control the distribution of their product against the technologicalcapability of users to freely copy and distributethe material. While a variety of copy protection systems(both software and hardware-based) have been developedin an attempt to prevent unauthorized copying, historicallysuch measures have had only limited effectiveness(see copy protection, digital rights management, andintellectual property and computing).Digital convergence also raises deeper philosophicalissues. Musicians, artists, and scholars have frequently suggestedthat the process of digitization fails to capture subtletiesof performance that might have been accessible in theoriginal media. At the same time, the richness and immersivequalities of the new multimedia may be drawing peoplefurther away from the direct experience of the “real” analogworld around them. Ultimately, the embodiment of digitalconvergence in the form of virtual reality likely to emergein the early 21st century will pose questions as profound asthose provoked by the invention of printing and the developmentof mass broadcast media (see virtual reality).Further ReadingCovell, Andy. Digital Convergence: How the Merging of Computers,Communications and Multimedia Is Transforming Our Lives.Newport, R.I.: Aegis Publishing, 2000.———. Digital Convergence Phase 2: A Field Guide for Creator-Collaborators.Champaign, Ill.: Stipes Publishing, 2004Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New MediaCollide. New York: New York University Press, 2006.Park, Sangin. Strategies and Policies in Digital Convergence. Hershey,Penn.: Information Science Reference, 2007.digital dashboardThe dashboard of a car is designed to present vital real-timeinformation to the driver, such as speed, fuel supply, andengine status. Ideally this information should be easy tograsp at a glance, allowing for prompt action when necessary.Conversely, unnecessary and potentially distractinginformation should be avoided, or at least relegated to anunobtrusive secondary display.A digital dashboard is a computer display that uses similarconcepts. Its goal is to provide an executive or managerwith the key information that allows him or her to monitorthe health of the enterprise and to take action when necessary.(A digital dashboard can also be part of a larger set ofmanagement tools—see decision support system.)The screen display for a digital dashboard can use avariety of objects (see graphical user interface). Thesecan include traditional charts (line, bar, or pie), color-codedmaps, depictions of gauges, and a variety of other interfaceelements sometimes known as “widgets.”However information is depicted, the dashboard isdesigned to summarize the current status of business orother functions, identify trends, and warn the user whenattention is required. For example, a dashboard mightsummarize production and shipping for each of a company’sfactories. Bars on a chart might be green when levelsare within normal parameters, but turn red if, for example,production has fallen more than 20 percent belowtarget goals. Dashboard displays can also be useful forgraphically showing the degree to which project objectivesare being met.Digital dashboards can be custom built or obtainedin forms specialized for various types of business. Typicallythe dashboard is hosted on the corporate Web serverand is accessible through Web browsers—perhaps with anabbreviated version that can be viewed on PDAs and smartphones.CritiqueToday dashboards are in widespread use in many top corporations,from Microsoft to Home Depot. An oft-citedadvantage of dashboard technology is that it keeps managersfocused and provides for quick response in situationswhere time may be crucial. No longer is it necessary for themanager to track down key individuals and try to makesense of their reports over the phone.Some critics, however, worry that dashboards may makemanagement too “data driven.” Those regular calls, afterall, can form an important part of the relationship betweenan executive or manager and subordinates, as well as gettinga sense of morale and possible personnel problems thatmay be affecting productivity. Overreliance on dashboardsand “bottom line” numbers may also hurt the morale ofsalespeople and others who come to feel that they are beingmicromanaged. Further, the dashboard may omit importantconsiderations that in turn are likely to receive less attentionand support.Further ReadingAnte, Spencer E., and Jena McGregor. “Giving the Boss the BigPicture: A ‘Dashboard’ Pulls Up Everything the CEO Needsto Run the Show.” BusinessWeek, February 13, 2006. Availableonline. URL: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_07/b3971083.htm. Accessed September 12, 2007.Dashboard Examples. Available online. URL: http://www.enterprise-dashboard.com/. Accessed September 12, 2007.Dashboard Insight. Available online. URL: http://www.dashboardinsight.com/. Accessed September 12, 2007.Eckerson, Wayne W. Performance Dashboards: Measuring, Monitoring,and Managing Your Business. New York: Wiley, 2006.Few, Stephen. Information Dashboard Design: The Effective VisualCommunication of Data. Sebastapol, Calif.: O’Reilly, 2006.digital divideThe term digital divide was coined in the late 1990s amidgrowing concern that groups such as minorities, the elderly,and rural residents were not becoming computer literateand connecting to the Internet at the same rate as theyoung, educated, and relatively affluent.Nearly a decade later this perception of a chasm hasdiminished somewhat. According to the Pew Internet &American Life project, as of 2006 about two-thirds (70 per-