Editorial Note to the Special Issue: “Trends and Applications in Information Systems and Technologies”

In today’s fast-paced and competitive market, information technologies play a significant role in reshaping business models and enhancing company performance. A business can anticipate customer trends, streamline workflows, and improve its operational efficiency by digitally transforming its value chain. The swift adoption of information technologies has brought big data and business intelligence to the forefront, opening doors to innovative practices and improved productivity. The expansion of digital networks and distributed computing has also led to the rapid growth of information systems. However, these systems introduce new challenges, including cybersecurity issues, the need for advanced big data analysis, and reliance on data-centric decision-making processes.

Contrary to common belief, merely implementing information systems does not guarantee enhanced performance. This is because these systems are intricate, consisting of hardware, software, data, and a variety of use cases. Thus, inadequately designed systems or those failing to meet user requirements can result in subpar outcomes.

Addressing the primary challenges in creating and utilizing information systems is the main focus of this Special Issue of Electronics. These challenges include: (1) developing cutting-edge architecture (encompassing computers, networks, and software) to facilitate supply chain coordination and enable organizations to operate independently of geographical constraints; (2) processing and analyzing extensive data from IoT, transactions, and social interactions to aid in accurate business planning, forecasting, and monitoring; and (3) exploring the practical applications of information systems and analytical platforms in real-world scenarios.

From the many papers submitted to this Special Issue, fourteen papers were selected for inclusion. The selection process was based on rigorous reviews of the submitted papers and considered a range of topics; papers that cover several aspects of information systems and technologies were selected. More specifically, the selected papers were grouped into three sets as follows: (1) three papers on the adoption and penetration of information systems and digital business technologies in various sectors, (2) six papers on advanced processing and information extraction in information systems, and (3) five papers on innovative streamline applications and services of information systems in various areas.

More specifically, the three papers on studies on adoption and penetration of information systems and digital business technologies in various sectors are as follows:

• The paper entitled “Investigating the Factors Influencing the Adoption of Blockchain Technology across Different Countries and Industries: A Systematic Literature Review” conducts a systematic investigation into the influential factors impacting the adoption of blockchain technology. This research delves into the differences and commonalities of these factors across various countries and industries. After a comprehensive examination of both individual and organizational perspectives, the study identifies 152 unique factors that influence 25 different industries spanning 21 countries.
• In the paper entitled “Adoption of Digital Business Solutions: Designing and Monitoring Critical Success Factors”, the authors present an extensive framework that encompasses the end-to-end management of critical success factors, from their design to their monitoring, towards adopting a chosen digital business solution. Its applicability extends to businesses looking to undergo digital transformation, offering valuable insights and guidance throughout the adoption process.
• The paper entitled “ICT Penetration and Insurance Sector Development: Evidence from the 10 New EU Member States” explores the intricate relationship between information and communication technologies, as represented by indicators such as mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, the percentage of individuals using the Internet, and the development of the insurance sector. Drawing upon data spanning the period from 2000 to 2020 in the context of the 10 new European Union member states, this study uncovers a dynamic interaction between indicators of ICT penetration and the evolution of the insurance sector.

The six papers on processing and information extraction in information systems are as follows:

• In the paper entitled “An Extreme Value Analysis-Based Systemic Approach in Healthcare Information Systems: The Case of Dietary Intake”, the authors employ extreme value theory to investigate outliers within health data, focusing on dietary intake and the standard biochemistry profile. This analysis showcases that, by utilizing extreme value analysis and implementing a systematic approach, it becomes possible to predict health trends. Consequently, health interventions can be (at least partially) automated.
• The paper “Handling Class Imbalance and Class Overlap in Machine Learning Applications for Undeclared Work Prediction” addresses the challenges of class imbalance and class overlap in the context of automated undeclared work detection. The study identifies these issues and employs various data engineering techniques to mitigate them, underscoring the benefits for inspection authorities when integrating machine learning in the detection of undeclared work. The study found that performance was significantly enhanced when using data engineering approaches to tackle class imbalance and class overlap problems.
• The paper entitled “An Incremental Learning Framework for Photovoltaic Production and Load Forecasting in Energy Microgrids” introduces an innovative online (or incremental) learning framework designed to adapt dynamically to evolving environments in energy-related time-series forecasting. This paradigm is specifically applied to energy forecasting problems, resulting in the development of models that flexibly adjust to emerging patterns in streaming data. Experimental evaluations highlight substantial performance improvements.
• In the paper “A Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Approach for the Analysis of Vendor Management Using Novel Complex Picture Fuzzy Hamy Mean Operators”, the performance of vendor management systems is assessed through multi-attribute decision-making techniques. The study utilizes Hany mean operators within the complex picture fuzzy sets framework and assesses their reliability by taking into account properties such as idempotency, monotonicity, and boundedness.
• The paper “Investigating Trace Equivalences in Information Networks” introduces the concept of trace and trace equivalence within information networks, drawing inspiration from concurrent systems. The authors propose a computational method for determining whether two nodes exhibit trace equivalence in an information network. The study further derives trace-equivalent networks from the original networks. Real-data experiments demonstrate significant node reduction.
• The paper “Improving Multi-Class Motor Imagery EEG Classification Using Overlapping Sliding Window and Deep Learning Model” presents a classification framework based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to enhance the accuracy of classifying four-class motor imagery electroencephalography signals. The improved performance and robustness of the proposed framework are experimentally illustrated.

Finally, the five papers on innovative streamline applications and services of information systems in various areas are as follows:

• The paper entitled “A Framework for Smart Home System with Voice Control Using NLP Methods” introduces an innovative IoT–fog–cloud framework. This framework leverages natural language processing methods and incorporates utterance-to-command transformation into existing cloud-based speech-to-text and text-to-speech services. The system testing has shown its reliability, user friendliness and its ability to enhance customer experience.
• In the paper “Oracles Integration in Blockchain-Based Platform for Smart Crop Production Data Exchange”, the authors discuss the seamless integration of oracles into an EOSIO blockchain-based platform. This integration facilitates the exchange of data related to smart crop production through the use of smart contracts. The paper provides in-depth insights into the design, implementation, and operational outcomes of the proposed platform modification.
• In the paper entitled “Emotion-Based Literature Book Classification Using Online Reviews”, the authors implement a scraper to create a new experimental dataset of reviews gathered from Goodreads. The system extracts emotions from the reviews and associates them with the reviewed book so that this information can be employed to identify similar books based on readers’ impressions. The system is experimentally evaluated.
• In the paper “An Innovative Tool to Measure Employee Performance through Customer Satisfaction: Pilot Research Using eWOM, VR, and AR Technologies”, the authors present an innovative tool to enhance the efficiency of employee performance assessment systems. The tool focuses on assessing employee performance in relation to customer satisfaction in both service and industry sectors. Both theoretical and practical contributions are included, with the aim of continuously improving a company by utilizing applications in different fields.
• The paper entitled “IoT Data Sharing Platform in Web 3.0 Using Blockchain Technology” introduces a novel open IoT data-sharing framework empowered by blockchain technology. This framework was built upon the capabilities of the interplanetary file system. A case-study-based approach was used to evaluate the proposed solution.

It is the hope of the guest editors that the readers will find this Special Issue of Electronics, “Trends and Applications in Information Systems and Technologies”, informative and helpful, thus inspiring new research endeavors. Given that society is continuously striving for further innovation, not all challenges in the design and development of information systems can be identified and addressed in a single Special Issue. Thus, readers of Electronics may expect follow-up Special Issues on this topic to appear in due course.