Title: Trust-enabling decision support system for e-tourism intermediation

Authors: M. Chiara Pettenati, Paolo Bussotti, David Parlanti, Dino Giuli

Addresses: Electronics and Telecommunications Department, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta, 3 50139 Florence, Italy. ' Electronics and Telecommunications Department, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta, 3 50139 Florence, Italy. ' Electronics and Telecommunications Department, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta, 3 50139 Florence, Italy. ' Electronics and Telecommunications Department, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta, 3 50139 Florence, Italy

Abstract: We present a trust-enabling intermediation system architecture for intelligent decision support in e-tourism applications, namely the Trust Intermediary Service Provider (TISP) system. The purpose of the present work is twofold: to propose a trust-building conceptual framework to account for customer trust in e-commerce applications; and to present a system architecture for knowledge-based decision-making support in the e-tourism context, as a technological demonstration fitting most of the trust-enabling mechanisms in the conceptual framework. The presented system aims to demonstrate the technological feasibility of a semantic-web-based architecture capable of meeting personalised needs and interests in interacting with an e-tourism intermediary, while allowing mechanisms to support trust building and maintenance. The core TISP components are designed for high reusability and are based on advanced knowledge-management-enabling technologies as well as design patterns derived from the Semantic Web (SW) and artificial intelligence fields of study.

Keywords: decision support systems; intelligent DSS; trust building models; e-tourism; knowledge base; semantic web; agent technologies; multi-agent systems; agent-based systems; MAS; trust; e-commerce; electronic commerce; electronic tourism; intermediaries; knowledge management; artificial intelligence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2008.018824

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2008 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.275 - 299

Published online: 19 Jun 2008 *

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