"Information Latency: Its significance and the ways to deal with it"

The time gap between the occurrence of events and their formal capture in the Information System (Information Latency) is an inevitable attribute of information systems. In spite of its prevalence, it has not been yet a subject of thorough theoretic examination. The practical reference to Information Latency in the design of information systems has been typically an inexplicit aspect in the examination of the required updated-ness of data for decision-making. Yet, the management of the COVID-19 pandemic presented a challenge – practically and fundamentally insurmountable – in dealing with Information Latency, a delay that unequivocally cripples the management of the medical crisis and its implications. The effects of Information Latency are demonstrated through data collected in Hubei Province, China, at the early stages of the pandemic. The discussion is anchored in the Minkowski's Diagram (a construct of the Theory of Relativity), which depicts the "state of knowing" in an information system at any point of time. The explicit reference along the model frames the three responses to the Information Latency challenge as a logical sequence, specifically (1) expediting data capture, (2) "thickening of the present", and (3) "broadening the present" by shifting it to the past and completion of missing data with speculative logical/mathematical models.

Bio: Retired Associate Professor of Technology and Information Systems Management, at the Coller school of Management at Tel Aviv University. Altogether almost fifty five years of experience in the practice, research and teaching of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and information systems (IS) in organizations. Served eight years in the military computing complex as the ICT CTO of the Logistics Command and three years of ICT consulting in Hamburg, Germany.

An international academic career since 1982, primarily at Tel Aviv University, but also at Stern School of Business (NYU), Paul Merage School of Business (UC Irvine), Claremont Graduate University, as well as Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University). Served as the founding Academic Director of the Georges Leven High-Tech Management School (HTMS), at Tel Aviv University.

Current academic focus on the study of global management of innovation and the use of IT for decision support. Published among others in the ACM Transactions on Database Systems, Communications of the ACM, Decision Support Systems, Journal of MIS, as well as the proceedings of ICIS, the International Conference on Information Systems.

Holds a Ph.D. degree in Decision Sciences from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a M.Sc. in Management Science (Cum Laude), as well as B.A. degree in Statistics and Economics, both from Tel Aviv University.