at practices, consider them 'natural' and give them their overarching character of necessity. Infrastructure becomes an essential factor shaping the taken-for-grantedness of organizational practices" (Ciborra and Hanseth 1998). "The technological and human components, networks, systems, and processes that contribute to the functioning of the health information system" (Braa et al. 2007). "The set of organizational practices, technical infrastructure and social norms that collectively provide for the smooth operation of scientific work at a distance (Edwards et al. 2007). "A shared, evolving, heterogeneous installed base of IT capabilities developed on open and standardized interfaces" (Hanseth and Lyytinen 2008). Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary (OED) the etymology of the words that make up the phrase "information infrastructure" are as follows: Information late 14c., "act of informing," from O.Fr. informacion, enformacion "information, advice, instruction," from L. informationem (nom. informatio) "outline, concept, idea," noun of action from pp. stem of informare (see inform). Meaning "knowledge communicated" is from mid-15c. Information technology attested from 1958. Information revolution from 1969. Infrastructure 1887, from Fr. infrastructure (1875); see infra- + structure. The installations that form the basis for any operation or system. Originally in a military sense. Theories Dimensions According to Star and Ruhleder, there are 8 dimensions of information infrastructures. Embeddedness Transparency Reach or scope Learned as part of membership Links with conventions of practice Embodiment of standards Built on an installed base Becomes visible upon breakdown As a public policy Presidential Chair and Professor of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, Christine L. Borgman argues information infrastructures, like all infrastructures, are "subject to public policy". In the United States, public policy defines information infrastructures as the "physical and cyber-based systems essential to the minimum operations of the economy and government" and connected by information technologies. Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Borgman says governments, businesses, communities, and individuals can work together to create a global information infrastructure which links "the world's telecommunication and computer networks together" and would enable the transmission of "every conceivable information and communication application." Currently, the Internet is the default global information infrastructure." Regional information infrastructure Asia The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TEL) Program of Asian for Information and Communications Infrastructure. Southeast Asia Association of South East Asian Nations, e-ASEAN Framework Agreement of 2000. North America United States National Information Infrastructure Act of 1993 National Information Infrastructure (NII) Canada The National Research Council established