On participatory service provision at the network edge with community home gateways

Edge computing is considered as a technology to enable new types of services which operate at the network edge. There are important use cases in ambient intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) for edge computing driven by huge business potentials. Most of today's edge computing platforms, however, consist of proprietary gateways, which are either closed or fairly restricted to deploy any third-party services. In this paper we discuss a participatory edge computing system running on home gateways to serve as an open environment to deploy local services. We present first motivating use cases and review existing approaches and design considerations for the proposed system. Then we show our platform which materializes the principles of an open and participatory edge environment, to lower the entry barriers for service deployment at the network edge. By using containers, our platform can flexibly enable third-party services, and may serve as an infrastructure to support several application domains of ambient intelligence.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Design Principles for Institutionalized Data Ecosystems – Results from a Series of Case Studies

Sharing and collaborating on data across organizational boundaries is increasingly important for building a comprehensive data foundation for a variety of relevant analytical models and reports. We argue that a formalized set of rules and responsibilities - data governance - is needed to guide such data sharing ac-tivities and thus provide the foundation for an institutionalized data ecosystem. To this end, we propose a set of design principles. Based on three case studies from different application domains, we derive the design principles using Ser-vice-Dominant Logic as our theoretical lens. We distinguish between dynamic and static design principles. Our approach supports the delineation and specifi-cation of data governance structures for data ecosystems

Internet of robotic things : converging sensing/actuating, hypoconnectivity, artificial intelligence and IoT Platforms

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is evolving rapidly and influencing newdevelopments in various application domains, such as the Internet of MobileThings (IoMT), Autonomous Internet of Things (A-IoT), Autonomous Systemof Things (ASoT), Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), Internetof Things Clouds (IoT-C) and the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) etc.that are progressing/advancing by using IoT technology. The IoT influencerepresents new development and deployment challenges in different areassuch as seamless platform integration, context based cognitive network integration,new mobile sensor/actuator network paradigms, things identification(addressing, naming in IoT) and dynamic things discoverability and manyothers. The IoRT represents new convergence challenges and their need to be addressed, in one side the programmability and the communication ofmultiple heterogeneous mobile/autonomous/robotic things for cooperating,their coordination, configuration, exchange of information, security, safetyand protection. Developments in IoT heterogeneous parallel processing/communication and dynamic systems based on parallelism and concurrencyrequire new ideas for integrating the intelligent “devices”, collaborativerobots (COBOTS), into IoT applications. Dynamic maintainability, selfhealing,self-repair of resources, changing resource state, (re-) configurationand context based IoT systems for service implementation and integrationwith IoT network service composition are of paramount importance whennew “cognitive devices” are becoming active participants in IoT applications.This chapter aims to be an overview of the IoRT concept, technologies,architectures and applications and to provide a comprehensive coverage offuture challenges, developments and applications

The future of Cybersecurity in Italy: Strategic focus area

This volume has been created as a continuation of the previous one, with the aim of outlining a set of focus areas and actions that the Italian Nation research community considers essential. The book touches many aspects of cyber security, ranging from the definition of the infrastructure and controls needed to organize cyberdefence to the actions and technologies to be developed to be better protected, from the identification of the main technologies to be defended to the proposal of a set of horizontal actions for training, awareness raising, and risk management

Lifecycle Based Modeling of Smart City Ecosystem

International audienceSmart city services have an inevitable role in addressing the complexity of modern city operation. Smart transport, smart parking, smart energy, smart water and many others are examples of vertical smart city systems that are mainly concerned with its particular domain. Realizing the full promise of smart city will require interoperability among those systems and data fusion between heterogeneous components from different domains. In this regard, many standardization organizations have been working on modeling smart city and similar or related systems and concepts, such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), to ensure common technical grounding and architectural principles. Though, there is still a need to address the higher-level requirements of smart city as a complete ecosystem. To this end, this paper discusses different Smart City solutions and highlights lifecycle based modeling to better integrate people, processes, and systems; and assure information consistency, traceability, and long-term archiving

Industry 4.0: The Future of Indo-German Industrial Collaboration

Industry 4.0 can be described as the fourth industrial revolution, a mega- trend that affects every company around the world. It envisions interconnections and collaboration between people, products and machines within and across enterprises. Why does Industry 4.0 make for an excellent platform for industrial collaboration between India and Germany? The answers lie in economic as well as social factors. Both countries have strengths and weakness and strategic collaboration using the principles of Industry 4.0 can help both increase their industrial output, GDP and make optimal use of human resources. As a global heavy weight in manufacturing and machine export, Germany has a leading position in the development and deployment of Industry 4.0 concepts and technology. However, its IT sector, formed by a labor force of 800,000 employees, is not enough. It needs more professionals to reach its full potential. India, on the other hand, is a global leader in IT and business process outsourcing. But its manufacturing industry needs to grow significantly and compete globally. These realities clearly show the need for Industry 4.0-based collaboration between Germany and India. So how does Industry 4.0 work? In a first step, we look at the technical pers- pective – the vertical and horizontal integration of Industry 4.0 principles in enterprises. Vertical integration refers to operations within Smart Factories and horizontal integration to Smart Supply Chains across businesses. In the second step, we look at manufacturing, chemical industry and the IT sector as potential targets for collaboration between the two countries. We use case studies to illustrate the benefits of the deployment of Industry 4.0. Potential collaboration patterns are discussed along different forms of value chains and along companies’ ability to achieve Industry 4.0 status. We analyse the social impact of Industry 4.0 on India and Germany and find that it works very well in the coming years. Germany with its dwindling labor force might be compensated through the automation. This will ensure continued high productivity levels and rise in GDP. India, on the other hand has a burgeoning labor market, with 10 million workers annually entering the job market. Given that the manufacturing sector will be at par with Europe in efficiency and costs by 2023, pressure on India’s labor force will increase even more. Even its robust IT sector will suffer fewer hires because of increased automation. Rapid development of technologies – for the Internet of Things (IoT) or for connectivity like Low-Power WAN – makes skilling and reskilling of the labor force critical for augmenting smart manufacturing. India and Germany have been collaborating at three levels relevant to Industry 4.0 – industry, government and academics. How can these be taken forward? The two countries have a long history of trade. The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) is the largest such chamber in India and the largest German chamber worldwide. VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Mechanical Engineering Industry Association), the largest industry association in Europe, maintains offices in India. Indian key players in IT, in turn, have subsidia- ries in Germany and cooperate with German companies in the area of Industry 4.0. Collaboration is also supported on governmental level. As government initiatives go, India has launched the “Make in India” initiative and the “Make in India Mittelstand! (MIIM)” programme as a part of it. The Indian Government is also supporting “smart manufacturing” initiatives in a major way. Centers of Excellence driven by the industry and academic bodies are being set up. Germany and India have a long tradition of research collaboration as well. Germany is the second scientific collaborator of India and Indian students form the third largest group of foreign students in Germany. German institutions like the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) or the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH) are working to strengthen ties between the scientific communities of the two countries, and between their academia and industry. What prevents Industry 4.0 from becoming a more widely used technology? Recent surveys in Germany and India show that awareness about Industry 4.0 is still low, especially among small and medium manufacturing enterprises. IT companies, on the other hand, are better prepared. There is a broad demand for support, regarding customtailored solutions, information on case studies and the willingness to participate in Industry 4.0 pilot projects and to engage in its platform and networking activities. We also found similar responses at workshops conducted with Industry 4.0 stakehold- ers in June 2017 in Bangalore and Pune and in an online survey. What can be done to change this? Both countries should strengthen their efforts to create awareness for Industry 4.0, especially among small and medium enterprises. Germany should also put more emphasis on making their Industry 4.0 technology known to the Indian market. India’s IT giants, on the other hand, should make their Industry 4.0 offers more visible to the German market. The governments should support the establishing of joint Industry 4.0 collaboration platforms, centers of excellence and incubators to ease the dissemination of knowledge and technology. On academic level, joint research programs and exchange programs should be set up to foster the skilling of labor force in the deployment of Industry 4.0 methods and technologies

Trust in “Trust-free” Digital Networks: How Inter-firm Algorithmic Relationships Embed the Cardinal Principles of Value Co-creation

In this exploratory research, I develop new knowledge on trust in inter-firm cooperation that leverages recent technologies such as blockchain and the Internet of things in a digital platform ecosystem. In a digital network, advanced algorithms govern and shape inter-firm business processes. While such algorithms introduce efficiency in inter-firm business processes, their limitations, especially their apparent lack of transparency, may affect the key trust dimensions (i.e., reliability, fairness, and goodwill) in the relationships among the participating firms. I introduce algorithmic relationship, a label that embeds the concepts of smart contracts in inter-firm cooperation. Algorithmic relationships involve autonomous and semi-autonomous implementations of smart contracts in all lifecycle stages of inter-firm cooperation. By analyzing extant literature on trust, inter-firm cooperation, business model innovation, and digital platforms, I demonstrate how various factors influence whether firms adopt smart contracts: perceptions about other participants’ trustworthiness, participants’ own propensity to trust, participants’ shared goals and resource embeddedness in the network, perceived risks in inter-firm interactions, and complexity and time criticality of inter-firm interactions. Taking a temporal perspective, I also recognize the present lacunae with smart contracts from various perspectives (algorithm development, algorithm implementation, algorithm governance, and the availability of appropriate legal resources in the event that disputes occur) and demonstrate how these drawbacks impede shared value creation

Space Governance for the 21st Century: Balancing Space Development with Sustainability

The development of space is occurring in new ways and at an accelerated pace compared to even just a decade ago. As new and greater volumes of space activities, like large constellations of small satellites, space traffic management, and on orbit rendezvous, proximity, servicing, and assembly operations become routine, new international governance will be necessary to balance the development of space with space sustainability. While some international space governance does exist, it is poorly suited to govern new space activities and the environmental threats posed by space development. The need for new governance is well documented, yet the international community, and specifically the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), has been unable to organize around space governance and produce effective international governance measures.This research will compare governance regimes of the air, maritime, and internet domains to understand how stakeholders and international organisations approach governance of a global commons. Through the examination of the International Maritime Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, and the multistakeholder group responsible for internet governance this research will draw insight into the organisational structures, processes, tools, and techniques that aid in the creation of international governance to inform new governance for space.Findings offer insight into the organisational qualities, governance tools, and necessary change needed to govern space more effectively. First, despite differences across case studies, there are key features of effective international governance present in each. Each system of governance is designed based on unique features and qualities of that domain and its stakeholders. Still, decision-making processes, membership participation, enforcement, and keeping pace with new technology all play central roles in effective international governance.Proper consensus decision-making can play an outsized role in whether a forum can advance governance or not. The case studies make clear that to properly use consensus as a decision-making approach requires thoughtful consideration of the increased transaction costs weighed against necessary agreement compliance. For example, not all governance outputs require a high degree of compliance to be effective and therefore do not justify higher transaction costs associated with strict consensus processes. Similarly, thoughtful use of consensus also requires evaluating where in the diplomatic process consensus is required. Not every diplomatic decision requires full consensus. Yet, COPUOS currently does not adjust its decision-making approach based on output or where in the diplomatic process it requires consensus, which has allowed the forum's use of consensus to hinder the development of new governance.Another finding is that strong governance leverages a multitude of governance tools. Treaties are an important governance measure, but so too are standards and recommended practices, guidelines, codes, performance-based measures, audit schemes, scoping exercises, and educational resources, among other tools. Many of the emerging space activities will continue to evolve quickly, which requires producing governance in a timely manner and continuous evolution of agreements. In each case study, evolving activities were governed by a spectrum of measures that allowed the IO to affect member behaviour quickly and overtime through complementary outputs.Each case study made clear that effective governance requires constant work across multiple workstreams, yet COPUOS is a small three body organisation with too few resources to increase work cadence or volume. A larger secretariat and the capacity to create new subcommittees or working groups is likely to aid space governance. COPUOS will require major changes to accommodate space governance needs. Finally, this research offers recommendations for future research capable of exploring additional possible solutions to existing space governance problems

DIGISER. Digital Innovation in Governance and Public Service Provision

Digital Innovation Challenges In view of the increasingly intense pressures on the public sector to address the challenges of our time, governments and other public entities are gradually adopting digital innovation, seeking to promote quality public services. Digital technologies and capabilities create opportunities to re-organise public service inno- vation and delivery in ways that reduce cost and increase quality, proactiveness and citizen-centricity. Multilevel governance, networks and other collaboration systems (at local, regional, national and interna- tional level) are gaining importance as key drivers of this process of digital innovation and transformation. The link to the innovation ecosystem, including all sectors of activity, both private and public (e.g., academia, industry, business, citizens and governments) appears as fundamental in all phases of the creation, devel- opment, implementation and maintenance of public services and policy making. Information and communi- cation technologies are conceived as essential elements to support the creation and sustainability of these collaboration processes. In an era in which information gains relevance in the management of the territory and allows new power relations, the expectations of citizens are increasingly demanding and specific. Considering the develop- ments of recent years, such as the economic, social and health crises, the pressure placed on the resolution of global challenges is progressively transferred to the scope of cities. There are several elements that con- tribute to the importance of cities in the digital innovation transformation process namely buying- power, being closer to citizens and being able to work across different sectors. In fact, urban territories increasingly represent a greater number of citizens - in Europe, for example, they correspond to 75% of the population - have greater autonomy in management, worldwide they contribute to 80% of the global GDP and have the potential to provide a major contribution to the resolution of global challenges. The balance between change (promoted by the digital innovation strategies) and stability (driven by organi- sational inertia) needs to be handled carefully. The transformation process has to be based on a long-term strategy and to occur in a sustainable way, by focusing on learning experiences and knowledge and tech- nology transfer, while being sensitive to the local context to ensure improvement. At the European level, the Digital Transition has been considered a main goal for the next decade. The EU launched the European Green Deal and Europe Fit for the Digital Age, a twin initiative, which links green and digital transition. The vision for the EU ́s digital decade is reflected in the Digital Compass 2030 and includes 4 cardinal points: skills, government, infrastructure and Business. With the aim of having 100% of the key public services online by 2030, the digital compass ensures that digital will contribute in a positive way to improve citizens quality of life while reducing the resources spent. To support this vision, and by understanding the importance of community-led data-driven solutions and the potential of collaborative ap- proaches, several initiatives are being implemented. The Living-in.EU movement, for example, points out the European Way’ where multi-level governance and co-creation processes support the development of a cohesive digital Europe in the path towards digital transition. Another initiative contributing to this strategy is promoted by Open & Agile Smart Cities which is connecting cities through Minimal Interoperability Mech- anisms (MIMs) - “a set of practical capabilities based on open technical specifications that allow cities and communities to replicate and scale solutions globally”. The MIMs contribute to the creation of the European Single Market by providing a common technical ground for the procurement and deployment of urban data platforms and end-to-end solutions in cities