Cultural Heritage Storytelling, Engagement and Management in the Era of Big Data and the Semantic Web

The current Special Issue launched with the aim of further enlightening important CH areas, inviting researchers to submit original/featured multidisciplinary research works related to heritage crowdsourcing, documentation, management, authoring, storytelling, and dissemination. Audience engagement is considered very important at both sites of the CH production–consumption chain (i.e., push and pull ends). At the same time, sustainability factors are placed at the center of the envisioned analysis. A total of eleven (11) contributions were finally published within this Special Issue, enlightening various aspects of contemporary heritage strategies placed in today’s ubiquitous society. The finally published papers are related but not limited to the following multidisciplinary topics:Digital storytelling for cultural heritage;Audience engagement in cultural heritage;Sustainability impact indicators of cultural heritage;Cultural heritage digitization, organization, and management;Collaborative cultural heritage archiving, dissemination, and management;Cultural heritage communication and education for sustainable development;Semantic services of cultural heritage;Big data of cultural heritage;Smart systems for Historical cities – smart cities;Smart systems for cultural heritage sustainability

Views from the coalface: chemo-sensors, sensor networks and the semantic sensor web

Currently millions of sensors are being deployed in sensor networks across the world. These networks generate vast quantities of heterogeneous data across various levels of spatial and temporal granularity. Sensors range from single-point in situ sensors to remote satellite sensors which can cover the globe. The semantic sensor web in principle should allow for the unification of the web with the real-word. In this position paper, we discuss the major challenges to this unification from the perspective of sensor developers (especially chemo-sensors) and integrating sensors data in real-world deployments. These challenges include: (1) identifying the quality of the data; (2) heterogeneity of data sources and data transport methods; (3) integrating data streams from different sources and modalities (esp. contextual information), and (4) pushing intelligence to the sensor level

European Territorial Cooperation in Scotland Post 2020

Despite Brexit debates, the cycle of programme planning and delivery carries on in Scotland. Scotland has been, and continues to be, a valued partner in a number of European Territorial Cooperation programmes. In terms of planning for the future, Brexit and on-going debates on the EU regulations, proposed programme geographies and funding mean there are significant ‘unknowns’. However, there are equally important ‘knowns’ and past experience to use as an initial basis for planning. On Brexit: 1. The new European Territorial Cooperation Regulations proposed by the European Commission’s DG Regio make provision for UK participation as a third country, if by that time it has left the EU. 2. Third country participation is a routine part of Interreg and other European Cooperation Programmes, especially for Programmes in which Scotland currently participates. On the post-2020 programmes: 1. The broad areas of intervention proposed in the draft ETC regulations are unlikely to change substantially in the final draft. 2. Programme geographies are not yet agreed. But, European Commission plans for major changes have been challenged, and in the past Programme areas have only ever increased. A likely scenario would be, therefore, limited change. On Scottish engagement: 1. Good experience and engagement with past programmes and projects means there is a strong commitment to on-going participation in Interreg in Scotland. 2. Scottish partners, and their expertise, are valued by collaboration partners and programmes. Working on this basis, this report presents the findings of a series of Scottish Government workshops and a conference on opportunities for Future of European Territorial Cooperation. The report highlights the particular value attached to European Territorial Cooperation in Scotland, provides clear indications of thematic and territorial areas of interest for the post 2020 period, and illustrates the potential for territorial cooperation and interest in maintaining cooperation going forward

Operationalizing the circular city model for naples' city-port: A hybrid development strategy

The city-port context involves a decisive reality for the economic development of territories and nations, capable of significantly influencing the conditions of well-being and quality of life, and of making the Circular City Model (CCM) operational, preserving and enhancing seas and marine resources in a sustainable way. This can be achieved through the construction of appropriate production and consumption models, with attention to relations with the urban and territorial system. This paper presents an adaptive decision-making process for Naples (Italy) commercial port's development strategies, aimed at re-establishing a sustainable city-port relationship and making Circular Economy (CE) principles operative. The approach has aimed at implementing a CCM by operationalizing European recommendations provided within both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework-specifically focusing on goals 9, 11 and 12-and the Maritime Spatial Planning European Directive 2014/89, to face conflicts about the overlapping areas of the city-port through multidimensional evaluations' principles and tools. In this perspective, a four-step methodological framework has been structured applying a place-based approach with mixed evaluation methods, eliciting soft and hard knowledge domains, which have been expressed and assessed by a core set of Sustainability Indicators (SI), linked to SDGs. The contribution outcomes have been centred on the assessment of three design alternatives for the East Naples port and the development of a hybrid regeneration scenario consistent with CE and sustainability principles. The structured decision-making process has allowed us to test how an adaptive approach can expand the knowledge base underpinning policy design and decisions to achieve better outcomes and cultivate a broad civic and technical engagement, that can enhance the legitimacy and transparency of policies

Disruptive Innovations in Electronic Transportation Management Systems

This paper provides an overview of selected disruptive innovations (Blockchain, Internet of Things and Big Data) in electronic transportation management systems in general, and their possible impact in maritime transport. The theoretical background is provided, including transportation, electronic transportation management systems and selected disruptive technologies. The impact, major challenges and success factors in implementing disruptive innovations in maritime transport are pointed out and elaborated. Finally, authors provide the discussion and the future perspective of selected disruptive innovations, with an emphasis on maritime transport