Technological Ecosystems in Citizen Science: A Framework to Involve Children and Young People

[EN]Young people are distinguished as a social group with the capacity to drive new behaviours and understandings in today’s society. However, most young people consider that people in charge of decision-making processes are not addressing their concerns. The WYRED project proposes a framework for citizen science based on a technological ecosystem to promote the transfer of perspectives, ideas, and knowledge among young people and decision-makers on issues related to the digital society. The work goal is to analyse the model proposed through a citizen science case study centred in identifying the ideas and opinions of children and young people between 7 and 30 years old, concerning gender stereotypes on the Internet. A total of 69 children and young people from Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom have interacted for two weeks in a private space guaranteed by the defined ecosystem. The results of the analysis of the interaction between young people and facilitators (with di erent profiles: educators, researchers and decision-makers) demonstrate that the use of technological ecosystems to sustain the development of citizen science projects allows for the improvement of knowledge transfer processes between children and young people with stakeholders, as well as the analysis of these processes

Digital Transformation in the Public Administrations: A Guided Tour for Computer Scientists

The goal of Digital Transformation of the Public Sector is the achievement of a better quality of life for citizens, via a more responsive and transparent administration and governance. By now it is clear that technological innovation, both in terms of computer architectures and software systems, is a crucial component of it, yet not sufficient. Indeed, a cultural, organizational and legal shift in how public organizations operate and relate to the citizens is also required. Nevertheless, computer scientists can play a key role in such a transformation and, given its impact on Society, it is essential to achieve a broader level of awareness of it and involvement in it of those scientific and professional figures. To this end, a technical map specifically designed for computer scientists, but properly placed in the context of the cultural, organizational and legal changes mentioned above, would be highly beneficial. To date, such a map is missing, to the best of our knowledge. The main contribution of this Tutorial is to provide it, together with a guided tour describing which key technological aspects enable and drive such a transformation. More specifically, based on a careful analysis of the available scholarly literature, that does not seem to include any Computer Science textbook material, a model of such a transformation is proposed, together with carefully selected examples incarnating it to show its validity: the cities of Barcelona and Chicago. Finally, a look at the future of this area is also provided

Innovating Pedagogy 2015: Open University Innovation Report 4

This series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. This fourth report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. To produce it, a group of academics at the Institute of Educational Technology in The Open University collaborated with researchers from the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. We proposed a long list of new educational terms, theories, and practices. We then pared these down to ten that have the potential to provoke major shifts in educational practice, particularly in post-school education. Lastly, we drew on published and unpublished writings to compile the ten sketches of new pedagogies that might transform education. These are summarised below in an approximate order of immediacy and timescale to widespread implementation

Main Factors for the Development of the Regional Innovation System of Florianópolis

The technologies and scientific knowledge have promoted the reorganization and acceleration of the innovation process around the world. The hegemony of countries recognized as innovators is being divided with the developing countries, because they have seen innovation as a social and economic process. Innovation requires an ecosystem to provide for it, in which organizations act by similarity and cooperation. In this direction, the city of Florianópolis, in the State of Santa Catarina, stands out as one of the most innovative cities of Brazil. So, this article aims to identify the factors that promote regional innovation development in Florianópolis, based on the study of Chen (2017). The methodological path adopted herein began from a bibliographical and documentary research, in which the data were described and explored through a qualitative approach. During this development, in the analysis of aspects such as national and regional environment, the population size and the number of patents granted, the universities involved and the public policies developed, the Regional Innovation System of Florianópolis has presented a virtuous circle for innovation, because it can bring together universities and research institutes that create and share knowledge and develop researches. In addition, there are companies committed to transforming knowledge into value-added products, as well as the municipality\u27s support in fostering innovation policies. Therefore, it is clear the participation of the Triple Helix in the development of innovation in Florianópolis

Promoting science growth in developing countries: an open science model for Mozambique

Tese de doutoramento em InformaticsIn developing countries, deploying National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) infrastructures is viewed as a determining step for fostering science and education. In Africa, several NRENs initiatives appeared, having as critical success factors: (i) NREN deployment coverage; (ii) NREN sustainability policies; and (iii) the services provided to the enrolled community. Regarding Mozambique, after an initial period with significant difficulties, the Mozambique Research and Education Network (MoRENet) expanded to integrate nearly 160 institutions in the country, although connectivity is the only service provided. Despite the initiatives taken so far, for instance, in science sharing and distance learning, they lack a more comprehensive view on how to steadily stimulate science growth in the country. It is in this context that the motivation for the present work lies, being the main objective defined as devising an evolutive and sustainable model for promoting science growth in Mozambique, which considers and adapts initiatives and best practices worldwide to the scientific and higher education ecosystem of the country. The proposed model targets and interrelates the contexts of open science, science management, distance learning, and technological infrastructures supporting science and education. To sustain the proposed model, the research work carried out: discusses the NRENs panorama in Africa and Mozambique, and analyzes the challenges inherent to providing sustainable services for the NRENs academic and research community; explores and contextualizes successful Open Access (OA) initiatives and directives in the framework of developing countries; identifies the barriers and weaknesses for the improvement of the Mozambican higher education system; and stresses the role of MoRENet and international e-learning collaborations to mitigate the digital divide in education. Finally, proposals for the effective deployment of OA and distance learning strategies to overcome the identified challenges are presented. The thorough debate on the above-mentioned aspects and the proposal for open science in Mozambique are also expected to improve the awareness of science vectors in other developing countries, promoting their development both scientifically and socially.Nos países em vias de desenvolvimento, a implantação de infraestruturas de Redes Nacionais de Ensino e Investigação (National Research and Education Networks - NRENs) é vista como um passo determinante para fomentar a ciência e a educação. Em África surgiram várias iniciativas de NRENs, tendo como fatores críticos de sucesso: (i) a área de implantação das NRENs; (ii) as políticas de sustentabilidade; e (iii) os serviços prestados à comunidade envolvida. Relativamente a Moçambique, após um período inicial com dificuldades significativas, a Rede de Ensino e Investigação de Moçambique (Mozambique Research and Education Network - MoRENet) expandiu-se para integrar cerca de 160 instituições no país. No entanto, as iniciativas tomadas até agora, por exemplo, no acesso à ciência e no ensino à distância, carecem de uma visão mais abrangente sobre como estimular de forma constante o crescimento da ciência no país. É neste contexto que assenta a motivação do presente trabalho, sendo o seu objetivo principal a conceção de um modelo evolutivo e sustentável de promoção do crescimento da ciência em Moçambique, que considere e adapte as iniciativas e melhores práticas mundiais ao ecossistema científico e de ensino superior deste país. O modelo proposto visa e inter-relaciona os contextos de ciência aberta, gestão científica, ensino à distância e infraestruturas tecnológicas de apoio à ciência e à educação. Para sustentar o modelo proposto, o trabalho de pesquisa realizado: discute o panorama das NRENs em África e Moçambique, analisando os desafios inerentes à prestação de serviços sustentáveis; explora e contextualiza iniciativas e diretrizes bem-sucedidas de Acesso Aberto (Open Access - OA); identifica as barreiras e fragilidades para a melhoria do sistema de ensino superior moçambicano; e destaca o papel da MoRENet e das colaborações internacionais de e-learning para mitigar a divisão digital na educação. Por fim, são apresentadas propostas para a implantação efetiva de estratégias de OA e ensino à distância para superar os desafios identificados. O debate aprofundado dos aspetos acima mencionados e a proposta de ciência aberta em Moçambique permitirão ainda sensibilizar outros países em vias de desenvolvimento para os vetores da ciência, promovendo o seu desenvolvimento tanto cientificamente como socialmente

With great ecosystem services comes great responsibility: carbon sequestration and climate modelling in Brazilian urban forests

Urban forests are unique ecosystems that are frequently characterized by harsh conditions and face numerous pressures and threats. They contribute to the well-being and sustainability of cities by delivering a wide range of ecosystem services. Here, we analyze different aspects of urban forests an its ecosystem services. In chapter one, we observe several trends in the scientific production in the themes of ecosystem services and urban forests between 1996 and 2022. In chapter two, we analyze the ecosystem services provided by the urban areas of 25 cities of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil through the i-Tree Canopy software. Finally, in chapter three, we examine how climate change might affect Brazilian urban forests. Our results show that between 1996 and 2022, a total of 813 documents were published in 208 different journals, with 20.62% of annual growth. Our results show that scientific production in the area has grown notably over the years. Scientific production has shown a consistent growth trend from 2011 onwards. The results suggests that the importance of urban forests and ecosystem services has gained greater recognition and attention in recent years. Our data reveal that together, the cities studied sequester a significant total of 235.3 kilotonnes of carbon and substantial 864.82 kilotonnes of CO2 Equivalent (CO2 Equiv.) annually. Furthermore, together they also store, through their vegetation, a total of 4861.19 kilotonnes of carbon and 17824.32 kilotonnes of CO2 Equiv. We found out that the average monetary estimate of annual carbon sequestration was $3.57 million, while the average stored estimate was$73.76 million. Pearson’s correlogram showed a strong positive correlation between density of inhabitants and the percentage of impervious areas in urban areas (p < 0.001). Our findings show that climate change, even in more optimistic scenarios, may severely impact the environmental suitability of urban forests in all phytogeographic domains, that is, the climate will not be suitable anymore for the urban forest types that are now present in the areas studied. The impacts in the environmental suitability are expected especially in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, two biodiversity hotspots. The two most affected phytogeographic domains house most of the Brazilian human population, one of which tends to suffer substantial impacts. We also warn that Brazilian urban forests can be drastically affected, having their composition extremely modified and their biodiversity may diminish and even face homogenization. Therefore, urgent mitigation and adaptation actions are needed to tackle climate change and the maintenance of ecosystem services.As florestas urbanas são ecossistemas únicos, frequentemente caracterizados por condições adversas e que enfrentam inúmeras pressões e ameaças. Elas contribuem para o bem-estar e a sustentabilidade das cidades, fornecendo uma ampla gama de serviços ecossistêmicos. Aqui, analisamos diferentes aspectos das florestas urbanas e seus serviços ecossistêmicos. No primeiro capítulo, observamos várias tendências na produção científica sobre os temas de serviços ecossistêmicos e florestas urbanas entre 1996 e 2022. No capítulo dois, analisamos os serviços ecossistêmicos prestados pelas áreas urbanas de 25 cidades da Floresta Atlântica no Brasil por meio do software i-Tree Canopy. Finalmente, no capítulo três, examinamos como as mudanças climáticas podem afetar as florestas urbanas brasileiras. Nossos resultados mostram que, entre 1996 e 2022, um total de 813 documentos foram publicados em 208 periódicos diferentes, com 20,62% de crescimento anual. Nossos resultados mostram que a produção científica na área tem crescido notavelmente ao longo dos anos. A produção científica apresentou uma tendência de crescimento consistente a partir de 2011. Isso sugere que a importância das florestas urbanas e dos serviços ecossistêmicos ganhou maior reconhecimento e atenção nos últimos anos. Nossos dados revelam que, juntas, as cidades estudadas sequestram um total significativo de 235,3 quilotoneladas de carbono e substanciais 864,82 quilotoneladas de CO2 Equivalente (CO2 Equiv.) anualmente. Além disso, juntas, elas também armazenam, por meio de sua vegetação, um total de 4.861,19 quilotoneladas de carbono e 17.824,32 quilotoneladas de CO2 Equiv. Descobrimos que a estimativa monetária média do sequestro anual de carbono foi de US$3,57 milhões, enquanto a estimativa média armazenada foi de US$ 73,76 milhões. O correlograma de Pearson mostrou uma forte correlação positiva entre a densidade de moradores e a porcentagem de áreas impermeáveis em áreas urbanas (p < 0,001). Nossas descobertas mostram que as mudanças climáticas, mesmo em cenários mais otimistas, podem afetar severamente a adequabilidade ambiental das florestas urbanas em todos os domínios fitogeográficos, ou seja, o clima não será mais adequado para os tipos de florestas urbanas que estão agora presentes nas áreas estudadas. Isso é esperado especialmente na Floresta Atlântica e no Cerrado, dois hotspots de biodiversidade. Esses dois domínios fitogeográticos mais afetados abrigam a maior parte da população humana brasileira, uma das quais tende a sofrer impactos substanciais. Alertamos também que as florestas urbanas brasileiras podem ser drasticamente afetadas, tendo sua composição extremamente modificada e sua biodiversidade pode diminuir e até mesmo sofrer homogeneização. Portanto, são necessárias ações urgentes de mitigação e adaptação para o enfrentamento das mudanças climáticas e a manutenção dos serviços ecossistêmicos