Development of LoRaWAN-based Wireless Sensors for Monitoring Climate Changes in the Venice Lagoon

openLe aree costiere e le zone di hotspot della biodiversità litoranea, come le aree protette europee Natura 2000 e la laguna di Venezia, sono siti poco studiati a causa della loro diversità causata dalla conformazione molto eterogenea, inclusa l'intersezione di molti canali e fiumi che trasportano diversi tipi di sedimenti. I sistemi di campionamento attuali si basano su campagne periodiche di campionamento eseguite da operatori umani, che consentono solo la raccolta di un numero molto limitato di misurazioni nel tempo e nello spazio. In questo articolo presentiamo il primo prototipo di un dispositivo galleggiante a basso costo e wireless in grado di fornire misurazioni a un server a terra in tempo reale: il dispositivo, chiamato SENSWICH, è composto da un nodo LoRaWAN e un set completo di sensori di qualità dell'acqua, selezionati con l'aiuto dei ricercatori che operano presso la Stazione Idrobiologica Marina di Chioggia dell'Università di Padova, dove verrà installato il primo sensore.Coastal and littoral biodiversity hotspot areas, such as the European Natura 2000 protected areas and the Venice lagoon, are understudied sites due to their diversity caused by the very heterogeneous conformation, including the intersection of many channels and rivers carrying different types of sediments. The current sampling systems are based on periodic sampling campaigns performed by human operators, that only allow the collection of a very limited number of measurements in time and space. In this paper we present the first prototype of a low-cost wireless sensing floating device able to provide measurements to an in-land server in real time: the device, named SENSWICH, is composed of a LoRaWAN node and a complete set of water quality sensors, selected with the help of the researchers operating in the Chioggia Marine Hydrobiological Station of the University of Padova, where the first sensor will be deployed

Chapter Mappare la cultura Fab Lab. Processi e principi per il futuro della Città, dell’Architettura e del Design

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

Promoting sustainable aquaculture: Building the capacity of local institutions and online teaching (elearning)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review a number of recent initiatives to promote sustainable aquaculture development through improvements to education and training capacity, and innovations in the use of eLearning. Design/methodology/approach - The authors share their experience in these initiatives and demonstrate how e-learning has been developed in specific cases to better serve the needs of the aquaculture sector, while addressing the pedagogical issues of distance learning and finding the best use of new internet-based technologies. Findings - These examples show how to respond to the needs of adult learners who may have a substantially different learner profile to typical campus students and have a more diverse range of needs and background knowledge. Greater focus is needed on defining, enhancing and accrediting knowledge and skills acquired informally and "on the job", so as to develop more effective formal education interventions. Practical implications - Adults engaging with job-related education are not empty vessels requiring to be filled with the correct mix of knowledge and skills by teachers who know all the answers. They are active learners seeking a supportive and enabling structure involving access to appropriate resources, engagement with fellow learners and more expert practitioners, and appropriate challenges and rewards to maximise effort and achievement. Originality/value - The paper shows that there is substantial social benefit in promoting an innovative and sustainable aquaculture industry that contributes positively to food security and human health. Continued Professional Development involving eLearning and other innovative approaches can make an important contribution throughout the sector

Agricultural Intensification Reduces the Portfolio of Wetland Ecosystem Services: European Danube River Lowlands as a Global Biodiversity Hotspot

Anthropogenic landscape transformations have promoted the provision of ecosystem services (ES) at the expense of other ES, biodiversity, and human well-being. We analysed the transformation portfolios of ES provisions, the costs of transformation, and the rivalry between ES categories and biodiversity conservation during the pre-communist and communist eras. We also examined EU influences in Romania's Danube River lowlands. The environmental history of social-ecological systems was used to: (1) map transformations of natural environments; (2) analyse the outputs of human modes of production, including crops, fish, timber, and livestock, using economic valuation methods and by appropriating the primary means of production; and (3) describe ideologies and values as drivers of ES transformations. During the communist era, the surface area of the agricultural land increased at the expense of natural ecosystems. This resulted in increased provisions being made for crops and timber at the expense of the fish supply; it also caused a reduction in livestock. The costs of land reclamation, hydrotechnical works, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides, resulted in a net annual loss of EUR 36 million for the entire case study area, disregarding the losses of other ES. Achieving a balanced portfolio of ES requires a discussion about the need for nature restoration, transdisciplinary social-ecological research, and the identification of key leverage points

Agricultural Intensification Reduces the Portfolio of Wetland Ecosystem Services: European Danube River Lowlands as a Global Biodiversity Hotspot

Anthropogenic landscape transformations have promoted the provision of ecosystem services (ES) at the expense of other ES, biodiversity, and human well-being. We analysed the transformation portfolios of ES provisions, the costs of transformation, and the rivalry between ES categories and biodiversity conservation during the pre-communist and communist eras. We also examined EU influences in Romania’s Danube River lowlands. The environmental history of socialecological systems was used to: (1) map transformations of natural environments; (2) analyse the outputs of human modes of production, including crops, fish, timber, and livestock, using economic valuation methods and by appropriating the primary means of production; and (3) describe ideologies and values as drivers of ES transformations. During the communist era, the surface area of the agricultural land increased at the expense of natural ecosystems. This resulted in increased provisions being made for crops and timber at the expense of the fish supply; it also caused a reduction in livestock. The costs of land reclamation, hydrotechnical works, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides, resulted in a net annual loss of EUR 36 million for the entire case study area, disregarding the losses of other ES. Achieving a balanced portfolio of ES requires a discussion about the need for nature restoration, transdisciplinary social-ecological research, and the identification of key leverage points.publishedVersio

Irish participation in EU FP7 (2007 - 2013) funded competitive marine research projects: 2009 supplement

The EU Framework Research Programme (FP), and in the current context the 7th Framework Programme (FP7: 2007-2013), continues to be a major source of competitive R & D funding for Irish marine researchers. The 2009 Supplement provides information on new FP7 research awards granted in 2009 to Irish marine researchers and up-dates the 2007-2008 Report published in June 2009. Seventeen research projects are profiled including three 2008 awards (STANDPOINT, WAVETRAIN II and AIRSEA) and fourteen 2009 awards bringing total participation in FP7 over the period 2007 to 2009 to 43 projects worth over 17.5 million in grant-aid. This figure is already in excess of the 10.6m (59) projects won in the FP6 (2002-2006) Programme and represents 11.5% of the total Irish drawdown to-date (FP7: 2007-2009) of 152.7millio

An aesthetic for sustainable interactions in product-service systems?

Copyright @ 2012 Greenleaf PublishingEco-efficient Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability. However the application of this concept is still very limited because its implementation and diffusion is hindered by several barriers (cultural, corporate and regulative ones). The paper investigates the barriers that affect the attractiveness and acceptation of eco-efficient PSS alternatives, and opens the debate on the aesthetic of eco-efficient PSS, and the way in which aesthetic could enhance some specific inner qualities of this kinds of innovations. Integrating insights from semiotics, the paper outlines some first research hypothesis on how the aesthetic elements of an eco-efficient PSS could facilitate user attraction, acceptation and satisfaction

A Regional Approach to Drinking Water Management: NL-BC Comparative Water Systems Study

Water is recognized as a basic human right, a critical service, a fundamental for sustainability, and a building block for resilience. In Canada, rural areas face unique challenges when it comes to drinking water management (e.g., multi-use watersheds, low population density, lack of economies of scale). Not only are these challenges in the present, but these unique issues are also important in terms of future adaptation and can act as barriers to future community and regional resilience. Research indicates that while managing drinking water is a critical issue for rural Canada, current management approaches appear to be ill equipped to address this issue, particularly in the context of regional resilience. In this report we propose a new approach to managing drinking water, using the regional scale and incorporating best practices related to regional development, new regionalism, regional resilience, water management, and sustainable infrastructure