Towards a service-oriented e-infrastructure for multidisciplinary environmental research

Research e-infrastructures are considered to have generic and thematic parts. The generic part provids high-speed networks, grid (large-scale distributed computing) and database systems (digital repositories and data transfer systems) applicable to all research commnities irrespective of discipline. Thematic parts are specific deployments of e-infrastructures to support diverse virtual research communities. The needs of a virtual community of multidisciplinary envronmental researchers are yet to be investigated. We envisage and argue for an e-infrastructure that will enable environmental researchers to develop environmental models and software entirely out of existing components through loose coupling of diverse digital resources based on the service-oriented achitecture. We discuss four specific aspects for consideration for a future e-infrastructure: 1) provision of digital resources (data, models & tools) as web services, 2) dealing with stateless and non-transactional nature of web services using workflow management systems, 3) enabling web servce discovery, composition and orchestration through semantic registries, and 4) creating synergy with existing grid infrastructures

An Architecture for Integrated Intelligence in Urban Management using Cloud Computing

With the emergence of new methodologies and technologies it has now become possible to manage large amounts of environmental sensing data and apply new integrated computing models to acquire information intelligence. This paper advocates the application of cloud capacity to support the information, communication and decision making needs of a wide variety of stakeholders in the complex business of the management of urban and regional development. The complexity lies in the interactions and impacts embodied in the concept of the urban-ecosystem at various governance levels. This highlights the need for more effective integrated environmental management systems. This paper offers a user-orientated approach based on requirements for an effective management of the urban-ecosystem and the potential contributions that can be supported by the cloud computing community. Furthermore, the commonality of the influence of the drivers of change at the urban level offers the opportunity for the cloud computing community to develop generic solutions that can serve the needs of hundreds of cities from Europe and indeed globally.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research.

The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap

A study of BIM collaboration requirements and available features in existing model collaboration systems

Established collaboration practices in the construction industry are document centric and are challenged by the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM). Document management collaboration systems (e.g. Extranets) have significantly improved the document collaboration in recent years; however their capabilities for model collaboration are limited and do not support the complex requirements of BIM collaboration. The construction industry is responding to this situation by adopting emerging model collaboration systems (MCS), such as model servers, with the ability to exploit and reuse information directly from the models to extend the current intra-disciplinary collaboration towards integrated multi-disciplinary collaboration on models. The functions of existing MCSs have evolved from the manufacturing industry and there is no concrete study on how these functions correspond to the requirements of the construction industry, especially with BIM requirements. This research has conducted focus group sessions with major industry disciplines to explore the user requirements for BIM collaboration. The research results have been used to categorise and express the features of existing MCS which are then analysed in selected MCS from a user’s perspective. The potential of MCS and the match or gap in user requirements and available model collaboration features is discussed. This study concludes that model collaborative solutions for construction industry users are available in different capacities; however a comprehensive custom built solution is yet to be realized. The research results are useful for construction industry professionals, software developers and researchers involved in exploring collaborative solutions for the construction industry

A Framework for Evaluating Technology-Mediated Collaborative Workflow

The adoption of new technology into collaborative workflows has permeated every aspect of our personal and professional lives with the promise of performing work processes more efficiently and with greater capability. The continued rise of ubiquitous computing and heightened need for collaborative features suggest that a view of enabling technologies in a workflow should include the physical computing infrastructure, the collaborative interaction between humans and computers, and the informatics (i.e., collection and representation of data within the workflow). The development and integration of technology for collaborative workflows introduces many variables that are of great concern to companies, organization, and individuals. These variables include the costs of development, the switching cost associated with migrating from the current workflow to the technology-enhanced workflow, and details of how the technology-mediated workflow functions compare to the current workflow functions. There is, however, no consistent, generalizable approach to evaluate and compare an existing workflow with the enhanced technology-mediated workflow in a manner that identifies improvements and barriers in replicable qualitative and quantitative measures. In order to develop such a consistent, generalizable approach, this research investigates what necessary set of cross-disciplinary metrics and methodology is required to effectively evaluate technology-mediated collaborative workflow through an analysis of related works from four disciplines (Social Sciences, Organization and Behavioral Management, Industrial Engineering, and Human-Computer Interaction). The research introduces the Collaborative Space – Analysis Framework (CS-AF), a cross-disciplinary model and methodology designed to evaluate and compare collaborative workflows. The research includes testing the CS-AF model using two diverse empirical studies designed to evaluate a current-state workflow, compared to a technology-mediated workflow on five key collaborative areas (Context, Technology, Process, Attitude and Behavior, and Outcomes). The research incorporates the CS-AF model and methodology to test the effectiveness of the approach for capturing and analyzing essential quantitative and qualitative parameters of the collaborative workflows. The second empirical study tested hypertensive patients currently involved in clinical maintenance with regular outpatient monitoring. The test included 50 hypertension patients, selected based on matched-pairs for age and gender to test the workflow model in a 3-week trial. All participants were tested on an existing workflow (current-state), then the population was randomly split within pairs. The matched-pairs were assigned to one of two alternative workflows: 25 patients were introduced to a manual hypertension self-exam workflow (control group), and their matched-pair counterparts were introduced to technology-mediated hypertension self-exam workflow. All participants were tested on the existing workflow (current-state), followed by the introduction of an alternate workflow, and then tested a second time (pre-/ post-) with the same CS-AF procedure. The study incorporated the research findings from these two tests and a comparison between the workflows introduced using the CS-AF metrics. Findings from the two diverse empirical studies using the CS-AF (Graphic Communications sales order process, and Health Information Technology hypertension exam workflow) indicate that technology-mediated workflows do improve collaborative performance; however, adoption is not as pronounced as hypothesized. The research findings indicate that the lack of acceptance is due to non-technology factors, such as attitude and behavior, which play a significant role in adoption and need similar attention as technology innovation to drive true adoption and ultimately better collaborative performance. The research findings also indicate that the effectiveness of the CS-AF may have potential as a generalizable approach for evaluating technology-mediated collaborative workflow in a variety of unique domains

Orchestrating the spatial planning process: from Business Process Management to 2nd generation Planning Support Systems

Metaplanning can be considered as a necessary step for improving collaboration, transparency and accountability in sustainable and democratic spatial decision-making process. This paper reports current findings on the operational implementation of the metaplanning concept developed by the authors relying on Business Process Management methods and techniques. Two solutions are presented which implement spatial planning process workflows thanks to the development of original spatial data and processing services connectors to a Business Process Management suite. These results can be considered as a first step towards the development of 2nd generation Planning Support Systems

Open Science principles for accelerating trait-based science across the Tree of Life.

Synthesizing trait observations and knowledge across the Tree of Life remains a grand challenge for biodiversity science. Species traits are widely used in ecological and evolutionary science, and new data and methods have proliferated rapidly. Yet accessing and integrating disparate data sources remains a considerable challenge, slowing progress toward a global synthesis to integrate trait data across organisms. Trait science needs a vision for achieving global integration across all organisms. Here, we outline how the adoption of key Open Science principles-open data, open source and open methods-is transforming trait science, increasing transparency, democratizing access and accelerating global synthesis. To enhance widespread adoption of these principles, we introduce the Open Traits Network (OTN), a global, decentralized community welcoming all researchers and institutions pursuing the collaborative goal of standardizing and integrating trait data across organisms. We demonstrate how adherence to Open Science principles is key to the OTN community and outline five activities that can accelerate the synthesis of trait data across the Tree of Life, thereby facilitating rapid advances to address scientific inquiries and environmental issues. Lessons learned along the path to a global synthesis of trait data will provide a framework for addressing similarly complex data science and informatics challenges

Evaluating Technology-Mediated Collaborative Workflows for Telehealth

Goals: This paper discusses the need for a predictable method to evaluate gains and gaps of collaborative technology-mediated workflows and introduces an evaluation framework to address this need. Methods: The Collaborative Space Analysis Framework (CS-AF), introduced in this research, is a cross-disciplinary evaluation method designed to evaluate technology-mediated collaborative workflows. The 5-step CS-AF approach includes: (1) current-state workflow definition, (2) current-state (baseline) workflow assessment, (3) technology-mediated workflow development and deployment, (4) technology-mediated workflow assessment, (5) analysis, and conclusions. For this research, a comprehensive, empirical study of hypertension exam workflow for telehealth was conducted using the CS-AF approach. Results: The CS-AF systemized approach reveals critical cross-disciplinary evaluation data concerning gains and gaps of collaborative workflows when technology-mediated enhancements are characterized and compared with a baseline workflow for the goal of continuous workflow improvement. Conclusion: The CS-AF is an effective approach that can be adapted for use in multiple domains