Journal citation reports and the definition of a predatory journal: The case of the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

The extent to which predatory journals can harm scientific practice increases as the numbers of such journals expand, in so far as they undermine scientific integrity, quality, and credibility, especially if those journals leak into prestigious databases. Journal Citation Reports (JCRs), a reference for the assessment of researchers and for grant-making decisions, is used as a standard whitelist, in so far as the selectivity of a JCR-indexed journal adds a legitimacy of sorts to the articles that the journal publishes. The Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) once included on Beall’s list of potential, possible or probable predatory scholarly open-access publishers, had 53 journals ranked in the 2018 JCRs annual report. These journals are analysed, not only to contrast the formal criteria for the identification of predatory journals, but taking a step further, their background is also analysed with regard to self-citations and the source of those self-citations in 2018 and 2019. The results showed that the self-citation rates increased and was very much higher than those of the leading journals in the JCR category. Besides, an increasingly high rate of citations from other MDPI-journals was observed. The formal criteria together with the analysis of the citation patterns of the 53 journals under analysis all singled them out as predatory journals. Hence, specific recommendations are given to researchers, educational institutions and prestigious databases advising them to review their working relations with those sorts of journals

Enhancing the Uptake of Earth Observation Products and Services in Africa Through a Multi-level Transdisciplinary Approach.

Africa stands to gain from Earth Observation (EO) science, products and applications. However, its use and application remain below potential on the continent. This article examines how EO can better serve the needs of African users. First, we argue that a successful uptake of EO services is conditional on understanding the African context and matching EO development and deployment to it. Using reference cases, we find that actors outside Africa drive most EO initiatives, whereas country-level expenditures on EO remain low. Recent developments, such as the African space policy and strategy, and initiatives in partnerships with Africa-based organisations to develop a community of practice on EO hold the potential to fill the identified gaps. The analysis indicates that most EO users are either government organisations or researchers, with very few cases involving other types of users. It is generally assumed that users at the local levels are educated and digitally literate, or that the transmission of EO-based knowledge is achieved by government officers and researchers. Although still very few, potentials are emerging for the private sector to deploy EO products and services such as crop or index-based insurance directly to farmers. These private initiatives have prospects for further developing indigenous EO capacity as envisioned in the African space policy and strategy. We then formulate recommendations for a transdisciplinary approach that integrates user contexts, attributes and needs to enhance the uptake of EO products and services in Africa. We conclude by proposing actions to close some of the identified gaps and seize emerging opportunities. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10712-022-09724-1

Enhancing the Uptake of Earth Observation Products and Services in Africa Through a Multi-level Transdisciplinary Approach

Africa stands to gain from Earth Observation (EO) science, products and applications. However, its use and application remain below potential on the continent. This article examines how EO can better serve the needs of African users. First, we argue that a successful uptake of EO services is conditional on understanding the African context and matching EO development and deployment to it. Using reference cases, we find that actors outside Africa drive most EO initiatives, whereas country-level expenditures on EO remain low. Recent developments, such as the African space policy and strategy, and initiatives in partnerships with Africa-based organisations to develop a community of practice on EO hold the potential to fill the identified gaps. The analysis indicates that most EO users are either government organisations or researchers, with very few cases involving other types of users. It is generally assumed that users at the local levels are educated and digitally literate, or that the transmission of EO-based knowledge is achieved by government officers and researchers. Although still very few, potentials are emerging for the private sector to deploy EO products and services such as crop or index-based insurance directly to farmers. These private initiatives have prospects for further developing indigenous EO capacity as envisioned in the African space policy and strategy. We then formulate recommendations for a transdisciplinary approach that integrates user contexts, attributes and needs to enhance the uptake of EO products and services in Africa. We conclude by proposing actions to close some of the identified gaps and seize emerging opportunities

Proceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics: CPSL 2022

[no abstract available

An integrated computational and collaborative approach for city resilience planning

Given the rise in climate change-related extreme events, there is an urgent need for cities and regions to implement resilience plans based on data and evidence and developed in collaboration with key stakeholders. However, current planning and decision-making processes rely on limited data and modelling. Moreover, stakeholder engagement is significantly inhibited by social, political, and technological barriers. The research presented in this thesis aims to enhance resilience planning practice through the development and evaluation of an integrated computational and collaborative scenario planning approach. The scenario planning approach is tested within a geodesign framework and supported by several planning support systems (PSS), including urban growth models. These PSS tools are made accessible to key stakeholders through dedicated planning support theatres, enabling participants to collaborate both in-person and online. Through two empirical case studies conducted in Australian regions, this research integrates data-driven modelling (computational) with people-led geodesign (collaborative) approaches for scenario forecasting and planning. The first case study explores anticipatory/normative scenarios, while the second focuses on exploratory scenario planning, with both aiming to enhance city and regional resilience. This thesis examines the roles played by both simple digital tools and purpose-built planning support theatres in scenario planning processes with key stakeholders. The research investigates the utility of data-driven models in supporting collaborative scenario planning. Both integration experiments received positive feedback from most participants. However, to truly improve the process, there is a need for widely available high-quality spatial and temporal datasets, including localised climate change impact data. In summary, an integrated computational and collaborative approach, augmented by data and technology, can provide an evidence base for decision-making towards a resilient future, fostering deeper engagement of the local community and across-government collaboration in scenario planning

Acknowledgement to Reviewers of IJGI in 2019

The editorial team greatly appreciates the reviewers who have dedicated their considerable time and expertise to the journal’s rigorous editorial process over the past 12 months, regardless of whether the papers are finally published or not [...