Leveraging BIM and big data to deliver well maintained highways

The Highway infrastructure is one of the most valuable assets for any state or national Government. Efficient operations of Highways lead to success of national and local economies as well as improve the quality of life of the general public dependent on it.  In order to ensure aging road networks continues to move with its ever increasing number of users, requires maintenance and improvements to the road network at the highest standard. Increasing scrutiny over the cost of maintenance along with increasing pressure from Government and the public for transparency over road network spending, has made a strong case for more efficient management of the Highway road asset and traffic management data. Better management of information could allow for life cycle management of asset data and predictive analytics. This paper focuses on proposing a platform that integrates various technologies and systems of Highways Authority and its supply chain, to allow for continuous flow of data throughout an assets life-cycle, leading to seamless, collaborative and effecting working. The integration takes into account developments in the area of BIM and big data; BIM provides a platform to better integrate information whereas big data can provide analytical platform to draw insights

Mobile Communications Industry Scenarios and Strategic Implications for Network Equipment Vendors

Mobile infrastructure markets have changed dramatically during the past years. The industry is experiencing a shift from traditional large-scale, hardware-driven system roll-outs to software and services -driven business models. Also, the telecommunications and internet worlds are colliding in both mobile infrastructure and services domains requiring established network equipment vendors and mobile operators to transform and adapt to the new business environment. This paper utilizes Schoemaker's scenario planning process to reveal critical uncertain elements shaping the future of the industry. Four possible scenarios representing different value systems between industry's key stakeholders are created. After this, five strategic options with differing risk and cost factors for established network equipment vendors are discussed in order to aid firm's strategic planning process. --

An Exploration into Technological Capabilities among early stage Indian product based Telecom start-ups

New technology based start-ups play a very important role in developing the economy of a country. In India, telecom sector has seen unprecedented growth over the last decade and this has led to emergence of several telecom related start-ups. However, product based B2B start-ups are rare and existing ones have to undergo several challenges in commercializing. Surprisingly not much research work has been undertaken in identifying capabilities among early stage start-ups although the early phase represents a very crucial phase for product based firms and has been known to determine the success or failure for start-ups. Present study explores the technological capabilities that enable commercialization among such early stage start-ups by adopting a multiple case (four independent cases) based inductive methodology with Indian telecom start-ups as the context. We have identified architectural design, algorithmic implementation and product adaptation as components of technological capability of such start-ups. We further drill in to each of the sub-components of the technological capabilities to unearth their antecedents and peculiarities in telecom product company context. As a result we also present a classification scheme for studying the product architecture in the telecom context. We analyze and point out differences in technological capability among telecom start-ups vis-�-vis established firms in the sector .

Threat Landscape and Good Practice Guide for Software Defined Networks/5G

5G represents the next major phase of mobile telecommunication systems and network architectures beyond the current 4G standards, aiming at extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low latency connectivity, to enable the programmable connectivity for the Internet of Everything2. Despite the significant debate on the technical specifications and the technological maturity of 5G, which are under discussion in various fora3, 5G is expected to affect positively and significantly several industry sectors ranging from ICT to industry sectors such as car and other manufacturing, health and agriculture in the period up to and beyond 2020. 5G will be driven by the influence of software on network functions, known as Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). The key concept that underpins SDN is the logical centralization of network control functions by decoupling the control and packet forwarding functionality of the network. NFV complements this vision through the virtualization of these functionalities based on recent advances in general server and enterprise IT virtualization. Considering the technological maturity of the technologies that 5G can leverage on, SDN is the one that is moving faster from development to production. To realize the business potential of SDN/5G, a number of technical issues related to the design and operation of Software Defined Networks need to be addressed. Amongst them, SDN/5G security is one of the key issues, that needs to be addressed comprehensively in order to avoid missing the business opportunities arising from SDN/5G. In this report, we review threats and potential compromises related to the security of SDN/5G networks. More specifically, this report contains a review of the emerging threat landscape of 5G networks with particular focus on Software Defined Networking. It also considers security of NFV and radio network access. To provide a comprehensive account of the emerging threat SDN/5G landscape, this report has identified related network assets and the security threats, challenges and risks arising for these assets. Driven by the identified threats and risks, this report has also reviewed and identified existing security mechanisms and good practices for SDN/5G/NFV, and based on these it has analysed gaps and provided technical, policy and organizational recommendations for proactively enhancing the security of SDN/5G

Creation of value with open source software in the telecommunications field

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Informacijska sigurnost i funkcija tajnog nadzora komunikacija putem infrastrukture davatelja telekomunikacijskih usluga: model napredne arhitekture sustava

Communication interception for national security purposes, as well as for purposes of conducting a criminal investigation, is an invaluable asset of law enforcement agencies. In technical terms, this field has seen rapid advances in the last decade, while available software programmes and platforms for lawful interception (LI) are now able to monitor a broad spectrum of communication channels. Lawful interception of communications invariably intersects with fundamental rights and freedoms of persons in the European Union and the Member States. The purpose of this paper, as part of the discussion on the framework of lawful interception, is to present a study of advanced lawful interception software with its functionalities and processes, compare it with the most common lawful interception models and analyse the software architecture defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as a general standard. While this particular model of LI architecture has initially been designed to intercept voice communications, it can be successfully applied to intercept communications over Internet Protocol (IP) channels. Finally, the paper offers a comparative insight into different kinds of LI software and their capabilities in line with communication interception regulation.Tajni nadzor komunikacija koji se rabi za potrebe nacionalne sigurnosti i u svrhu provođenja policijskih istražnih radnji vrijedno je tehničko sredstvo i koristan alat tijela policijskog, pravosudnog i sigurnosnog sustava. U tehničkim aspektima, ovo polje bilježi značajne pomake u posljednjem desetljeću gdje su dostupni softver i platforme za provođenje tajnog nadzora proširene mogućnostima nadzora širokog spektra različitih komunikacijskih kanala. Funkcija tajnog nadzora komunikacija u suštini predstavlja ograničenje temeljnih prava pojedinaca na području Europske unije i država članica. Svrha ovog rada kao priloga raspravi o mehanizmima tajnog nadzora jest izložiti osobine modela naprednog softvera razvijenog u svrhu tajnog nadzora, usporedba s najčešćim modelima tajnog nadzora i analiza softverske arhitekture definirane od strane Europskog instituta za telekomunikacijske norme (ETSI) kao dominantne norme u ovom području. Iako se ovaj model arhitekture tajnog nadzora razvio inicijalno za nadzor glasovnih komunikacija, može ga se uspješno primijeniti i za tajni nadzor komunikacija koje koriste internet protokol (IP). Konačno, članak pruža komparativni pregled različitog softvera tajnog nadzora u skladu s regulativom funkcije tajnog nadzora

Archival Study of Blockchain Applications in the Construction Industry From Literature Published in 2019 and 2020

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate proposed blockchain applications in the construction industry from contemporary literature. Methodology: Archival studies will be used to obtain academic content from secondary sources. An explorative strategy will be adopted with no preconception or biases on the preferred route of execution. Blockchain is a fast-evolving technology with a high rate of yearly progression; therefore, this paper refines the search to recently published material in 2019 and 2020. Data is collected in two stages, firstly, categories of research are extrapolated from secondary literature and recorded into a table, and afterwards, the corresponding proposed application of blockchain is documented and reviewed. Findings: An adequate breadth and variety of categories are substantiated from archival literature, which effectively contributes to the extraction of proposed blockchain applications for construction. The data collection extracts 19 categories from the explorative study, in which 19 proposed solutions (one per category) is presented. All of the advisory content for the proposed solutions were obtained from a deliberated selection of 21 academic study papers. Limitations: The study is limited to one proposed application per category, totalling 19 proposed solutions; however, assessing various approaches per category could not be researched comparatively due to voluminous information. Thus, recommendations incorporate a holistic case study of one subject category which incorporates a multitude of various proposed applications. Originality: This paper contributes to new knowledge through extrapolating proposed blockchain applications from academic literature in 2019 and 2020

Informacijska sigurnost i funkcija tajnog nadzora komunikacija putem infrastrukture davatelja telekomunikacijskih usluga: model napredne arhitekture sustava

Communication interception for national security purposes, as well as for purposes of conducting a criminal investigation, is an invaluable asset of law enforcement agencies. In technical terms, this field has seen rapid advances in the last decade, while available software programmes and platforms for lawful interception (LI) are now able to monitor a broad spectrum of communication channels. Lawful interception of communications invariably intersects with fundamental rights and freedoms of persons in the European Union and the Member States. The purpose of this paper, as part of the discussion on the framework of lawful interception, is to present a study of advanced lawful interception software with its functionalities and processes, compare it with the most common lawful interception models and analyse the software architecture defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as a general standard. While this particular model of LI architecture has initially been designed to intercept voice communications, it can be successfully applied to intercept communications over Internet Protocol (IP) channels. Finally, the paper offers a comparative insight into different kinds of LI software and their capabilities in line with communication interception regulation.Tajni nadzor komunikacija koji se rabi za potrebe nacionalne sigurnosti i u svrhu provođenja policijskih istražnih radnji vrijedno je tehničko sredstvo i koristan alat tijela policijskog, pravosudnog i sigurnosnog sustava. U tehničkim aspektima, ovo polje bilježi značajne pomake u posljednjem desetljeću gdje su dostupni softver i platforme za provođenje tajnog nadzora proširene mogućnostima nadzora širokog spektra različitih komunikacijskih kanala. Funkcija tajnog nadzora komunikacija u suštini predstavlja ograničenje temeljnih prava pojedinaca na području Europske unije i država članica. Svrha ovog rada kao priloga raspravi o mehanizmima tajnog nadzora jest izložiti osobine modela naprednog softvera razvijenog u svrhu tajnog nadzora, usporedba s najčešćim modelima tajnog nadzora i analiza softverske arhitekture definirane od strane Europskog instituta za telekomunikacijske norme (ETSI) kao dominantne norme u ovom području. Iako se ovaj model arhitekture tajnog nadzora razvio inicijalno za nadzor glasovnih komunikacija, može ga se uspješno primijeniti i za tajni nadzor komunikacija koje koriste internet protokol (IP). Konačno, članak pruža komparativni pregled različitog softvera tajnog nadzora u skladu s regulativom funkcije tajnog nadzora

The bridge of dreams::Towards a method for operational performance alignment in IT-enabled service supply chains

Concerns on performance alignment, especially on business-IT alignment, have been around for three decades. It is still considered to be one of the most important driving forces for business success, as well as one of the top concerns of many practitioners and organizational researchers. It is also found to be a major issue in two thirds of digital transformation projects. Many attempts from researchers in diverse disciplines have been made to tackle this issue. Unfortunately, they have been working separately and the research appears in various forms and names. This dissertation presents a piece of interdisciplinary research that focuses on identifying operational performance alignment issues, discovering and assessing their root causes with attention to the dynamics in operating IT-enabled service supply chain (SSC). It makes a modest contribution by providing a communication-centred instrument which can modularize complex SSC in terms of a hierarchically-structured set of services and analyze the performance causality between them. With a special focus on the impact of IT, it makes it possible to monitor and tune various performance issues in SSC. This research intends to provide a solution-oriented common ground where multiple service research streams can meet together. Following the framework proposed in this research, services, at different tiers of an SSC, are modelled with a balanced perspective on both business, technical service components and KPIs. It allows a holistic picture of service performances and interactions throughout the entire supply chain to be viewed through a different research lens and permits the causal impact of technology, business strategy, and service operations on supply chain performance to be unveiled

CHORUS Deliverable 4.5: Report of the 3rd CHORUS Conference

The third and last CHORUS conference on Multimedia Search Engines took place from the 26th to the 27th of May 2009 in Brussels, Belgium. About 100 participants from 15 European countries, the US, Japan and Australia learned about the latest developments in the domain. An exhibition of 13 stands presented 16 research projects currently ongoing around the world