Participatory Modelling and Decision Support for Natural Resources Management in Climate Change Research

The ever greater role given to public participation by laws and regulations, in particular in the field of environmental management calls for new operational methods and tools for managers and practitioners. This paper analyses the potentials and the critical limitations of current approaches in the fields of simulation modelling (SM), public participation (PP) and decision analysis (DA), for natural resources management within the context of climate change research. The potential synergies of combining SM, PP and DA into an integrated methodological framework are identified and a methodological proposal is presented, called NetSyMoD (Network Analysis – Creative System Modelling – Decision Support), which aims at facilitating the involvement of stakeholders or experts in policy - or decision-making processes (P/DMP). A generic P/DMP is formalised in NetSyMoD as a sequence of six main phases: (i) Actors analysis; (ii) Problem analysis; (iii) Creative System Modelling; (iv) DSS design; (v) Analysis of Options; and (vi) Action taking and monitoring. Several variants of the NetSyMoD approach have been adapted to different contexts such as integrated water resources management and coastal management, and, recently it has been applied in climate change research projects. Experience has shown that NetSyMoD may be a useful framework for skilled professionals, for guiding the P/DMP, and providing practical solutions to problems encountered in the different phases of the decision/policy making process, in particular when future scenarios or projections have to be considered, such as in the case of developing and selecting adaptation policies. The various applications of NetSyMoD share the same approach for problem analysis and communication within the group of selected actors, based upon the use of creative thinking techniques, the formalisation of human-environment relationships through the DPSIR framework, and the use of multi-criteria analysis through a Decision Support System (DSS) software.Modelling, Public Participation, Natural Resource Management, Policy, Decision-Making, Governance, DSS

Development of a test bench for the electronics of ionizing radiationdetectors

In the present final degree project a low cost test bench is presented. A test bench is an envi-ronment used to verify the correctness of devices. In this case, the test bench is used to test preamplifiers and digitizers of the nuclear instrumentation laboratory. These instruments are used for ionizing particle detection. The initial problematic of the project was to investigate if it was possible to do a testing working bench with a cheap digital circuit as microcontrollers. After a study of the actual market, the Arduino Due was chosen. Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. In the initial stage of the project, the attention was focused on the documentation about the Arduino boards. It was quickly observed that the sampling time delivered by the Aduino IDE was not acceptable for a nuclear test bech. When inquiring into the technical datasheet of the Atmel SAM3X microchip, used by the Arduino Due, it was achieved making signals with sampling time acceptable for nuclear instrumentation. Once discovered the potential of Arduino Due, a GUI was made to fully customize the shape of the pulses generated by the Arduino board. Therefore, the development of a cheap testing workbench was achieved

Local heat flux measurement technique for internal combustion engines

The heat transfer from the combustion gases to the cylinder wall affects the efficiency, emissions and power output of an internal combustion engine. Measuring the heat transfer requires a heat flux sensor inside the combustion chamber that has a short response time and is able to withstand the harsh conditions during combustion. In this work, a suitable sensor is introduced and the measured wall temperature, heat flux and convection coefficient are compared to those measured with a commercial sensor. It was found that both sensors measure the same convection coefficient, but a different wall temperature and heat flux. This is because the presence of the sensor in the combustion chamber wall affects these quantities. A method is proposed to cancel this effect and calculate the actual heat flux through the cylinder wall

TeamBuilder : Android enquiry application for creating project teams

En l'última dècada, hem assistit a un enorme augment de l'acceptació dels usuaris finals de les comunicacions mòbils. A través de les aplicacions mòbils, la connexió s'estableix de forma ràpida i permanent. El sistema educatiu també és part d'aquesta innovació, així, i els professors són conscients que la interacció amb els estudiants es pot fer més ràpid i d'una manera més atractiva. En el cas d'obtenir informació a través de qüestionaris, hi ha una necessitat de canviar la forma tradicional de paper de fer l'enquesta per un sistema automatitzat, que també durà a terme els processos necessaris després de la presentació de les investigacions per complir els objectius inicials de l'enquesta i TeamBuilder ajudarà cubrir aquesta necesitat. TeamBuilder va ser desenvolupat utilitzant Java i integrada en una plataforma d'Android. Aquest document recull el procés de desenvolupament i anàlisi, així com els resultats de la construcció del sistema.In the last decade, we have witnessed an enormous increase in the end-user acceptance of mobile communications. Through mobile applications, connection is established quickly and on permanent basis. The educational system is part of this innovation as well, and the professors are conscious that interaction with the students can be made faster and in a more attractive way. In the case of getting informations through questionnaires, there is a need to change the traditional paper way of making survey for an automated system which will also perform the necessary processes after submission of the enquiries to comply the initial objectives of the survey and TeamBuilder will help to meet this need. TeamBuilder was developed using Java and integrated in an Android platform. This paper covers the analysis and development process as well as the outcomes of the system construction

Using Leap Motion to create a physically interactive musical interface

Nowadays, we can easily find among us more and more electronical devices that a few years ago, were only feasible in science fiction: Augmented reality glasses, smart watches, autonomous cars… It is hard to deny that we're living in an age of astounding technological breakthroughs, where each day brings new advancements, and progress is faster than ever. This project aims to contribute to the aforementioned progress, focusing in a recent technology: the motion tracking device called Leap Motion, not only by exploring its virtual object interaction capabilities, but pushing its limits to allow physical interaction with real-world objects. The final goal of this project, and its contribution to this field, is the creation of a musical device that uses the Leap Motion technology to provide an environment where users can interact with physical elements to play with music.Hoy en día, podemos encontrar entre nosotros cada vez más dispositivos electrónicos que hace unos años sólo eran factibles en la ciencia ficción: gafas de realidad aumentada, relojes inteligentes, automóviles autónomos ... Es difícil negar que estamos viviendo en una época de asombrosos avances tecnológicos, donde cada día trae nuevos avances, y el progreso es más rápido que nunca. Este proyecto pretende contribuir al progreso mencionado, centrándose en una tecnología reciente: el dispositivo de seguimiento de movimiento llamado Leap Motion, no sólo explorando sus capacidades de interacción de objetos virtuales, sino empujando sus límites para permitir la interacción física con objetos del mundo real. El objetivo final de este proyecto, y su contribución a este campo, es la creación de un dispositivo musical que utiliza la tecnología Leap Motion para proporcionar un entorno donde los usuarios puedan interactuar con elementos físicos para jugar con la música.Avui dia, podem trobar fàcilment entre nosaltres cada vegada més dispositius electrònics que fa uns anys eren només factibles en la ciència ficció: ulleres de realitat augmentada, rellotges intel·ligents, vehicles autònoms ... És difícil negar que estem vivint en una època de sorprenents avenços tecnològics, on cada dia porta nous avenços, i el progrés és més ràpid que mai. Aquest projecte té com a objectiu contribuir al progrés abans esmentat, centrant-se en una tecnologia recent: el dispositiu de seguiment de moviment anomenat Leap Motion, no només mitjançant l'exploració de les seves capacitats d'interacció d'objectes virtuals, sinó empenyent els seus límits per permetre la interacció física amb objectes del món real. L'objectiu final d'aquest projecte, i la seva contribució a aquest camp, és la creació d'un dispositiu musical que utilitza la tecnologia de Leap Motion per a proporcionar un entorn on els usuaris poden interactuar amb els elements físics per jugar amb la música

Effect of Industry 4.0 on Education Systems: An Outlook

Congreso Universitario de Innovación Educativa En las Enseñanzas Técnicas, CUIEET (26º. 2018. Gijón

Network Analysis, Creative System Modelling and Decision Support: The NetSyMoD Approach

This paper presents the NetSyMoD approach – where NetSyMod stands for Network Analysis – Creative System Modelling – Decision Support. It represents the outcome of several years of research at FEEM in the field of natural resources management, environmental evaluation and decision-making, within the Natural Resources Management Research Programme. NetSyMoD is a flexible and comprehensive methodological framework, which uses a suite of support tools, aimed at facilitating the involvement of stakeholders or experts in decision-making processes. The main phases envisaged for the process are: (i) the identification of relevant actors, (ii) the analysis of social networks, (iii) the creative system modelling and modelling of the reality being considered (i.e. the local socio-economic and environmental system), and (iv) the analysis of alternative options available for the management of the specific case (e.g. alternative projects, plans, strategies). The strategies for participation are necessarily context-dependent, and thus not all the NetSyMod phases may be needed in every application. Furthermore, the practical solutions for their implementation may significantly differ from one case to another, depending not only on the context, but also on the available resources (human and financial). The various applications of NetSyMoD have nonetheless in common the same approach for problem analysis and communication within a group of actors, based upon the use of creative thinking techniques, the formalisation of human-environment relationships through the DPSIR framework, and the use of multi-criteria analysis through the mDSS software.Social Network, Integrated Analysis, Participatory Modelling, Decision Support

Audio application based on FreeRTOS operating system

This current report describes in detail how the Quartet code for a Microchip PIC18 microcontroller, developed by Pere Domenech in his Final Degree Project, has been migrated to a Microchip PIC24 microcontroller. The original Real Time Operating System has also been migrated from OSA RTOS to FreeRTOS. The RTOS modification will allow future upgrades without the need to change the RTOS. The Quartet software is an audio synthesizer which uses a low-pass filtered PWM output to create a mono audio signal. The original code has 3 different instruments and 4 voices: Bass, Violin, Guitar 1 and Guitar 2. Each instrument has its own sound, specific waveform and envelope. Each voice has its own score. The 4 voices are mixed during the synthesis and played through a single PWM microcontroller output. This report explains step by step the software migration process: Operating System migration, Compiler migration and Microcontroller Instructions migration. The process is explained in detail. Therefore, it is highly recommended to read it while studying the final PIC24 Quartet code. At the end of the report, the hardware validation and experimental modifications are explained. Finally, some future improvements, limitations and suggestions are commented. This project is a continuation of the Quartet code for microcontrollers but it is clear that more improvements and modifications will be done in the future

ENIGMA : a Python-based file sharing server that ensures privacy, anonymity and confidentiality

Des dels inicis de la humanitat, la comunicació i la seva privacitat ha estat un camp d'exhaustiva recerca. Això encara és cert avui dia, considerant que la privacitat i seguretat a Internet és motiu de debat diàriament. Aquest projecte apunta a oferir un servidor basat en Python capaç d'emmagatzemar arxius en línia, tot preservant la seva privacitat, confidencialitat i anonimat. Hem iterat sobre diversos dissenys en la nostra cerca d'una implementació que complís tots els nostres requeriments. Finalment hem aconseguit una solució que implica usar dos servidors diferents, un a càrrec de les accions com logins i processos de registre, i l'altre responsable de tractar amb els fitxers. Des de l'esquema teòric hem desenvolupat una aplicació considerant tots els possibles atacs que es podrien fer contra el nostre sistema, centrant-nos en els atacs de man-in-the-middle. Hem completat satisfactòriament el projecte en el calendari previst, oferint un producte que pot complir tots els requeriments de seguretat d'avui en dia, mantenint la senzillesa d'ús.Ever since the inception of humanity, communication and its privacy has been a field of extensive research. Even today, this premise holds true, as privacy and security on the Internet is a daily topic. This project aims to deliver a Python-based on-line server capable of storing all kinds of files while preserving privacy, confidentiality and anonymity. We have iterated over many designs in our search for an implementation that met all of our security and usability requirements, coming up with a solution that involves the usage of two distinct servers, the first one in charge of the user-related data, such as register and log-in tasks, and a second one responsible of handling the actual files. From the initial theoretical scheme we have developed an application considering all the possible attacks that could be made against our system, mostly focused, but not limited to, man-in-the-middle attacks. We have successfully completed our project in the scheduled time, delivering a product that can stand up to today's applications security requirements, while still offering a great ease of use

Aplicació mòbil per difusió i outreach de missions astronòmiques i espacials

En l'article es presenta el desenvolupament d'una aplicació per a dispositius Android com a resposta a les necessitats de l'IEEC de donar a conèixer els seus projectes i altre informació d'interès. El contingut es presenta de forma ordenada tot explicant l'anàlisis, els plantejaments i les metodologies utilitzades per tal de trobar i implementar la solució a aquest problema. Aquesta s'implementa a partir d'un paradigma client servidor i s'explica a partir de la definició, lògica i estructural, dels components que la formen. Finalment es presenten possibles variacions en la implementació i les conclusions finals extretes.This article presents the development of an app for Android devices in response to the needs/following the needs of the IEEC to present its projects and other useful information. Its content is nicely organized and it explains the analysis, the approaches and the methodology used to find and implement a solution to this problem, it is implemented using a client-server paradigm and it is explained by the definition, logical and structural, of the components that form it. Finally, possible variations in the implementation and the final conclusions are presented.En el articulo se presenta el desarrollo de una aplicación para dispositivos Android como respuesta de las necesidades de la IEEC de dar a conocer sus proyectos y otra información de interés relacionada con la entidad. El contenido se presenta de forma ordenada dando a conocer el análisis, los planteamientos y las metodologías utilizadas para encontrar e implementar la solución a dicho problema. Esta se implementa a partir de un paradigma cliente-servidor y se explica a partir de la definición, lógica y estructural, de los Componentes que la forman. Finalmente se presentan posibles variaciones en la implementación y las conclusiones finales extraidas