Geospatial information infrastructures

Manual of Digital Earth / Editors: Huadong Guo, Michael F. Goodchild, Alessandro Annoni .- Springer, 2020 .- ISBN: 978-981-32-9915-3Geospatial information infrastructures (GIIs) provide the technological, semantic,organizationalandlegalstructurethatallowforthediscovery,sharing,and use of geospatial information (GI). In this chapter, we introduce the overall concept and surrounding notions such as geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial datainfrastructures(SDI).WeoutlinethehistoryofGIIsintermsoftheorganizational andtechnologicaldevelopmentsaswellasthecurrentstate-of-art,andreflectonsome of the central challenges and possible future trajectories. We focus on the tension betweenincreasedneedsforstandardizationandtheever-acceleratingtechnological changes. We conclude that GIIs evolved as a strong underpinning contribution to implementation of the Digital Earth vision. In the future, these infrastructures are challengedtobecomeflexibleandrobustenoughtoabsorbandembracetechnological transformationsandtheaccompanyingsocietalandorganizationalimplications.With this contribution, we present the reader a comprehensive overview of the field and a solid basis for reflections about future developments

The Web Science Observatory

To understand and enable the evolution of the Web and to help address grand societal challenges, the Web must be observable at scale across space and time. That requires a globally distributed and collaborative Web Observatory

Managing ubiquitous eco cities: the role of urban telecommunication infrastructure networks and convergence technologies

A successful urban management system for a Ubiquitous Eco City requires an integrated approach. This integration includes bringing together economic, socio-cultural and urban development with a well orchestrated, transparent and open decision making mechanism and necessary infrastructure and technologies. Rapidly developing information and telecommunication technologies and their platforms in the late 20th Century improves urban management and enhances the quality of life and place. Telecommunication technologies provide an important base for monitoring and managing activities over wired, wireless or fibre-optic networks. Particularly technology convergence creates new ways in which the information and telecommunication technologies are used. The 21st Century is an era where information has converged, in which people are able to access a variety of services, including internet and location based services, through multi-functional devices such as mobile phones and provides opportunities in the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities. This paper discusses the recent developments in telecommunication networks and trends in convergence technologies and their implications on the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities and how this technological shift is likely to be beneficial in improving the quality of life and place. The paper also introduces recent approaches on urban management systems, such as intelligent urban management systems, that are suitable for Ubiquitous Eco Cities

Australian commercial-critical infrastructure management protection

Secure management of Australia\u27s commercial critical infrastructure presents ongoing challenges to owners and the government. Although managed via a high-level information sharing collaboration of government and business, critical infrastructure protection is further complicated by the lack of a lower-level scalable model exhibiting its various levels, sectors and sub-sectors. This research builds on the work of Marasea (2003) to establish a descriptive critical infrastructure model and also considers the influence and proposed modelling of critical infrastructure dependency inter-relationships.<br /

The future of Cybersecurity in Italy: Strategic focus area

This volume has been created as a continuation of the previous one, with the aim of outlining a set of focus areas and actions that the Italian Nation research community considers essential. The book touches many aspects of cyber security, ranging from the definition of the infrastructure and controls needed to organize cyberdefence to the actions and technologies to be developed to be better protected, from the identification of the main technologies to be defended to the proposal of a set of horizontal actions for training, awareness raising, and risk management

Structural Separation Models and the Provision of ‘Dark Fibre’ for Broadband Networks: The Case of CityLink

Fibre broadband networks are widely presumed to become the dominant form of fixed-line broadband access. However, the spectre of fibre firms gaining market power, such has been evidenced in legacy copper-based telecommunications networks, has led some policy-makers to suggest imposing separation mandates (either functional or structural) on the owners of fibre networks yet to be built, in order to militate against the creation of a new set of firms with market power. Whilst conceptually separation of the „dark fibre? data transportation core from network intelligence and retail functions echoes the computer technology-centric view of the internet as a „dumb core? and an „intelligent fringe?, and replicates the separation mandates currently proposed as a means of preventing integrated legacy copper-based providers from foreclosing retail competition, the ensuing structures likely exacerbate the chilling effect of access regulation on network investment observed in most markets where it has been applied. The chilling effects arise because of an investment horizon mismatch (hold-up) between infrastructure operators with large fixed and sunk costs, and retailers (and arguably even end consumers) with freedom to switch between retailers and network infrastructures. The usual resolution to such problems requires customers to make a credible commitment to purchase services via relationship-specific investments or contractual commitments. Whereas access regulation precludes the contractual resolution of the hold-up problem, separation mandates preclude their resolution by consumer-owners vertically integrating upsteam into elements of infrastructure ownership. Consequently, it appears unlikely that the level of investment in separated fibre networks providing dark fibre connections will be optimal. Indeed, under competitive circumstances and high levels of demand uncertainty, there may be no private sector investment forthcoming for dark fibre infrastructures. By examining the business model of CityLink, a firm that since 1995 has been successfully supplying dark fibre in a highly competitive broadband market segment, it is confirmed that long-term financial viability of dark fibre-producing firms is feasible when utilising a mix of both contractual and asset ownership mechanisms that bind end consumers into credible commitments sufficient to justify the firm?s deployment of new network infrastructure capacity. The institutional arrangements that led to the development of this firm?s successful business model draw their inspiration more from the flexible and collaborative commercial interaction of the information technology community rather than the adversarial and prescriptive regulatory environment of the telecommunications industry. It is concluded that if policy-makers wish to encourage the creation of a truly „dark fibre-based? fixed line broadband environment, then in the initial stages of network deployment at least, arrangements similar to those of CityLink are more likely to induce sufficient and timely private sector investments than the rigid and rigorous separation and access regulation arrangements common in the recent history of the telecommunications industry.

Conversations on a probable future: interview with Beatrice Fazi

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