Design and Development of Personal GeoServices for Universities

Personal GeoServices are emerging as an interaction paradigm linking users to information rich environments like a university campus or to Big Data sources like the Internet of Things by delivering spatially intelligent web-services. OpenStreetMap (OSM) constitutes a valuable source of spatial base-data that can be extracted, integrated, and utilised with such heterogeneous data sources for free. In this paper, we present a Personal GeoServices application built on OSM spatial data and university-specific business data for staff, faculty, and students. While generic products such as Google Maps and Google Earth enable basic forms of spatial exploration, the domain of a university campus presents specific business information needs, such as “What classes are scheduled in that room over there?” and “How can I get to Prof. Murray’s office from here?” Within the framework of the StratAG project (www.StratAG.ie), an eCampus Demonstrator was developed for the National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM) to assist university users in exploring and analysing their surroundings within a detailed data environment. This work describes this system in detail, discussing the usage of OSM vector data, and providing insights for developers of spatial information systems for personalised visual exploration of an area

Aeronautical Information Geoservices

Aeronautical charts underlie the representation of aeronautic geographic information that supports pilots in flight. Nevertheless, charts become complex due to the high density of data and the different kinds that support each phase of flight. These features make difficult using them on board. After conducting a study that aims to understand and to evaluate pilot’s needs related to Geographic Information, it is proposed a solution to implement a platform based on geographic information standards (OGC, ISO) and supported by a distributed Web architecture. This platform facilitates the use, retrieval, updating of information and its exchange among different institutions through private and public users. As a first element to ensure interoperability and the harmonisation of information, we propose an aeronautical metadata profile that sets guidelines and elements for its description. This profile meets the standards set by ICAO, Eurocontrol and ISO. The platform offers three levels of access to data through different types of devices and user profiles. This paper suggests an alternative and reliable way for distributing aeronautical geoinformation, focusing on specific functions or displaying and querying

Geoservices for Aeronautical Navigation

Aeronautical charts underlie the representation of aeronautic geographic information that supports pilots in flight. Nevertheless, the charts become complex due to the high density of data and the different kinds of charts that support each phase of flight. These features make difficult using them on board. After conducting a study, with civil Spaniard pilots, that aims to understand and to evaluate their needs related to Geographic Information, it is proposed a solution to implement a platform based on geographic information standards (OGC, ISO) and supported by a distributed Web architecture. This platform facilitates the use, retrieval, updating of information and its exchange among different institutions through private and public users. As a first element to ensure interoperability of information, we suggest an aeronautical metadata profile that sets guidelines and elements for its description. The metadata profile meets the standards set by ICAO, Eurocontrol and ISO. The platform offers three levels of access to data through different types of devices and user profiles. Thus, aeronautical institutions could edit data while pilot is on board accessing digital aeronautical charts through a laptop or Table PC. This paper suggests an alternative and reliable way for distributing aeronautical geoinformation, focusing on specific functions or displaying and querying

The Socio-Economic Impact of the Spatial Data Infrastructure of Catalonia

This report presents the finding of a study undertaken in 2007 by the Centre of Land Policy and Valuations of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya on the socio-economic impact of the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) of Catalonia. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission commissioned the study and recommended the methodology. The study is based on a sample of 20 local authorities participating in the Catalan SDI, together with 3 control local authorities not participating in the SDI, and 15 end-user organisations, of which 12 are private companies operating in the Geographic Information (GI) sector, and 3 are large institutional users of GI. The study found that the total direct cost of establishing and operating the Catalan SDI (IDEC) over a five year period (2002-06) was of ¿1.5 million, of which ¿325,000 for each of the first two years (2002-03) necessary to launch the SDI, and ¿283,000 per annum to operate and develop the infrastructure in the three subsequent years (2004-06). Human resources represented 76% of the costs during the launch period (the rest being capital investment), and 91% during operation. The economic benefits in terms of increased internal efficiency of local public administrations for 2006 alone exceed ¿2.6 million per year. Therefore the study concludes that the total investment to set up the IDEC and develop it over a four year period (2002-05) is recovered in just over 6 months. Wider socio-economic benefits have also been identified but not quantified. In particular, the study indicates that web-based spatial services allow smaller local authorities to narrow the digital divide with larger ones in the provision of services to citizens and companies. The illustrative case-study of the difference between two local communes, one which enables citizens to query their cadastral parcels and get all the necessary planning and building permission on line, while the other requires the process to be done by hand after making an appointment with the local technician illustrates well the opportunities offered by the IDEC. In addition to evaluating the socio-economic impact of the SDI in Catalonia, the study reflects on the indicators used for the study and the limitations encountered in collecting the necessary information, with suggestions for future work in this important field of research.JRC.H.6-Spatial data infrastructure

Contemporary Architecture in Genoa since 1945—Knowledge and Use through Geoservices for the Citizen

The paper illustrates the enhancement of knowledge of architecture from 1945 onwards in Genoa by means of the publication on the Geoportal of the Municipality, which was developed with open-source systems, of a proper dataset and tools for digital storytelling for citizens. The implementation on the municipal Geoportal of a section called “Contemporary Architecture from 1945 onwards in Genoa” was made possible through collaboration between the University of Genoa Architecture and Design Department (DAD) and the Municipality of Genoa Office for Geographical Information Systems. The data related to the buildings in the Municipality of Genoa were extracted from a previous study about contemporary architecture in Liguria carried out by DAD. The case study introduced two tools for the promotion and enhancement of knowledge of such architecture, a map on which the buildings are located and associated with an information form and geostories with in-depth information on selected buildings, the latter of which can be sorted based on thematic itineraries or by author. The use of integrated services contributes to the competitiveness and sustainability of the city, raising citizens’ awareness of the value of the architecture of the second half of the 20th century and thus activating conservation processes as advocated in the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations General Assembly

Didactic Potential of New Generation ICT in Forming Information and Communication Competence of Upper Secondary School Pupils

The article focuses on forming the information and communication competence of upper secondary school pupils. The importance of blended learning and on-line learning is substantiated. The possibilities of introducing new types of ICTs into literary education, peculiarities of their application are characterized. In the process of experimental study, the tasks developed using online resources are tested (“LearningApps”, “Prezi”, “Emaze”, “PoowToon”, “Kizoa”, “Padlet”, “Thinglink”, “Piktochart”, “Tagul”, “Canva”, “Realtimeboard”, “Mindmeister”, “Mindomo”, “Ilovefreesoftware”, “Zaption”). It has been found out that these tasks and the selected on-line resources contribute the analysis and interpretation of artistic works. The importance of using Google as a tool for searching literary information is also substantiated. The upper secondary school pupils’ cross-cutting skills, which promote the forming of their IC-competence, are determined. The cross-cutting skills give the opportunity to work in standard and updated conditions. The examples show how the didactic potential of the new generation of ICT contributes to a qualitative increase in the level of subject knowledge, in particular literary. The article describes a system of tasks with the use of Internet resources in order to form IC-competence of upper secondary school pupils. The effectiveness of the proposed tasks is experimentally tested. Thanks to implementing new kinds of ICTs, teaching the upper secondary school pupils has become more qualitative, and forming of their IC-competence has become more effective

Web Mapping technologies for the valorization of slow tourism: the Via Regina project

The practice of slow tourism denotes a sustainable way of living the territory based on environmentally-friendly forms of transportation, the appreciation of nature and the rediscovery of local history and cultural identity. Technological advancements in ICT, mostly in the domain of GIS, nowadays represent an essential mean to give new insights to this kind of activities. This work presents a rich implementation of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Web Mapping technologies to valorize slow tourism in the charming naturalistic area of Via Regina. This is an ancient cultural route overlooking Lake Como (Northern Italy) and defining a system of slow mobility paths – ideal for hiking and/or biking – which spans the mountainous region at the border between Italy and Switzerland. First, a mobile app is developed which allows tourists to report a wide range of points of interest while travelling around the paths. Along with a huge amount of other geospatial data (e.g. the authoritative data provided by local administrations and the paths surveyed by hikers associations), this crowdsourced information is made available within a standard 2D Web viewer. Services for routing as well as the computation of terrain profiles of paths are also implemented. Finally a virtual globe-based platform provides 3D data visualization while also offering a set of collaborative functionalities. Besides proving the efficiency of FOSS, the work provides a modern reinterpretation of the slow tourism concept which, along with the current technological possibilities, can simplify and at the same time enrich the travellers' experience

Technical assessment of GeoSUR and comparison with INSPIRE experience in the context of an environmental vulnerability analysis

The use of spatial information has become an important resource for decision support making at national and regional levels. In this respect, several private and public organizations are continuously collecting and producing geospatial data. However, there are still problems that affect the usage of spatial information. As a response to these problems, several spatial data sharing initiatives have been implemented at national, regional and global level. This is also the case of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) and the Integrated Geospatial Information Network for South America (GeoSUR), both created in 2007. GeoSUR works together with the PAIGH, the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS) and the Permanent Committee on Geospatial Data Infrastructure for the Americas (PC-IDEA) to consolidate the Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Americas. In this context, the role of GeoSUR is to provide the distribution platform for the SDI and develop geoservices and applications based on institutional spatial databases. This research performs a technical assessment of GeoSUR to identify the extent to which the spatial resources provided by the network area accessible, applicable and usable for decision making processes at regional (multinational) level. In order to do so, this study is conducted in the context of a real case study that implements Spatial Multicriteria Evaluation to assess the environmental vulnerability of the Amazon IIRSA region. Results show strengths at finding spatial resources, and regarding the accessibility to regional datasets in GeoSUR. However several obstacles still limit accessibility, applicability and usability of spatial data to perform regional analysis. In this respect, elements considered by INSPIRE such as common implementing rules and technical guidelines are identified as useful to tackle these obstacles and make the spatial services and datasets of the participant institutions compatible to perform regional analysis.The use of spatial information has become an important resource for decision making. In this respect, several private and public organizations are continuously collecting and producing geospatial data. However, there are still problems that limit the access and usage of spatial information for all people requiring it. As a response to these problems, several initiatives to share and reuse spatial data have been created. The Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) and the Integrated Geospatial Information Network for South America (GeoSUR) -both created in 2007- are examples of such initiatives. This study aims to identify to which extent the technical characteristics of the spatial resources available in GeoSUR website allow to support decisions at multinational level in Latin America. In order to do so, an evaluation of how sensitive is the natural environment to degradation is conducted as a case study to select the resources to be assessed. Results show that is relatively easy to discover spatial resources in GeoSUR, but is difficult to download them. Considering INSPIRE as a model in spatial data sharing, it is concluded that some elements from INSPIRE can be gathered and adapted by GeoSUR to improve the characteristics of the spatial data offered

Design Framework for Sustainable Mobile Services in Developing Countries

Matkapuhelimet ovat saavuttamassa kehittyvissä maissa elävät ihmiset. Tämä tarjoaa parantuneen kommunikaation avulla mahdollisuuksia parantaa köyhien elintasoa tilanteissa, jotka vaativat nopeaa toimintaa ja eri osapuolien osallistumista. Esimerkkejä ovat esimerkiksi terveyden editäminen ja kriisien hallinta. Tämä työ painottuu nk. hyötypalveluihin, joista edellä luvatut ovat esimerkkejä. Erityisesti tarkastellaan sitä, kuinka voidaan luoda palveluita, jotka ovat elinkelpoisia. Työssä luodaan suunnittelukehys, jonka tarkoituksena on auttaa sekä paikallisia että kansainvälisiä yhteisöjä tämänkaltaisten palveluiden toteuttamisessa. Suunnitelukehys perustuu kirjallisuuskatsaukseen ja tapaustutkimuksiin. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa tarkastellaan aiempaa tutkimusta kehittyvien maiden palvelujen mallinnuksesta ja vastaavista suunnitelukehyksistä. Lisäksi tarkastellaan muita olennaisia tekijöitä kuten mobiiliteknologian ja palvelujen levinneisyys, käyttö ja rahoitus. Analyysit toteutetaan laadullisilla menetelmillä. Tapaustutkimukset sisältävät kaksi mobiilipalveluprojektia, jotka toteutetaan Kenian ja Liberian maaseuduilla. Projektien pilotointi alkaa vuoden 2010 aikana. Tapaustutkimusdata kerätään puoli-strukturoiduissa teemahaastatteluissa ja käsitellään nk. grounded systems teorian mukaisesti. Suunnitelukehys rakentuu neljän avainasian ympärille. Ensimmäinen on loppukäyttäjien osallistaminen palveluiden toteuttamisessa. Tällä tavoin on mahdollista saada käyttöön palvelujen kannalta tärkeää henkilökohtaista ja elinympäristöjä koskevaa tietoa. Toinen on luotetun kolmannen osapuolen asema käyttäjien ja ammattilaisten välissä. Luotettu kolmas osapuoli pyrkii mahdollistamaan tiedon jakamisen ja ammattilaisten resurssien käytön. Kolmas on paikallisten toimijoiden aktiivinen osallistaminen, jotta tieto ja osaaminen pysyvät paikallisilla alueilla. Neljäs on notkea palvelujen alusta-ajattelu yksittäisten palvelujen sijaan. Tämä voisi mahdollistaa palvelujen nopean ja tehokkaan toteutuksen oikeille tarpeille paikallisten toimijoiden toimesta.Mobile phones are reaching also the poor in the developing countries. This provides opportunities to improve their lives trough better communication in situations where rapid action and citizen participation are essential, such as in health and crisis management. This thesis concentrates on mobile services that can be used to address these needs. The main attention is on the fundamental requirements needed for services to be sustainable over time. A new design framework is constructed for helping both local and international communities' to address these issues. The design framework is based on a literature review and case studies. The literature review includes analyses of the recent modeling and framework activities in the area. Moreover, other relevant topics in mobile services, such as diffusion, usage, and finance are covered. The analysis uses a qualitative approach. The thesis includes two projects as case studies. In these mobile services are being developed for rural areas of Kenya and Liberia. The projects are currently in their initial testing phases aiming at starting pilots during the first half of the year 2010. The case study data has been gathered by using semi-structured theme interviews and grounded theory approach has been used to analyze the data. The design framework is built on four key findings. First, it is important to get users involved into the service creation processes, because of the knowledge they possess about themselves and their living environments. Second, a trusted third party is needed to share the resources between the users and the professionals. This is important, as the lack of resources or knowledge can hinder the service development for the both parties. Third, local involvement from the start is important in service creation processes for services to reach sustainability. This could help the knowledge base to grow in the locals regions and eventually give more opportunities for the poor. Finally, a flexible service platform instead of specific service would make the service development faster and more efficient, providing more opportunities for the local actors to develop services for their real needs

Towards an ethical framework for publishing Twitter data in social research: taking into account users’ views, online context and algorithmic estimation

New and emerging forms of data, including posts harvested from social media sites such as Twitter, have become part of the sociologist’s data diet. In particular, some researchers see an advantage in the perceived ‘public’ nature of Twitter posts, representing them in publications without seeking informed consent. While such practice may not be at odds with Twitter’s terms of service, we argue there is a need to interpret these through the lens of social science research methods, that imply a more reflexive ethical approach than provided in ‘legal’ accounts of the permissible use of these data in research publications. To challenge some existing practice in Twitter based research, this paper brings to the fore i) views of Twitter users through analysis of online survey data, ii) the effect of context collapse and online disinhibition on the behaviors of users, and iii) the publication of identifiable sensitive classifications derived from algorithms