Updated version of final design and of the architecture of SEAMLESS-IF

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries,

An artefact repository to support distributed software engineering

The Open Source Component Artefact Repository (OSCAR) system is a component of the GENESIS platform designed to non-invasively inter-operate with work-flow management systems, development tools and existing repository systems to support a distributed software engineering team working collaboratively. Every artefact possesses a collection of associated meta-data, both standard and domain-specific presented as an XML document. Within OSCAR, artefacts are made aware of changes to related artefacts using notifications, allowing them to modify their own meta-data actively in contrast to other software repositories where users must perform all and any modifications, however trivial. This recording of events, including user interactions provides a complete picture of an artefact's life from creation to (eventual) retirement with the intention of supporting collaboration both amongst the members of the software engineering team and agents acting on their behalf

Ocean wave energy resource assessment-- hotspots, exceedance-persistance, and predictability : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Natural Resource Engineering at Massey University

Ocean wave energy conversion is evolving towards commercial viability. Succinct resource assessment is essential to the conversion of wave energy for grid supply electrical generation. The ability to differentiate potential wave energy locations by means of comprehensible evaluations is particularly useful to the commercial developers of wave energy power plants. This report establishes an assessment of wave energy that provides an understanding of the resource in both spatial and temporal resolution. Three aspects of the wave resource are established; mapping of wave energy hotspots due to wave focusing, visualisation of the probability of wave energy exceedance and persistence, and calculation of the predictability of wave energy for a particular aspect of coast. These three assessments are explained with a review of the science surrounding the phenomena of wave creation and propagation, the development of wave energy converter devices, as well as visualisation and manipulation of wave resource assessments. The outputs of these assessment methodologies are comparable, uncomplicated, graphic representations of the resource. Case studies for seven locations encircling New Zealand were investigated, in order to demonstrate the practicalities of the wave energy resource assessment methodology developed by this project. This study modelled the transformation of several hundred combinations of wave height, period and direction from deep-water to shore. The different conditions were ranked in terms of probability of occurrence. Recombination of these iterations created hotspot maps. The locations examined in this study were then compared to other infrastructure for wave energy utilisation. Historical wave data was processed to establish the probability of levels of wave energy being exceeded and persisting. This information establishes how often a potential wave energy plant might provide significant output and for how long this output might persist. Collection of wave prediction data for aspects of New Zealand allowed the comparison of up to seven day forecasts with a "now forecast". Assessment was then made of the predictability of the climatic conditions creating waves for a location. The ability to be able to provide accurate forecasts of potential wave energy plants is of significant interest to generation companies in New Zealand in order to manage a diverse generation portfolio. Key finding of this investigation: • Waves and wave energy have significant variation of spatial, and temporal scales. • Waves can be predicted for an aspect of coastline dependant upon the predictability of the climatic conditions of the wave generation location. • Wave energy resource assessment is often presented as a single figure of averaged kilowatts per meter wave front that fails to adequately incorporate the temporal, spatial, and predictive aspects of the resource. • A methodology was compiled to create "hotspot" (areas of intensified wave energy) mapping of a location utilising a wave transformation model. These maps can then be used to access spatial relationships to other digital information (electricity grid nodal locations, marine protected areas, navigation requirements, etc). • Processing of wave climate data utilising Matlab© script developed by ASR Ltd identified the probability of wave energy being exceeded and persisting for a given location. • Forecasts of wave characteristics are published on the Internet. Calculation of error between a "now forecast" and the previous day's forecast for today (up to six days out), can give an assessment of the predictability of an aspect of a location provided the wave forecast model utilises significant climatic variables. • Case studies of wave energy resource assessment (using the developed hotspot, exceedence persistence, and predictability methods) for seven locations encircling New Zealand, identified three classes of wave resource; exceptional (Southland), good (Otago, Taranaki, Auckland, Hokianga), and poor (Canterbury, Wellington)

The global distribution of Bacillus anthracis and associated anthrax risk to humans, livestock and wildlife.

Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming, Gram-positive bacterium responsible for anthrax, an acute infection that most significantly affects grazing livestock and wild ungulates, but also poses a threat to human health. The geographic extent of B. anthracis is poorly understood, despite multi-decade research on anthrax epizootic and epidemic dynamics; many countries have limited or inadequate surveillance systems, even within known endemic regions. Here, we compile a global occurrence dataset of human, livestock and wildlife anthrax outbreaks. With these records, we use boosted regression trees to produce a map of the global distribution of B. anthracis as a proxy for anthrax risk. We estimate that 1.83 billion people (95% credible interval (CI): 0.59-4.16 billion) live within regions of anthrax risk, but most of that population faces little occupational exposure. More informatively, a global total of 63.8 million poor livestock keepers (95% CI: 17.5-168.6 million) and 1.1 billion livestock (95% CI: 0.4-2.3 billion) live within vulnerable regions. Human and livestock vulnerability are both concentrated in rural rainfed systems throughout arid and temperate land across Eurasia, Africa and North America. We conclude by mapping where anthrax risk could disrupt sensitive conservation efforts for wild ungulates that coincide with anthrax-prone landscapes

Communication Between Process and Structure: Modelling and Simulating Message Reference Networks with COM/TE

Focusing on observable message signs and referencing structures, communication processes can be described and analysed as message reference networks which are characterized by dynamic pattern evolution. Computational simulation provides a way of obtaining insights into the factors driving such processes. Our paper describes a theoretical framework for communication-oriented modelling — the COM approach — that is centred around the notion of social visibility as a reputation mechanism. The approach contrasts with agent-based social networks on the one hand, and with bibliometric document networks on the other. In introducing our simulation environment COM/TE, typical properties of message reference networks are discussed in terms of a case study which deals with the impact of different media and styles of communication on emergent patterns of social visibility.Communication, Communication-Oriented Modelling, Message Sign, Dynamic Networks, Bottom-up Approach, Temporality, Social Visibility, Reputation, Socionics

Precise service level agreements

SLAng is an XML language for defining service level agreements, the part of a contract between the client and provider of an Internet service that describes the quality attributes that the service is required to possess. We define the semantics of SLAng precisely by modelling the syntax of the language in UML, then embedding the language model in an environmental model that describes the structure and behaviour of services. The presence of SLAng elements imposes behavioural constraints on service elements, and the precise definition of these constraints using OCL constitutes the semantic description of the language. We use the semantics to define a notion of SLA compatibility, and an extension to UML that enables the modelling of service situations as a precursor to analysis, implementation and provisioning activities