Traffic Analysis for the Calibration of Risk Assessment Methods

In order to provide some measure of the uncertainty inherent in the sorts of charting data that are provided to the end-user, we have previously proposed risk models that measure the magnitude of the uncertainty for a ship operating in a particular area. Calibration of these models is essential, but the complexity of the models means that we require detailed information on the sorts of ships, traffic patterns and density within the model area to make a reliable assessment. In theory, the ais system should provide this information for a suitably instrumented area. We consider the problem of converting, filtering and analysing the raw ais traffic to provide statistical characterizations of the traffic in a particular area, and illustrate the method with data from 2008-10-01 through 2008-11-30 around Norfolk, VA. We show that it is possible to automatically construct aggregate statistical characteristics of the port, resulting in distributions of transit location, termination and duration by vessel category, as well as type of traffic, physical dimensions, and intensity of activity. We also observe that although 60 days give us suffi- cient data for our immediate purposes, a large proportion of it—up to 52% by message volume—must be considered dubious due to difficulties in configuration, maintenance and operation of ais transceivers

Europe's Space capabilities for the benefit of the Arctic

In recent years, the Arctic region has acquired an increasing environmental, social, economic and strategic importance. The Arctic’s fragile environment is both a direct and key indicator of the climate change and requires specific mitigation and adaptation actions. The EU has a clear strategic interest in playing a key role and is actively responding to the impacts of climate change safeguarding the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem, ensuring a sustainable development, particularly in the European part of the Arctic. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has recently completed a study aimed at identifying the capabilities and relevant synergies across the four domains of the EU Space Programme: earth observation, satellite navigation, satellite communications, and space situational awareness (SSA). These synergies are expected to be key enablers of new services that will have a high societal impact in the region, which could be developed in a more cost-efficient and rapid manner. Similarly, synergies will also help exploit to its full extent operational services that are already deployed in the Arctic (e.g., the Copernicus emergency service or the Galileo Search and rescue service could greatly benefit from improved satellite communications connectivity in the region).JRC.E.2-Technology Innovation in Securit

Assurance Services for Business-to- Business Electronic Commerce: A Framework and Implications

The electronic commerce assurance market has been estimated to be potentially worth $11 billion. To date the focus of assurance services has largely been on web commerce (and therefore business to consumer) related services, leaving the business-to-business (B2B or B-to-B) electronic commerce market relatively untapped. Yet, with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) being mandated by large companies and government agencies, small- to medium-sized firms have struggled to acquire and implement this technology with little understanding of this new age of electronic commerce. As the ubiquitous Internet allows more firms to become EDI-capable, there is an imminent need for having some independent means for assuring the quality of B2B electronic commerce and related business practices. This need is not only crucial for smaller trading partners, but is essential to the success of larger firms who want to realize reduced cycle times, improved customer service and a greater return on their technology investments by electronically controlling the entire value-chain. This paper proposes a framework for delivering B2B electronic commerce assurance services and discusses some potential implications for such services

Data mining for anomaly detection in maritime traffic data

For the past few years, oceans have become once again, an important means of communication and transport. In fact, traffic density throughout the globe has suffered a substantial growth, which has risen some concerns. With this expansion, the need to achieve a high Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) is imperative. At the present time, this need may be more easily fulfilled thanks to the vast amount of data available regarding maritime traffic. However, this brings in another issue: data overload. Currently, there are so many data sources, so many data to obtain information from, that the operators cannot handle it. There is a pressing need for systems that help to sift through all the data, analysing and correlating, helping in this way the decision making process. In this dissertation, the main goal is to use different sources of data in order to detect anomalies and contribute to a clear Recognised Maritime Picture (RMP). In order to do so, it is necessary to know what types of data exist and which ones are available for further analysis. The data chosen for this dissertation was Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Monitorização Contínua das Atividades da Pesca (MONICAP) data, also known as Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data. In order to store 1 year worth of AIS and MONICAP data, a PostgreSQL database was created. To analyse and draw conclusions from the data, a data mining tool was used, namely, Orange. Tests were conducted in order to assess the correlation between data sources and find anomalies. The importance of data correlation has never been so important and with this dissertation the aim is to show that there is a simple and effective way to get answers from great amounts of data.Nos últimos anos, os oceanos tornaram-se, mais uma vez, um importante meio de comunicação e transporte. De facto, a densidade de tráfego global sofreu um crescimento substancial, o que levantou algumas preocupações. Com esta expansão, a necessidade de atingir um elevado Conhecimento Situacional Marítimo (CSM) é imperativa. Hoje em dia, esta necessidade pode ser satisfeita mais facilmente graças à vasta quantidade de dados disponíveis de tráfego marítimo. No entanto, isso leva a outra questão: sobrecarga de dados. Atualmente existem tantas fontes de dados, tantos dados dos quais extrair informação, que os operadores não conseguem acompanhar. Existe uma necessidade premente para sistemas que ajudem a escrutinar todos os dados, analisando e correlacionando, contribuindo desta maneira ao processo de tomada de decisão. Nesta dissertação, o principal objetivo é usar diferentes fontes de dados para detetar anomalias e contribuir para uma clara Recognised Maritime Picture (RMP). Para tal, é necessário saber que tipos de dados existem e quais é que se encontram disponíveis para análise posterior. Os dados escolhidos para esta dissertação foram dados Automatic Identification System (AIS) e dados de Monitorização Contínua das Atividades da Pesca (MONICAP), também conhecidos como dados de Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). De forma a armazenar dados correspondentes a um ano de AIS e MONICAP, foi criada uma base de dados em PostgreSQL. Para analisar e retirar conclusões, foi utilizada uma ferramenta de data mining, nomeadamente, o Orange. De modo a que pudesse ser avaliada a correlação entre fontes de dados e serem detetadas anomalias foram realizados vários testes. A correlação de dados nunca foi tão importante e pretende-se com esta dissertação mostrar que existe uma forma simples e eficaz de obter respostas de grandes quantidades de dado

Assurance Services for Business-to- Business Electronic Commerce: A Framework and Implications

The electronic commerce assurance market has been estimated to be potentially worth $11 billion. To date the focus of assurance services has largely been on web commerce (and therefore business to consumer) related services, leaving the business-to-business (B2B or B-to-B) electronic commerce market relatively untapped. Yet, with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) being mandated by large companies and government agencies, small- to medium-sized firms have struggled to acquire and implement this technology with little understanding of this new age of electronic commerce. As the ubiquitous Internet allows more firms to become EDI-capable, there is an imminent need for having some independent means for assuring the quality of B2B electronic commerce and related business practices. This need is not only crucial for smaller trading partners, but is essential to the success of larger firms who want to realize reduced cycle times, improved customer service and a greater return on their technology investments by electronically controlling the entire value-chain. This paper proposes a framework for delivering B2B electronic commerce assurance services and discusses some potential implications for such services

Using Automatic Identification System Data in Vessel Route Prediction and Seaport Operations

In this paper, the authors perform a comprehensive literature review on the use of data obtained from the Automatic Identification System, with an emphasis on vessel route prediction and seaport operations. The usage of Automatic Identification System vessel’s position data in the vessel route prediction and seaport operations has been analyzed, to prove that Automatic Identification System data has a large potential to improve the efficiency of maritime transport. The authors concluded that proper vessel route prediction and route planning can improve voyage safety and reduce unnecessary costs. Furthermore, AIS can provide port authorities with early warnings, allowing them to take preemptive action to avoid possible congestions and unnecessary costs

Marketing in schools, commercialization and sustainability: policy disjunctures surrounding the commercialization of childhood and education for sustainable lifestyles in England

Capitalist expansion is predicated on consumption and growth driven by citizens following their individual preferences in the marketplace. To promote consumption and influence consumer wants and desire, propaganda is used to persuade citizens to purchase products using a wide and diverse range of techniques. In recent decades, this has involved an increase in the marketing of products and consumerist values to children through the education system and the broader media. This article argues that successive UK governments’ public policy in this area has been characterized by inaction, inertia and contradiction and that the resulting policy disjunctures are at variance with their public rhetoric about the commercialization of childhood and professed objectives regarding the promotion of environmental awareness and sustainable lifestyles in schools

What Should Businesses Know About Social Media Analytics?

Big social media data generated by customers can be employed start to identify which customer behaviour and actions creates more value. A study by conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review found that 67% of the total 2,500 survey respondents reported that by employing analytics their companies gained a competitive advantage as well it helped them to innovate. Still, many businesses struggle to plan and create value from social data analytics. Hence, using a thematic analysis of current social media analytics (SMA) literature and focus group interview with SMA experts, the aim of this article is to provide an executive overview of SMA concepts, theories, and tools that are vital for understanding and strategically using social media analytics for business intelligence purposes

Data-Driven Meets Theory-Driven Research in the Era of Big Data: Opportunities and Challenges for Information Systems Research

The era of big data provides many opportunities for conducting impactful research from both data-driven and theory-driven perspectives. However, data-driven and theory-driven research have progressed somewhat independently. In this paper, we develop a framework that articulates important differences between these two perspectives and propose a role for information systems research at their intersection. The framework presents a set of pathways that combine the data-driven and theory-driven perspectives. From these pathways, we derive a set of challenges, and show how they can be addressed by research in information systems. By doing so, we identify an important role that information systems research can play in advancing both data-driven and theory-driven research in the era of big data