Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Delivery of broadband services to SubSaharan Africa via Nigerian communications satellite

Africa is the least wired continent in the world in terms of robust telecommunications infrastructure and systems to cater for its more than one billion people. African nations are mostly still in the early stages of Information Communications Technology (ICT) development as verified by the relatively low ICT Development Index (IDI) values of all countries in the African region. In developing nations, mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration between 2000-2009 was increasingly more popular than fixed broadband subscriptions. To achieve the goal of universal access, with rapid implementation of ICT infrastructure to complement the sparsely distributed terrestrial networks in the hinterlands and leveraging the adequate submarine cables along the African coastline, African nations and their stakeholders are promoting and implementing Communication Satellite systems, particularly in Nigeria, to help bridge the digital hiatus. This paper examines the effectiveness of communication satellites in delivering broadband-based services

Opportunities And Challenges of E-Health and Telemedicine Via Satelite

The introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the health scenario is instrumental for the development of sustainable services of direct benefit for the European citizen. The setting up of satellite based applications will enhance rapidly the decentralisation and the enrichment of the European territory driving it towards a homogenous environment for healthcare

PACMAS state of media and communication report 2013

The PACMAS State of Media and Communication Report 2013 was undertaken through a partnership between RMIT University (Australia), the University of Goroka (Papua New Guinea) and UNITEC (New Zealand). The research for this report was developed and undertaken between June 2012 and April 2013 across 14 Pacific Island nations: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Nauru, Niue, Republic of Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The report provides a regional overview of the PACMAS key components (Media Policy, Media Systems, Media Capacity Building and Media Content) as they emerged through 212 interviews focused upon the six PACMAS strategic areas. It also provides basic background information, an overview of the media and communications landscape and discusses in detail media and communications technicians; emergency broadcast systems, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs), media associations, climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). For this reason, observations on the four PACMAS components should be understood to represent changes in the media and communication environment based upon an investigation focused on the PACMAS strategic activities. Part 1 & Part II of the report make up a Regional Overview of the State of Media and Communication in the Pacific.  The report also includes 14 separate Country Reports which provide additional information on the media and communications landscape specific to each of the Pacific Island countries included in the PACMAS program.  The country reports were written with the objectives of the PACMAS program in mind, however they may have utility for media, communication and development practitioners across the region

SeBoCom Pre-Study - A preliminary study on Secure Border Communications

This document contains the outcome of the SeBoCom pre-study. The main objective of the SeBoCom project was to define the way to proceed to a further and complete study. This task was to be achieved through this pre-study and through a Workshop involving end-users to stimulate the discussion and gain input regarding their needs. This pre-study collects some initial data on the present Communications infrastructures outlining the co-existence of many different systems, some already based on digital technology, others outdated or quite obsolete. One of the key finding of the present study is the need to define joint procedures to manage communications among different bodies belonging to different Member States: the most reliable and secure telecommunication infrastructure will be useless if there is no agreement on the type and structure of communications that are transmitted over the infrastructure. The pre-study initially considers the pivotal role played by communications in Border Protection field operations, analyzing the different operational aspects. It subsequently presents the state if the art of the communication infrastructures of Border Security Forces in Europe as well as the expected future scenarios obtained through questionnaires sent to the contact points in the Member States. An initial broad view of the requirements for Secure Border Communications is outlined; this is followed by an analysis of the lessons learned in previous events; then a survey of the previous/ongoing studies on similar topics is also presented. The last chapters provide a Technology Survey and the conclusions based on the outcome of the pre-study and of the Workshop held in Ispra on May 27th and 28th 2008.JRC.G.6-Sensors, radar technologies and cybersecurit