Integrating management tools and concepts to develop an estuarine planning support system: A case study of the Humber Estuary, Eastern England

© 2015. Estuaries are important because of their multiple uses and users which often makes them challenging to manage since management must strike a balance between the needs of users, the estuaries' ecological and economic value and the context of multiple legislative drivers. To facilitate management we have therefore developed an Estuarine Planning Support System (EPSS) framework using the Humber Estuary, Eastern England, as a case study which integrates the current legislation tools and concepts. This integrated EPSS framework is an improvement on previous approaches for assessing cumulative impacts as it takes into account legislative drivers, management tools and other mechanisms for controlling plans/projects specific to the estuary. It therefore enables managers and users to assess and address both the current state and the way in which a new industrial, port or urban development could impact an estuary in an accessible and understandable framework

Computer-based tools to support curriculum developers

Since the start of the early 90’s, an increasing number of people are interested in supporting the complex tasks of the curriculum development process with computer-based tools. ‘Curriculum development’ refers to an intentional process or activity directed at (re) designing, developing and implementing curricular interventions in schools, colleges, or corporate education. The term ‘curricular intervention’ serves as a common denominator for curricular products, programs, materials (varying from teacher and student/trainee materials), procedures, scenarios, processes, and the like. A key issue and major challenge in curriculum development is how curricular interventions should be developed in order to achieve a satisfying balance between the ideals of a curriculum change and their realization in practice. This paper provides background information on the roots of computer-based tools for curriculum developers, provides an overview of those tools currently available in the USA and abroad (especially Australia and The Netherlands) and describes probable future trends

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems and Their Impact on Development and Training: A Study of Instructional Methods in North America

One of the most important issues facing the modern world today is the Year 2000 problem. One of the greatest impacts of this problem is experienced by legacy computer systems. These are the database systems that run our businesses. Legacy systems are operated by segregated software packages that may or may not be able to communicate to each other. With the globalization of the economy, business computer systems need to be able to communicate with each other. This type of situation is what enterprise resource planning software is designed to solve. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems provide a common, consistent system to capture data organization-wide without redundancies. ERP is defined as a software management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. In addition to integrating the information across functions, also provides a set of tools for planning and monitoring the organizational functions and ensuring progress towards a common organizational goal (Sudhakar, 1998). As ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP. The purpose of this pilot study is to identify development times and delivery methods for high-level computer technology training. This has become an issue for Human Resource Development (HRD) because of the Year 2000 situation and its resulting issues, which have compelled businesses around North America to implement these ERP systems. After circulating a survey for almost seven month, the data collection period ended in March 1999. The response rate of 47 returned surveys from 63 requests calculates to 74.6%. A total of 34, or 72%, of respondents developed training programs for high-level computer technology

The TIGGE project and its achievements

TIGGE was a major component of the THORPEX (The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment) research program, whose aim is to accelerate improvements in forecasting high-impact weather. By providing ensemble prediction data from leading operational forecast centers, TIGGE has enhanced collaboration between the research and operational meteorological communities and enabled research studies on a wide range of topics. The paper covers the objective evaluation of the TIGGE data. For a range of forecast parameters, it is shown to be beneficial to combine ensembles from several data providers in a Multi-model Grand Ensemble. Alternative methods to correct systematic errors, including the use of reforecast data, are also discussed. TIGGE data have been used for a range of research studies on predictability and dynamical processes. Tropical cyclones are the most destructive weather systems in the world, and are a focus of multi-model ensemble research. Their extra-tropical transition also has a major impact on skill of mid-latitude forecasts. We also review how TIGGE has added to our understanding of the dynamics of extra-tropical cyclones and storm tracks. Although TIGGE is a research project, it has proved invaluable for the development of products for future operational forecasting. Examples include the forecasting of tropical cyclone tracks, heavy rainfall, strong winds, and flood prediction through coupling hydrological models to ensembles. Finally the paper considers the legacy of TIGGE. We discuss the priorities and key issues in predictability and ensemble forecasting, including the new opportunities of convective-scale ensembles, links with ensemble data assimilation methods, and extension of the range of useful forecast skill

Educational psychology counsellors’ views about children’s participation in educational decision-making: A thematic analysis

The attention to children’s participation has increased dramatically during the last decade. Compared to the literature in the educational field, the literature on children’s participation in the social and health fields seems to be developing rapidly. The aim of this article is to address the importance of educational psychology service (eps) counsellors regarding special educational needs (sen) students’ rights to participate in educational decision-making. This article presents an in-depth study of seven Norwegian eps counsellors’ views about children’s participation in educational decision-making. Procedures for a qualitative inductive thematic analysis were followed to reveal four key themes, namely: parents as key persons; children’s presence on teams as an intervention; the importance of children’s age for participation; and the gap between expert assessments and individual education plans (iep s). The results, which are discussed in relation to Lundy’s (2007) model of participation and other relevant literature, show that there should be more knowledge and interventions to ensure children’s participation in educational decision-making in both research and practice. The results also indicate that structures and procedures in special education need to be considered and further developed from a participation perspective.acceptedVersio

The Sixth Framework Programme of the European Union: A Layperson's Guide to Funding

This guide aims to help NGOs and companies in the new EU member states to better understand and have easier access to the EU Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) funding. The information gathered consists of several guidelines for the application process and a collection of specific up-to-date information and (web) addresses. In addition to the original version of this guide, updates should be available every six months from the same source