Promoting Truthful Behaviour in Participatory-Sensing Mechanisms

In this paper, the interplay between a class of nonlinear estimators and strategic sensors is studied in several participatory-sensing scenarios. It is shown that for the class of estimators, if the strategic sensors have access to noiseless measurements of the to-be-estimated-variable, truth-telling is an equilibrium of the game that models the interplay between the sensors and the estimator. Furthermore, performance of the proposed estimators is examined in the case that the strategic sensors form coalitions and in the presence of noise.Comment: IEEE Signal Processing Letters, In Pres

Quality of Information in Mobile Crowdsensing: Survey and Research Challenges

Smartphones have become the most pervasive devices in people's lives, and are clearly transforming the way we live and perceive technology. Today's smartphones benefit from almost ubiquitous Internet connectivity and come equipped with a plethora of inexpensive yet powerful embedded sensors, such as accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, and camera. This unique combination has enabled revolutionary applications based on the mobile crowdsensing paradigm, such as real-time road traffic monitoring, air and noise pollution, crime control, and wildlife monitoring, just to name a few. Differently from prior sensing paradigms, humans are now the primary actors of the sensing process, since they become fundamental in retrieving reliable and up-to-date information about the event being monitored. As humans may behave unreliably or maliciously, assessing and guaranteeing Quality of Information (QoI) becomes more important than ever. In this paper, we provide a new framework for defining and enforcing the QoI in mobile crowdsensing, and analyze in depth the current state-of-the-art on the topic. We also outline novel research challenges, along with possible directions of future work.Comment: To appear in ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks (TOSN

Useful shortcuts: Using design heuristics for consent and permission in smart home devices

Prior research in smart home privacy highlights significant issues with how users understand, permit, and consent to data use. Some of the underlying issues point to unclear data protection regulations, lack of design principles, and dark patterns. In this paper, we explore heuristics (also called “mental shortcuts” or “rules of thumb”) as a means to address security and privacy design challenges in smart homes. First, we systematically analyze an existing body of data on smart homes to derive a set of heuristics for the design of consent and permission. Second, we apply these heuristics in four participatory co-design workshops (n = 14) and report on their use. Third, we analyze the use of the heuristics through thematic analysis highlighting heuristic application, purpose, and effectiveness in successful and unsuccessful design outcomes. We conclude with a discussion of the wider challenges, opportunities, and future work for improving design practices for consent in smart homes

The experience of mental distress and recovery among people involved with the service user/survivor movement

This article examines how the personal experiences of mental distress of people involved in the British service user/survivor movement were shaped or transformed by this involvement, and the impact of involvement on their recovery journeys. The analysis was based on 12 in-depth interviews with service users/survivors who are, or were once, involved with the service user/survivor movement. Three large themes were identified regarding the ways in which social movement involvement affected the personal experience of mental distress: (a) making sense and reframing mental distress, (b) the social experience of involvement and (c) identity and identity reconstruction. We discuss how some features of the service user/survivor movement, such as self- help, user involvement, the centrality of experience to collective action, and the range of political positions adopted by activists can affect experience and recovery in different forms. As an exploratory study that looks into a complex topic, our findings illuminate the ways of surviving, recovering and experiencing mental distress in the context of a significant social movement

Unwrapping DIY enquiry: The study of 'enquiry' in DIY practice at individual, community & place levels

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) enquiry represents ownership over learning and action: figuring things out by oneself, experimenting, and questioning the state of things to find potential solutions to local concerns. It is an identifiable collective behaviour of self-reliance exhibited throughout our history but in the digital age and in societies with increasing levels of education, the way DIY practice unfolds is little understood. Traditional studies on public engagement in science and technology and perspectives on production of knowledge and technology have focused primarily on institutionally mediated methods of public participation and the validity of public contributions to established fields. This thesis research makes empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions: using a multi-method approach and grounded theory for qualitative data analysis to explore DIY enquiry in practice, community, and place. The three in-depth case studies explore the nature of the production of knowledge, the role of technologies, and the barriers and opportunities to public engagement in DIY enquiry. Participant observation of a community of DIY practice reveals its inner processes, interactions, and framings of science and technology and how DIY practice is performed through DIY tool use and development. The design and facilitation of a DIY workshop series demonstrates the initial stages of engagement in DIY enquiry and reveals that barriers and opportunities to engagement are mediated by frame of mind, setting, facilitation, and interactions. The observation of place-based citizen initiatives of DIY enquiry reveals its range of interconnected actions: development of techniques and strategies for tool development, data interpretation, and leveraging of knowledge and stance for advocacy. Together the cases reveal the transformative power of DIY enquiry, how it builds knowledge, culture, and identity and that engagement requires curiosity, courage, commitment, and foundational competencies. They also reveal an inherent tension between DIY enquiry framed as a means (seeking collective/organised actionable goals) and as an end (enabling personal empowerment). This research facilitates a better understanding of the democratic potential of public engagement in science in our time but it also promotes the leveraging of knowledge production between professional/institutional science and civil society

A crowdsensing method for water resource monitoring in smart communities

Crowdsensing aims to empower a large group of individuals to collect large amounts of data using their mobile devices, with the goal of sharing the collected data. Existing crowdsensing studies do not consider all the activities and methods of the crowdsensing process and the key success factors related to the process. Nor do they investigate the profile and behaviour of potential participants. The aim of this study was to design a crowdsensing method for water resource monitoring in smart communities. This study opted for an exploratory study using the Engaged Scholarship approach, which allows the study of complex real-world problems based on the different perspectives of key stakeholders. The proposed Crowdsensing Method considers the social, technical and programme design components. The study proposes a programme design for the Crowdsensing Methodwhich is crowdsensing ReferenceFrameworkthat includes Crowdsensing Processwith key success factors and guidelines that should be considered in each phase of the process. The method also uses the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to investigate citizens’intention to participate in crowdsensing for water resource monitoring and explores their attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control on these intentions. Understanding the profiles of potential participants can assist with designing crowdsensing systems with appropriate incentive mechanisms to achieve adequate user participation and good service quality. A survey was conducted to validate the theoretical TB model in a real-world context. Regression and correlation analyses demonstrated that the attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control can be used to predict participants’ intention to participate in crowdsensing for water resource monitoring. The survey results assisted with the development of an Incentive Mechanism as part of the Crowdsensing Method. This mechanism incorporates recruitment and incentive policies, as well as guidelines derived from the literature review and extant system analysis. The policies, called the OverSensepolicies, provide guidance for recruitment and rewarding of participants using the popular Stackelberg technique. The policies were evaluated using simulation experiments with a data set provided by the case study, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The results of the simulation experiments illustrated that the OverSenserecruitmentpolicycan reduce the computing resources required for the recruitment of participants and that the recruitment policy performs better than random or naïve recruitment policies. The proposed Crowdsensing Method was evaluated using an ecosystem of success factors for mobile-based interventions identified in the literature and the Crowdsensing Method adhered to a majority (90%) of the success factors. This study also contributes information systems design theory by proposing several sets of guidelines for crowdsensing projects and the development of crowdsensing systems. This study fulfils an identified need to study the applicability of crowdsensing for water resource monitoring and explores how a crowdsensing method can create a smart community

Germany's Contribution to the Forest and Climate Protection Programme REDD+: synthesis study

Deforestation and forest degradation are major contributors to climate change. The international REDD+ framework aims to mitigate climate change by rewarding developing countries for conserving and sustainably managing their forests and for enhancing forest carbon stocks. This report synthesizes the existing evidence about the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact of REDD+ measures supported by the German Federal Government. Primary and secondary REDD+ documents and literature were analysed and triangulated with qualitative interviews. The synthesis study provides evidence-based insights into the results and impact of REDD+ measures that have been designed, financed, and implemented by or on behalf of German actors. It is the first inter-ministerial study by the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) that encompasses measures commissioned by three different Federal Ministries. The report highlights heterogeneous results on the numerous REDD+ objectives. REDD+ leads to notable changes in partner countries and renews attention to forests, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities. German efforts are unique and have shaped and advanced the REDD+ concept internationally. The initial expectation of reducing emissions in the forest sector has not (yet) been fulfilled, also because most countries needed considerable readiness support. The report confirms the difficulties in countering deforestation and forest degradation, and in setting effective incentives vis-à-vis the powerful drivers behind forest destruction. The report derives several implications for improving and further developing REDD+ strategies and portfolios, coordination, transparent communication, and learning by German implementing organizations and Federal Ministries