216 research outputs found
A feasibility study for the provision of electronic healthcare tools and services in areas of Greece, Cyprus and Italy
Background:
Through this paper, we present the initial steps for the creation of an integrated platform for the provision of a series of eHealth tools and services to both citizens and travelers in isolated areas of thesoutheast Mediterranean, and on board ships travelling across it. The platform was created through an INTERREG IIIB ARCHIMED project called INTERMED.
Methods:
The support of primary healthcare, home care and the continuous education of physicians are the three major issues that the proposed platform is trying to facilitate. The proposed system is based on state-of-the-art telemedicine systems and is able to provide the following healthcare services: i) Telecollaboration and teleconsultation services between remotely located healthcare providers, ii) telemedicine services in emergencies, iii) home telecare services for "at risk" citizens such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, and iv) eLearning services for the continuous training through seminars of both healthcare personnel (physicians, nurses etc) and persons supporting "at risk" citizens.
These systems support data transmission over simple phone lines, internet connections, integrated services digital network/digital subscriber lines, satellite links, mobile networks (GPRS/3G), and wireless local area networks. The data corresponds, among others, to voice, vital biosignals, still medical images, video, and data used by eLearning applications. The proposed platform comprises several systems, each supporting different services. These were integrated using a common data storage and exchange scheme in order to achieve system interoperability in terms of software, language and national characteristics.
Results:
The platform has been installed and evaluated in different rural and urban sites in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. The evaluation was mainly related to technical issues and user satisfaction. The selected sites are, among others, rural health centers, ambulances, homes of "at-risk" citizens, and a ferry.
Conclusions:
The results proved the functionality and utilization of the platform in various rural places in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. However, further actions are needed to enable the local healthcare systems and the different population groups to be familiarized with, and use in their everyday lives, mature technological solutions for the provision of healthcare 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
Compilation of Abstracts, December 2015
NPS Class of December 2015This quarter’s Compilation of Abstracts summarizes cutting-edge, security-related research conducted by NPS students and presented as theses, dissertations, and capstone reports. Each expands knowledge in its field.http://archive.org/details/compilationofabs109454828
A Study of the Diffusion of Innovations and Hurricane Response Communication in the U.S. Coast Guard
Hurricane Harvey (HH) is considered to be the first natural disaster where social-network applications to request help surpassed already overloaded 911 systems (Seetharaman & Wells, 2017). Increasing interpersonal connectivity via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites correspond to an increasing need for researchers and responders to recognize how people use social media platforms to connect, share, and receive information especially during times of crisis such as natural disasters. Heightened public perceptions and expectations of response efforts in the digital era make it especially important for first responders to evaluate, monitor, and adapt to these shifts in communication. Disaster-relief groups and emergency responders are looking for help to navigate in this new landscape in order to better serve their constituents and explore new, innovative ways to improve both their efficiency and their empathy. Emergency-response managers must act fast to prevent incorrect or misleading information from reaching the public. Some organizations are expressing interest in social media as a potentially cost-efficient way to disseminate information and official communication. However, as research has shown, innovations take time to diffuse (Rogers, 2003). In this thesis, I examined the diffusion of social media in the ways the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) (first responder) and the public communicate during crises. Moreover, I examined facilitative and inhibitive factors shaping the diffusion of digital innovations within the USCG. I conclude that the pacing of the diffusion of social media among everyday users is incredibly rapid and, concurrently, is pressuring crisis communication systems like the USCG to quickly adopt these new innovations. I further conclude that Hurricane Harvey should function as a historical catalyst, a clarion call, that government agencies should incorporate social media and associated digital media to improve their future emergency response operations because lives will depend on it
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR UNIVERSITY/COMMUNITY TRANSIT SYSTEMS
ABSTRACT Public transportation, with its open access, creates an opportunity for masses of people to be hurt while using transit services during human-made or natural disasters. This dissertation reviews the body of academic and professional literature and recent disaster events to characterize the current state of preparedness for disasters affecting transit systems in the United States, focusing on institutions of higher education, other post-secondary educational institutions, and the university/community transit systems providing services to these institutions. The nature of threats is examined, and institutional issues are explored to discover the level of disaster preparedness of university/community transit systems, and their ability to participate in the planning and organization, purchase of equipment, and training exercises for disaster events. To identify potential gaps in disaster preparedness within university/community transit systems, multiple research objectives were developed: review international and national disaster events with emphasis on preparedness planning for transportation systems; examine federal disaster preparedness requirements to find are any proscribed plans transportation systems should be using; and determine how disaster preparedness planning is used in university/community transit system operations to support post-secondary institutions of higher education during a disaster. The research question for this study is \u27how are universities and communities planning for using or protecting transit systems and assets in disaster events?\u27 hypothesis for this research is that university/community transit systems do have appropriately prepared emergency operating plans. A qualitative document analysis was conducted on university transit systems emergency operations plan documents and a quantitative survey was subsequently conducted with emergency managers working for, or transit system operators providing transit services to, post-secondary institutions of higher to determine if the university/community transit systems did or did not have an emergency operations plan. Analysis of the survey results shows that university/community transit systems do not comply with the National Incident Management System, and do not have appropriately prepared emergency operating plans. It is recommended that all other post-secondary institutions of higher education, and transit organizations should develop comprehensive and holistic emergency operations plans, similar to the one developed for Clemson University as contained in Appendix A
The emergent role of digital technologies in the context of humanitarian supply chains: a systematic literature review
The role of digital technologies (DTs) in humanitarian supply chains (HSC) has become an increasingly researched topic in the operations literature. While numerous publications have dealt with this convergence, most studies have focused on examining the implementation of individual DTs within the HSC context, leaving relevant literature, to date, dispersed and fragmented. This study, through a systematic literature review of 110 articles on HSC published between 2015 and 2020, provides a unified overview of the current state-of-the-art DTs adopted in HSC operations. The literature review findings substantiate the growing significance of DTs within HSC, identifying their main objectives and application domains, as well as their deployment with respect to the different HSC phases (i.e., Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery). Furthermore, the findings also offer insight into how participant organizations might configure a technological portfolio aimed at overcoming operational difficulties in HSC endeavours. This work is novel as it differs from the existing traditional perspective on the role of individual technologies on HSC research by reviewing multiple DTs within the HSC domain
Economically sustainable public security and emergency network exploiting a broadband communications satellite
The research contributes to work in Rapid Deployment of a National Public Security and Emergency Communications Network using Communication Satellite Broadband. Although studies in Public Security Communication networks have examined the use of communications satellite as an integral part of the Communication Infrastructure, there has not been an in-depth design analysis of an optimized regional broadband-based communication satellite in relation to the envisaged service coverage area, with little or no terrestrial last-mile telecommunications infrastructure for delivery of satellite solutions, applications and services.
As such, the research provides a case study of a Nigerian Public Safety Security Communications Pilot project deployed in regions of the African continent with inadequate terrestrial last mile infrastructure and thus requiring a robust regional Communications Satellite complemented with variants of terrestrial wireless technologies to bridge the digital hiatus as a short and medium term measure apart from other strategic needs.
The research not only addresses the pivotal role of a secured integrated communications Public safety network for security agencies and emergency service organizations with its potential to foster efficient information symmetry amongst their operations including during emergency and crisis management in a timely manner but demonstrates a working model of how analogue spectrum meant for Push-to-Talk (PTT) services can be re-farmed and digitalized as a “dedicated” broadband-based public communications system. The network’s sustainability can be secured by using excess capacity for the strategic commercial telecommunication needs of the state and its citizens. Utilization of scarce spectrum has been deployed for Nigeria’s Cashless policy pilot project for financial and digital inclusion. This effectively drives the universal access goals, without exclusivity, in a continent, which still remains the least wired in the world
Digitalisation For Sustainable Infrastructure: The Road Ahead
In today’s tumultuous and fast-changing times, digitalisation and technology are game changers in a wide range of sectors and have a tremendous impact on infrastructure. Roads, railways, electricity grids, aviation, and maritime transport are deeply affected by the digital and technological transition, with gains in terms of competitiveness, cost-reduction, and safety. Digitalisation is also a key tool for fostering global commitment towards sustainability, but the race for digital infrastructure is also a geopolitical one. As the world’s largest economies are starting to adopt competitive strategies, a level playing field appears far from being agreed upon.
Why are digitalisation and technology the core domains of global geopolitical competition? How are they changing the way infrastructure is built, operated, and maintained? To what extent will road, rail, air, and maritime transport change by virtue of digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things? How to enhance cyber protection for critical infrastructure? What are the EU’s, US’ and China’s digital strategies?Publishe
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