2,052 research outputs found

    Unlocking the potential of public sector information with Semantic Web technology

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    Governments often hold very rich data and whilst much of this information is published and available for re-use by others, it is often trapped by poor data structures, locked up in legacy data formats or in fragmented databases. One of the great benefits that Semantic Web (SW) technology offers is facilitating the large scale integration and sharing of distributed data sources. At the heart of information policy in the UK, the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the part of the UK government charged with enabling the greater re-use of public sector information. This paper describes the actions, findings, and lessons learnt from a pilot study, involving several parts of government and the public sector. The aim was to show to government how they can adopt SW technology for the dissemination, sharing and use of its data

    USTOPIA REQUIREMENTS THOUGHTS ON A USER-FRIENDLY SYSTEM FOR TRANSFORMATION OF PROGRAMS IN ABSTRACTO

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    Transformational programming is a program development method which is usually applied using 'pen and paper'. Since this requires a lot of clerical work (copying expressions, con- sistent substitution) which is tiresome and prone to error, some form of machine support is desirable. In this paper a number of systems are described that have already been built to this aim. Some of their shortcomings and limitations are identified. Based on experience with program transformation and transformation systems, a long list of features is given that would be useful in an 'utopian' transformation system. This list is presented using an orthogonal division of the problem area. A number of problems with the realisation of some aspects of our 'utopian' system are identified, and some areas for further research are indicated

    Tactics for Transformational Programming

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    This paper discusses the relationship between transformational programming and theorem proving. It illustrates the use of the theorem proving environment as a basis for a program construction tool DEBATE 1 (Deduction Based Transformational Environment) which is under construction in University College Dublin. Using a theorem proving framework directly would require the user to be familiar with theorem proving details. The tool user should only be concerned with transformational programming steps and not with theorem proving activities. Therefore a layer of transformational tactics are discussed and presented. These tactics consist of the application of theoremproving tactics. However, they ensure that the user’s only interaction with DEBATE are design decisions required within the transformational programming paradigm. The N Queens problem is used throughout the paper to demonstrate how the Isabelle theorem prover is adapted by a transformation tactic layer so that it may be used as a program construction tool

    Flexible delivery: an overview of the work of the Enhancement Theme 2004-06

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    SIMDAT

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    Sustainable Packaging Solutions within Machinery Spare Parts Supply Chain : Replacing single-use plastic packaging

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    The harmful effects of plastic is a topic under discussion worldwide and its usage is a concern despite the industry in environmental, political and society contexts. It is important to maintain this planet to the further generations and it requires everyone to take their responsibility by acting with sustainable manners. This thesis is a study over how packaging of machinery spare parts could be developed more sustainable with a focus on single-use plastic packaging. It is also a market research, whether this topic has already been acknowledged in this industry and if sustainable developments within packaging would increase the value brought to customers. The aim is to find optional ways to replace the use of single-use plastic in packaging. However, the most important role of packaging is to protect the goods and enable their safe and efficient delivery to customer; this fact cannot be overlooked, when considering new ways in packaging of globally operating supply chains. This study analyzes quantitative and qualitative data and it consists of review over the topics of plastic, sustainable development and social and environmental responsibility of companies by using literature sources as well as industrial sources from collected data. Used methods for data collection were observation, structured interviews and quantitative data was provided by the third party service provider responsible of packaging. There were interviewed B2B customers and the party responsible of packaging of these machinery spare parts. The findings of this study proved that B2B customers see usage of plastic in packaging as an issue to be developed more sustainable. There is not a clear answer to solve this issue, but different options as utilizing the theories of circular economy and new innovations may provide drastic improvements in this area. This study proposes three different concepts, which support supply chain managers in developing more sustainable packaging solutions.Muovin haitalliset vaikutukset ovat olleet jo vuosia aiheena keskusteluissa niin politiikassa kuin yhteisöÀ ja ympÀristöÀ vaikuttavalla tasolla. Muovin kÀytön aiheuttamat haitat ovat nÀhtÀvillÀ ympÀri maailman merissÀ ja vesistöissÀ, joissa se kierrÀttÀmÀttömÀnÀ aiheuttaa lukuisia haittoja elÀimille ja ekosysteemeille. Sen vuoksi on tÀrkeÀÀ, ettÀ yritykset keskittyvÀt kehittÀmÀÀn toimintaansa vastuullisemmaksi, jotta tÀmÀ planeetta sÀilyy tuleville sukupolville. TÀmÀ tutkielma keskittyy, kuinka koneiden varaosien pakkaamista voitaisiin kehittÀÀ kestÀvÀmmÀksi ja kuinka muovin kertakÀyttö pakkausmateriaalina voitaisiin korvata. Tutkielma pyrkii myös selvittÀmÀÀn, onko tÀllÀ teollisuusalalla jo huomioitu aihe ja lisÀisikö kestÀvÀ kehitys toimitusketjussa arvon luontia asiakkaalle. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus on löytÀÀ vaihtoehtoisia ratkaisuja kertakÀyttömuoville pakkauksessa. SiitÀ huolimatta pakkauksen rooli suojella tuotteita kuljetuksen aikana ja mahdollistaa tehokas toimitus asiakkaalle tulee olla keskiössÀ vaihtoehtoisia ratkaisuja arvioitaessa. TÀmÀ tutkimus pohjautuu mÀÀrÀlliseen ja laadulliseen aineistoon kerÀttynÀ toimialan yrityksiltÀ ja kirjallisuuskatsaukseen aiheista muovi pakkausmateriaalina, kestÀvÀ kehitys ja yritysten sosiaalinen ja ympÀristöön liittyvÀ vastuu. KÀytetyt metodit olivat havainnointi sekÀ strukturoidut haastattelut ja mÀÀrÀllinen data oli saatu kolmannelta osapuolelta, joka on vastuussa pakkaamisesta. Haastateltavat olivat teollisuusyritysasiakkaita ja varaosien pakkaamisesta vastuussa oleva osapuoli. TÀmÀn tutkimuksen tulokset indikoivat, ettÀ yritysasiakkaat kokevat muovin kÀytön pakkausmateriaalina ongelmalliseksi ja toivovat tÀmÀn osa-alueen kehittÀmistÀ kestÀvÀmmÀksi. Ongelmalle ei ole selkeÀÀ yksiselitteistÀ vastausta vaan enemmÀnkin useita mahdollisuuksia, kuten kiertotalouden teorian hyödyntÀminen pakkaamiseen ja uudet innovaatiot, jotka voisivat mahdollistaa kestÀvÀn kehityksen. TÀmÀ tutkielma esittÀÀ kolme konseptia, jotka tukevat toimitusketjuja pakkausratkaisujen kestÀvÀssÀ kehityksessÀ

    A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Reuse of Open Learning Resources

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    Educational standards are having a significant impact on e-Learning. They allow for better exchange of information among different organizations and institutions. They simplify reusing and repurposing learning materials. They give teachers the possibility of personalizing them according to the student’s background and learning speed. Thanks to these standards, off-the-shelf content can be adapted to a particular student cohort’s context and learning needs. The same course content can be presented in different languages. Overall, all the parties involved in the learning-teaching process (students, teachers and institutions) can benefit from these standards and so online education can be improved. To materialize the benefits of standards, learning resources should be structured according to these standards. Unfortunately, there is the problem that a large number of existing e-Learning materials lack the intrinsic logical structure required, and further, when they have the structure, they are not encoded as required. These problems make it virtually impossible to share these materials. This thesis addresses the following research question: How to make the best use of existing open learning resources available on the Internet by taking advantage of educational standards and specifications and thus improving content reusability?In order to answer this question, I combine different technologies, techniques and standards that make the sharing of publicly available learning resources possible in innovative ways. I developed and implemented a three-stage tool to tackle the above problem. By applying information extraction techniques and open e-Learning standards to legacy learning resources the tool has proven to improve content reusability. In so doing, it contributes to the understanding of how these technologies can be used in real scenarios and shows how online education can benefit from them. In particular, three main components were created which enable the conversion process from unstructured educational content into a standard compliant form in a systematic and automatic way. An increasing number of repositories with educational resources are available, including Wikiversity and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseware. Wikivesity is an open repository containing over 6,000 learning resources in several disciplines and for all age groups [1]. I used the OpenCourseWare repository to evaluate the effectiveness of my software components and ideas. The results show that it is possible to create standard compliant learning objects from the publicly available web pages, improving their searchability, interoperability and reusability
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