An Evaluation Schema for the Ethical Use of Autonomous Robotic Systems in Security Applications

We propose a multi-step evaluation schema designed to help procurement agencies and others to examine the ethical dimensions of autonomous systems to be applied in the security sector, including autonomous weapons systems

Artichokes and fresh veggies: taking the rural out of prison

The unique challenges of rurality for communities and business are explored here with reference to the horticultural project within the only female prison in Italy, located in the Giudecca island in Venice. Since 1994, inmates here have transformed the rurality of the geographical location of the prison with its six thousand square meters of cultivable land, into a lucrative business able to generate emotional and financial wellbeing. The first part of this contribution highlights how by introducing and sustaining the method of organic farming when growing vegetables to be sold at the local market, the women incarcerated set up a social enterprise, undoubtedly able to challenge the social sources of the ecological and financial crisis faced by the city of Venice - culturally and geographically positioned away from any rural environment. As well as a form of self-redemption as stated in the law 26 July 1975, n 354, which identifies employment either inside or outside a penal institution as one of the key elements for the rehabilitation of offenders, in the Italian financial landscape “taking the rural out of prison” and turning it into a lucrative enterprise tells a story of how at times it is possible to halt, albeit momentarily, a spiral of poverty and financial hardship. The counterpart of this endeavor is discussed in the concluding section of this contribution which aims to put under scrutiny the almost oxymoronic rubric of “green capitalism” which in the context of Italy rests in the production of a paramount contradiction: the clash between an economy once based on unending agricultural growth and the current desiccation of the natural environment

Link, Search, Interact: The Co-Evolution of NGOs and Interactive Technology

Interactive technology is a key factor used to explain the recent growth and prominence of NGOs, who today are engaged in the transformation of national, international and transnational political space. Yet technology cannot explain NGOs' rise, for technology is but a context which afford opportunities. We ask what it is that allows NGOs to take advantage of new circumstances, and focus our discussion on the co-evolution of NGOs with interactive technology. Our approach is part of a growing body of social science research that seeks to overcome the artificial divide between "society" and "technology" by viewing the social as consisting of humans and non-humans (objects, things, artifacts). Viewing technology not as a tool but as part of a co-evolutionary process that shapes organizational forms and practices will help us understand why NGOs have, given the opportunities provided by the retrenchment of the welfare state and the end of the cold war, been able to assume a more powerful and controversial role as co-constituents of global transformation

Four Persistent Research Questions in Cartography

In recent decades, cartography has experienced a number of paradigm changes seen in refreshed research agendas and renewed education programs. Yet cartography remains the science, art and technology of making and using maps. This paper addresses four persistent research questions in cartography: 1 ) What is a map? 2) What are maps made for? 3) How are maps made? and 4) Who is making maps? Based on a retrospective analysis of cartographic advances since the introduction of the Internet in the early 1990s, the author gives an overview of evolution with regard to map types, map affordances, mapmaking workflows and the roles of mapmakers and map users. While some cartographic principles used since ancient times will continue to serve as anchor points for future development, ever-changing technological potentials and user requirements force us to maintain vitality with more and more innovative maps and map-based services. The author also appeals for a sustainable map creation ecosystem supported by cloud computing platforms

Design research in the Netherlands 2010 : proceedings of the symposium held on 20-21 May 2010, Eindhoven University of Technology

Design Research in the Netherlands occurs every five years to take stock of the state-of-the-art in design research that takes place in all design disciplines in the Netherlands. How has our understanding of design developed through research on this phenomenon? What are the research and development methodologies used to acquire insight in design? What have we achieved in the past period, and what are out expectations for the coming period? Researchers and research groups outline their development over the past five years in position papers, addressing insights, methods, results, and problems. Design Research in the Netherlands 2010 is the fourth edition, following three symposia held in 1995, 2000, and 2005. The five-year cycle allows to take conceptual distance from everyday problems that are often project-specific, and to assess how the field is developing. The proceedings form a valuable cross-disciplinary overview of research on design

Four persistent research questions in cartography

U posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća kartografija je doživjela niz promjena paradigme koje su naznačene u osvježenom istraživanju i obnovljenim obrazovnim programima. Međutim, unatoč tim promjenama, kartografija ostaje znanost, vještina i tehnika izrađivanja i upotrebe karata. Ovaj se rad bavi četirima u kartografiji vječnim istraživačkim pitanjima: Što je karta? Čemu karte služe? Kako se karte izrađuju? Tko izrađuje karte? Na temelju retrospektivne analize napretka kartografije od uvođenja interneta početkom 1990. godine, autorica daje pregled razvoja u pogledu vrsta karata, svojstva karata, tijeka izrade karata i uloge izrađivača i korisnika karata. Iako neka kartografska načela još od davnih vremena i dalje služe kao sidrišta za budući razvoj, sve mijene tehnoloških mogućnosti i zahtjevi korisnika prisiljavaju nas da sačuvamo vitalnost predmetnog polja s inovativnijim kartama i uslugama temeljenim na karti. Štoviše, autorica poziva na održivi ekosustav stvaranja karata podržanih paradigmom računarstva u oblaku.In recent decades, cartography has experienced a number of paradigm changes seen in refreshed research agendas and renewed education programs. Yet cartography remains the science, art and technology of making and using maps. This paper addresses four persistent research questions in cartography: 1) What is a map? 2) What are maps made for? 3) How are maps made? and 4) Who is making maps? Based on a retrospective analysis of cartographic advances since the introduction of the Internet in the early 1990s, the author gives an overview of evolution with regard to map types, map affordances, mapmaking workflows and the roles of mapmakers and map users. While some cartographic principles used since ancient times will continue to serve as anchor points for future development, ever-changing technological potentials and user requirements force us to maintain vitality with more and more innovative maps and map-based services. The author also appeals for a sustainable map creation ecosystem supported by cloud computing platforms