Measuring the collective intelligence education index

War games and sports games always seek glory and excellence in an environment where participants enjoy what they do. Success is guaranteed in the degree of effective collaboration and coordination within the team members, as well as the strategy used by teams, such games or war strategies are generated since the birth of humanity. In this sense, the following questions emerge in the field of education: Is it possible to design learning activities that use this principle applied to collaborative work in the classroom? Which are the conditions of application of team competition strategy using ICT tools and how to measure it? This research explores the application of a web tool called Choose the Best (CTB). CTB implements a strategy that fosters competitiveness among the teams of a class, as well as the coordination and collaboration within the same, these types of strategies contribute to the development of Collective Intelligence levels. It's measured through a group of implemented metrics. Based on the results, we consider that the use of new forms of teaching and learning based on the emerging paradigms is necessary. Therefore, CTB is a tool that could become an effective way to measuring the group's performance according to Collective Intelligence paradigms.Postprint (author's final draft

Protocol for soil functionality assessment in vineyards

Protocols used by Resolve partners during the project, to assess soil functionality on degraded aeras and evaluate soil restoration after applying recovering practices

A Review of the Enviro-Net Project

Ecosystems monitoring is essential to properly understand their development and the effects of events, both climatological and anthropological in nature. The amount of data used in these assessments is increasing at very high rates. This is due to increasing availability of sensing systems and the development of new techniques to analyze sensor data. The Enviro-Net Project encompasses several of such sensor system deployments across five countries in the Americas. These deployments use a few different ground-based sensor systems, installed at different heights monitoring the conditions in tropical dry forests over long periods of time. This paper presents our experience in deploying and maintaining these systems, retrieving and pre-processing the data, and describes the Web portal developed to help with data management, visualization and analysis.Comment: v2: 29 pages, 5 figures, reflects changes addressing reviewers' comments v1: 38 pages, 8 figure

Plastic pollution in the ocean

Plastic pollution in the ocean was first reported by scientists in the 1970s, yet in recent years it has drawn tremendous attention from the media, the public, and an increasing number of scientists spanning diverse fields, including polymer science, environmental engineering, ecology, toxicology, marine biology, and oceanography. In the oceans, the threat to marine life comes in various forms, such as overexploitation and harvesting, dumping of waste, pollution, alien species, land reclamation, dredging and global climate change. The extremely visible nature of much of this contamination is easy to convey in shocking images of piles of trash on coastlines, marine mammals entangled in fishing nets, or seabird bellies filled with bottle caps, cigarette lighters, and colourful shards of plastic. Even without these images, anyone who has visited a beach has certainly encountered discarded cigarette butts, broken beach toys left behind, or pieces of fishing gear or buoys that have washed ashore

Protocol for soil functionality assessment in vineyards

Protocols used by Resolve partners during the project, to assess soil functionality on degraded aeras and evaluate soil restoration after applying recovering practices

Protocols for soil functionality assessment in vineyards

The purpose of this guideline is to describe the methods used during ReSolVe project for soil functionality assessment, so they can be implemented in similar studies. A brief introduction first underlines what are the main functions of soil and why maintaining an optimal soil functionality is particularly of major interest in viticulture. Then the different protocols selected for ReSolVe project and this guideline are presented according to the following classification: - Part I: assessment of soil physical and chemical features; - Part II: assessment of soil biological features (ecosystem service provision and providers); - Part III: assessment of rhizosphere biological features; - Part IV: assessment of grapevine quantitative and qualitative indicators reflecting soil functionality. In each part, global objectives of the monitoring are explained (what is it used for, in which cases…) and the parameters to evaluate are listed with their corresponding methodological sheet. In these sheets, instructions and information are given about: - Materials needed to perform the sampling and the measurement - Sampling procedure - Analysis procedure - Possible interpretations and conclusions that can be drawn (value and meaning of the results, indication of reference values when existing, potential limit of the protocol) - Bibliographic references related to the method described - Additional helpful information where appropriate (ex: template of sampling sheet

Rethinking Disability in the Private Sector: Report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

In July 2012, the Government of Canada appointed a panel to consult with private sector employers, as well as other organizations and individuals, on the labour market participation of people with disabilities. The panel members were asked to identify successes and best practices in the employment of people with disabilities, as well as the barriers faced by employers, and to report on their findings. In-person and telephone consultations were conducted with almost 70 employers, and feedback was received from approximately 130 online submissions. Responses came from organizations of all sizes across the country and in a broad range of industry sectors. Findings were shared anonymously with a number of national non-profit organizations and business associations to determine if they resonated with other stakeholders. While the consultations were the main focus of the panel’s efforts, research was also conducted into the business case associated with hiring people with disabilities in Canada and other jurisdictions. This report is directed at Canadian private sector employers, and offers the following findings: Many companies are doing great things, but more education and training are needed (see “Employers speak”). While most of the companies we heard from showed a genuine desire to hire people with disabilities, education and training are required to overcome barriers, dispel myths and put theory into practice. As the examples of forward-thinking Canadian companies and their best practices testify, there is significant experience available on which to build. Hiring people with disabilities is good for business. (see “Understanding the business case”). We heard this from senior and experienced business leaders who recognize the value of an inclusive work environment. Although mainly intuitive, their beliefs are supported by the performance of corporate diversity leaders on the capital markets, as well as data on employee retention and productivity. It is noteworthy that in 57 percent of cases, no workplace accommodation is required for people with disabilities. In the 37 percent of cases reporting a one-time cost to accommodate an employee with a disability, the average amount spent is $500. The keys to success are leadership and effective community partnerships (see “Making it work for you”). To increase employment among people with disabilities and access the related benefits, tone from the top and the actions of leaders are imperative. Also critical is identifying community partners who fully understand the business’s talent needs and are committed to customer service. To help organizations begin the process of engaging and employing talented people with disabilities, this section also includes a list of initiatives called “Getting started.

Creating the on-line documentary: a satellite solution

[Abstract]: The online documentary, A Satellite Solution, is a case study investigation into how digital communications (primarily satellite TV) have impacted the quality of life of a rural community comprising 50 households in southeast Queensland (Australia) between 1999 and 2006. The production depicts a community-mediated process by which these residents adopted and then responded to receiving free-to-air TV services for the first time. The author, instigated and facilitated the project in the community and as well, recorded and produced all the material contained in the in the documentary. The paper will highlight the production components of the research set against the context of this participatory activity.This online documentary is a web site containing research materials (policy documents, significant correspondence and reports) video interviews and location sequences, maps and technical information such as, how to install a satellite system, where to find free-to-air satellite services and what satellite broadband incentives are available etc. Importantly it also represents innovation in film and television and particularly, the researcher's selected art form, the documentary. This paper, takes a practice focus and will document the production of the web site and how this new form impacts on the production style of traditional linear production and as well, what filmmakers working in this emerging non-linear form may need to plan for. This project formed the practical component for a recently completed research degree, Doctor of Visual Arts (Griffith), by the author

Energy Information Systems: From the Basement to the Boardroom

A significant buildings energy reduction opportunity exists in the office sector, given that this market segment typically is an early adopter of new technology. There is a rising trend towards smart and connected offices through the internet of things (IoT) that provides new opportunities for operational efficiency and environmental sustainability practices. Leading commercial real estate companies have begun to shift from individual building automation systems (BAS) to partially integrated and automated systems such as energy information systems (EIS). In both the United States and India, organizations are seeking operational excellence, enhanced tenant relationships, and topline growth. Hence it is imperative to engage the executives with decision-making power, by tapping into their interest in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and innovation. This expansion of interest can enable data-driven decisions, strong energy investments, and deeper energy benefits, and would drive innovation in this field. However, none of this would be possible without robust, consistent building energy information to provide visibility across all the levels of decision making, i.e. from the basement where the facilities staff take operational action to the boardroom where the executives make investment decisions. Price, security, and ease of use remain barriers to the adoption and pervasive use of promising EIS technologies in commercial office buildings. We believe that these barriers can be addressed through the development of ready, simplified, consistent, commercially available, low-cost EIS-in-a-box packages, that have a pre-defined set of hardware components and software features and functionality that are pertinent to a particular building sector. These simplified, sector-specific EIS packages can help to obviate the need for customization, and enhance ease of use, thereby enabling scale-up, in order to facilitate building energy savings. The EIS-in-a-box are adaptable in both U.S. and Indian office buildings, and potentially beyond these two countries