25 research outputs found
Digital Fitness – The Goal of Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation forces a technology-driven change in organizations and society. Due to this change, companies fear that they will not be able to keep up with innovations. Although digital transformation is a very popular topic in business and research, a precise state a company should strive for, is not discussed adequately. Thus, the aim of this paper is to understand and conceptualize the target state of digital transformation. To achieve this goal, we discuss literature and expert interviews. We found out, practitioners themselves are not aware of the target state, although they have to decide what is to reach on the digital transformation journey. Based on these findings, we propose a model of digital fitness that conceptualizes the target state of digital transformation comprising of three dimensions: digital adoption, digital expertise and the adoption rate of digital innovations
Discovering the right place to check-in using web-based proximate selection
With information technology becoming increasingly embedded in our everyday physical world, there is a growing set of mobile applications that involve a connection with the digital representation of physical places. This association is normally initiated with a check-in procedure, through which a person asserts her presence at a particular place and determines the context for subsequent interactions. The common assumption is that a mobile application will be able to search the surrounding environment and present the user with the intended check-in target; however, in a world of ubiquitous place-based services, this assumption may no longer hold. A person in an urban environment would, at any moment, be surrounded by a large number of places, all of which could be regarded as possible interaction contexts for that person. In this work, we investigate the real-word challenges associated with wide-scale place selection and how the process can be affected by the place environment, by the position of the person in relation to the target place and by positioning errors. To study this reality, we used Google Places as a directory of georeferenced places. We conducted 14,400 nearby place queries structured around different combinations of our three independent variables. The results suggest that the overall performance is poor, except for low-density scenarios, and that this discovery process, albeit relevant, should always be combined with other place discovery approaches. The results also help to understand how this performance is affected by check-in positions and by the properties of the place environment.- (undefined
GEO-C:Enabling open cities and the open city toolkit
The GEO-C doctoral programme, entitled “Geoinformatics: Enabling Open Cities”, is funded by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (International Training Networks (ITN), European Joint Doctorates) until December 2018, and is managed by three European universities in Germany, Portugal and Spain. 15 doctoral grantholders (Early Stage Researchers) were selected to work on specific three-year projects, all contributing to improving the notion of open cities, and specifically to an Open City Toolkit of methodologies, code, and best practice examples. Contributions include volunteered geographic information (VGI), public information displays, mobility apps to encourage green living, providing open data to immigrant populations, reducing the second-order digital divide, sensing of quality of life, proximity based privacy protection, and spatio-temporal online social media analysis. All doctoral students conducted long-term visits and were embedded in city governments and businesses, to gain experience from multiple perspectives in addition to the researcher and users’ perspective. The projects are situated within three areas: transparency, participation, and collaboration. They took mostly a bottom-up (citizen-centric) approach to (smart) open cities, rather than relying on large IT companies to create smart open cities in a top-down manner. This paper discusses the various contributions to enabling open cities, explains in some detail the Open City Toolkit, and its possible uses and impact on stakeholders. A follow-up doctoral program has been solicited and, if successful, will continue this line of research and will strengthen aspects of privacy, data provenance, and trust, in an effort to improve relations between data (e.g. news) publishers and consumers
Fair is Fair: A Fair Value Distribution Mechanism for Cloud Manufacturing Ecosystems
Cloud Manufacturing is a manufacturing paradigm that focuses on collaboration and resource utilization. Until recently, little research has been done to combine the perspectives of cloud manufacturing and digital platform ecosystems. In the cloud manufacturing paradigm, the cloud coordinator takes up the dual role of a matchmaker and a platform owner, though, so it is interesting to research how any power dominance of the platform owner can be avoided. To do so, three dimensions of platform governance suggested by Tiwana 2014 – pricing policies, decision rights, and control – were considered in this contribution to recommend a fair value distribution mechanism for platform ecosystems in cloud manufacturing. Requirements for such a solution are formulated in this contribution and design patterns satisfying these requirements are derived. We propose using tokens administrated by distributed ledger technologies and smart contracts to enable a special split revenue scheme that satisfies th
Hacia una normalización de la representación de flujogramas en el ámbito hospitalario
This article presents a proposal of standardization for the representation of hospital protocols using flowcharts. In the clinical field, highly complex processes are typically developed. If these processes are not appropriately managed, fatal consequences for patients and the healthcare personnel could appear. Using a clear notation for modelling the tasks to be performed is mandatory to keep the risks under control. In practice, the most widely used flowchart language for years (due to its simplicity and versatility) is defined in ISO 5807:1985 standard. However, this language is insufficiently expressive to represent all the essential aspects of a health protocol. In recent years, this type of protocols has become increasingly sophisticated in order to improve the control of critical aspects that influence the safety of medicines, patients and practitioners. In this way, a widespread practice has been the implementation of the HACCP methodology for hazard analysis and control. During the modelling of these protocols (and because of the expressivity problems of traditional flowchart notation), each hospital has adopted its proposal that complements the elements included in the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard. This practice forces practitioners to become familiar with the ad-hoc defined notation for that center. In addition, these adaptations usually fall into ambiguous and non-formal definitions. In the standardization proposal presented in this article, new graphic stereotypes are introduced. These can be easily integrated into the ISO notation and are designed to represent the critical aspects of the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plan. For the definition of these new elements, a series of requirements have been prioritized. First, it is taken into account the tools that are commonly used and the simplicity for final users. Moreover, it is mandatory to avoid ambiguities assuring that the introduced elements do not interfere with the base notation contained in the original ISO standard. This standardization proposal enriches the ISO5807:1985 language with expression mechanisms to represent essential information related to protocol security by reducing ambiguities and proposing a standardized notation.En este artículo se presenta una propuesta de normalización para la representación de protocolos hospitalarios a través de diagramas de flujo. En el ámbito clínico se desarrollan procesos de gran complejidad que, si no se gestionan adecuadamente, podrían dar lugar a consecuencias fatales para los pacientes o el personal sanitario implicado. Utilizar una notación clara que formalice las tareas que deben realizarse es un aspecto fundamental para mantener los riesgos controlados. En la práctica, el lenguaje de flujogramas más utilizado desde hace años debido a su sencillez y versatilidad es el definido por la norma ISO 5807:1985. No obstante, este lenguaje resulta insuficientemente expresivo para representar todos los aspectos importantes de un protocolo sanitario. Durante los últimos años este tipo de protocolos han aumentado su complejidad con el fin de dar un paso hacia adelante en el control de aspectos críticos que influyen en la seguridad de los medicamentos, pacientes y personal sanitario. En esta línea, una práctica muy común ha sido la implantación de la metodología APPCC (Análisis de Peligros y Puntos Críticos de Control). Durante el modelado de estos protocolos (dado que la notación de flujogramas tradicional no es suficientemente expresiva) cada centro hospitalario ha adoptado una propuesta propia que complementa los elementos incluidos en la norma ISO (International Organization for Standardization). Con esta práctica se obliga a que el personal tenga que familiarizarse con la notación definida ad-hoc para ese centro que, además de no estar estandarizada, cae en ocasiones en definiciones ambiguas y poco formales. En la propuesta de normalización presentada en este artículo se plantean nuevos estereotipos gráficos fácilmente integrables en la notación ISO y diseñados para representar los aspectos críticos de la metodología APPCC. Para la definición de estos nuevos elementos se han priorizado una serie de requisitos que tienen en cuenta tanto los aspectos relativos a las herramientas software ya existentes como la simplicidad para los usuarios finales en la práctica diaria. Al mismo tiempo se tratan de evitar ambigüedades asegurando que los elementos introducidos no interfieren con la notación base contenida en la norma ISO original. En definitiva, esta propuesta de normalización consigue enriquecer el lenguaje ISO5807:1985 con mecanismos de expresión suficientes para representar la información básica relacionada con la seguridad de los protocolos reduciendo las ambigüedades y facilitando una notación estandarizada
Interplay between upsampling and regularization for provider fairness in recommender systems
Considering the impact of recommendations on item providers is one of the duties of multi-sided recommender systems. Item providers are key stakeholders in online platforms, and their earnings and plans are influenced by the exposure their items receive in recommended lists. Prior work showed that certain minority groups of providers, characterized by a common sensitive attribute (e.g., gender or race), are being disproportionately affected by indirect and unintentional discrimination. Our study in this paper handles a situation where (i) the same provider is associated with multiple items of a list suggested to a user, (ii) an item is created by more than one provider jointly, and (iii) predicted user–item relevance scores are biasedly estimated for items of provider groups. Under this scenario, we assess disparities in relevance, visibility, and exposure, by simulating diverse representations of the minority group in the catalog and the interactions. Based on emerged unfair outcomes, we devise a treatment that combines observation upsampling and loss regularization, while learning user–item relevance scores. Experiments on real-world data demonstrate that our treatment leads to lower disparate relevance. The resulting recommended lists show fairer visibility and exposure, higher minority item coverage, and negligible loss in recommendation utility
Mapping the Wave of Industry Digitalization by Co-Word Analysis: An Exploration of Four Disruptive Industries
This paper aims to identify global digital trends across industries and to map emerging business areas by co-word analysis. As the industrial landscape has become complex and dynamic due to the rapid pace of technological changes and digital transformation, identifying industrial trends can be critical for strategic planning and investment policy at the firm and regional level. For this purpose, the paper examines industry and technology profiles of top startups across four industries (i.e. education, finance, healthcare, manufacturing) using CrunchBase metadata for the period 2016-2018 and studies in which subsector early-stage firms bring digital technologies on a global level. In particular, we apply word co-occurrence analysis to reveal which subindustry and digital technology keywords/keyphrases appear together in startup company classification. We also use network analysis to visualize industry structure and to identify digitalization trends across sectors. The results obtained from the analysis show that gamification and personalization are emerging trends in the education sector. In the finance industry, digital technologies penetrate in a wide set of services such as financial transactions, payments, insurance, venture capital, stock exchange, asset and risk management. Moreover, the data analyses indicate that health diagnostics and elderly care areas are at the forefront of the healthcare industry digitalization. In the manufacturing sector, startup companies focus on automating industrial processes and creating smart interconnected manufacturing. Finally, we discuss the implications of the study for strategic planning and management
Automatic generation of software interfaces for supporting decisionmaking processes. An application of domain engineering & machine learning
[EN] Data analysis is a key process to foster knowledge generation in particular domains
or fields of study. With a strong informative foundation derived from the analysis of
collected data, decision-makers can make strategic choices with the aim of obtaining
valuable benefits in their specific areas of action. However, given the steady growth
of data volumes, data analysis needs to rely on powerful tools to enable knowledge
extraction.
Information dashboards offer a software solution to analyze large volumes of
data visually to identify patterns and relations and make decisions according to the
presented information. But decision-makers may have different goals and,
consequently, different necessities regarding their dashboards. Moreover, the variety
of data sources, structures, and domains can hamper the design and implementation
of these tools.
This Ph.D. Thesis tackles the challenge of improving the development process of
information dashboards and data visualizations while enhancing their quality and
features in terms of personalization, usability, and flexibility, among others.
Several research activities have been carried out to support this thesis. First, a
systematic literature mapping and review was performed to analyze different
methodologies and solutions related to the automatic generation of tailored
information dashboards. The outcomes of the review led to the selection of a modeldriven
approach in combination with the software product line paradigm to deal with
the automatic generation of information dashboards.
In this context, a meta-model was developed following a domain engineering
approach. This meta-model represents the skeleton of information dashboards and
data visualizations through the abstraction of their components and features and has
been the backbone of the subsequent generative pipeline of these tools.
The meta-model and generative pipeline have been tested through their
integration in different scenarios, both theoretical and practical. Regarding the theoretical dimension of the research, the meta-model has been successfully
integrated with other meta-model to support knowledge generation in learning
ecosystems, and as a framework to conceptualize and instantiate information
dashboards in different domains.
In terms of the practical applications, the focus has been put on how to transform
the meta-model into an instance adapted to a specific context, and how to finally
transform this later model into code, i.e., the final, functional product. These practical
scenarios involved the automatic generation of dashboards in the context of a Ph.D.
Programme, the application of Artificial Intelligence algorithms in the process, and
the development of a graphical instantiation platform that combines the meta-model
and the generative pipeline into a visual generation system.
Finally, different case studies have been conducted in the employment and
employability, health, and education domains. The number of applications of the
meta-model in theoretical and practical dimensions and domains is also a result itself.
Every outcome associated to this thesis is driven by the dashboard meta-model, which
also proves its versatility and flexibility when it comes to conceptualize, generate, and
capture knowledge related to dashboards and data visualizations
Internet of Things Architectures for Enhanced Living Environments
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is an emerging multidisciplinary research area that aims to create
an ecosystem of different types of sensors, computers, mobile devices, wireless networks, and
software applications for enhanced living environments and occupational health. There are
several challenges in the development and implementation of an effective AAL system, such as
system architecture, human-computer interaction, ergonomics, usability, and accessibility.
There are also social and ethical challenges, such as acceptance by seniors and the privacy and
confidentiality that must be a requirement of AAL devices. It is also essential to ensure that
technology does not replace human care and is used as a relevant complement.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a paradigm where objects are connected to the Internet and
support sensing capabilities. IoT devices should be ubiquitous, recognize the context, and
support intelligence capabilities closely related to AAL. Technological advances allow defining
new advanced tools and platforms for real-time health monitoring and decision making in the
treatment of various diseases. IoT is a suitable approach to building healthcare systems, and it
provides a suitable platform for ubiquitous health services, using, for example, portable sensors
to carry data to servers and smartphones for communication. Despite the potential of the IoT
paradigm and technologies for healthcare systems, several challenges to be overcome still
exist. The direction and impact of IoT in the economy are not clearly defined, and there are
barriers to the immediate and ubiquitous adoption of IoT products, services, and solutions.
Several sources of pollutants have a high impact on indoor living environments. Consequently,
indoor air quality is recognized as a fundamental variable to be controlled for enhanced health
and well-being. It is critical to note that typically most people occupy more than 90% of their
time inside buildings, and poor indoor air quality negatively affects performance and
productivity.
Research initiatives are required to address air quality issues to adopt legislation and real-time
inspection mechanisms to improve public health, not only to monitor public places, schools,
and hospitals but also to increase the rigor of building rules. Therefore, it is necessary to use
real-time monitoring systems for correct analysis of indoor air quality to ensure a healthy
environment in at least public spaces. In most cases, simple interventions provided by
homeowners can produce substantial positive impacts on indoor air quality, such as avoiding
indoor smoking and the correct use of natural ventilation.
An indoor air quality monitoring system helps the detection and improvement of air quality
conditions. Local and distributed assessment of chemical concentrations is significant for safety (e.g., detection of gas leaks and monitoring of pollutants) as well as to control heating,
ventilation, and HVAC systems to improve energy efficiency. Real-time indoor air quality
monitoring provides reliable data for the correct control of building automation systems and
should be assumed as a decision support platform on planning interventions for enhanced living
environments. However, the monitoring systems currently available are expensive and only
allow the collection of random samples that are not provided with time information. Most
solutions on the market only allow data consulting limited to device memory and require
procedures for downloading and manipulating data with specific software. In this way, the
development of innovative environmental monitoring systems based on ubiquitous technologies
that allow real-time analysis becomes essential.
This thesis resulted in the design and development of IoT architectures using modular and
scalable structures for air quality monitoring based on data collected from cost-effective
sensors for enhanced living environments. The proposed architectures address several
concepts, including acquisition, processing, storage, analysis, and visualization of data. These
systems incorporate an alert management Framework that notifies the user in real-time in poor
indoor air quality scenarios. The software Framework supports multiple alert methods, such as
push notifications, SMS, and e-mail. The real-time notification system offers several advantages
when the goal is to achieve effective changes for enhanced living environments. On the one
hand, notification messages promote behavioral changes. These alerts allow the building
manager to identify air quality problems and plan interventions to avoid unhealthy air quality
scenarios. The proposed architectures incorporate mobile computing technologies such as
mobile applications that provide ubiquitous air quality data consulting methods s. Also, the
data is stored and can be shared with medical teams to support the diagnosis.
The state-of-the-art analysis has resulted in a review article on technologies, applications,
challenges, opportunities, open-source IoT platforms, and operating systems. This review was
significant to define the IoT-based Framework for indoor air quality supervision. The research
leads to the development and design of cost-effective solutions based on open-source
technologies that support Wi-Fi communication and incorporate several advantages such as
modularity, scalability, and easy installation. The results obtained are auspicious, representing
a significant contribution to enhanced living environments and occupational health.
Particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and
inorganic substances suspended in the air. Moreover, it is considered the pollutant that affects
more people. The most damaging particles to health are ≤PM10 (diameter 10 microns or less),
which can penetrate and lodge deep within the lungs, contributing to the risk of developing
cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer. Taking into account the adverse
health effects of PM exposure, an IoT architecture for automatic PM monitoring was proposed.
The proposed architecture is a PM real-time monitoring system and a decision-making tool. The
solution consists of a hardware prototype for data acquisition and a Web Framework developed in .NET for data consulting. This system is based on open-source and technologies, with several
advantages compared to existing systems, such as modularity, scalability, low-cost and easy
installation. The data is stored in a database developed in SQL SERVER using .NET Web services.
The results show the ability of the system to analyze the indoor air quality in real-time and the
potential of the Web Framework for the planning of interventions to ensure safe, healthy, and
comfortable conditions.
Associations of high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) with low productivity at work and
increased health problems are well documented. There is also a clear correlation between high
levels of CO2 and high concentrations of pollutants in indoor air. There are sufficient reasons
to monitor CO2 and provide real-time notifications to improve occupational health and provide
a safe and healthy indoor living environment. Taking into account the significant influence of
CO2 for enhanced living environments, a real-time IoT architecture for CO2 monitoring was
proposed. CO2 was selected because it is easy to measure and is produced in quantity (by people
and combustion equipment). It can be used as an indicator of other pollutants and, therefore,
of air quality in general. The solution consists of a hardware prototype for data acquisition
environment, a Web software, and a smartphone application for data consulting. The proposed
architecture is based on open-source technologies, and the data is stored in a SQL SERVER
database. The mobile Framework allows the user not only to consult the latest data collected
but also to receive real-time notifications in poor indoor air quality scenarios, and to configure
the alerts threshold levels. The results show that the mobile application not only provides easy
access to real-time air quality data, but also allows the user to maintain parameter history and
provide a history of changes. Consequently, this system allows the user to analyze in a precise
and detailed manner the behavior of air quality.
Finally, an air quality monitoring solution was implemented, consisting of a hardware prototype
that incorporates only the MICS-6814 sensor as the detection unit. This system monitors various
air quality parameters such as NH3 (ammonia), CO (carbon monoxide), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide),
C3H8 (propane), C4H10 (butane), CH4 (methane), H2 (hydrogen) and C2H5OH (ethanol). The
monitoring of the concentrations of these pollutants is essential to provide enhanced living
environments. This solution is based on Cloud, and the collected data is sent to the ThingSpeak
platform. The proposed Framework combines sensitivity, flexibility, and measurement
accuracy in real-time, allowing a significant evolution of current air quality controls. The results
show that this system provides easy, intuitive, and fast access to air quality data as well as
relevant notifications in poor air quality situations to provide real-time intervention and
improve occupational health. These data can be accessed by physicians to support diagnoses
and correlate the symptoms and health problems of patients with the environment in which
they live. As future work, the results reported in this thesis can be considered as a starting point for the
development of a secure system sharing data with health professionals in order to serve as
decision support in diagnosis.Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) é uma área de investigação multidisciplinar emergente que visa
a construção de um ecossistema de diferentes tipos de sensores, microcontroladores,
dispositivos móveis, redes sem fios e aplicações de software para melhorar os ambientes de
vida e a saúde ocupacional. Existem muitos desafios no desenvolvimento e na implementação
de um sistema AAL, como a arquitetura do sistema, interação humano-computador, ergonomia,
usabilidade e acessibilidade. Existem também problemas sociais e éticos, como a aceitação por
parte dos utilizadores mais vulneráveis e a privacidade e confidencialidade, que devem ser uma
exigência de todos os dispositivos AAL. De facto, também é essencial assegurar que a tecnologia
não substitua o cuidado humano e seja usada como um complemento essencial.
A Internet das Coisas (IoT) é um paradigma em que os objetos estão conectados à Internet e
suportam recursos sensoriais. Tendencialmente, os dispositivos IoT devem ser omnipresentes,
reconhecer o contexto e ativar os recursos de inteligência ambiente intimamente relacionados
ao AAL. Os avanços tecnológicos permitem definir novas ferramentas avançadas e plataformas
para monitorização de saúde em tempo real e tomada de decisão no tratamento de várias
doenças. A IoT é uma abordagem adequada para construir sistemas de saúde sendo que oferece
uma plataforma para serviços de saúde ubíquos, usando, por exemplo, sensores portáteis para
recolha e transmissão de dados e smartphones para comunicação. Apesar do potencial do
paradigma e tecnologias IoT para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de saúde, muitos desafios
continuam ainda por ser resolvidos. A direção e o impacto das soluções IoT na economia não
está claramente definido existindo, portanto, barreiras à adoção imediata de produtos, serviços
e soluções de IoT.
Os ambientes de vida são caracterizados por diversas fontes de poluentes. Consequentemente,
a qualidade do ar interior é reconhecida como uma variável fundamental a ser controlada de
forma a melhorar a saúde e o bem-estar. É importante referir que tipicamente a maioria das
pessoas ocupam mais de 90% do seu tempo no interior de edifícios e que a má qualidade do ar
interior afeta negativamente o desempenho e produtividade.
É necessário que as equipas de investigação continuem a abordar os problemas de qualidade do
ar visando a adoção de legislação e mecanismos de inspeção que atuem em tempo real para a
melhoraria da saúde e qualidade de vida, tanto em locais públicos como escolas e hospitais e
residências particulares de forma a aumentar o rigor das regras de construção de edifícios. Para
tal, é necessário utilizar mecanismos de monitorização em tempo real de forma a possibilitar
a análise correta da qualidade do ambiente interior para garantir ambientes de vida saudáveis.
Na maioria dos casos, intervenções simples que podem ser executadas pelos proprietários ou ocupantes da residência podem produzir impactos positivos substanciais na qualidade do ar
interior, como evitar fumar em ambientes fechados e o uso correto de ventilação natural.
Um sistema de monitorização e avaliação da qualidade do ar interior ajuda na deteção e na
melhoria das condições ambiente. A avaliação local e distribuída das concentrações químicas é
significativa para a segurança (por exemplo, deteção de fugas de gás e supervisão dos
poluentes) bem como para controlar o aquecimento, ventilação, e sistemas de ar condicionado
(HVAC) visando a melhoria da eficiência energética. A monitorização em tempo real da
qualidade do ar interior fornece dados fiáveis para o correto controlo de sistemas de automação
de edifícios e deve ser assumida com uma plataforma de apoio à decisão no que se refere ao
planeamento de intervenções para ambientes de vida melhorados. No entanto, os sistemas de
monitorização atualmente disponíveis são de alto custo e apenas permitem a recolha de
amostras aleatórias que não são providas de informação temporal. A maioria das soluções
disponíveis no mercado permite apenas a acesso ao histórico de dados que é limitado à memória
do dispositivo e exige procedimentos de download e manipulação de dados com software
proprietário. Desta forma, o desenvolvimento de sistemas inovadores de monitorização
ambiente baseados em tecnologias ubíquas e computação móvel que permitam a análise em
tempo real torna-se essencial.
A Tese resultou na definição e no desenvolvimento de arquiteturas para monitorização da
qualidade do ar baseadas em IoT. Os métodos propostos são de baixo custo e recorrem a
estruturas modulares e escaláveis para proporcionar ambientes de vida melhorados. As
arquiteturas propostas abordam vários conceitos, incluindo aquisição, processamento,
armazenamento, análise e visualização de dados. Os métodos propostos incorporam
Frameworks de gestão de alertas que notificam o utilizador em tempo real e de forma ubíqua
quando a qualidade do ar interior é deficiente. A estrutura de software suporta vários métodos
de notificação, como notificações remotas para smartphone, SMS (Short Message Service) e email.
O método usado para o envio de notificações em tempo real oferece várias vantagens
quando o objetivo é alcançar mudanças efetivas para ambientes de vida melhorados. Por um
lado, as mensagens de notificação promovem mudanças de comportamento. De facto, estes
alertas permitem que o gestor do edifício e os ocupantes reconheçam padrões da qualidade do
ar e permitem também um correto planeamento de intervenções de forma evitar situações em
que a qualidade do ar é deficiente. Por outro lado, o sistema proposto incorpora tecnologias
de computação móvel, como aplicações móveis, que fornecem acesso omnipresente aos dados
de qualidade do ar e, consequentemente, fornecem soluções completas para análise de dados.
Além disso, os dados são armazenados e podem ser partilhados com equipas médicas para
ajudar no diagnóstico.
A análise do estado da arte resultou na elaboração de um artigo de revisão sobre as tecnologias,
aplicações, desafios, plataformas e sistemas operativos que envolvem a criação de arquiteturas
IoT. Esta revisão foi um trabalho fundamental na definição das arquiteturas propostas baseado em IoT para a supervisão da qualidade do ar interior. Esta pesquisa conduz a um
desenvolvimento de arquiteturas IoT de baixo custo com base em tecnologias de código aberto
que operam como um sistema Wi-Fi e suportam várias vantagens, como modularidade,
escalabilidade e facilidade de instalação. Os resultados obtidos são muito promissores,
representando uma contribuição significativa para ambientes de vida melhorados e saúde
ocupacional.
O material particulado (PM) é uma mistura complexa de partículas sólidas e líquidas de
substâncias orgânicas e inorgânicas suspensas no ar e é considerado o poluente que afeta mais
pessoas. As partículas mais prejudiciais à saúde são as ≤PM10 (diâmetro de 10 micrómetros ou
menos), que podem penetrar e fixarem-se dentro dos pulmões, contribuindo para o risco de
desenvolver doenças cardiovasculares e respiratórias, bem como de cancro do pulmão. Tendo
em consideração os efeitos negativos para a saúde da exposição ao PM foi desenvolvido numa
primeira fase uma arquitetura IoT para monitorização automática dos níveis de PM. Esta
arquitetura é um sistema que permite monitorização de PM em tempo real e uma ferramenta
de apoio à tomada de decisão. A solução é composta por um protótipo de hardware para
aquisição de dados e um portal Web desenvolvido em .NET para consulta de dados. Este sistema
é baseado em tecnologias de código aberto com várias vantagens em comparação aos sistemas
existentes, como modularidade, escalabilidade, baixo custo e fácil instalação. Os dados são
armazenados numa base de dados desenvolvida em SQL SERVER e são enviados com recurso a
serviços Web. Os resultados mostram a capacidade do sistema de analisar em tempo real a
qualidade do ar interior e o potencial da Framework Web para o planeamento de intervenções
com o objetivo de garantir condições seguras, saudáveis e confortáveis.
Associações de altas concentrações de dióxido de carbono (CO2) com défice de produtividade
no trabalho e aumento de problemas de saúde encontram-se bem documentadas. Existe
também uma correlação evidente entre altos níveis de CO2 e altas concentrações de poluentes
no ar interior. Tendo em conta a influência significativa do CO2 para a construção de ambientes
de vida melhorados desenvolveu-se uma solução de monitorização em tempo real de CO2 com
base na arquitetura de IoT. A arquitetura proposta permite também o envio de notificações em
tempo real para melhorar a saúde ocupacional e proporcionar um ambiente de vida interior
seguro e saudável. O CO2 foi selecionado, pois é fácil de medir e é produzido em quantidade
(por pessoas e equipamentos de combustão). Assim, pode ser usado como um indicador de
outros poluentes e, portanto, da qualidade do ar em geral. O método proposto é composto por
um protótipo de hardware para aquisição de dados, um software Web e uma aplicação
smartphone para consulta de dados. Esta arquitetura é baseada em tecnologias de código
aberto e os dados recolhidos são armazenados numa base de dados SQL SERVER. A Framework
móvel permite não só consultar em tempo real os últimos dados recolhidos, receber
notificações com o objetivo de avisar o utilizador quando a qualidade do ar está deficiente,
mas também para configurar alertas. Os resultados mostram que a Framework móvel fornece não apenas acesso fácil aos dados da qualidade do ar em tempo real, mas também permite ao
utilizador manter o histórico de parâmetros. Assim este sistema permite ao utilizador analisar
de maneira precisa e detalhada o comportamento da qualidade do ar interior.
Por último, é proposta uma arquitetura para monitorização de vários parâmetros da qualidade
do ar, como NH3 (amoníaco), CO (monóxido de carbono), NO2 (dióxido de azoto), C3H8
(propano), C4H10 (butano), CH4 (metano), H2 (hidrogénio) e C2H5OH (etanol). Esta arquitetura é
composta por um protótipo de hardware que incorpora unicamente o sensor MICS-6814 como
unidade de deteção. O controlo das concentrações destes poluentes é extremamente relevante
para proporcionar ambientes de vida melhorados. Esta solução tem base na Cloud sendo que os
dados recolhidos são enviados para a plataforma ThingSpeak. Esta Framework combina
sensibilidade, flexibilidade e precisão de medição em tempo real, permitindo uma evolução
significativa dos atuais sistemas de monitorização da qualidade do ar. Os resultados mostram
que este sistema fornece acesso fácil, intuitivo e rápido aos dados de qualidade do ar bem
como notificações essenciais em situações de qualidade do ar deficiente de forma a planear
intervenções em tempo útil e melhorar a saúde ocupacional. Esses dados podem ser acedidos
pelos médicos para apoiar diagnósticos e correlacionar os sintomas e problemas de saúde dos
pacientes com o ambiente em que estes vivem.
Como trabalho futuro, os resultados reportados nesta Tese podem ser considerados um ponto
de partida para o desenvolvimento de um sistema seguro para partilha de dados com
profissionais de saúde de forma a servir de suporte à decisão no diagnóstico
The generative, analytic and instructional capacities of sound in architecture : fundamentals, tools and evaluation of a design methodology
Premi extraordinari doctorat UPC curs 2017-2018,
Àmbit d’Arquitectura, Urbanisme i EdificacióThe disciplines of space and time form two domains to which it is daring to compare, since it is obvious that they are of a different nature. Music happens in time, while architecture happens in space. However, from the first treatises on both architecture and music, repeated calls for comparison, complementarity and influence of both disciplines can be read, at least to the observation of certain common orders between the two domains. In this doctoral thesis we do not question this whole theoretical corpus that has been enriching the relationship between both disciplines. We received it and joined that stream of knowledge. What we do notice, however, is the almost impertinent question that follows: can sound help the architect in his daily tasks? And, therefore, what are the contributions of sound to the architect? To do this we must seek the connection in the principles of both arts, where we can detach ourselves from time and space, and approach the most universal of art forms.
The architect, in his daily work, is faced with three particular tasks: the architectural project, the architectural analysis and the teaching of architecture. Each of the three tasks is connected with the other two tasks: the project is carried out again with the analysis and transmitted to the new architect; the analysis supports the project decisions and gives tools to the disciple; and the teaching has the project as its purpose and the analysis as its method. The thesis presented here shows what sound offers to the task of the project, to that of analysis and to that of teaching. These three tasks are approached from three premises: theoretical foundations, tools and evaluation. The interaction of the three tasks with the three premises gives rise to nine lines of work that articulate the chapters of the thesis.
The first, fourth and seventh chapters approach the three tasks from the premise of theoretical foundations, foundations that perhaps because they are obvious, have been ignored or overlooked but which constitute the nature of both disciplines. The first shows, by the hand of two 20th century authors - the architect Dom Hans van der Laan and the composer Olivier Messiaen - that creation in both disciplines is of a systematic nature. The fourth one revaluates the analytical systems of representation of form both in architecture and in music which, starting with the basic characteristics of its elements, lead to a symbolic notation and a tool for the analysis of the work: the plan and the score. The seventh introduces the student of architecture to the growing separation between music and architecture that has been accentuated to this day.
The second, fifth and eighth chapters approach the three particular tasks from the premise of tools, working tools that help to understand more directly the influence of architecture on sound. The second places virtual reality and auralization techniques at the service of the architectural and urban planning project, enhancing the sound experience in these projects. The fifth deals with the acoustic analysis of exterior spaces and their relationship with the urban configuration of these spaces. The eighth section presents the study of acoustic heritage as an educational tool.
The third, sixth and ninth chapters deal with the three tasks from the premise of evaluation, a check that ensures the influence of sound on them through teaching experiments. The third argues and exemplifies that a sound landscape can be the engine and generator of an architectural design. The sixth one reviews the methods for evaluating the subjective and objective parameters of architectural acoustics. The ninth shows that in teaching sound to architects, "learning by listening" should be given priority over "passive learning".Las disciplinas del espacio y del tiempo forman dos dominios a los que resulta atrevido comparar, pues es obvio que son de naturaleza distinta. La música ocurre en el tiempo, mientras que la arquitectura en el espacio. No obstante, desde los primeros tratados tanto de arquitectura como de música, se pueden leer repetidas llamadas a la comparación, al complemento y a la influencia de ambas disciplinas, cuanto menos a la constatación de ciertos órdenes comunes entre ambos dominios. En esta tesis doctoral no ponemos en cuestión todo este corpus teórico que ha venido enriqueciendo la relación entre ambas disciplinas. La recibimos y nos unimos a esa corriente de conocimiento. En lo que sí reparamos, en cambio, es en la pregunta casi impertinente que surge seguidamente: ¿puede el sonido ayudar al arquitecto en sus tareas diarias? Y, por tanto, ¿cuáles son las contribuciones del sonido para el arquitecto? Para ello debemos buscar la conexión en los principios de ambas artes, allí donde podemos despegarnos del tiempo y del espacio, y acercarnos a la más universal de las formas de arte. El arquitecto, en su tarea diaria, se enfrenta a tres tareas particulares: el proyecto arquitectónico, el análisis arquitectónico y la enseñanza de la arquitectura. Cada una de las tres tareas está conectada con las otras dos: el proyecto se reconduce con el análisis y se transmite al nuevo arquitecto; el análisis soporta las decisiones de proyecto y da herramientas al discípulo; y la enseñanza tiene como fin el proyecto y como método el análisis. La tesis aquí presentada pone de manifiesto lo que el sonido ofrece a la tarea del proyecto, a la del análisis y a la de la enseñanza. Estas tres tareas son abordadas desde tres premisas: los fundamentos teóricos, las herramientas y la evaluación. La interacción de las tres tareas con las tres premisas da lugar a nueve líneas de trabajo que articulan los capítulos de la tesis. Los capítulos primero, cuarto y séptimo abordan las tres tareas desde la premisa de los fundamentos teóricos, fundamentos que quizá por ser obvios, se han obviado o pasado por alto pero que constituyen la naturaleza de ambas disciplinas. El primero muestra, de la mano de dos autores del siglo XX -el arquitecto Dom Hans van der Laan y el compositor Olivier Messiaen- que la creación en ambas disciplinas es de naturaleza sistemática. El cuarto revaloriza los sistemas analíticos de representación de la forma tanto en arquitectura como en música que, empezando por las características básicas de sus elementos, conducen a una notación simbólica y una herramienta de análisis de la obra: el plano y la partitura. El séptimo presenta al estudiante de arquitectura la creciente separación entre la música y la arquitectura que se ha venido acentuando hasta nuestros días. Los capítulos segundo, quinto y octavo abordan las tres tareas particulares desde la premisa de las herramientas, útiles de trabajo que ayudan a comprender de modo más directo la influencia de la arquitectura en el sonido. El segundo sitúa la realidad virtual y las técnicas de auralización al servicio del proyecto de arquitectura y urbanismo, potenciando la experiencia sonora en estos proyectos. El quinto aborda el análisis acústico de espacios exteriores y su relación con la configuración urbana de estos espacios. El octavo presenta el estudio del patrimonio acústico como herramienta pedagógica. Los capítulos tercero, sexto y noveno abordan las tres tareas desde la premisa de la evaluación, comprobación que asegura mediante experimentos docentes la influencia del sonido en ellas. El tercero argumenta y ejemplifica que un paisaje sonoro puede ser el motor y generador de un diseño arquitectónico. El sexto realiza una revisión de los métodos de evaluación de los parámetros subjetivos y objetivos de la acústica arquitectónica. El noveno muestra que en la enseñanza del sonido para los arquitectos debe priorizarse "aprender escuchando" antes que el "aprendizaje pasivo".Award-winningPostprint (published version