Benchmarking of local e-government services and its applicability to smart city services

El govern electrònic es descriu com l'ús de tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació en els processos de govern. El potencial de les TIC per transformar les organitzacions governamentals en altres més eficients, accessibles i que responguin és àmpliament reconegut. Segons Eurostat, la despesa total del sector públic EU28 el 2014 va representar el 48,1% del seu PIB (49,0% per l'EA-19). Així doncs, l'impacte econòmic d'aquesta transformació és de capital importància pel creixement econòmic. Mesurar el progrés del govern electrònic és cabdal per gestionar els recursos públics, fer més curta la transició i aconseguir els objectius proposats. Tanmateix, no hi ha treballs acadèmics sobre l'avaluació de l'e-administració a les ciutats. No existeixen metodologies per dur a terme avaluacions comparatives internacional, ni referents per comparar la qualitat dels serveis públics. Això fa difícil d'aprendre de les experiències d'altri. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és el de contribuir al millor coneixement del govern electrònic a les ciutats a través del disseny i implementació d'una metodologia d'avaluació comparativa. Una metodologia per dur a terme benchmarking del e-govern local en l'àmbit internacional basant-se en la comparació de serveis proporcionats per les administracions locals. Una metodologia que promou l'aprenentatge i no la competició entre les ciutats participants. Després d'una revisió detallada de l'estat de la qüestió de l'avaluació comparativa del govern electrònic local, s'exposa el procés seguit per definir la metodologia d'avaluació comparativa que agrupa de manera significativa els serveis tenint en compte la seva prevalença. S'ha prestat especial atenció al mesurament de l'adopció, ja que és fonamental per avaluar l'impacte dels serveis públics electrònics. La metodologia s'aplica en una mesura Europea, els resultats de la qual es presenten i discuteixen. Quatre anys després es mesura l'impacte d'aquest benchmarking. Les respostes obtingudes confirmen la validesa de la metodologia. A la vegada, es proposen millores a la metodologia i posa de manifest la necessitat d'actualitzar el catàleg de serveis. Finalment, la investigació explora l'extensió de la nova metodologia per tal d'avaluar també els serveis que es poden trobar en una Smart City a aplanant així el camí per a l'aplicació de la metodologia en aquest nou escenari.E-government is generally described as the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in government processes. The potential of ICT to transform governmental organizations into more efficient, accessible and accountable ones is widely recognized. Taking into account that according to EUROSTAT, the total EU28 public sector expenditure in 2014 represented 48.1% of its GDP, and that this percentage was 49.0% for the EA-19, the economic impact of such a transformation is of capital importance for economic growth. All national governments, nearly all subnational governments, and most local governments of any size are adopting and expanding innovative means of delivering government information and service by means of a quick technology adoption process. This is a transformation characterized by intensive ICT use and adoption of new organizational paradigms. But in addition to changes in internal processes, e-government impacts the relationship with citizens, which is shifting towards “one-stop-shops” supported by a more intelligent organization able to know who the citizen is and what the citizen's needs are in each case. In other words, public organizations are reforming themselves to be more proactive and provide services to citizens more efficiently. Putting the focus at local level public government agencies, it can be seen that cities and municipalities develop an important number of functions related to urban management such as traffic, public transport, the environment, cleaning, garbage collection, street lighting, culture, education, welfare, crime control and civil protection among others. In some countries, cities are also responsible for providing basic services such as water, gas and electricity. All these specific functions are not found at other levels of government and therefore introduce special features to local e-government. At present, the way cities are managed and developed is starting to transform dramatically thanks to the intensive application of ICT, leading to what is known as the smart city phenomenon. New developments and technologies, derived from the introduction of sensor elements and the collection and processing of large amounts of data, are improving or even “reinventing” functions directly related to the provision and management of urban services. At the same time, this transformation aims to reduce the environmental impact of city activities. Measuring e-government progress is of capital importance to manage public resources, shorter the transition to achieve a successful end. However, a review of the most recent papers published reveals a lack of academic literature and scientific reports devoted to the evaluation of e-administration at city level. There are no methodologies to perform international benchmarking of e-administration tailored to local government specificities. There are no common references established to compare the quality of public services in different cities. Therefore, it remains hard to learn from others’ experiences around the world. The aim of this PhD thesis is to contribute to a better knowledge of the local e-government phenomena by designing and implementing a benchmarking methodology. The methodology proposed is oriented to perform local e-government benchmarking at international level, based on the e-services provided by local administrations. It promotes the learning aspects of a comparative evaluation instead of the competition among participant cities. After a detailed review of the state of the art in local e-Government benchmarking, the research deals with a bottom-up process to define the benchmarking methodology which groups meaningfully services taking into account prevalence. Special attention has been paid to the adoption measurement, as it is crucial to evaluate the actual impact of electronic public services. This methodology is applied in a European measurement, and the results are discussed. The impact of such benchmarking is assessed four years afterwards by means of a survey. The feedback received confirms the utility of such benchmarking, at the same time, it provides information for improvements of the methodology and shows the need to update the catalogue of services. Finally, the research explores the extensions required to allow benchmarking the new generation of smart city services, thus paving the way for its applicability in a Smart City context

Les cartoteques de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona i de la Universitat de Girona: trajectòria, estat actual i perspectives de futur

Durant els anys de la seva ja no tan curta existència, els responsables de les cartoteques de la UAB i de la UdG han perseverat a afermar-les com a serveis de documentació especialitzats per a treballs d'anàlisi territorial. Aquesta opció d'objectius ha suposat refusar altres models alternatius. Aquests serien: a) la cartoteca com a dipòsit de mapes històrics amb catàlegs similars a les biblioteques, i b) la cartoteca com a centre de recursos pedagògics amb materials destinats a complementar classes pràctiques. Sense renunciar en la seva justa mesura a la segona alternativa, els autors defensen el model de cartoteca dipositari de tot tipus de documentació geogràfica per a un ampli ventall d'especialitats: geologia, ciencies ambientals, història, etc., i amb instruments de recerca conseqüents.Durante los años de su ya no tan corta existencia, los responsables de las cartotecas de la UAB y la UdG han perseverado en reforzarlas como servicios de documentación especializados para trabajos de análisis territorial. Esta opción de objetivos ha supuesto rehusar otros modelos alternativos. Éstos serían: a) la cartoteca como depósito de mapas históricos con catálogos similares a las bibliotecas, y b) la cartoteca como centro de recursos pedagógicos con materiales destinados a complementar clases prácticas. Sin renunciar en su justa medida a la segunda alternativa, los autores defienden el modelo de cartoteca depositaria de todo tipo de documentación geográfica para un amplio abanico de especialidades: geología, ciencias ambientales, historia, etc., y con instrumentos de búsqueda consecuentes.Pendant les années d'existence des cartothèques de la UAB et de la UdG, leurs responsables ont persévéré à les consolider comme services de documentation spécialisés au profit de travaux d'analyse territoriale. Le fait davoir adopté ce but a entraîné le refus d'autres modèles alternatifs tels que : a) la cartothèque ayant la fonction de dépôt de ca r tes historiques avec des catalogues semblables à ceux des bibliothèques, e t b) la cartothèque étant un centre de ressources pédagogique s avec des matériaux réservés à renforcer des classes pratiques.The people in charge of the map libraries in the UAB and the UdG, wich existance is not so short, have perse vered during the years in guaranteing them as documental services specialized in spatial analysis works, This choice of objecti ves has meant rejecting other alternative models such as : a)the map libra ry as a storage of historical maps with catalogues similar to those in normal libraries, an d b)the map libra ry as a pedagogical ressources center with materials to suppo r t practical classes. Without resigning the second alternative, the authors defend the map library model containing all kind of geological documentation to a wide range of specialities: geology, environmental ciences, etc., and with consistent research instruments. Sans refuser complètement la deuxième option, les auteurs de l'article justifient un mod èle de cartothèque dépositaire de toute so rte de documentation géographique ayant trait à un grand éventail de spécialités (géologie, sciences environementales, histoire, etc.) et qui ait des m oyens de recherche convenables

Les cartoteques de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona i de la Universitat de Girona : trajectòria, estat actual i perspectives de futur

Durant els anys de la seva ja no tan curta existència, els responsables de les cartoteques de la UAB i de la UdG han perseverat a afermar-les com a serveis de documentació especialitzats per a treballs d'anàlisi territorial. Aquesta opció d'objectius ha suposat refusar altres models alternatius. Aquests serien: a) la cartoteca com a dipòsit de mapes històrics amb catàlegs similars a les biblioteques, i b) la cartoteca com a centre de recursos pedagògics amb materials destinats a complementar classes pràctiques. Sense renunciar en la seva justa mesura a la segona alternativa, els autors defensen el model de cartoteca dipositari de tot tipus de documentació geogràfica per a un ampli ventall d'especialitats: geologia, ciencies ambientals, història, etc., i amb instruments de recerca conseqüents.Durante los años de su ya no tan corta existencia, los responsables de las cartotecas de la UAB y la UdG han perseverado en reforzarlas como servicios de documentación especializados para trabajos de análisis territorial. Esta opción de objetivos ha supuesto rehusar otros modelos alternativos. Éstos serían: a) la cartoteca como depósito de mapas históricos con catálogos similares a las bibliotecas, y b) la cartoteca como centro de recursos pedagógicos con materiales destinados a complementar clases prácticas. Sin renunciar en su justa medida a la segunda alternativa, los autores defienden el modelo de cartoteca depositaria de todo tipo de documentación geográfica para un amplio abanico de especialidades: geología, ciencias ambientales, historia, etc., y con instrumentos de búsqueda consecuentes.Pendant les années d'existence des cartothèques de la UAB et de la UdG, leurs responsables ont persévéré à les consolider comme services de documentation spécialisés au profit de travaux d'analyse territoriale. Le fait davoir adopté ce but a entraîné le refus d'autres modèles alternatifs tels que : a) la cartothèque ayant la fonction de dépôt de ca r tes historiques avec des catalogues semblables à ceux des bibliothèques, e t b) la cartothèque étant un centre de ressources pédagogique s avec des matériaux réservés à renforcer des classes pratiques.The people in charge of the map libraries in the UAB and the UdG, wich existance is not so short, have perse vered during the years in guaranteing them as documental services specialized in spatial analysis works, This choice of objecti ves has meant rejecting other alternative models such as : a)the map libra ry as a storage of historical maps with catalogues similar to those in normal libraries, an d b)the map libra ry as a pedagogical ressources center with materials to suppo r t practical classes. Without resigning the second alternative, the authors defend the map library model containing all kind of geological documentation to a wide range of specialities: geology, environmental ciences, etc., and with consistent research instruments. Sans refuser complètement la deuxième option, les auteurs de l'article justifient un mod èle de cartothèque dépositaire de toute so rte de documentation géographique ayant trait à un grand éventail de spécialités (géologie, sciences environementales, histoire, etc.) et qui ait des m oyens de recherche convenables

People-centered smart cities: an exploratory action research on the Cities’ Coalition for Digital Rights

Declarations and manifestos have emerged across the world claiming to protect citizens’ digital rights. Data-driven technologies in global cities not only have yielded techno-euphoria but also have intensified techno-political concerns as reflected in UN-Habitat’s flagship program called “People-Centered Smart Cities” (PCSC) that advocates the willingness to promote inclusiveness while subverting the technocratic smart city meaning. Against this backdrop, in 2018, the city councils of Barcelona, Amsterdam, and New York formed the Cities’ Coalition for Digital Rights (CCDR), an international network of cities—currently encompassing 49 cities—to promote globally citizens’ digital rights. This article explores what “the right to have digital rights” may currently mean through action research to examine six digital rights-related factors. Full findings revealed not only distinct strategies—related to AI adoption—but also common policy patterns in the 13 CCDR cities

Review of technologies for the rapid detection of chemical and biological contaminants in drinking water

In the event of potential intentional contamination of drinking water, the risk to public health must be minimised, requiring confirmation of contamination, and, if possible, identification of the contaminant. A crucial step is to determine in the shortest possible time the type of contaminant. This review, developed within the framework of guidance for the production of a Water Security Plan (Teixeira et al. 2019), aims to help water utilities, laboratories and other stakeholders improve their analytical capacities to identify unknown contaminants in drinking water. An insight on sampling procedures in emergency situations is followed by a proposed approach for the use of non-targeted technologies to determine both toxicity and ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). Toxicity analysis quickly detects toxic chemical contaminants, while the measurement of the ATP is a first indicator of a contamination by microorganisms. The non-target technologies to determine toxicity and ATP in water that comply with the required characteristics for emergency response, i.e. quick, reliable, and easy to operate, are available now in the market, and could be adopted by most drinking water utilities and/or laboratories, in conjunction with the establishment of appropriate sampling capabilities. The subsequent step of contaminant identification requires the application of rapid analytical targeted technologies, such as immunological based methods, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing technologies, as well as field analysis by gas chromatography (GC/MS). These targeted technologies are based on tests available on the market with the focus on rapidness and reliability of results. The commercially available analytical tools and methodologies that detect and identify a chemical or biological contaminant are reviewed through a detailed description of the equipment, including the technology, equipment prices, testing cost, expected time to obtain a result, reagents and respective shelf-time and manufacturers. Information is provided on proficiency tests for analysis of unknown contamination events in drinking water that ensure the external quality control of the analytical process. To assist utilities and laboratories in their consideration of targeted and non-targeted technologies, an approach for identifying water contaminants in emergency situations is proposed comprising a series of steps of analysis to be adapted by each water utility in line with its business goals and risk assessment. This review of analytical technologies aims at supporting water utilities, laboratories, health authorities and other stakeholders in planning responses to emergency events in drinking water quality, in particular to enhance the rapid identification of unknown water contaminants. Consideration of these technologies, within the framework of a Water Security Plan, along with appropriate planning and protection measures, will enable water utilities to better respond to unexpected drinking water contaminations.JRC.E.2-Technology Innovation in Securit

Particle growing mechanisms in Ag-ZrO2 and Au-ZrO2 granular films obtained by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films consisting of Ag and Au nanoparticles embedded in amorphous ZrO2 matrix were grown by pulsed laser deposition in a wide range of metal volume concentrations in the dielectric regime (0.08<x(Ag)<0.28 and 0.08<x(Au)<0.52). High resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed regular distribution of spherical Au and Ag nanoparticles having very sharp interfaces with the amorphous matrix. Mean particle size determined from X-ray diffraction agreed with direct TEM observation. The silver mean diameter increases more abruptly with metal volume content than that corresponding to gold particles prepared under the same conditions. Two mechanisms of particle growing are observed: nucleation and particle coalescence, their relative significance being different in both granular systems, which yields very different values of the percolation threshold (xc(Ag)~0.28 and xc(Au)~0.52).Comment: 6 figure

Interaction effects and energy barrier distribution on the magnetic relaxation of nanocrystalline hexagonal ferrites

The static and dynamic magnetic properties of nanocrystalline BaFe10.4Co0.8Ti0.8O19 M-type doped barium ferrite were studied in detail to clarify the effect of interactions on the magnetic relaxation of an assembly of small particles. The logarithmic approximation was unable to account for the magnetic relaxation of the sample. Interaction effects were analyzed from the low-field susceptibility, DM plots and the time dependence of thermoremanence, indicating that demagnetizing interactions led to an enhancement of both the relaxation rate at low temperatures and the amount of the lowest energy barriers. It is thus suggested that care should be taken when analyzing thermoremanent data at low temperature, in order not to confuse these experimental findings with the signature of macroscopic quantum tunneling

L'esclat de les formes complexes : panorama actual de la construcció més innovadora

Tot i entenent que estem parlant d’arquitectura espectacle i que en moments com els actuals pot semblar fins i tot obscè parlar dels pressupostos astronòmics que mouen aquests tipus de projectes, sí, crec que val la pena fer-hi algunes reflexions, si més no, perquè des de la professió i de cara als reptes que es presenten siguem capaços d’obrir l’objectiu i admirar el que es cou lluny de la nostra quotidianitat.Postprint (published version