Exploring geolocation issues in social media analytics A case study with Tweet messages

Social media data, such as Tweet messages, are sometimes associated with their geolocation. This information can be exploited to perform spatial analyses, resulting in geosocial analytics. However, the geolocation does not often correspond to the actual position of the author, but could be fictiously associated to the messages. The issues coming from the absence of Tweet geolocation metadata are explored in this paper, through a test case over Italy

From historical documents to GIS: A spatial database for medieval fiscal data in Southern Italy

The study presented in this article addresses a geographic information system supporting historical research, including tools for geo-referencing data extracted from medieval source documents. Working closely with historians, an effective model for fiscal and census data has been designed to supply them with tools for digitally archiving data from historical source documents in a database structure, which may suggest new criteria for studying and correlating information. The considered data had been collected from the Quaternus Declaracionum of the Regno di Napoli (Kingdom of Naples) and focuses on an area corresponding to the Principality of Taranto from 1458-1460

Open Web Services: new tools for Medievalist Historians to manage and share their research work

The research project presented in this paper regards a joint cooperation between Medievalist Historians and Geomatics experts. The idea was to study if new tools based on Geomatics technologies could provide Historians with new methods to develop their studies, archiving digital data in a geo-database and “spatializing” the information sources to produce maps in a GIS environment. So, in the first part of the project, a GIS was designed and implemented based on data collected from documents preserved in the Italian National Archives. Afterwards, the problem of data integration and sharing among research groups working on Medieval History was dealt with, in order to make data available for the consultation and query by several research groups. Three approaches based on a client-server architecture have been explored: one is typical of the WebGIS architecture; the second one is based on OGC Web services and the third one exploits a Web page while the GIS tools are provided by a Desktop GIS installed locally on a PC. In the paper, the different approaches will be described, in order to underline advantages and disadvantages with respect to the Historians' requirements

DATUM TRANSFORMATIONS FOR MAPPING APPLICATIONS: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS

Il problema delle trasformazioni tra sistema di riferimento globale, cui si appoggiano le moderne tecniche di posizionamento spaziale GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), e sistemi di riferimento nazionali, adottati storicamente per la cartografia, è un problema che ciascun tecnico deve affrontare ogni volta che si debba importare un rilievo GPS su una carta o quando si voglia rendere ‘navigabile’ una carta tradizionale ad un utilizzatore GPS. Dopo un breve inquadramento del problema dal punto di vista teorico e una breve panoramica su alcune metodologie attualmente disponibili per gestire le trasformazioni tra sistema globale e sistemi nazionali, viene presentata una applicazione di ArcGis utilizzata per riportare dal sistema ED50 al sistema WGS84 alcune aree coperte dal DB100, base dati cartografica in scala nominale 1:100.000 prodotta dall’Istituto Geografico De Agostini. L’obbiettivo del presente lavoro è quello di confrontare tale metodologia con altre metodologie più rigorose che potrebbero risultare più idonee a scala maggiore e valutare la presenza di eventuali deformazioni.Modern spatial positioning techniques GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) are based on a global reference system, while historically cartography is based on a national reference system. The problem of transformations between these two reference systems is a problem that every technician has to face every time a GPS survey needs to be included on a map or every time he needs to make available a traditional map to a GPS user. After a brief introduction of the problem from a theoretical point of view and a short overview on some methodologies, now available to manage transformation between global and national systems, we present an ArcGis application used to convert from the ED50 system to the WGS84 system, some areas covered by DB100. This is a cartographic data base at scale 1:100.000 produced by the Istituto Geografico De Agostini. The objectives of this work are to compare such a methodology with more rigorous approaches, that could be more suitable at a higher scale, and to detect possible deformations

Formal quality assessment of Crisis Maps produced during 2005-2010 - Preliminary results and a proposal for rapid and cost-effective quality assessment

In the last decade, crisis maps have become increasingly a common support in the disaster preparedness and response cycle. In this work, five years of crisis maps from five world leader service providers have been explored and a way to extensively and quickly verify their quality is proposed. A sample of 255 maps has been assessed according to a checklist designed. The clarity of the content, the readability and usability of the maps and the respect of main cartographic standards have been assessed. The first analysis presented in this document highlighted that the basic characteristics expected in good maps are not always respected. The aim of showing current shortcomings in the crisis maps to the scientific community is to foster the improvement of their quality in the future.JRC.DG.G.2-Global security and crisis managemen

Validation Protocol for Emergency Response Geo-information Products

Europe is making a significant effort to develop (geo)information services for crisis management as part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security GMES) programme. Recognising the importance of coordinated European response to crises and the potential contribution of GMES, the Commission launched a number of preparatory activities in coordination with relevant stakeholders for the establishment of an Emergency Response GMES Core Service (ERCS). GMES Emergency Response Services will rely on information provided by advanced technical and operational capabilities making full use of space earth observation and supporting their integration with other sources of data and information. Data and information generated by these services can be used to enhance emergency preparedness and early reaction to foreseeable or imminent crises and disasters. From a technical point of view, the use of geo-information for emergency response poses significant challenges for spatial data collection, data management, information extraction and communication. The need for an independent formal assessment of crisis products to provide operational services with homogeneous and reliable standards has recently become recognized as an integral component of service development. Validation is intended to help end-users decide how much to trust geo-information products (maps, spatial dataset). The focus, in this document, is on geo-information products, in particular those derived from Earth Observation data. Validation principles have been implemented into a protocol, as a tool to check whether the products meet standards and user needs. The validation principles, methods, rules and guidelines provided in this document aim to give a structure that guarantees an overall documented and continuous quality of ERCS products.JRC.DG.G.2-Global security and crisis managemen

A geotagged image dataset with compass directions for studying the drivers of farmland abandonment

In this work, we present a dataset containing a collection of pictures taken during the fieldwork of a farmland abandonment study. Data was taken in 2010 with a compact camera that incorporates GPS and a digital compass sensor. The photographs were taken as part of a GIS database. Using their Exif metadata, we created a layer of geographic fields of view (geoFOVs) that can be used to perform specific spatial queries. The dataset contains 2,235 pictures and GIS layers of geoFOVs contextualising the agricultural plots being photographed. The dataset is hosted in a Zenodo dataset repository

Factors that influence the lack of english speaking and pronunciation skills of EFL learners

Actualmente, adquirir habilidades verbales representa un desafío para la mayoría de estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera. El inglés como lengua extranjera carece de la enseñanza de pronunciación y del habla, creando una deficiencia en el desempeño oral del idioma. Esta síntesis de investigación tiene como objetivo determinar las causas principales detrás del bajo rendimiento de los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera en el habla y la pronunciación. Para ello, se seleccionaron y analizaron 20 artículos con enfoques cuantitativo, cualitativo, mixto y fenomenológico, con el fin de identificar los principales factores que afectan las habilidades comunicativas de los estudiantes. Los resultados revelan que (1) obstáculos lingüísticos y factores psicológicos afectan tanto a las habilidades de habla como a la pronunciación de los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera, (2) la enseñanza tiene una mínima importancia dentro de las aulas de inglés, lo que concluye que hay una falta de metodologías acreditables, (3) el entorno de aprendizaje contribuye a los problemas enfrentados por los practicantes de inglés como lengua extranjeraAcquiring oral skills currently appears to be a challenge for most EFL learners. English as a foreign language lacks of teaching pronunciation and speaking, creating a deficiency of accurate oral performance in the target language. This research synthesis is intended to determine the main causes behind EFL learners´ lower achievement in speaking and pronunciation performance. For this purpose, 20 research papers with a quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, and phenomenological approach were selected and analyzed in order to identify the main factors affecting learners' communicative skills. Findings reveal that (1) language barriers and psychological factors affect both: speaking and pronunciation skills of EFL learners, (2) teaching instruction has a minimum importance within English classrooms, concluding that there is a lack of creditable methodologies, (3) learning environment contributes to problems faced by EFL practitionersLicenciado en Pedagogía del Idioma InglésCuenc

Projeto open campus da pucrs: uma vivência universitária completa

Na última década, o Brasil evidenciou um crescimento em relação ao acesso à educação superior. No entanto, a quantidade de estudantes que evadem também cresceu significativamente, exigindo das instituições de ensino uma melhor compreensão das causas da evasão, assim como dos fatores que promovem a permanência. A literatura aponta que a evasão é um fenômeno complexo resultante de uma multiplicidade de fatores. Uma das causas determinantes para a evasão é a falta de qualidade na escolha profissional originada especialmente pela imaturidade da identidade vocacional. A partir desse contexto, o presente trabalho apresenta o relato de uma experiência da Pro-Reitoria de Extensão e Assuntos Comunitários (PROEX) da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) com o projeto Open Campus. Trata-se de uma iniciativa anual, que visa receber estudantes de ensino médio em atividades diferenciadas, para que explorem as áreas do conhecimento e os cursos de graduação, e tenham contato com os serviços e as possibilidades que a universidade oferece. Reinventado a partir de outros projetos de experiência acadêmica realizados pela universidade desde 1997, o Open Campus, iniciado em 2015, é um evento descentralizado, que permite ao participante explorar todos os ambientes de aprendizagem em mais de 55 hectares de campus. As atividades são classificadas a partir de quatro eixos temáticos: experiência, inspiração, cultura e formação. Alinhado ao eixo experiência, todos os cursos de graduação oferecem oficinas de uma hora para que os participantes tenham a oportunidade de entender, de forma prática, como se dá a formação e a atuação de um profissional em determinada área. Além disso, as atividades são ministradas por professores e, também, por acadêmicos, nos espaços de aprendizagem dos cursos, proporcionando, assim, uma experiência muito semelhante ao que é vivido por alunos de graduação. No eixo inspiração, concentram-se as atividades que visam apresentar todos os serviços transversais que estão à disposição dos acadêmicos, como internacionalização, assessoramento de carreira, modalidades esportivas, voluntariado eempreendedorismo. Através desse eixo temático, o participante do Open Campus também tem contato com as formas de ingresso na graduação, os requisitos para matricular-se na universidade, além de um suporte para simular o financiamento dos seus estudos. Porém, uma experiência de campus universitário vai além do aprendizado de sala de aula. A PUCRS conta com diversos ambientes interdisciplinares, como é o caso da Rua da Cultura e doMuseu de Ciências e Tecnologia, espaços que possibilitam a promoção de diferentes atividades culturais. Portanto, um dos eixos temáticos do Open Campus se dedica à promoção da cultura nas suas mais diversas formas de expressão. Por fim, o eixo formação também tem como foco o desenvolvimento e o discernimento profissional do estudante de ensino médio, mas através do preparo e orientação de seus familiares e professores. Portanto, as atividadesdesse eixo são direcionadas aos adultos e os preparam para lidar com o momento de escolha profissional de seus dependentes. Aproximadamente 7.000adolescentes já participaram do projeto. Conclui-se que o Open Campus possibilita uma experiência integral e qualificada da universidade, desde o contato vivencial com a formação acadêmica até os serviços que proporcionam um complemento ou um suporte à graduação. Além de contribuir para o processode escolha profissional e de projeto de carreira, o jovem amplia suas possibilidades de trajetória acadêmica; fatores que reduzem a probabilidade deevasão do ensino superior em virtude da insatisfação com a escolha do curso

LRRK2 phosphorylates pre-synaptic N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion (NSF) protein enhancing its ATPase activity and SNARE complex disassembling rate

Background Lrrk2, a gene linked to Parkinson\u2019s disease, encodes a large scaffolding protein with kinase and GTPase activities implicated in vesicle and cytoskeletal-related processes. At the presynaptic site, LRRK2 associates with synaptic vesicles through interaction with a panel of presynaptic proteins. Results Here, we show that LRRK2 kinase activity influences the dynamics of synaptic vesicle fusion. We therefore investigated whether LRRK2 phosphorylates component(s) of the exo/endocytosis machinery. We have previously observed that LRRK2 interacts with NSF, a hexameric AAA+ ATPase that couples ATP hydrolysis to the disassembling of SNARE proteins allowing them to enter another fusion cycle during synaptic exocytosis. Here, we demonstrate that NSF is a substrate of LRRK2 kinase activity. LRRK2 phosphorylates full-length NSF at threonine 645 in the ATP binding pocket of D2 domain. Functionally, NSF phosphorylated by LRRK2 displays enhanced ATPase activity and increased rate of SNARE complex disassembling. Substitution of threonine 645 with alanine abrogates LRRK2-mediated increased ATPase activity. Conclusions Given that the most common Parkinson\u2019s disease LRRK2 G2019S mutation displays increased kinase activity, our results suggest that mutant LRRK2 may impair synaptic vesicle dynamics via aberrant phosphorylation of NSF