Focal points for a more user-centred agile development

The integration of user-centred design and Agile development is becoming increasingly common in companies and appears promising. However it may also present some critical points, or communication breakdowns, such as a variable interpretation of user involvement, a mismatch in the value of documentation and a misalignment in iterations. We refine these themes, emerging from both literature and previous fieldwork, by analysing a case study performed in an IT company that adopts both software engineering approaches, and we further extend the framework with a new theme related to task ownership. We argue that communication breakdowns can become focal points to drive action and decision for establishing an organisational context acknowledging the value of user involvement: to this end, we suggest the adoption of design thinking and the active engagement of the customer in embracing its values

Remote Sensing-Based Methodology for the Quick Update of the Assessment of the Population Exposed to Natural Hazards

The assessment of the number of people exposed to natural hazards, especially in countries with strong urban growth, is difficult to be updated at the same rate as land use develops. This paper presents a remote sensing-based procedure for quickly updating the assessment of the population exposed to natural hazards. A relationship between satellite nightlights intensity and urbanization density from global available cartography is first assessed when all data are available. This is used to extrapolate urbanization data at different time steps, updating exposure each time new nightlights intensity maps are available. To test the reliability of the proposed methodology, the number of people exposed to riverine flood in Italy is assessed, deriving a probabilistic relationship between DMSP nightlights intensity and urbanization density from the GUF database for the year 2011. People exposed to riverine flood are assessed crossing the population distributed on the derived urbanization density with flood hazard zones provided by ISPRA. The validation against reliable exposures derived from ISTAT data shows good agreement. The possibility to update exposure maps with a higher refresh rate makes this approach particularly suitable for applications in developing countries, where urbanization and population densities may change at a sub-yearly time scale

ANALYSIS OF THE SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF THE 4 OCTOBER 2021 EXTREME RAINFALL EVENT IN LIGURIA AND EVALUATION OF ITS IMPACT ON THE ESTIMATION OF ANNUAL MAXIMA

The paper shows the analysis of the spatial scale of rainfall produced by a back-building Mesoscale Convective System. • The analysis is conducted combining rain gauge and radar observations. • The results show that the spatial scale is of the same order of (or lower than) the density of rain gauge networks. • This may significantly impact the estimation of the actual rainfall maxima and their return period

Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy to advance multi-hazard disaster risk management

COVID-19 challenged all national emergency management systems worldwide overlapping with other natural hazards. We framed a ‘parallel phases’ Disaster Risk Management (DRM) model to overcome the limitations of the existing models when dealing with complex multi-hazard risk conditions. We supported the limitations analysing Italian Red Cross data on past and ongoing emergencies including COVID-19 and we outlined three guidelines for advancing multi-hazard DRM: (i) exploiting the low emergency intensity of slow-onset hazards for preparedness actions; (ii) increasing the internal resources and making them available for international support; (iii) implementing multi-hazard seasonal impact-based forecasts to foster the planning of anticipatory actions

Integrated Seismic and Energy Retrofitting of Masonry Elements Strengthened with PCM-enhanced GTRM/FRCM systems

The integration/combination of seismic and energy retrofit measures has been a subject of study for the past decade, exhibiting promising prospects. The main objective of these interventions is to mitigate seismic vulnerability while concurrently enhancing the energy performance and efficiency of new and existing buildings. Integrated approaches can hold the potential for substantial cost savings, time efficiency, and minimal disruption to occupants. The current body of literature emphasizes exploring the benefits of incorporating innovative methods/materials into conventional uncoupled retrofit initiatives. This study focuses on evaluating integrated measures at the panel scale for the prevalent Unreinforced Masonry (URM) typologies in Italy. A design framework has been introduced, aimed at enhancing the seismic capacity of buildings while concurrently improving energy efficiency through the integration of new materials (e.g., highly latent thermal energy storage systems achieved through the integration of Phase Change Materials - PCMs) into retrofit materials. To assess the reduction of the seismic vulnerability, the improvement of the shear strength is estimated by modifying the failure domains, while energy efficiency and thermal-energy storage enhancements are evaluated by using enthalpy-based theories, implemented into open-source software (i.e., FEM-based and through EnergyPlus). Thus, the design variables are those defined by the URM typologies, the adopted retrofitting technique, and the considered envelope. The adopted integrated (seismic and energy retrofitting) solutions will be compared with the standard reference one in terms of the energy consumed by the enclosed building to keep the indoor thermal comfort which also guarantees the target level of structural performance

I want to write in handwriting (1): Letters from a child with cancer about work in social health education

El objetivo central de este estudio es describir las narrativas por medio de cartas, de una profesora y un niño sobre el trabajo de educación social con su profesora. El procedimiento metodológico adoptado para la realización de este artículo consistió en un estudio de caso con un niño de ocho años con cáncer que recibió atención educativa en su domicilio durante el tratamiento junto a una pedagoga. El estudio fue desarrollado en los presupuestos de la educación social, por tanto, en un escenario y perspectiva diferente a los de la pedagogía convencional. El niño y la profesora escribieron cartas expresando sus ideas y sentimientos sobre el trabajo y las implicaciones en el aprendizaje. Los resultados obtenidos a partir de este estudio evidencian que el trabajo del profesor en la atención educativa a domicilio de niños con tratamiento de cáncer, en las perspectivas de la educación social, favorece el aprendizaje de la lectura y la escritura, además de posibilitar la adquisición cultural y, en el caso del lenguaje escrito, como vehículo de construcción de la autonomía del sujeto, a partir de la cual se gana en relación con la expresión de ideas y sentimientos.The study was developed and based on the presuppositions of Social Education, therefore, in a scenario and perspective different from those of Hospital Pedagogy. The child and teacher wrote a letter expressing his ideas and feelings about the teacher’s work and its implications for the learning of the cursive letter. The results obtained from this study show that the work of the teacher in the home care of children with cancer treatment, in the perspective of Social Education, favors the learning of reading and writing, making possible the cultural appropriation, in the case the written language, as a possibility of construction of the autonomy of the subject, from which he gains voice to express his ideas and feelings