The Strategy of the Commons: Modelling the Annual Cost of Successful ICT Services for European Research

The provision of ICT services for research is increasingly using Cloud services to complement the traditional federation of computing centres. Due to the complex funding structure and differences in the basic business model, comparing the cost-effectiveness of these options requires a new approach to cost assessment. This paper presents a cost assessment method addressing the limitations of the standard methods and some of the initial results of the study. This acts as an illustration of the kind of cost assessment issues high-utilisation rate ICT services should consider when choosing between different infrastructure options. The research is co-funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme through the e-FISCAL project (contract number RI-283449)

AEGIS App: Wildfire Information Management for Windows Phone Devices

AbstractNovel technological advances in mobile devices and applications can be exploited in wildfire confrontation, enabling end-users to easily conduct several everyday tasks, such as access to data and information, sharing of intelligence and coordination of personnel and vehicles. This work describes an innovative mobile application for wildfire information management that operates on Windows Phone devices and acts as a complementary tool to the web-based version of the AEGIS platform for wildfire prevention and management. Several tasks can be accomplished from the AEGIS App, such as routing, spatial search for closest facilities and firefighting support infrastructures, access to weather data and visualization of fire management data (water sources, gas refill stations, evacuation sites etc.). An innovative feature of AEGIS App is the support of these tasks by a digital assistant for artificial intelligence named Cortana (developed by Microsoft for Windows Phone devices), that allows information utilization through voice commands. The application is to be used by firefighting personnel in Greece and is potentially expected to contribute towards a more sophisticated transferring of information and knowledge between wildfire confrontation operation centers and firefighting units in the field

RAPP: A Robotic-Oriented Ecosystem for Delivering Smart User Empowering Applications for Older People

International audienceIt is a general truth that increase of age is associated with a level of mental and physical decline but unfortunately the former are often accompanied by social exclusion leading to marginalization and eventually further acceleration of the aging process. A new approach in alleviating the social exclusion of older people involves the use of assistive robots. As robots rapidly invade everyday life, the need of new software paradigms in order to address the user's unique needs becomes critical. In this paper we present a novel architectural design, the RAPP [a software platform to deliver smart, user empowering robotic applications (RApps)] framework that attempts to address this issue. The proposed framework has been designed in a cloud-based approach, integrating robotic devices and their respective applications. We aim to facilitate seamless development of RApps compatible with a wide range of supported robots and available to the public through a unified online store

Variable structure robot control systems: The RAPP approach

International audienceThis paper presents a method of designing variable structure control systems for robots. As the on-board robot computational resources are limited, but in some cases the demands imposed on the robot by the user are virtually limitless, the solution is to produce a variable structure system. The task dependent part has to be exchanged, however the task governs the activities of the robot. Thus not only exchange of some task-dependent modules is required, but also supervisory responsibilities have to be switched. Such control systems are necessary in the case of robot companions, where the owner of the robot may demand from it to provide many services.

ScienceDirect AEGIS App: Wildfire Information Management for Windows Phone Devices

Abstract Novel technological advances in mobile devices and applications can be exploited in wildfire confrontation, enabling end-users to easily conduct several everyday tasks, such as access to data and information, sharing of intelligence and coordination of personnel and vehicles. This work describes an innovative mobile application for wildfire information management that operates on Windows Phone devices and acts as a complementary tool to the web-based version of the AEGIS platform for wildfire prevention and management. Several tasks can be accomplished from the AEGIS App, such as routing, spatial search for closest facilities and firefighting support infrastructures, access to weather data and visualization of fire management data (water sources, gas refill stations, evacuation sites etc.). An innovative feature of AEGIS App is the support of these tasks by a digital assistant for artificial intelligence named Cortana (developed by Microsoft for Windows Phone devices), that allows information utilization through voice commands. The application is to be used by firefighting personnel in Greece and is potentially expected to contribute towards a more sophisticated transferring of information and knowledge between wildfire confrontation operation centers and firefighting units in the field

Cybersecurity and Medical Imaging: A Simulation-Based Approach to DICOM Communication

Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, providing essential information for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard has revolutionized the storage, transmission, and sharing of medical images and related data. Despite its advantages, implementation and deployment of the DICOM protocol often suffers from incomplete understanding, leading to vulnerabilities within the healthcare ecosystem. This research paper presents an implementation of DICOM communication and the development of a practical demonstration for simulation purposes The simulation can be used for conducting cybersecurity tests in the context of DICOM communication. Overall, the simulation provides a digital environment that can help in retrieving valuable insights into the practical aspects of DICOM communication and PACS integration, serving as a valuable resource for medical imaging professionals, researchers, and developers. These research results provide practical insights, and the DICOM simulation can be used in realistic contexts to showcase a variety of security scenarios