Empowering geographically isolated communities with instant access to learning and training through satellite

Enabling learning for members of geographically isolated communities such as agrarian, or maritime communities presents benefits in terms of promoting regional development and cost savings for governments and companies. We present a methodology for designing a satellite and wireless based network infrastructure and learning services to support distance learning for such isolated communities. This methodology entails (a) the involvement of community members in the development of targeted learning services from an early stage and (b) a service-oriented approach to learning solution deployment. Here this methodology is applied in the context of the European research project BASE2 (BASE2 2006), in which the following two types of geographically isolated communities are considered: agrarian and maritime

Editorial. Special issue on: Ubiquitous e-Learning Solutions over Heterogeneous Networks

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2009 Springe

Interpretive Flexibility Along the Innovation Decision Process of the UK NHS Care Records Service (NCRS). Insights from a Local Implementation Case Study.

Interpretive flexibility is a term used to describe the differing perspectives on what a technology is and can or can not do during the process of technological development. In this paper we look at how interpretive flexibility manifests through the diverse perceptions of stakeholders involved in the diffusion and adoption of NHS Care Records Service (NCRS). Our analysis shows that while the policy makers acting upon the application of details related to the implementation of the system, the potential users are far behind the innovation decision process namely at the knowledge or persuasion stages. We use data from a local heath authority from a county close to London. The research explores compares and evaluates contrasting views on the systems implementation at local as well as national level. We believe that our analysis is useful for NCRS implementation strategies in particular and technology diffusion in big organisations in general

Satellite-enabled educational services specification and requirements analysis based on user feedback

Advanced tele-education services provision in remote geographically dispersed user communities (such as agriculture and maritime), based on the specific needs and requirements of such communities, implies significant infrastructural and broadband connectivity requirements for rich media, timely and quality-assured content delivery and interactivity. The solution to broadband access anywhere is provided by satellite-enabled communication infrastructures. This paper aims to present such satellite-based infrastructures that are capable of addressing the core requirements of rich media educational services in remote areas. The paper proceeds to examine a set of services that will realise such satellite-based distance learning systems and to assess the targeted users’ interest in such services. The presented work is undertaken within the framework of the EU-funded Broadband Access Satellite Enabled Education (BASE2) project. Furthermore, requirements analysis, based on the Volere template (Robertson) and on user feedback, is undertaken

Satellite-enabled interactive education: scenarios and systems architectures

There are specific sectors of the economy that can benefit from satellite-based tele-education. Areas, such as maritime and agriculture, share common needs for both broadband connectivity at remote geographical areas that cannot otherwise be covered, and for innovative content for tele-education purposes. Furthermore, each area has special requirements with regard to the type of content to be delivered. In this paper we propose a set of architectural designs and case scenarios that will realise such interactive end-to-end education systems based on satellite communications. Services requirements in this setting are also identified and discussed

Technology roadmap for the Creative Industries

This paper discusses the findings of research conducted between 2013 and 2016, which concerned the development of technology roadmaps for the Creative Industries. The roadmap presented in this paper was built based on input from communities of creative and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) experts collected during the consultation and validation phases of the research. It provides a synthesis of challenges and recommendations from the five creative sectors examined by the project – Architecture, Art, Design, Games, Media and e-Publishing – and proposes research directions for the development of desired future technologies, by highlighting innovative future developments in the Creative Industries, while also assessing their technology maturity in the short, medium and longer terms. By rating the desired technologies as ‘present’ (1–2 years), ‘possible’ (2--5 years), or ‘probable’ (5–10 years or beyond), the roadmap gives orientation towards the development of new technologies and related business models and skills and provides guidance for informed policy-making. The paper thus aims at enabling stakeholders – creators, professionals, SMEs, creative groups, creative communities, associations, organisations and institutions, as well as governments and policy makers – to maximise their benefit and the societal value from the new emerging technology landscape in the Creative Industries

COPD phenotypes and machine learning cluster analysis : A systematic review and future research agenda

Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or ot-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewedPostprin

Fast Decliner Phenotype of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) : Applying Machine Learning for Predicting Lung Function Loss

Acknowledgements We acknowledge patients for allowing their data to be used for surveillance and research. Practices who have agreed to be part of the RCGP RSC and allow us to extract and used health data for surveillance and research. Ms. Filipa Ferreira from RCGP and Mr. Julian Sherlock from the University of Surrey. Apollo Medical Systems for data extraction. Collaboration with EMIS, TPP, In-Practice and Micro-test CMR supplier for facilitating data extraction. Colleagues at Public Health England. Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectorsPeer reviewedPublisher PD