DigiWeb - a workflow environment for quality assurance of transcription in digitization of natural history collections

Data produced by digitization increases the scientific use of natural history collections. However, in mass digitization, attention must be paid to the flawless management of the workflows, and high quantities of end results should not be compromised by a low standard of quality. A web-based environment DigiWeb was created for controlling the workflow of transcribing data from images of natural history specimens. Using DigiWeb, it was possible to manage the workflow of transcription and data proofing, include all participants to the workflow, allow collaboration and training, and also to provide useful processing features. The data emerging from this process passes quality control standards which are supported by DigiWeb and based on the strict requirements of the ISO 2859 standard

Näin tutkin taktiikkaa : tutkimusprosessi operaatiotaidon ja taktiikan näkökulmasta

Näin tutkin taktiikkaa on ensimmäinen operaatiotaidon ja taktiikan tieteenalan tutkimuksen oppikirja, joka on sidottu opetuksessa käytettävään tutkimusprosessiin. Oppikirja toimii sen ansiosta ”avaimena oppimiseen”, johdatellen lukijaansa tieteenalan tutkimuksen ja opinnäytetyön laatimisen peruskysymysten äärelle. Kirjassa on pyritty mahdollisimman selkeään kerrontaan, jotta se parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla tukisi operaatiotaidon ja taktiikan tutkimusopetusta, itseopiskelua ja opinnäytetöiden laatimista

Enriched biodiversity data as a resource and service

Background: Recent years have seen a surge in projects that produce large volumes of structured, machine-readable biodiversity data. To make these data amenable to processing by generic, open source “data enrichment” workflows, they are increasingly being represented in a variety of standards-compliant interchange formats. Here, we report on an initiative in which software developers and taxonomists came together to address the challenges and highlight the opportunities in the enrichment of such biodiversity data by engaging in intensive, collaborative software development: The Biodiversity Data Enrichment Hackathon. Results: The hackathon brought together 37 participants (including developers and taxonomists, i.e. scientific professionals that gather, identify, name and classify species) from 10 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. The participants brought expertise in processing structured data, text mining, development of ontologies, digital identification keys, geographic information systems, niche modeling, natural language processing, provenance annotation, semantic integration, taxonomic name resolution, web service interfaces, workflow tools and visualisation. Most use cases and exemplar data were provided by taxonomists. One goal of the meeting was to facilitate re-use and enhancement of biodiversity knowledge by a broad range of stakeholders, such as taxonomists, systematists, ecologists, niche modelers, informaticians and ontologists. The suggested use cases resulted in nine breakout groups addressing three main themes: i) mobilising heritage biodiversity knowledge; ii) formalising and linking concepts; and iii) addressing interoperability between service platforms. Another goal was to further foster a community of experts in biodiversity informatics and to build human links between research projects and institutions, in response to recent calls to further such integration in this research domain. Conclusions: Beyond deriving prototype solutions for each use case, areas of inadequacy were discussed and are being pursued further. It was striking how many possible applications for biodiversity data there were and how quickly solutions could be put together when the normal constraints to collaboration were broken down for a week. Conversely, mobilising biodiversity knowledge from their silos in heritage literature and natural history collections will continue to require formalisation of the concepts (and the links between them) that define the research domain, as well as increased interoperability between the software platforms that operate on these concepts

Sisäilmaongelmien ennaltaehkäisy elinkaarimallia käytettäessä ja energiatehokkuutta tavoiteltaessa (SEEK)

Suomen kunnat ja kaupungit ovat käyttäneet erilaisia hankintamuotoja uusiin kouluihin ja peruskorjausten tekemiseen kouluissa. Elinkaarimalli on yksi perinteisten hankintamuotojen rinnalle kehitetty malli, jossa palveluntuottaja yhdellä sopimuksella vastaa ainakin hankkeen suunnittelusta, rakentamisesta ja ylläpidosta pitkän sopimuskauden (10−40 vuoden) ajan. Tässä tutkimuksessa kerättiin informaatiota suomalaisista elinkaarikouluista ja verrattiin tuloksia kaupungin omarahoitteisiin kouluihin, joiden huolto ja ylläpito oli tuotettu kaupungin omalla organisaatiolla. Tutkimus tehtiin vuosina 2014‒2016 kuudessa elinaarikoulussa ja kuudessa kaupungin omarahoitteisessa koulussa. Sisäympäristön laatua arvioitiin mittauksin ja käyttäjäkokemuksin. Lisäksi kouluissa arvioitiin rakennusteknisten tekijöiden vaikutusta sisäilman laatuun asiakirjatietojen ja kohteessa tehtyjen katselmusten avulla. Myös koulujen energiakulutustietoja arvioitiin ja verrattiin hankkeissa käytettyjä elinkaarisopimuksien sisältöjä

Treat me well and I may leave you kindly: A configurational approach to a buyer’s relationship exit strategy

Research shows that the choice of relationship exit strategy by the instigator of exit can have significant negative consequences for the party that is being dropped. In this study we focus on what we coin as kind exit, where the risk of harm to the supplier as a result of the buyer’s relationship termination is low. In line with current research, which is suggesting that the characteristics of a buyer-supplier relationship play a critical role in the instigator’s choice of exit strategy, we examine the link between the buyer’s perception of its relationship with the supplier and the manner in which the buyer-supplier relationship ends. We posit that this phenomenon is causally complex and context dependent, and as such, there will be multiple types of buyer-supplier relationships that will lead to a kind exit. To uncover these types, we examine 315 terminated buyer-supplier relationships in manufacturing and service sectors in the UK, employing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Our results show that contrary to extant literature, there is not one relationship type that leads to a kind exit; instead, we uncover four alternative equifinal configurations of relationship dimensions and two exogenous factors

BioVeL : a virtual laboratory for data analysis and modelling in biodiversity science and ecology

Background: Making forecasts about biodiversity and giving support to policy relies increasingly on large collections of data held electronically, and on substantial computational capability and capacity to analyse, model, simulate and predict using such data. However, the physically distributed nature of data resources and of expertise in advanced analytical tools creates many challenges for the modern scientist. Across the wider biological sciences, presenting such capabilities on the Internet (as "Web services") and using scientific workflow systems to compose them for particular tasks is a practical way to carry out robust "in silico" science. However, use of this approach in biodiversity science and ecology has thus far been quite limited. Results: BioVeL is a virtual laboratory for data analysis and modelling in biodiversity science and ecology, freely accessible via the Internet. BioVeL includes functions for accessing and analysing data through curated Web services; for performing complex in silico analysis through exposure of R programs, workflows, and batch processing functions; for on- line collaboration through sharing of workflows and workflow runs; for experiment documentation through reproducibility and repeatability; and for computational support via seamless connections to supporting computing infrastructures. We developed and improved more than 60 Web services with significant potential in many different kinds of data analysis and modelling tasks. We composed reusable workflows using these Web services, also incorporating R programs. Deploying these tools into an easy-to-use and accessible 'virtual laboratory', free via the Internet, we applied the workflows in several diverse case studies. We opened the virtual laboratory for public use and through a programme of external engagement we actively encouraged scientists and third party application and tool developers to try out the services and contribute to the activity. Conclusions: Our work shows we can deliver an operational, scalable and flexible Internet-based virtual laboratory to meet new demands for data processing and analysis in biodiversity science and ecology. In particular, we have successfully integrated existing and popular tools and practices from different scientific disciplines to be used in biodiversity and ecological research.Peer reviewe

09 Tutkijapolku Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulussa

Miten upseerina voi suuntautua tutkijaksi? Operaatiotaidon ja taktiikan -podcast-sarjan kolmannessa jaksossa keskustellaan tutkijapolusta ja väitöstutkimuksen tekemisestä Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulussa. Sotilasprofessori Marko Palokankaan vieraana on tutkijaesiupseeri, everstiluutnantti Janne Tähtinen, joka valmistelee väitöskirjaansa operaatiotaidon ja taktiikan aihepiiristä

The Formation Processes of an R&D network: A case study

Because of fundamental changes in the competitive environment the amount of resources and knowledge needed in R&D activities has become overwhelming for a single organisation. Thus there is a strong need to perform R&D activities effectively in networks. This study increases the understanding about research and development networks by presenting an empirically grounded process model of formation processes of R&D networks. The model has three main elements; the initial conditions, the network webber and the cycle of subprocesses through which the formation proceeds. The process model highlights the importance of a single actor – the network webber – both in triggering the formation process and in managing the process. Moreover, the model suggests a view of the process that is cyclical – the sub-processes of enabling the network, joining, assuring continuity, formal structuring, learning and developing commitment – do not follow each other in a certain order

MANAGED FORMATION PROCESS OF R&D NETWORKS

Because of fundamental changes in the competitive environment, the amount of resources and knowledge needed in research and development (R&D) activities has become overwhelming for a single organisation. Moreover, new technologies create lucrative new possibilities for new service development, which are out of reach for a single organisation. Thus, there is a strong need to perform R&D activities in networks. This study increases the understanding of R&D networks by presenting an empirically grounded process model of the formation of such networks. The model has three main elements: the initial conditions, the role of network webber and the sub-processes through which the formation progresses. The process model highlights the importance of the network webber both in triggering the formation process and in managing the process. Moreover, the model suggests a view of the process that is overlapping and iterative, i.e., the sub-processes of enabling the network, acquiring actors, assuring continuity, formal structuring, learning and developing commitment do not follow each other in a certain order.Network formation, new service development, R&D networks, network management