BigData: Can virtue ethics play a role?

© 2015 Marcus R. WiganBig Data is a term for masses of information that is usually heterogeneous, usually from multiple sources, in multiple formats and at a scale of at least terabytes, and often substantially larger. It may be a data stream, or an assemblage of exiting large, not necessarily homogeneous datasets; both often contain large personal data content and thus can invoke ethical issues. As a result of rapid disintermediation of wide areas of the economy and daily life, and the growing data and information intensity that has both enabled this and is creating many fresh forms of Big Data on a real time basis, it is important to ensure that the implications are understood by the communities affected. This had not occurred until recently in the areas of government surveillance (Mathews & Tucker, 2014), and when it did had a massive impact across the world. Expectations were changed (See Fig.1) and the emergent power asymmetries emphasized. Concerns over the ethical and power implications are now reverberating, with Australia moving to consolidate ever stronger asymmetric information powers over the community (http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search _Results/Result?bId=s969), and the term ‘Snowden Effect’ has now achieved currency (https://freesnowden.is/frequently-asked-questions/)

Technology enhancement : a full role for the elderly

No abstract available

Towards an open music repository for early music recorded 1976-89 (MIFOH Melbourne International Festival of Organ and Harpsichord)

Abstract not available

Social impacts of transport surveillance.

The transport sector is a natural focal point for surveillance measures to combat the threat of terrorism. It is also a complex environment that offers many examples of the social impacts of contemporary surveillance. Surveillance needs to be assessed against the standards used to justify other forms of security measures. The efficacy of many surveillance schemes, however, is in serious doubt. Justification for these schemes is commonly either lacking entirely or is unpublished and hence has not been subjected to critical evaluation. A small set of mini‐cases is presented, in order to identify the social impacts of twenty‐first century surveillance schemes that have been implemented as fear‐driven responses to terrorist acts. Those impacts are argued to be seriously harmful to society. Trust is crucial to public acceptance of intrusive measures, but the absence of justification for surveillance, and of controls over abuses, is likely to see the rapid dissipation of trust, firstly in the assertions of national security and law enforcement agencies, and secondly in the politicians who have been rubber‐stamping their demand

Transport and surveillance aspects of location based services

Transport is a series of movements between locations, and considerable efforts are spent to secure details of such movements for planning and modeling purposes. This paper considers the issues raised when such information is secured too well, as well as the accompanying implications for surveillance and privacy. Location is a critical aspect of both privacy and surveillance. A detailed record of locations allows all sorts of other information to be linked together, adding to information about the subject and his or her associates in the same way that a unique identifier allows dataveillance to be expanded swiftly and extensively. In this case, the information comes from allowing the linking together of both the activities and records of many people. Location technologies have far outstripped both public awareness and legal and policy attention. Addressing this gap between the public’s awareness and the technological possibilities will require careful use of precise language to ensure that unexpected side effects do not occur when the problem is finally faced. This paper explores both this essential language and some of the applications and linkages that need addressing. A wider public and policy understanding of the implications of expanding capacities to track, record, and monitor location is an urgent need, because it is difficult to reverse capacities once they are integrated into a wide range of commercial, enforcement, and intelligence systems—as is already happening

Enforcement of bicycle laws and ordinances

29 p. IllustrationsA summary of discussions on enforcement issues with bicycle specialists in the U.S. during a two week study visit for, and assisted by, the Geelong Bike Plan. Education and enforcement plans appeared to be indissoluble, and social attitudes towards cyclists have a major influence on both aspects. Details of bicycle accident types (notably the work of K.C. Cross) has been swiftly taken up by educational planners, but similar analysis and application of enforcement efforts and their safety outcome has not yet gained the same support. Data from California, Montana and Michigan is compared with Geelong, and a number of similarities noted. The framework of bicycle laws and ordinances is now well coordinated between U.S. States. The use of non-criminal violation codes, peer courts, and parental warnings for bicycle enforcement are gaining support. The use of non-police (and sometimes also voluntary) enforcement officers offers a means of extending enforcement effort without greater demands on police resources. Integration of enforcement and education programs, with subsequent evaluation effort, is recommended for Australia.Geelong Bike Plan ; Australian Road Research Board ; Alron Industries ; Milledge Bros. Pty Ltd. ; Stanco Pty. Ltd. ; Peter Stevens Motorcycle

A stochastic-based performance prediction model for road network pavement maintenance

This paper presents details of the development and implementation of a stochastic-based performance-prediction model using the Markov chains method for road network pavement maintenance. As well as the difficulty in the process of developing the transition probability matrix (TPM) on the basis of historical data, the way of presenting the results and their interpretation become challenges for the use of stochastic-based performance prediction models. The analysis uses a database developed by the State of Victoria, Australia, consisting of 2197 road sections

Measuring Pavement Maintenance Effectiveness using Markov Chains Analysis

This study assesses the effectiveness of road network pavement maintenance using Markov Chain analysis based on historical costs and road roughness progression data. The analysis is based on a database developed by the State of Victoria, Australia, consisting of 2197 road sections. The analysis measures maintenance effectiveness using the criterion of whether road sections remain in the same condition state or move to the next worst state based on a predefined roughness value. Principal inputs for the stochastic models, such as the development of transition probability matrices and associated cost functions, are discussed. Results show that, within the current budget envelope and when undertaking only routine maintenance, the probability of road sections remaining in the same condition state, which is a determinant of maintenance effectiveness, exhibits a declining tendency from good to worst condition states. This finding prompts the discussion on when to begin intervention using high types of maintenance together with their respective higher expenditure levels. The method discussed in this paper, provides tool for road authorities to select the appropriate maintenance action for each condition state of pavements based on the comparison analysis of the results of Markov Chain for different types of maintenance actions

Designing a large-scale travel demand survey: New challenges and new opportunities

Information about travel demand, traveller behaviour and transport systems performance is an essential input to decision making on transport policy, planning and design issues. However, this information is difficult and expensive to collect and establish, so that its collection has been infrequent. Further, previous information technology and past methods for managing travel information have helped to make it expensive to access, maintain and keep current. This paper describes the findings of a research project called the Melbourne Travel Survey Research Projects (MTSRP), undertaken to determine the needs for and likely applications of new travel information for a large metropolitan area (Melbourne, Australia), and to define the desirable form for a new metropolitan travel demand survey program. The research required surveys of the present and anticipated needs for travel demand data and the available and required technology for data collection and information dissemination. The paper describes the findings of the research project, and provides an interpretation of their implications for a large-scale travel survey program.