Academic literature on the topic 'General digital collaborative platform'

AbstractThe Urban Systems Lab (USL) Dataviz Platform is an interactive web application to visualize Social, Ecological, and Technological Systems (SETS). This platform is being used to encourage participatory processes, produce new knowledge, and facilitate collaborative analysis within nine Urban Resilience to Weather-related Extremes (UREx) Sustainability Research Network cities. It allows seamless shifts across contexts, scales, and perspectives for analysis within the SETS framework. How is digital space conceptualized for urban analysis and interventions? What is the capacity for reciprocal relationships between digital and physical space? How do we visually understand urban systems and complex spatial relationships? This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the application stack and the different representational categories embedded in the Dataviz Platform. Offering a common visual language to various stakeholders, we explore new ground as we believe it has the potential to change how we think about, plan, and design our cities. (“Map devices such as a frame, scale, orientation, projection, indexing and naming reveal artificial geographies that remain unavailable to human eyes.” (Corner,.Cosgrove (ed), Mappings, Reaktion Books, London, 1999)

Abstract In the wake of COVID-19, significant influence on the manufacturing industries has been observed in the past year due to the restrictions of in-person communications and interactions. As a consequence, manufacturing efficiency has reduced remarkably all over the world. Despite the great harm to the industrial operations under the pandemic, the opportunities for remote collaborative manufacturing system also arise. Effective and efficient remote manufacturing systems for the real industries have been highly demanded. Through the integration of industrial internet and digital twin systems, the remote manufacturing system can be largely facilitated. This paper proposes a general framework for the remote manufacturing system during the COVID-19 era. The concept of the intelligent collaborative remote manufacturing system is firstly reviewed, as well as discussions of the current pandemic situation and its influence on the industries. The current commercial platforms of the systems are also presented. A case study on the lighthouse factories at the Foxconn Technology Group is finally presented for understanding the implementation of the proposed strategy. The effectiveness of the framework has been validated in the real industrial scenarios, and great economic and operational benefits have been obtained. The proposed framework offers a promising solution for the remote manufacturing system under the current pandemic.

This paper presents the details of a compact embedded-computing module designed to meet a variety of pedagogical objectives within mechatronics, controls, and robotics. Built around an ATmega32U4 microcontroller, the 1.8 × 4.0 centimeter module has flash memory for program and data storage, 25 general-purpose input/output lines, four timer/counters, 12 channels of 10-bit analog-to-digital conversion, and support for a variety of serial communications protocols, including USB. The unit adapts easily to a solderless breadboard for quick prototyping, and requires only an external 5-volt power source for operation. Furthermore, it can be programmed directly over a USB connection to a computer, thereby eliminating the need for a separate programming device. As a member of the AVR family of microcontrollers, the development tools for the processor are freely available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. When assembled in sufficient quantity, the part cost for each module is approaching $10US, making it a low-cost solution for a variety of tasks. To enable students and professors to explore both the module and the host of application principles, we have chosen to post the design files and documentation on a publicly-accessible wiki, leaving room for collaborative improvements and the sharing of technology with other educational institutions.

University College Cork is committed to the highest standard of Research Integrity (RI). The recently published National Framework on the Transition to an Open Research Environment aims to move Ireland another step closer to an open research environment (National Open Research Forum, 2019). One of the central elements underpinning the framework is Research Integrity and Responsible Research practice. This is also reflective of the international emphasis on not only a more open research environment but on more transparent and robust research practices generally, with a particular focus on data management and availability (​ Wilkinson et al., 2016).​ In 2016 a Research Integrity Pilot was run in the UCC Skills Centre in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) and interested academics from the UCC community. Working closely with the Dean of Graduate studies, this pilot resulted in the development of the module PG6015 An​ Introduction to Research Integrity, Ethics and Open Science for postgraduate students. The new module did not address the needs of staff however, who needed an offering that was more condensed, targeted yet flexible when required. Along this developmental journey, UCC consulted with some leading experts in the field of Research Integrity (RI) by hosting, Prof. Philip DeShong and Prof. Robert Dooling from the University of Maryland via a Fulbright Specialist Award. This award facilitated real insight and a fuller understanding of what RI means together with the need for discipline specific discussion and debate around the topic of Responsible Conduct in Research in its fullest sense. In 2018, access to the Epigeum online course in Research Integrity was enabled through the National Research Integrity Forum. This course provides a good basis for learning in the area of RI but it does not address a need for a blended learning approach around the topics of Responsible Conduct of Research. Through this process began the genesis of an idea which in 2019 resulted in the development of the UCC Digital Badge in the Responsible Conduct of Research. Micro-credentials are a new and innovative learning platform that rewards learner effort outside of traditional pathways, digital badges are an example of these. The Digital Badge in the Responsible Conduct of Research is a research led, team based initiative developed through a unique interdisciplinary collaboration between central research services at UCC. The collaborative process has resulted in an offering that gives an integrated and comprehensive view of three distinct but related areas, Research Integrity, Research Data Management & the Fair Principles and Reproducible Research. Developed by OVPRI, UCC Library and the Clinical Research Facility-Cork (CRF-C), each of the collaborators were already providing training and resources in there own niche but realised a more holistic approach would be greater than the sum of its parts. The purpose of the Digital Badge is to foster and embed best practice and the key elements of Responsible Research in the UCC research community. It offers researchers an opportunity to address significant gaps in their skills and prepares them for the changes in the research landscape occurring both nationally and internationally.

The nuclear industry and research institutes in Taiwan are conducting a joint effort project to establish a self-reliant nuclear Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system design and fabrication capabilities in Taiwan. The purposes of this project, as called Taiwan’s Nuclear I&C System (TaiNICS), are planned to support digital upgrade of the existing nuclear power plants and the new nuclear installations in Taiwan. The project will be a long term pursuit of several task branches, including establishment of a generic qualified digital platform, qualification and certification processes, nuclear I&C systems design, safety analyses for software common cause failure, licensing, and collaboration. The short term goal of this project is to submit the License Topical Report (LTR) of a generic digital platform for the review of Taiwan’s regulatory body in 2013.

Offshore exploration requires the evaluation of hydrocarbon presence, estimation of volumes in place, and flow potential. To this capacity, formation testers are widely used to determine static data such as reservoir fluid gradients and reservoir pressure, obtain fluid samples, and to assess reservoir connectivity. Dynamic data, acquired with interval pressure transient testing and well testing techniques, are used to assess reserves and productivity. However, these evaluation techniques provide dynamic data at different resolution and length scales, and with different environmental footprint, cost, and operational constraints. A new wireline formation testing technique known as deep transient testing (DTT) has been introduced, which combines high-resolution measurements, higher flow rates, and longer test durations to perform transient tests in higher permeability, thicker formation, and at greater depth of investigation than with previous formation testers—without flaring and at a low carbon footprint. The platform combines advanced metrology with extensive automation to generate unique, real-time reservoir insights. Traditionally, pressure transient analysis and well deliverability predictions were produced through an analytical framework. Today, deep transient testing measurements are interpreted, and placed in reservoir context, in real-time by integration with geological and reservoir models. These steps can be performed from any wellsite utilizing cloud-based resources. Products such as reservoir fluid compressibility, saturation pressure, equation of state (EOS) models, well productivity, or minimum connected volumes are integrated in real-time interpretation utilizing numerical analysis. The digital infrastructure enables key reservoir insights to be shared between all stakeholders in a transparent and collaborative environment for both operational control and rapid decision making. This paper presents a case study where the new DTT technique was combined with numerical analysis and real-time integrated workflows to characterize a multilayer reservoir in a recent discovery in deepwater Mexico. During the drawdown phase of the DTT operation, real-time downhole fluid analysis was used to determine the fluid composition, density, viscosity, compressibility, and saturation pressure. These fluid properties were then used to generate and tune an EOS model. Accurate drawdown flow rate measurements and the subsequent pressure transients were combined with the fluid model and geologic model to enable integrated pressure transient history matching. The resulting calibrated numerical model honors the fluid measurements and geologic model and was used to predict the permeability profile, zonal producibility, and the volume of influence of the test.

Short-term rentals mediated by digital platforms have positive and negative impacts that are unevenly distributed among socio-economic groups and places. Detrimental impacts on the housing market and quality of life of long-term residents have been particular contentious in some cities. • In the 12 cities studied in the report (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Prague, Rome and Vienna), city governments have responded differently to the growth of short-term rentals. • The emerging local regulations of short-term rentals take multiple forms and exhibit various degrees of stringency, ranging from rare cases of laissez-faire to a few cases of partial prohibition or strict quantitative control. Most city governments have sought to find a middle-ground approach that differentiates between the professional rental of whole units and the occasional rental of one’s home/ primary residence. • The regulation of short-term rentals is contentious and highly politicised. Six broad categories of interest groups and non-state actors actively participate in the debates with contrasting positions: advocates of the ‘sharing’ or ‘collaborative’ economy; corporate platforms; professional organisatons of short-term rental operators; new associations of hosts or ‘home-sharers’; the hotel and hospitality industry; and residents’ associations/citizens’ movements. • All city governments face difficulties in implementing and enforcing the regulations, due to a lack of sufficient resources and to the absence of accurate and comprehensive data on individual hosts. That data is held by corporate platforms, which have generally not accepted to release it (with a few exceptions) nor to monitor the content of their listings against local rules. • The relationships between platforms and city governments have oscillated between collaboration and conflict. Effective implementation is impossible without the cooperation of platforms. • In the context of the European Union, the debate has taken a supranational dimension, as two pieces of EU law frame the possibility — and acceptable forms — of regulation of online platforms and of short-term rentals in EU member states: the 2000 E-Commerce Directive and the 2006 Services Directive. • For regulation to be effective, the EU legal framework should be revised to ensure platform account- ability and data disclosure. This would allow city (and other ti ers of) governments to effectively enforce the regulations that they deem appropriate. • Besides, national and regional governments, who often control the legislative framework that defines particular types of short-term rentals, need to give local governments the necessary tools to be able to exercise their ‘right to regulate’ in the name of public interest objectives.

This report maps the African landscape of Open Science – with a focus on Open Data as a sub-set of Open Science. Data to inform the landscape study were collected through a variety of methods, including surveys, desk research, engagement with a community of practice, networking with stakeholders, participation in conferences, case study presentations, and workshops hosted. Although the majority of African countries (35 of 54) demonstrates commitment to science through its investment in research and development (R&D), academies of science, ministries of science and technology, policies, recognition of research, and participation in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the following countries demonstrate the highest commitment and political willingness to invest in science: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition to existing policies in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the following countries have made progress towards Open Data policies: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Only two African countries (Kenya and South Africa) at this stage contribute 0.8% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to R&D (Research and Development), which is the closest to the AU’s (African Union’s) suggested 1%. Countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar ranked as 0%, while the R&D expenditure for 24 African countries is unknown. In addition to this, science globally has become fully dependent on stable ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) infrastructure, which includes connectivity/bandwidth, high performance computing facilities and data services. This is especially applicable since countries globally are finding themselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is not only “about” data, but which “is” data. According to an article1 by Alan Marcus (2015) (Senior Director, Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries, World Economic Forum), “At its core, data represents a post-industrial opportunity. Its uses have unprecedented complexity, velocity and global reach. As digital communications become ubiquitous, data will rule in a world where nearly everyone and everything is connected in real time. That will require a highly reliable, secure and available infrastructure at its core, and innovation at the edge.” Every industry is affected as part of this revolution – also science. An important component of the digital transformation is “trust” – people must be able to trust that governments and all other industries (including the science sector), adequately handle and protect their data. This requires accountability on a global level, and digital industries must embrace the change and go for a higher standard of protection. “This will reassure consumers and citizens, benefitting the whole digital economy”, says Marcus. A stable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure – currently provided by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) – is key to advance collaboration in science. The AfricaConnect2 project (AfricaConnect (2012–2014) and AfricaConnect2 (2016–2018)) through establishing connectivity between National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), is planning to roll out AfricaConnect3 by the end of 2019. The concern however is that selected African governments (with the exception of a few countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and others) have low awareness of the impact the Internet has today on all societal levels, how much ICT (and the 4th Industrial Revolution) have affected research, and the added value an NREN can bring to higher education and research in addressing the respective needs, which is far more complex than simply providing connectivity. Apart from more commitment and investment in R&D, African governments – to become and remain part of the 4th Industrial Revolution – have no option other than to acknowledge and commit to the role NRENs play in advancing science towards addressing the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). For successful collaboration and direction, it is fundamental that policies within one country are aligned with one another. Alignment on continental level is crucial for the future Pan-African African Open Science Platform to be successful. Both the HIPSSA ((Harmonization of ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa)3 project and WATRA (the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly)4, have made progress towards the regulation of the telecom sector, and in particular of bottlenecks which curb the development of competition among ISPs. A study under HIPSSA identified potential bottlenecks in access at an affordable price to the international capacity of submarine cables and suggested means and tools used by regulators to remedy them. Work on the recommended measures and making them operational continues in collaboration with WATRA. In addition to sufficient bandwidth and connectivity, high-performance computing facilities and services in support of data sharing are also required. The South African National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System5 (NICIS) has made great progress in planning and setting up a cyberinfrastructure ecosystem in support of collaborative science and data sharing. The regional Southern African Development Community6 (SADC) Cyber-infrastructure Framework provides a valuable roadmap towards high-speed Internet, developing human capacity and skills in ICT technologies, high- performance computing and more. The following countries have been identified as having high-performance computing facilities, some as a result of the Square Kilometre Array7 (SKA) partnership: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. More and more NRENs – especially the Level 6 NRENs 8 (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and recently Zambia) – are exploring offering additional services; also in support of data sharing and transfer. The following NRENs already allow for running data-intensive applications and sharing of high-end computing assets, bio-modelling and computation on high-performance/ supercomputers: KENET (Kenya), TENET (South Africa), RENU (Uganda), ZAMREN (Zambia), EUN (Egypt) and ARN (Algeria). Fifteen higher education training institutions from eight African countries (Botswana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania) have been identified as offering formal courses on data science. In addition to formal degrees, a number of international short courses have been developed and free international online courses are also available as an option to build capacity and integrate as part of curricula. The small number of higher education or research intensive institutions offering data science is however insufficient, and there is a desperate need for more training in data science. The CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science aim at addressing the continental need for foundational data skills across all disciplines, along with training conducted by The Carpentries 9 programme (specifically Data Carpentry 10 ). Thus far, CODATA-RDA schools in collaboration with AOSP, integrating content from Data Carpentry, were presented in Rwanda (in 2018), and during17-29 June 2019, in Ethiopia. Awareness regarding Open Science (including Open Data) is evident through the 12 Open Science-related Open Access/Open Data/Open Science declarations and agreements endorsed or signed by African governments; 200 Open Access journals from Africa registered on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); 174 Open Access institutional research repositories registered on openDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories); 33 Open Access/Open Science policies registered on ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies); 24 data repositories registered with the Registry of Data Repositories (re3data.org) (although the pilot project identified 66 research data repositories); and one data repository assigned the CoreTrustSeal. Although this is a start, far more needs to be done to align African data curation and research practices with global standards. Funding to conduct research remains a challenge. African researchers mostly fund their own research, and there are little incentives for them to make their research and accompanying data sets openly accessible. Funding and peer recognition, along with an enabling research environment conducive for research, are regarded as major incentives. The landscape report concludes with a number of concerns towards sharing research data openly, as well as challenges in terms of Open Data policy, ICT infrastructure supportive of data sharing, capacity building, lack of skills, and the need for incentives. Although great progress has been made in terms of Open Science and Open Data practices, more awareness needs to be created and further advocacy efforts are required for buy-in from African governments. A federated African Open Science Platform (AOSP) will not only encourage more collaboration among researchers in addressing the SDGs, but it will also benefit the many stakeholders identified as part of the pilot phase. The time is now, for governments in Africa, to acknowledge the important role of science in general, but specifically Open Science and Open Data, through developing and aligning the relevant policies, investing in an ICT infrastructure conducive for data sharing through committing funding to making NRENs financially sustainable, incentivising open research practices by scientists, and creating opportunities for more scientists and stakeholders across all disciplines to be trained in data management.