Дисертації з теми "Accessibility integration"

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR<br>Hoje em dia e-learning está se tornando mais importante por possibilitar a disseminação de conhecimento e informação através da internet de uma forma mais rápida e menos dispendiosa. Consequentemente, de modo a filtrar o que é mais relevante e/ou de interesse do usuário, arquiteturas e técnicas de personalização vêm sendo abordadas. Dentre as muitas possibilidades de personalização existentes, a que lida com acessibilidade está se tornando essencial, pois garante que uma grande variedade de usuários possa ter acesso à informação conforme suas necessidades e características. Acessibilidade não é apenas garantir que pessoas com alguma deficiência, ou dificuldade, possam ter acesso à informação, apesar de ser importante e eventualmente ser uma exigência legal. Acessibilidade é também garantir que uma larga variedade de usuários e interfaces possam obter acesso à informação, maximizando assim a audiência potencial. Esta dissertação apresenta uma extensão do LORIS, um sistema de integração de repositórios de objetos de aprendizagem, descrevendo as alterações na sua arquitetura para ser capaz de lidar com acessibilidade e reconhecer diferentes versões de um mesmo objeto de aprendizagem, permitindo assim que um usuário execute uma consulta considerando seu perfil e preferências. Foi desenvolvido um protótipo dos serviços descritos na arquitetura utilizando serviços Web e navegação facetada, bem como padrões web, de e-learning e de acessibilidade. O uso de serviços Web e de padrões visa promover flexibilidade e interoperabilidade, enquanto a navegação facetada, como implementada, permite que o usuário aplique múltiplos filtros aos resultados da consulta sem a necessidade de re-submetê-la.<br>Nowadays e-learning is becoming more important as it makes possible the dissemination of knowledge and information through the internet in a faster and costless way. Consequently, in order to filter what is more relevant and/or of users interest, architectures and personalization techniques have been raised. Among the many existing possibilities of personalization, the one that deals with accessibility is becoming essential because it guarantees that a wide variety of users may have access to the information according to their preferences and needs. Accessibility is not just about ensuring that disabled people can access information, although this is important and may be a legal requirement. It is also about ensuring that the wide variety of users and devices can all gain access to information, thereby maximizing the potential audience. This dissertation presents an extension of LORIS, an integration system of learning object repositories, describing the changes on its architecture to make it able to deal with accessibility and to recognize different versions of the same learning object, thus allowing a user to execute a query considering his/her preferences and needs. A prototype of the services that are described in the architecture was developed using web services and faceted navigation, as well as e-learning and accessibility standards. The use of web services and standards aims at providing flexibility and interoperability, while the faceted navigation, as implemented, allows the user to apply multiple filters to the query results without the need to resubmit it.

This paper presents findings from a study designed to identify skills and strategies students with visual impairments have developed to aid their social integration into higher education campus life. Attending college provides numerous learning opportunities outside the classroom. The study explores the process by which students at two universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia were able to identify, navigate, and participate in extra-curricular activities. Previous research by Roy & MacKay (2002) and Hodges & Keller (1999) provides a quantitative framework from which a qualitative tapestry was woven. A secondary purpose of the study was to verify the validity of Roy & MacKayâ s finding that the age that individuals first experience visual disability and the visibility of their visual impairment (the variance in their ability to appear sighted) are valid predictors of social integration of visually impaired students among college students. This study is important for several reasons, including, (a) to help develop a more inclusive campus environment, (b) to identify factors that have influenced the selection of post-secondary educational experiences by visually-impaired students, and (c) to give a voice to visually impaired students to help administrators understand their needs and desires (Henderson, 2001).<br>Ph. D.

Thesis (Sc.D.)--Boston University<br>This purpose ofthis dissertation is to expand the understanding of the community integration of individuals with disabilities who used to be homeless but now have permanent housing. Current measures of community integration rely on self-report assessments that often quantify physical or social participation, but fail to capture the individual's spatial presence in the community, accessibility to resources, and neighborhood characteristics that may promote or impede integration efforts. To sustain the momentum of research in community integration and recovery, new techniques using activity maps created by participants combined with quantitative assessments of integration are an important next step. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques in combination with a participatory mapping interview provides a more comprehensive approach to evaluating community integration. In addition, GIS calculations of an individual's activity space area based on the drawn maps may provide meaningful information about one's activity and movement patterns within the community in relation to other measures of community integration. Finally, by having individuals create their own maps, they define what community means and what locations are important to them in the integration process. The first study measures the size ofan individual's activity space, or spatial extent of one's day-to-day interactions in the community, and compares this measure to the results of more traditional, survey-based community integration measures. Methods in the first study also explore the types of locations, activities, and resources that are identified as important to individuals in their interaction with the community, as well as test the significance of family involvement and feeling part of the community. The second study examines the relationship of proximity to community features within the individual's immediate environment to both community integration outcomes and the types of locations used. Methodological strengths of these studies include identification of current community integration activities from the individual's perspective and using a spatial approach to measure the impact of accessibility and neighborhood characteristics on community integration.

Urbanisation is a global trend, but in recent decades it has been occurring at particularly high rates in the Global South. Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing a number of challenges as their populations grow, and among these, urban accessibility stands out as one of the most difficult to contend with. Meeting this challenge will require new solutions, and recently Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) have emerged as two potentially revolutionary innovations, especially when combined. In 2016, Dar es Salaam launched a BRT system, and in 2017 it introduced a TOD strategy in order to combat the city’s urban accessibility crisis. This study investigates the urban form at and around BRT stations in order to characterise BRT-TOD in the city and extract lessons for future implementations of BRT-TOD in Dar es Salaam and beyond. The investigation was carried out within the framework of urban morphology. It was found that at locations in the city centre, BRT has generally been able to integrate seamlessly into the built environment and achieve many of the core principles of TOD. In the rest of the city, however, BRT acts simply as a form of transit, with stations generally removed from the urban fabric and the local place. Some general issues are the large building setback, the number of informal vendors, private transport operators, exclusive new developments, lack of public spaces, the low quality of the pedestrian environment and the reinforcement of unsustainable forms of urban sprawl. This study aims to contribute to a growing discussion of sustainable urban accessibility solutions in the rapidly expanding cities of the Global South.

Lekplatser förser barn med möjligheten att praktisera och utveckla sina sociala, emotionella, kognitiva och fysiska förmågor. Att tillhandahålla tillräckligt med lekplatser vilka också upplevs som tillgängliga är således en hörnsten för en hållbar planering. Denna uppsats utforskar barns tillgång till lekplatser iStockholm. Tillgängligheten undersöks inte bara med traditionella metriska mått, dvs. det fysiska avståndet, utan också med hjälp av space syntax-teorier och metoder som bättre skildrar det upplevda avståndet till lekplatsen. Användningen av space syntax i en barnkontext är relativt outforskat. Dennastudie bidrar därigenom till space syntax-litteraturen genom att utforska dess tillämpningspotential i ett bredare sammanhang. Resultaten antyder att Stockholm presterar långt under stadens egna rekommendationer, och studien mynnar ut i en diskussion om potentiella planeringskonflikter. Dessa konflikter uppstår i gränslandet mellan ambitionen att planera säkra lekplatser och ambitionen att planera lekplatser som upplevs lätta att navigera till, samtidigt som de ligger inom ett rimligt gångavstånd från hemmet.<br>Playgrounds provide children with the opportunity to practice and develop social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills. Providing enough playgrounds that also are perceived as accessible is thus a cornerstone of sustainable planning. This paper explores children's access to playgrounds in Stockholm. Accessibility is not only assessed using traditional metric measurements, i.e. the physical distance, but also with space syntax theories and methods capturing notions of perceived accessibility. The utilization of space syntax in the context of children is relatively unexplored. This study is therebycontributing to the space syntax literature by exploring the wider application potential of its methods. The results suggest that Stockholm performs well below the city's own recommendations, and the study proceeds into a discussion about possible planning conflicts. These conflicts are between the ambition to plan safe playgrounds and the ambition to plan playgrounds that are easy to navigate to, while also being within a reasonable walking distance from the home.

Mestrado em Gestão de Sistemas de Informação<br>Nos últimos tempos temos assistido à valorização da informação, ao aumento da relevância da transformação digital e ao aumento de utilização de APIs. Nos últimos meses a transformação digital tornou-se ainda mais imperativa em função das consequências da pandemia. Tendo sido identificada uma lacuna na literatura existente, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo propor e testar um modelo teórico para avaliar a utilização das APIs, identificando os seus business drivers, os seus desafios e os seus efeitos. Com recurso a um questionário respondido por 124 indivíduos, na sua maioria programadores e diretores de sistemas de informação e à metodologia PLS-SEM executada no programa SmartPLS, foi possível encontrar evidência estatística para suportar oito das treze hipóteses formuladas. Foram identificadas como razões para utilizar APIs: a procura por uma independência, por novos modelos de negócio e por uma melhoria de processos. Como desafio apenas o custo foi identificado. Proveniente da utilização advêm benefícios relativos à acessibilidade, à integração de sistemas, à especialização da organização e ao aumento da eficiência.<br>In recent times we have seen the valorization of information, the increase of the relevance of digital transformation and the increase in the use of APIs. In recent months, digital transformation has become even more imperative due to the consequences of the pandemic. Having identified a gap in the existing literature, the present work aims to propose and test a theoretical model to assess the use of APIs, identifying their business drivers, their challenges and their effects. By running a survey answered by 124 individuals, mostly programmers and information systems managers and the PLS-SEM methodology executed in the SmartPLS software, it was possible to find statistical evidence to support eight of the thirteen formulated hypotheses. The reasons for using APIs were identified as: the search for independence, for new business models and for process improvement. As challenges only the cost was identified. From the use of APIs there are benefits related to accessibility, systems integration, specialization of the organization and increased efficiency.<br>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This dissertation examines genericity from a textual perspective. The material consists of popular science texts about species of animals. The investigation concerns both the distribution of different forms of generic noun phrases and the boundary between generic and non-generic noun phrases. The analytical tools are taken from Accessibility Theory and Blending Theory. Two separate studies have been undertaken. The results of the first study indicate that generic reference on the whole follows the same principles of accessibility as non-generic reference, although there are some differences that can be attributed to the distinction between generic and non-generic reference. Some results suggest that our mental representations of generic referents are generally less accessible than those of non-generic referents. Factors other than accessibility influencing the choice of generic noun phrases are also identified. While genericity is generally treated as an all-or-nothing phenomenon, an important experience of this first study concerns the difficulties facing anyone who tries to distinguish between generic and non-generic noun phrases in authentic texts. These difficulties are the centre of attention in the second study, which shows that genericity is an extremely context-dependent phenomenon. The sentence context may clearly indicate a particular, non-generic reference, while the wider context of the text reveals that the noun phrase in question is in fact generic. Not infrequently, chains of reference involve a great deal of shifting and slithering between a generic and a non-generic meaning, although the references are seemingly coreferential. It is sometimes difficult to decide on the real referents intended. At times there are also clear cases where the noun phrase must be analysed as referring to both generic and non-generic entities at the same time. This implies that it is unlikely that we actually decide for every reference if it is generic or non-generic.

Today's digital products, services and experiences need to be designed with accessibility in mind in order to provide equal opportunities in use and enjoyment for the growing group of users with permanent, temporary and situational impairments. However, the topic still seems to be an afterthought in practice. With the research question 'What are the enablers and inhibitors for integrating accessibility into digital design processes from a systemic perspective?', this thesis aims to identify factors that drive or hinder accessibility efforts among design practitioners in Germany and how these factors may interrelate. Accessibility integration is therefore defined as a system. The research is based on a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with four UX Designers, two UI Designers and one Chief Creative Officer with varying experiences regarding accessibility in past projects. By conducting a content analysis, the responses are grouped into categories and further visualized in the form of system archetypes to understand systemic behavior. The findings indicate that integration of accessibility into digital design processes is influenced by many enabling and inhibiting factors, of technical, individual, societal, institutional, regulatory, economic and financial as well as cliental and organizational nature, turning the topic into a complex, wicked problem. While economic reasons were a dominant force driving the system's behavior, it appears that the underlying mental models of all actors involved are significantly contributing to the state of accessibility in design practice.

Das World Wide Web (WWW) bietet immer mehr Möglichkeiten zur Kommunikation, Information und Inanspruchnahme verschiedenster Dienstleistungen. Neu eingeführte Begriffe wie eCommerce, eGoverment, eScience und ähnliche verdeutlichen die Durchdringung des Alltags im Privaten wie Beruflichen. Doch in der Euphorie der Digitalisierung der Lebenswelten muss verstärkt auf die speziellen Bedürfnisse Älterer oder Behinderter eingegangen werden, das WWW muss für alle Personen barrierefrei sein. Aufgabe des theoretischen Teils der Diplomarbeit ist es, aktuelle gesetzliche Regulierungen, existierende Regularien sowie Initiativen im Bereich Barrierefreiheit vorzustellen und zu systematisieren. Ferner sollen Testprogramme, welche existierende Webseiten auf Barrierefreiheit hin untersuchen, analysiert werden. Im praktischen Teil der Diplomarbeit werden existierende Tools zum Webdesign in Bezug auf Barrierefreiheit analysiert. Hierzu soll ein System geschaffen werden, welches HTML-Seiten automatisch auf Kriterien der Barrierefreiheit hin untersucht, Fehler anzeigt sowie Optimierungsvorschläge unterbreitet.

<p>Denna uppsats är en C-uppsats i socialt arbete. Syftet med uppsatsen är att förstå och beskriva hörselskadades situation avseende högskolestudier. Fyra specifika frågeställningar har formulerats: - Hur ser tillgängligheten ut, hur ser de formella mötena ut, hur ser de informella mötena ut och på vad sätt inverkar hörselskadan?</p><p>Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med hermeneutiska inslag. Intervjuer har gjorts med sex hörselskadade som berättat om sina upplevelser kring sin egen studiesituation. Intervjuguiden var halvstrukturerad, och urvalet strategiskt.</p><p>Resultatet visar att tillgängligheten på universitet får sägas vara avgörande, beroende på vilken aspekt av tillgängligheten som det är fråga om. Studenterna tycker det är av vikt att det finns möjlighet att ta sin lärare eller föreläsares tid i anspråk vid de formella mötena. I de informella mötena lägger studenterna fokus på att berätta om två specifika möten och tre specifika aspekter. Resultatet från på vilket sätt hörselskadan inverkar, visar att det beror på situation till situation om hörselskadan inverkar på ett negativt sätt, eller om den nästan inte inverkar alls. Ett genomgående drag från alla sex studenternas utsagor är att det ”hänger” mycket på studenten själv om studenten ska lyckas eller inte i sina studier. Envishet, vilja, att våga tro på sig själv, vara modig och att inte ge sig är egenskaper som studenterna själva upplever att det är bra att ha som hörselskadad student i högskolestudier.</p><p>Två slutsatser har dragits. Den ena är att de hörselskadade studenterna har ett visst inflytande i möten med tolkar, samt i möten med personal som jobbar med teknisk service. Däremot saknar studenterna inflytande för att själva kunna ha makt och kontroll kring sin egen studiesituation, i mötet med universitetet som organisation. De studenter som har lättast att lyckas i sina studier är de som innehar egenskaperna envishet, vilja, att våga tro på sig själva, vara modiga och inte ge sig.</p><p>Den andra slutsatsen är att fortfarande, sju år efter det att Antonson (1998) i en avhandling om hörselskadade i högskolestudier, gav förslag på betydelsefulla åtgärder (se bilaga 1 i denna uppsats), tycks ingen märkbar förändring ha skett.</p><p>Nyckelord: Integration, inkluderad, hörselskada, studiesituation, högskola, högskolestudier. Ytterligare nyckelord är tillgänglighet, informella möten, formella möten och hörselskadans inverkan.</p><br><p>This study is a study in social work. The comprehensive aim with this study is to understand och describe hearing-impairment´s situation reference to university studies. Four specific questions have been formulated, these are; - How does the accessibility look like? How does the formal meetings look like? How does the informal meetings look like, and what kind of way the hearing-impairment influence?</p><p>The study has a qualitative attempt with hermeneutic touch. Interviews have been permormed with six hearing-impairment students, that had explain about their experiences about their own study situation.The interview guide was half-structured, and the selection was strategic.</p><p>The result shows that the accessibility on the university is decisive on, which aspect of the accessibility that presents. The students point out that it is possible to lay claim to their teacher or lecture´s time in the formal meetings. In the informal meetings, the students focus is to tell about two specific meetings and three specific aspects. The result from on what kind of way the hearing-impairment influence, shows that it depends from situation to situation if the hearing-impairment influence negative or if it does not influence at all. A constant touch from all the six student is that it is much up to the student itself to succeed or not, reference to the studies. Stubborness, good will, believe in itself, be brave and not give up, is qualities that the students experience that it is good to have as a hearing-impairment student in university studies.</p><p>One conclusion is that hearing-impairment students have some influence reference to the meetings with the intepreters, and the meetings with personal from the technical service. On the other hand, the students missing influence to themself, to have power and control, reference to their own study situation, in the meeting with the university as a organization. The students whom have easiest to success in their studies is the students who have the qualities stubborness, good will, believe in themself, be brave and not give up.</p><p>An other conclusion is that still, seven years since Antonson (1998) in a study about hearing-impairment in university studies, gave proposal to important measures (see enclosure 1 in this study), it seems to no noticeable change have been done.</p><p>Keywords: integration, inclusion, hearing-impairment, studysituation, university and universitystudies, accessibility, informal meetings, formal meetings and the hearing-impairment´s influence.</p>

Dissertação de Mestrado em MPA – Administração de Saúde<br>A prestação de cuidados de saúde no Departamento de Saúde de Manises, Valência, Espanha, encontra-se concessionado a BUPA/SANITAS, um grupo privado de saúde. BUPAS/SANITAS é responsável pela prestação de cuidados de saúde primários, especializados e continuados, sendo a primeira experiência, a nível da Península Ibérica, de uma Parceria Público-Privada (PPP) que integra os três níveis assistenciais. Os resultados alcançados desde o início da concessão têm sido muito positivos, quer ao nível de acessibilidade, qualidade ou eficiência. Existe um elevado nível de satisfação por parte dos pacientes: mais de 90% dizem estar satisfeitos com o serviço prestado. Pretende-se com a presente investigação dar a conhecer esta experiência, as suas principais características e fatores distintivos, identificar os benefícios que este modelo pode trazer aos paciências, profissionais, administração pública e setor privado e conhecer as práticas de gestão que permitiram a obtenção dos resultados. Em resultado, identificaram-se as seguintes melhores práticas: integração do sistema de cuidados baseado num sistema de remuneração capitativo; possibilidade de o paciente exercer “livre escolha” e financiamento baseado na filosofia “o dinheiro segue o paciente”; procura constante pela eficiência e implementação planeada de medidas de eficiência; e promoção de relações de interdependência entre o setor público e o setor privado.<br>Health provision in the Health Department of Manises, Valencia, Spain is granted to BUPA/SANITAS, a private healthcare group. BUPA/SANITAS is responsible for providing primary, specialized and long-term care which makes this experience the first Public- Private Partnership (PPP) in the Iberian Peninsula that integrates the three levels of care. So far, the results achieved in terms of accessibility, quality and efficiency have been very positive. There is a high level of satisfaction among users: more than 90% of patients say that they are satisfied with the services provided. This research aims to identify the main characteristics of this PPP, identify the main results achieved and benefits, and list the management practices that allow the achievement of those results. We identified the following best practices: integration of healthcare based on a per capita remuneration system; “free choice” and “money follows the patient” philosophy; efficiency driven management and cautious and planned implementation of efficiency measures; promotion of interdependency between the public and the private sector.

Dans tous les problèmes d’agencement, les contraintes de non-chevauchement entre composants et les contraintes d’appartenanceau conteneur sont présentes. Un modèle d’agencement multiobjectif avec contraintes fonctionnelles est développé. Intégrer l’accessibilité des composants comme contraintes fonctionnelles assure la maintenance ou le fonctionnement des composants. Cependant, les contraintes fonctionnelles augmentent la complexité d’optimisation d’agencement, notée indice de capacité. Par conséquent, un nouvel algorithme d’optimisation multiobjectif est proposé en utilisant le placement constructif et le recuit simulé pour rechercher des solutions de compromis entre les objectifs multiples. Ensuite, un indicateur de similarité est défini pour évaluer les similaires entre les solutions proposées par l’algorithme. Les expériences indiquent que l’approche d’optimistion proposée fonctionne bien pour garantir l’accessibilité et trouver efficacement des solutions optimales dans les problèmes industriels d’agencement d’espace à un ou plusieurs conteneurs, où l’analyse de similarité démontre une bonne diversité solutions proposées par l’algorithme, qui peut être appliqué en tant qu’outil interactif outil pour leconcepteur<br>The conventional layout problem is concerned with finding the arrangements of components inside the container to optimize objectives under geometrical constraints, i.e., no component overlap and no container protrusion. A multi-objective layout model with functional constraints is developed. Integrating the accessibility of components as functional constraints ensures components maintenance or proper operation. However, thefunctional constraints increase the layout optimization complexity, denoted as capacity index. Therefore, a novel multi-objective optimizationalgorithm is proposed using the constructive placement and the simulated annealing to search for compromised solutions between the multiple objectives. Thereafter, a similarity indicator is defined to evaluate how similar optimized layout designs are. The experiments indicate that the proposed optimization approach performs well in ensuring accessibility and efficiently finding high-qualified solutions in single- and multi- container layoutapplications, where the similarity analysis demonstrates good diversity of the obtained layout set, which can be applied as an interactive tool

L’ayant placé dans un contexte historique, l’étude analyse les conséquences que peut entraîner la reconnaissance du handicapé dans nos sociétés modernes. Reconnaissance de son rôle social et professionnel et donc de son intégration, que ce soit sur le plan juridique ou bien en matière d’urbanisme. Aussi cet ouvrage se divise en trois parties distinctes. Tout d’abord, la partie historique intitulée sociétés et handicaps, le poids de l’ignorance. La seconde partie traite du handicap et de l’éducation, l’éducation visant aussi bien les personnes valides que celles handicapées. Former et informer pour intégrer, voilà l’objectif important pour amener les uns et les autres à vivre ensemble. Cela commence à l’école et trouve ses prolongements dans les activités de tous les jours, sociales et professionnelles. Enfin, la troisième partie s’intéresse à l’aménagement de l’espace. L’accessibilité des lieux de vie est l’une des premières conditions à remplir pour que les personnes dites à mobilité réduite puissent effectuer leurs déplacements sans rencontrer de difficultés insurmontables. C’est pourquoi cette partie s’intitule : les handicaps comme supports concrets de la reconquête urbaine. En conclusion, on admettra que pour une complète intégration des personnes handicapées, l’urbanisme peut être envisagé non pas dans une perspective spécifique au handicap, mais susceptible de servir à tous. Cette philosophie peut paraître novatrice dans la mesure où elle a l’avantage de satisfaire l’ensemble des usagers. Cette nouvelle stratégie urbaine se fonde sur l’idée d’anticipation, le valide d’aujourd’hui pouvant devenir le handicapé de demain<br>Set in a historical background, the survey analyses the consequences that the recognition of disabled people may bring about in our modern societies. I mean the recognition of their social and professional role, therefore of their integration as far as their legal rights and town planning are concerned. First. I will broach the historical part entitled : society and handicap. The weight of ignorance. The second part deals with handicap and education ; that is education meant for healthy as well as disabled people. To train and inform in order to integrate that’s the important target to make both groups live together. It begins with school and goes on with everyday’s social and professional activities. At last, the third part is concerned with town planning. Accessibility to public and private places is one of the first condition to fulfill in order to allow people who have difficulty in moving, to move far more easily. That’s why this part is entitled : living space restored to disabled people. In conclusion, we will admit that. For a complete integration of disabled people, town planning can be considered not only as specifically aimed at handicapped people, but as likely to benefit everybody. This way of thinking may seem innovative as far as it has the advantage of meeting all the users’ requirements because of its anticipating character : healthy people today can become disabled people tomorrow

This research intends to develop a more comprehensive and accurate GIS-based Spatial Equity Assessment Framework. The purpose is to provide guidance for measuring potential accessibility integrating size and assessing spatial equity integrating quality for social groups at the household level on the city scale. The research reviews the existing studies in planning and health-related fields on disaggregation techniques, potential accessibility and potential access measurement and spatial equity assessment. As the most accurate place access measurement method, the Population Weighted Centroid (PWC) technique suffers from aggregation errors, a cadastral and address-based population weighting technique, the Household Space Weighting (HSW) technique is developed to measure population access. The HSW technique is formally tested in a case study of General Practitioner (GP) surgeries in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The findings suggest that the PWC technique produces inaccurate population estimations for 267 out of 910 output areas in the city. When applying the two techniques to measure potential accessibility for social groups, taking into account the overlay of service areas on the city scale, the measurement error for the PWC technique is 9-11%, depending on the social group considered. The relative difference in the percentage of social groups with potential access applying the two techniques is 18-22%. This suggests that if service planners or policy makers want to measure potential access to services for social groups in their cities, it would be useful to apply a more accurate population weighting technique, or to at least be aware of the implications of applying the PWC technique. The research also demonstrates the necessity of incorporating demand apart from equality and need and integrating quality in addition to size into spatial equity assessment framework. Thus, the GIS-based Spatial Equity Assessment Framework that is developed in this research is more comprehensive and accurate than the existing studies. The research summarizes how to apply the assessment framework to provide policy recommendations for cities on the city scale. The assessment framework has potential to extend from measuring potential access and assessing spatial equity of healthcare services to other services and from measuring potential access to realized access.

In an effort to shift reliance away from single-occupancy vehicles, many cities have been investing in active and public transportation, and promoting multi-modal travel. It has been recognized both academically and professionally that there is a need to address issues regarding access to transit stations and nodes – the ‘first mile problem.’ Many see bicycles as the answer to the first mile problem; however, scholarly literature has generally neglected exploring how to accommodate bicycles at different stations. This practicum investigates the first mile problem in Edmonton, Alberta, and identifies existing challenges with bicycle access to Edmonton’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The findings suggest three distinct LRT ‘station types’, each requiring a nuanced suite of infrastructure improvements in order to encourage more bicycle access. Further, these improvements can only be realized through the development and execution of comprehensive policies and regulations that support cycling and bike-transit integration.<br>October 2016

South Africa is more than ever, in need of a public transport system integrated within its surroundings. A successful transportation network needs an environment where users can change transport systems with ease and peace of mind. The ultimate goal is to achieve a pedestrian orientated city. This dissertation will attempt to address these problems by redesigning Loftus Metrorail Station located in Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa. Within the transport node, Loftus station, the challenge is to combine the different movement systems intersecting at this point, reinforcing connectivity and accessibility. The transition from public to private needs to be clear and legible - this can be achieved through the appropriate design of the building interface, and clearly defining spatial boundaries. The sense of place is lacking in this area, already containing various landmarks associated with Hatfield. These landmarks assist with the legibility of the project area. This orientation device assists with ease of movement and circulation within the area. The defragmentation of facilities in the Loftus precinct area is due to the large scale of the city block. Loftus station becomes a barrier between the University of Pretoria and Loftus Versfeld Stadium. It is an isolated site – dislocated from its surroundings. The lack of facilities has lead to the station becoming underutilized and dilapidated. By dividing the study area into human scaled city blocks, the area becomes manageable. This division reinforces already existing pedestrian movement patterns. The activation of edges and transparency of the structure ensures a secure environment. The different movement systems at this node influenced the design and choice of materials used in the project. The user requirements had to be satisfied. The careful integration of commerce within the station and surroundings ensure not only a transition space, but also a controlled and activated destination place.<br>Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009.<br>Architecture<br>unrestricted

Natureza Habitável, surge como tema base da presente dissertação, surgindo em simultâneo com outras temáticas adjacentes e abordadas no sub tema aqui apresentado. A problemática gerada em torno da acessibilidade gera-se em dissonância com o desenho do próprio espaço público que constrói a malha da cidade. Há uma grande preocupação em torno dos demais conceitos devido ao crescimento do envelhecimento populacional que se tem constado com o decorrer do tempo. Portugal é um país cada vez mais envelhecido, situação provocada simultaneamente pela redução dos níveis de mortalidade e fecundidade que, por sua vez, contribuem para acentuar o processo de envelhecimento, contudo dá-se um aumento da população idosa. Face ao envelhecimento generalizado da população, ressaltam-se os receios a que lhe estão associados. A saúde é logo identificada como uma condicionante, logo à partida, com idades mais avançadas aumenta a probabilidade de surgirem doenças (crónicas, degenerativas...), surgem as dificuldades em torno da mobilidade dos indivíduos, dificuldades ou lacunas no campo visual, auditivo; aspectos esses que condicionam a mobilidade espacial do indivíduo como também na forma como este percepciona o espaço. Todos estes factores contribuem para uma dependência extra, devido à diminuição da autonomia do indivíduo. A questão da mobilidade e actividade física não deve ser encarada como uma condicionante ao próprio desenho do espaço, mas sim encarada desde início como um ponto de partida, uma premissa base. Os espaços têm que ser projectados de uma forma em que os seus utilizadores se sintam confortáveis, seguros, que os mesmos sintam vontade de os frequentar, de permanecer neles mantendo-os vivos, habitando-os. Face a estas problemáticas surge toda a proposta, que se desenlaça em torno da questão da acessibilidade, sendo este tema um ponto de partida, para todo o processo do projecto, através de conceitos que definem estratégias de desenho como é o caso do design inclusivo e das diferentes filosofias do habitar, que muito contribuíram para todo o processo de desenho aqui apresentado.<br>Habitable Nature emerges as a base theme of the present dissertation, appearing simultaneously with other themes attached to the sub theme presented here . The issues raised about accessibility generates in dissonance with the design of public space itself that builds the fabric of the city . There is a big concern about the other concepts due to the growing aging population that has been featured in the course of time . Portugal is increasingly aged condition caused by simultaneous reduction of fecundity and mortality levels which, in turn, contribute to enhance the aging process, but gives an increase in the elderly population. Given the general aging of the population , we emphasize the fears that are associated with it. Health is immediately identified as a constraint, taking in accout the older ages increases the likelihood of disease (chronic, degenerative ...), difficulties arise around the mobility, difficulties or gaps in the visual field, auditory; these aspects influence the spatial mobility of the individual but also in the way it perceives space. All these factors contribute to a dependency extra due to the decrease of individual autonomy. The issue of mobility and physical activity should not be seen as a constraint to the space design, but viewed from the outset as a starting point, an assumption based . The spaces must be designed in such a way that their users feel comfortable, safe, that they feel the urge to go, to stay on them keeping them alive, inhabiting them . In view of these problems appear throughout the text, which develop around the question of accessibility, being the starting point for the entire design process , by defining concepts design strategies such as the design inclusive and the different philosophies of dwelling , which greatly contributed to the whole design process presented here.

As Acessibilidades é um tema fundamental no desenvolvimento social das pessoas e das cidades, mas é muitas vezes ausente na vida dos que mais dela necessitam para realizarem as suas tarefas independentemente. É necessário perceber as várias formas de minimizar o impacto de obstáculos nos percursos, nas zonas de estar e nos edifícios para que a circulação seja fluida e funcional. É portanto essencial pensar no planeamento urbano como factor decisivo na relação das pessoas independentemente da sua condição física, cognitiva e sensorial de forma a obter resultados que dêem resposta às necessidades de todos.<br>The Accessibility is a key theme in the social development of people and cities, but is often absent in the lives of those who most need it to perform their tasks independently. It is necessary to understand the various ways to minimize the impact of obstacles in the paths, seating areas and buildings so that the movement is fluid and functional. It is therefore essential thinking in urban planning as a decisive factor in the relation between persons irrespective of their physical, cognitive and sensory in order to obtain results that meet the needs of all.

Este trabalho de projecto centra-se principalmente em três elementos fundamentais de análise, e desenvolve uma reflexão em torno das noções de cidade, sociedade e arquitectura. Como objectivo principal, pretende-se discutir a relação complexa destas temáticas apresentadas, inseridas no contexto demográfico actual, do papel ético das acessibilidades, dos modos de habitar e envelhecer no Séc. XXI. A materialização desta discussão constrói uma proposta de intervenção para um local e um programa específico. Como proposta de arquitectura num contexto citadino, a complexidade da paisagem urbana assume-se de um ponto de partida essencial, na compreensão do seu metabolismo heterogéneo, plural, diversificado e em constante mutação. Procura-se saber como a sociedade interage com este meio, sendo ele igualmente complexo, diversificado e em permanente transformação, percepciona, compreende e vivencia. Cabe então à arquitectura desenvolver essa articulação entre cidade e sociedade, procurar uma responsabilidade ética e social na construção de espaços. Perante uma realidade complexa, que características devem então fazer parte do desenho do espaço arquitectónico que traduzem à permanência e utilização de igual forma? Qual deve ser o papel da arquitectura na realidade actual? Como desenvolver uma arquitectura ética baseada nas necessidades de cada indivíduo? São estas interrogações que estruturam e organizam o pensamento ao longo deste trabalho. Apresentados os pressupostos teóricos, procede-se a uma análise e compreensão do local de intervenção, expondo todas as variáveis que concretizam a proposta final de projecto. São ainda apresentados as diversas escalas de intervenção, desde a componente urbana à escala do edifício. Este processo pretende oferecer uma resposta contextualizada com a realidade da cidade e da própria sociedade, onde se procede a uma regeneração urbana com a finalidade de desenvolver uma postura ética e de integração social. O papel ético da arquitectura é cada vez mais importante na construção de espaços acessíveis, de qualidade, que possam ser utilizados por todos sem excepção. A cidade como um espaço de todos para todos.<br>The current project work focuses mainly on the analysis of three key elements, and develops a reflection on the notions of the city, society and architecture. As a primary objective, this work intends to discuss the complex relationship of these themes presented within the current context of the population, the ethical role of architecture, modes of living and aging in the XXI century. The materialization of this discussion builds a proposal for a location and to response to a specific program. As proposed architecture in the city context, the complexity of the urban landscape assumes an essential starting point in understanding their heterogonous, plural, diverse and complex metabolism, which is in constantly changing. So the fundamental point is to know how society, also complex, diverse and constantly changing, interacts with the environment that surrounds it, how he perceives, understands and experiences. There is up to architecture to develop this relationship between the city and society, in a way to seeking a social and ethical responsibility in building spaces for the people. Faced with a complex reality, the main questions centres in what features should be part of the design of architectural space, which translates to individual to stay and use the same way? What should be the role of architecture in current reality? How to develop an ethical architecture based on the needs of each individual? These questions structure and organize the thinking throughout this work. After presenting the theoretical assumptions, the work proceeds to an analysis und understanding of the intervention area, exposing all variables embodying the proposed final design. It also presents the different levels of the project design, from the global perspective to a smaller scale, in particular the urban scale to the building concept. This process aims to provide a response to the contextual reality of the city and society itself, where the whole concept intends to provide an urban repair and regeneration, but must important, intends to develop an ethical and social integration. The ethical role of architecture is increasingly becoming an important part for the concept of accessible buildings, with quality, that can be used by all people without exception. To fulfil a city space for all.

碩士<br>世新大學<br>行政管理學研究所(含博、碩專班)<br>103<br>The Directorate General Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan published recent statistics that indicate natural disasters occur in Taiwan on an average of 9.7 times per year. The urban planning blueprint includes the establishment of disaster prevention parks that play an important role in disaster prevention. The purpose of this research is to investigate the appropriate locations for the disaster prevention parks and how to allocate the associated resources in the event of a disaster in Taipei City. This study conbimes the spatial accessibility and social vulnerability to identify the villiages with the lower accessibility to the parks and other resources for disaster prevention. The results show as fellow: 1.the disaster prevention parks is not well-distributed in Taipei City. 2.the Youth Park of WanHua District has the highest evacuation rate, and the DaAn Forest Park of DaAn District has the second highest evacuation rate. Instead, the JingHua Park of has WenShan District has the lowest evacuation rate. 3.the results from the analysis on social vulnerability show that there are still many areas with high social vulnerability can not access to any disaster prevention parks. In the end, this study has some policy discussion based on the results, and hope to provide some implication of policy for government agencies. In addition, this study also tries to provide the recommendations for the future research.

碩士<br>雲林科技大學<br>設計運算研究所碩士班<br>96<br>To offer the accessibility Web interface should be an incumbent responsibility on Web designer while the population of senior Internet users is increasing in recently. Due to elder users unable to express their uncomfortableness and demands for facing Web interface, that cause the majority of Web designer still lacks the understanding of them. In addition, many senior website did not support the accessibility service for elder Internet users. Therefore, in this thesis we propose “Assistant” + “Accessibility” these two important concepts as the core of studying. In assistant aspect, first we present to collect the literatures of Gerontechnology and Web accessibility design guidelines become Knowledge Base System (KBS). Through the combination of KBS system with on line Web editor becomes a platform to provide the design criteria and Web template for web designer. Then, in accessibility aspect, this research improves the Web accessibility tool by offering the transparent selection for elder people which can adjust the Web interface with customization.

A arquitetura integra-se, mas também integra em si. A ideia desta dualidade é o móbil deste trabalho. O tema “Dualidades da Arquitetura” pode parecer ambíguo, já que o propósito primordial é abordar o problema das acessibilidades. Uma obra de arquitetura deve integrar em si todo um conjunto de mecanismos que facilitem a mobilidade de TODOS quantos a experienciam, adequando-se ao seu utilizador (normal e/ou com deficits), mas deve também integrar-se na sua envolvência, no contexto que a rodeia. É, portanto, necessário abordar o que é a paisagem e perceber as diferentes vertentes de integração que uma obra de arquitetura pode proporcionar. Para que tal aconteça, é imperativo que se adeqúe a arquitetura ao território da melhor forma, estudando os seus layers, onde naturalmente é necessário enquadrar o ser humano e as suas necessidades, nunca descurando a necessidade de conciliar a sua função e uso, com a sua forma, pois a estética deve estar aliada à técnica e à respectiva utilidade. Será essencialmente abordada, na parte teórica, a forma de integrar arquitetura na paisagem, e qual a sua importância, bem como a uma outra escala, o quão ela deve ser também inclusiva, integrando as necessidades de todos e para que todos a possam usar de uma forma segura, prática e agradável. Através de exemplos concretos do projeto realizado para o concurso Schindler Award 2012, em Berna, abordar-se-á o significado destas dualidades. Assim, a partir de uma proposta urbana apresentada, bem como através de um edifício nela presente, se verá especificamente como se integram na paisagem e no território e como englobam em si dimensões relacionadas com o ser humano e as suas carências.<br>The architecture integrates but also integrates itself. The idea of this duality is the motive of this work. The theme “Dualities of Architecture” may seem ambiguous, since the primary purpose is to address the problem of accessibility. A work of architecture must integrate itself a whole set of mechanisms to facilitate the mobility of how EVERYONE experiences it, adapting itself to its user (normal and/or with deficits) but it must also integrate into its surroundings, in the context that surrounds it. It is therefore necessary to address what is the landscape and understand the various aspects of integration that the work of architecture can provide. For this to happen, it is imperative that it adapts the architecture to a territory in the best form, studying its layers, where of course is necessary to frame a human being and its needs, never fading the need to reconcile their function and use, with its shape, as aesthetic must be applied to technique and its usefulness. This will essentially be addressed in the theoretical part, a way to integrate architecture and landscape and what its importance is, as well as in another scale, how it should also be inclusive, incorporating all its needs in order that everyone can use in a safe, practical and enjoyable way. Through concrete examples of the project conducted for the Schindler Award 2012 contest, in Bern, it will specifically address to the meaning of these dualities. Thus, from a presented urban proposal, as well as through an included building, you will see precisely how they integrate into the landscape and territory and include in themselves dimensions related to the human being and its needs.

Efficient records management is a founding block for successful transparency and accountability initiatives. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) promotes transparency and accountable management of extractive resources by disclosing governments’ and extractive companies' value chain information in resource-rich countries. Without proper management of records, transparency and accountability in the extractive industry become difficult. This study sought to explore the integration of records management in the Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TEITI) with the view to develop a framework for incorporating records management in such an initiative. This qualitative case study anchored on the interpretivism research paradigm used the researcher’s conceptual framework as a theoretical lens. The study sample was purposively selected from the public institutions involved in TEITI, namely, TEITI Committee and the Secretariat, Mining Commission, Records and Archives Management Department, Tanzania Revenue Authority, and Regional Mines Office Dodoma. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and analysis of documents. The study established that Tanzania has a well-established archives and records management infrastructure. However, institutions involved in TEITI did not implement the infrastructure or developed in-house procedures to incorporate records management in the initiative. Also, the non involvement of various players of the extractive sector in TEITI resulting in silos approaches to the initiative was noted. In addition, the studied institutions do not plan for their records management activities, and the budgets to support records management activities are inadequate. Records management staff are also insufficient, and their competencies to manage records mining activities is limited. The study concludes that because of the failure to integrate records management in TEITI, the initiative will not succeed in releasing its goal of bringing about transparency and accountability in the extractive sector in Tanzania until deliberate efforts are taken to incorporate records management as a critical component of the initiative. The study proposes a framework upon which the TEITI Committee, institutions and governments can apply to integrate records management in the EITI. Overall, the study bridges the gap of a missed inclusion of records management in the EITI initiative by proposing a framework. A further study on the underlying factors deterring the integration of records management in the organisational business process of institutions involved in TEITI is proposed.<br>Information Science<br>Ph. D. (Information Science)

Tese no âmbito do Doutoramento em Biociências, ramo de especialização em Ecologia, apresentada ao Departamento de Ciências da Vida da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra.<br>Ecosystem services (ES) are defined as the final outcomes of the internal structures, processes, and functions derived from ecosystems that contribute to human well-being. It is a growing and valuable concept that supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, facilitating connections between people and nature. Nevertheless, although ES have gained representation in science and policy agendas, a gap remains between ES research and the information required to support management decisions. To fulfil this gap, this thesis contributes to highlight the pathways through which the ES concept can be made usable to decision-makers, adding information and presenting methodological approaches organized in two operationalisation facets: A) Access to reliable datasets (i.e. availability of site-specific spatial datasets), and B) support to management actions (i.e. effects of pressures on the delivery of ES). This work is focused on coastal and marine ecosystems and uses the Atlantic coastal region adjacent to the Mondego River as a case study. This region was selected due to community interest to develop environmental management proposals and the willing of local decision-makers to implement an ecosystem-based management to promote the sustainable development of the area. The accomplishment of the abovementioned objective was driven by three main research questions: 1) Are current open source spatial databases suitable to informed decision-making related to coastal and marine ecosystem services in Europe?; 2) Can gap analyses based on site-specific databases contribute to the development of ES research and knowledge transfer?; and lastly, 3) How to explore the role of ES supply and demand in spatial explicit habitat risk assessments? The chapters cover the necessity to gather, systematize and organize information regarding ecosystem services status, trends and gaps (Chapters I, II and III), and the application of conceptual approaches (Chapter III) as well as methodological approaches (Chapters III and IV) to identify the relationships between the ecological characteristics of habitats, the pressures acting on the system, and the role of management actions and decision-making to support the operationalisation of the ecosystem services approach. Chapter I introduces the ES concept, describes the current state of ES studies, placing emphasis on coastal and marine ecosystems, and presents the needs for information to guide decision-making in terms of current conceptual, methodological, policy and applicability challenges. This chapter also describes the main characteristics of the Atlantic coastal region adjacent to the Mondego River, used as a case study to test our proposals. Chapter II covers facets A and B and addresses research question 1. It presents a set of useful databases to map European coastal and marine ES with a deep analysis linked to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) framework, as well as the Driver-Pressure-Status-Impact and Response (DPSIR) management framework and their utility to support the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. 581 open source databases were analysed, but only 193 allowed further work to map ecosystem services. Most of these were related to regulation services and had the ability to report the status of ecosystems and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) descriptors linked with hydrogeological conditions (D7), Eutrophication (D5), and Biodiversity (D1). The results highlight the open source spatial data limitations to be integrated into in-depth study case analyses focused on mapping ecosystem services in Europe, as well as the need to improve the metadata behind the datasets for a better interpretation of the information. Chapter III is linked to facets A and B and addresses research question 2. It presents a multicriteria decision-making approach to identify ES research hotspots at the local level, based on a literature review of coastal and marine ES. This methodology identified 231 potential and current CICES ecosystem services, linked to 21 EUNIS (European Nature Information System) habitats in the study area. The results highlight the local importance of cultural services and the need to deepen ES research associated to saltworks’ habitats. In addition, the results emphasize the value and necessity to establish priority areas for management actions, since it is not possible to manage large areas at the same time with enough efficiency to obtain good results in all of them. Chapter IV focuses on the operationalisation of facet B and addresses research question 3. This chapter establishes an explicit spatial relationship between habitat risk and the vulnerability of ecosystems in the presence of ES supply, using a modified habitat risk assessment (HRA) model from the InVEST tool. The results indicate that the modified HRA model appears to be more in accordance with the social-environmental realm than a non-modified HRA model, suggesting its usefulness for decision-making processes. For the study area, intertidal habitats, specially seagrasses, were identified to be at risk due to sea level rise and Nitrogen enrichment, however the results also indicate that these habitats are sensitive to management actions, and thus may be positively influenced by actions that tend to reduce their exposure to risk. The findings could be a useful addition to the political management documents that recommend taking precautionary actions to protect potentially vulnerable areas. Chapter V offers a discussion about the need to manage information and create consensus in operative definitions, promote the legitimization of shared objectives and to prioritize actions to avoid the risk of service loss, taking into account the dynamic and context dependence of ecosystem services, as well as a friendly communication strategy to ensure the participation of all social actors in the accomplishment of the objectives defined. The study also suggests ways to introduce ES in decision making through understandable and replicable steps, especially in local scales with scarce information. In summary, this study focuses on the importance of information to describe the spatial heterogeneity that makes it possible to recognize the potential of ecosystems to meet the human demand for services and to improve the understanding and management of ES across scales. Likewise, it stresses the importance of the existence of conceptual and methodological frameworks to provide structure to the real-world, highlighting important avenues for the assessment of ecosystem services and ways to communicate results from the scientific community to policymakers and practitioners.<br>Os serviços dos ecossistemas (SE) podem-se definir como o resultado final das estruturas internas, processos e funções derivados dos ecossistemas, que contribuem para o bem-estar humano. Este é um conceito em ascensão e importante para atingir os Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável, nomeadamente por facilitar a conexão entre as pessoas e a natureza. Embora os SE tenham ganhado protagonismo nas agendas científica e política, ainda há uma lacuna entre a investigação em SE e a informação necessária para apoiar decisões de gestão. Neste contexto, este trabalho contribui para o processo através do qual o conceito de SE se torna útil para os decisores políticos, por meio da apresentação da informação e propostas metodológicas que têm sido organizadas em duas facetas do processo de operacionalização: A) Acessibilidade a bases de dados confiáveis (i.e., na disponibilidade de dados espaciais), e B) Apoio à gestão (i.e., nos efeitos das pressões no fornecimento de SE). O trabalho foca-se nos ecossistemas marinho-costeiros e utiliza a Região da Costa Atlântica adjacente ao Rio Mondego como caso de estudo. Esta área tem sido escolhida com base no interesse da comunidade para desenvolver propostas de gestão ambiental e pela disponibilidade dos decisores locais para implementar uma gestão na base dos ecossistemas para promover o desenvolvimento sustentável da área. Para atingir o objetivo acima mencionado o trabalho foi orientado para três questões científicas: 1) Serão as atuais bases de dados espaciais em formato aberto adequadas para apoiar decisões informadas sobre os SE marinho-costeiros na Europa? 2) Poderá a análise de lacunas em bases de dados locais contribuir para o desenvolvimento da investigação em SE e, assim, apoiar a transferência de conhecimento? 3) Como integrar a análise da oferta e da procura em SE numa análise de risco de habitats de forma espacialmente explícita? Os capítulos cobrem a necessidade de reunir, sistematizar e organizar informação relacionada sobre o status dos serviços dos ecossistemas, as tendências e as lacunas ali existentes (Capítulos I, II e III), e a aplicação de abordagens conceptuais (capítulo III) bem como as propostas metodológicas (Capítulo III e IV) a fim de identificar as relações entre as características ecológicas dos habitats, as pressões que atuam sobre o sistema e o papel das ações de gestão e decisões tomadas para apoiar a abordagem dos serviços dos ecossistemas. O Capítulo I apresenta o conceito dos SE, descreve o estado da arte do tema, com ênfase nos ecossistemas marinho-costeiros, e apresenta as necessidades de informação em SE para orientar a tomada de decisões, considerando desafios conceituais, metodológicos, políticos e de aplicação. Este capítulo também descreve as principais características da Região da Costa Atlântica adjacente ao Rio Mondego, usada como estudo de caso para aplicar nossas propostas. O Capítulo II integra as facetas de operacionalização A e B e responde à questão 1). Apresenta um conjunto de bases de dados úteis para mapear os SE marinho-costeiros na Europa e faz uma análise profunda vinculada à estrutura da Classificação Internacional dos SE (CICES) e à estrutura de gestão DPSIR, assim como à sua utilidade para apoiar a Diretiva-Quadro Estratégia Marinha. 581 bases de dados de código aberto foram analisadas, mas apenas 193 tiveram potencial para ser envolvidas em trabalhos de mapeamento de SE na Europa. A maioria das bases de dados está relacionada com os serviços de regulação e tem capacidade para informar sobre o status dos ecossistemas e sobre os descritores relacionados com as condições hidrogeológicas (D7), de eutrofização (D5) e a biodiversidade (D1) da Diretiva Quadro da Estratégia Marinha (MSFD). Assim, os resultados deste capítulo sublinham as limitações e os desafios das bases de dados de acesso aberto para se integrar em estudos mais profundos sobre mapeamento dos SE na Europa e identificam as lacunas e oportunidades que estas oferecem para a gestão sustentável dos ecossistemas marinho-costeiros. O Capítulo III integra as facetas A e B e responde à questão 2). Com base em revisão de literatura, apresenta uma abordagem para a tomada de decisões multicritério capaz de identificar hotspots de investigação em SE ao nível local. Os resultados permitiram identificar, na área em estudo, 231 SE atuais e potenciais, em conformidade com a CICES, vinculados a 21 habitats EUNIS, com destaque para a importância local dos serviços culturais e a necessidade de uma maior investigação associada aos habitats Salinas. Os resultados deste capítulo sublinham o valor e a necessidade de estabelecer áreas prioritárias para as ações de gestão com base na ideia que não é possível implementar ações em grandes áreas, ao mesmo tempo e com a mesma eficiência, para obter bons resultados em todas elas. O Capítulo IV foca-se na faceta B e está orientado para a questão 3). Este capítulo estabelece uma relação espacialmente explícita entre o risco a que um habitat está sujeito e a vulnerabilidade dos seus ecossistemas num contexto de usufruto de SE, utilizando um modelo modificado da Análise de Risco de Habitats (HRA) da ferramenta InVEST. Os resultados mostraram que o modelo modificado apresenta uma maior concordância com a realidade, por comparação com um modelo não-modificado, sugerindo que terá utilidade em processos de tomada de decisão. Para a área de estudo, os habitats interditais, nomeadamente as pastagens marinhas, foram identificadas em risco devido ao incremento no nível do mar e ao enriquecimento do nitrogénio. Os resultados também indicaram que esses habitats são sensíveis as ações de manejo para reduzir sua exposição ao risco. Esta proposta fornece um complemento útil para ser adicionado aos documentos de gestão que recomendam a adoção de ações preventivas para proteger areas potencialmente vulneráveis. O Capítulo V discute a necessidade de apresentar e usar a informação para criar consenso nas definições operativas, promover a legitimação de objetivos partilhados e priorizar ações para evitar o risco de perder SE, considerando a dinâmica e os contextos dos SE e uma estratégia de comunicação amigável que assegure a participação de todos os atores socias na concretização dos objetivos definidos. Na discussão, esta tese sugere formas para introduzir os SE nas decisões ao longo de passos compreensíveis e replicáveis, nomeadamente em escalas locais com escassa informação. Em resumo, este estudo focou sua atenção na importância da informação para descrever a heterogeneidade espacial que torna possível reconhecer o potencial dos ecossistemas para satisfazer a demanda humana de serviços e para melhorar a compreensão e gestão dos SE através de diferentes escalas. Da mesma forma, enfatiza a importância da existência de estruturas conceituais e metodológicas para fornecer estrutura ao mundo real, destacando importantes formas de avaliar os SE e maneiras de comunicar os resultados da comunidade científica aos formuladores de políticas e profissionais.