Paris, 14 April 2008


EFITA newsletter / 357 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


In the near future, may be, I will be able to be more active in the field of agro ICT
I just started in my new job as team manager at WUR PPO - AGV in LELYSTAD.
Contact: Jan KAMP
E-mail: jan.kamp(a)wur.nl.
 

Agriculture and natural resources
This is both a call for papers for a stream at OR50 (i.e. operational research) and an invitation to help relaunch this OR society special interest group.
In initiative is underway to rejuvenate interest in this topical area which also involves prominent Operational Research professionals Eric Audsley (Cranfield University) and Tahir Rehman (Reading University).  In this endeavour we are strategically collaborating with Lluis Plà (University of Lleida), the coordinator of EWG-ORAFM (EURO working group on Operational Research in Agriculture and Forest Management)
Our scope aims to encapsulate the management of all of the biotic primary production industries (agriculture, forestry, fisheries, etc) and their underpinning natural resources (soils, water, ecosystems, etc), at policy, strategic and tactical levels.  This definition includes the production of goods and [ecosystem] services as well as their related chains or webs of secondary industries and logistics.  It is application orientated and not restricted to any particular method.  Some of these methods will, of necessity, have been applied in a very innovative manner.
Additionally, the governance and management of these industries place this area at the vanguard of operational research's contribution to sustainability.  We offer a platform for those working on such issues.
Papers for this stream at OR50 are submitted through the OR society website: http://www.theorsociety.com
In addition to meeting at OR50 a relaunch event is planned for February 2009.  Send expressions of interest in this special interest group to Daniel Sandars, Cranfield University, e-mail
See: http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/sas/nrmc/index.jsp
Contact: Daniel L. SANDARS
E-mail: daniel.sandars(a)cranfield.ac.uk


Contour lines in Google Map
Contour lines don't come up on a daily basis; it's rare enough that anyone even checks a map. But contour lines do have a number of uses, and Google has just introduced the lines on its Terrain Maps option within Google Maps.

A bit of explanation may be necessary here. "Contour lines depict elevation change by connecting points of equal elevation. Where contour lines are close together, you can expect a steep slope; where they are spread out, you can expect flatter terrain. They help highlight the elevation of areas like cities or plains where shading alone doesn't capture gradual changes in elevation."

So if you're going hiking, biking, agriculture activities or even driving (steep and narrow roads are no fun in icy conditions), contour lines can come in handy. Plan easy or challenging routes as you please.

Of course, the implementation of contour lines may not be perfect - many users will prefera higher degree of resolution. But since the lines could and/or should have come along when Google first introduced Terrain Maps in November 2007, it's nice that they've been included in any condition now.

www.hotels-in-france.nl offers some demo's of Terrain map in Google's "Terrain View". See one of the demo's on the link below:
http://www.hotels-in-france.nl/index.php/Grenoble.html
See: http://www.visitholland.nl
See: http://www.mapstars.com
Contact: Rene HUSKEN
Mail: r.husken(a)geo-t.nl


ICT2008 - "I's" to the Future – Invention, Innovation, Impact
25 - 27 November 2008 – LYON - France,
This year's ICT event - the largest research event in Europe in 2008 - will examine:
European Union priorities in ICT research for over €2 billion of funding available in 2009-2010
The major current technological trends which impact upon strategic research planning
Public research policies to stimulate research and innovation
The event will host leading visionaries from academia and industry and will address topics as diverse as Europe's role in shaping the future internet, ICT's contribution to advancing the sustainability agenda and alternative research paths for future ICT components and systems.
Call for exhibits – deadline 5 May
The exhibition aims at showing concrete results of research in and around Europe related to information and communications technologies. The call for exhibition ideas is open to any organisation involved in European research and development as well as deployment projects and associated support activities.
Call for networking sessions – deadline 16 June
The event will include networking sessions to provide an open forum for exchanging views and ideas on how to address current ICT challenges. Networking sessions encourage forward-thinking collaborative initiatives that support the development of the European Research Area. Researchers, innovators and engineers from all ICT fields are invited to suggest pertinent themes. Deadline for submissions is 16 June 2008.
See: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/ict/2008/index_en.htm


17th International Conference on Information Systems Development (ISD 2008)
25 - 27 August - PAPHOS, Cyprus
Information Systems Development (ISD) progresses rapidly, continually creating new challenges for the professionals involved. New concepts and approaches emerge constantly in this field. Progress in ISD comes from research as well as from practice. Over the past 16 years, the ISD conference has acted as an international forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences between researchers, academy and industry, and as a means to stimulate exploration of new solutions.
The theme of ISD 2008 is "Towards a Service-Provision Society". The conference features a number of tracks covering a wide spectrum of contemporary topics in the field of Information Systems Development. These tracks are the following ones:
* Information Systems Research Methodology
* Service-Oriented Analysis and Design of Information Systems
* IT Service Management
* Philosophical and Theoretical Issues in ISD
* Model-Driven Engineering in ISD
* Enterprise Systems Development & Adoption
* Intelligent Information Systems
* Public Information Systems Development
* Agile and High-Speed Systems Development Methods
* Information Systems Engineering & Management
* Business Systems Analysis & Design
* Human Computer Interaction (HCI) in ISD
* ISD Education
* ISD in Developing Nations
* Legal and Administrative Aspects of ISD
See: http://isd2008.cs.ucy.ac.cy


Last will
John was on his deathbed and gasped pitifully.
"Give me one last request, dear," he said.
"Of course, John," his wife said softly.
"Six months after I die," he said, "I want you to marry Bob."
"But I thought you hated Bob," she said.
With his last breath John said, "I do!"


A lawyer…
A lawyer pushes a BMW into a gas station and tells the mechanic it died. After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
"What's the story?" asks the car owner.
"Just crap in the carburetor," replies the mechanic.
The owner asks, "How often do I have to do that?"


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