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Please, contribute to the content of your efita newsletter, and advertise
your events, new publications, new products and new project in this newsletter.
Without your support, it will not survive!
Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net
I keep copies of the EFITA Newsletter since number 214 (that is from
2005) and I’d like to congratulate you for that wonderful task of putting
people and interests together for synergies.
Contact: Alexandre ESCOLA
E-mail: aescola(a)eagrof.udl.cat
digital-earth.eu: a European initiative promoting the use of geo-media
in schools
11 – 15 April - MANCHESTER
digital-earth.eu is a unique collaboration among a wide range of organisations
dealing with geoinformation in school education from across Europe. The
goal is to share and promote innovative practices and persuade decision
makers of the importance of these developments. A network of accredited
national and regional experts acts as multipliers, working with teachers
and educators in their own countries.
Digital-earth.eu, a European Centre of Excellence, is based at the Austrian
Centre digital:earth:at (www.digitalearth.at), founded in 2009 in Salzburg.
Currently, digital-earth.eu has 76 partners in 22 countries, including
schools, teacher education and training institutions as well as national
Ministries of Education and European associations. From April 11th to
15th 2012, the second digital-earth.eu Conference will be held in Manchester,
UK. Delegates will have the opportunity to further develop learning and
teaching strategies within digital-earth.eu Special Interest Groups and
to take part in the Geographical Association Conference on April 13th
and 14th.
>>> Lobbying for digital earth
Partners of the digital-earth.eu Comenius Network have been actively lobbying
to include geo-media in European education through the Digital Agenda
for Europe initiative (http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/.
The digital-earth.eu project "Needs Analysis Report" confirmed
that in European education, there has been little or no attention to using
emerging geo-spatial technologies in European schools. There are some
national and European pilot projects, but large-scale implementation is
so far lacking. As a result lobbying led to meetings between representatives
of EUROGEO and ESRI-Europe and the office of Commissioner Kroes in March
2012. Members of the digital-earth.eu project were invited to present
a pilot project to the Commission for consideration. A follow up is planned.
>>> Digital-earth.eu at the World Geospatial Forum
Karl Donert (digital-earth.eu, EUROGEO) and Josef Strobl (Z_GIS, Salzburg)
will present papers at the Geospatial World Forum 2012 in Amsterdam at
the end of April.
This is a major worldwide event for the geospatial industry, where stakeholders
such as solution providers, policy makers and users will discuss, debate
and interact on the future of the industry under the theme 'Geospatial
Industry & World Economy'. A presentation of the activities of the
digital-earth.eu Network in influencing European policy is scheduled in
a seminar on the 'geospatial industry and the Digital Agenda for Europe'.
New members, especially from countries that are not yet included, are
highly welcome to join the network.
See: http://www.digital-earth.eu
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_194962307182965
http://twitter.com/#!/digitaleartheu
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/digitaleartheu-3761133
Contact: Michaela LINDNER-FALLY
E-mail: office(a)digital-earth.eu
Geospatial World Forum 2012
23 - 27 April - AMSTERDAM
This forum will bring together the global geospatial community to discuss
and deliberate on geospatial technologies and its effect on various industry
verticals of the world economy. The forum shall also set the future roadmap
of the geospatial industry.
Some key facts about the conference:
- Biggest confluence of geospatial industry with over 2000+ participants
from 100+ countries
- Participation of over 1000 senior executives from Europe alone
- Balanced participation of Industry, User community, Government decision
makers and Academia from across regions
- Over 300 high profile speakers addressing various sessions (Learn more
about the speakers and read their abstracts at
http://www.geospatialworldforum.org/2012/speakers.htm
- Breeding ground for new business opportunities with over 40 companies
exhibiting their products and services spread across 3000 sqmtr space
- Knowledge Sharing through a diverse set of sessions
- Exchange Forums, Plenaries, Symposia, Seminars, and Workshops
See: http://www.geospatialworldforum.org/2012/registration/form.htm
Contact : Yogesh NAGER
Yogesh(a)geospatialmedia.
PROGIS at the Geospatial World Forum 2012
23 - 27 April - AMSTERDAM
True to the maxim, shifting paradigms can quickly lead to better results,
PROGIS will give a presentation on: “We need to change GIS – from top
down to bottom up and vice versa”. Come and listen and visit us in the
exhibition hall…
See: http://www.progis.com
Contact: Walter MAYER
E-mail: mayer(a)progis.com
AFITA/WCCA 2012 Online Submission has been extended to April 30, 2012
3 - 6 September – TAIPEI
See: http://events.con.com.tw/AFITA2012/modules/callforpapers/index.asp
Research Group on Precision Agriculture, AgroICT and Agrotechnology
(GRAP)
See: http://www.grap.udl.cat/grap/en/About_Us/index.html
Call for Papers - International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental
Information Systems (IJAEIS) - IGI Global USA - http://www.igi-global.com/IJAEIS
; http://deas.irstea.fr
The mission of the International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental
Information Systems (IJAEIS) is to provide holistic approaches to the
design, development, and implementation of complex agricultural and environmental
information systems, addressing the integration of several scientific
domains such as agronomy, mathematics, economics, and computer science.
Targeting professors, researchers, academicians, and environmentalists,
IJAEIS provides a forum for innovative findings in the development of
applied software engineering and environmental information systems.
>>> [IJAEIS] Special Issue On: Wireless Sensor Networks for
Agricultural and Environmental Applications
Submission Due Date
4/30/2012
>>> Guest Editors
Dr. Jean-Pierre Chanet, Irstea - Cemagref, France; Prof. Kun-Mean Hou,
Limos, Blaise Pascal University, France; Dr. Hai-Ying Zhou, Harbin Institute
of Technology, Harbin, China; Prof. Decheng Zuo, Harbin Institute of Technology,
Harbin, China
>>> Introduction
Issues such as climate change and impacts of human activity on the environment
are key points to be taken into account in any decision support system
related to agriculture or environment. Large scale data acquisition is
a crucial component in the chain of decision-making because used models
should be validated by relatively large amounts of real-world data. Wireless
Sensor Network (WSN) technology enables massive collection of real-world
data. WSN can collect regular data even in inaccessible areas, such as
underground, rivers, and mountains. Moreover environmental data collected
via WSN may be used for emergency alert cases, such as flooding, avalanche,
and pollution.
>>> Objective
This special issue addresses theoretical and practical approaches to WSN
and WSAN taking into account their specificities and constraints (e.g.,
implementation of WSN or WSAN) for outdoor environment through agricultural
and environmental applications. Thus, this special issue provides an opportunity
for researchers to contribute and to support sustainable development for
preserving the planet.
>>> Recommended Topics
Topics to be discussed in this special issue include (but are not limited
to) the following:
- Agriculture and agricultural management
- Bio-diversity
- Bio-fuel
- Climate change
- Distributed collaborative information processing
- Environmental application tool boxes: environment and tools
- Environmental risks management
- Forestry, forestation, deforestation
- Hardware and software platforms, middleware
- Land and water management
- Land use, land cover mapping
- Mobile ad hoc networks and sensor networks
- Modeling, algorithms, and performance evaluation
- Quality of Service (QoS) in wireless sensor networks
- Sustainability Impacts and indicators
- Underground wireless sensor network
- Underwater wireless sensor networks
>>> Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit papers for this special
theme issue on Wireless Sensor Networks for Agricultural and Environmental
Applications, on or before April 30, 2012. All submissions must be original
and may not be under review by another publication. INTERESTED AUTHORS
SHOULD CONSULT THE JOURNAL’S GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS at
http://www.igi-global.com/Files/AuthorEditor/guidelinessubmission.pdf.
All submitted papers will be reviewed on a double-blind, peer review basis.
Papers must follow APA style for reference citations.
All submissions and inquiries should be directed to the attention of:
Jean-Pierre Chanet
E-mail: jean-pierre.chanet(a)irstea.fr
[IJAEIS] Special Issue On: Online Information Systems and eServices
for Rural Development
Submission Due Date
4/30/2012
>>> Guest Editors
Ass. Prof. Maria Lambrou (University of the Aegean, Greece), Angelo Marco
Luccini (INSEAD, France), Dr. Chiara Ghidini (FBK, Italy), and Nikolaos
Mariano (Greek Research Technology Network, Greece)
>>> Introduction
It is widely acknowledged that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) constitute
a critical aspect of the overall production process in liberal economies.
Hence, it becomes evident that the optimization of their productive processes
and the minimization of their operating costs are in the interest of the
greater business ecosystem. However, although significant provision has
been taken in terms of motivating the foundation and sustainability of
SME’s, there are yet criticalities pertaining to each enterprise’s distinct
idiosyncrasies that need to be addressed. One of these issues is the low
penetration degree of innovative tools and technologies by SME’s residing
in rural areas. The side effects stemming from such a deficiency are more
or less evident; however, they become more dominant under the specific
circumstances that characterize the operation or rural enterprises, i.e.,
the physical distance between their premises and central public authorities,
which make the respective transactions cumbersome and costly. Furthermore,
even in cases of well-organized local authorities and administrations
with physical representation nearby rural areas, SME’s failure to alleviate
the cost of their administrative transactions, through the effective adoption
of technology, can significantly undermine their everyday operation and,
in long term, their economic growth and prosperity.
To address such issues, EC significantly motivates the adoption of sophisticated
e-government services. According to the European Union (EU) definition,
e-government is the use of ICT in public administration, combined with
organizational change and new skills, in order to improve public services
and democratic processes and strengthen support to public policies (EC,
2003). By adopting the i2010 strategy (EC, 2005), the EU has been committed
among others to provide better, more accessible and cost effective public
services through the usage of ICT, acknowledging in this way the significance
of e-government for social inclusion, economic growth and quality of life.
EC’s determination to address this issue has been also demonstrated through
the elaboration of specific target figures regarding administrative burden
reduction, i.e., a reduction of about 25% need to have been accomplished
by the year 2012. In the same scope, EC has elaborated a series of specific
objectives to be addressed by relevant research initiatives. The list
of these objectives includes among others:
Encouraging the take-up and diffusion of ICT in the fields of e-business
(particularly in
relation to SMEs), e-skills and e-learning;
Encouraging the take-up and diffusion of ICT. Take up and diffusion of
ICT is essential in rural areas for diversification, as well as for local
development;
Building local partnership capacity, animation and promoting skills acquisition
can help mobilize local potential;
Promoting private-public partnership in encouraging innovative approaches
to rural development and bringing the private and public sectors together;
Promoting cooperation and innovation can play an essential role in connecting
people to new ideas and approaches, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship
and promote inclusiveness and the provision of local services. On-line
communities can help in the dissemination of knowledge, the exchange of
good practices and innovation in rural products and services;
Improving local governance. To foster innovative approaches to linking
agriculture, forestry and the local economy thereby helping to diversify
the economic base and strengthen the socio-economic tissue of rural areas.
>>> Objective
To this direction, the general aim of this special issue is to assess
the current status and technologies, as well as to outline the major challenges
and future perspectives, related to the design, deployment, evaluation
and uptake of e-government services for SMEs in rural areas.
>>> Recommended Topics
Topics to be discussed in this special issue include (but are not limited
to) the following:
- Assessing current e-government services for rural areas: efficiency,
security, privacy, and cost effectiveness
- Data protection and data privacy affecting e-government adoption in
rural areas
- Digital identity management for e-government services and SMEs
- E-government for rural communities’ inclusion
- E-government legal issues and rural SMEs
- E-government services to enhance self-employment in rural areas
- E-government technologies and applications for rural SMEs
- E-services evaluation for rural SMEs
- Future challenges regarding e-government services for SMEs
- ICT education and training initiatives for rural SMEs
- Methodologies, frameworks and architectures for deploying e-government
in SMEs
- Mobile government applications for SMEs
- Policy issues for the provision of e-government services
- Privacy-preserving e-government technologies, applications and services
- Real-life case studies of e-government services that support rural entrepreneurship
- Regional authorities adoption of e-government technologies
- Regional SMEs’ adoption of e-government services
- Rural living labs
- SMEs’ requirements and needs for e-government services provision
- Strategic planning for e-government in SMEs
>>> Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit papers for this special
theme issue on Online Information Systems and eServices for Rural Development,
on or before April 30, 2012. All submissions must be original and may
not be under review by another publication. INTERESTED AUTHORS SHOULD
CONSULT THE JOURNAL’S GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS at http://www.igi-global.com/Files/AuthorEditor/guidelinessubmission.pdf.
All submitted papers will be reviewed on a double-blind, peer review basis.
Papers must follow APA style for reference citations.
Contact: Nikolaos MARIANOS - Guest Editor
E-mail: n.marianos(a)chios.aegean.gr
DIALE project: Don't let your organization's investments in online
learning technologies soar, because of lack of dialogue skills!
Organizations should support their investments in online learning technologies
with the creation of Dialogue skills capacity and building a social infrastructure;
the DIALE project suggests. For further information on the strategic thinking
of achieving this and for the DIALE project, please refer to the following
Bulletin and Article.
>>> Bulletin Contents
1. Why DIALE: Dialogue and Authenticity in Online Learning
2. Are you an Educator? Look at the so far pilot training results
3. Watch the sessions’ videos!
4. Social Media
5. The DIALE Webservice
6. Download the Method Cards – For Free!
7. For Researchers and Pedagogists: Articles and papers
8. Contact us / Get Involved
9. Who are we?
Bulletin Link (in .pdf and .doc): https://wiki.hamk.fi/display/diale/DIALE+Bulletin+1
Article: "Again from the Scratch: Dialogue and Genuine Interaction
in Online Learning. The shortcomings in online interaction and the
DIALE method"
Article Link: www.aimcy.eu/DIALE_Article_EN.pdf
Voted Best joke in Ireland
John O'Reilly hoisted his beer and said, "Here's to spending
the rest of me life, between the legs of me wife!"
That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night!
He went home and told his wife, Mary, "I won the prize for the Best
toast of the night."
She said, "Aye, did ye now. And what was your toast?"
John said, "Here's to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church
beside me wife."
"Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!" Mary said.
The next day, Mary ran into one of John's drinking buddies on the street
corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, "John won the prize
the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary."
She said, "Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised myself. You
know, he's only been in there twice in the last four years. Once he fell
asleep, and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come."
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