scholarly journals SCALE IN REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING: THE RECONSTRUCTION OF NORTH-BRABANT, THE NETHERLANDS

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (01) ◽  
pp. 1250004 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDRE KOOIMAN ◽  
SUKHAD SUBODH KESHKAMAT
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Selection Of

Selection of scale in science and planning is often guided by ad-hoc decisions and arguments of accuracy and availability of existing data and resources. A more analytical approach to selection of scale and a bridge between theoretical insight and practical application is required. This paper reviews recent developments in thinking on theoretical concepts on scale from the perspective of geo-information science and compares these with a real life case. The concept of scale is framed as a three dimensional boundary object that explains scale choice as resultant of rationalities in reality-, model- and data scales. It is applied to a case-study of how issues of scale were handled in the Reconstruction program of the Province of North Brabant in The Netherlands. The Reconstruction is an ongoing regional spatial planning exercise that started in the year 2000 in response to major veterinary, environmental, social and economic problems in areas with concentrations of intensive livestock keeping. It combines legislation and policies at international, national, regional and municipal levels. Geographic information was produced to support and present the results of the plan process and related SEA. Scale of various intermediate and final geo-information products varied from 1:5000–1:400,000 and was dependent on the plan stage, plan status and target audience, plan instrument, level of participation, data characteristics, costs and technology. By comparing theory with the case study we bring out the criteria and conditions of selection of appropriate scale whereby the usefulness of academic research in geographic information science for planning and decision making could be improved.

scholarly journals BBusiness Models of eHealth Interventions to Support Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia in the Netherlands: Case Study Analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Liane Christie ◽  
Lizzy Mitzy Maria Boots ◽  
Ivo Hermans ◽  
Mark Govers ◽  
Huibert Johannes Tange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
People With Dementia

BACKGROUND In academic research contexts, eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia have shown ample evidence of effectiveness. However, they are rarely implemented into practice and much can be learned from their counterparts (from commercial, governmental, or other origins) that are already being used in practice. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1.) examine a sample of case studies of eHealth interventions to support informal caregivers of people with dementia, that are currently used in the Netherlands; (2.) investigate what strategies are used to ensure the desirability, feasibility, viability, and sustainability of the interventions, and (3.) apply the lessons learned from this practical, commercial implementation perspective to academically developed eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia. METHODS In step one, experts (N=483) in the fields of dementia and eHealth were contacted and asked to recommend interventions that met the following criteria: (1.) delivered via the internet, (2.) suitable for informal caregivers of people with dementia, (3.) accessible in the Netherlands, either in Dutch or in English, and (4.) used in practice. The contacted experts were academics working on dementia and/or psychosocial innovations, industry professionals from eHealth software companies, clinicians, patient organisations, and people with dementia and their caregivers. In step two, contact persons from the suggested eHealth interventions participated in a semi-structured telephone interview. The results were analysed using multiple-case study methodology. RESULTS Twenty-one eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia were suggested by experts. Nine of these 21 interventions met all four criteria and were included in the sample for case study analysis. Four cases were found to have developed sustainable business models. Five cases were implemented in a more exploratory manner and relied on research grants to varying extents, though some had also developed preliminary business models. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the desirability, feasibility, and viability of eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia are linked to their integration into larger structures, their ownership and support of content internally, their development of information and communication technology (ICT) services externally, and offering fixed, low-level pricing. The origin of the case studies was also important, as eHealth interventions that had originated in an academic research context less reliably found their way to sustainable implementation. In addition, careful selection of digital transformation strategies, more intersectoral cooperation, and more funding for implementation and business modelling research are recommended to help future developers bring eHealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia into practice.

Simulating compliance behaviour for effective inspection strategies using agent based modelling

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther van Asselt ◽  
Sjoukje Osinga ◽  
Harry Bremmers
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Optimal Intervention ◽  
Compliance Behaviour

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to simulate compliance behaviour of entrepreneurs in the Netherlands based on the Table of Eleven: 11 factors determining compliance (based on economic, cognitive, social and institutional factors). Design/methodology/approach – An Agent-Based Model (ABM) was developed that could incorporate both individual and group behaviour and allowed to evaluate the effect of various intervention strategies. For this purpose, a case study on the compliance of pig farmers with antibiotics legislation in the Netherlands was used. Findings – The effect of social factors (acceptance of legislation and social influence) on compliance levels was tested as well as the number of inspectors. This showed that the model can help to choose the most optimal intervention strategy depending on the input parameters. Research limitations/implications – Further expansion of the model may be necessary, e.g. including economic factors, in order to reflect real-life situations more closely. Practical implications – The model can be used by inspection services to effectively implement their control programme. Originality/value – The developed ABM is a first attempt to simulate compliance behaviour and as such contributes to the current limited knowledge on effective intervention strategies.

scholarly journals A BAYESIAN APPROACH BASED ON ACQUISITION FUNCTION FOR OPTIMAL SELECTION OF DEEP LEARNING HYPERPARAMETERS: A CASE STUDY WITH ENERGY MANAGEMENT DATA

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-27
Author(s):  
MUHAMMAD ALI ◽  
Krishneel Prakash ◽  
Hemanshu Pota
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Bayesian Approach ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Optimal Parameters ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
Selection Of

With the recent rollout of smart meters, huge amount of data can be generated on hourly and daily basis. Researchers and industry persons can leverage from this big data to make intelligent decisions via deep learning (DL) algorithms. However, the performance of DL algorithms are heavily dependent on the proper selection of parameters. If the hyperparameters are poorly selected, they usually lead to suboptimal results. Traditional approaches include a manual setting of parameters by trial and error methods which is time consuming and difficult process.  In this paper, a Bayesian approach based on acquisition is presented to automatic selection of optimal parameters based on provided data. The acquisition function was established to search for the best parameter from the input space and evaluate the next points based on past observations. The tuning process identifies the best model parameters by iterating the objective function and minimizing the loss for optimizable variables such as learning rate and Hidden layersize. To validate the presented approach, we conducted a case study on real-life energy management datasets while constructing a deep learning model on MATLAB platform. A performance comparison was drawn with random parameters and optimal parameters selected by presented approach. The comparison results illustrate that the presented approach is effective as it brings a notable improvement in the performance of learning algorithm.

scholarly journals AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN-ORIENTED ENGINEERING ECONOMICS COURSE

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haytham Elmiligi ◽  
Scott Iverson
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Industrial Design ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Engineering Economics ◽  
Potential Success ◽  
Design Skills ◽  
Selection Of

This paper presents techniques and methods to improve engineering students’ design skills through a project- based course. We developed a well-defined project to engage second year students in an authentic industrial design flow. This flow starts by studying the feasibility of a target project and progresses to the selection of the best alternative using various financial analyses. It then evaluates the project’s potential success rate using pre-defined evaluation criteria. This project is implemented through the concurrent application of the textbook’s theoretical concepts of engineering economics. By applying the project, we fill the gap between academic theoretical concepts and the industrial real-life design and creation of products. Finally, we prepared a professional document that explains the specifications, requirements, and guidelines of the project. It also helps students in choosing the proper topic of their project, in exploring different project alternatives, and in preparing appropriate project documentation.

scholarly journals A USER-DRIVEN SELECTION OF VGI BASED ON MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVELS

2015 ◽  
Vol II-3/W5 ◽  
pp. 277-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Bordogna ◽  
P. Carrara ◽  
L. Criscuolo ◽  
M. Pepe ◽  
A. Rampini
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Quality Requirements ◽  
Acceptable Quality ◽  
Quality Issues ◽  
Information Consumers ◽  
Selection Of

Despite Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) activities are now extremely helpful in a number of scientific applications, researchers and decision makers oppose some resistance to the usage of volunteered contributions, due to quality issues. Several methods and workflows have been proposed to face quality issues in different VGI projects, usually built ad-hoc for specific datasets, thus resulting neither extensible nor transferable. In order to overcome this weakness, the authors propose to perform an user-driven assessment on VGI items in order to filter only those that satisfy minimally acceptable quality levels defined according to their specific quality requirements and project goals. In the present work the users, i.e., information consumers, are seen as decision makers and are allowed to set the minimum acceptable quality levels Thus the approach proposes a user driven assessment of the fitness for use of VGI items. The paper first briefly presents a view on VGI components and suitable quality indices, then it describes a logic architecture for managing them and for enabling a querying mechanism to the datasets. The approach is finally exemplified with a case study simulation.

Shifting students’ to experts’ complex systems knowledge

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Hansmann ◽  
Harald A. Mieg ◽  
Helmut W. Crott ◽  
Roland W. Scholz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Scientific Models ◽  
Environmental Sciences ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Expert Support ◽  
Selection Of

This paper includes three analyses concerning: expert support in the selection of impact variables for scientific models relevant to environmental planning, the quality of students’ individual estimates of corresponding impacts before and after a group discussion, and the accuracy of artificially‐aggregated judgments of independent groups. Participants were students of environmental sciences at ETH Zurich. The first analysis revealed that during participation in an environmental case study, students’ individual estimates of impacts of variables which have been suggested by experts increased, as compared to the estimates of impacts of additional variables, which have been selected by the students. The remaining analyses consider group discussions on the strength of particular environmental impacts. The quality of the estimates was analyzed referring to expert estimates of the impacts.

Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Salama ◽  
Mutasim Nour ◽  
Adel Haloub ◽  
Yara Al Jundi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Life Project ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Initiation Stage ◽  
Set Up

This chapter aims to introduce the reader in general, and project managers in particular, to the basic concepts and applications of renewable energy (RE) with emphasis on the various renewable energy technologies (RTEs), emerging as an alternative to traditional energy sources, in an applied, practical and project-focused context. The chapter builds on academic research-based cases studies conducted by the authors. The first case relates to a real-life project which will be the first advanced biofuels refinery to be built in the Middle Eastb with an estimated cost of $700m and commercial operation date in 2022. The financial close date is scheduled for the end of Q4, 2018, and it is expected to have a lower cost of production compared to European and US refineries. The second case study concerns the feasibility study to build a waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plant in Dubai. It provides project managers with useful insight into the details of this vital initiation stage for this type of project, based on a real-life data set, in an applied research context. The details of both cases can be found on: https://www.goodfellowpublishers.com/sustprojman. The first few sections of the chapter set up the scene for the case studies by presenting brief definitions of the basic concepts of RE and various RETs in the context of sustainable development. Then at the start of each case study, a brief introduction to the specifics of the case is presented.

scholarly journals An integrated approach to teaching and learning logistics: A case study

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobus N. Cronjé
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Life Project ◽  
Approach To Teaching

Business managers and students often criticise university teaching for not addressing real-life problems. Furthermore, professors are dissatisfied with the research capabilities of postgraduate students. This paper advocates an integrated approach to teaching and learning based on the features of project-based learning aimed at enhancing the practical and research skills of undergraduate students in Logistics. A case study is presented where third-year students were engaged in a real-life project in collaboration with industry, exposing them to collaborative learning, questionnaire design, surveys, analysing and evaluating results, literature review and report writing. The project was carried out in phases where students were assessed after each phase. The paper analyses the assessment of students and their perception of the value of the project. It is concluded that an integrated teaching and learning approach will increase students’ interest in the subject, understanding of theoretical concepts, research skills, business skills and life skills.

Beyond the Stars and Stripes: charting Van Dyke Parks' new world musical voyage

Popular Music ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-216
Author(s):  
DALE CARTER
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Atlantic ◽  
World Music ◽  
Cultural Imperialism ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
British Colony ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractDuring the early 1970s the American songwriter, musician and producer Van Dyke Parks completed work on a series of albums exploring the musical contours of the circum-Caribbean region and, through them, broader patterns and issues in twentieth-century US–Caribbean relations. Focusing on the connections between the United States and the (former) British colony of Trinidad and Tobago as articulated via the latter's calypso and steel band traditions, these recordings (two solo albums and two productions) not only explore the grammar, vocabulary and subject matter of a new world music before the phrase ‘world music’ was conceived; they also invite a range of scholarly interpretations. Drawing on a selection of theoretical concepts – notably cultural imperialism, the Black Atlantic, minstrelsy, and world music itself – this article offers a set of formalist and contextualist readings intended to rehearse Parks' Caribbean work as both a case study in (and a challenge to aspects of) the inter-disciplinary analysis of popular music.

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