scholarly journals Electricity as (Big) Data: Metering, spatiotemporal granularity and value

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395171875725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Kragh-Furbo ◽  
Gordon Walker
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Energy Governance ◽  
The Status ◽  
Data Infrastructures ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Uk

Electricity is hidden within wires and networks only revealing its quantity and flow when metered. The making of its properties into data is therefore particularly important to the relations that are formed around electricity as a produced and managed phenomenon. We propose approaching all metering as a situated activity, a form of quantification work in which data is made and becomes mobile in particular spatial and temporal terms, enabling its entry into data infrastructures and schemes of evaluation and value production. We interrogate the transition from the pre-digital into the making of bigger, more spatiotemporally granular electricity data, through focusing on those actors selling and materialising new metering technologies, data infrastructures and services for larger businesses and public sector organisations in the UK. We examine the claims of truth and visibility that accompany these shifts and their enrolment into management techniques that serve to more precisely apportion responsibility for, and evaluate the status of, particular patterns and instances of electricity use. We argue that whilst through becoming Big Data electricity flow is now able to be known and given identity in significantly new terms, enabling new relations to be formed with the many heterogeneous entities implicated in making and managing energy demand, it is necessary to sustain some ambivalence as to the performative consequences that follow for energy governance. We consider the wider application of our conceptualisation of metering, reflecting on comparisons with the introduction of new metering systems in domestic settings and as part of other infrastructural networks.

Sustainable development

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Brennan ◽  
Alison J. Cotgrave
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Industry Professionals

Purpose – Despite the surge of interest in construction sustainability and the many Government initiatives encouraging reform in the UK construction industry (CI), the prevalence of sustainable development (SD) in the industry is still largely lagging behind that of other industries. Given the amount of focus and activity identified nationally in this area, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons why this is not being translated into action and to seek counsel from industry professionals as to how they believe change can be achieved with a particular focus on how they believe higher education institutions (HEIs) can contribute. Design/methodology/approach – An explorative, qualitative study using three focus groups was of construction professionals. Findings – Despite a lack of action, many in industry support sustainability and actively attempt to engage in sustainable practices but a number of barriers preclude successful implementation. Government initiatives are having a positive impact, with participants believing that both Government and HEIs are imperative in driving the sustainability agenda forward. Research limitations/implications – Whilst limited in scale, this paper highlights the current state of the CI in relation to SD and evidences that progress is being made albeit slowly. The findings may help both Government and HEIs alongside industry in achieving how this can be overcome. Originality/value – Previous research in this area has generally adopted a quantitative approach. Adopting a qualitative approach provides a more in depth view as to why the status quo remains with regards to SD in the CI.

scholarly journals Commission incomplete: exploring the new model for purchasing public services from the third sector

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES REES ◽  
ROBIN MILLER ◽  
HEATHER BUCKINGHAM
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Community Mental Health Services ◽  
Halfway House ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Service Areas ◽  
The Status ◽  
Third Sector Organisations ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe concept of commissioning has risen in prominence in recent years as a result of ongoing reforms to the funding and delivery of public services in the UK. The model of commissioning constructed by policy has however been overlaid on existing practices, which themselves differ between different service areas. This paper, focusing on commissioning of third sector organisations (TSOs) in the field of community mental health services, shows that its introduction has not led to the straightforward public sector ‘marketisation’ that advocates desire or that critics fear. Instead, commissioning has led to an indeterminate outcome or ‘halfway house’ position in which the status and role of commissioning remains somewhat muddled – both internally to participants within public sector organisations and externally in terms of the experience of the interface by TSOs. We found that commissioning as it is actually practiced remains contested and political – it is a highly relational process dependent on personal practices and skills and on personal relationships between stakeholders – and is therefore not fully managerialised or marketised. This has implications for the policy and practice of commissioning and the interpretation of more ‘open’ public services.

scholarly journals A new model for identifying emerging technologies

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie F. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Intelligence Community ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
New Model ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
The Status ◽  
Search Speed ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact

Today, the complexity of so many emerging technologies requires anunderstanding of adjacent technologies often originating from multiple industries. Technology sequence analysis has been used by organizations, governments and industries to help make sense of the many variables impacting the evolution of technologies. This technique relies heavily on the input of experts who can offer perspectives on the status of current technologieswhile also highlighting the potential opportunities in the future. However, the volume and speed at which scientific research is accelerating is making it nearly impossible for even the most knowledgeable expert to stay current with research in their own industries. Today however, the use of big data search tools can help identify emerging trends around disruptive technologieswell before many of the experts have fully grasped the impact of these technologies. Despite the fear of many in the intelligence community that these tools will make their jobs obsolete, we expect that the value of the intelligence expert will increase given their unique knowledge of relevant data sources and how to connect the data in meaningful ways to derive value for the firm. We propose a new forecasting model that incorporates a combination of technologysequencing analysis and big data tools within the organization while also leveraging experts from across the open innovation spectrum. This new model, informed by current client engagements, has the potential to create significant competitive advantages for organizations as they benefit from expanded search breadth, search depth and search speed all while leveraging a range of internal and external experts to make sense of the rapidly changingtechnological landscape confronting their environment.

scholarly journals Norms and Creativity: Tensions Between the Status Quo and Innovation in Quality Standards for Public Service Interpreting in the United Kingdom

Linguaculture ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-39
Author(s):  
Brooke Townsley
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Public ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Status ◽  
Professional Registration ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article will examine the validity of existing assessment procedures in the UK and compare and contrast these models with other possible assessment and accreditation models. It will also examine the possibilities for quality assessment (QA) procedures offered by the use of digital technologies. Implicit in this descriptive and analytical process will be an examination of the linkages between these models of assessment and the opportunity for professional registration. Issues addressed in this article will be: the status quo in the assessment and registration of interpreters and translators for the public sector in the UK; the impact of new social, political and economic realities on the existing assessment and registration regime; the opportunities and/or threats to quality norms represented by online digital technologies. The material will be of particular interest to: end users of interpreter and translator services in the public sector; interpreting and translation test developers and QA procedure designers; interpreting and translating practitioners, in-service and aspiring

Building Information Modeling

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Bimal Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Building Information Modeling ◽  
Common Knowledge ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Level 2 ◽  
The Way

As is common knowledge now, in 2016 it will be mandatory to use BIM on all public sector projects. This has clearly spurned a lot of interest in BIM within the construction industry. However, the industry appears to be struggling to find its feet as to what it needs to have in place before BIM based projects become a reality. Uses of BIM technology and associated processes have been categorized into 3 levels and the 2016 requirement is for Level 2 implementations only. This paper outlines the requirements of level 2 BIM implementation and assesses the status of the industry as a whole as to its readiness. There are various pre-requisites that need to be in place, mostly in relation to process protocols and standards. This paper gives an understanding of the roadmap that needs to be traversed in order to be ready for BIM. This paper presents an outline of the UK Government’s requirements for 2016 before discussing and assessing the UK construction industry’s readiness. Finally, the paper gives an outline of what needs to be in place for the government’s ambitions to be achieved as well as a summary of some of the challenges along the way and possible ways of addressing some of them.

The past and future of geriatric day hospitals

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Beynon ◽  
D Padiachy
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Care ◽  
Health Resource ◽  
Day Hospital ◽  
The Past ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Management And Development ◽  
The Status ◽  
Day Hospitals ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Uk

SummaryThe status of the geriatric day hospital within the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has changed significantly over the past fifty years. We conducted a literature review starting from the inception of the geriatric day hospital, when it was viewed as the ‘shop front for geriatric services’ and was subsequently replicated in many western health systems, to the present uncertainty surrounding the model in terms of outcomes and cost effectiveness. The article also highlights the input of the Royal College of Physicians and the British Geriatric Society to the management and development of day hospitals. The geriatric day hospital has become one of the many service models under the umbrella of intermediate care services, offering comprehensive geriatric assessment and care to older people in the community. However, with the current practices of commissioning of services and ‘payment by results’, the future of this precious health resource remains uncertain.

Archaeologists and the Dead

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
International Context ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Experience Effect

This volume addresses the relationship between archaeologists and the dead, through the many dimensions of their relationships: in the field (through practical and legal issues), in the lab (through their analysis and interpretation), and in their written, visual and exhibitionary practice--disseminated to a variety of academic and public audiences. Written from a variety of perspectives, its authors address the experience, effect, ethical considerations, and cultural politics of working with mortuary archaeology. Whilst some papers reflect institutional or organizational approaches, others are more personal in their view: creating exciting and frank insights into contemporary issues that have hitherto often remained "unspoken" among the discipline. Reframing funerary archaeologists as "death-workers" of a kind, the contributors reflect on their own experience to provide both guidance and inspiration to future practitioners, arguing strongly that we have a central role to play in engaging the public with themes of mortality and commemoration, through the lens of the past. Spurred by the recent debates in the UK, papers from Scandinavia, Austria, Italy, the US, and the mid-Atlantic, frame these issues within a much wider international context that highlights the importance of cultural and historical context in which this work takes place.

scholarly journals The Brown Seaweeds of Scotland, Their Importance and Applications

Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Omar Al-Dulaimi ◽  
Mostafa E. Rateb ◽  
Andrew S. Hursthouse ◽  
Gary Thomson ◽  
Mohammed Yaseen
Keyword(s):  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Brown Seaweeds ◽  
Extraction And Separation ◽  
The Status ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Phytochemical Profiles

More than 50% of the UK coastline is situated in Scotland under legislative jurisdiction; therefore, there is a great opportunity for regionally focused economic development by the rational use of sustainable marine bio-sources. We review the importance of seaweeds in general, and more specifically, wrack brown seaweeds which are washed from the sea and accumulated in the wrack zone and their economic impact. Rules and regulations governing the harvesting of seaweed, potential sites for harvesting, along with the status of industrial application are discussed. We describe extraction and separation methods of natural products from these seaweeds along with their phytochemical profiles. Many potential applications for these derivatives exist in agriculture, energy, nutrition, biomaterials, waste treatment (composting), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other applications. The chemical diversity of the natural compounds present in these seaweeds is an opportunity to further investigate a range of chemical scaffolds, evaluate their biological activities, and develop them for better pharmaceutical or biotechnological applications. The key message is the significant opportunity for the development of high value products from a seaweed processing industry in Scotland, based on a sustainable resource, and locally regulated.

Big Data in the philippines: How do we actually use them?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Lisa Grace S. Bersales ◽  
Josefina V. Almeda ◽  
Sabrina O. Romasoc ◽  
Marie Nadeen R. Martinez ◽  
Dannela Jann B. Galias
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
High Speed ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Complex Data ◽  
Official Statistics ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Many ◽  
Current Utilization

With the advancement of technology, digitalization, and the internet of things, large amounts of complex data are being produced daily. This vast quantity of various data produced at high speed is referred to as Big Data. The utilization of Big Data is being implemented with success in the private sector, yet the public sector seems to be falling behind despite the many potentials Big Data has already presented. In this regard, this paper explores ways in which the government can recognize the use of Big Data for official statistics. It begins by gathering and presenting Big Data-related initiatives and projects across the globe for various types and sources of Big Data implemented. Further, this paper discusses the opportunities, challenges, and risks associated with using Big Data, particularly in official statistics. This paper also aims to assess the current utilization of Big Data in the country through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Based on desk review, discussions, and interviews, the paper then concludes with a proposed framework that provides ways in which Big Data may be utilized by the government to augment official statistics.

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