Guinea Pigs

2021 ◽  
pp. 153-160
Author(s):  
Rob Kitchin

This chapter discusses the implications for citizens of data-driven management by charting the issues of living in a smart city testbed area, demonstrated through a walking tour for local residents, led by a public official. It was clear to the recently hired community liaison officer for the city's smart docklands team that the key expected outcome was to convince local residents that there was nothing to fear from the trialling of new technologies in their area and to get their buy-in. However, interaction with the local community had been a secondary concern to those establishing initiative. They had been much more focused on the technical and business aspects of building the testbed and securing investment than how it related to those that lived and worked there. Nevertheless, the community liaison officer tries to convince the citizens that they do not collect personal data and that the initiative provides job opportunities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7853
Author(s):  
Xiubai Li ◽  
Jinok Susanna Kim ◽  
Timothy J. Lee

The importance of community attitude and participation for the success and sustainability of cultural festivals has been steadily increasing in recent years. The Chuncheon Puppet Festival (CPF) is an international festival that has been held every year since 1989 in Chuncheon, Korea. The festival has several distinctive characteristics as a sustainable event because: (a) it maintains its single genre of puppet performances based on modern cultural art; (b) it is well-established as the festival for the local residents of Chuncheon City and is planned by local community residents and local small companies, not by government agencies or global large entrepreneurs; (c) it helps children to have an interesting cultural experience in the local environment; and (d) it is regularly hosted in August, an off-season for festivals in Korea that was chosen by residents as it is a school holiday season. However, there is still room for improvement to secure its place as a successful sustainable festival. The following might be considered: (i) increased exchange of human resources among the festival executive members, community groups, and the public staff in Chuncheon City; (ii) local residents should maintain full control of the festival; and (iii) a local cultural trust should be established by cultural art professionals, local resident organizations, puppet show professionals, and public agency staff. The CPF is a typical example of a successful sustainable festival with proactive and supportive community participation and a large number of volunteers that help to increase local competitiveness and sustainable local development. This case report delivers insightful lessons and messages to guide what needs to be preconditioned for local cultural festivals to be sustainable and successful for a long time in many destinations, where they can contribute as efficient catalysts for regional tourism development.


Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1208
Author(s):  
Francisco Alonso ◽  
Mireia Faus ◽  
Cristina Esteban ◽  
Sergio A. Useche

Technological devices are becoming more and more integrated in the management and control of traffic in big cities. The population perceives the benefits provided by these systems, and, therefore, citizens usually have a favorable opinion of them. However, emerging countries, which have fewer available infrastructures, could present a certain lack of trust. The objective of this work is to detect the level of knowledge and predisposition towards the use of new technologies in the transportation field of the Dominican Republic. For this study, the National Survey on Mobility was administered to a sample of Dominican citizens, proportional to the ONE census and to sex, age and province. The knowledge of ITS topics, as well as the use of mobile applications for mobility, are scarce; however, there was a significant increase that can be observed in only one year. Moreover, technology is, in general, positively assessed for what concerns the improvement of the traffic field, even though there is a lack of predisposition to provide one’s personal data, which is necessary for these devices. The process of technological development in the country must be backed up by laws that protect the citizens’ privacy. Thus, technologies that can improve road safety, mobility and sustainability can be implemented in the country.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. McGeechan ◽  
D. Woodall ◽  
L. Anderson ◽  
L. Wilson ◽  
G. O’Neill ◽  
...  

Research highlights that asset-based community development where local residents become equal partners in service development may help promote health and well-being. This paper outlines baseline results of a coproduction evaluation of an asset-based approach to improving health and well-being within a small community through promoting tobacco control. Local residents were recruited and trained as community researchers to deliver a smoking prevalence survey within their local community and became local health champions, promoting health and well-being. The results of the survey will be used to inform health promotion activities within the community. The local smoking prevalence was higher than the regional and national averages. Half of the households surveyed had at least one smoker, and 63.1% of children lived in a smoking household. Nonsmokers reported higher well-being than smokers; however, the differences were not significant. Whilst the community has a high smoking prevalence, more than half of the smokers surveyed would consider quitting. Providing smoking cessation advice in GP surgeries may help reduce smoking prevalence in this community. Work in the area could be done to reduce children’s exposure to smoking in the home.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Constantina Costopoulou ◽  
Maria Ntaliani ◽  
Filotheos Ntalianis

Local governments are increasingly developing electronic participation initiatives, expecting citizen involvement in local community affairs. Our objective was to assess e-participation and the extent of its change in local government in Greece. Using content analysis for 325 Greek municipal websites, we assessed e-participation status in 2017 and 2018 and examined the impact of change between these years. The assessment regards two consecutive years since the adoption of digital technologies by municipalities has been rapid. The main findings show that Greek local governments have made significant small- to medium-scale changes, in order to engage citizens and local societies electronically. We conclude that the integration of advanced digital technologies in municipalities remains underdeveloped. We propose that Greek municipalities need to consider incorporating new technologies, such as mobile apps, social media and big data, as well as e-decision making processes, in order to eliminate those obstacles that hinder citizen engagement in local government. Moreover, the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for enhancing e-participation and policymakers’ coordination through advanced digital technologies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 845-850
Author(s):  
Jolanta Ignac-Nowicka

Abstract The results of the conducted pilot research indicated the basic local problems of the residents of Zabrze city. The purpose of the next research was to answer the question: how to improve the quality of life of residents in a city with significant air pollution. Activities aimed at this goal are inscribed in the idea of "smart city". The article presents the results of pilot measurements of air pollution with toxic gases in the Zabrze city in the Silesian agglomeration (Poland). Field studies at selected locations in the city concerned measurements of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide. The aim of these studies was to identify areas of the city with significant air pollution with toxic gases in order to plan further detailed research. Made measurements showed the appearance of the local problem of accumulation of pollutants in several areas of the city. The results obtained were compared with surveys conducted among residents of the Zabrze city. The aim of the survey was to examine the respondents' awareness of: the location of areas with noticeable air pollution and health problems resulting from air pollution in the place of residence. The article also presents a plan of possible actions for the city of Zabrze within the framework of the "smart city" idea to improve the quality of life of the local city community in conditions of increased emission of gas pollution in the city.


Author(s):  
Ewa Suknarowska-Drzewiecka

The digital revolution, also called the fourth industrial revolution, constitutes another era of change, caused by the development of computerisation and modern technologies. It is characterised by rapid technological progress, widespread digitisation and an impact on all areas of life, including the provision of work. The changes affecting this area are so significant that there are proposals to remodel the definition of the employment relationship in the Labour Code. New forms of employment, which do not fit the conventional definition of an employment relationship, are emerging and gaining importance. An example could be employment via digital platforms. At the same time, there are also employment forms that do fit that definition, but deviate from the conventional understanding of the terms and conditions for performing work, which have undergone modification due to the use of new technologies. Teleworking, or working outside the employer’s premises, are examples of that. Employers get further opportunities to organise and control work, which often raises concerns due to the employee’s right to privacy, the protection of personal rights and personal data.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haziz Vila ◽  
Nikolaos Sklavounos ◽  
Evangelos Vergos ◽  
Konstantinos Rotsios ◽  
Hysen Shabanaj

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an integral part of firms’ strategies in their effort to increase their positive impact on society. This study investigates the impact of a CSR initiative, known as “The LAB Project”, implemented by the TITAN– Sharrcem Company, on the rural community of Hani I Elezit in Kosovo. The LAB project aims to support the establishment and operation of agricultural and food-related start-ups and, most importantly, to ensure their sustainability. The sample of the study consists of 174 area residents. This research examines local residents’ perceptions about a) the TITAN-Sharrcem operations in the area, b) the LAB project’s main contribution to the local community,  c) the project’s overall performance, d)  the profitability of the start-ups created by the project, and e)  the project’s effect on the community’s quality of life. Overall, the results reveal that the project has set the foundation for the community’s sustainable development. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research on the effect of such initiatives in the region. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Rural Entrepreneurship, Community Development


2021 ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
GULNAZ AYDIN RZAYEVA ◽  
AYTAKIN NAZIM IBRAHIMOVA

The development of new technologies also has an impact on human rights. In the previous “epochs” of global information society, it was stated that that traditional rights can be exercised online. For instance, in 2012 (and again in 2014 and 2016), the UN Human Rights Council emphasized that ‘the same rights granted to people, so to speak, in an “offline” manner, must be protected online as well’. This, in its turn, implicitly brought to the reality that the new technetronic society did not create new rights. Though, we should take into consideration that in the digital world national legislative norms that guarantee the confidentiality of personal data often do not catch up with the technological development and, thus, can’t ensure confidentiality online. Therefore, the impact of digitalization on human rights within the frames of international and national laws should be broadly analysed and studied. The article’s objective is to analyze the impact of new technologies on human rights in the context of the right to be forgotten and right to privacy. Because the development of new technologies is more closely linked to the security of personal data. With the formation of the right to be forgotten, it is the issue of ensuring the confidentiality of certain contents of personal data as a result of the influence of the time factor. The authors conclude that, the right to be forgotten was previously defended more in the context of the right to privacy. However, they cannot be considered equal rights. The right to be forgotten stems from a person’s desire to develop and continue his or her life independently without being the object of criticism for any negative actions he or she has committed in the past. If the right to privacy contains generally confidential information, the right to be forgotten is understood as the deletion of known information at a certain time and the denial of access to third parties. Thus, the right to be forgotten is not included in the right to privacy, and can be considered an independent right. The point is that the norms of the international and national documents, which establish fundamental human rights and freedoms, do not regulate issues related to the right to be forgotten. The right to be forgotten should be limited to the deletion of information from the media and Internet information resources. This is not about the complete destruction of information available in state information systems. Another conclusion of authors is that the media and Internet information resources sometimes spread false information. In this case, there will be no content of the right to be forgotten. Because the main thing is that the information that constitutes the content of the right to be forgotten must be legal, but after some time it has lost its significance. The scope of information included in the content of the right to be forgotten should not only be related to the conviction, but also to other special personal data (for example, the fact of divorce).


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
Vugar Hajimahmud Abdullayev ◽  
◽  
Vusala Alyag Abuzarova ◽  

The article is devoted to the study of cyber security problems in the Smart Cities system. The development of the IT industry has led to the introduction of new technologies into our lives. One of these technologies is the Internet of Things technology. The application of IoT technology has increased in recent years. One of the most important areas in which Internet of Things technology is applied is the Smart Cities system. The main difference between smart cities and other cities is that their components are connected to each other via the Internet. All these smart devices create a smart city system in general. One of the biggest and most important problems in many areas where the Internet is used is security. The article looks at possible security problems in the system of smart cities and solutions to ensure cyber security. Key words: Smart city; Internet of Things; Information technologies; Security; Cyber security


Author(s):  
Mayayuki Shinohara ◽  
Akira Hattori ◽  
Shigenori Ioroi ◽  
Hiroshi Tanaka ◽  
Haruo Hayami ◽  
...  

This paper presents a hazard/crime incident information sharing system using cell phones. Cell phone penetration is nearly 100% among adults in Japan, and they function as a telecommunication tool as well as a Global Positioning System (GPS) and camera. Open source software (Apache, Postfix, and MySQL) is installed on a system server, and together with the information service provided by Google Maps, are used to satisfy system requirements for the local community. Conventional systems deliver information to all people registered in the same block, even if an incident occurred far from their house. The key feature of the proposed system is that the distribution range of the hazard notification e-mail messages is determined by the geometrical distance from the incident location to the residence of each registered member. The proposed system applies not only to conventional cell phones but also smart phones, which are rapidly becoming popular in Japan. The new system functionality has been confirmed by a trial using members of the local community. System operation began after the successful trial and a training meeting for the local residents. System design, verification results, and operating status are described in this paper.


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