Abstract

Open source software is a key component in the technological development of Central and South American nations. In many cases, it is the only option that avoids the problems of the “digital divide”. Strengthening the use of open source software in public administration and academic communities is a necessary step toward being able to offer quality information services to citizens. A number of interesting initiatives are highlighted in Central and South America, where free software is contributing to numerous projects that offer interesting learning opportunities.

Abstract

We evaluated three free software applications for administrative archives management and their implementation in university archives. Software evaluated was: Archon, Archivists ’ toolkit and ICA-AtoM. The comparative analysis considered 12 requirements concerning metadata management, description standards and lending, and document life-cycle analysis. The results show the requirements met by each software application evaluated. Although currently they do not satisfy all archive management requirements, open software can be customized and integrated with new contexts.

Abstract

  The digital environment and information and communication technologies open up new ways of providing library services, including the reference service, the principal aim of which is to address users’ queries and information needs. Putting the reference service in place in this new environment requires redesigning the policies, procedures and resources applied to it and therefore an analysis of the services and functions of the computing tools available must be undertaken. Integrated library management systems which involve multiple functionalities for delivering services, or which expand the capacity for their delivery, must also respond to the requirements for putting this type of service in place. This article sets out the results obtained in a study carried out on several examples of integrating new reference services into a library management system (Koha), which not only enables these services to be delivered but also expands the options for using the data for their improvement and development.

Abstract

One of the main consequences of publishing a program as libre (free, open source) software is that its source code is made available to anyone who wants to look at it. In addition, much other information on the development process is often easily accessible on the internet. Some of the consequences of “opening up” the process of building libre software are discussed, briefly exploring how these open mechanisms could behave in other areas.

Abstract

Consumers are coming to expect a more flexible approach to purchasing software applications, with upgrades and add-ons being available as downloads rather than physically going to a shop to make their purchase. This shift in thinking is filtering its way into the library and information field with open source software, available for download online and with its own online community becoming more of a serious consideration than ever before. This calls for staff with a library background to also have technical skills and be savvy, installing, testing and rolling these open source additions to working life.

Abstract

International audience; This paper is about a twofold proposal submitted to the scrutiny of the OSS scientific community. It is first argued that OSS should be considered a means to establish an industry regulation. The motivation of this first proposal is the need for harmonization of the supply chain in certain industrial sectors. The Air Traffic Management industry (ATM) is the only case considered in this paper. However, it is assumed that the regulatory advantage of OSS is not specific to that industry. The second proposal is about how to establish such a regulation through OSS. It is argued that the legal ownership of the OSS product should be assigned to a public organization, preferably to an organization that would be dedicated to monitor and promote the evolution of that product. The motivation for these proposals is based on the analysis of possible scenarios of OSS ownership in the case of ATM. Perspectives concerning the preliminary implementation of the proposals are introduced. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

This paper introduces a project that aims at defining an Open Source Software (OSS) policy in the field of Air Traffic Management (ATM). In order to develop such a policy, we chose to investigate first a set of predictive hypotheses. Our four initial hypotheses were presented, refined and discussed in bi-lateral meetings with experts in the ATM field and in several conferences and workshops with OSS experts. At a roundtable, jointly organized by CALIBRE and EUROCONTROL, we confronted early open source experiences and insights in the ATM domain with experiences and knowledge from a panel of OSS experts and practitioners from academia and industry. The revised initial hypotheses are presented using a fixed format that should facilitate further evolution of these hypotheses. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

quest projecte consisteix a desenvolupar una nova versió de l'API de geolocalització de TooPath utilitzant les tecnologies actuals. La nova versió oferirà un sistema de seguiment per a qualsevol tipus de dispositiu electrònic i una web per consumir i demostrar les funcionalitats de l'API.

Abstract

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are used to derive information from the morphology of a land. The topographic attributes obtained from the DEM data allow the construction of watershed delineation useful for predicting the behavior of systems and for studying hydrological processes. Imagery acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and 3D photogrammetry techniques offer cost-effective advantages over other remote sensing methods such as LIDAR or RADAR. In particular, a high spatial resolution for measuring the terrain microtopography. In this work, we propose a Structure from Motion (SfM) pipeline using UAVs for generating high-resolution, high-quality DEMs for developing a rainfall-runoff model to study flood areas. SfM is a computer vision technique that simultaneously estimates the 3D coordinates of a scene and the pose of a camera that moves around it. The result is a 3D point cloud which we process to obtain a georeference model from the GPS information of the camera and ground control points. The pipeline is based on open source software OpenSfM and OpenDroneMap. Encouraging experimental results on a test land show that the produced DEMs meet the metrological requirements for developing a surface-runoff model. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. This work has been partly funded by Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar project (FI2006T2001). The authors thank Direccion de Investigaciones Universidad Tecnologica de Bolivar for their support.

Abstract

In order to analyse the mid- and long-term impacts of energy related policies, different modelling approaches can be derived. However, the results of even the best energy system model will highly depend on the underlying input data. First, in this contribution the importance and availability issues of grid data in the context of energy system modelling are highlighted. Second, this paper focuses on power grid modelling based on open and publicly available data from OpenStreetMap using open source software tools. Two recent approaches developed to build electrical transmission network models using openly available data sources are presented and discussed. The proposed methods provide transparent assumptions, simplifications and documentation of grid modelling. This results in the ability of scientists and other stakeholders to validate, discuss or reproduce the results of energy system models. Thus the new open approaches offer a unique opportunity to increase transparency, comparability and reproducibility of results in energy system modelling. Document type: Article