Journal articles: 'Geographic information systems – Problems, exercises, etc' – Grafiati (2025)

Abstract:

These days, governmental and private institutions face many challenges in the fields of service management and emergency and crisis management (transportation, roads, communications, water and electricity, urban planning, transportation, ... etc) . These challenges are represented in providing quick and accurate information that helps managers making decisions for daily matters, managing resources and future planning, as well as managing crises and disasters and dealing with emergencies, which led to thinking seriously about creating programs that have the characteristics of providing information accurately and easily and linking them to services to help the decision maker, Geographic information systems provide that. This paper reviews a group of researches in various areas of services, in which researchers used geographic information systems to address problems and find appropriate solution. As the geographic information systems are distinguished by the ability to create huge data bases and link them to the phenomenon (the field of service) in a spatial manner (the location on the map of the service). The researchers recommend in the future to use the geographic information systems programs in the techniques of managing and distributing services because of its huge potential in presenting problems and shortcomings and providing ideal solutions.

Abstract:

The work considers advantages of the geographic information systems use within maintenance of the decision-making and proposes a step-by-step decision-making (SDM) method on the GIS basis. The method allows to search a solution under uncertainty of: a situation, data, models, criteria etc. Conditional division of problems into a series of subproblems solutions allows simplifying greatly the decision searching by a comparative analysis of probable variants of solutions. It allows choosing the best solution at every stage on the basis of a qualitative evaluation of a compliance with the main purpose of SDM and an aim of a particular stage. In case of difficulties with the choice, it is possible to use expert assessments. The decision of the previous stage is the basis for the next stage SDM. Last stage decision will be the main one for the whole research. The method requires high competence of researchers and all the maximum available information in the relevant direction. As experience has shown the method gives acceptable results where other methods of finding solutions are failed.

Abstract:

Abstract The demography database system should be very useful for various purposes in resolving socio-economic problems, such as the distribution of charity, especially for people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. But unfortunately, the demography database system in Indonesia still has many problems. Things to consider are that there is no integration between databases at the central and local governments, and there is no synchronization of data between institutions. The next problem is that our demographic database system is not based on spatial information. Therefore, we need a demography database system that is integrated with the spatial information system. This study aims to integrate a demographic database system into a spatial information system. The demographic database system in principle always refers to certain administrative units, such as villages, subdistricts, districts/cities, and the state. The administrative unit can contain information about a geographic perspective, such as elevation, position, topography, etc. As a result, in addition to demographic policies, geographic perspectives can be considered, and the identification of asynchronous data between central and local governments becomes easier. In addition, there are impacts, which need to be considered in transforming tabular to spatial data, such as; scale factor, generalization, and classification.

Abstract:

Sustainable development of a region is considered as stable development, balanced in the economic, social and environmental areas. To achieve sustainable development of a coastal region, it is necessary to cover the entire integral geosystem, including land territory of the region and the adjacent sea area. It is necessary to model dynamics of the geosystem using various information and geographic information systems. On this basis, strategic planning and monitoring of the sustainable development should be employed. Basic core principle for the sustainable development of coastal regions is a regional nature management, including usage of the natural resources of land, sea and ocean. At the same time, it is necessary to identify and evaluate aqua-territorial combinations of the natural resources and inter-resource ties. There are some problems and limitations of the sustainable development of coastal regions, which are highlighted, including dangerous processes and phenomena (wave, tsunami, typhoons, etc.), the need for coastal protection, etc., as well as favorable factors - availability of various marine natural resources, possibility of using sea transport and availability of sea markets, etc.

Abstract:

The control of roads traffic, of noise, of all other problems which occur on national road sections are much more manageable through Geographic Information Systems. The possibility of changing parameters in real time from a database, allows rapid information on problems encountered and efficient solutions at a more sustained rate.This paper presents a proposed solution to improve the Geographic Information System by adding noise data, by carrying out a case study on the road section Sag - Voiteg that connects Timisoara (Romania) and Belgrade (Serbia). The existing GIS system was established in 2012 according to the legislation in force at the time. As Year 2017 will mark the next stage of issuing the noise maps according to the rules set by CNOSSOS-EU, the measurements done for this study will follow these new methods. CNOSSOS-EU accurately describes the objectives and methodology requirements, establishes clear criteria for road traffic and sound propagation.The advantage of uniformity standards and methods of control in all EU Member States allows comparative studies on pollution, the number of people affected, etc.

Abstract:

It is determined that at the present stage of economic transformation the approaches to educational activity need to be reconsidered, as transformation processes are associated with inhibition of development trends, reduction of key performance indicators of economic entities, reduction of production and economic potential, negative impact of COVID-19. Proven need to train specialists who meet modern conditions can use tools, information technology. The aim of the research is to determine the problematic aspects of providing educational activities in modern conditions. To achieve this goal the following tasks are solved: substantiation of modern directions of functioning of educational activity; identification of problems in providing educational activities; formation of perspective directions of development of educational activity. Geographic information is a significant part of the information resources that modern society needs. Its completeness, accuracy, reliability and accessibility determine the country's functioning and adequate effective development of all spheres of its life: economy, culture, science and education, mass media, eco-territory, domestic and foreign policy, defense, etc. Technologies for registration, generalization, transmission, transformation and perception of such information, called geoinformation, allow to re-approach its use through work in the environment of geographic information systems (GIS). The special significance of realization of transformational directions concerning rethinking of approaches to modernization of organizational structure of higher educational institutions is defined. In particular, the consolidation of structural units and the creation of institutions in the system of university education. The directions of the decision of problem aspects concerning growth of quality of educational activity are offered.

Abstract:

To solve the multi-vector tasks of military management it is necessary to use technologies that effectively combine space and time with significant accompanying data in the form of attributive information about operational facilities, background information about the theater (area) of hostilities, climatic conditions, intelligence and etc. It is for this purpose that the armies of many countries around the world use geographic information technology. To date, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have implemented a number of information and analytical systems that solve the problems of automation of mobilization deployment, defense planning, logistics, personnel, financial support, and all of them should be integrated into the Unified Automated Command and Control System (UACCS). Information in such information-analytical systems is processed at all levels of management according to the rules and algorithms developed in these systems. In the process of planning the use of troops (forces) involved a number of people responsible for certain areas of support. It is clear that the requirements for the submission of information to perform the tasks of a particular activity are different. In this situation, geographic information support is required to be able to create the necessary information environment for each individual official, without losing the properties of the management system for consistency and synchronization of all its elements. The implementation of this requirement is achieved by using a single core of geographic information software, which provides software developers and users with basic geographic information services and tools for their joint use in performing specialized tasks. In this case, the specified core should operate in a spatially distributed environment, be protected from external interference and be as accessible as possible to internal users in accordance with the established distribution of powers. The article considers the geo-information subsystem of the UACCS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a tool to ensure interoperability with existing information and analytical systems in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and new ones planned for deployment, using other hardware and software. The service-oriented architecture of the geoinformation support subsystem of the military management system, which should consist of separate subject-oriented modules within the general system, uses functional components that are built into an open, extensible software and hardware platform to achieve interoperability using spatially distributed information. rules within the framework of basic services that support the exchange of messages, conversion of data for further dissemination (distribution) by publishing and subscribing to standard and specially designed design templates.

Abstract:

Disaster management is a critical component in mitigating the impacts of various natural, and other disasters such as floods, cyclones, forest fires, earthquakes, disease spreading etc. The primary aim of disaster management in a specific region is to empower the local neighborhood to higher determine its natural danger instincts and therefore migrate closer to options for lowering that risk. Conventional techniques of disaster management are majorly driven by the quantitative information collected from various events. Some of the recent techniques have used more advanced data-driven and non-linear approaches such as machine learning, and spatial analysis tools such as GIS for making more informed decisions. However, these techniques cannotoften represent the dynamics of demographic units, and event impact in small regions due to a multitude of reasons such as lack of data, equipment, more generalized approaches, etc. Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) overcomes some of the limitations present in the traditional techniques by incorporating local communities as stakeholders in making various policies, distributing risk information etc. PGIS has been adopted in various fields such as land cover planning, agriculture information systems, data collection systems etc. Other than these applications, the effectiveness of PGIS in disaster management in handling various natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, forest fires, and disease spread has been demonstrated in several studies. However, in manyplaces, PGIS is not yet evolved and its implementation is still at the infancy level due to several reasons. Despite many advantages, PGIS presents many problems comprising insufficient infrastructure, training facilities, engagement and education of the community members towards a combined decision, etc. therefore provision of necessary infrastructure can improve the overall impact of implementing PGIS. Involving the local community and educating them on the right approach for the success of PGIS is a complex task. Further, the conflict of opinions between technical personnel and locals can be another factor that limits the usage. However, from the results of various studies, the advantages of PGIS implementation can outweigh the limitations of implementation.

Abstract:

GIS with its capacity for storing and displaying spatial data can be an excellent tool for the management of flooding problems in HCM city. The system can visualize a the overall flooding status of the city, for example i) on a specific rainy day ‘x’ in the past, the locations of flooded areas, their respective depths and durations; ii) how flooding developed at a certain location ‘y’ in the city over the last several years; iii) or the most serious flooding areas of the city, etc. An advantage of the system is its capability to link flooding information with existing related geographic, landmark and drainage systems. This article presents such a system in managing flooding information. The application is developed using the vb.net program and ArcObject library. The system is built to run as independent software on the platform of ESRI ArcGIS Engine 9.2. The application has been piloted effectively for a set of sample data of HCMC. Initial results show this is a promising system to support management of information flooding in Ho Chi Minh City.

Abstract:

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their integration with 3D city models have become a common and powerful asset of cities for planning, visualization and decision-making operations in the fields of energy management, energy efficiency as well as transportation, public infrastructures, etc. The use of such solutions in urban spaces is still confined and mainly applied to visualization purposes (e.g. Google Earth) although geodata and spatial analyses can solve many problems towards the creation of smart cities. This paper presents an overview of various activities using spatial and non-spatial energy-related data integrated with 3D city models into GIS environments. It reviews existing solutions and reports two ongoing projects which deal with geospatial data for better planning and management of energy efficient public lighting and almost zero-consumption public buildings.</p>

Abstract:

As the long-term sustainability of both natural and artificial phytocenoses is under serious threat from biological invaders, the global community is working hard to prevent invasions and rapidly eradicate or halt the spread of invasive species. By tracking the actual spread of “invaders” or predicting areas at risk of invasion, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing of the Earth (RSE) can significantly assist the process of ensuring biosecurity at the state level. Research has shown the potential of remote sensing and GIS applications for invasive species mapping and modeling, even though it is currently restricted to a small number of taxa. This article gives examples of how GIS and RSE can be used to track invasive species like Utricularia australis R. br. and Lemna aequinoctialis Welw. To describe the distribution of species, current Internet databases of species distribution and the author’s own research were used. It also talks about promising ways to find and track the spread of invasive species, like using NDVI indices, chlorophyll and xanthophyll content to find changes in regional biodiversity, some problems with finding changes in biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, and mapping invasion risk. The study also demonstrates how GIS technology may be used to identify agricultural landscape biodiversity using radiometric space data from Sentinel 1, followed by a verification of the findings. The prospects of spatial, spectral, and temporal analysis of images are determined, as they make it possible to outline the boundaries of ecosystems, biometric characteristics of species, characteristics of their current and potential areas of distribution, etc.

Abstract:

Abstract Introduction: A systems perspective was used to describe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Global Health Engagement (GHE). This description was based on DoD instructions and higher-level documents related to DoD GHE. A complex system of systems such as health care can benefit from using modeling approaches to help understand the interactions among major components. Models (conceptual, computer-based programs, realistic simulations, or training exercises) can be used to help stakeholders prioritize options and to identify important components and gaps for making performance improvements. Based on the cited documents, we identified major DoD GHE components to create a conceptual model. Materials and methods: Components were selected from DoDI 2000.30 for DoD GHE. Definitions of these interacting components are given and assigned to our network model that consists of three levels: strategic, operational, and tactical. These levels are linked by critical nodes (decision points) that allow feedback to previous levels for modifying appropriate components. A network that is reminiscent of this structure is Boyd’s observe-orient-decision-act diagram. Acceptable strategic and operational plans are linked to the tactical level. Acceptable tactical components lead to the desired outcome of accomplishing the DoD GHE goals. Complex systems also have feedback loops to allow for component evaluations and modifications. Accomplishing DoD GHE goals need to have adaptable components in dynamic permissive environments. Results: The network that we considered is multicomponent and interdisciplinary. The network uses DoD GHE goals as the input (observing in the observe-orient-decide-act loop) to provide relevant information. It consists of three levels of adaptable, interacting (orienting) components that are linked by critical nodes (decision points) involving the evaluation of plans and desired outcomes. Strategic components (eg, sharing, personal interactions, agreements, planning, readiness, etc.) are required to develop strategic plans, the first critical node. If these plans are acceptable, the information is passed on (feed forward, action) to the operational components (define problems, understand strategic direction and guidance, understand the operational environment, etc.). At the second critical node, the decision is made about moving the operational plans to the tactical components (eg, evaluation, data, training, etc.). Tactical components are essential to provide further information to the third critical node, desired outcomes, in accomplishing DoD GHE goals. Feedback from all critical nodes is essential to allow modifications of various components and to attain health-related interoperability in supporting security policies and military strategies. Conclusions: Examining the composition of DoD GHE and creating a defined model can help identify interacting features of this complex system. All of the identified components have been associated with gaps, such as the need for monitoring and measuring tools, and standards. The current state of this system is dynamic and is evolving when confronting gaps. DoD GHE represents an intersection of global health and security in supporting U.S. national security objectives by establishing access and influence with partner nations and among health care-related government and non-government organizations, and as a result, improves the readiness, health, and safety of our military personnel.

Abstract:

This paper focuses on two techniques and their applications in healthcare systems: geographic information system (GIS) and interactive data visualization. GIS is a type of technique applied to manipulate, analyze and display spatial information. It is a useful tool tackling location related problems. GIS applications in healthcare include evaluation of accessibility to healthcare facilities, site planning of new healthcare services and analysis of risks and spreads of infectious diseases. Interactive data visualization is a collection of techniques translating data from its numeric format to graphic presentation dynamically for easy understanding and visual impact. Compared to conventional static data visualization techniques, interactive data visualization techniques allow user to self-explore the entire data set by instant slice and dice, quick switching among multiple data sources. Adjustable granularity of interactive data visualization allows for both detailed micro information and aggregated macro information displayed in a single chart. Animated transition adds extra visual impact that describes how system transits from one state to another. When applied to healthcare system, interactive visualization techniques are useful in areas such as information integration, flow or trajectory presentation and location related visualization, etc. One area both techniques intersect is location analysis. In this paper, real life case studies will be given to illustrate how these two techniques, when combined together, help in solving quantitative or qualitative location related problem, visualizing geographical information and accelerating decision making procedures.

Abstract:

The processes of urbanization lead to increased levels of influence of physical factors and, in particular, vibration. Vibration can damage buildings and have an adverse effect on the human body. Therefore, the issues of improving vibration monitoring systems are relevant. The presence of a spatial component in the data on the vibration situation indicates the feasibility of using geographic information systems in this area. The works of scientists in various fields of science are devoted to the study of the influence of vibrations on human beings and their environment. In existing studies the basic methodological principles for assessing the impact of vibration on people and environment were defined and methods for estimating vibration levels were developed. However, insufficient attention to the problems of vibration monitoring in the settlements is paid. The modern settlement can be described as a complex system formed by many interconnected anthropogenic and natural elements of the territories. Some components of this system belong to the category of objects that need to be protected from vibration, others are sources of vibration, and some belong to both categories. Facilities that require measures to protect against vibration include residential and public buildings, residential areas, parks, squares, recreation areas. Sources of vibration in buildings include: transport, industrial enterprises and installations, engineering equipment of buildings, built-in enterprises of trade, consumer services, etc. Geospatial data in the monitoring systems of the territory of the settlement is multisectoral and complex. Appropriate spatial data infrastructure is required for their efficient processing. Modeling of vibration monitoring system should be performed as part of the infrastructure of geospatial data at the local level. The basic set of spatial data for vibration monitoring included data on land plots, buildings, streets, utilities, railways, highways, hydrography, relief, soils, zoning. The «Address» class has been introduced to support address data. The set of thematic geospatial data includes information on the sources and areas of vibration pollution, control points and results of vibration levels, vibration protection devices, objects on which blasting or construction works are carried out. Based on the results of the analysis, a conceptual scheme of the geospatial database was developed. The proposed model can be the basis for designing the next stages of geographic information system for monitoring vibration.

Abstract:

The purpose of the article is to generalize and present the peculiarities of the process of forming a system of information support for the management of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. Methodology. General scientific (generalization, comparison, induction and deduction) and empirical and theoretical methods (analysis, synthesis) were used in the research. The use of system-structural analysis made it possible to identify the main features of the process of forming a system of information support for the management of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. The results of the study showed that with the help of big data analysis in agriculture it is possible to remotely detect problems that can be used to identify nutrient deficiencies, diseases, lack or excess of water, pest and weed infestation, insect damage, etc. It is determined that the use of analytical tools based on the analysis of geographic information systems data is useful in modeling and mapping, which can be used to predict crop yields. Practical implications. The results of the study can be used in the management of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. The obtained results can be directed to further research on the analysis of big data in agriculture in the management of agricultural enterprises. Value / originality. The scientific novelty of the results obtained is determined by the solution of an important scientific task, which is to develop theoretical provisions and practical recommendations for the formation of a system of information support for the management of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. The work has further developed research on the use and analysis of big data in agriculture in the management of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine.

Abstract:

The purpose of research. The current state of the tourism industry is characterized by growing demand for tourism services by using GIS technologies and increasing attraction for tourism. Specialists in this field are increasingly using geographic information technology to solve various problems of tourism. This article represents studies and possibilities of comprehensive information technology use in the field of tourism, such as, using of the avalanche pass for a tourist attraction. The information obtained from GIS technologies may have been used not only for travel agencies, but also to be useful for forestry workers but also (because it is an avalanche), should be taken by correspondent rescue services in the winter. Therefore, these studies currently remain relevant for scientific and practical issues. The goal of the work. Show how GIS technology performs the functions of spatial analysis and specific user tasks, such as, data processing, mapping, visualization of tourist routes and areas, etc. Thus, the most common usage of geographic information technologies for the formation of databases and filling mapping atributes about the tourist object and infrastructure of the tourist destination. Improving the informativeness is achieved by visualizing the various characteristics of the object, that is showing the avalanche area, avalanche path and power, which led to the destruction of the forest, and futher on. Method. A tourist route passing through the village of Chernyk, Nadvirna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, north of Mount Polensky (Polenskaya) was used for this study. The research in this article is based on the use of the extremely destructive snow avalanche that came down from Polensky Mountain in the Ukrainian Carpathians on March 24, 2006 and led to destruction in a large part of the forest in the Gorgany Nature Reserve. Geoinformation modeling methods were used on the territory of the avalanche slope from Polensky Mountain. Results. A digital terrain model of the study area was created. Geotourism route was developed within Gorgan, also some additional studies were performed related to detailed mapping and surface modeling in terms of route safety. Experimental studies were performed based on materials (DEM) provided by the Research Institute, Geodesy and Cartography , also the SURFAR software package was used. On its way, the avalanche destroys not only a large amount of forest (lumber), but also young trees. By cutting and capturing the soil and forest, the avalanche carries all this material (vegetation, top soil, rocks, debris)to the foot of the mountain and changing the terrain as well. According to our estimates, the forest losses caused by this avalanche were as follows: about 2,500 trees were destroyed, or 1,575 cubic meters of lamber. Different models were created for Mount Polenska, which are shown in the relevant figures. The obtained visual images that will be interesting for tourists and enhance the attractiveness of the object. Scientific novelty and practical value. The performed researches doesn’t have only descriptive nature, but also can be applied for the rescue service to protect of tourists on the route. The development of modern transport information systems and the creation of tourist maps and guides are another goals of this research. The creation and accurate mapping of tourist routes with the use of digital electronic maps is especially important, as the existing cartographic material is very inaccurate and the information is outdated. The use of geographic information technologies in tourism will also expand to solve specific engineering problems related to tourism. In addition, the images shown can serve as a warning of possible dangers. Conclusions. Thus, the use of geological objects in the tourism industry is promising, specially for mountainous and upland areas, which are very attractive for tourism. Because the formation of geotourism routes on the basis of correspondent and trusted geological data, and also involves a detailed study of geolocations, the route of the group, taking into account the safety aspects of travel. These tasks are efficiently implemented with the help of geographic information systems and technologies.

Abstract:

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> This presentation discusses the regional changes quantitatively in the 200 years through the overlay analysis of the present map and the INŌ’s map made by Tadataka INO in 1821 (Figure 1). INO surveyed the coastline and major roads on foot. He investigated not only survey lines, but also various geographic information such as rivers, lakes, mountains, village names, castles, temples, administrative boundaries, etc. Visualizing all of the 214 sheets of the INŌ’s large-scale map with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), we can analyse the national land condition seamlessly at the end of the Edo era.</p><p>Methodological point of view, we have serious problems including the scale, projection, identification of geographic features and so on, when we compare the old map with the present. In this connection, digitalizing the INŌ’s map as the GIS data is very useful to examine the spatial transformation scientifically during the 200 years. The digital INŌ’s map was constructed by employing the geo-reference function of GIS with the triangulation method. The survey line was converted into the line feature of vector data, and the place names were converted into the point feature of raster data. The distance of the survey line was measured by GIS-based geometric operation.</p><p>We obtained the following findings. The distributions of villages, ports, and facilities in western Japan were denser than those in eastern Japan in the 19th century. This was caused not only by the difference in natural environment and landform but also by socioeconomic factors including the locations of the castle towns and industrial activities. The regional structure has been dramatically transformed by the modernization of the political system, transportation system, and industrial development in reclaimed areas (Figure 2). It is concluded that most parts of changes in regional characteristics have been attained by overcoming the natural constraints. However, the difference in the political system has also been influential to the formation of the present regional system.</p>

Abstract:

Albania is a Mediterranean country where fruitsand vegetables occupy an important placein the cropping systems practiced by theAlbanian farms but also in the foodconsumption of the population. Today, the fruits and vegetables growers in Albania havelow production capacity and difficulties inselling their products on national and regionalmarket. These poor producers face problems ofhow to produce safe food (World Bank2007), be recognized as producing safe food, identify cost-effective technologies forreducing risk, and be competitive with larger producers with advantage of economies ofscale in compliance with food safety requirements. In enabling the smallholders to remaincompetitive in such a system, new institutional arrangements are required. The new andemerging food system (dominated by domestic urban market and export markets,regional competitiveness, globalization, etc.) with high demands for compliance with foodsafety and traceability disfavor the smallholders due tohigh coordination costs. Theproblem is exacerbated by geographic dispersion, low education, and poor access tocapital and information (Poulton 2005; Humphrey 2005; Rich and Narrod 2005). Themain idea of this paper is that the public-private partnerships can play a key role increating farm to fork linkages that can satisfy the market demands for food safety whileretaining smallholders in the supply chain. Our big question is “how this can be possiblein Albania and which are the rightpolicies to forward this idea?

Abstract:

Introduction. The article describes a forward-looking technology in the field of construction industry and urban management – CIM (City Information Modeling) – an information model of a city. Emergence of the information modelling have led to the possibility to create the 3D models not only of individual objects, but also of a city as a whole with its buildings, infrastructure, geological and environmental factors. But creation and maintenance of the city models require the software tools. The aim of the present research is to make a review of the available software, describe its properties and field of application. CIM application capacities are also defined. The tasks, which can be solved by means of such a model, are described. The result of using GIS technologies in creating a city information model with respect to the data on housing stock energy efficiency level is shown.Materials and Methods. Within the research, an analytical review of the existing software for creating an information model of a city was carried out, the works of the scientists, who contributed to the issue of urban modeling, were studied. The information sources useful for further research were identified. Geo-information systems ARC GIS 10.1 ESRI were used to create a city information model.Results. A city information model can be described as a replication of the historical and cultural, socio-economic and religious events and phenomena; the three-dimensional models, geo-information virtual systems created by means of the space-based processing and information technologies, including BIM (Building Information Modeling) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The software complexes, which function based on the analysis of the valid data and creation of design entities, are used to create the information models of the urban territories. The major companies importing the urban modeling software, Autodesk and Bentley, offer both BIM and CIM tools.Discussion and Conclusions. The term "Smart City" has become especially popular due to development of BIM technologies. This is an innovative approach based on the digital technologies application, which directly affects the activities and efficiency of provided services and rising the city living standard. For solving the thematic problems, there exist the focused technologies and tools of the modern urban environment development. The main task of the "Smart City" is enhancement of the comfort standard of the residents’ living. This task is solved by creating a city information model integrating the information about the terrain, buildings and structures, roads, green spaces, etc.

Abstract:

Sustainable development requires monitoring the state and changes of the city and providing the appropriate information to users anytime and anywhere. This paper takes Ningbo City as the research area, by utilizing two temporal (March 25, 2012 and November 25, 2013) ZY-3 satellite remote sensing data. 3S technology is used for urban grid management. The remote sensing information extraction of Ningbo City includes: extraction of building change information, extraction of green space change information, extraction of water information and analysis of eutrophication correspondingly. When extracting change information, we take "change information" as a special kind of "geographic information" to study the characteristics of different bands in multi-temporal data, and follow the first law of geography, namely adjacent similar principle. The extracted raster information is further converted into GIS vector format data as a basis for dynamic monitoring of Ningbo Urban Management systems: on the one hand, it can meet the demands of multi-source spatial data analysis (such as: overlay analysis, buffer analysis, etc.); on the other hand, it could meet the requirements of daily urban management. Dynamic monitoring system of Ningbo city management adopts the urban grid management mode. Based on GIS and GPS, grid management can satisfy the urban management mode –someone bear responsibility within the grid, somebody do the task under the supervision of the lattice, and at the same time play the role of remote sensing field surveying. To some extent, integrated 3S technology and urban grid management is a practical alternative of minimizing the uncertainty of remote sensing data and information extraction. With multi-scale and multi-dimensional remote sensing data, 3S integration and the urban grid management can monitor the urban state and its spatial-temporal changes. It’s helpful for discovery and analysis of urban problems about resources, environment, ecology and disaster, from phenomena to nature, and it is a necessary part of sustainable urbanization.

Abstract:

With the continuous advancement of big data technology, there are many drawbacks in the past urban greenway design. The environment, population distribution, geographic location, spatial distribution, and other factors affect the greenway design. At the same time, a large amount of historical data is mixed. The systematic arrangement has indirectly led to the fact that urban greenway design does not know how to analyze and use past data. There is always a waste of various resources. While greenways bring many positive impacts, they also have negative impacts: it is difficult for the wild animals in the greenways to move along the predetermined passages, and most animals spread in the greenways in a disorderly manner, so that the greenways accelerate the invasion of alien species and diseases to a certain extent. Using big data technology can enable us to allocate resources more reasonably and accurately. The purpose of this article is to study the use of big data technology to rationalize our urban greenway design. This paper adopts a calculation method that closely combines quantitative and qualitative features to study its features. The local feature analysis algorithm can extract and analyze urban spatial data. Spatial remote sensing image technology can deepen our knowledge and understanding of urban spatial characteristics, conduct data mining, provide all the information of urban space, analyze the content and type, and classify it; then filter and integrate the big data in the greenway planning and design information. The information about greenway planning and design in the big data of Dao Design is digitized. This information can be composed of traditional data and dynamic data. Finally, after scientific analysis, the data is subjected to scenario assumptions, modeling, and output, we applied various analysis results to actual operations, and we obtain the final inspection. In fact, this is also going out from actual work, summing up the experience we have done, and again starting from the perspective of specific practice. Compared with our traditional field investigation before, with the guidance of big data analysis, the experimental results of this article show that under the use of big data technology, the wrong resolution of the SegNet semantic classification algorithm for buildings is 9.6%, and the others are 10.9%, 16%, 20%, etc., which are all greater than 9.6%, so the segNet model has a higher image acquisition accuracy. It can solve the problems caused by the lag of the past questionnaires and the small sample size, improve the accuracy of data extraction through algorithms, find some features and problems of greenway design, and complete the urban greening rate through computer algorithms. Calculation and analysis can better provide the most reasonable method for greenway design site selection and route selection.

Abstract:

The purpose of the research is to analyse and assess existing approaches in investigation of interconnections between climate and underlying surface. Land use/land cover (LULC) influences climate formation via physical and chemical properties (albedo, roughness, height, chemical composition etc.). Climate in its turn affects land cover by means of meteorological parameters (air temperature and humidity, precipitation, wind etc.) and causes both cyclic and irreversible changes in land cover. In addition, anthropogenic factors exacerbate surface-climate interactions through? for example, LULC change that usually causes an additional release of chemical compounds. The paper distinguishes three main directions of the “climate - LULC” interactions research that is conducted mainly with application of satellite monitoring products, observation dataset, geographic information systems (GIS) and numerical modelling. The first direction implies monitoring and research of cyclic changes and transformation of LULC influenced by natural and anthropogenic factors, using different GIS-based satellite and surface meteorological observation databases. Despite significant technical progress and great amount of studies conducted for detecting dynamics of LULC change for different time intervals, the problems of dealing with cloudiness and shadows from orographic and other objects still remain. The second direction investigates the influence of LULC change on the chemical composition in the atmospheric boundary layer and on the regional climate. Numerous researches were dedicated to the influence of different kinds of surface such as forests, grasslands, croplands, urban areas etc. on climate characteristics and also on fluxes, for example, CO2. The effect of midlatitude forests on climate remains to be one of the challenging and urgent issues. The third direction relates to LULC change modelling and regional climate modelling. For the last decade a spatial resolution of models was considerably increased and, as a result, representation of interaction between atmosphere and land improved. Online integrated numerical atmospheric models are found as the most promising ones. They include "meteorological parameters – atmospheric chemical composition" feedbacks and can consider LULC on global and regional scales. However, some issues still need improvement, namely radiative transfer, cloud microphysics, cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions, as well as parametrizations of some types of land and their interaction with the atmospheric boundary layer.

Abstract:

The image of Ukrainian geography is formed in the difficult conditions of the establishment of statehood, deep political and economic reforms, and geopolitical and military resistance to russian aggression. Geographical science still does not sufficiently respond to the contemporary demands of society for geographical information and geographical knowledge. The reformation of national science and education presents geographers with many new problems that need to be considered and solved. The latest information technology revolution, along with new technical capabilities, means more and deep complex requests for geographic information. The paper considers the mentioned issues. The authors focus attention on the features of the transformation of the functions of geographical science in the conditions of post-industrial society and new people’s interaction with natural systems. The technological findings created by modern society are a prospect for the implementation of many solutions in the sphere of sustainable economic, social, and ecological development, as well as the transition to new models of production and consumption, and adaptation to climate change. The paper mentioned that geography plays a significant role in the development of organizational plans and business models in EU countries in such areas as regional and local development, urban and community planning and development, emergency risk management, and transition to a circular economy. In Ukraine, unfortunately, geography, like other sciences such as mathematics and physics, is increasingly perceived as part of basic education. Public demand and the market for projects are practically not formed, which causes both gaps in the implementation of numerous EU directives and international standards, as well as the decline of the discipline. Currently, the war with Russia is definitely the one of the bitter phenomena that requires the involvement of geographers. The first reaction of scholars took place as early as 2014, which was reflected in the adjustment of several educational programs, including human geography, political geography, urban geography, landscape ecology, spatial planning and development, cartographic modeling and GIS, geography of transport systems, population settlement, etc. Simultaneously, today Ukrainian geographers talk about large-scale changes in research priorities, focusing on the assessment of losses and the potential for the restoration of territories, the sustainable development of cities and regions, and geostrategization.

Abstract:

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The paper considers three scientific approaches and outlines a new concept of systematic cartography.</p><p>The first approach &amp;ndash; systems theory</p><p>Systems theory has long been concerned with the study of complex systems (in recent times, complexity theory and complex systems have also been used as names of the field). Complex systems are present in the research of various disciplines, including geosciences, economics, social studies and technology. Recently, complexity has become a natural domain of interest in real-world socio-cognitive systems and emerging systemics research. Complex systems tend to be high-dimensional, non-linear, and challenging to study. Organised complexity is the degree of both the organisation and complexity of a system. When organisation and complexity are not part of the same system they each undoubtedly can occur naturally, but when both organisation and complexity are found in the same system, the odds of their occurring drop considerably, and the more of both that a system has, the less probable it becomes.</p><p>It is often useful to consider spatial problems through a general systems approach. A general system is a group of fundamental elements bound together by specific linkages. Systems may be open or closed and may change through time. The earth is an open system in which there are inputs, outputs, and flow-through mechanisms. The linkages, or connections, that bind entities together into a system are paths through which matter, energy, ideas, and people pass from one element to another. General Systems Theory is useful to any approaches describing the earth &amp;ndash; cartography is one of them.</p><p>Cartography employs systems to develop analytical models with which they seek to understand and explain spatial patterns and interactions. Cartographers use the systems model, for example, to examine human migration patterns, the diffusion of ideas, and the spread of information. Moreover, research about maps relies on understanding the systems in which information and communication processes operate. Cartographers are interested in identifying, explaining, and predicting information flows in maps. They also seek to identify, describe, and explain cycles and patterns in both maps and map collections.</p><p>The second approach &amp;ndash; atlases</p><p>Atlases are, probably, the best known and the most flexible of popular cartographic products. Atlases are used to address different issues and to target different audiences. Historically, atlases have played different roles &amp;ndash; from instruments of power, in the Renaissance to a current decision and planning support tools. Atlases are used for general reference, education, research and business. As they evolved, atlases were produced in different ways, from the initial manual compilation to current computer-generated processing. Atlases have experienced many changes in the way they are conceived, produced, disseminated and used.</p><p>Many definitions of an atlas exist, and all of them involve words “systematic collection” or similar expression that an atlas is not a set of map randomly chosen maps and their random arrangement as a book. After a rapid ICT development provides fast map compilations, it seems that atlas cartography is much more comfortable. Various types of atlases can be distinguished by the region, theme, dissemination concept, presentation medium and interaction with users. All these kinds of atlases share the overall objective to communicate geographic knowledge and facilitate new insight into geographic phenomena.</p><p>The third approach &amp;ndash; Tobler's first law of geography</p><p>The Tobler's first law of geography was introduced into the geographical literature in an article that Waldo Tobler (1930&amp;ndash;2018) published in the journal Economic Geography in 1970. He described a simulation of population growth in Detroit and invoked the law: “everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.”</p><p>It considers the following questions for cartographers: Can the Tobler's law be applied in cartography when we replace objects with maps? How can “near” and “distant” be measured in an atlas? Is it right for Euclidean and network space?</p><p>A concept of systematic cartography</p><p>Systematic cartography is a set of interrelated approaches for visualising a wide range of spatial data sources by various techniques. A traditional field of systematic geovizualisation is the atlas production. At present, advanced display techniques and distributed spatial data sources multiply the possibilities and range of visualization outputs. A theoretical systematic approach plays a crucial role for content, designing, compilation and symbology of any atlas. This calls for the implementation of system theory into an atlas conceptualisation.</p><p>Can atlas be described as a system? If a system consists of elements and relationships between them, then an atlas consists of maps and relationships between them. As a system has a structure and behaviour, an atlas has a structure and usage. In the system theory, a system has a language (information is passed through the information channels). In systematic cartography, an atlas passes spatial information through map language. If we describe an atlas as a system we might measure atlas and then to improve it, redesign it, reuse it etc.</p><p>If an atlas is a system according to the theory of systems (a system universum A involves maps, symbols, map elements, graphs, texts, etc. and a system characteristics R involves all relationships between them) it make us possible to measure “a rate of systematization”, and make atlas taxonomy better. It will also provide a view into an atlas structure and tools for its imporving. And it is really worth!</p><p>Maps in atlases are organized gradually (i) from simple analytical maps (of the main theme components), (ii) to the complex and synthetic maps, (iii) the content of the thematic atlas is arranged like a storybook, (iv) from simple to complex, (v) from basic information to the culmination as the main message in sense of spatial synthesis (typology and regionalization). The relationships relate to map language either in map series, in atlas structure and design and between maps vs. graphs, tables and figures.</p>

Abstract:

The work is aimed at studying the intensity of roads in the Republic of Kazakhstan (for example, Almaty-Kapshagai-Taldykorgan highway) and improving the traffic management system. The development of a single economic space of the country largely depends on the level of development of transport infrastructure in each region. In this regard, the need to strengthen the interaction of central and local executive bodies on issues of state regulation of transport activities, while maintaining the trend of balanced development and decentralization of the transport system of the regions is particularly relevant. The analysis also shows that several measures can be taken to improve traffic management. The issues under consideration are devoted to topical problems of the development of a network of highways, which ensures the integrity of the territory of the largest cities and their zones of influence. The issues of the complex interrelation of urban planning factors, social and functional requirements that affect the degree of the necessary development of the network of the main structure-forming highways in the development of master plans of cities, planning projects of agglomerations, schemes of territorial planning of interconnected systems of settlements are considered. A method is proposed for the approximate development of the main network of highways formed by streets and high-speed roads. Modified classification of streets and roads in large cities is proposed, as well as a model for the planning organization of a single network of highways of cities and interconnected settlement systems, considering the modern requirements of sustainable development of urbanized territories and the growing level of motorization. The effectiveness of the proposals is illustrated by specific examples of domestic cities. For employees of scientific and design organizations engaged in the design and prospective development of main streets and roads in large and large cities, in urban agglomerations and areas of their influence. The methodological basis of the work was the results of fundamental and applied research in the field of vehicle operation in order to determine the main directions for increasing energy efficiency by improving the traffic management system. The solution to these problems requires to a large extent not only scarce financial, material, labor and other resources, but also the development of information technologies in the road industry. There is an urgent need for qualitative changes at all stages of collection, processing and ordering of information, at all stages of the continuous spiral of life cycles of the development of both the road itself and its structures - surveys, design, construction, operation and again surveys for design, reconstruction, repair, etc. The article considers the problems of the Almaty-Kapshagai-Taldykorgan highway and ways to solve them in the geographic information system.

Abstract:

Russia’s war against Ukraine significantly affects the state of Ukraine's national security and the social security of every Ukrainian. Its negative consequences are both direct and indirect in nature, which is a real social threat. The degree (level) of protection of the vital socio-economic interests of a person (person), his rights, freedoms and values from internal and external, real, and potential threats is an important element of assessing the state of the state's national security. In the conditions when Russia's military and informational aggression is directed against Ukraine, the study of issues of media influence, both from the inside and from the outside, on public opinion, moods among different categories of citizens, ethnic communities, their manifestations, and expression of will regarding political and economic transformations in the country is important and relevant. An important element of the analysis of the state of human social security in the conditions of a hybrid war is the study and assessment of the structure and dynamics of the development of public opinion in certain regions of the country. One of the most serious ways of assessing public opinion and forecasting its changes is, along with sociological research, monitoring the influence of mass media on the population of the region. Traditionally, such influence is assessed by monitoring local mass media and evaluating them according to a few formal qualities, such as audience coverage, ownership structure, political connections of owners, signs of commitment to one or another political position, etc. Such an analysis allows with a certain degree of accuracy to record the presence of various centers of influence on public opinion, however, it is completely insufficient to assess the real influence of these centers on public opinion itself, since it does not allow to assess exactly how this or that information influenced its consumers. When processing information flows from mass media, social networks, e-mail, etc., there are constant problems of processing large volumes of data containing textual information, which, although related to location, is not presented in traditional structured spatial formats, and does not explicitly contain geographic coordinates. Instead, its connection to geography is hidden in unstructured or semi-structured formats based on plain text. Unstructured data is usually considered to be information that does not have a predefined data structure or is not organized in a fixed order. Unstructured data, as a rule, is presented in the form of text, which can contain data such as dates, numbers, and facts, which immediately leads to difficulties in analysis, especially in the case of using traditional programs designed to work with structured data. Unstructured data is usually stored in human-readable formats, although such formats make automatic data management difficult. In connection with the rapid pace of progress and development of geoinformation systems, the specialists of the company Esri (USA) comprehensively approached the problem of the combined use of unstructured data and geoinformation systems. The Locate XT module was created to solve this problem. The new ArcGIS LocateXT add-on is designed to search, extract, and map data from plain text, including geographic coordinates in various formats, place names, and other location-related information. Geoinformation technology LocateXT is an effective tool for research and analysis of the impact of mass media in the conditions of a hybrid war between Russia and Ukraine on human social security, efficiency, completeness and quality of information and spatial support of management processes. It helps speed up decision-making procedures based on quality management of unstructured data obtained from disparate sources. Modern geoinformation tools in the decision-making support system provide an opportunity to systematize unstructured data, determine their geospatial reference, and subsequently conduct analysis and form the obtained results in a form convenient for perception.

Abstract:

The aim is to describe the field methods for studying the impact of the Dniester PSPP natural and technical geosystem (NTGS) on dynamic processes in the environment of its operation. A comprehensive research methodology was used to analyse the field methods for studying the impact of the Dniester PSPP natural and technical geosystem on dynamic processes in the environment of its operation. The initial stage included an analysis of the results of previous scientific studies on the impact of hydraulic engineering facilities on the environment. This made it possible to take into account previous findings and identify existing knowledge in this area. Next, we carried out on-site (field) data collection, which included in-situ measurements and observations directly in the area of the research object. For this purpose, specialised data collection devices were used. Particular attention was paid to the statistical analysis of the data obtained, which allowed us to identify the relationships between various factors that affect the dynamic processes of the environment. In the 21st century, geography is becoming an even more important and responsible science due to the growth of global challenges, such as climate change, environmental management, population migration, and others. An integrated approach allows geographers to look at problems from different perspectives and develop comprehensive solutions. Modern technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), satellite imagery, remote sensing, etc., provide geographers with new opportunities for collecting, analysing and interpreting data, which helps to solve complex problems more efficiently. An example of the application of an integrated approach in studying the impact of the natural and technical geosystem of the Dniester cascade of HPPs and PSPs on dynamic processes. Scientific novelty. The research in the article allows us to expand the understanding of the specific problem of managing anthropogenic load in a natural and technical system. The analysis of the object being designed as a system containing two most important parts – technical and natural - makes the systems approach not a decoration, but a prerequisite for the work of a natural scientist: geographer, ecologist – an ally, an associate of the designer. Designing, creating an environment that is optimal for human life means designing such systems, structures, and technologies so that they are as closely related to the existing relationships in nature as possible.

Abstract:

Computer-aided sports systems are an important area of current research. To be specific, it can combine computer vision, computer graphics, and motion capture technologies with the characteristics of sports, and design and develop assisted systems according to user needs. As a result, it is of great practical importance and application to improve the entertainment and science of sports learning, to stimulate public participation in sports, and to learn sports skills. Table tennis has a very great popular base in China and has a wide range of audiences. However, for beginners or amateurs of table tennis, it is difficult to learn table tennis skills by relying on books, videos, etc., due to the lack of professional technical guidance, which makes it relatively difficult for them to continuously improve their skills. Sometimes they tend to form wrong technical habits, which are not easy to detect and correct in time, and can lead to sports injuries over time. Therefore, the lack of professional instruction has hindered the development of table tennis in public fitness to a certain extent. On the other hand, in a table tennis course, the learning of table tennis techniques is mostly dependent on the teacher’s explanation. Students are bored with the repetitive and boring teaching because they need to repeat the exercises several times. The formation of correct table tennis movements requires repeated instruction from the instructor to address problems with the student’s movements. However, due to limited teaching resources, it is difficult for teachers to accommodate different students during the teaching process. In addition, with a limited team of instructors, the level of proficiency varies, making it difficult for them to make an objective assessment. As a result, with the rapid development and application of modern science and technology in the field of sports, there is an urgent need to explore intelligent sports technology instructional support systems to improve the shortcomings of the traditional teaching model. Motion recognition technology, as an essential branch of multimodal interaction technology, has been developing rapidly in recent years. This research focus on designing and implementing a system for recognizing human motion based on skeletal point pose information by combining inertial sensors. This system can collect data from sensors located at the main skeletal points of the human body and transmits them to the host computer through multi-Bluetooth pairing transmission. After that, support vector machines are applied to classify human movements and to recognize general human movements. This system has significant advantages for human movement recognition and classification due to the distinctive technical characteristics of table tennis. The recognition and classification of both players in the video can play an important role in the technical analysis and tactical arrangement of the players. As a result, the table tennis motion correction system based on human motion feature recognition has crucial research significance and application value.

Abstract:

Contemporary student learning is lagging in the use of interactive and computer-based technologies. Therefore, more systematic use of computer-based technologies combined with traditional methods can lead to better results in the academic preparation of student educators. This article discusses teaching and learning methods and techniques that have been designed and tested in working with student educators. They are used in 30% of the study time during the students' exercises and practical work. The methods used include research and development of presentations by students on the main topics of teaching methodology in class - civil, health, environmental and intercultural education. Another group of methods is related to authentic e-learning assignments, assignments, and activities in e-learning textbooks for students. The third group included tasks for digital selection and arrangement of information systems, tasks and activities for conducting lessons and various classes, including working with parents, charitable activities, preparation for holidays, self-organization and more. The last group of methods relates to the development of short digital didactic materials prepared for young students by the student educators - photo galleries, games, videos, test papers, etc. mainly for safe road traffic, disaster and accident protection, environmental protection, sports and tourist activities and more. These methods and techniques were applied over a course of 30 academic hours per semester. The experimental work involved four groups - two experimental ones of 36 students and 2 control groups of 36 students. The work of the students in the experimental groups was both independent and team-based. The teams were dynamic and composed according to different criteria. The results of the study showed the effectiveness of the interactive, computer-based methods and techniques of teaching and learning by three criteria - motivation, academic achievement and teamwork skills. The highest differences of 12% -14% were obtained in the motivation and teamwork skills of the students in the experimental classes. The difference in the knowledge and skills of these students on the topics and problems studied in the methodology is not significant enough. Nevertheless, they show 8% higher results in the performed tests

Abstract:

In modern times, technology is the driving force behind all human activity. The Internet is an integral part of peo- ple's lives and the majority of daily activities are carried out through it. The health sector is no exception as new concepts such as e-health, mobile health etc. have been introduced. Patients and potential users of health services use the websites of healthcare institutions to find and access information about their health problems in health services. The present research carried out as part of a diploma the- sis for the Information and Communication Systems Engi- neering Department of the "Electronic Governance" Master's Program of the Aegean University, attempts to investigate the quality and completeness of the websites of Greek nurs- ing institutions. The object of the research is the evaluation of hospital websites using the HSWAI evaluation tool. It is an excel file containing four(4) criteria with sixteen(16) indica- tors and one hundred sixty-eight(168) sub-indicators. Each sub-indicator includes a presumption that is examined to see if it is met by the nursing website under investigation. In the end a score is produced that identifies the hospital website according to the iHSWAI index global ranking. This fact helps the users and potential customers of health services to com- pare and choose the provider that satisfies them while at the same time it helps the administrations of the institutions to improve and enrich their hospital websites. The research sample consists of public and private nursing institutions operating in the Greek territory. One hundred and twenty-three(123) public hospitals and one hundred and twenty-two(122) private hospitals were evaluated, while sixty-four(64) institutions were not evaluated due to a lack of a website or technical difficulties. The results of the survey revealed that public hospitals have more complete websites as they performed better in the HSWAI score than the private ones. Also, the comparisons made in the context of the research results showed that the more beds a hospital manages, the better quality and more complete website it has. Also, the quality of hospital websites depends on the geographic area where the hospitals are located and the Health District they belong to.

Abstract:

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Atlas mapping is one of the priorities of the modern mapping industry. It is connected both with the unceasing popularity of traditional atlases in the printing version, and with the active introduction and use of interactive electronic and web atlases, as well as with the development of atlas information systems. Currently there are no generalizing methodological solutions for automating the atlas compilation processes, despite the importance and perspectives of atlas mapping. In addition, there is no software which ensures all requirements for the design of the atlas. The use of geographic information technologies in atlas mapping doesn’t solve all the problems involved in creating atlases. For example, GIS can be used for solution of individual processes, e.g. the development of spatial and thematic databases, the creation of thematic maps, the cartographic generalization, the project of graphical index of maps into atlas pages, etc. But GIS doesn’t provide for the creation of a finished cartographic work with an integrated structure and content. This fact undoubtedly leads to the high cost and laboriousness of creating atlases, to the long-term design and the presence of errors in their compilation.</p><p>The Department of Cartography of the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography (MIIGAiK) carries out research work on the development of the theory and methods of automating atlas mapping processes. The research is being directed to the speed of creation and improvement of the quality of general geographical, thematic and complex atlases. As part of this research, methods and algorithms for the automated creation of atlases have been developed, providing solutions to the most time-consuming and rather complex processes of atlas mapping, among which are:</p><ol><li>The development of an optimal atlas structure;</li><li>Design of the mathematical basis of the atlas (selection of a scale series, cartographic projections, format and layout);</li><li>Formalization of the creation of geographic base maps for atlas;</li><li>The formation and visualization of reference information of the atlas;</li><li>Organization, storage and use of spatial-temporary data in electronic atlases.</li></ol><p> Figure 1 presents the proposed solutions for automating processes mentioned above. The list of solutions may be different depending on the type of atlas being created (general geographical, thematic, and complex atlas). So the following options can be when developing the structure of the atlas. The use of a unified system of classification and coding of thematic maps and taking into account the degree of knowledge (study) of the object and mapped phenomenon is being used only for a thematic or complex regional atlas. The definition of possible combinations of territories shown on a single atlas map is used only for thematic or general geographical atlas. For each type of atlas, the formation and use of the reference information system of the studied atlases can be used, as well as the identification and formalization of factors affecting the inclusion of a specific section or a separate map.</p><p>The results of the research will ensure the efficiency of creating atlases and increase their quality. Also its will help to meet the increasing consumer demand for atlas map products, especially in the form of electronic atlases and geo-portal solutions.</p>

Abstract:

The article announces a new map of Quaternary formations on the territory of Ukraine on the scale 1:2,500,000. It considers the prerequisites for the preparation of this map and summarises more than a century of historical research and mapping of the Quaternary formations on the territory of Ukraine. Due to the continuity of scientific research, an extremely developed theoretical and methodological basis of both research and mapping of Quaternary formations has been formed in the country. This is also due to the extraordinary diversity of the geological structure of the Quaternary cover, due to the presence of two mountain systems, lowland areas (including within them several deflections and two crystalline foundations), as well as due to the presence of two seas (including the continental shelf, slope and deep-water zone). A very wide spectrum of facies and formations is also listed (including a thick loess-soil cover, facies of two glaciers of different ages, alluvia, estuary, marine shelf, deep-water and etc.). Attention is focused on two important problems of mapping Quaternary cover. The first is related to new views on the origin of the subaerial cover. The significance of the new (geo-eolian) factor is disclosed, which determined both the thickness and lithological properties of the strata of each paleogeographic stage (of climatoliths) of each separate section, and the stratigraphic structure of the loess-soil cover. Spatial patterns of the structure of the subaerial cover are briefly described, in particular, the mosaic division into areas with a homogeneous stratigraphic structure (type-sections), due to the corresponding geo-eolian mode (sequence). The second problem concerns the ways of visualization of the geological structure of Quaternary sediments on the map. Two principles of reflection of the Quaternary cover are considered, and the disadvantages and advantages of each of them are indicated. Promising ways to map the Quaternary subaerial cover on the basis of ideas about its mosaic structure are proposed. A solution to the problem of various principles of visualization of the Quaternary cover is recommended involving compilation of «multi-visual» maps based on their interactive reissuing (re-design) with modern geographic information systems in accordance with various principles of visualization of the structure of the Quaternary. It has been proposed to use the above scientific approaches in the mapping of the Quaternary deposits of Europe and the World, and also to take into account the geo-eolian factor in the studies of the subaerial cover.

Abstract:

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Along with other types of schematic maps, structural schemes of hydrographic objects displaying information on the hierarchy of rivers can be important for users. They can be used for water tourism, hydrological research, educational purposes, as well as for solving various analytical problems related to water bodies.</p><p> Despite the inability to convey the geometric features of the river and the terrain, these schemes differ in a variety of representations. Often, they are created at a certain scale, which allows them to be used to assess and compare the length of rivers, the distances from the mouth of the main river to the mouth of the tributaries, the distances between the tributaries. Depending on the type, they can display hydrological posts, lakes, reservoirs, settlements, tourist sites, etc. Apart from rivers and additional objects labels, it is common to label metric characteristics, for example, the distance from the mouth of the main river to the confluence of tributaries. Unlike, for example, subway maps, structure schemes of rivers are of particular importance not as an independent source of information, but as an additional – it is in combination with other methods of visualization of reference information (maps, diagrams, tables, and text blocks), they are really useful and informative.</p><p> Currently, to create schemes of hydrographic objects, as a rule, graphic editors are used, due to their wide distribution. This approach is characterized by a low speed of creation, as well as the complexity of updating and supplementing schemes with new information. At the same time, the existing algorithms for automating the construction of schemes are often inappropriate to use for these purposes in our opinion. Since the calculation of the position of the graph elements is made in them based primarily on aesthetic considerations and the length of the edges on the resulting image, respectively, is arbitrary, while the transfer of the length of the rivers at a certain scale significantly expands the list of scenarios for the use of such schemes. In this paper, we consider methods and algorithms for creating structural schemes of hydrography, transmitting part of the metric properties of rivers – primarily their length and the distance of the tributaries from each other along the network lines. On the basis of methods and algorithms, a web service for creating river schemes is developed.</p><p> The authors propose the following stages of creating structural schemes of hydrography: the choice of the type and purpose of the created structural scheme – the choice of the study area – the choice of the source data – the definition of the main object and the main rivers of the structural scheme – the definition of the main parameters of the scheme – the creation of a derived dataset – the formation of the structural schemes of the river.</p><p> The first step is to select the type and purpose of the structural scheme to be created. In the course of the study, based on the analysis of existing schemes, as well as the study of the possible use cases, the authors identified following main groups of structural schemes of hydrographic objects and given their brief characteristics: overview schemes (for example, for school atlases), tourist schemes (for planning a route along the river and for navigation along the water route), analytical schemes (for example, for hydrological studies; for visualization of the consequences of river floods; for assessing the quality of surface waters, etc.). The authors have developed the approximate content and design of each of these groups of schemes. Thus, by selecting the type of scheme, the user defines a template, the parameters of which he will specify in the next steps.</p><p> At the second stage, the choice of the study area is carried out, which allows: to limit the list of possible main objects and main rivers, among which it is necessary to choose, only to those that are at least partially located within this territory; to reduce the number of source data sets by those that belong to the region (for example, contain the object located in this region); enter an additional criterion for the selection of objects – other things being equal, priority will be considered objects located in the territory, less priority – objects located within the buffer zone around the territory and the least priority – objects located outside the buffer zone.</p><p> The third step defines the data sources that will be used in the construction. To ensure the automation of the process of creating structural schemes, it is proposed to use a cartographic database as the main data source, which is due to the initial composition of the database (hydrography, settlements, communication routes and borders), the developed system of classification and coding of geographic objects, a single fixed format for recording digital cartographic information, as well as the possibility of supplementing semantic information about objects from various sources. Thus, to create schemes on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is advisable to use a small-scale cartographic database of scale 1&amp;thinsp;:&amp;thinsp;2&amp;thinsp;500&amp;thinsp;000. As additional sources, open data are used, usually presented in tabular or structured text format, which allows them to be integrated into geographic information systems. The greatest difficulty in the processing and preparation of information is textual data containing descriptions of tourist water routes.</p><p> At the fourth stage, the main object and the main rivers of the structural scheme are selected. The main object is the object linking together the content of the scheme – a region, a large body of water or a river. For example, the main object might be the sea if the scheme shows the largest rivers flowing into that sea. The main rivers are considered to be of the smallest order, represented in the scheme by a straight line, occupying a central position and directly related to the main object.</p><p> For the automated construction of structural schemes of the rivers it is necessary to define their main parameters. The authors highlighted the mandatory parameters and their values, set the order of their tasks. There are calculated or specified parameters (scale and format of the scheme), parameters that require the selection of a unique value (orientation of the main river), and parameters that contain a set of values (for example, general geographic or thematic objects displayed on the scheme). Depending on the type of diagram, the values of each parameter may vary.</p><p> An important step in the development of structural schemes of rivers is the formation of derived datasets for each element of the content involved in the creation of the scheme, by selecting and processing the selected data. For example, the required tributaries of the river network are selected in accordance with specified criteria. At this stage, in order to assess the selection result and to ensure the readability of the created scheme, the graphical load (the area of all the conventional images present on the scheme) and the graphical load coefficient (the ratio of the graphic load to the total area) of the scheme is calculated. To improve the efficiency of evaluation, the calculation of the graphical load is proposed to be done not only for the whole scheme, but also for individual elements of the content, rows and columns of the scheme.</p><p> At the last stage, the scheme is built using special algorithms. One of these algorithms, for example, is designed to build schemes in which the tributaries are depicted parallel to the main river and connected to it with the help of additional lines. In this way – when the images of all rivers are parallel to each other – the task of constructing a graph of rivers for the scheme is reduced to the choice of row for each river (between the lines of the standard distance), in which its image is placed entirely without breaks. The construction begins with the inflow of the main river nearest to the source, the image of which is placed in the first line. Then, for each subsequent inflow, an estimate is made – whether it fits entirely in the same line: if yes, it is depicted there, if not, the next line is evaluated, and so on, until a suitable one is found.</p><p> On the basis of these steps, it is possible to automate the creation of various river schemes (the potential of which, despite their current relative unpopularity, is quite high). The possibility and benefits of using the developed methods and algorithms to create schematic maps of other objects (not hydrographic) have yet to be investigated.</p>

Abstract:

Economic security of the national state is traditionally considered to be implemented only at macro level of the national economy. However, a new reality of the XXI era has shown that the key aspects of the national security are being arisen at micro level of economic activity. Innovations have created not only new factors for prosperity but given birth to specific risks and novel threats for the national state. Digital ecosystems (DESs) that have just come to light have been generating a host of state threatening consequences. Nowadays most if not all of the largest world companies are parts of digital ecosystems. Market capitalization, total sales and total business operations of the digital ecosystems equal or even exceed the gross domestic product of many independent states. A typical profile of a digital ecosystem comprises such characteristics as self-regulation and independent business; vague industry and geographic frontiers; absence of clear inner structural elements within the firm; absence or minimization of material (brick-and-stone) assets. The services of the digital ecosystems lie in a variety of highly different production, transportation, market, and after-market spheres including finance and logistics. The intangible power of DESs is based on ICT technology, e. g., M2M and IoT, which could work in an autonomous regime even off Wi-Fi areas. Cloud computing, fog computing and edge computing allow to storage and manipulate big data over the firms’ boundaries and stay off the government control. Although M2M interactions are good for telemedicine, industrial security, payment systems, etc., smart digital activity of DESs might be harmful for national economic security. Firstly, as digital ecosystems are collecting huge amount of private data, they have access to more subtle behavioral aspects of individuals than government offices. Using their private databases, DESs could influence clients in both economic and political areas. Secondly, digital cartels could implement brand-new types of price discrimination which are out of government regulations. Dynamic pricing in both sides of the digital platforms (for content providers and for consumers) could add to national inflation rates. Thirdly, information that is used to elaborate and implement government economic policy could be easily manipulated within DESs due to low quality of IT operators or because of hacker-driven misinformation. It means that the critically important statistics are in fact in the hands of the digital ecosystems, which have been transforming into tacit co-partners of government economic and social policy. In social sphere DESs have introduced a special business model, that is, worker-on-demand. Like video on demand or car sharing, employees can be hired temporarily with no labour contracts, no social security plans, no any feasible limitations on time, place, and conditions of work. Quantity of labour force, level of wages, and other important elements of working life are in the hands of algorithmic management, a special IT program elaborated by DESs’ specialists in the interests of the DESs. Such practices of labour market undermine the government social policy and increase social tensions. Digital ecosystems have changed labour resources in the direction of cyber wars. In order to defense their own infrastructure and virtual space of their activity, DESs are in the process of establishing their own cyber-army. The DES employees usually act as potential (and actual sometimes) cyber-worriers in detecting and eliminating unsanctioned penetration in digital nets of the company. The problems of digital ecosystems having too much economic power are being under consideration in many countries. For example, in China in 2021 the government replaced its former liberal IT policy for tight IT regulation of DESs. Thus, thinking about national economic security, we should take into account a new digital reality in forms of digital ecosystems and their desire (consciously or unconsciously) to substitute national state in its significant economic and social functions.

Abstract:

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the training of college librarians, academic and management staff, IT managers and students on how to organise, manage and use a user-friendly library. In Uganda, as in many countries, the problem is that school and/or college libraries are managed by librarians who may have good cataloguing and management skills, but who do not have the pedagogic skills and knowledge of the school curricula that are necessary for librarians to be able to guide and mentor both teachers and students or organise curriculum-related activities or facilitate research. The development of user-friendly libraries contributes in improving education quality through nurturing the interest of students and teachers in literacy activities and active search for knowledge. Under the stewardship of the Belgium Technical Cooperation and the Ministry of Education in Uganda, library stakeholders were trained on how to put users – rather than themselves – in the centre of the library’s operations and introduced to active teaching and learning methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections. Several measures, short and long term were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. Given the disparities in the trainees’ education level and work experience, the training was delivered in seven modules divided into three units for over eight months in 2015. By the end of the training, trainees developed unique library strategic plan, library policies and procedures, capacity to use library systems, physical design and maintenance systems, partnerships, library structure and staff job descriptions. Design/methodology/approach To effectively engage the participants each topic was conducted using active teaching and learning (ATL) methodologies, including: lecture with slides and hands-on practice – each topic was introduced in a lecture form with slides and hands-on exercises. The main goal was to introduce the participants to the concepts discussed, offer opportunities to explore alternative approaches, as well define boundaries for discussion through brainstorming. The question-answer approach kept the participants alert and to start thinking critically on the topic discussed – brainstorming sessions allowed thinking beyond the presentation room, drawing from personal experiences to provide alternatives to anticipated challenges. The goal here was for the participants to provide individual choices and approaches for real life problems; group discussions: case study/ scenario and participant presentations – participants were provided with a scenario and asked to provide alternative approaches that could solve the problem based on their personal experience at their colleges. By the end of the group discussion, participants presented a draft of the deliverable as per the topic under discussion. More so, group discussions were an excellent approach to test participant’s teamwork skills and ability to compromise, as well as respecting team decisions. It was an opportunity to see how librarians will work with the library committees. Group discussions further initiated and cemented the much-needed librarian–academic staff – college management relationship. During the group discussion, librarians, teaching staff, ICT staff and college management staff, specifically the Principals and Deputy Principals interacted freely thus starting and cultivating a new era of work relationship between them. Individual presentation: prior to the workshop, participants were sent instructions to prepare a presentation on a topic. For example, participants were asked to provide their views of what a “user-friendly library” would look like or what would constitute a “user-friendly library”; the college library of HTC-Mulago was asked to talk about their experience working with book reserves, challenges faced and plans they have to address the challenges, while the college librarian from NTC-Kaliro was asked to describe a situation where they were able to assist a patron, the limitations they faced and how they addressed them. Doing so did not only assist to emotionally prepare the participants for the training but also helped to make them start thinking about the training in relation to their libraries and work. Take-home assignment: at the end of each session, participants were given home assignments to not only revise the training material but also prepare for the next day training. Further the take-home assignments provided time for the participants to discuss with their colleagues outside of the training room so as to have a common ground/ understanding on some of the very sensitive issues. Most interesting assignment was when participants were asked to review an article and to make a presentation in relation to their library experiences. Participant reports: participant reports resulted from the take-home assignments and participants were asked to make submission on a given topic. For example, participants were asked to review IFLA section on library management and write a two-page report on how such information provided supported their own work, as well as a participant report came from their own observation after a library visit. Invited talks with library expert: two invited talks by library experts from Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association with the goal to share their experience, motivate the participants to strive higher and achieve great things for their libraries. Library visitation: there were two library visits conducted on three separate days – International Hospital Kampala (IHK) Library, Makerere University Library and Aga Khan University Hospital Library. Each of these library visits provided unique opportunities for the participants to explore best practices and implement similar practices in their libraries. Visual aids – videos, building plans and still photos: these were visual learning aids to supplement text during the lectures because they carried lot of information while initiating different thoughts best on the participants’ past experience and expertise. The training advocated for the use of ATL methodologies and likewise similar methodologies were used to encourage participants do so in their classrooms. Findings Addressing Key Concerns: Several measures, both long and short term, were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. The measures taken included: selected representative sample of participants including all college stakeholders as discussed above; active teaching and learning methodologies applied in the training and blended in the content of the training materials; initiated and formulated approaches to collaborations, networks and partnerships; visited different libraries to benchmark library practices and encourage future job shadowing opportunities; and encouraged participants to relate freely, understand and value each other’s work to change their mindsets. College librarians were encouraged to ensure library priorities remain on the agenda through advocacy campaigns. Short-term measures: The UFL training was designed as a practical and hands-on training blended with individual and group tasks, discussions, take-home assignments and presentations by participants. This allowed participates to engage with the material and take responsibility for their own work. Further, the training material was prepared with a view that librarians support the academic life of teaching staff and students. Participants were tasked to develop and later fine-tune materials designed to support their work. For example, developing a subject bibliography and posting it on the library website designed using open source tools such as Google website, Wikis, blogs. The developed library manual includes user-friendly policies and procedures referred to as “dos and don’ts in the library” that promote equitable open access to information; drafting book selection memos; new book arrivals lists; subscribing to open access journals; current awareness services and selective dissemination of information service displays and electronic bulletins. Based on their library needs and semester calendar, participants developed action points and timelines to implement tasks in their libraries at the end of each unit training. Librarians were encouraged to share their experiences through library websites, Facebook page, group e-mail/listserv and Instagram; however, they were challenged with intimate internet access. College libraries were rewarded for their extraordinary job. Given their pivotal role in the management and administration of financial and material resources, on top of librarians, the participants in this training were college administrators/ management, teaching and ICT staff, researchers and student leadership. Participants were selected to address the current and future needs of the college library. These are individuals that are perceived to have a great impact towards furthering the college library agenda. The practical nature of this training warranted conducting the workshops from developed but similar library spaces, for example, Aga Khan University Library and Kampala Capital City, Makerere University Library, International Hospital Kampala Library and Uganda Christian University Library. Participants observed orientation sessions, reference desk management and interviews, collection management practices, preservation and conservation, secretarial bureau management, etc. Long-term measures: Changing the mindset of librarians, college administrators and teaching staff is a long-term commitment which continues to demand for innovative interventions. For example: job shadowing allowed college librarian short-term attachments to Makerere University Library, Uganda Christian University Library, Aga Khan Hospital University Library and International Hospital Kampala Library – these libraries were selected because of their comparable practices and size. The mentorship programme lasted between two-three weeks; on-spot supervision and follow-up visits to assess progress with the action plan by the librarians and college administration and college library committee; ensuring that all library documents – library strategic plan, library manual, library organogram, etc are approved by the College Governing Council and are part of the college wide governing documents; and establishing the library committee with a job description for each member – this has strengthened the library most especially as an advocacy tool, planning and budgeting mechanism, awareness channel for library practices, while bringing the library to the agenda – reemphasizing the library’s agenda. To bridge the widened gap between librarians and the rest of the stakeholders, i.e. teaching staff, ICT staff, college administration and students, a college library committee structure and its mandate were established comprising: Library Committee Chairperson – member of the teaching staff; Library Committee Secretary – College Librarian; Student Representative – must be a member of the student Guild with library work experience; and Representative from each college academic department. A library consortium was formed involving all the four project supported colleges to participate in resource sharing practices, shared work practices like shared cataloguing, information literacy training, reference interview and referral services as well a platform for sharing experiences. A library consortium further demanded for automating library functions to facilitate collaboration and shared work. Plans are in place to install Koha integrated library system that will cultivate a strong working relationship between librarians and students, academic staff, college administration and IT managers. This was achieved by ensuring that librarians innovatively implement library practices and skills acquired from the workshop as well as show their relevance to the academic life of the academic staff. Cultivating relationships takes a great deal of time, thus college librarians were coached on: creating inclusive library committees, timely response to user needs, design library programmes that address user needs, keeping with changing technology to suite changing user needs, seeking customer feedback and collecting user statistics to support their requests, strengthening the library’s financial based by starting a secretarial bureau and conducting user surveys to understand users’ information-seeking behaviour. To improve the awareness of new developments in the library world, college librarians were introduced to library networks at national, regional and international levels, as a result they participated in conferences, workshops, seminars at local, regional and international level. For example, for the first time and with funding from Belgium Technical Cooperation, college librarians attended 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress in South African in 2015. College libraries are now members of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association and have attended meetings of these two very important library organisations in Uganda’s LIS profession. The college librarians have attended meetings and workshops organized by these two organisations. Originality/value At the end of the three units training, participants were able to develop: a strategic plan for their libraries; an organogram with staffing needs and job description matching staff functions; a Library Committee for each library and with a structure unifying all the four project-support Colleges; a library action plan with due dates including deliverables and responsibilities for implementation; workflow plan and organisation of key sections of the library such as reserved and public spaces; furniture and equipment inventory (assets); a library manual and collection development policy; partnerships with KCCA Library and Consortium of Uganda University Libraries; skills to use Koha ILMS for performing library functions including: cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, serials management, reporting and statistics; skills in searching library databases and information literacy skills; skills in designing simple and intuitive websites using Google Sites tools; and improved working relationship between the stakeholders was visible. To further the user-friendly libraries principle of putting users in the centre of the library’s operations, support ATL methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections the following initiatives are currently implemented in the colleges: getting approval of all library policy documents by College Governing Council, initiating job shadowing opportunities, conducting on-spot supervision, guide libraries to set up college library committees and their job description, design library websites, develop dissemination sessions for all library policies, incorporate user-friendly language in all library documents, initiate income generation activities for libraries, set terms of reference for library staff and staffing as per college organogram, procurement of library tools like DDC and library of congress subject headings (LCSH), encourage attendance to webinars and space planning for the new libraries.

Abstract:

SummarySimilar to all other types of information, geographic information is nowadays more and more processed in a digital manner (data acquisition, storage, analysis, presentation, etc.). In contrast to traditional administrative information systems, the geometric nature of the information requires specific attention when handling this information. In this Dagstuhl seminar representatives from different disciplines, namely Computer Science, Cartography, Geography, Geodesy, Image Processing, and Cognitive Psychology are brought together in order to exchange ideas and solve open problems.

Abstract:

Forestry institutions are currently gradually introducing GIS technologies. With the use of GIS technology and digital data processing, Kazakh Forestry Enterprise is doing a lot of work to collect data on the First Forest Fund, on the accounting of districts, etc., transfer the collected data to institutions, commissioning.At the same time, electronic media are replacing the old paper tablets. Geographic information systems (GIS) are a key element of the effective and operational solution of many scientific, practical and managerial tasks due to the visual presentation of data and a variety of tools for their analysis. The use of GIS technologies makes it possible to combine into a single structure a large volume of cartographic and thematic information, including remote sensing data (satellite images), field research, engineering research, monitoring, various types of economic activities, document management. Statistics showed that when using 2 base receivers and one mobile GPS 5700, even dense coniferous forest, you can get acceptable shooting results. The GPS equipment worked flawlessly. Terra Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems LLP has extensive experience in collecting and systematizing data to solve various problems in the field of GIS creation, environmental design, forestry, ecology, nature management, geological exploration, topography and cartography, and oil and gas complex design. Terra Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems LLP makes extensive use of geographic information technologies in its work and provides services in this area. The calculation of the area of each site, the calculation of the area of the length of rivers, roads is carried out by computer programs. This improves the quality and accuracy of work. Also, this program has the ability to work with other programs, for example: MS Excel, MS Access, ArcGIS, WinPLP, SoliM, etc. to solve professional tasks in tabular form through packages with Crystal Reports.

Abstract:

As we aware, every second, petabytes of data is being generated from various sources as mentioned in previous para at a rapid speed, other sources may be stock market transactions data, sales and marketing data, sensors data, web documents, internet images, movies, multimedia data and lot many. These Big Data are as volume, variety, velocity, veracity and value in 5 V’s, which explains the complexity of Big Data. Due to adoption of Big Data analytics, there is demand of efficient technologies to manage heterogeneous data]. 21st century has marked the advent of Rich-Data concept. Different societal application such as disaster management, urban planning & monitoring, health hazards etc. has reinvigorated the significance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Newer and advance technologies are generating means to produce location-based dataset called as geospatial datasets. Increasing influx of user-generated data has amplified geospatial data and has outdid conventional computation requirement limits. The similitude of Big data and data in consideration has evolved the concept and appellation as “Spatial Big Data” (SBD). This paper is an effort towards enlistment and analysis of the different SBD concepts and technologies in the contemporary time. The main endeavor of this paper is to critically analyze the different technologies in the present day and identify the existing technical inadequacies in the existing systems

Abstract:

System view, understanding systems and how they are controlled is an important discipline in engineering education. Nowadays considering the ever increasing knowledge, the explosion of information available at the internet, the available visual technics and software tools there is a need to revisit the content and the teaching methodology of the first control course. The IFAC Technical Committee on Control Education (9.4) is circulating a pilot survey addressing these questions. Here we present our experience related to renewing the control course. The topics of the course are given. The main ideas are explained on two levels: hopefully in an understandable way for everyone, and precisely, using mathematical tools. In the lectures some parts of the multilevel e-book, Sysbook are referred, which has been elaborated to present the main principles governing systems and control on different levels. Besides static teaching materials interactive demonstrations developed for Sysbook are also used in the lectures which enhance the effectiveness and also enjoyment of the learning process. At the last part of each lecture the students are active solving problems related to the topic of the lecture. They are motivated by the obtained extra evaluation points. Then the solutions of the problems are discussed. Computer laboratory exercises using MATLAB/SIMULINK software contribute to understanding and applying the analysis and synthesis methods discussed in the lectures. The course is supported by the recently published Springer books: Keviczky et al.: Control Engineering and Control Engineering: MATLAB Exercises. In the content of the control course a new feature is the emphasis of the YOULA parameterization method for controller design already in the first control course and showing that other controller design methods can be considered as its special cases. Nowadays in education a new teaching – learning paradigm is Open Content Development (OCD) which means active participation of the teachers and students creating an up-to-date teaching material. This project runs at the Department of Technical Education at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics since 2015 supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In the frame of vocational teacher training programs several so-called micro-contents have been developed. Utilizing the experiences of these pilot efforts the Sysbook platform has been connected to the OCD model. In a special surface Sysbook provides several case studies for systems and their control (e.g. driving, energy production and distribution, oil refinery, systems and control in the living organism, etc.). Teachers and students studying systems and control can elaborate new case studies in their areas of interest which means active application of the learned topics. After evaluation these projects can be uploaded in the student area of Sysbook. Summarizing: in the methodology of teaching a basic control course the motivation of the students can be increased by active participation in the learning process, including interactive demonstration of the principles, solving exercises at the end of the lectures and getting immediate feedback, solving analysis and synthesis problems in the computer laboratories, and developing their own case studies for Sysbook. It should be also emphasized that the examples of systems and their control should be chosen mainly from the area of the specialization of the students (electrical or software engineering, chemical engineering, biology, economics, etc.). Also it is important to provide real-time experiments in laboratory work or using distant laboratories. IFAC Repository would be also of great help reaching useful resources.

Abstract:

Fresh products (such as produce, meats and seafood, etc.) are a necessity of life, and, as such, play a pivotal role in human evolution. Traditional selling systems often rely on local markets and direct sales, limiting the reach to a specific geographic area. Producers often rely on middlemen or local distributors in traditional systems, which can lead to reduced profit margins for farmers. Maintaining consistent quality throughout the supply chain can be challenging in traditional systems. Fresh produce has a limited shelf life, and maintaining its freshness throughout the supply chain is crucial. Short shelf life requires quick turnover, and any delays in transportation or storage can lead to spoilage, resulting in losses for producers. Producers may lack access to market intelligence and information on pricing trends, demand forecasts, and emerging consumer preferences. Addressing these problems this project develops a truthful and efficient Double Auction mechanism for produce trading systems.In the context of fresh produce selling, a double auction system proves invaluable as it allows both Procures and Producers to actively engage in the market dynamics. In this trading system, an e-commerce platform acts as the auctioneer, organizing and overseeing an auction between procurers and growers. Procurers submit bids, and the auctioneer confirms and halts the auction. Winners are then announced along with the final prices. Winning procurers obtain allocated produce and make payments, while growers receive payment and provide the produce according to the allocation results.

Abstract:

AbstractNitrogen Dioxide (NO$$_{2}$$ 2 ) is a common air pollutant associated with several adverse health problems such as pediatric asthma, cardiovascular mortality,and respiratory mortality. Due to the urgent society’s need to reduce pollutant concentration, several scientific efforts have been allocated to understand pollutant patterns and predict pollutants’ future concentrations using machine learning and deep learning techniques. The latter techniques have recently gained much attention due it’s capability to tackle complex and challenging problems in computer vision, natural language processing, etc. In the NO$$_{2}$$ 2 context, there is still a research gap in adopting those advanced methods to predict the concentration of pollutants. This study fills in the gap by comparing the performance of several state-of-the-art artificial intelligence models that haven’t been adopted in this context yet. The models were trained using time series cross-validation on a rolling base and tested across different periods using NO$$_{2}$$ 2 data from 20 monitoring ground-based stations collected by Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Using the seasonal Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope estimator, we further explored and investigated the pollutants trends across the different stations. This study is the first comprehensive study that reported the temporal characteristic of NO$$_{2}$$ 2 across seven environmental assessment points and compared the performance of the state-of-the-art deep learning models for predicting the pollutants’ future concentration. Our results reveal a difference in the pollutants concentrations level due to the geographic location of the different stations, with a statistically significant decrease in the NO$$_{2}$$ 2 annual trend for the majority of the stations. Overall, NO$$_{2}$$ 2 concentrations exhibit a similar daily and weekly pattern across the different stations, with an increase in the pollutants level during the early morning and the first working day. Comparing the state-of-the-art model performance transformer model demonstrate the superiority of ( MAE:0.04 (± 0.04),MSE:0.06 (± 0.04), RMSE:0.001 (± 0.01), R$$^{2}$$ 2 : 0.98 (± 0.05)), compared with LSTM (MAE:0.26 (± 0.19), MSE:0.31 (± 0.21), RMSE:0.14 (± 0.17), R$$^{2}$$ 2 : 0.56 (± 0.33)), InceptionTime (MAE: 0.19 (± 0.18), MSE: 0.22 (± 0.18), RMSE:0.08 (± 0.13), R$$^{2}$$ 2 :0.38 (± 1.35) ), ResNet (MAE:0.24 (± 0.16), MSE:0.28 (± 0.16), RMSE:0.11 (± 0.12), R$$^{2}$$ 2 :0.35 (± 1.19) ), XceptionTime (MAE:0.7 (± 0.55), MSE:0.79 (± 0.54), RMSE:0.91 (± 1.06), R$$^{2}$$ 2 : $$-$$ - 4.83 (± 9.38) ), and MiniRocket (MAE:0.21 (± 0.07), MSE:0.26 (± 0.08), RMSE:0.07 (± 0.04), R$$^{2}$$ 2 : 0.65 (± 0.28) ) to tackle this challenge. The transformer model is a powerful model for improving the accurate forecast of the NO$$_{2}$$ 2 levels and could strengthen the current monitoring system to control and manage the air quality in the region.

Abstract:

The negative impact of strategic threats to the development of the state in the context of the development of its national security, in particular food, environmental, and socio-economic components, has intensified in the context of Ukraine's geopolitical challenges. This issue has become particularly acute as a result of open military aggression, which makes it necessary to develop and implement a system of information support for decision-making in the field of national security of Ukraine. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to substantiate methodological foundations of information support of decision-making in the field of national security of Ukraine and their implementation within the framework of the created system, which provides for the collection of information, in particular, using space and geographic information systems, and the use of mathematical modelling and situational analysis methods for data processing. In the course of the research, methods of econometric modelling, structural and functional modelling, and spatial analysis were used. A methodological framework has been developed for decision-making support to address the problems of food, environmental, and socio-economic components of national security. A functional model and algorithm of the decision-making process in the field of national security are constructed and, based on the results obtained, a decision-making system in the field of food, environmental, and socio-economic security is developed. In addition, the study formalises the conceptual provisions of the decision-making support process in the field of national security; a procedure for modelling the country's food security indicators is proposed. Based on the proposed methodological approach, it was determined how much the area of crops decreased due to the temporary occupation and military operations, and the post-war state of fields (minelaying, destruction of crops, equipment, etc.), which allowed forming input data for further projecting of indicators of the development of the agricultural sector and food security in Ukraine, the EU, and the world. The proposed methodological provisions, algorithms, models, and the developed system can be used by state authorities to make managerial decisions on the development of policy in the areas of ensuring food, environmental, and socio-economic security of the country

Abstract:

The Western Balkan (WB) region is one of the relatively vulnerable parts of the continent to climate change: it faces several challenges today and will face potential problems (e.g., increasing risks of flash floods, sea-level rise, droughts, heatwaves, forest fires, etc.) over the coming decades, too. Proper adaptation to these challenges must play a decisive role in sectoral and local decision-making of these counties. Risk and vulnerability assessments, based partly on geographic information systems with map contents, can be one of the potential tools to find proper responses to climate change impacts in European countries. The main problem statement of the article emphasizes the low weight of these analytical decision-support tools in WB countries’ climate and development policies. It examines what types of vulnerability assessments are helpful in WB countries and whether their results show significant territorial differences in given states. To answer these questions, through two case studies, we used a combination of the IPCC- and impact chain-based CIVAS model and complex indicator development methods from the international literature and the Hungarian NAGIS system. Our analyses are principally territorial assessments: they focus on comparing regional/local territories/destinations and identifying relative territorial differences. Through these, we intend to contribute to the recognition of the usefulness of complex vulnerability approaches in WB countries for evaluating climate change risks and identifying future policy responses. The results in the two case studies show that definite territorial inequalities exist in exposure indicators in both analyzed WB countries. Similarly, significant spatial differences in the sensitivity and adaptability factors are also expected. The suggested vulnerability approach proposed here can help countries develop appropriate climate adaptation responses. Keywords: climate change, climate adaptation, strategic planning, sectoral vulnerability, tourism, heat waves

Abstract:

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are a means of providing great contributions to users in decision making processes based on location. It presents the information to the users serves and provides data collecting, storing, processing, managing, analyzing, querying. GIS ensures that a lot of data are layered on the architectural plans of school libraries. A data that is not well evaluated due to the data intensity in the analysis studies may prevent both the delay and the accuracy of the desired diagnosis for solution. For this reason, GIS technology is used in places where intensive data usage. GIS, which has been started to be used by different disciplines together with technological developments, enables the storage and processing of all kinds of data to be analyzed. It is a system consisting of necessary hardware and software and users for these processes. It is a tool that enables effective management of data. Complex data is easily analyzed by users in a database by GIS software. It is also concerned with the association of spatial data and non-graphical (verbal) data. GIS is able to compare measurement results successfully according to conventional measurement evaluation methods. There are also a number of projects where GIS has been implemented in interior areas. School libraries can also serve in many areas or more than one floor. The GIS layers must be shown on floor plans as emergency exit doors, location of emergency intervention tools (fire extinguisher, fire hose, hydrant, fire alarm buttons, electric panel, gas valve, first aid kit etc.), nearest emergency service centers (fire brigade, police, ambulance, etc.), evacuation routes leading to emergency assembly area, external, main and service ladders, building non structural materials. As there are many people in schools and school libraries as a number of users, in case of fire, their evacuation must also be fast. GIS will also provide effective planning for rapid evacuation of schools and school libraries. Digital data obtained from service providers such as municipalities, water, natural gas companies can also be used as separated GIS layers. All building elements in the building can be classified in different colors and typologies for each floor (Balcony, wall, threshold, hall, stairs, room, window, shelves etc.). Emergency lighting kits should be installed in school libraries. Sensors, which are part of the fire alarm system, must also be located in the GIS layers. Furniture and furnishings used in the floors can also be shown on the GIS. Routes to be used by disabled users in emergency situations should be specified in these plans and physical arrangements such as ramps should be implemented. Area names in the school and in the school library should also be included in the GIS layers. The joint meetings should be held with the school library experts working in this field in the world, problems should be discussed, national and international networks should be established.

Abstract:

‘Every space has become ad space’. Steve Hayden, Wired Magazine, May 2003. Marshall McLuhan’s (1964) dictum that media technologies constitute a sensory extension of the body shares a conceptual affinity with Ernst Jünger’s notion of ‘“organic construction” [which] indicates [a] synergy between man and machine’ and Walter Benjamin’s exploration of the mimetic correspondence between the organic and the inorganic, between human and non-human forms (Bolz, 2002: 19). The logo or brand is co-extensive with various media of communication – billboards, TV advertisements, fashion labels, book spines, mobile phones, etc. Often the logo is interchangeable with the product itself or a way or life. Since all social relations are mediated, whether by communications technologies or architectonic forms ranging from corporate buildings to sporting grounds to family living rooms, it follows that there can be no outside for sociality. The social is and always has been in a mutually determining relationship with mediating forms. It is in this sense that there is no outside. Such an idea has become a refrain amongst various contemporary media theorists. Here’s a sample: There is no outside position anymore, nor is this perceived as something desirable. (Lovink, 2002a: 4) Both “us” and “them” (whoever we are, whoever they are) are all always situated in this same virtual geography. There’s no outside …. There is nothing outside the vector. (Wark, 2002: 316) There is no more outside. The critique of information is in the information itself. (Lash, 2002: 220) In declaring a universality for media culture and information flows, all of the above statements acknowledge the political and conceptual failure of assuming a critical position outside socio-technically constituted relations. Similarly, they recognise the problems inherent in the “ideology critique” of the Frankfurt School who, in their distinction between “truth” and “false-consciousness”, claimed a sort of absolute knowledge for the critic that transcended the field of ideology as it is produced by the culture industry. Althusser’s more complex conception of ideology, material practices and subject formation nevertheless also fell prey to the pretence of historical materialism as an autonomous “science” that is able to determine the totality, albeit fragmented, of lived social relations. One of the key failings of ideology critique, then, is its incapacity to account for the ways in which the critic, theorist or intellectual is implicated in the operations of ideology. That is, such approaches displace the reflexivity and power relationships between epistemology, ontology and their constitution as material practices within socio-political institutions and historical constellations, which in turn are the settings for the formation of ideology. Scott Lash abandons the term ideology altogether due to its conceptual legacies within German dialectics and French post-structuralist aporetics, both of which ‘are based in a fundamental dualism, a fundamental binary, of the two types of reason. One speaks of grounding and reconciliation, the other of unbridgeability …. Both presume a sphere of transcendence’ (Lash, 2002: 8). Such assertions can be made at a general level concerning these diverse and often conflicting approaches when they are reduced to categories for the purpose of a polemic. However, the work of “post-structuralists” such as Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari and the work of German systems theorist Niklas Luhmann is clearly amenable to the task of critique within information societies (see Rossiter, 2003). Indeed, Lash draws on such theorists in assembling his critical dispositif for the information age. More concretely, Lash (2002: 9) advances his case for a new mode of critique by noting the socio-technical and historical shift from ‘constitutive dualisms of the era of the national manufacturing society’ to global information cultures, whose constitutive form is immanent to informational networks and flows. Such a shift, according to Lash, needs to be met with a corresponding mode of critique: Ideologycritique [ideologiekritik] had to be somehow outside of ideology. With the disappearance of a constitutive outside, informationcritique must be inside of information. There is no outside any more. (2002: 10) Lash goes on to note, quite rightly, that ‘Informationcritique itself is branded, another object of intellectual property, machinically mediated’ (2002: 10). It is the political and conceptual tensions between information critique and its regulation via intellectual property regimes which condition critique as yet another brand or logo that I wish to explore in the rest of this essay. Further, I will question the supposed erasure of a “constitutive outside” to the field of socio-technical relations within network societies and informational economies. Lash is far too totalising in supposing a break between industrial modes of production and informational flows. Moreover, the assertion that there is no more outside to information too readily and simplistically assumes informational relations as universal and horizontally organised, and hence overlooks the significant structural, cultural and economic obstacles to participation within media vectors. That is, there certainly is an outside to information! Indeed, there are a plurality of outsides. These outsides are intertwined with the flows of capital and the imperial biopower of Empire, as Hardt and Negri (2000) have argued. As difficult as it may be to ascertain the boundaries of life in all its complexity, borders, however defined, nonetheless exist. Just ask the so-called “illegal immigrant”! This essay identifies three key modalities comprising a constitutive outside: material (uneven geographies of labour-power and the digital divide), symbolic (cultural capital), and strategic (figures of critique). My point of reference in developing this inquiry will pivot around an analysis of the importation in Australia of the British “Creative Industries” project and the problematic foundation such a project presents to the branding and commercialisation of intellectual labour. The creative industries movement – or Queensland Ideology, as I’ve discussed elsewhere with Danny Butt (2002) – holds further implications for the political and economic position of the university vis-à-vis the arts and humanities. Creative industries constructs itself as inside the culture of informationalism and its concomitant economies by the very fact that it is an exercise in branding. Such branding is evidenced in the discourses, rhetoric and policies of creative industries as adopted by university faculties, government departments and the cultural industries and service sectors seeking to reposition themselves in an institutional environment that is adjusting to ongoing structural reforms attributed to the demands by the “New Economy” for increased labour flexibility and specialisation, institutional and economic deregulation, product customisation and capital accumulation. Within the creative industries the content produced by labour-power is branded as copyrights and trademarks within the system of Intellectual Property Regimes (IPRs). However, as I will go on to show, a constitutive outside figures in material, symbolic and strategic ways that condition the possibility of creative industries. The creative industries project, as envisioned by the Blair government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) responsible for the Creative Industry Task Force Mapping Documents of 1998 and 2001, is interested in enhancing the “creative” potential of cultural labour in order to extract a commercial value from cultural objects and services. Just as there is no outside for informationcritique, for proponents of the creative industries there is no culture that is worth its name if it is outside a market economy. That is, the commercialisation of “creativity” – or indeed commerce as a creative undertaking – acts as a legitimising function and hence plays a delimiting role for “culture” and, by association, sociality. And let us not forget, the institutional life of career academics is also at stake in this legitimating process. The DCMS cast its net wide when defining creative sectors and deploys a lexicon that is as vague and unquantifiable as the next mission statement by government and corporate bodies enmeshed within a neo-liberal paradigm. At least one of the key proponents of the creative industries in Australia is ready to acknowledge this (see Cunningham, 2003). The list of sectors identified as holding creative capacities in the CITF Mapping Document include: film, music, television and radio, publishing, software, interactive leisure software, design, designer fashion, architecture, performing arts, crafts, arts and antique markets, architecture and advertising. The Mapping Document seeks to demonstrate how these sectors consist of ‘... activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have the potential for wealth and job creation through generation and exploitation of intellectual property’ (CITF: 1998/2001). The CITF’s identification of intellectual property as central to the creation of jobs and wealth firmly places the creative industries within informational and knowledge economies. Unlike material property, intellectual property such as artistic creations (films, music, books) and innovative technical processes (software, biotechnologies) are forms of knowledge that do not diminish when they are distributed. This is especially the case when information has been encoded in a digital form and distributed through technologies such as the internet. In such instances, information is often attributed an “immaterial” and nonrivalrous quality, although this can be highly misleading for both the conceptualisation of information and the politics of knowledge production. Intellectual property, as distinct from material property, operates as a scaling device in which the unit cost of labour is offset by the potential for substantial profit margins realised by distribution techniques availed by new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their capacity to infinitely reproduce the digital commodity object as a property relation. Within the logic of intellectual property regimes, the use of content is based on the capacity of individuals and institutions to pay. The syndication of media content ensures that market saturation is optimal and competition is kept to a minimum. However, such a legal architecture and hegemonic media industry has run into conflict with other net cultures such as open source movements and peer-to-peer networks (Lovink, 2002b; Meikle, 2002), which is to say nothing of the digital piracy of software and digitally encoded cinematic forms. To this end, IPRs are an unstable architecture for extracting profit. The operation of Intellectual Property Regimes constitutes an outside within creative industries by alienating labour from its mode of information or form of expression. Lash is apposite on this point: ‘Intellectual property carries with it the right to exclude’ (Lash, 2002: 24). This principle of exclusion applies not only to those outside the informational economy and culture of networks as result of geographic, economic, infrastructural, and cultural constraints. The very practitioners within the creative industries are excluded from control over their creations. It is in this sense that a legal and material outside is established within an informational society. At the same time, this internal outside – to put it rather clumsily – operates in a constitutive manner in as much as the creative industries, by definition, depend upon the capacity to exploit the IP produced by its primary source of labour. For all the emphasis the Mapping Document places on exploiting intellectual property, it’s really quite remarkable how absent any elaboration or considered development of IP is from creative industries rhetoric. It’s even more astonishing that media and cultural studies academics have given at best passing attention to the issues of IPRs. Terry Flew (2002: 154-159) is one of the rare exceptions, though even here there is no attempt to identify the implications IPRs hold for those working in the creative industries sectors. Perhaps such oversights by academics associated with the creative industries can be accounted for by the fact that their own jobs rest within the modern, industrial institution of the university which continues to offer the security of a salary award system and continuing if not tenured employment despite the onslaught of neo-liberal reforms since the 1980s. Such an industrial system of traditional and organised labour, however, does not define the labour conditions for those working in the so-called creative industries. Within those sectors engaged more intensively in commercialising culture, labour practices closely resemble work characterised by the dotcom boom, which saw young people working excessively long hours without any of the sort of employment security and protection vis-à-vis salary, health benefits and pension schemes peculiar to traditional and organised labour (see McRobbie, 2002; Ross, 2003). During the dotcom mania of the mid to late 90s, stock options were frequently offered to people as an incentive for offsetting the often minimum or even deferred payment of wages (see Frank, 2000). It is understandable that the creative industries project holds an appeal for managerial intellectuals operating in arts and humanities disciplines in Australia, most particularly at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which claims to have established the ‘world’s first’ Creative Industries faculty (http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/). The creative industries provide a validating discourse for those suffering anxiety disorders over what Ruth Barcan (2003) has called the ‘usefulness’ of ‘idle’ intellectual pastimes. As a project that endeavours to articulate graduate skills with labour markets, the creative industries is a natural extension of the neo-liberal agenda within education as advocated by successive governments in Australia since the Dawkins reforms in the mid 1980s (see Marginson and Considine, 2000). Certainly there’s a constructive dimension to this: graduates, after all, need jobs and universities should display an awareness of market conditions; they also have a responsibility to do so. And on this count, I find it remarkable that so many university departments in my own field of communications and media studies are so bold and, let’s face it, stupid, as to make unwavering assertions about market demands and student needs on the basis of doing little more than sniffing the wind! Time for a bit of a reality check, I’d say. And this means becoming a little more serious about allocating funds and resources towards market research and analysis based on the combination of needs between students, staff, disciplinary values, university expectations, and the political economy of markets. However, the extent to which there should be a wholesale shift of the arts and humanities into a creative industries model is open to debate. The arts and humanities, after all, are a set of disciplinary practices and values that operate as a constitutive outside for creative industries. Indeed, in their creative industries manifesto, Stuart Cunningham and John Hartley (2002) loath the arts and humanities in such confused, paradoxical and hypocritical ways in order to establish the arts and humanities as a cultural and ideological outside. To this end, to subsume the arts and humanities into the creative industries, if not eradicate them altogether, is to spell the end of creative industries as it’s currently conceived at the institutional level within academe. Too much specialisation in one post-industrial sector, broad as it may be, ensures a situation of labour reserves that exceed market needs. One only needs to consider all those now unemployed web-designers that graduated from multi-media programs in the mid to late 90s. Further, it does not augur well for the inevitable shift from or collapse of a creative industries economy. Where is the standing reserve of labour shaped by university education and training in a post-creative industries economy? Diehard neo-liberals and true-believers in the capacity for perpetual institutional flexibility would say that this isn’t a problem. The university will just “organically” adapt to prevailing market conditions and shape their curriculum and staff composition accordingly. Perhaps. Arguably if the university is to maintain a modality of time that is distinct from the just-in-time mode of production characteristic of informational economies – and indeed, such a difference is a quality that defines the market value of the educational commodity – then limits have to be established between institutions of education and the corporate organisation or creative industry entity. The creative industries project is a reactionary model insofar as it reinforces the status quo of labour relations within a neo-liberal paradigm in which bids for industry contracts are based on a combination of rich technological infrastructures that have often been subsidised by the state (i.e. paid for by the public), high labour skills, a low currency exchange rate and the lowest possible labour costs. In this respect it is no wonder that literature on the creative industries omits discussion of the importance of unions within informational, networked economies. What is the place of unions in a labour force constituted as individualised units? The conditions of possibility for creative industries within Australia are at once its frailties. In many respects, the success of the creative industries sector depends upon the ongoing combination of cheap labour enabled by a low currency exchange rate and the capacity of students to access the skills and training offered by universities. Certainly in relation to matters such as these there is no outside for the creative industries. There’s a great need to explore alternative economic models to the content production one if wealth is to be successfully extracted and distributed from activities in the new media sectors. The suggestion that the creative industries project initiates a strategic response to the conditions of cultural production within network societies and informational economies is highly debateable. The now well documented history of digital piracy in the film and software industries and the difficulties associated with regulating violations to proprietors of IP in the form of copyright and trademarks is enough of a reason to look for alternative models of wealth extraction. And you can be sure this will occur irrespective of the endeavours of the creative industries. To conclude, I am suggesting that those working in the creative industries, be they content producers or educators, need to intervene in IPRs in such a way that: 1) ensures the alienation of their labour is minimised; 2) collectivising “creative” labour in the form of unions or what Wark (2001) has termed the “hacker class”, as distinct from the “vectoralist class”, may be one way of achieving this; and 3) the advocates of creative industries within the higher education sector in particular are made aware of the implications IPRs have for graduates entering the workforce and adjust their rhetoric, curriculum, and policy engagements accordingly. Works Cited Barcan, Ruth. ‘The Idleness of Academics: Reflections on the Usefulness of Cultural Studies’. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies (forthcoming, 2003). Bolz, Norbert. ‘Rethinking Media Aesthetics’, in Geert Lovink, Uncanny Networks: Dialogues with the Virtual Intelligentsia. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2002, 18-27. Butt, Danny and Rossiter, Ned. ‘Blowing Bubbles: Post-Crash Creative Industries and the Withering of Political Critique in Cultural Studies’. Paper presented at Ute Culture: The Utility of Culture and the Uses of Cultural Studies, Cultural Studies Association of Australia Conference, Melbourne, 5-7 December, 2002. Posted to fibreculture mailing list, 10 December, 2002, http://www.fibreculture.org/archives/index.html Creative Industry Task Force: Mapping Document, DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport), London, 1998/2001. http://www.culture.gov.uk/creative/mapping.html Cunningham, Stuart. ‘The Evolving Creative Industries: From Original Assumptions to Contemporary Interpretations’. Seminar Paper, QUT, Brisbane, 9 May, 2003, http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/research/cirac/documen... ...ts/THE_EVOLVING_CREATIVE_INDUSTRIES.pdf Cunningham, Stuart; Hearn, Gregory; Cox, Stephen; Ninan, Abraham and Keane, Michael. Brisbane’s Creative Industries 2003. Report delivered to Brisbane City Council, Community and Economic Development, Brisbane: CIRAC, 2003. http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/research/cirac/documen... ...ts/bccreportonly.pdf Flew, Terry. New Media: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Frank, Thomas. One Market under God: Extreme Capitalism, Market Populism, and the End of Economic Democracy. New York: Anchor Books, 2000. Hartley, John and Cunningham, Stuart. ‘Creative Industries: from Blue Poles to fat pipes’, in Malcolm Gillies (ed.) The National Humanities and Social Sciences Summit: Position Papers. Canberra: DEST, 2002. Hayden, Steve. ‘Tastes Great, Less Filling: Ad Space – Will Advertisers Learn the Hard Lesson of Over-Development?’. Wired Magazine 11.06 (June, 2003), http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.06/ad_spc.html Hardt, Michael and Negri, Antonio. Empire. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000. Lash, Scott. Critique of Information. London: Sage, 2002. Lovink, Geert. Uncanny Networks: Dialogues with the Virtual Intelligentsia. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2002a. Lovink, Geert. Dark Fiber: Tracking Critical Internet Culture. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2002b. McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1964. McRobbie, Angela. ‘Clubs to Companies: Notes on the Decline of Political Culture in Speeded up Creative Worlds’, Cultural Studies 16.4 (2002): 516-31. Marginson, Simon and Considine, Mark. The Enterprise University: Power, Governance and Reinvention in Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Meikle, Graham. Future Active: Media Activism and the Internet. Sydney: Pluto Press, 2002. Ross, Andrew. No-Collar: The Humane Workplace and Its Hidden Costs. New York: Basic Books, 2003. Rossiter, Ned. ‘Processual Media Theory’, in Adrian Miles (ed.) Streaming Worlds: 5th International Digital Arts & Culture (DAC) Conference. 19-23 May. Melbourne: RMIT University, 2003, 173-184. http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Rossiter.pdf Sassen, Saskia. Losing Control? Sovereignty in an Age of Globalization. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. Wark, McKenzie. ‘Abstraction’ and ‘Hack’, in Hugh Brown, Geert Lovink, Helen Merrick, Ned Rossiter, David Teh, Michele Willson (eds). Politics of a Digital Present: An Inventory of Australian Net Culture, Criticism and Theory. Melbourne: Fibreculture Publications, 2001, 3-7, 99-102. Wark, McKenzie. ‘The Power of Multiplicity and the Multiplicity of Power’, in Geert Lovink, Uncanny Networks: Dialogues with the Virtual Intelligentsia. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2002, 314-325. Links http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Rossiter.pdf http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/ http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/research/cirac/documents/THE_EVOLVING_CREATIVE_INDUSTRIES.pdf http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/research/cirac/documents/bccreportonly.pdf http://www.culture.gov.uk/creative/mapping.html http://www.fibreculture.org/archives/index.html http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.06/ad_spc.html Citation reference for this article Substitute your date of access for Dn Month Year etc... MLA Style Rossiter, Ned. "Creative Industries and the Limits of Critique from " M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture< http://www.media-culture.org.au/0306/11-creativeindustries.php>. APA Style Rossiter, N. (2003, Jun 19). Creative Industries and the Limits of Critique from . M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 6,< http://www.media-culture.org.au/0306/11-creativeindustries.php>

Abstract:

Земельные ресурсы и пахотные земли определяют социальноэкономическое богатство любого государства, а почвы являются важнейшим компонентом природных ресурсов территории. Антропогенное воздействие вызывает изменение хода их естественного развития, требуя всестороннего исследования особенностей трансформации свойств и определение пределов устойчивости, установления порогов рационального воздействия на земельные ресурсы. Учет ресурсов сельского хозяйства и решение проблем рационального использования сельскохозяйственных земель может базироваться на автоматизированной системе, позволяющей в интерактивном режиме непрерывно вводить необходимые поправки, получать актуальные данные и производить необходимые расчеты. Управляющие воздействия при этом направлены на осуществление целого комплекса мер по дальнейшему увеличению интенсивности землепользовании и прежде всего увеличения плодородия почв на основе широкого применения достижений науки и передового опыта с учетом экономических и природных особенностей. В связи с этим проблема разработки и практической реализации автоматизированной системы для руководства и специалистов является важной частью оптимизации использования агроресурсов. Совершенствование управления земельными ресурсами осложняется рядом проблем: отсутствие надлежащего реестра земельных участков, находящихся в муниципальной собственности недобор земельных платежей в связи с отсутствием реестра земельных платежей в автоматизированном режиме и т.п., но наиболее распространенной является использование устаревших картографических материалов. В этой связи внедрение геоинформационных технологий и использование специализированных муниципальных ГИС позволяет автоматизировать получение различной отчетной документации. При этом важна интеграция ГИС с автоматизированными системами управления предприятиями. В исследовании на примере ООО АгросоюзКрасное сельцо рассматриваются возможности применения геоинформационных технологий при рациональном использовании земельных ресурсов и потенциальное управление земельными ресурсами с использованием актуальных геоинформационнокартографических материалов, позволяющих специалистам получить быстрый доступ к актуальной информации. На примере серии таких материалов показано, что применение ГИСтехнологий для создания электронных и компьютерных карт, отображающих различные свойства и геохимические характеристики почв отдельного сельскохозяйственного предприятия, является вполне эффективным, как и их дальнейшее использование для управления земельными ресурсами отдельного сельскохозяйственного предприятия, организации и осуществления космического мониторинга сельскохозяйственных земель. Land resources and arable land determine the socioeconomic wealth of any state, and soils are an essential component of the natural resources of the territory. Anthropogenic impact causes a change in the course of their natural development, requiring a comprehensive study of the characteristics of the transformation of properties and the definition of limits of stability, the establishment of thresholds of rational impact on land resources. Accounting for agricultural resources and solving problems of rational use of agricultural land can be based on an automated system that allows one to introduce interactively and continuously the necessary amendments to obtain relevant data and make the necessary calculations. Management actions are aimed at the implementation of a set of measures for further increase in the intensity of land use and, above all, for increase in soil fertility on the basis of wide application of scientific achievements and best practices, taking into account economic and natural features. In this regard, the problem of development and practical implementation of an automated system for management and specialists is an important part of optimizing the use of agricultural resources. Improved land management is complicated by a number of problems: the lack of an appropriate register of land plots in municipal ownership shortage of land payments due to the lack of a register of land payments in an automated mode, etc., but the most common is the use of outdated cartographic materials. In this regard, the introduction of geoinformation technologies and the use of specialized municipal GIS allows one to automate the receipt of various reporting documents. It is important to integrate GIS with automated enterprise management systems. The study on the example of OOOA grosoyuzKrasnoe seltso examines the possibility of using geoinformation technologies in the rational use of land resources and potential land management using relevant geographic information and cartographic materials that allow professionals to get quick access to relevant information. On the example of a series of such materials, it is shown that the use of GIS technologies to create electronic and computer maps showing different properties and geochemical characteristics of soils of a separate agricultural enterprise is quite effective, as well as their further use for land management of a separate agricultural enterprise, organization and implementation of space monitoring of agricultural land.

Abstract:

In recent years ecological thinking has been applied to a range of social, cultural, and aesthetic systems, including performing arts as a living system of policy makers, producers, organisations, artists, and audiences. Ecological thinking is systems-based thinking which allows us to see the performing arts as a complex and protean ecosystem; to explain how elements in this system act and interact; and to evaluate its effects on Australia’s social fabric over time. According to Gallasch, ecological thinking is “what we desperately need for the arts.” It enables us to “defeat the fragmentary and utilitarian view of the arts that dominates, to make connections, to establish overviews of the arts that can be shared and debated” (Gallasch NP). The ecological metaphor has featured in debates about the performing arts in Brisbane, Australia, in the last two or three years. A growing state capital on Australia’s eastern seaboard, Brisbane is proud of its performing arts culture. Its main theatre organisations include the state flagship Queensland Theatre Company; the second major presenter of adapted and new text-based performances La Boite Theatre Company; venues which support local and touring performances such as the Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts and the Brisbane Powerhouse; emerging talent incubator Metro Arts; indigenous companies like Kooemba Jdarra; independent physical theatre and circus companies such as Zen Zen Zo and Circa; and contemporary play-producing company 23rd Productions (cf. Baylis 3). Brisbane aspires to be a cultural capital in Australia, Australasia, and the Asia Pacific (Gill). Compared to Australia’s southern capitals Sydney and Melbourne, however, Brisbane does have a relatively low level of performing arts activity across traditional and contemporary theatre, contemporary performance, musicals, circus, and other genres of performance. It has at times been cast as a piecemeal, potentially unsustainable arts centre prone to losing talent to other states. In 2009, John Baylis took up these issues in Mapping Queensland Theatre, an Arts Queensland-funded survey designed to map practices in Brisbane and in Queensland more broadly, and to provide a platform to support future policy-making. This report excited debate amongst artists who, whilst accepting the tenor of Baylis’s criticisms, also lamented the lack of nuanced detail and contextualised relationships its map of Queensland theatre provided. In this paper we propose a new approach to mapping Brisbane’s and Queensland’s theatre that extends Baylis’s “value chain” into a “value ecology” that provides a more textured picture of players, patterns, relationships, and activity levels. A “value chain” approach emphasises linear relationships and gaps between production, distribution, and consumption in a specific sector of the economy. A “value ecology” approach goes further by examining a complex range of rhizomatic relationships between production, distribution, and consumption infrastructure and how they influence each other within a sector of the economy such as the performing arts. Our approach uses a “value ecology” model adapted from Hearn et al. and Cherbo et al. to map and interpret information from the AusStage performing arts database, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and other sources such as previews, reviews, and an ongoing local blogosphere debate. Building upon Baylis’s work, our approach produces literal and conceptual maps of Queensland’s performing arts as they change over time, with analysis of support, infrastructure, and relationships amongst government, arts organisations, artists, and audiences. As debate on Mapping Queensland Theatre gives way to more considered reflection, and as Baylis develops a follow-up report, our approach captures snapshots of Queensland’s performing arts before, during, and after such policy interventions. It supports debate about how Queensland artists might manage their own sustainability, their own ability to balance artistic, cultural, and economic factors that influence their work in a way that allows them to survive long term, and allows policy makers, producers, and other players to better understand, articulate, assess, and address criticisms. The Ecological Metaphor In recent years a number of commentators have understood the performing arts as an “ecology,” a system characterised by interacting elements, engagements, flows, blockages, breaks, and breakthroughs whose “health” (synonymous in this context with sustainability) depends on relationships between players within and without the system. Traditionally, performing arts policies in Australia have concentrated on singular elements in a system. They have, as Hunt and Shaw argue, “concentrate[d] on individual companies or an individual artist’s practice rather than the sector as a whole” (5, cf. 43). The focus has been on how to structure, support, and measure the success—the aesthetic and social benefits—of individual training institutions, artists, administrators, and arts organisations. The “health” of singular elements has been taken as a sign of the “health” of the system. An ecologies approach, by contrast, concentrates on engagements, energies, and flows as signs of health, and thus sustainability, in a system. Ecological thinking enables policy makers, practitioners, and scholars to go beyond debate about the presence of activity, the volume of activity, and the fate of individual agents as signs of the health or non-health of a system. In an ecologies context, level of activity is not the only indicator of health, and low activity does not necessarily equate with instability or unsustainability. An ecological approach is critical in Brisbane, and in Queensland more broadly, where attempts to replicate the nature or level of activity in southern capitals are not necessarily the best way to shore up the “health” of our performing arts system in our own unique environment. As the locus of our study Queensland is unique. While Queensland has 20% of Australia’s population (OESR; ABS ‘ Population Projections’), and is regularly recognised as a rapidly growing “lifestyle superstate” which values innovation, creativity, and cultural infrastructure (Cunningham), it is still home to significantly less than 20% of Australia’s performing arts producers, and many talented people continue to migrate to the south to pursue career opportunities (Baylis 4, 28). An ecologies approach can break into oft-cited anxieties about artist, activity, and audience levels in Brisbane, and in Queensland, and create new ideas about what a “healthy” local performing arts sector might look like. This might start to infuse some of the social media commentary that currently tends to emphasise the gaps in the sector. Ecologies are complex systems. So, as Costanza says, when we consider ecosystem health, we must consider the overall performance of the system, including its ability to deal with “external stress” (240) from macro-level political, legal, social, cultural, economic, or technological currents that change the broader society this particular sector or ecosystem sits within. In Brisbane, there is a growing population and a desire to pursue a cultural capital tag, but the distinctive geographic, demographic, and behavioural characteristics of Brisbane’s population—and the associated ‘stresses’, conditions, or constraints—mean that striving to replicate patterns of activity seen in Sydney or Melbourne may not be the straightest path to a “healthy” or “sustainable” sector here. The attitudes of the players and the pressures influencing the system are different, so this may be like comparing rainforests with deserts (Costanza), and forgetting that different elements and engagements are in fact “healthy” in different ecosystems. From an ecologies point of view, policy makers and practitioners in Brisbane and in Queensland more broadly might be well advised to stop trying to match Sydney or Melbourne, and to instead acknowledge that a “healthy” ecosystem here may look different, and so generate policy, subsidy, and production systems to support this. An ecological approach can help determine how much activity is in fact necessary to ensure a healthy and sustainable local performing arts sector. It can, in other words, provide a fresh approach that inspires new ideas and strategies for sector sustainability. Brisbane, Baylis and the Blogosphere Debate The ecological metaphor has clearly captured the interest of policy makers as they consider how to make Queensland’s performing arts more sustainable and successful. For Arts Queensland: The view of the sector as a complex and interdependent ‘ecosystem’ is forging new thinking, new practices and new business models. Individual practitioners and organisations are rethinking where they sit within the broader ecology, and what they contribute to the health and vitality of the sector, and how they might address the gaps in services and skills (12). This view informed the commissioning of Mapping Queensland Theatre, an assessment of Queensland’s theatre sector which offers a framework for allocation of resources under the Queensland Arts & Cultural Sector Plan 2010-2013. It also offers a framework for negotiation with funded organisations to ensure “their activities and focus support a harmonious ecology” (Baylis 3) in which all types and levels of practice (emerging, established, touring, and so on) are functioning well and are well represented within the overall mix of activities. Utilising primary and secondary survey sources, Mapping Queensland Theatre seeks: to map individuals, institutions, and organisations who have a stake in developing Queensland’s professional theatre sector; and to apply a “value chain” model of production from supply (training, creation, presentation, and distribution) to demand (audiences) to identify problems and gaps in Queensland’s professional theatre sector and recommend actions to address them. The report is critical of the sector. Baylis argues that “the context for great theatre is not yet in place in Queensland … therefore works of outstandingly high quality will be rare” (28).Whilst acknowledging a lack of ready answers about how much activity is required in a vibrant theatre culture, Baylis argues that “comparisons are possible” (27) and he uses various data sets to compare numbers of new Australian productions in different states. He finds that “despite having 20% of the Australian population, [Queensland] generates a dramatically lower amount of theatre activity” (4, cf. 28). The reason, according to Baylis (20, 23, 25, 29, 32, 40-41, 44), is that there are gaps in the “value chain” of Queensland theatre, specifically in: Support for the current wave of emerging and independent artistsSpace for experimentation Connections between artists, companies, venues and festivals, between and within regional centres, and between Queensland companies and their (inter)national peers Professional development for producers to address the issue of market distributionAudience development “Queensland lacks a critical mass of theatre activity to develop a sustainable theatre culture” (48), and the main gap is in pathways for independent artists. Quality new work does not emerge, energy dissipates, and artists move on. The solution, for Baylis, is to increase support for independent companies (especially via co-productions with mainstage companies), to improve (inter)national touring, and to encourage investment in audience development. Naturally, Queensland’s theatre makers responded to this report. Responses were given, for example, in inaugural speeches by new Queensland Theatre Company director Wesley Enoch and new La Boite Theatre Company director David Berthold, in the media, and in blogosphere commentary on a range of articles on Brisbane performing arts in 2010. The blogosphere debate in particular raged for months and warrants more detailed analysis elsewhere. For the purposes of this paper, though, it is sufficient to note that blogosphere debate about the health of Queensland theatre culture acknowledged many of the deficits Baylis identified and called for: More leadershipMore government supportMore venuesMore diversityMore audience, especially for risky work, and better audience engagementMore jobs and retention of artists Whilst these responses endorse Baylis’s findings and companies have since conceived programs that address Baylis’s criticisms (QTC’s introduction of a Studio Season and La Boite’s introduction of an Indie program in 2010 for example) a sense of frustration also emerged. Some, like former QTC Chair Kate Foy, felt that “what’s really needed in the theatre is a discussion that breaks out from the old themes and encourages fresh ideas—approaches to solving whatever problems are perceived to exist in ‘the system’.” For commentators like Foy the blogosphere debate enacted a kind of ritual rehearsal of an all-too-familiar set of concerns: inadequate and ill-deployed funding, insufficient venues, talent drain, and an impoverished local culture of theatre going. “Value Chains” versus “Value Ecologies” Why did responses to this report demand more artists, more arts organisations, more venues, and more activities? Why did they repeat demands for more government-subsidised venues, platforms, and support rather than drive toward new seed- or non- subsidised initiatives? At one level, this is to do with the report’s claims: it is natural for artists who have been told quality work is “rare” amongst them to point to lack of support to achieve success. At another level, though, this is because—as useful as it has been for local theatre makers—Baylis’s map is premised on a linear chain from training, to first productions, to further developed productions (involving established writers, directors, designers and performers), to opportunities to tour (inter)nationally, etc. It provides a linear image of a local performing arts sector in which there are individuals and institutions with potential, but specific gaps in the production-distribution-consumption chain that make it difficult to deliver work to target markets. It emphasises gaps in the linear pathway towards “stability” of financial, venue, and audience support and thus “sustainability” over a whole career for independent artists and the audiences they attract. Accordingly, asking government to plug the gaps through elements added to the system (venues, co-production platforms, producer hubs, subsidy, and entrepreneurial endeavours) seems like a logical solution. Whilst this is true, it does not tell the whole story. To generate a wider story, we need to consider: What the expected elements in a “healthy” ecosystem would be (e.g. more versus alternative activity);What other aesthetic, cultural, or economic pressures affect the “health” of an ecosystem;Why practices might need to cycle, ebb, and flow over time in a “healthy” ecosystem. A look at the way La Boite works before, during, and after Baylis’s analysis of Brisbane theatre illustrates why attention to these elements is necessary. A long-running company which has made the transition from amateur to professional to being a primary developer of new Australian work in its distinctive in-the-round space, La Boite has recently shifted its strategic position. A focus on text-based Australian plays has given way to adapted, contemporary, and new work in a range of genres; regular co-productions with companies in Brisbane and beyond; and an “Indie” program that offers other companies a venue. This could be read as a response to Baylis’s recommendation: the production-distribution-consumption chain gap for Brisbane’s independents is plugged, the problem is solved, the recommendation has led to the desired result. Such a reading might, though, overlook the range of pressures beyond Brisbane, beyond Queensland, and beyond the Baylis report that drive—and thus help, hinder, or otherwise effect—the shift in La Boite’s program strategies. The fact that La Boite recently lost its Australia Council funding, or that La Boite like all theatre companies needs co-productions to keep its venue running as costs increase, or that La Boite has rebranded to appeal to younger audiences interested in postdramatic, do-it-your-self or junkyard style aesthetics. These factors all influence what La Boite might do to sustain itself, and more importantly, what its long-term impact on Brisbane’s theatre ecology will be. To grasp what is happening here, and get beyond repetitive responses to anxieties about Brisbane’s theatre ecology, detail is required not simply on whether programs like La Boite’s “plugged the gap” for independent artists, but on how they had both predicted and unpredicted effects, and how other factors influenced the effects. What is needed is to extend mapping from a “value chain” to a full ”value ecology”? This is something Hearn et al. have called for. A value chain suggests a “single linear process with one stage leading to the next” (5). It ignores the environment and other external enablers and disregards a product’s relationship to other systems or products. In response they prefer a “value creating ecology” in which the “constellation of firms are [sic] dynamic and value flow is multi-directional and works through clusters of networks” (6). Whilst Hearn et al. emphasise “firms” or companies in their value creating ecology, a range of elements—government, arts organisations, artists, audiences, and the media as well as the aesthetic, social, and economic forces that influence them—needs to be mapped in the value creating ecology of the performing arts. Cherbo et al. provide a system of elements or components which, adapted for a local context like Brisbane or Queensland, can better form the basis of a value ecology approach to the way a specific performing arts community works, adapts, changes, breaks down, or breaks through over time. Figure 1 – Performing Arts Sector Map (adapted from Cherbo et. al. 14) Here, the performing arts sector is understood in terms of core artistic workers, companies, a constellation of generic and sector specific support systems, and wider social contexts (Cherbo et al. 15). Together, the shift from “value chain” to “value ecology” that Hearn et al. advocate, and the constellation of ecology elements that Cherbo et al. emphasise, bring a more detailed, dynamic range of relations into play. These include “upstream” production infrastructure (education, suppliers, sponsors), “downstream” distribution infrastructure (venues, outlets, agents), and overall public infrastructure. As a framework for mapping “value ecology” this model offers a more nuanced perspective on production, distribution, and consumption elements in an ecology. It allows for analysis of impact of interventions in dozens of different areas, from dozens of perspectives, and thus provides a more detailed picture of players, relationships, and results to support both practice and policy making around practice. An Aus-e-Stage Value Ecology To provide the more detailed, dynamic image of local theatre culture that a value ecology approach demands—to show players, relations between players, and context in all their complexity—we use the Aus-e-Stage Mapping Service, an online application that maps data about artists, arts organisations, and audiences across cityscapes/landscapes. We use Aus-e-Stage with data drawn from three sources: the AusStage database of over 50,000 entries on Australian performing arts venues, productions, artists, and reviews; the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on population; and the Local Government Area (LGA) maps the ABS uses to cluster populations. Figure 2 – Using AusStage Interface Figure 3 – AusStage data on theatre venues laid over ABS Local Government Area Map Figure 4 – Using Aus-e-Stage / AusStage to zoom in on Australia, Queensland, Brisbane and La Boite Theatre Company, and generate a list of productions, dates and details Aus-e-Stage produces not just single maps, but a sequential series of snapshots of production ecologies, which visually track who does what when, where, with whom, and for whom. Its sequences can show: The way artists, companies, venues, and audiences relate to each other;The way artists’ relationship to companies, venues, and audiences changes over time;The way “external stressors” changes such as policy, industrial, or population changes affect the elements, roles, and relationships in the ecology from that point forward. Though it can be used in combination with other data sources such as interviews, the advantage of AusStage data is that maps of moving ecologies of practice are based not on descriptions coloured by memory but clear, accurate program, preview, and review data. This allows it to show how factors in the environment—population, policy, infrastructure, or program shifts—effect the ecology, effect players in the ecology, and prompt players to adapt their type, level, or intensity of practice. It extends Baylis’s value chain into a full value ecology that shows the detail on how an ecology works, going beyond demands that government plug perceived gaps and moving towards data- and history- based decisions, ideas and innovation based on what works in Brisbane’s performing arts ecology. Our Aus-e-Stage mapping shows this approach can do a number of useful things. It can create sequences showing breaks, blockages, and absences in an individual or company’s effort to move from emerging to established (e.g. in a sudden burst of activity followed by nothing). It can create sequences showing an individual or company’s moves to other parts of Australia (e.g. to tour or to pursue more permanent work). It can show surprising spaces, relations, and sources of support artists use to further their career (e.g. use of an amateur theatre outside the city such as Brisbane Arts Theatre). It can capture data about venues, programs, or co-production networks that are more or less effective in opening up new opportunities for artists (e.g. moving small-scale experiments in Metro Arts’ “Independents” program to full scale independent productions in La Boite’s “Indie” program, its mainstage program, other mainstage programs, and beyond). It can link to program information, documentation, or commentary to compare anticipated and actual effects. It can lay the map dates and movements across significant policy, infrastructure, or production climate shifts. In the example below, for instance, Aus-e-Stage represents the tour of La Boite’s popular production of a new Australian work Zig Zag Street, based on the Brisbane-focused novel by Nick Earls about a single, twentysomething man’s struggles with life, love, and work. Figure 5 – Zig Zag Street Tour Map In the example below, Aus-e-Stage represents the movements not of a play but of a performer—in this case Christopher Sommers—who has been able to balance employment with new work incubator Metro Arts, mainstage and indie producer La Boite, and stage theatre company QTC with his role with independent theatre company 23rd Productions to create something more protean, more portfolio-based or boundary-less than a traditional linear career trajectory. Figure 6 – Christopher Sommers Network Map and Travel Map This value of this approach, and this technology, is clear. Which independents participate in La Boite Indie (or QTC’s “Studio” or “Greenroom” new work programs, or Metro’s emerging work programs, or others)? What benefits does it bring for artists, for independent companies, or for mainstage companies like La Boite? Is this a launching pad leading to ongoing, sustainable production practices? What do artists, audiences or others say about these launching pads in previews, programs, or reviews? Using Aus-e-Stage as part of a value ecology approach answers these questions. It provides a more detailed picture of what happens, what effect it has on local theatre ecology, and exactly which influences enabled this effect: precisely the data needed to generate informed debate, ideas, and decision making. Conclusion Our ecological approach provides images of a local performing arts ecology in action, drawing out filtered data on different players, relationships, and influencing factors, and thus extending examination of Brisbane’s and Queensland’s performing arts sector into useful new areas. It offers three main advances—first, it adopts a value ecology approach (Hearn et al.), second, it adapts this value ecology approach to include not just companies by all up- and down- stream players, supporters and infrastructure (Cherbo et. al.), and, thirdly, it uses the wealth of data available via Aus-e-Stage maps to fill out and filter images of local theatre ecology. It allows us to develop detailed, meaningful data to support discussion, debate, and development of ideas that is less likely to get bogged down in old, outdated, or inaccurate assumptions about how the sector works. Indeed, our data lends itself to additional analysis in a number of ways, from economic analysis of how shifts in policy influence productivity to sociological analysis of the way practitioners or practices acquire status and cultural capital (Bourdieu) in the field. Whilst descriptions offered here demonstrate the potential of this approach, this is by no means a finished exercise. Indeed, because this approach is about analysing how elements, roles, and relationships in an ecology shift over time, it is an ever-unfinished exercise. As Fortin and Dale argue, ecological studies of this sort are necessarily iterative, with each iteration providing new insights and raising further questions into processes and patterns (3). Given the number of local performing arts producers who have changed their practices significantly since Baylis’s Mapping Queensland Theatre report, and the fact that Baylis is producing a follow-up report, the next step will be to use this approach and the Aus-e-Stage technology that supports it to trace how ongoing shifts impact on Brisbane’s ambitions to become a cultural capital. This process is underway, and promises to open still more new perspectives by understanding anxieties about local theatre culture in terms of ecologies and exploring them cartographically. References Arts Queensland. Queensland Arts & Cultural Sector Plan 2010-2013. Brisbane: Arts Queensland, 2010. Australian Bureau of Statistics. “Population Projections, Australia, 2006 to 2101.” Canberra: ABS (2008). 20 June 2011 ‹http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3222.0Main+Features12006%20to%202101?OpenDocument›. ——-. “Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008-2009: Queensland.” Canberra: ABS (2010). 20 June 2011 ‹http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3218.0Main%20Features62008-09?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3218.0&issue=2008-09&num=&view=›. Baylis, John. Mapping Queensland Theatre. Brisbane: Arts Queensland, 2009. Bourdieu, Pierre. “The Forms of Capital.” Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Ed. John G. Richardson. New York: Greenwood, 1986.241-58. Cherbo, Joni M., Harold Vogel, and Margaret Jane Wyszomirski. “Towards an Arts and Creative Sector.” Understanding the Arts and Creative Sector in the United States. Ed. Joni M. Cherbo, Ruth A. Stewart and Margaret J. Wyszomirski. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2008. 32-60. Costanza, Robert. “Toward an Operational Definition of Ecosystem Health”. Ecosystem Health: New Goals for Environmental Management. Eds. Robert Costanza, Bryan G. Norton and Benjamin D. Haskell. Washington: Island Press, 1992. 239-56. Cunningham, Stuart. “Keeping Artistic Tempers Balanced.” The Courier Mail, 4 August (2010). 20 June 2012 ‹http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/keeping-artistic-tempers-balanced/story-e6frerc6-1225901295328›. Gallasch, Keith. “The ABC and the Arts: The Arts Ecologically.” RealTime 61 (2004). 20 June 2011 ‹http://www.realtimearts.net/article/61/7436›. Gill, Raymond. “Is Brisbane Australia’s New Cultural Capital?” Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October (2010). 20 June 2011 ‹http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/is-brisbane-australias-new-cultural-capital-20101015-16np5.html›. Fortin, Marie-Josée and Dale, Mark R.T. Spatial Analysis: A Guide for Ecologists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Foy, Kate. “Is There Anything Right with the Theatre?” Groundling. 10 January (2010). 20 June 2011 ‹http://katefoy.com/2010/01/is-there-anything-right-with-the-theatre/›. Hearn, Gregory N., Simon C. Roodhouse, and Julie M. Blakey. ‘From Value Chain to Value Creating Ecology: Implications for Creative Industries Development Policy.’ International Journal of Cultural Policy 13 (2007). 20 June 2011 ‹http://eprints.qut.edu.au/15026/›. Hunt, Cathy and Phyllida Shaw. A Sustainable Arts Sector: What Will It Take? Strawberry Hills: Currency House, 2007. Knell, John. Theatre’s New Rules of Evolution. Available from Intelligence Agency, 2008. Office of Economic and Statistical Research. “Information Brief: Australian Demographic Statistics June Quarter 2009.” Canberra: OESR (2010). 20 June 2012 ‹http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/queensland-by-theme/demography/briefs/aust-demographic-stats/aust-demographic-stats-200906.pdf›.

Abstract:

The mobile phone found its way to the Philippines when the first generation of Global Systems for Mobile Communication or GSM handsets was introduced in the country in 1994. This GSM protocol eventually developed to introduce a faster and more efficient means of storing, manipulating, and transmitting data by allowing data to be translated into a series of ones and zeroes. Digital technology furthered the mobile phone’s potentials from being a mere “talking device on the move” (Leung and Wei 316) to a more dynamic participant in the new information age. The capacity to merge all forms of binary data enabled mobile phones to allow convergent services such as chatting, voice-mail, news updates, e-mailing, Internet browsing, and even the dissemination of image and audio files. Apart from the allure of the possibilities of digital communication, the mobile phone was also welcomed in the Philippines because of its convenience; it provided the country, especially the rural areas where telephones are unavailable or inaccessible, with a modern means of communication. A survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS) in 2001 reveals the extent of the dissemination of this technology in the Philippines: “Out of the 15 million households in the Philippines, an estimated 2.5 million have a cellular phone, of which 2.3 million have text-messaging capacity. For the entire nation, text-messaging is available to 15% of all households in general, but it is available to 53% of ABC households in particular. Of the 2.3 million text-capable households in the nation, 800 thousand are in Metro Manila.” Of the 80 million Filipinos, there are now 22 million mobile phone owners in the country compared to only 6.7 million subscribed landlines (Lallana 1). Of the various digital applications of the mobile phone, text messaging is still considered to be the most exploited service in the Philippines. A voice call placed through the mobile phone would typically cost around six to seven pesos per minute while a text message costs a peso per message. Corollary, a typical Filipino now sends an average of ten messages every day, contributing to a daily traffic of over 300 million text messages (Pertierra 58). This has led to the popular notion of the Philippines as the “texting capital of the world” (Pertierra et al. 88). In Text-ing Selves, a study that examines the use of mobile phones in the country, Pertierra and other researchers argue that texting has made it possible to create new unsurveilled and unconventional human relationships. In one case cited in the book, for example, a male and a female texter met after an accidental exchange of text messages. Although initially they were very reserved and guarded, familiarity between the two was fostered greatly because the medium allowed for an anonymous and uncommitted communication. Eventually, they met and shortly after that, got engaged. A second instance involved a person who exchanged phone numbers with his friends to pursue strangers and win new friends by texting. He engaged in virtual or text-based “affairs” with women, which would later on result to actual physical sex. Another case examined was that of an 18-year old bisexual who met “textmates” by participating in interactive Text TV chatrooms. Although he eventually met up with individuals to have sex, he professed to use the Text TV mainly to create these virtual relationships with persons of the same sex. (Pertierra et al. 64-89) It is because of the considerable popularity of the medium and the possible repercussions of such curious relationships and interpersonal communication patterns that the phenomenon of mobile phone use, particularly that of texting, in the Philippines is worthy of systematic scrutiny. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the relational context being created through this wireless messaging system. An exploratory study, this research examines the contributions of the texting technology that allowed development of romantic relationships among its users. Ultimately, this paper aims to identify what makes texting a novel romantic device in the Philippines. The framework in the understanding of relationship development through texting incorporates Malcolm Parks’ theory of relationship life cycle and network (352). In his proposal, interpersonal relationships of all types are usually conceptualized as developing from the impersonal to the personal along a series of relatively specific dimensions: increases in interdependence, in the variety and intimacy of interaction, in interpersonal predictability and understanding, in the change toward more personalized ways of communicating and coordinating, in commitment, and in the convergence of the participants’ social networks. According to Parks (359-68), relationships move within the constructive character of communication that involves the interaction of the structure and content of communication between the participants. Thus, the researcher would like to identify the relationship between these seven factors of relationship development and the texting technology. This research identified the attributes of the texting technology along the seven dimensions of Park’s theory of relational development. Qualitative data was obtained and explored in the light of the concepts presented in the related literature, particularly the theoretical discourses of Paul Levinson and Raul Pertierra et al. A total of 43 respondents, 21 males and 22 females, were selected through purposive sampling to derive exploratory data through the in-depth interview method. Texting and Interdependence Unwritten Rule of Texting Respondents revealed that their relationships developed with their respective partners because texting made them more dependent on each other. “It became a habit” (Emmy). Partners texted each other as often as they could, until they have established themselves as regular textmates. One respondent’s day would also be influenced by his partner’s text message: “Kapag hindi siya nakakapagtext, nami-miss ko siya (If she doesn’t text, I miss her). Her simple ‘good morning’s’ can really help me start my day right.” At this level of the relationship, texters always had the compulsion to keep the communication constantly moving. One respondent attributed this to the “unwritten rule of texting.” Clara elaborated: You know there’s this unwritten rule in texing: once a person has texted you, you have to reply. If you don’t reply, the person will automatically think you ignored him or her on purpose. So you have to reply no matter what. Even when you really have nothing to say, you’re forced to come up with something or give your opinion just to keep the conversation going. Immediacy and Accessibility Some respondents exhibited interdependence by “reporting” or informing each other of the happenings in their individual lives. Arnel shared: Ang ilang pinakanatulong sa amin ng texting ay to inform each other kung saan na kami at kung anong pinagkakaabalahan namin at a specific time, especially kung hindi kami magkasama. (One of the greatest aid of texting in our relationship is that it enables us to inform each other about where we are and what we are doing at a specific time, especially if we are not together). He also added that texting allows them to organize their schedules as well as to logistically set meeting times or inform the other of one’s tardiness. Texting also allowed for the individuals in the relationship to influence each other’s thoughts, behaviors, and actions. “Kapag nagkukuwento siya kung anong nangyari sa kaniya tapos tingin ko mali, pinagsasabihan ko siya (If she tells me stories about what happened to her and then I see that there’s something wrong with it, I admonish her)” (Jesus). Jack summarized how the texting technology facilitated these indicators of interdependence between romantic partners: There’s a feeling of security that having a cellphone gives to a certain person, because you know that, more often than not, you can and will be reached by anyone, anywhere, anytime, and vice versa. So when I need comfort, or someone to listen, or I need to vent, or I need my boyfriend’s opinion, or I need his help in making a decision, it’s really relieving to know that he’s just a text or phone call away. These responses from the participants in a texting romantic relationship confirm Paul Levinson’s arguments of the mobile phone’s feature of accessibility. In the book Cellphone: The Story of the World’s Most Mobile Medium and How it has Transformed Everything! he mentions that the mobile phone technology, particularly texting, permits users to make instant, immediate and direct delivery of messages. He further explains that texting can be a romancing tool because before there was the mobile phone, people placing call through the telephone had to make sure that the persons they are asking out on a date are at home when the phone rings (Levinson 97). Texting and Depth: Privacy and Levinson’s Silence Texting also facilitated an efficient exchange of a variety of important, intimate, and personal topics and feelings for most of the respondents. A number of respondents even confessed that they could go as intimate as exchanging sexual messages with their partners. One respondent revealed that he could text his partner anything “kahit nga text sex pwede rin eh (even ‘sex text’ is allowed).” But mostly, the text exchanges consisted of intimate romantic feelings that one could not manage to say in person. Richard shared: “For example, through text we can say ‘I love you’ to each other. Aside from that, nasasabi ko rin yung mga problems na hindi ko masabi ng harapan (I could tell her about my problems that I could not say face-to-face).” Arnel, a homosexual, attributed this ease of transmitting intimate and personal topics and feelings to the texting technology’s unique feature of privacy. “Kasi wari bang nakakalikha ng pribadong espasyo yung screen ng phone mo na kahit na magkalayo kayo” (Because the mobile phone screen is able to create a private space that even if you are far from each other) physically, the virtual space created by that technology is apparent. Because no one can hear you say those things or no one else can read [them], assuming na hindi pinabasa sa ibang tao o hindi nakita (that it is not allowed to be read or seen by others) (Arnel). Arnel’s discussion of the private space that allows for intimate exchanges links up with Paul Levinson’s silence as one of the biggest benefit of the texting technology. Texting permits receivers to view their messages in private as opposed to having others in the environment hear and know about their particular communication or simply even just the fact that they are communicating (Levinson 112-14). Anonymity RJ would associate this capability to swap intimate information between partners to texting’s provision for anonymity. In texting, there is the element of anonymity, thus, you can feel more comfortable with sharing more intimate messages. As opposed to a face-to-face conversation wherein you would tend to hold back some feelings or thoughts because of fear of outright rejection. Personally, I consider that factor as a very important element in the development of our relationship. Because I am not really the aggressive-frank type of guy, I tend to hold back in telling her intimate things face to face. The feature of anonymity that the respondents mentioned seems to refer to one characteristic that Pertierra, et al. (91) outlined in their book. They wrote that communication through texting has also efficiently incorporated meaning, intention, and expressions allowing texters to say what is normally unsayable in face-to-face contexts. This clearly points to the comfort that the respondents identified when they’d share about intimate details like their exes and other information that a typical “non-aggressive-frank guy, who fears outright rejection,” would. Autonomy Perhaps an additional feature that might be closely related to privacy and anonymity is the autonomous nature of the texting technology. Homosexuals like Jetrin took advantage of this feature to facilitate unconventional same-sex affairs: “Unlike pagers, mobile phones are not monitored, therefore I can pretty much say what I want to the other person. I get to express myself more clearly and intimate[ly]”. Because of this absence of censorship, texters can confidently say “’I love you’ or ‘I want to throw you against the wall and make you feel like a cheap whore’ (Jetrin)” without having to concern themselves about a third-party processing their messages. Texting and Breadth Expressing Real and Virtual Emotions Because of these various constraints, respondents started to locate other avenues to communicate with their partners. Thus, the breadth of the relationship increased. Other means of communication that the respondents mentioned are face-to-face encounters, voice phone calls (either landline or mobile phone), e-mail, chat (YM, ICQ, Web cam, etc.), and even snail mail. However way they decided to extend their communication beyond texting, almost all of them declared that it is still texting that instigated this movement to another medium. One respondent said “Of course text ang taga-initiate (initiates) and then more ways [follow] after.” Although texting employs a dualistic nature of beneficial anonymity and uncertainty between exchanging partners, a number of respondents still express optimism about the texting technology’s capacity to bridge the gap between expressing real and virtual emotions. Some claimed that “even [in] text [there is] personality; smiling face, exclamation points, feelings are still communicated.” RG also expressed that “yung mga smileys nakakatulong sa pag-express ng emotions (smileys help in expressing emotions).” Jake added that “qualities like the smiley faces and sad faces you can make using the punctuation marks, etc. can really add warmth and depth to text messages.” Texting and Commitment Regularity Since most of the couples in a romantic relationship did not have the luxury of time to meet up in person or talk over the phone regularly, the frequency of texting became a distinct indication about their commitment to their relationships. “To commit is to be there for the person, 24/7. Texting helps in achieving that despite of the barriers in time and distance” (Von). Didith showed the other end of this phenomenon: “When he texted less and less in the course of the relationship, it made me doubt about … his commitment.” This regularity of texting also provided for strengthening the bond and connection between partners that ultimately “As we share more and more of our lives with each other, more trust develops…and the more trust you instill in each other, the more you expect the relationship to be stronger and more lasting” (Jack). Convenience and Affordability Some respondents pointed out texting’s convenient nature of linking partners who are rather separated by physical and geographical limits. Richard used texting to contact his partner “kasi malayo kami sa isa’t-isa, lalo na kapag umuuwi siya sa Bulacan. Texting ang pinakamadali, cheapest, and convenient way para makapag-communicate kami (because we are far from each other, especially if she goes home to Bulacan. Texting is the fastest, cheapest, and convenient way for us to communicate).” This “presence” that strengthens the commitment between partners, as suggested by most of the respondents, indicates the capacity of the mobile phone to transform into an extension of the human body and connect partners intimately. Texting, Predictability and Understanding Redundancy Some of the respondents agreed that it is the regularity of texting that enabled them to become more capable of understanding and predicting their partner’s feelings and behaviors. Tina articulated this: “Probably due to redundancy, one can predict how the other will react to certain statements.” Jake also expressed the same suggestion: Texting in our relationship has become a routine, actually. Texting has become like talking for us. And the more we text/talk, the more we get to know each other. Nagiging sanay na kami sa ugali at pag-iisip ng isa’t-isa (We become used to each other’s attitudes and thinking). So it’s inevitable for us to be able to predict one another’s reactions and thoughts to certain topics. Because we get to a point wherein we feel like we know each other so well, that when we are able to correctly predict a feeling or behavior, we find it amusing. In the end, the regularity of the interaction brought about learning. “I’ve learned much of her from texting. I knew that she becomes disappointed with certain things or she really appreciates it when I do certain things. It became easier for me to learn about her thoughts, feelings, etc.” (RJ) Managing of Contextual Cues A lot of the respondents mentioned that their understanding and predictability of their partners was also heightened by the context of the construction of the messages that were being transmitted. “If there are smiley faces, then we’re okay. No cute expressions mean we’re in a serious mode” (Didith). “Either an added word, a missing word, or a word out of place in the message gives me the clue” (Jake). The textual structure and signs became instrumental into the translation of how to perceive another’s feelings or reactions. “For example, pag normal, sweet words yung nasa text, may mga ‘I love you,’ mga ganon. Pero kung galit siya, may iba. Minsan ‘Oo’ lang yung sagot. Kaya mas nakikilala ko pa siya through text (For example, on a normal circumstance, her text would contain sweet words like ‘I love you.’ But if she’s mad, it’s different. At times, she would just reply with a mere ‘yes.’ That’s why I get to know her more through text)” (Richard). Texting and Communicative Change Own Private World Texting allowed respondents to create special languages that they used to interact with their own partners. It is an inherent characteristic of texting that limits messages up to 360 characters only, and it becomes almost a requirement to really adapt a rather abbreviated way of writing when one has to send a message. In this study however, it was found that the languages that respondents created were not the usual languages that the general public would use or understand in texting – it even went beyond the usual use of the popular smileys. Respondents revealed that they created codes that only they and their respective partners understood in their “own private world” (Jackie, Emma). “How I text him is different from how I text other people so I don’t think other people would understand what I’m telling him, and why the manner is so if they read our messages” (Anika). Leana shared an example: My partner and I have created special nicknames and shortcuts that only the two of us know and understand. Kunyari (For example), we have our own way of saying ‘I love you’ or ‘I miss you.’ To send a kiss… we use a set of characters different from the usual. Basta secret na namin ‘yon (It is our secret). Fun Majority of the respondents identified communicative code change as the most exciting and fun part in texting. “It is one of the best things about relating with someone through texting. It is one of the most fun things to do” (Mario). And the amusement that this interaction caused was not only limited in the virtual environment and the textual context. “It is one of the fun things about our texting and it even carries over when we are together personally” (Justin). “Since words are what we have, we play with them and try to be creative. Para masaya, exciting (So that it is fun and exciting)” (Charm). Incidentally, this sense of fun and excitement is also one of the attributes that Pertierra and his co-authors mentioned in their book Txt-ing Selves (Pertierra et al. 140): “Many see texting as an opportunity for fun.” Texting and Network Convergence Texting also made network convergence possible among partners, and their respective social circles, in a romantic relationship. Because the respondents engaged in non-stop texting, their friends and family started to notice their change in behavior. “People become curious… They want to know the person I text with every minute of every day… I guess people can tell when a person’s in love, even when it has only developed through texting” (Clara). Jake shared a very likely scenario: “If you get text messages when you’re with your friends/family and you laugh at the message you receive, or just react to whatever you receive, you’d have to make kwento (tell) who you’re texting to make sense of your reactions.” Others though, readily announced their relationships to everyone: “I’ll text my friends first na ‘Uy, may bago ako.’ (I will text my friends first that: ‘Hey, I have a new girlfriend.’)” (Richard). But sometimes, texters also introduced their partners to people outside their friends and family circles. “Sometimes, it even goes beyond personal. Example, if my ‘new partner’ who has never met any of my friends and family need help with something (business, academic, etc.) then I introduce him to someone from my circle who can be of help to him” (Jetrin). Network convergence could also take place through and within the medium itself. Respondents revealed that their family and friends actually interact with each other through texting without necessarily having the opportunity to meet in person. Pauline shared: “Ate (My older sister)… used to send text messages to him before to ask where I am. And my mom stole his number from my phone ‘just in case’.” Didith and her boyfriend also experienced having their friends involved in the dynamics of their relationship: “During our first major quarrel, he texted and called my friend to ask what I was mad about. Likewise, when we have a minor spat, I call his friend to vent or ask about him.” Conclusion This study establishes the texting technology’s capacity as a romancing gadget. As the interview participants pointed out, because of the technology’s capacity to allow users to create their own world capable of expressing real and virtual emotions, and managing contextual cues, texters were able to increase their dependence and understanding of one another. It also allowed for partners to exchange more personal and intimate information through an instant and private delivery of messages. The facilitation of communicative change made their relationship more exciting and that the texting medium itself became the message of commitment to their relationship. Finally, texting also led the partners to introduce one another to their families and friends either through the texting environment or face-to-face. Ultimately, texting became their means to achieving intimacy and romance. Texting offered a modern communication medium for carrying out traditional gender roles in pursuing romance for the heterosexual majority of the respondents. However, the messaging tool also empowered the homosexuals and bisexuals involved in the study. The highly private and autonomous textual environment enabled them to explore new and unorthodox romantic and even sexual relations. Moreover, texting may be considered as a venue for “technological foreplay” (Nadarajan). Almost all of those who have used texting to sustain their intimacy indicated the choice to expand to other modes of communication. Although relationships set in a purely virtual environment actually exist, the findings that these relationships rarely stay virtual point to the idea that the virtual setting of texting becomes simply just another place where partners get to exercise their romance for each other, only to be further “consummated” perhaps by a face-to-face contact. Data gathering for this research revealed a noteworthy number of respondents who engage in a purely virtual textual relationship. A further investigation of this occurrence will be able to highlight the capacity of texting as a relationship gadget. Long distance relationships sustained by this technology also provide a good ground for the exploration of the text messaging’s potentials as communication tool. References Lallana, Emmanuel. SMS, Business, and Government in the Philippines. Manila: Department of Science and Technology, 2004. Leung, Louis, and Ran Wei. “More than Just Talk on the Move: Uses and Gratifications of the Cellular Phone.” Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 77 (2000): 308-320. Levinson, Paul. Cellphone: The Story of the World’s Most Mobile Medium and How It Has Transformed Everything! New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Mangahas, Malou. “For the Little History of EDSA-2.” Social Weather Station 26 Jan. 2001. 31 Jan. 2005 http://www.sws.org.ph/>. Nadarajan, Gunalan. Personal communication with the author. 2004. Parks, Malcolm. “Communication Networks and Relationship Life Cycles.” Handbook of Personal Relationships: Theory, Research, and Interventions. 2nd ed. Ed. Steve Duck. London: John Wiley, 1997. 351-72. Pertierra, Raul. Transforming Technologies: Altered Selves – Mobile Phone and Internet Use in the Philippines. Manila: De La Salle UP, 2006. Pertierra, Raul, et al. Text-ing Selves: Cellphones and Philippine Modernity. Manila: De La Salle UP, 2002. Solis, Randy Jay. “Mobile Romance: An Exploration of the Development of Romantic Relationships through Texting.” Asia Culture Forum, Gwangju, South Korea: 29 Oct. 2006. Citation reference for this article MLA Style Solis, Randy Jay C. "Texting Love: An Exploration of Text Messaging as a Medium for Romance in the Philippines." M/C Journal 10.1 (2007). echo date('d M. Y'); ?> <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0703/05-solis.php>. APA Style Solis, R. (Mar. 2007) "Texting Love: An Exploration of Text Messaging as a Medium for Romance in the Philippines," M/C Journal, 10(1). Retrieved echo date('d M. Y'); ?> from <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0703/05-solis.php>.

Abstract:

Photo by Richard Catabay on Unsplash ABSTRACT COVID-19 exposed deep-rooted structural inequities. Allocation protocols developed during COVID-19 may cause furtherance of structural inequalities. In this essay, I specifically address the issue of structural inequities in the context of resource allocation during a period of crisis standard of care. In response to the increasing evidence of structural inequities during the pandemic, physicians and bioethicists Douglas White and Bernard Lo proposed incorporating a correction factor into resource allocation protocols. According to them, this would provide an advantage for disadvantaged individuals. The proposed correction factors use the Area Deprivation Index to determine eligibility. I argue that the correction factor is ethically justified and supported by Rawls’s difference principle, Daniels’s equality of opportunity, and Harris’s double jeopardy argument. I also suggest that the proposed correction factor does not go far enough, particularly if used with other objective factors, such as SOFA scoring. At least one study shows that using SOFA scoring for resource allocation during COVID-19 has a discriminatory effect on non-Hispanic black patients. One problem with the correction factor using the ADI is that it only applies to those currently in the reflected socioeconomic status. Additionally, when only one hospital serves a largely socioeconomically disadvantaged community, all admissions will fall within the targeted category for application of the correction factor. Thus, further actions are needed to dismantle structural inequities, such as implementing load balancing or the planned sharing of resources among healthcare systems. INTRODUCTION COVID-19 forced deep-rooted structural inequities to the surface. SARS-CoV-2 was a novel virus, but the connection between structural inequities and the disparate impact of the virus on marginalized populations is not. The history of pandemics reflects how much structural inequities negatively influence health equity.[1] The lack of preparedness and response to the structural inequities exemplify “blistering systemic failures.”[2] Despite warnings from prior threats from SARS and H1N1, we were unprepared for COVID-19. Antommaria and Chelen show that one-half of responding hospitals did not have an allocation protocol in place.[3] When an influx of critically ill patients and limited resources required implementing a crisis standard of care, many hospitals quickly established protocols addressing the allocation of scarce resources. Most crisis standard of care (CSC) protocols reflect public health’s utilitarian focus on saving the most lives.[4] The utilitarian focus ignores the disproportionate impact resulting from structural inequities. In December 2020, two physicians and bioethicists, Douglas White and Bernard Lo responded to the increasing evidence of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on disadvantaged communities by adding a correction factor to their CSC resource allocation protocol. The correction factor adjusts triage scores of individuals living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods by subtracting one point from the triage score.[5] Patients with lower triage scores are more likely to receive life-saving care. Thus, subtracting a point provides an advantage. The correction factor uses a composite measure of disadvantage to determine eligibility called the Area Deprivation Index (ADI).[6] The ADI is a geographic measure of socioeconomic disadvantage that calculates an aggregate disadvantage score on a 10-point scale. The ADI measures seventeen elements of disadvantage related to poverty, education, employment, physical environment, and infrastructure.[7] The correction factor compensates for structural injustices by using ADI scores of patients in the highest quartile of socioeconomic disadvantage or having an ADI score of 8 to 10 since the strongest association between ADI scores and health outcomes occurs at the highest ADI levels.[8] l. Ethical Justifications Various theories of justice support applying the correction factor in the allocation of scarce resources. Rawls’s difference principle provides an ethical justification for the correction factor as it benefits the worse off in the event of resource allocation.[9] Applying the correction factor and subtracting one point from the triage score admittedly creates inequality among two otherwise like patients, but it is justified under Rawls’s theory since it gives the advantage to the least advantaged, addressing equity. Norman Daniels’ argument for protecting fair “equality of opportunity” also supports the correction factor.[10] The correction factor protects the equality of opportunity for those denied access to care because of deep-rooted structural inequities exacerbated by the pandemic. Using the correction factor to provide access to life-saving resources compensates patients with diminished opportunities in other arenas like the social determinants of health. Derek Parfit’s deontic egalitarianism supports the correction factor. Under Parfit’s view of deontic egalitarianism, justification of giving an advantage to the worse off depends on the reason for the inequality. If the unequal status results from circumstances such as a genetic condition or an accidental injury, like Daniel’s equality of opportunity, deontic egalitarianism does not support giving an advantage to the worse-off. If the unequal position results from the unjust actions of another, such as discriminatory treatment of people of color, deontic egalitarianism supports providing the advantage to address the inequity.[11] The disproportionate impact of resource allocation results from unjust treatment such as discrimination and structural inequity.[12] John Harris’s double jeopardy argument adds additional support to the correction factor in that[13] the socioeconomically disadvantaged or those facing racial or ethnic discrimination may have had an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or having a severe case or death due to structural inequities. If the triage procedures do not compensate for the structural inequities and they are precluded access to critical care based only on traditional triage, they will suffer double jeopardy. The correction factor avoids this double jeopardy. ll. Operationalizing the Correction Factor Those opposing the correction factor might assert the infeasibility of mitigating inequities during a pandemic.[14] Yet one large US health system successfully applied similar criteria in allocating remdesivir[15] and the National Academy of Medicine endorsed disparity-mitigating criteria for allocating scarce vaccines.[16] Applying the correction factor is neither time nor resource intensive. It will not divert resources from the goal of treating illness and reducing morbidity. With the data available about COVID-19’s disproportionate impact, not applying an available tool to lessen inequities is an abrogation of ethical duty. One utilitarian argument asserts that we will save fewer lives if the prioritized patients are more likely to die despite interventions. Yet society bears responsibility for the social policies that created the disparities. Thus, there is an obligation to mitigate those societal problems, even when doing so might save fewer lives.[17] Some clinicians argue that they should have discretion in determining triage scores. This objection to the correction factor in formulating triage procedures reflects the conflict between clinical and public health ethics. Implementing a CSC protocol shifts decision-making from the clinician to a triage committee and from an individual focus to a community focus. Allowing clinicians to determine triage protocols would increase the risk of decisions based on bias and subjectivity. Another open question is whether the correction factor will achieve the intended goal. Nancy Kass suggests that without evidence to support the effectiveness, we cannot ethically implement the policy.[18] Thus, applying the Kass analysis, diverting a scarce resource to someone less likely to survive should require proof that doing so systematically would resolve or improve structural inequity. There is limited empirical evidence, but we may proceed with caution based on the presumptive data and the hypothesis that a triage allocation that uses a correction factor could help. Computer-based modeling or “tabletop” exercises applying the framework to actual patients but not enacting the protocols could assess the possible effects of the protocols.[19] Perhaps the most robust rebuttal in response to the opposition of applying a correction factor is in an argument proffered by Douglas White that no reasonable triage framework maximizes health outcomes if it creates significant inequalities.[20] White’s argument emphasizes the importance of addressing inequity. lll. A More Robust Version of the Correction Factor The burdens associated with any public health intervention typically fall into three categories:[21] privacy and confidentiality, risk to liberty and self-determination, and justice. Most burdens associated with allocating scarce resources fall under the justice category. I not only disagree with the arguments against using a correction factor, but I also argue that the correction factor does not go far enough. First, using the ADI neglects consideration of people of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19 no longer living in a neighborhood with the highest ADI scores. Based on new research, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores are also potentially discriminatory and not ideal for addressing structural inequity, racism, or ethnic discrimination in the triage setting, although they are applied to triage.[22] Second, public hospitals in socioeconomically depressed communities and rural locations may serve a population in which nearly the entire community will have ADI scores that qualify for application of the correction factor. lV. Relying on ADI cannot protect all people disadvantaged due to their race or ethnicity The ADI uses seventeen measures of socioeconomic disadvantage. Some racial inequality in healthcare is unrelated to socioeconomic status and can be missed by ADI. Racial inequality in healthcare may be directly related to implicit and explicit bias and past and current discrimination. But the correction factor will not help the Black patient not currently residing in a highly disadvantaged neighborhood or experiencing other vestiges of racism in the form of socioeconomic disadvantage. A correction factor that uses more information than ADI could make up for some of the weaknesses of SOFA as well. V. When all patients have high ADI Scores What happens when triaging occurs in hospitals serving populations where almost all patients have ADI scores of 8 to 10? To illustrate, I will use the example of Belle Glade, Florida, in western Palm Beach County.[23] The overwhelming majority of the neighborhoods served by the one public hospital, Lakeside Medical Center, is at a level 10 state decile, with a few neighborhoods at 8 and 9 state decile.[24] During a surge in that hospital, the correction factor will apply to every patient. The hospital must then resort to other considerations, such as random allocation. This potential dilemma suggests the need to consider further steps, such as load balancing, to lessen the inequities. Vl. Load Balancing Load balancing is a plan in which hospitals report daily census and available beds. Patients are diverted or transferred to hospitals with open beds when one hospital is at maximum capacity. Although identified as a method to avoid the need for triaging, I suggest load balancing is also equity balancing, especially when the overwhelmed hospital is in a high ADI area. Failures in load balancing exacerbate the harm to disadvantaged populations. Disadvantaged individuals are more likely to seek treatment in hospitals with limited ability to increase capacity or care for many critically ill patients. During surges in COVID-19, hospitals in poor neighborhoods were overrun by admissions and lacked resources to treat, while nearby private hospitals had available beds and resources.[25] The Arizona Department of Health Services developed an effective load-balancing system to coordinate the statewide transfer of patients from overloaded hospitals to other hospitals.[26] The system dramatically improved access to care for people of color and rural populations.[27] One of the state’s foremost responsibilities is safeguarding the health and well-being of people threatened when health systems fail to cooperate. Voluntary load balancing is preferable, but if the healthcare systems are unwilling to cooperate and if voluntary efforts are ineffective, state governments should intervene and require private hospitals to take part in load balancing. When needed, public health officials should issue emergency orders to require hospitals to participate in load-balancing efforts, including accepting patient transfers that are not part of their covered population. CONCLUSION Rawls’s difference principle, Daniels’s equality of opportunity, Parfit’s deontic egalitarianism, and Harris’s double jeopardy argument all justify and may even compel using the correction factor. COVID-19 turned academic and hypothetical discussions and debates about allocating scarce resources and making untenable choices of who lives and who dies to real-life responsibilities. Once hospitals move to a crisis standard of care, they may need to allocate scarce resources, so having systems in place that can compensate for past inequities and improve fairness in access to care is the ethical imperative. Dismantling structural inequities and reassessing allocation protocols should incorporate the correction factor as a new foundational framework and then build on it using load balancing and exercising caution if applying SOFA. It is an ethical responsibility to use these tools to dismantle the pervasive structural inequities when allocating scarce resources. - [1] Goldberg, Daniel S. “Against the Medicalization of Public Health (Ethics).” Public Health Ethics 14, no. 2 (2021): 117–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/phab024. [2] Morrissey, Mary Beth, and Jorge L. Rivera-Agosto. “Protecting the Public's Health in Pandemics: Reflections on Policy Deliberation and the Role of Civil Society in Democracy.” Frontiers in Public Health 9 (June 1, 2021): 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.678210. [3] Antommaria, Armand H., Tyler S. Gibb, Amy L. McGuire, Paul Root Wolpe, Matthew K. Wynia, Megan K. Applewhite, Arthur Caplan, et al. “Ventilator Triage Policies during the Covid-19 Pandemic at U.S. Hospitals Associated with Members of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors.” Annals of Internal Medicine 173, no. 3 (April 4, 2020): 188–94. https://doi.org/10.7326/m20-1738; Chelan, Julia S., Douglas B. White, Stephanie Zaza, Amanda N. Perry, Deborah S. Feifer, Maia L. Crawford, and Amber E. Barnato. “US Ventilator Allocation and Patient Triage Policies in Anticipation of the Covid-19 Surge.” Health Security 19, no. 5 (2021): 459–67. https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2020.0166. [4] Lin, Janet Y., and Lisa Anderson-Shaw. “Rationing of Resources: Ethical Issues in Disasters and Epidemic Situations.” Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 24, no. 3 (2009): 215–21. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x0000683x. [5] Executive Summary Allocation of Scarce Critical Care Resources during a ...,” April 9, 2021. https://ccm.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/Model%20hospital%20policy%20for%20allocation%20of%20critical%20care_2020-03-23%20web.pdf. [6]. Executive Summary Allocation of Scarce Critical Care Resources during a ...,” April 9, 2021. https://ccm.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/Model%20hospital%20policy%20for%20allocation%20of%20critical%20care_2020-03-23%20web.pdf. [7] https://www.neighborhoodatlas.medicine.wisc.edu/mapping; Executive Summary Allocation of Scarce Critical Care Resources during a ...,” April 9, 2021. [8] White, Douglas B., and Bernard Lo. “Structural Inequities, Fair Opportunity, and the Allocation of Scarce ICU Resources.” Hastings Center Report 51, no. 5 (2021): 42–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1285 [9] McKie, John, and Jeff Richardson. “The Rule of Rescue.” Social Science and Medicine 56 (2003): 2407–19 [10] Daniels, Norman. “Justice, Health, and Health Care.” Essay. In Medicine and Social Justice Essays on the Distribution of Health Care, edited by Rosamond Rodes, Margaret P Battin, and Anita Silvers, Seconded., 17–33. Oxford University Press, n.d. [11] Brock, Dan W. “Priority to the Worse Off in Health Care Resource Prioritization .” Essay. In Medicine and Social Justice Essays on the Distribution of Health Care, edited by Rosamond Rhodes, Margaret Battin, and Anita Silvers, 155–64. Oxford University Press, n.d. [12] Brock, Dan W. “Priority to the Worse Off in Health Care Resource Prioritization .” Essay. In Medicine and Social Justice Essays on the Distribution of Health Care, edited by Rosamond Rhodes, Margaret Battin, and Anita Silvers, 155–64. Oxford University Press, n.d. [13] Harris, J. “Qualifying the Value of Life.” Journal of Medical Ethics 13, no. 3 (1987): 117–23. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.13.3.117. [14] White, Douglas B., and Bernard Lo. “Mitigating Inequities and Saving Lives with ICU Triage during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 203, no. 3 (February 1, 2021): 287–95. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202010-3809cp. [15] White, Douglas B., and Bernard Lo. “Mitigating Inequities and Saving Lives with ICU Triage during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 203, no. 3 (February 1, 2021): 287–95. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202010-3809cp. [16] White, Douglas B., and Bernard Lo. “Mitigating Inequities and Saving Lives with ICU Triage during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 203, no. 3 (February 1, 2021): 287–95. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202010-3809cp. [17] White, Douglas B., and Bernard Lo. “Mitigating Inequities and Saving Lives with ICU Triage during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 203, no. 3 (February 1, 2021): 287–95. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202010-3809cp. [18] Kass, Nancy E. “An Ethics Framework for Public Health.” American Journal of Public Health 91, no. 11 (November 2001): 1776–82. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.91.11.1776. [19] White, Douglas B., and Bernard Lo. “Mitigating Inequities and Saving Lives with ICU Triage during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 203, no. 3 (February 1, 2021): 287–95. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202010-3809cp. [20] White, Supra.12 [21] Kass, Nancy E. “An Ethics Framework for Public Health.” American Journal of Public Health 91, no. 11 (November 2001): 1776–82. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.91.11.1776. [22] Tolchin, Benjamin, Carol Oladele, Deron Galusha, Nitu Kashyap, Mary Showstark, Jennifer Bonito, Michelle C. Salazar, et al. “Racial Disparities in the SOFA Score among Patients Hospitalized with Covid-19.” PLOS ONE. Public Library of Science, September 17, 2021. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0257608; SOFA is a prognostic scoring system that assigns points for organ failure evidence within six different organ systems. Higher SOFA scores correlate with higher mortality. New research by Tolchin reveals the flaws in SOFA due to its failure to account for delays in seeking care and overestimates of Black mortality. Also see Antommaria, Armand H., Tyler S. Gibb, Amy L. McGuire, Paul Root Wolpe, Matthew K. Wynia, Megan K. Applewhite, Arthur Caplan, et al. “Ventilator Triage Policies during the Covid-19 Pandemic at U.S. Hospitals Associated with Members of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors.” Annals of Internal Medicine 173, no. 3 (April 4, 2020): 188–94. https://doi.org/10.7326/m20-1738; Chelen, Julia S., Douglas B. White, Stephanie Zaza, Amanda N. Perry, Deborah S. Feifer, Maia L. Crawford, and Amber E. Barnato. “US Ventilator Allocation and Patient Triage Policies in Anticipation of the Covid-19 Surge.” Health Security 19, no. 5 (2021): 459–67. https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2020.0166; and Pence, Gregory E. Pandemic Bioethics. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2021. [23] Black – population 59.28 % Median Household income 24,322 Population 20,276 Education: 31.$ HS; 21.71% less than 95 grade, Postsecondary Asso-7%, Bachelors 6.7, ttps://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/belle-glade-fl-population [24] Neighborhood atlas®. Neighborhood Atlas - Mapping. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.neighborhoodatlas.medicine.wisc.edu/mapping [25] White, Douglas, Keynote Address, American Society of Bioethics and Humanities, October 13, 2021, COVID-19 at the Crossroads, https://eventpilotadmin.com/web/planner.php?id=ASBH21 [26] Angelo, A. (2020, May 26). Latest Covid-19 Model Shows Arizona can Meet a Health Care Surge. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://communityimpact.com/phoenix/chandler/coronavirus/2020/05/26/latest-covid-19-model-shows-arizona-can-meet-a-health-care-surge/ [27] White, Douglas, Keynote Address, American Society of Bioethics and Humanities, October 13, 2021, COVID-19 at the Crossroads, https://eventpilotadmin.com/web/planner.php?id=ASBH21

Abstract:

In 2019, Mattel introduced a series of Barbie dolls in connection with National Geographic which included a Polar Marine Biologist, an Entomologist, a Wildlife Photojournalist, and a mostly "made from recycled ocean-bound plastic" Barbie ("Mattel Launches Barbie Loves the Ocean") followed in 2021. One year later, the company issued an "Eco-Leadership Team" composed of a Conservation Scientist, a Renewable Energy Engineer, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Environmental Advocate. This can be understood as an attempt to introduce children to the urgency of ecological issues and communicating to them the importance of research into climate change in an age-appropriate manner. Yet, despite the pedagogical opportunities the dolls might offer, I argue that their introduction and presentation primarily represents an instance of greenwashing, "the act or practice of making a product, policy, activity, etc. appear to be more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than it really is" (Merriam-Webster). In order to support my thesis, I will analyse four issues: first, I will have a closer look at the way in which the four "Eco-Leadership" dolls express ecological concerns. I will then turn to the material Barbie is made of, plastic, and examine its environmental impact together with Mattel's "The Future of Pink Is Green" campaign. Next, I will discuss the conspicuous consumption Barbie models, focussing on the Malibu Dream House. I will address how this is entangled with settler colonialism in the fourth and final part. Eco-Leadership Barbie? The "Eco-Leadership" set, billed as "2022 Career of the Year" collection, consists of four dolls. They come in a cardboard box so that the toys are not immediately visible, and their accessories are stored in a paper bag inside. On the one hand, this makes the dolls less appealing, depriving the potential consumers of visual pleasure. On the other hand, this generates an element of suspense, much like a wrapped present. In keeping with Mattel's slogan "The Future of Pink Is Green", the colour pink is toned down, even though each doll sports at least one accessory in this colour. The toys are sold as a team, thus perhaps suggesting that "eco-leadership" is a collaborative project, which departs from the emphasis on individualism otherwise suggested by Barbie packaging. In their promotional material, Mattel mentions that all of the professional fields the dolls represent are male-dominated ("Barbie Eco-Leadership Team"). The combination of the careers featured makes a telling statement about Mattel's framing of ecological issues. First, there is a Conservation Scientist with binoculars and a notebook, implying that she is undertaking research on larger animals, presumably endangered species. Such a focus on mammals tends to downplay structural issues and the "slow violence" that affects ecological systems, as Arno Hölzer has argued (65). She is joined by a Renewable Energy Engineer with a solar panel, referencing the least controversial form of "green energy". Significantly, this is the classic blond Barbie. Together, these two dolls suggest that science and technology will find solutions to current ecological crises, global warming, et cetera (not that such issues are explicitly mentioned). The third doll is advertised as Chief Sustainability Officer. "She works with a company or organization to make sure their actions and products are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable", as Mattel puts it ("Barbie Eco-Leadership Team"). Here, businesses are portrayed not as the source of environmental pollution, but as part of the solution to the problem. While this is not entirely false, this particular approach to environmental issues is severely limited, firmly remaining within a neoliberal, capitalist ideology. It reflects what Dan Brockington and Rosaleen Duffy, following Sklair, term "mainstream conservation", which "proposes resolutions to environmental problems that hinge on heightened commodity production and consumption" (4). In this context, a company's promotion of "ethical consumption" "achieves its ethically positive results by not counting various aspects of the production and consumption of its commodities" (9). Finally, there's the Environmental Advocate – not activist (the term was probably too controversial). She is always mentioned last. Her poster reads: "Barbie loves the earth", possibly the most inane ecological slogan ever devised. It is made of plastic. Acquainting children with ecological issues in an age-appropriate manner is an important task. Playing environmental advocate, or scientist, might certainly be more educational in terms of ecological issues than many of the other career options the "I can be anything" series features. But the absence of a politician in the set, for instance, speaks volumes. The "recipe" for sustainability the dolls embody only requires a heavy dose of science and technology, whipped up by well-meaning entrepreneurship, with a little love for the planet sprinkled on top. One gets a prettier picture if one looks at the toys from different perspectives. The group is rather diverse, with a Black Conservation Scientist, an Environmental Advocate of Asian descent, and a Chief Sustainability Officer that might be Latinx, and "curvy". Again, though, there is a glaring omission. Indigenous people are not included, despite the fact that, due to environmental racism, they are among the communities most dramatically affected by environmental pollution. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who coined the term "environmental racism," defined it as racial discrimination in environmental policy-making, enforcement of regulations and laws, the deliberate targeting of communities of color for toxic waste disposal and the siting of polluting industries … , [and] the history of excluding people of color from the mainstream environmental groups, decision-making boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. (Chavis 3) The consequences for Native Americans were and are severe. By 1999, Winona LaDuke notes, 317 reservations … [were] threatened by environmental hazards … . Reservations have been targeted as sites for 16 proposed nuclear waste dumps [and] [o]ver 100 … toxic waste [sites] … . There have been 1,000 atomic explosions on Western Shoshone land in Nevada, making the Western Shoshone the most bombed nation on earth. (LaDuke 2-3) The absence of an Indigenous doll in the Barbie "Eco-Leadership Team" is also noteworthy considering the long history of Native American and First Nations resistance to habitat destruction and environmental degradation, from nineteenth-century Lakota Little Thunder and Anishnaabe leader Wabunoquod (LaDuke 3, 5) to the #NoDAPL movement (Gilio-Whitaker 1-13). Following Robin Wall Kimmerer, one could even argue that sustainability, or "beneficial relations between people and the environment", are integral to Native (here: Potawatomi) culture (Kimmerer 6). On a very different note, any ecological consideration of Barbie dolls must also address their material properties. According to Mattel, the four dolls "are made from recycled plastic … , wear clothing made from recycled fabric and are certified CarbonNeutral® products" ("Barbie Eco-Leadership Team"). This does not apply to the heads and the hair, however – arguably the most distinctive parts of the toys. This had already been the case with the "Barbie Loves the Ocean" series ("Mattel Launches Barbie Loves the Ocean") – apparently, this is not an issue that can easily be fixed. In other words, only some components of the dolls are manufactured from recycled plastic. Further, in 2022, over 175 different Barbie dolls circulated, of which at least 166 were not made from recycled plastic (Google). To speak of "eco-leadership" is thus rather misleading. To further examine this, I want to have a closer look at the materials the dolls consist of. Life in Plastic… For a while now, it has become common knowledge that "life in plastic" might not be so "fantastic" after all, Aqua's song notwithstanding. Plastic pollution of the oceans is a huge problem, killing birds, whales, and other seaborne animals; so are non-biodegradable plastic landfill, neo-colonial waste export, the detrimental health effects of phthalates in plastic, and so on (Moore, Freinkel). But what James Marriott and Mika Minio-Paluello call the uneven "distribution of violence" during the transformation of fossil fuel into plastic is less well known. Oil production and transport are frequently militarised, they show, with company interests taking precedence over human rights (173-74, 176). Heavily guarded pipelines cut through traditional grazing and farming areas, endangering people's livelihoods as well as local ecosystems (Marriott and Minio-Paluello 176, 178-79). To the consumers who buy the plastic produced from this oil, such violence is invisible, not least because production processes and their environmental consequences are actively screened from view by fossil fuel companies and local governments (173-74). "Although these social and environmental impacts are inherent within its constitution, the plastic product in its uniformity is seemingly wiped clean of all that violence and disruption", the authors conclude (181). Where these matters have rarely been discussed in academic research on Barbie, they garnered significant public interest around the time the movie was released in 2023. That the film itself received the Environmental Media Association (EMA) gold seal (Plastic Pollution Coalition) did not lay such concerns to rest. "After the movie frenzy fades, how do we avoid tonnes of Barbie dolls going to landfill?", Alan Pears asked in The Conversation. Waste Online highlighted the "Not-So-Pretty Side of Plastic Toys", Tatler headlined "How Barbie is making climate change worse", and in Medium, Eric Young even aimed to show "How To Save The World from the Toxicity of Barbie!" (with an exclamation rather than a question mark). Based on a 2022 study by Sarah Levesque, Madeline Robertson, and Christie Klimas, Pears noted that "every 182 gram doll caused about 660 grams of carbon emissions, including plastic production, manufacture and transport" (Pears 2). According to Duke Ines, CEO of Lonely Whale, a campaign devoted to protecting the oceans, "80% of all toys end up in a landfill, incinerators, or the ocean" (Mendez 3). Discarded toys make up around 6% of all plastic in landfills (Levesque et al. 777). There are estimates that, by 2030, in the US emissions from plastic production will supersede those from coal (Pears 2). Mattel seems to have recognised the problem. In 2021, the company announced its "The Future of Pink Is Green" campaign as part of its "goal to use 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials and packaging by 2030" ("Mattel Launches" 2). The efforts include educational vlogger episodes and Mattel PlayBack, a toy return program aimed at recycling materials in toy production. With Barbie, this is difficult, though. As Dorothea Ruffin and others have noted, the dolls are composed of different kinds of plastics. The heads consist of hard vinyl, with water-based spray paint used for the eyes; the torso is manufactured from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene), the arms of EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), and the legs of polypropylene and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) (Ruffin 2). This makes recycling difficult, perhaps even unfeasible. So in effect, I agree with environmental educator Kristy Drutman that Mattel's eco-friendly self-presentation currently qualifies as greenwashing (Mendez 2). With Lyon's and Maxwell's description of the practice as "selective disclosure of positive information about a company's environmental or social performance, without full disclosure of negative information on these dimensions, so as to create an overly positive corporate image" (9) as reference point, it becomes clear that Mattel's strategy perfectly fits this pattern. Their recycling efforts concern only a small number of the Barbie dolls they produce, and even those are only partly fashioned from salvaged material. Both the release of the "Eco-Leadership" set and the "The Future of Pink Is Green" campaign seem designed primarily to bolster the company's reputation. Conspicuous Consumption and the Malibu Dream House A central component of the problem is the scale of plastic toy consumption, as Levesque et al. observe. Mattel sells around 60 million Barbies annually (Ruffin 2). This amounts to over one billion dolls since 1959 (ETX Daily UP 2). What the scientists call "the overproduction and purchase of toys" (Levesque et al. 791) testifies to the continued centrality of "conspicuous consumption", the demonstrative, wasteful squandering of resources which, as Thorstein Veblen already noted in 1899, signifies and produces social distinction (Veblen 53; cf. 43-72). As he argued, "an unremitting demonstration of ability to pay" (Veblen 54) was and is central for upholding not only one's social standing, but also one's self-esteem. This is at the core of Mattel's business model: stimulating repeated purchases by issuing and marketing ever-new, "must-have" dolls, clothing, and other accessories. These tend to normalise an upper-class lifestyle, as Barbie's sports car, horse, and dream house attest. The Malibu Dream House, part of the Barbie universe since 1962, plays a specific role in this context. It symbolises fun, conspicuous leisure, and glamour. With its spectacular beaches, its exclusiveness, and its proximity to Hollywood celebrity culture, Malibu represents the apex of social aspiration for many people. Houses are also sexy, as Marjorie Garber observes in Sex and Real Estate. "Real estate today has become a form of yuppie pornography. … Buyers are entering the housing market with more celerity (and more salaciousness?) than they once entered the marriage market" (Garber 3, 4). The prominence of the house in the Barbie movie is thus not incidental. Malibu is among the most expensive locations in the US. The median property value is US$4.25m. Due to its beachfront location, its "iconic design" and "cultural value", local brokerage Ruby Home estimated that "the price of the doll's DreamHouse [could be] an eye-watering $10 million" (McPherson). With the understatement typical of the profession, the author of the article writes: "unsurprisingly, Barbie’s home would only be available to high-net-worth buyers". This does more than reinforce classism. The richest segment of the global population also has an inordinately large carbon footprint and overall negative impact on climate change. According to Oxfam, the richest 1% produced 16% of global consumption emissions in 2019. The propagation of Malibu Dream House living thus does not exactly rhyme with "eco- leadership". Barbie and Settler Colonialism The wasteful, environmentally detrimental lifestyle of the very wealthy is part and parcel of US settler colonialism. Unlike other forms of colonialism, settler colonialism attempts to replace the Indigenous population. The term does not only signify a devastating past but names an ongoing process, since Native people have not in fact "disappeared". Lorenzo Veracini puts it succinctly: "settler colonialism is not finished" (Veracini 68-94). As Patrick Wolfe famously wrote, "'settler-colonial state' is Australian [and US] society's primary structural characteristic rather than merely a statement about its origins… . Invasion is a structure not an event" (163). Malibu is traditional Chumash territory. The name derives from the Ventureño Chumash word Humaliwo, meaning "where the surf sounds loudly" (Sampson). The Chumash were forcibly deprived of their land by the Spanish Mission system in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Deborah A. Miranda has movingly detailed the traumatic effects of this violence in her memoir Bad Indians. But the Chumash are not gone. In fact, the Wishtoyo Chumach Foundation, whose mission it is to "protect and preserve the culture, history, and lifeways of Chumash and Indigenous peoples, and the environment everyone depends on", runs Chumash Village, "with a goal of raising awareness of Chumash people's historical relationship and dependence upon the natural environment as a maritime people", right in Malibu (Wishtoyo Chumach Foundation). None of this is mentioned by Mattel or the Greta Gerwig movie, which does not only signal a missed opportunity to demonstrate "eco-leadership". Rather, such an omission is typical for settler colonial culture. In order to buttress their claim to the land, settlers try to write Indigenous people out of North American history through a strategy White Earth Ojibwe scholar Jean O'Brien has called "firsting", that is, claiming the European settlers were there first, they "discovered" something, etc. The opening of the movie is a classic example. To the voiceover of "since the beginning of time – since the first little girl ever existed", it shows not Native inhabitants, but European American children in vaguely historical, possibly nineteenth century settler clothing. At other points, Barbie's and Ken's cowboy outfits, their glaring whiteness, references to Davy Crockett and, as Stentor Danielson mentioned in their presentation on "Barbieland's Fantasy Ecology: Terra Nullius on the Pink Beach" at the conference "'You Can Be Anything': Imagining and Interrogating Barbie in Popular Culture", to the Black Hills aka Mount Rushmore, clearly mark them as settlers. J.M. Bacon has coined the term "colonial ecological violence" to reference the ways in which environmental degradation and settler colonialism are inextricably intertwined (59). Effectively combatting environmental pollution thus also requires addressing settler colonial economic, social, and cultural structures. As Dina Gilio-Whitaker has forcefully argued, the success of environmental justice movements in the US, especially vis-à-vis the fossil fuel industry, may depend on building coalitions with Indigenous activists. Some of the most promising examples actually come from California, where beaches have been protected from corporate development because sacred Native sites would have been negatively affected (148). "It may well be that organizing around Native land rights holds the key to successfully transitioning from a fossil-fuel energy infrastructure to one based on sustainable energy", Gilio-Whitaker concludes (149). "Effective partnerships with allies in the environmental movement will provide the best defence for the collective well-being of the environment and future generations of all Americans, Native and non-Native alike" (162). This is a far cry from any policy Mattel has so far advertised, not to mention implemented. Conclusion In different respects, the promise of "Eco-Leadership" Barbies rings hollow. Not only do they suggest an extremely limited understanding of environmental concerns and challenges, Mattel's breezy pronouncements are clearly at odds with its simultaneous boosting of conspicuous consumption, let alone the focus on financial profit generally characteristic for its managerial decisions. In light of the enormous environmental problems generated by the manufacturing and disposal of the dolls, the waste-intensive upper-class lifestyle Barbie outfits and accessories promote, and finally the de-thematising of capitalism and settler colonialism both in Mattel's Barbie discourses and the 2023 Barbie movie, the company's attempts to project an ecologically conscious image seem primarily designed to capitalise on an increasing awareness of ecological problems in Mattel's target audience, rather than constituting a serious reconsideration of its unsustainable corporate strategies. References Bacon, J.M. "Settler Colonialism as an Eco-Social Structure and the Production of Colonial Ecological Violence." Environmental Sociology 5.1 (2019): 59-69. Brockington, Dan, and Rosaleen Duffy. "Introduction: Capitalism and Conservation: The Production and Reproduction of Biodiversity Conservation." In Capitalism and Conservation, eds. Dan Brockington and Rosaleen Duffy. Wiley Online Books, 2011. <https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444391442.ch>. Chavis, Benjamin F., Jr. “Foreword." In Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots. Ed. Robert Bullard. Boston: South End P, 1993. 3–5. Checker, Melissa. Polluted Promises: Environmental Racism and the Search for Justice in a Southern Town. New York: New York UP, 2005. Danielson, Stentor. "Barbieland's Fantasy Ecology: Terra Nullius on the Pink Beach." Presentation at the conference "'You Can Be Anything': Imagining and Interrogating Barbie in Popular Culture", University of New England, 26 Mar. 2024. ETX Daily UP. "How Barbie Is Making Climate Change Worse." Tatler Asia, 7 Aug. 2023. 16 Feb. 2024 <https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/sustainability/barbie-plastic-waste>. Freinkel, Susan. Plastic: A Toxic Love Story. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. Garber, Marjorie. Sex and Real Estate: Why We Love Houses. New York: Pantheon Books, 2000. Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Boston: Beacon P, 2019. Google. "How Many Different Barbies Are There 2022?" 11 May 2022. 17 May 2024 <https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Barbie+how+many+2022+releases%3F>. Gordon, Noah. “Barbie and the Problem with Plastic.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 20 July 2023. 16 Feb. 2024 <https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/07/20/barbie-and-problem-with-plastic-pub-90241>. Merriam-Webster. “Greenwashing.” N.d. 5 May. 2024 <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greenwashing>. Hölzer, Arno. "Aesthetic Strategies of the WWF – Reinforcing the Culture-Nature Dichotomy." MA thesis. Berlin: Humboldt University, 2018. Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013. LaDuke, Winona. All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 1999. Levesque, Sarah, Madeline Robertson, and Christie Klimas. “A Life Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Children's Toys.” Sustainable Production and Consumption 31 (2022): 777–93. Lyon, T.P., and A.W. Maxwell, "Greenwash: Corporate Environmental Disclosure under Threat of Audit." Journal of Economics and Management Strategy 20 (2011): 3-41. Marriott, James, and Mika Minio-Paluello. “Where Does This Stuff Come From? Oil, Plastic, and the Distribution of Violence.” Accumulation: The Material Politics of Plastic. Eds. Jennifer Gabrys, Gay Hawkins, and Mike Michael. London: Routledge, 2013. 171–83. Mattel. "Barbie Eco-Leadership Team (2022 Career of the Year Four Doll Set)." Product Description. N.d. 28 Jan. 2024 <https://creations.mattel.com/products/barbie-eco-leadership-team-2022-career-of-the-year-four-doll-set-hcn25>. ———. "Barbie Sustainability / The Future of Pink Is Green." 11 Apr. 2024. 29 Jan. 2024 <https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-sustainability>. ———. "Mattel Launches Barbie Loves the Ocean; Its First Fashion Doll Made from Recycled Ocean-Bound* Plastic." 10 June 2021. 16 Feb. 2024 <https://corporate.mattel.com/news/mattel-launches-barbie-loves-the-ocean-its-first-fashion-doll-collection-made-from-recycled-ocean-bound-plastic>. ———. "The Future of Pink Is Green: Barbie Introduces New Dr. Jane Goodall and Eco-Leadership Team Certified CarbonNeutral® Dolls Made from Recycled Ocean-Bound Plastic." 12 July 2022. 29 Jan. 2024 <https://corporate.mattel.com/news/the-future-of-pink-is-green-barbie-introduces-new-dr-jane-goodall-and-eco-leadership-team-certified-carbonneutral-dolls-made-from-recycled-ocean-bound-plastic>. McPherson, Marian. "Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse Would Command $10M — If It Was Real." Inman Select, 5 July 2023. 2 Mar. 2024 <https://www.inman.com/2023/07/05/barbies-malibu-dreamhouse-would-command-10m-if-it-was-real/>. Méndez, Lola. “There’s a Recycled Barbie Now, But Are Plastic Toys Really Going Green?” Live Kindly 2024. 16 Feb. 2024. <https://www.livekindly.com/plastic-toys/>. Miranda, Deborah A. Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir. Berkeley, CA: Heyday, 2013. Moore, Charles, and Cassandra Phillips. Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans. New York: Avery, 2011. O'Brien, Jean. Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians Out of Existence in New England. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2010. Oxfam International. “Richest 1% Emit as Much Planet-Heating Pollution as Two Thirds of Humanity.” 20 Nov. 2023. 28 Feb. 2024 <https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/richest-1-emit-much-planet-heating-pollution-two-thirds-humanity>. Pears, Alan. “In a Barbie World … after the Movie Frenzy Fades, How Do We Avoid Tonnes of Barbie Dolls Going to Landfill?” The Conversation 17 July 2023. 16 Feb. 2024 <https://theconversation.com/in-a-barbie-world-after-the-movie-frenzy-fades-how-do-we-avoid-tonnes-of-barbie-dolls-going-to-landfill-209601>. Ruffin, Dorothea. “Is Life in Plastic Recyclable after All?” Plastic Reimagined 3 Aug. 2023. 26 Mar. 2024 <https://www.plasticreimagined.org/articles/is-life-in-plastic-fantastic-after-all-the-aftermath-of-barbie>. Sampson, Mike. ''Humaliwo: Where The Surf Sounds Loudly.'' California State Parks, n.d. 5 May 2024 <https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24435>. Veblen, Thorstein. The Theory of the Leisure Class. New York: Dover Publications, 1994 [1899]. Veracini, Lorenzo. The Settler Colonial Present. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. Waste Online. “From Pink Paint to Landfills: Barbie's Blockbuster Movie and the Not-So-Pretty Side of Plastic Toys.” 10 Aug. 2023. 16 Feb. 2024 <https://wasteonline.uk/blog/barbies-blockbuster-movie-and-the-not-so-pretty-side-of-plastic-toys/>. Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation. 2022. 28 Feb. 2024 <https://www.wishtoyo.org/>. Wolfe, Patrick. Settler Colonialism and the Transformation of Anthropology: The Politics and Poetics of an Ethnographic Event. London: Cassell, 1999. Young, Eric. “How to Save The World from the Toxicity of Barbie!” Medium 18 July 2023. 16 Feb. 2024 <https://medium.com/@eric3586young/how-to-save-the-world-from-the-toxicity-of-barbie-5a09f02d4438>.