From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet

Abstract

This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term “envirofied” Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management).

Interkonnektivitás, új média és digitális identitás a regionális kutatásban. Koncepcionális megközelítés ajánlásokkal

“…Napirendeket ad, kiemeli egy-egy hálózatból a csomópontokat, információkat, tartalmakat, közvetítőket, az ezekhez tartozó helyeket és tereket. Online agendáról (Havlik et al 2011) beszélünk, amikor a tömegmédia műsorrendje találkozik az intézményi és közigazgatási kommunikáció napirendjével, valamint a felhasználói tartalommal. Üzeneteik sokoldalú érintettséget és szempontokat hordoznak a lokálistól a globális beágyazottságig.…”

Geospatial information infrastructures to address spatial needs in health: Collaboration, challenges and opportunities

“…An observation is in reality a specification of the feature model, i.e., an observation data model inherits from the above feature data model. It contains for example the value of an observation measured and other structured pieces of information such as the unit of measurement, temporal values, domain and spatial contexts, provenance, ownership, quality, uncertainty and process description, among others [30]. Because of its flexibility, the notion of observation seems to better adapt to varying scenarios such as health (See Strengthens in Table 1).…”

Big Data breaking barriers - first steps on a long trail

“…With a more integrative view on Digital Earth platforms, and following our earlier work on the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) (Schade, 2013), integrated modelling (Granell et al, 2013), as well as a Digital Earth Nervous System (De Longueville et al, 2010), the concept of the Observation Web (Havlik et al, 2011) we continued our investigations of integration mechanisms across multiple types of data sources. (Ostländer et al, submitted).…”