Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are imposing a radical reform in journalism and media education. Without a strategic, participatory pedagogical vision, journalism and media literacy will not work to the advantage of the plan for a democratic and inclusive information society. By the same token, they will be unable to reduce the gap experienced world-wide between training and employment, nor will they have a positive impact on Government or media operators’ policies, nor on the practices of professionals and citizens, particularly in cyberspace. The media are a source of knowledge, a development tool, a citizenship matrix, a source for construction of the «social being» and peace. The ultimate issue is the advent of an inclusive information society, and particularly in the countries of the South, its solid emergence depends on an «emancipation journalism». This must be the objective of all media education.

Abstract

The Mobility4EU project created a vision for a user-centric and cross-modal European transport system in 2030 and an action plan to implement that vision. We used a combination of creative and analytical methods to come from problem identification to the action plan applying a user-centric methodology that included stakeholders in each step of the process. The Action Plan details measures that address technical topics but especially refer to societal aspects and issues for multi-stakeholder interaction, as e.g. policy, user acceptance, standardization, collaboration and the integration of the user perspective into the R&D&I process. The Action Plan adds to the other similar initiatives by providing recommendations on mainstreaming of universal design and user-centric design processes, synergies and collaboration potential between modes and the combination of transport of passengers and freight building on the quadruple helix model of collaboration between academia, users, industry and policy makers.

Abstract

The practice of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) has developed substantially during the last decade, calling for more qualified professionals. Education, training, and growth capacity for MSP, however, are (still) some of the less addressed themes in MSP forums and specific learning materials, such as textbooks and practice manuals. Some teaching initiatives have nevertheless arisen at the postgraduate level for training new and specialised practitioners in the MSP field. A quick overview of such initiatives will help answer some questions concerning the path to follow for MSP education and training. This chapter presents an exploratory diagnosis based on a discussion of the basic skills needed to achieve successful professional practice. What skills are expected from a maritime spatial planner? Is a specific background required to become a maritime spatial planner? How should such professionals be trained? These questions are discussed using the visions and insights of consultants, maritime sectors, policymakers, scientists, and teachers of MSP, with experience in countries where MSP processes are already in place. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Scenario describing the future include many disruptive innovations, which implies that traditional models calibrated on historical data are not always applicable for quantification of these scenarios. This paper describes disruptive changes to be expected which will influence the reliability of forecasting approaches used for road transport assessments and which changes to these approaches can be recommended. Also adaptions to the forecasting framework are proposed and the key modelling issues to be improved are indicated. Some aspects will remain hard to predict and in these cases additional pro-active mitigation actions are recommended, such as flexibilization of the infrastructure and location policy for economic activities.

Abstract

simulator study has been conducted demonstrating a positive effect on airsickness by utilizing a 3D artificial Earth-fixed visual pattern. Participants were exposed to the same turbulent physical aircraft motion in a simulator three times in a row, each time using a different visual cue. In one condition only the interior of the simulator cabin was visible. In another condition an Earth-fixed star field moving opposite the simulator cabin was projected in front of the participant. In a third condition the same star field was used, however with additional anticipatory information by means of a rollercoaster like track showing the trajectory to go. Participants were asked for their misery and joyfulness ratings at fixed time instants using an 11-points misery scale (no problems-vomiting) and joyfulness scale (unpleasant-pleasant). The results showed that viewing an Earth-fixed visual frame moving instantaneously opposite the cabin motion did reduce motion sickness significantly by a factor of 1.6, thereby improving comfort. This condition could be applied in air transport, where often a monitor is available in the back of the seat ahead. The largest effect, i.e., a reduction by a factor of 4.2 was realized by adding anticipatory information. Although it is not possible to predict the effect of turbulence on the aircraft motion yet, an anticipatory display might already be applicable in other domains, such as at sea by using a wave radar and a ship motion model. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract

While road lane markings detection was extensively studied, in particular for intelligent vehicle applications, the detection and recognition of all kind of marking such as arrows, crosswalks, zebras, words, pictograms, continuous and discontinuous lane markings was drastically less studied. However, it has many potential applications in the design of advanced driver assistance systems, as well as for asset management along itineraries. An algorithm is proposed which is based on the following processing steps: marking pixel extraction, detection using connected components before Inverse Perspective Mapping and recognition based on the comparison with a single pattern or with repetitive rectangular patterns. The proposed algorithm is able to detect and recognize repetitive markings (such as crosswalks) as well as single patterns (such as arrows). We believe that the proposed algorithm can be extended easily to solve the problem of the identification of all types of markings.