CCS MAGAZINE - ISSUE 26 by GRA.DES

Publication of the Cyprus Computer Society / Έκδοση του Κυπριακού Συνδέσμου Πληροφορικής

PLIROFORIKI MAGAZINE ISSUE 26 FEBRUARY 2015 www.pliroforiki.org ISSN 1450-152X

ΙCT FOR GREENER PORTS σελίδα 26

SMART DEVICES FOR NEW PARENTS σελίδα 68

ICT FOR COOPERATIVE SUPPLY CHAIN VISIBILITY WITHIN A PORT CENTRIC INTERMODAL SETTING: THE THESSALONIKI PORT-RAIL-DRYPORT INTEGRATION σελίδα 36

OPERATIONAL ICT GAPS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN PORTS σελίδα 48

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS AS A PROFESSION σελίδα 76

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YΠΟΒAΛΕΤΕ ΤΟ AΡΘΡΟ ΣΑΣ Ο Κυ.Συ.Π. καλεί τα μέλη του και άλλους επιστήμονες, ερευνητές, ακαδημαϊκούς, επαγγελματίες και επιχειρηματίες του κλάδου Πληροφορικής να υποβάλουν τα άρθρα τους για τα επόμενα τεύχη του περιοδικού! Τα άρθρα μπορούν να αναφέρονται σε οποιαδήποτε πτυχή του τομέα των Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠΕ), και να υποβάλλονται σε συνεχή βάση στη Συντακτική Επιτροπή. Οι συγγραφείς θα ενημερώνονται για την παραλαβή του άρθρου και τον προβλεπόμενο χρόνο δημοσίευσης (σε περίπτωση αποδοχής).

ΙΔΙΟΚΤHΤΗΣ

Κυπριακός Σύνδεσμος Πληροφορικής

ΔΙΕYΘYΝΣΗ

Φλωρίνης 11, City Forum, 3ος όροφος, Γρ. 303, 1065 Λευκωσία ΤΘ 27038, 1641 Λευκωσία, Κύπρος Τηλ.: 22 460680 Φαξ: 22 767349 E: info@ccs.org.cy, W: www.ccs.org.cy

Παρακαλώ ελέγξτε τις σχετικές λεπτομέρειες και οδηγίες μέσω της ιστοσελίδας μας www.pliroforiki.org και υποβάλετε τα κείμενά σας μέσω ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου στη διεύθυνση info@ccs.org.cy.

ΣYΝΤΑΚΤΙΚH ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠH

ΔΙΑΦΗΜΙΣΤΕΙΤΕ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ! Διαφημίζοντας στο περιοδικό Πληροφορική προωθείτε τις υπηρεσίες και τα προϊόντα σας σε περισσότερους από 5000 αναγνώστες, επαγγελματίες και ειδικούς των ΤΠΕ, οργανισμούς και χρήστες στον ιδιωτικό και δημόσιο τομέα. Για πληροφορίες σχετικά με τιμές και κρατήσεις για τα επόμενα μας τεύχη, επικοινωνήστε με την Yπεύθυνη Δημοσίων Σχέσεων του Κυ.Συ.Π., Χριστίνα Παπαμιλτιάδου τηλ. 22460680, email: c_papamiltiadou@ccs.org.cy.

YΠΟΒΟΛΗ AΡΘΡΩΝ

SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE The CCS invites articles and papers from CCS Members and other scientists, researchers, academics, professionals and the business community for the next issues of “Pliroforiki”. Articles and papers may deal with any aspect of Information and Communication Technologies and submitted on a continuous basis to the Editorial Committee. The authors will be notified about the receipt of the article and the expected publication date (in case of acceptance). Please review the details and instructions through our website www.pliroforiki.org and submit your articles/papers via email to info@ccs.org.cy. ADVERTISE IN PLIROFORIKI! By advertising in “Pliroforiki” you are promoting your services and products to more than 5000 ICT professionals, organizations and users of technology in the private and public sectors. For information regarding prices and reservations you may contact the CCS Public Relations Officer Christina Papamiltiadou at tel. 22460680, email: c_papamiltiadou@ccs.org.cy.

ΕΠΙΜEΛΕΙΑ - ΔΙΑΦΗΜIΣΕΙΣ

Γιάννος Αλετράρης Κυριακός Ε. Γεωργίου Πανίκος Μασούρας Βαγγέλης Μονοχρήστου Εφραίμ Παναγιώτου Αντρέας Παντελή Φίλιππος Πελετιές Γιάννης Φιλιππίδης Γιώργος Χριστοδούλου info@ccs.org.cy Χριστίνα Παπαμιλτιάδου c_papamiltiadou@ccs.org.cy Κατερίνα Ανδρέου info@ccs.org.cy

ΕΠΙΜEΛΕΙΑ ΣΕΛIΔΩΣΗ & ΕΞΩΦYΛΛΟ

GRA.DES info@gra-des.com www.gra-des.com Κυπριακός Σύνδεσμος Πληροφορικής ISSN 1450-152X

Η «Πληροφορική» είναι η περιοδική έκδοση του Κυπριακού Συνδέσμου Πληροφορικής. Αποστέλλεται ηλεκτρονικά σε όλα τα μέλη του Συνδέσμου και σε μεγάλο αριθμό οργανισμών και εταιριών στην Κύπρο και το εξωτερικό. Οι θέσεις οι οποίες εκφράζονται από τους αρθρογράφους, είναι προσωπικές και δεν εκφράζουν κατ’ ανάγκη τoν Κυπριακό Σύνδεσμο Πληροφορικής. Αντιγραφή: Δίνεται άδεια για αντιγραφή της ύλης της έκδοσης για εκπαιδευτικούς σκοπούς μόνο με την προϋπόθεση ότι τα αντίγραφα δεν χρησιμοποιούνται για εμπορική εκμετάλλευση. Απαιτείται όπως, η δήλωση πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας του Κυπριακού Συνδέσμου Πληροφορικής, ο τίτλος, η ημερομηνία έκδοσης και το όνομα του αρθογράφου, να εμφανίζονται σε ανάλογη θέση. Απαιτείται επίσης η δήλωση ότι η αντιγραφή έγινε κατόπιν άδειας του Κυπριακού Συνδέσμου Πληροφορικής. Για αντιγραφή και χρήση για οποιονδήποτε άλλο λόγο, σκοπό ή επανέκδοση, απαιτείται συγκεκριμένη άδεια από τον Κυπριακό Σύνδεσμο Πληροφορικής και είναι δυνατόν να απαιτείται αποζημίωση ή αμοιβή.

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ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ CONTENTS 26 ΑΡΘΡΑ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΨΕΙΣ

26 ΙCT FOR GREENER PORTS

GEORGE TSOUKOS, ALEXANDER STATHACOPOULOS, Dr. GEORGIA AYFANTOPOULOU, APOSTOLOS BIZAKIS & Dr. ELIZA GAGATSI

03 MESSAGE OF THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

09 NΕΑ ΤΟY ΣYΝΔΕΣΜΟY 13 ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΚYΠΡΟ Δρ. ΕYAΓΓΕΛΟΣ ΜΟΝΟΧΡHΣΤΟY

13 ΔΙΑΔΙΚΤYΑΚH ΠYΛΗ ΤΟY ΤΜHΜΑΤΟΣ

ΚΤΗΜΑΤΟΛΟΓIΟY ΚΑΙ ΧΩΡΟΜΕΤΡIΑΣ «DLS PORTAL» 15 ΟΛΟΚΛΗΡΩΜEΝΟ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΑΚO ΣYΣΤΗΜΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΙΣ ΔΗΜOΣΙΕΣ ΣYΓΚΟΙΝΩΝIΕΣ

16 ΕΡΕYΝΗΤΙΚΑ ΕΡΓΑ 16 A TECH STARTUP EXPERIENCE AT THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS MICHALIS STROUTHOS

18 PEACEMAKING IN SCHOOL CONTEXTS USING INTERACTIVE TABLETOPS ANDRI IOANNOU

19 SOCIAL ELECTRICITY ONLINE PLATFORM (SEOP) EU PROJECT 20 WOMENPOWER: WINNER OF MAHALLAE CHALLENGE “WOMEN AND DIALOGUE” ANDRI IOANNOU

22 IMPROVING WEB ACCESSIBILITY FOR USERS THAT ARE DEAF

ALEXANDROS YERATZIOTIS

24 ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ ΣΤΗΝ EYΡΩΠΗ 24 ΕYΡΩΠΑΪΚA ΠΡOΤYΠΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΔΗΜΙΟYΡΓIΑ

ΕYΡΩΠΑΪΚΟY ΠΛΑΙΣIΟY ΤΩΝ ΕΠΑΓΓΕΛΜΑΤΙΚΩΝ ΙΚΑΝΟΤΗΤΩΝ ΣΤΟ ΤΟΜΕΑ ΤΗΣ ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΣ.

36 ICT FOR COOPERATIVE SUPPLY

CHAIN VISIBILITY WITHIN A PORT CENTRIC INTERMODAL SETTING: THE THESSALONIKI PORT-RAILDRYPORT INTEGRATION

Dr. ELIZA GAGATSI, Dr. NIKOS ATHANASOPOULOS, Dr. DIMITRIS MAKRIS & Dr. GEORGIA AIFADOPOULOU

42 SPANISH PORT-HINTERLAND

INTERMODAL INFORMATION FUTUREMED PILOT

Dr. SUSANA VAL , FERNANDO ROLDÁN & SALVADOR FURIÓ

48 OPERATIONAL ICT GAPS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN PORTS

Dr. ELIZA GAGATSI & KYRIAKOS E. GEORGIOU

59 SPINAL CURVATURE DISORDERS: A MOBILE APPLICATION TO MONITOR AND TRACK YOUR PHYSIOTHERAPY ANDREAS LEFKATIS

68 SMART DEVICES FOR NEW PARENTS

ANDREAS LEFKATIS

73 MOBILE MARKETING: A NEW CONCEPT IN BUSINESS MONALIZ AMIRKHANPOUR

76 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS AS A PROFESSION Dr. DESPO KTORIDOU & KYRIAKOS E. GEORGIOU

80 ΧΡHΣΗ ΡΟΜΠΟΤΙΚHΣ

ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓIΑΣ ΣΤΗ ΓΕΩΡΓIΑ ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΑΔΑΜΙΔΗΣ

84 DO YOU KNOW

THIS MACHINE?

Dr. PHILIPPOS PELETIES

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FEBRUARY 2015

MESSAGE

of the Editorial Committee “There will be no peace in Europe if

wider professional audience of

The Future of

the States rebuild themselves on the

the latter and beyond. Second, it

the European Union

basis of national sovereignty, with its implications of prestige politics and

includes a new section dedicated to the dissemination of research

“The European Union is experiencing an existential crisis,

economic protection…. The countries

results. We hope that in the

as the European elections will soon

of Europe are not strong enough

future more colleagues will take

brutally remind us. This mainly

individually to be able to guarantee

advantage of the offer. Thirdly, we

involves the Eurozone countries,

prosperity and social development

have contributions from student

which are mired in a climate of

for their peoples. The States of Europe must therefore form a federation or

members. Last but not least having in mind the international audience

distrust and a debt crisis that is very far from over: unemployment

a European entity that would make

that this edition is reaching, after

persists and deflation threatens.

them into a common economic unit”

25 editions we have an editorial

Nothing could be further from

(Jean Monnet, 1943)

message in English raising issues

the truth than imagining that the

that are European and global.

worst is behind us” (Piketty T. ea. 2014). That is how Our Manifest

Cyprus is currently going through

published in the Guardian begins.

a very difficult period in several

In their Manifest Prof. Piketty and

areas, not unlike the rest of the Mediterranean area for that matter.

his 14 collaborators, point out that European Union institutions,

The economy is recovering from a

especially with reference to the

deep recession (-2% in 2014), high unemployment (16%), deflation

Eurozone, no longer work. A radical financial and democratic

(-1,5%)

catastrophic

settlement is needed. Take Euro

restructuring of the banking sector. The society is in turmoil both from

for example that is balancing on one leg, the monetary union, but

the hardship that ordinary people have to go through to make ends

without a unified fiscal policy the single currency can never function

meet but also from the failure of the

properly. “This no man’s land is

elites to govern properly, fairly and ethically and the rampant corruption

the worst of all worlds” they point out. The member states have two

people of Europe.

at all levels. We the editors of this online publication are determined to

choices either to strengthen their union through a fiscal policy or go

This edition of Pliroforiki is unique

push aside all these negative issues and focus instead on those that will

their own separate ways.

enable Cyprus to re-emerge as a dynamic, prosperous country that is

Truth to be told the Americans and some European economists

able to offer its people eudemonia

(Porter, 2012) had their doubts

within the core of a united Europe

about the Euro from the start. For

through intelligence, knowledge and hard work.

example, Prof. Martin Feldstein comments, “The euro should now

Dear friends and colleagues, All the best in the New Year.

ean Monnet in the middle of the World War II had a clear vision of the future for

Europe as a federation. Seventyone years later that vision has been fulfilled largely but a lot remains to be done and the success of the European Project is still on the balance. There are centrifugal forces political, economic and social that push Europe apart. This has to be reversed. It is imperative to move back to the ideas of the Founders of a united Europe. It is critical for the

in a number of ways. First of all our long time effort to link the research community with the professional IT community in Cyprus and beyond is finally taking shape in the form of articles written by the members of the former reaching out to a

and

the

www.pliroforiki.org 4

be recognized as an experiment that

what Europe needs. A transnational

into the future the Cooperation

failed. This failure, which has come

debate

Programme

after just over a dozen years since the euro was introduced, in 1999, was not an accident or the result of

compromise on the least possible denominator behind closed doors.

2014-2020’ has been submitted to the European Commission in September 2014 for approval. It

bureaucratic mismanagement but

Thomas Piketty, professor at the

is expected that very soon that

rather the inevitable consequence

Paris School of Economics, has also

the new call for proposals will be

of imposing a single currency on a very heterogeneous group of

written a new unlikely bestseller (economist, 2014) entitled Capital

announced.

countries” (Feldstein, 2012). Prof. Feldstein professor of economics

in the Twenty First Century and has being giving interviews to

The Programme objectives are to: (a) Improve the area’s

at Harvard University, head of America’s National Bureau of

disseminate his views (To Vima, 2014). His views, clearly on the left,

competitiveness in a way that guarantees growth and

Economic Research and former

need to be heard and debated.

employment for the next

chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and one of

It is important that the people of Europe engage in serious debate

America’s

on the future of a United Europe

and environmental protection,

and the Eurozone in particular.

according to the logic of

most

distinguished

economists was against the idea

issues

rather

than

from the very beginning (Feldstein,

‘INTERREG

MED

generations (Lisbon strategy). (b) Promote territorial cohesion

sustainable development

1992).

The Med Programme European Territorial Cooperation

The preferred option, of the 15 eminent French, is for greater

2007 – 2013 Europe recognizing

integration among the Eurozone

Southern

countries. Their view is that “democracy and the public authorities must be enabled to regain control of and effectively

programmes like the MED programme that is a transnational

and promotion of a sustainable territorial development

regulate

century

programme of European territorial

Axis 3: Improvement of mobility

globalised financial capitalism”. Their goal is to contribute to the

cooperation. It is financed by the European Union as an instrument of

and of territorial accessibility Axis 4: Promotion of a polycentric

debate on the democratic future of

its regional policy and of its current

and integrated development of

Europe and take the proposals of

programming period. It continues

the Med space

the Glienicke group (http://www.

the tradition of the European

glienickergruppe.eu/english.html) still further. They would like to see

programmes for cooperation (previously named INTERREG). The

For Cyprus the National Contact point is the Directorate General

an increased role of the parliament that represents the people of

programme that is coming to a close next June takes place within

for European Coordination and

Europe and a decreased role for

the objective «European territorial

( h t t p : / / w w w. d g e p c d . g o v. c y / )

national governments.

cooperation» of the period 20072013. With a budget of more than

which is responsible for the: (a) European Funds and

It is fair to point out that some of their views on economic policy

250M€ (whose 193M€ of ERDF), the Programme called for projects to

like high corporate income tax

build transnational partnerships

and pooling of national debt are expected to stir a lot of discussion

aiming at meeting the priority objectives of the Programme in

and argument but this is precisely

the Mediterranean space. Looking

the

21st

(Goteborg strategy).

that

the

The Major stakes and programme priority axes are:

around

the

Axis 1: Strengthening innovation

Mediterranean region is an area that requires support has established

capacities Axis2: Environmental protection

Europe

Programmes, Development

Programmes, such as the European Investment and Structural Funds, the EU Competitive Programmes and the grants provided by the countries of the European

5 www.pliroforiki.org

much more flexible but the pace has

(b) Coordination of government

Economic Area and Switzerland.

transport. The idea focuses on

increased and the expectations are

work, which entails tasks such as monitoring the implementation of the

the realization of interoperable management information systems and on the reduction of externalities.

higher. Collaboration with colleagues who are across the world is normal. What is important is the final result.

Memorandum of

The local partners in the project are

Most of us work more hours per

Understanding with the

the Cyprus Port Authority and the

week well into the private time. At

European Commission.

Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs of the University

the same time because we can work from anywhere in the world it is much

of Nicosia.

easier to spend time outside the office and on working holidays or trips.

Technological Development and Innovation, Lifelong Learning,

MEDNET: Seamless Logistics (http:// www.mednetproject.eu/) aims

Of course, the additional working

harmonizing

time does not always add to more

maritime and port procedures within the Mediterranean region. The

productivity or efficiency because for some the temptation to surf the

project is expected to recommend

internet, linger in the Facebook and

The amount of funds allocated

actions and measures for facilitating

or YouTube maybe too strong to pass.

to Cyprus within the framework

maritime freight exchange, speeding

Also, email management maybe an

of the Programming Period 2007 - 2013 adds up to approximately

up logistic procedures, and reducing logistics costs. The local partners

issue. Emails should be treated once, like paper, (delete it, act on it, pass it

€640 million. About €400 million is related to actions of the European

are the Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean and the Cyprus

on or file it for use another time).

Competitiveness and Employment

Corporate Social Responsibility and the «Europe 2020» Strategy.

guaranteeing

simplifying

sustainability

and

University of Technology.

(b) Capture the Moment:

Objective, €212 million to infrastructure projects under the

How Mobile Devises

The capability to take pictures or make videos using mobile devices

Cohesion Fund and €28 million to transnational cooperation within

Are Changing Society Mobile devices laptops,

tablets

has significantly changed the way we handle pictures or view videos. Gone

the framework of the European

and smartphones that can access

are the days that a photographer had

Territorial Cooperation.

the internet from anywhere have revolutionised the way work is carried

to wait for the photographic film to be developed before he, it was mostly

Towards a Common Ports

out but more unexpectedly, they are

he, could see the result of his labour.

System: FUTUREMED & MEDNET

changing society in ways that were

Now-a-days the result is instant and if

programming

never imagined. Beyond the obvious

it is perceived to be good, beauty is in

period, which is the last under the current call, there are two strategic

of being online, all the time everyday life is transformed in a number of

the eyes of the beholder after all, it is published immediately for the world

projects in the areas of maritime and information technology that

ways:

to see. If not is deleted and that is the end of it. Aspiring photographers,

include local partners. FUTUREMED:

(a) Time to Work, Time

paparazzi and journalists have the

Improving competitiveness of porthinterland systems of the Med Area

to Play and Time to Rest: Typically, a day is divided into eight

tools to work anywhere, anytime and to promote their work thorough the

(http://www.futuremedproject.eu/ project.html) aims to improve the

hours of work, eight hours of play and eight hours of rest. With the advent

social media, or other digital news media or more “traditional” media.

competitiveness of port systems

of the internet and mobile devices,

in the MED area by improving accessibility through technology

this division between the working time and the private time is gone.

Of course this revolution has affected negatively a number of traditional

and procedural innovations, and

Work, when and how is carried out is

industries like the film producers

the

current

www.pliroforiki.org 6

(Kodak the bigger player in the field

(d) On Demand Around

and services, to communicate, debate

and the creator of the digital camera

the Clock News:

issues, learn in formal and informal

went out of business), film developers

Online

and

settings collaborate, play games,

and camera makers. Actually, this is a

competition between them has

interact and much more. Earth as we

very good example of the powerful force of creative destruction, as

forced all media organisations to go online with their content and to

know it is no longer a planet of many nations and people. A spacecraft that

defined by Joseph Schumpeter, at

explore different business models

travels thorough space and time.

work. The role of technology in the

(advertising, subscription, pay-per-

Viewed from above the national,

process is critical.

view, commissions etc.) to stay in business, gain market share and

race, religious or other differences that people we may have suddenly

if possible make a profit in this unstable environment. For the

becomes irrelevant and meaningless.

between work and private time the

people this means more choice, more

Articles in this Edition

proliferation of social media, the ease of use and easy access has blurred

information anywhere, anytime but can also mean poor journalism and

The main focus of the articles in this edition is how to improve

the distinction of private and public

misinformation.

the

access

media

lives. What used to be considered

competitiveness

port-

hinterland systems of the Med Area.

private is now readily available for the

In addition, there is so much that a

These articles were written for a

world to see. Photographs and videos

person can absorb of what is available.

professional audience in the context

taken and shared in trust can find

News programs are no longer

of the European project FUTUREMED.

their way to a larger audience than originally intended. People feel the

broadcasted in specific times or thorough specific media, newspapers

The edition also includes a number of other interesting and informative

urge to share their private moments

are not published on a fixed schedule.

articles.

and occasionally this can put them into trouble either because a parent,

News is produced and distributed all the time. This can be a challenge for

One of the primary tasks of the

partner or employer may find out something about them that they did

news organizations as well. Many newspapers and other traditional

project FUTUREMED was to identify the “Operational ICT Gaps in the

not want other people to know about

media change owners (Jeff Bezos of

Mediterranean

or a perpetrator can take advantage of this information to cause harm or

Amazon is now the of the Washington and Robert Murdoch of the Times and

length report by the same name is summarised here in a joint paper that

make a profit. In times like this, the

The World Street Journal) or go out

lists Dr. Eliza Gagatsi and Kyriakos E.

wise words of Constantine P. Cavafy

of business and new media emerge

Georgiou as the authors.

spring to mind (As much as you can).

such as the Huffington Post (www. huffingtonpost.com/) an American

George

On the other hand, the social media

online news aggregator and blog.

Stathacopoulos,

allow family members and friends to keep in touch and feel close. It allows

Once again, creative destruction at work.

Ayfantopoulou, Apostolos Bizakis and Dr. Eliza Gagatsi are the

lost friends and classmates to meet

Ports”

Tsoukos, Dr.

The

full-

Alexander Georgia

collective authors of the article “ICT

again, albeit in a virtual space, after years or decades and keep in touch.

(e) Make the Global Local and the Local Global and Diminish the

for greener ports”. The main thrust of the article is that container terminal

It even allows people to experiment

Space and Time Dimensions

efficiency and integration into the

with creative and artistic creations.

Mobile devices are enabling people

supply chain can lead to significant

Indeed social media have a lot to offer if handled properly and responsibly.

to minimise the distance between faraway places and eliminate time

reduction of pollution around ports and more specifically how a specific

zones so that a new global Agora / a

ICT solution aiming to support

virtual community is created. People

ports is improving performance and

can join to purchase or trade products

reducing emissions.

7 www.pliroforiki.org

Along the same lines Dr. Eliza

George Adamides of the Agriculture

Epilogue “Je Suis Charlie”

Gagatsi, Dr. Nikos Athanasopoulos,

Research

Following

Dimitris Makris and Dr. Georgia

candidate with the Open University

after the 7 January 2015 massacres

Aifadopoulou,

have

Institute

and

doctoral

the

horrifying

events

written

Cyprus presents in a short article

in France it is important to stress

another article entitled “ICT For Cooperative Supply Chain Visibility

entitled “The Use of Robotic Technology in Agriculture” some

our solidarity with the freedom of expression, resistance to armed

Within a Port Centric Intermodal

interesting applications of the use of

threads and the sanctity of the

Setting: the Thessaloniki Port-Rail-

robotics in agriculture.

human life. As the preamble of this

Dryport Integration”. Although ICT applications in transport and logistics

Dr Vangelis Monochristou in his

editorial points out the people of Europe joined after World War II in

have gone a long way especially in the past decade, supply chain visibility

column «Πληροφορική στην Κύπρο» (Information Technology in Cyprus)

order to “guarantee prosperity and social development for their peoples”. It

still remains a challenging issue to

outlines two ambitious projects in

is critical to protect our way of life and

be tackled. One of the findings of the FutureMed project is that this is

eGovernment.

the freedoms we have gained. There is no space in Europe for intolerance

especially important in the case of a

his

of expression and violence against

Med port-rail-dry-port setting.

permanent column “Do you know

people based on their national

this Machine” writes this time about

identity, religious beliefs, race, colour,

the Antikythera Mechanism.

gender or sexual preferences. In

Dr Susana Val, Fernando Roldán and

Philippos

Peleties

Salvador Furió in their article entitled

conclusion, we value our European

“Spanish Port-Hinterland Intermodal Information” write about the

Another innovation of this edition is the new section on research

value system and way of life as much as we value the sanctity of the human

necessity of automated information

dissemination. This includes several

life and are ready to protect them.

exchange for making port-hinterland intermodal corridors more efficient

short articles: (a) Improving Web Accessibility for

And if you can’t shape your life the way you

and how interoperable information systems contribute to this target.

Users that are Deaf (b) Womenpower: Winner of Mahallae Challenge “Women and

The student member of the Cyprus Computer Society, Andreas Lefkatis

Dialogue” (c) Peace-making in School Context

has written two articles “Spinal

Using Interactive Table-tops

Curvature

Disorders:

mobile

(d) Use of Robotics in Agriculture

application to monitor and track your physiotherapy” and “Smart Devises

(In Greek) (e) European Standards in the

for New Parents”. We would like to

Formation of the European

encourage students to keep writing.

Framework of professional Competences in the field of ICT

want, at least try as much as you can not to degrade it by too much contact with the world, by too much activity and talk. Try not to degrade it by dragging it along, taking it around and exposing it so often to the daily silliness of social events and parties, until it comes to seem a boring hanger-on. As Much As You Can / The Canon C.P. Cavafy

(In Greek).

References Cavafy, C.P. (1992). “Collected Poems” Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Edited by George Savidis. Revised Edition. Princeton University Press, 1992. Feldstein, Martin (2012). “The Failure of the Euro: The Little Currency That Couldn’t” Foreign Affairs. January/February 2012 Issue Accessed 29 December 2014 http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136752/martin-feldstein/the-failure-of-the-euro

www.pliroforiki.org 8

Feldstein, Martin (1992) “Europe’s Monetary Union: The Case Against Emu” The Economist, June 13, 1992 Accessed 29 December 2014 http://www.nber.org/feldstein/economistmf.pdf Monnet, Jean (1943). Speech to the French National Liberation Committee (5 August 1943) Wikiquote Accessed 29 December 2014 http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_Monnet Papadopoulos, Pavlos (2014). “Τομά Πικετί: «ΕΕ και τρόικα χειρίστηκαν καταστροφικά την κρίση»” “Thomas Piketty: The EU and the Troika Handled the Crisis in a Catastrophic Manner” To Vima, published 21/12/2014. http://www.tovima.gr/search/?dos=1&cid=1&sa=0&so=1&regioDate=4&pg=1&author=&words=%u03A4%u03BF%u03BC%u03AC%20%u03A0%u03B9%u03B A%u03AD%u03C4%u03B9 Piketty, Thomas ea. (2014). “Our manifesto for Europe: European Union institutions no longer work. A radical financial and democratic settlement is needed” the Guardian, Friday 2 May 2014 Accessed 29 December 2014 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/02/manifesto-europe-radical-financial-democratic Porter, Eduardo (2012. “A Tempting Rationale for Leaving the Euro”. The New York Times, Economic Scene Published May 15, 2012 Accessed 29 December 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/business/economy/leaving-the-euro-may-be-better-than-the-alternative.html

Computer Essentials

Advanced Presentation

Online Essentials

Advanced Databases

Word Processing

Advanced Spreadsheets

Advanced Word Processing

Spreadsheets

Online Collaboration

Presentation Using Databases

IT Security Web Editing

Image Editing

Project Planning

Word Processing

Image Editing

ΠΙΣΤΟΠΟΙΗΤΙΚΟ ECDL ΕΠΕΛΕΞΕ ΤΙΣ ΕΝΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΠΟY ΣΟY ΤΑΙΡΙΑΖΟYΝ

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NEA ΤΟΥ ΣΥΝΔΕΣΜΟΥ COMPUTER GAMING – Μάιος Με μεγάλη επιτυχία πραγματοποιήσανε η πρώτη διοργάνωση για τον τομέα του COMPUTER GAMING στην Κύπρο. Η ημερίδα διοργανώθηκε από το Σύνδεσμο με την ευγενική χορηγία της Microsoft και την υποστήριξη του Ευρωπαϊκού Πανεπιστημίου Κύπρου, του ECDL, της Logicom και της εταιρείας Stephanis. Στις 29 Μαΐου 2014, το αμφιθέατρο του Ευρωπαϊκού Πανεπιστημίου γέμισε με «μικρούς και μεγάλους» φίλους και λάτρεις της τεχνολογίας που ενημερώθηκαν από διακεκριμένους ομιλητές και εντυπωσιακές παρουσιάσεις για αυτόν τον ολοένα και αναπτυσσόμενο τομέα της Πληροφορικής Επιστήμης. Οι συμμετέχοντες επίσης είχαν την ευκαιρία να εξασκηθούν σε παιχνίδια στο Xbox της Microsoft ενώ έλαβαν μέρος σε κλήρωση συσκευών από τους χορηγούς.

Πρώτο μουσείο υπολογιστών της Κύπρου

HACK CYPRUS Ιούνιος

– Μάιος

Ο Σύνδεσμος μας στήριξε

Ο Σύνδεσμος μας υποστηρίζει το το πρώτο μουσείο υπολογιστών στην Κύπρο, που ε εγκαινιάστηκε στις 9 Μαϊου 2014, από τον αντιδήμαρχο Στροβόλου κύριο Μαϊμάρη και την Πρώτη Λειτουργό Εκπαίδευσης του Υπ. Παιδείας, κυρία Ρουσιά. Το μουσείο στεγάζεται προσωρινά στο Δημοτικό Αγίου Σπυρίδωνα στο Στρόβολο και αποτελείται από περισσότερα από 100 εκθέματα. Καλύπτονται

τόσο

προσωπικοί

υπολογιστές όσο και σταθμοί εργασίας (Workstations) από το 1978 (Αpple II) μέχρι τις αρχές της δεκαετίας του 2000.

και το 2014 τη νεανική διοργάνωση HACK CYPRUS HACKATHONS που έγινε στις 28-29 Ιουνίου στο ΤΕΠΑΚ. Με στόχο τη στήριξη της νεανικής επιχειρηματικότητας και της τεχνολογικής καινοτομίας, το τεχνολογικό φεστιβάλ αποτελεί ένα 48ωρο μαραθώνιο κώδικα. Οι καλύτεροι βραβεύτηκαν και το CCS παρέδωσε δώρα τεχνολογίας στους νικητές της κατηγορίας The Alchemist και αφορούσε στην τεχνική πλευρά του διαγωνισμού.

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29th IFIP TC-11 SEC 2014 - Ιούνιος Το μέλος μας Δρ Φίλιππος Πελετιέ εκπροσώπησε το Σύνδεσμο στο συνέδριο της Τεχνικής Επιτροπής του IFIP Αρ.11 με τίτλο «Security and Privacy Protection in Information Processing Systems» που πραγματοποιήθηκε στο Μορόκο στις 2-4 Ιουνίου 2014. Κατά τη διάρκεια του συνεδρίου ο Δρ Πελετιέ παρέλαβε το Βραβείο Outstanding Service και εκλεχτηκε ως Records Officer της Επιτροπής.

Χάλκινο Βραβείο – Αύγουστος Χάλκινο βραβείο κατέκτησε στη Μαθητική Βαλκανική Ολυμπιάδα Πληροφορικής που διεξήχθη στην Άγκυρα – Τουρκία από 10-17 Αυγούστου, ο Κύπριος μαθητής

ECDL-Eurolab Beach Party – Ιούλιος

Άγγελος Πελεκάνος. Η ομάδα που εκπροσώπησε την

CCS και ECDL στήριξαν και συμμετείχαν στο πάρτυ που διοργάνωσε ο εκπαιδευτικός όμιλος Ευρωγνώση-

Κύπρο, καταρτίστηκε μετά από παγκύπριο διαγωνισμό που διοργάνωσε το Cyprus Computer Society

Eurolab το καλοκαίρι. Το καλοκαιρινό πάρτυ πραγματοποιήθηκε στην παραλία Δασούδι, με live

και το Υπουργείο Παιδείας. Για την προετοιμασία

link από το Love fm, δωρεάν εδέσματα και ποτά, μουσική, διασκέδαση, διαγωνισμούς και δώρα. Το

των διαγωνιζομένων έγιναν εντατικά μαθήματα πληροφορικής από το CCS/ECDL και τον Σύνδεσμο

ECDL προσέφερε ως δώρο εξετάσεις πληροφορικής

Καθηγητών Πληροφορικής. Σημειώνεται ότι χάλκινο

αξίας 850 ευρώ. 15 τυχεροί κέρδισαν δωρεάν εξετάσεις

μετάλλιο απενεμήθη σε μέλος της Κυπριακής Ομάδας και την προηγούμενη χρονιά.

ECDL, μέσω κλήρωσης που έγινε από τον Αντιπρόεδρο του CCS κο Ανδρέα Λούτσιο.

Έκθεση Καριέρας ergodotisi.com - Οκτώβριος To CCS συμμετείχε στην Έκθεση Καριέρας της ιστοσελίδας ergodotisi.com που πραγματοποιήθηκε στη Μαρίνα Λεμεσού στις 27 Οκτωβρίου. Ο Σύνδεσμος σε τέτοιες εκδηλώσεις λαμβάνει μέρος ώστε να ενημερώσει για το επάγγελμα της Πληροφορικής καθώς και να προωθήσει το Πιστοποιητικό δεξιοτήτων πληροφορικής ECDL ως μέσο για εμπλουτισμό του Βιογραφικού και εφόδιο της επαγγελματικής σταδιοδρομίας.

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Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Ευχρηστίας -

Code School - Νοέμβριος

Νοέμβριος Το CCS στήριξε την επιτυχημένη εκδήλωση που

Στην πιο συναρπαστική εκδήλωση συνεργατικής μάθησης έλαβαν μέρος 50 τυχεροί μαθητές στις

οργάνωσε το ερευνητικό εργαστήριο Cyprus Interaction Lab του Τμήματος Πολυμέσων και Γραφικών Τεχνών

Ευρωπαϊκής Εβδομάδας Ρομποτικής (EU Robotics

του ΤΕΠΑΚ, για την Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Ευχρηστίας, στις 12 Νοεμβρίου. Ο κύριος ομιλητής Rajiv Arjan, από τη Google UK, στο πλαίσιο της παρουσίασης του με θέμα “User Experience at Google” υπογράμμισε τις βασικές αρχές του ανθρωποκεντρικού σχεδιασμού που

23 Νοεμβρίου στο GC School. Στα πλαίσια της Week) συνεργαστήκαμε με το CEL (Cypriot Enterprise Link) για τη δωρεάν εκδήλωση, με τίτλο hack{cyprus} Code School. Η εκδήλωση που έχει πλέον καθιερωθεί σαν θεσμός, έχει στόχο την ενημέρωση της νεολαίας σε θέματα προγραμματισμού, αλγορίθμων και μηχανικής

υιοθετεί η Google, οι οποίοι στην πλήρη εφαρμογή

με σκοπό την προώθηση της πληροφορικής επιστήμης

τους συνέβαλαν αποφασιστικά έτσι ώστε η εταιρεία να βρίσκεται σε κορυφαία θέση ανάμεσα στον σύγχρονο

Συγκεκριμένα, στο πρώτο μέρος, οι μαθητές είχαν

κόσμο της έρευνας και της τεχνολογίας. Στο ακροατήριο συμμετείχαν πέραν των 300 συνολικά ενδιαφερομένων, μεταξύ των οποίων πολλοί προπτυχιακοί και μεταπτυχιακοί

φοιτητές,

ερευνητές,

ακαδημαϊκοί,

εκπαιδευτικοί και επαγγελματίες από πολλούς τομείς της Οικονομίας και της Τεχνολογίας.

μέσα από ένα διασκεδαστικό τρόπο εκπαίδευσης. την ευκαιρία να εκπαιδευτούν στη δημιουργία κώδικα ηλεκτρονικού υπολογιστή, να δημιουργήσουν γρήγορα κινούμενες φιγούρες και να λύσουν σπαζοκεφαλιές. Στο δεύτερο μέρος της εκδήλωσης οι μαθητές εφάρμοσαν τις γνώσεις που απέκτησαν σε παιχνίδια - δοκιμασίες πραγματικά ρομπότ!

προγραμματίζοντας

INFOCOM 2014 - Νοέμβριος Ο Σύνδεσμος μας στήριξε και φέτος τη διοργάνωση INFOCOM που πραγματοποιήθηκε στις 19 Νοεμβρίου στο Χίλτον Λευκωσίας. Το φετινό κεντρικό μήνυμα ήταν «Cyprus-Digital Reality: Mind the Gap!» που αποτυπώνει το κενό που οφείλει να καλύψει η Κυπριακή ψηφιακή πραγματικότητα ώστε να προσφέρει αξία στην πραγματική οικονομία. Το συνέδριο χαιρέτισε ο πρόεδρος του CCS κος Κώστας Αγρότης, ενώ είχαμε παρουσία στο χώρο με διαφημιστικές αφίσες και φυλλάδια.

Ημέρα Σταδιοδρομίας – Νοέμβριος Μετά από δύο χρόνια διακοπής λόγω οικονομικής κρίσης, διοργανώθηκε φέτος η «Έκθεση Επαγγελµάτων Σταδιοδροµία 2014» από τον Κυπριακό Σύνδεσμο Καθηγητών Συµβουλευτικής και Επαγγελµατικής Αγωγής (ΟΕΛΜΕΚ) στις 29-30 Νοεµβρίου 2014, στην Τράπεζα Κύπρου. Ο Σύνδεσμος μας συμμετείχε με στόχο την αντικειµενική πληροφόρηση των µαθητών/ τριων για το επάγγελμα της πληροφορικής.

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Λογιπαίγνιον O Συνδεσμος μας στηρίζει και φέτος το ΛΟΓΙΠΑΙΓΝΙΟΝ που είναι ο παγκύπριος ετήσιος διαγωνισμός για μαθητές Γυμνασίων και Λυκείων, που σχετίζεται με τη δημιουργία παιγνιδιών για ηλεκτρονικούς υπολογιστές. Αυτή τη στιγμή μελετούνται οι προτάσεις των νεαρών για το διαγωνισμό του 2015.

Ψηφιακό Πρωτάθλημα Το

Business Meets IT - Δεκέμβριος Με στόχο τη σύνδεση των νέων επιχειρηματιών με

CCS

συνδιοργανώνει

Πρωταθλητή

της

με

Κύπρου

το

Ψηφιακό

και

άλλους

εμπλεκόμενους φορείς το Ψηφιακό Πρωτάθλημα.

επαγγελματίες των ΤΠΕ, συνεργαστήκαμε με τους οργανισμούς CIIM και CEL για τo speed dating event με τίτλο

Το Ψηφιακό Πρωτάθλημα είναι Διαγωνισμός Ψηφιακής Καινοτομίας με στόχο την ανάπτυξη

Business Meets IT που έγινε στις 13 Δεκεμβρίου στο CIIM. Στην εκδήλωση ήρθαν από τη μία μεριά επιχειρηματίες

προϊόντων και υπηρεσιών που συνάδουν με

(start-ups) που ψάχνουν συνεργασία με επαγγελματίες πληροφορικής (web designers, developers, programmers κτλ) και από την άλλη οι επαγγελματίες πληροφορικής που ενδιαφέρονται να συμμετέχουν σε συνεργασία με επιχειρήσεις. Μέσα σε 4 λεπτά -πρόσωπο με πρόσωποσυναντήσεις οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν την ευκαιρία να γνωρίσουν τα άτομα από την «αντίθετη» ομάδα, να ανταλλάξουν επαφές, ώστε να αποφασίσουν για πιθανή συνεργασία στο μέλλον. Η επιτυχία της διοργάνωσης μας οδήγησε στο να οργανώσουμε ακόμα μια τέτοια εκδήλωση στο σύνσομο μέλλον.

ανταγωνιστικών

καινοτόμων

ψηφιακών

τις προτεραιότητες της Ψηφιακής Ατζέντας για την Ευρώπη. Η τελετή Βραβευσης 2014 πραγματοποιήθηκε στις 17 Ιουνίου και η τελετη έναρξης τους διαγωνισμού 2015, πραγματοποιήθηκε στις 11 Νοεμβρίου.

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ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΚΥΠΡΟ Δρ. Ευάγγελος Μονοχρήστου, vmono1@gmail.com

Τα κείμενα που δημοσιεύονται στην παρούσα ενότητα δεν αποτελούν προσωπική άποψη του γράφοντα ή του Κυπριακού Συνδέσμου Πληροφορικής γενικότερα. Αποτελούν μια σύντομη περίληψη από κείμενα Προκηρύξεων και Προσφορών ή δημοσιεύσεων που έχουν συλλεχθεί είτε από τις επίσημες ιστοσελίδες των αντίστοιχων φορέων είτε από το Ηλεκτρονικό Σύστημα Σύναψης Συμβάσεων (e-PS) και έχουν σαν σκοπό την απλή πληροφόρηση των αναγνωστών.

Διαδικτυακή Πύλη του Τμήματος Κτηματολογίου

και Χωρομετρίας «DLS Portal» παράλληλα, γίνεται συνεχής εκσυγχρονισμός των δεδομένων

Στα τέλη Δεκεμβρίου του 2014, το Τμήμα Κτηματολογίου και Χωρομετρίας ανακοίνωσε την έναρξη υλοποίησης του έργου δημιουργίας της νέας Διαδικτυακής Πλατφόρμας του Τμήματος, γνωστής ως “DLS Portal”. Το συγκεκριμένο έργο, καθώς και άλλες υπηρεσίες, οι οποίες ήδη παρέχονται μέσω διαδικτύου, αποτελούν μέρος μιας ολοκληρωμένης στρατηγικής πληροφορικής “DLS IT Strategy”, η οποία έχει πρόσφατα ετοιμαστεί και θέτει τις βάσεις για δραστικές αλλαγές στο Τμήμα μέσα στα επόμενα χρόνια, με σημαντικότερη την αναμενόμενη ολοκληρωμένη αναβάθμιση του Συστήματος Πληροφοριών Γης. Μέσω της συγκεκριμένης διαδικτυακής πλατφόρμας, θα δοθεί πλήρης και εύκολη πρόσβαση

σε

γεωγραφικά

δεδομένα,

καθιστώντας φιλική και άμεση την οριζόντια πρόσβαση όλων των κρατικών οργανισμών σε τέτοιες υπηρεσίες. Παρέχονται, ταυτόχρονα, υπηρεσίες προς την Τοπική Αυτοδιοίκηση, αλλά,

σε συνεργασία με τους Δήμους και τις Κοινότητες. Επεκτείνεται, επίσης, η παροχή ηλεκτρονικών υπηρεσιών, σε συνδυασμό με το υφιστάμενο σύστημα «ΑΡΙΑΔΝΗ», όπως π.χ. αιτήσεις για οριοθέτηση ακινήτου, ενστάσεις, εξάλειψη / απαλλαγή υποθήκης από Τραπεζικούς Οργανισμούς κ.ά. Εφαρμόζεται, πλέον, η πλήρης εναρμόνιση του Τμήματος με την Ευρωπαϊκή Οδηγία “INSPIRE”, κάτι το οποίο αποτέλεσε και έναν από τους βασικούς στόχους του συγκεκριμένου έργου. Το “DLS PORTAL” αναμένεται να λειτουργήσει ως το κεντρικό σημείο αναφοράς και ως η μελλοντική κεντρική πλατφόρμα για όλα τα χωρικά και άλλα δεδομένα που εμπεριέχει η οδηγία αυτή, ενισχύοντας έτσι τη διαλειτουργικότητα μεταξύ των διαφόρων κρατικών και ημικρατικών οργανισμών, με υπηρεσίες, “Search”, “View”, “Download”, “Edit”, “Transformation”, “Geocoding” και “Geoprocessing”. Σύμφωνα με τα Τεύχη Προσφοράς: “The underlying concept for the development of the DLS Portal architecture is to enable the interaction and integration with other departments and entities, the DLS backend systems and to service citizens and other entities via an extensible and scalable solution.” Στο ακόλουθο διάγραμμα παρουσιάζεται η εννοιολογική αρχιτεκτονική του προς ανάπτυξη Συστήματος:

www.pliroforiki.org 14

με τους γενικότερους στόχος της Κύπρου αναφορικά με την ηλεκτρονική Διακυβέρνηση (eGovernment) και τον ρόλο των χωρικών δεδομένων για την υλοποίηση τέτοιων πρωτοβουλιών. Η ολοκλήρωση του έργου θα βοηθήσει προς την κατεύθυνση ενός απλούστερου και αποδοτικότερου δημόσιου τομέα τόσο για τους πολίτες όσο και για τις

Μέσα από την ηλεκτρονικοποίηση και ψηφιοποίηση των διαδικασιών του Τμήματος, αναμένεται ότι θα δημιουργηθούν ευκαιρίες για παροχή νέων υπηρεσιών προς τους πολίτες και τις επιχειρήσεις, συνεισφέροντας έτσι στην κοινωνικο – οικονομική ανάπτυξη μέσα από την αύξηση της παραγωγικότητας και τη δημιουργία νέων τομέων ανάπτυξης. Αυτό έρχεται σε πλήρη εναρμόνιση

επιχειρήσεις, σε ότι αφορά τις παρεχόμενες υπηρεσίες που παρέχονται από το Τμήμα Κτηματολογίου και Χωρομετρίας και τα άλλα εμπλεκόμενα μέρη. Η χρονική διάρκεια του έργου είναι 15 μήνες. Το έργο συγχρηματοδοτείται από το Ευρωπαϊκό Ταμείο Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης κατά 85% και από Εθνικούς Πόρους κατά 15%.

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Ολοκληρωμένο

Πληροφοριακό Σύστημα για τις Δημόσιες Συγκοινωνίες

Μέσα στους επόμενους μήνες αναμένεται η έναρξη υλοποίησης του έργου που αφορά την Ανάπτυξη ενός Ολοκληρωμένου Πληροφοριακού Συστήματος για τις Δημόσιες Συγκοινωνίες (Integrated Public Transport ITS System) που περιλαμβάνει την Προμήθεια ενός Αυτοματοποιημένου Συστήματος Συλλογής Κομίστρων, ενός Συστήματος Διαχείρισης Στόλου Λεωφορείων καθώς και ενός Συστήματος Διαχείρισης Επιβατών. Η διάρκεια υλοποίησης του έργου είναι 24 μήνες από την ημερομηνία έναρξης του και Αναθέτουσα Αρχή του Έργου είναι το Τμήμα Δημοσίων Έργων. Σύμφωνα με τα αναλυτικά Τεύχη Προσφοράς, το έργο αφορά την προμήθεια, εγκατάσταση και ολοκλήρωση όλου του απαραίτητου εξοπλισμού και λογισμικού (συστήματος και εφαρμογών) με σκοπό την παράδοση μιας ολοκληρωμένης λύσης (turnkey solution) Τηλεματικής για τις Δημόσιες Συγκοινωνίες της Κύπρου, η οποία θα περιλαμβάνει: 1. Αυτοματοποιημένο Σύστημα Συλλογής Κομίστρων

(Automated Bus Fare Collection System), το οποίο: • θα βασίζεται σε μια αυτοματοποιημένη και ελεγχόμενη διαδικασία έκδοσης και χρήσης εισιτηρίων για ολόκληρο το Σύστημα Δημοσίων Συγκοινωνιών της Κύπρου • θα παρέχει πλήρη και προσβάσιμα δεδομένα για όλες τις συναλλαγές που θα λαμβάνουν χώρα • θα προσφέρει την ευελιξία ενσωμάτωσης των αλλαγών στην πολιτική των εισιτηρίων (ticketing policy), όπως για παράδειγμα (αύξηση αριθμού ζωνών, εκπτώσεις, πωλήσεις μέσω e-ticketing, χρήση Smartphone, cloud-based Points of Sales, κτλ.) Το συγκεκριμένο σύστημα θα ενσωματώσει, μεταξύ άλλων, εξοπλισμό και λογισμικό όπως για παράδειγμα: • Εξοπλισμό στα Λεωφορεία: Driver console, Thermal Printer, Smart Card Validator, Passenger Interface • Εξοπλισμό για τους Ελεγκτές: Φορητές Συσκευές Ελέγχου • Μηχανές αυτόματης πώλησης εισιτηρίων σε σημαντικούς σταθμούς λεωφορείων • Κεντρικές Back-office Εφαρμογές που θα επιτρέπουν τη Συλλογή όλων των δεδομένων από διάφορες πηγές (παραπάνω εξοπλισμό, διαδίκτυο, κτλ.), τη Διαχείριση Εισιτηρίων και Πωλήσεων, τη δημιουργία στατιστικών Αναφορών, τον σχεδιασμό / προγραμματισμό και την παρακολούθηση

του Συστήματος Δημοσίων Συγκοινωνιών, κτλ. 2. Σύστημα Διαχείρισης Στόλου Λεωφορείων (Bus Fleet Management System), το οποίο αφορά: • Τους έξι (6) Public Transport Operators που είναι συμβεβλημένοι με το Υπουργείο Συγκοινωνιών και Έργων • Τον ένα (1) Public Transport Operator που θα είναι συμβεβλημένος με τον Δήμο Λευκωσίας • Έναν στόλο περίπου 780 λεωφορείων • Περίπου 35 Ελεγκτές 3. Σύστημα Διαχείρισης Επιβατών (Passenger Information System), το οποίο θα περιλαμβάνει: • Μια διαδικτυακή Εφαρμογή για το σύνολο των Δημόσιων Συγκοινωνιών στην Κύπρο, με δυνατότητες σχεδιασμού διαδρομής (trip planning) και παροχή πληροφοριών εκτιμώμενης ώρας άφιξης στις στάσεις των λεωφορείων. • Εφαρμογή SMS Μηνυμάτων καθώς και εφαρμογή για έξυπνα τηλέφωνα (smartphones) για λήψη πληροφοριών ώρας άφιξης των λεωφορείων • Διασύνδεση του Συστήματος με υφιστάμενες Οθόνες LED και Συστήματα Ανακοινώσεων μέσα στα λεωφορεία και στις στάσεις λεωφορείων • Εγκατάσταση 20 Οθονών LED σε σημαντικές στάσεις / σταθμούς λεωφορείων.

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ΕΡΕΥΝΗΤΙΚΑ ΕΡΓΑ Τα κείμενα που δημοσιεύονται στην παρούσα ενότητα αποτελούν σύντομες περιλήψεις ερευνητικών έργων και έχουν σαν σκοπό την πληροφόρηση των αναγνωστών για την ερευνητική δραστηριότητα στην Κύπρο.

A Tech Startup Experience

at the European Business Awards Michalis Strouthos, michalis@cocooncreations.net

Recently my company, Cocoon Creations, was named

Europe by promoting success, innovation, ethics and

National Champion for the European Business Awards

entrepreneurship in the European business community.

2014/15. In this article I would like to share with you our

Now in its 8th year they engaged with over 24,000

story and how we got to receive such a great honour

business from 33 European countries this year and

to represent Cyprus at such a prestigious competition, competing against 708 of Europe’s best companies.

709 companies from across Europe have been named National Champions; going through to the second phase

THE COMPETITION Firstly let me tell you a bit about the European Business Awards and why it’s such a meaningful and prestigious competition.

of the competition. Companies are either contacted by the organisers of the competition after their filtering and they are requested to join the competition, or they can join the competition themselves. Applying for the competition

Since 2007, the European Business Awards has been

is free. Companies can chose to compete in 10 different

awarding the most innovative businesses within

categories for the awards. Depending on the category of

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started by developing our owns apps which showcased our team’s talent. By 2012 the first customers started seeing the value of having a mobile app for their own business. Within the past 2 years we have created more than 25 mobile apps for large corporations, smaller companies and even startup companies who needed a specialised team to create and manage their product. Our clientele the awards each company needs to provide the details to support their application and showcase the reasons why they are worth to be awarded the prestigious award. At the first round of the competition the judging committee selects the National Champions for each country. Then the National Champions submit a video entry, which the judges will use to select the 10 Ruban d’Honneur’s by category. The same videos are entered in a public voting and the companies with most votes from each country become the National Public Champions. The Ruban d’Honneur’s will then have to present in front of the judges for the final round of the competition. One company from each category will receive the European

now consists of companies throughout Europe, as we have clients based in Cyprus, the United Kingdom and soon more. Companies trust us for our passion in delivering top quality products with affordable prices for the very competitive European market. We entered the European Business Awards competition after being invited by the organising committee of the awards. Noting down all our achievements together, helped us realise the value of our work and the appreciation and trust of our clients. It also helped us realise once more that our passion, hard work, attention to detail, our strive for perfection and our dedication are the values that help us grow this company and be

Business Award.

amongst Europe’s best. For the past 2 years and within this very tough economic period for the whole Europe,

It’s quite a lengthy competition with many steps but it is definitely worth applying to, even only for the experience

we have seen on average 300% year-on-year growth of

of showcasing your company’s values and achievements. WHO WE ARE Cocoon Creations is a boutique digital agency based in Nicosia and was incorporated in 2012. Our team consists of highly specialized professionals passionate about digital creations with intuitive and user-friendly interfaces performing to world-class standards. We focus on creating mobile applications for iPhone, iPad and Android devices and responsive websites. Furthermore, we specialize in branding creation and digital marketing promotion. The team strives to innovate by turning ideas into businesses and in turn spreading entrepreneurship throughout Europe. It all started with our joy of using our smartphones for everything and we saw a gap in the market. Back on 2010 no other Cypriot companies offered custom mobile application development and we were one the first companies that launched this offering in 2011. We

our business, which led to expansion of our team and we currently have plans for even further expansion for the near future. We were overly excited when we found out that we were selected to be one of the 17 National Champions for Cyprus and get to represent our country at this great competition. Now the second round of the competition is currently active and people can vote for us for the Public National Champion title. You can cast your vote at http://bit.ly/votecocoon. Our selection comes to prove that technology startups can make it in Cyprus too. All you need is passion in what you do, dedication and the right team. It may take time, but it is definitely worth it!

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Peacemaking

in School Contexts

Using

Interactive Tabletops

Andri Ioannou, andri@cyprusinteractionlab.com

This work examines how the use of tabletop technology

space, and help shape better attitudes and relationships

might be able to promote peaceful attitudes and mitigate

among them, which extends beyond the duration of the

conflict in a school environment.

intervention.

The participants were twenty (20) K-12 students (grades

The study provides insights on the use of interactive

3-6) at a public elementary school in the eastern

tabletops for peacemaking in conflict-stressed school

Mediterranean. The school is characterized by large

environments.

numbers of foreign students (i.e., minority enrollment), high drop-out rate and increased incidences of conflict

This study launched in Spring 2014 and was coordinated

(verbal and physical), violence and delinquency. Students

by the Cyprus Interaction Lab of the Department of

worked in conflicting groups of four students each, on

Multimedia and Graphic Arts (Assistant Professor Andri

various learning and game activities around an interactive

Ioannou, PhD Candidate Chrystalla Antoniou and

tabletop, over the span of three weeks.

Research Assistant Antigoni Kafkaridou). Follow-up investigations are being conducted in order to examine

Analysis of student interviews, triangulated with findings from video data, revealed that tabletop technology can become a means for communication and collaboration, give the chance for students in conflict to share a common

issues of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;depthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; related to how technology interventions may result in peacemaking in school contexts.

19 www.pliroforiki.org

Social Electricity Online Platform

(SEOP)

EU Project

Introduction:

aspects relating to energy use and savings.

Social Electricity Online Platform (SEOP) is a European 1

project funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme2.

Consortium:

It started officially in January, 2014 and its mission is to

SEOP consists of a high-quality consortium, merging the

develop educational services, online interactive learning

experience of the University of Cyprus5 acquired during the

modules and online eco-feedback platforms, to raise the

design and deployment of Social Electricity application,

awareness and education of European citizens about

together with the expertise of four other partners

energy, sustainability and the environment, encouraging

(CARDET6, ECC7, INTEGRA8 and QUALED9) in the domain of

them to socialize about their resource consumption and engage themselves in communities related to energy-

learning and education. Critical aspect for the success of

saving practices.

the project and the maximization of its content quality and exploitation is the participation of public and private

Motivation:

energy and electricity agencies from Europe such as EAC10 from Cyprus, KREA11 from Lithuania and MIEMA12 from

The SEOP project tries to address the fact that most of

Malta. In addition, the community-based organization

the existing ICT infrastructures which aim to educate

Meath Partnership13 infuses to the project the elements

people about energy conservation are rather isolated and incomplete, not based on any methodological

needed to be effective and practical in local/communal level. Finally, the University of Athens14 assists the

and analytical techniques. Hence, SEOP targets the

development procedures with its knowledge in analysis

development of online tools and applications having

of Internet applications and online social networking.

a pedagogical character based on state of the art methodologies relating to adult education and latest

The result of this merging is expected to be an effective and radical-new way of environmental education, based

developments in the field of adult training and e-learning.

on modern methodologies and innovative pedagogical

The project extends the award-winning3 Social Electricity4 Facebook application, which helps consumers to perceive

approaches.

their energy behaviour by comparing their footprint with the one of their online friends and other contacts.

Progress: Currently, SEOP enters its second year, being busy

During the project, Social Electricity aspires to become

preparing educational videos and online learning

a Pan-European application for social and collaborative

modules, collaboration tools such as online forums,

personal energy management, allowing European

educational content such as documents, videos and online

citizens to interact and exchange opinions on various

games, as well as redesigning Social Electricity application

1. www.seop-project.eu

8. www.eu-integra.eu/Default.aspx?lang=EN

2. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/about_llp/about_llp_en.php

9. www.qualed.net/cms/index.php?id=2&L=1

3. www.itu.int/ITU-T/climatechange/greenict/201206/index.html

10. www.eac.com.cy/

4. www.social-electricity.com/

11. www.krea.lt/?lnid=en

5. www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/index.php/en

12. www.miema.org/

6. www.cardet.org/

13. www.meathpartnership.ie/

7. www.e-c-c.at/cms/

14. http://anr.di.uoa.gr/

www.pliroforiki.org 20

according to the energy-related needs and requirements of European citizens, as they were perceived during the

possibilities in using renewable energy sources. 4. Using Social Electricity Application, for

first year of the project, after performing and analyzing

understanding how to use this tool as a personal

various online surveys, questionnaires, focus groups and

assistant in order to better manage personal

interviews with target groups and stakeholders from

electricity consumption through a social and

the countries of the participating partners. Based on

collaborative way.

the educational needs of Europeans, the online learning modules will cover four different topics:

Important Info:

1. Digital Literacy, for reinforcing the digital competences of citizens. 2. Energy Management, for educating people on the importance, need and ways to use energy more

All the online tools and applications would become soon available through the website of SEOP (http://www. seop-project.eu/) and the social channels of the project (Facebook15 and Twitter16 pages for news and updates,

rationally, with a focus on multiple aspects of energy

YouTube17 channel for educational videos and Flickr18

in general.

account for photos from events and dissemination

3. Green Solutions and Good Practices, for learning how to use appliances and lighting in households

activities). Finally, the Social Electricity application is currently available for Cypriot citizens (http://www.

in an energy-efficient way, explaining the principles

social-electricity.com/) and in the coming months it will

of solar and wind energy technologies and other

become available also for the rest Europe!

15. www.facebook.com/SocialElectricity

17. www.youtube.com/user/SocialElectricity

16. https://twitter.com/Soc_Electricity

18. www.flickr.com/photos/socialelectricity/

Womenpower:

winner of Mahallae challenge

“Women and Dialogue” Andri Ioannou, andri@cyprusinteractionlab.com

Womenpower (WE-ME)1 is the winning concept of Mahallae (funded by UNDP2) under the “Women and Dialogue”3 challenge. The project is funded with $30,000 for a period of nine months (June 2014-April 2015). 1. http://mahallae.tumblr.com/post/89743331954/announcing-themahallae-challenges-winners 2. www.cy.undp.org/content/cyprus/en/home.html

The project is coordinated by the Cyprus Interaction Lab4 (Antigoni Parmaxi, PhD Candidate; Dr. Andri Ioannou, Lecturer, Christina Vasiliou, PhD Candidate and Giwrgos Lambrou, Interaction Designer) and involves experts from the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management (Dr. Maria Kapardis, Associate Professor, President of the committee of Equality of CUT), Department of Nursing (Dr. Christiana Kouta, Assistant Professor, vice-president of the committee of Equality of CUT) and international professional associations such as the Association for Computing Machinery on Women-ACM-W supporting this project. 3. http://mahallae.org/Challenge/women-and-dialogue 4. http://cyprusinteractionlab.com/

21 www.pliroforiki.org

What is Womenpower?

Why WE-ME?

Womenpower (WE-ME) platform intends to link women

As women, we work hard to make important contributions

mentors and mentees together to increase collaboration, support and solidarity between different generations of

in all aspects of society; yet our views and perspectives can often remain unheard. We realize that young

women. Think of it as a «TripAdvisor for Women»! Young

women who face discrimination in their daily personal

women will get the opportunity to receive support with

or professional lives often do not have anywhere to turn,

regard to self-improvement, self-esteem, personal and

having to tackle major obstacles on their own, often

social power and solidarity from experienced women in

suffering from isolation, depression and low self esteem.

their field. In a nutshell, it is expected to provide women with practical advice on how to deal with difficulties in their personal and professional lives in order to

At the same time, we have experienced women who have gone through similar journeys yet without an avenue through which to share their experiences. Our goal with

promote their professional development. Moreover, the platform will allow its members to organize local

the platform is to connect such women with each other, increasing collaboration, solidarity and support among

WE-ME

different generations of women.

Mentoring/supporting-

meetings,

seminars

and/or fairs and a yearly WE-ME Mentoring-conference to be organized in Euro-Mediterranean region. These

Get involved!

events are expected to allow women to exchange ideas

Passionate about issues of gender equality? Care about

and develop a community of mentors and apprentices.

the empowerment of women? Then join us… we are

WoMEnpower will primarily target women in academia,

stronger together! To see how you can be involved and

business and health and social care; whereas other fields

will also be added in the future.

Find more information on WomenEmpower Platform: http://www.womenpowerproject.eu/ Stay connected with us for further updates on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WEMEmahallae Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomenPower_Weme

ΠIΣΤΟΠΟΙΗΣΕ ΤΙΣ ΨΗΦΙΑΚΕΣ ΣΟY ΔΕΞΙΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΜΕ ΤΟ

ECDL

Ψάξε το στο www.ecdl.com.cy

www.pliroforiki.org 22

Improving

Web accessibility

for users that are Deaf Alexandros Yeratziotis, alexis@cyprusinteractionlab.com

The study aims to investigate Deaf users’ web experiences

a provided validation tool. In Phase 3, questionnaires

in order to understand the accessibility problems

were completed by 40 Deaf students from the National

they experience when interacting with websites. The outcome of this investigation will be the development

Institute for the Deaf in South Africa. South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreters assisted in these

of the Heuristic Evaluation for Deaf Web User Experience (HE4DWUX), which is a usability inspection method

questionnaires. The study is now in its final stage, where results from the experts’ validations (in Phase 2) and the

that can be used by both Web developers and usability

Deaf users’ questionnaires (in Phase 3) are being analysed

experts. Web developers will be able to use the HE4DWUX to assist and guide them in the process of developing

and interpreted. Based on this analysis, the final draft of the HE4DWUX will be formulated and published.

more accessible websites for Deaf users. Usability experts will be able to use the HE4DWUX to evaluate new and

The study provides insights into the difficulties

existing websites against accessibility criteria that

experienced by Deaf people to access websites and how

consider Deaf users’ Web experience at the forefront of

accessibility can be improved using the HE4DWUX. This

design and development.

study launched in Spring 2013 and was funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The

The methodology that will be used to develop the HE4DWUX is based on a three-phase process that was

principal investigator is Dr. Alexandros Yeratziotis and the study is coordinated by the Cyprus Interaction Lab

created by Dr. Alexandros Yeratziotis in his PhD. It is a

of the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts (Prof.

qualitative process for developing new sets of heuristics to evaluate specific application domains, such as Deaf

Panayiotis Zaphiris).

Web User Experience. In Phase 1 of the process, the first draft of the HE4DWUX was developed using the literature review method. In Phase 2, the first draft of the HE4DWUX was sent to four experts in usability and accessibility for validation, using

Cyprus Human Resource Management Association Dedicated to the advancement and successful representation of the Human Resource Management profession in Cyprus. Focused on actively serving the interests and needs of professionals in the field by: Promoting the strategic role of HR as an essential Business and Social partner Inspiring and modeling best practice in HR Providing continuous learning and development opportunities Encouraging and supporting collaboration, scientific research and networking. If you are a dedicated professional in the field of Human Resource Management Learning and Development, Labour and Employee Relations, Organizational / Occupational Psychology, and other related fields the CyHRMA is the place for you!

Invest in your success... join the CyHRMA! ADDRESS

P.O. BOX 28785, 2082 NICOSIA, CYPRUS TELEPHONE

+357 22318081 FAX

+357 22318083 Email

info@cyhrma.org Website

www.cyhrma.org

www.pliroforiki.org 24

ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ ΣΤΗΝ EYΡΩΠΗ

Ευρωπαϊκά Πρότυπα στην δημιουργία Ευρωπαϊκού πλαισίου των Επαγγελματικών Ικανοτήτων

στο Τομέα της Τεχνολογίας των Πληροφοριών

και Επικοινωνίας.

Δεδομένης της αυξανόμενης σημασίας της Τεχνολογίας

Η προσπάθεια δημιουργίας των απαραίτητων σχετικών

των Πληροφοριών και Επικοινωνίας (ΤΠΕ) στο πλαίσιο

προτύπων που θα στηρίζουν την ανάπτυξη του

της παγκόσμιας οικονομίας και τις τεράστιες δυνατότητες

Ευρωπαϊκού Πλαισίου Ικανοτήτων (e-CF) είναι κάτω από

αυτού του τομέα από την άποψη της δημιουργίας θέσεων απασχόλησης, υπάρχει ανάγκη για ένα κοινό

την αιγίδα του Ευρωπαϊκού Οργανισμού Τυποποίησης (CEN) στο πλαίσιο των εργασιών της επιτροπής CEN

πλαίσιο που θα επιτρέπει στους επαγγελματίες των ΤΠΕ να περιγράψουν και να αναπτύξουν τις επαγγελματικές

Workshop on ICT Skills. Η επιτροπή αυτή αναγνωρίζεται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή και το Ευρωπαϊκό

ικανότητές τους . Η δημιουργία του κοινού πλαισίου

Κοινοβούλιο και εντάσσεται σε μία ευρύτερη ευρωπαϊκή

επαγγελματικών ικανοτήτων θα επιτρέπει επίσης στις επιχειρήσεις και τους εργοδότες να προσδιορίσουν ποια

πολιτική προτυποποίησης των ικανοτήτων των (ΤΠΕ) στη διεθνή αγορά εκπαίδευσης και εργασίας. Τα

άτομα κατέχουν τις δεξιότητες που χρειάζονται. Το Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Ικανοτήτων ‘’Εuropean

περιγραφόμενα του Ευρωπαϊκού Πλαισίου Ικανοτήτων (e-CF) θα συνδέονται άμεσα με το Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο

Competence Framework’’ (e-CF) παρέχει την δυνατότητα

Επαγγελματικών Προσόντων (ΕΠΕΠ).

της περιγραφής των επαγγελματικών δεξιοτήτων που σχετίζονται με την ΤΠΕ, χρησιμοποιώντας ένα κοινό

Η Τεχνική Επιτροπή συστάθηκε το 2003 και από τότε

πλαίσιο αρμοδιοτήτων και επιπέδων. Το κοινό αυτό πλαίσιο μπορεί να γίνει κατανοητό σε όλη την Ευρώπη

έχει δημοσιεύσει 15 Τεχνικά Έγραφα γνωστά και ως

και Διεθνώς. Το πλαίσιο αυτό προορίζεται για χρήση από επιχειρήσεις που είναι προμηθευτές ή οι χρήστες των ΤΠΕ, τα εκπαιδευτικά ιδρύματα, φορείς κατάρτισης, και άλλους οργανισμούς τόσο στο δημόσιο όσο και στον ιδιωτικό τομέα. Το Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Ικανοτήτων είναι ένα σημαντικό συστατικό της μακροπρόθεσμης ατζέντας ηλεκτρονικών δεξιοτήτων (e-skills for the 21th century) της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, που υποστηρίζεται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή, το ΣυμβούλιοΥπουργών και τον Μεγάλο Συνασπισμό Ψηφιακών θέσεων Εργασίας. (The Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs)

‘CEN Workshop Agreements (CWA)’ για το Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Ικανοτήτων των ΤΠΕ, τα οποία μπορούν οι ενδιαφερόμενοι να τα προμηθευτούν από το Κέντρο Εξυπηρέτησης Πελατών του Κυπριακού Οργανισμού Τυποποίησης. Ο στόχος της εν λόγω επιτροπής είναι να αναπτύξει ένα ολοκληρωμένο Ευρωπαϊκό Πρότυπο για το Πλαίσιο Δεξιοτήτων των ΤΠΕ. Το Ευρωπαϊκό Πρότυπο τείνει να διαμορφώσει μία κοινή γλώσσα αναφοράς για τεχνικούς όρους επαγγελματικής κατάρτισης. Η κοινή αυτή γλώσσα θα είναι διαθέσιμη για πανευρωπαϊκή χρήση σε ότι αφορά (προσλήψεις προσωπικού, εθνικούς και διεθνείς διαγωνισμούς κ.λ.π.)

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Το παράδοξο στον Τομέα των ΤΠΕ σε διεθνές επίπεδο, είναι ότι ενώ από την μια η ανεργία αυξάνεται, από την

οικονομίας. Ωστόσο, πολλές ανοικτές θέσεις για τους επαγγελματίες των ΤΠΕ δεν μπορούν να πληρωθούν,

άλλη υπάρχει υπερβάλλουσα ζήτηση για τις δεξιότητες των ΤΠΕ (ελλείψεις και κενά στο χώρο πρόσληψης σε

παρά το υψηλό επίπεδο της ανεργίας στην Ευρώπη, ενώ η ζήτηση για τους επαγγελματίες των ΤΠΕ αυξάνεται κατά

συνδυασμό με την εκπαίδευση) . Να σημειωθεί ότι από

περίπου 3% κάθε χρόνο.

το 2005 υπάρχει μείωση του αριθμού των πτυχιούχων στα θέματα πληροφορικής και επικοινωνιών εντός της

Για την επίλυση του παράδοξου αυτού φαινομένου,

Ευρωπαϊκής επικράτειας. Από την άλλη σύμφωνα με

είναι απαραίτητη η συνεχής και στοχευόμενη εμπλοκή

τις επίσημες στατιστικές της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής ο τομέας των δεξιοτήτων στο τομέα της τεχνολογίας των πληροφοριών και επικοινωνίας θα έχει σημαντική αύξηση

της βιομηχανίας που καταγίνεται με την τεχνολογία των πληροφοριών και της επικοινωνίας (ΤΠΕ) και του εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος.

από 372,000 σε 870,000 μέχρι το έτος 2015. Οι Επαγγελματίες των ΤΠΕ , συμπεριλαμβανομένων των Η υφιστάμενη ανησυχητική κατάσταση στο επάγγελμα

εργαζομένων και εκπαιδευτικών φορέων, χρειάζονται

των ΤΠΕ είναι πιο στερεότυπη λόγω έλλειψης προσανατολισμού, καθοδήγησης και πλοήγησης

προγράμματα κατάρτισης που να ανταποκρίνονται στις

επαγγελματικών προσανατολισμών. Σύμφωνα με τα επίσημα στοιχεία της Ε.Ε

πραγματικές ανάγκες της Βιομηχανίας και των εργοδοτών. Αυτό απαιτεί μια στενή συνεργασία και την ανταλλαγή

ο αριθμός επαγγελματικών θέσεων και απόφοιτων

θέσεων και απόψεων μεταξύ της βιομηχανίας και του εκπαιδευτικού τομέα. Ειδικά εκπαιδευτικά πακέτα θα

αναμένεται να φτάσει μέχρι και ένα εκατομμύριο. Στη

πρέπει να σχεδιαστούν σε συνεργασία με τη βιομηχανία

Κύπρο, σύμφωνα με πρόσφατες στατιστικές από το Τμήμα

ΤΠΕ, καθώς και πιο ευθυγραμμισμένα προγράμματα

Στατιστικής του Υπουργείου Οικονομικών, υπάρχουν

σπουδών σε επαγγελματική τριτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση.

περίπου 300 άτομα άνεργοι, εξειδικευμένα στο χώρο της Πληροφοριών και Επικοινωνίας.

Τεχνολογίας

των

Είναι δε ευρέως αποδεχτό ότι οι επαγγελματίες των ΤΠΕ, αποτελούν βασικό πυλώνα του σύγχρονου εργατικού δυναμικού σε όλους τους τομείς της ευρωπαϊκής

ECDL ΓΙΑ ΟΛΟYΣ ΕCDL ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΓΙΑ ΕΡΓΟΔΟΤΗΣΗ Δεξιότητες για μια καλύτερη και κερδοφόρα επιχείρηση Εργοδότες, επενδύστε σε προσωπικό που κατέχει τις δεξιότητες που θα αναπτύξουν την επιχείρηση σας. Ψάξε το στο www.ecdl.com.cy

Για

περισσότερες

πληροφορίες

οι

ενδιαφερόμενοι

παρακαλούνται να επικοινωνήσουν με τον αρμόδιο λειτουργό του Κυπριακού Οργανισμού Τυποποίησης CYS στο τηλ. 22- 411420.

www.pliroforiki.org 26

AΡΘΡΑ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΨΕΙΣ

ΙCT

for

greener ports George Tsoukos, Alexander Stathacopoulos, Dr. Georgia Ayfantopoulou, Apostolos Bizakis & Dr. Eliza Gagatsi

27 www.pliroforiki.org

Introduction

efficiency [3]. Currently the market contains a large

operators implement Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions supporting processes that

terminal throughput, decrease ship turn time [4] and

are related to container handling and supply chain

has an inherent environmental efficiency increase for the

management.

ports, through more efficient use of container handling equipment, less idling time for trucks at ports (both gates

The local communities are also placing more pressure on the ports to improve their environmental performance

and in the terminal) and reduced energy consumption.

ontainer terminal efficiency and integration into the supply chain is a key factor for the

effectiveness of the whole supply chain. In order for the container terminals to operate effectively, terminal

number of port operating systems. Many are commercial, like NAVIS and many others are in-house or custom made systems. The latest systems show a trend in the market towards automation of yard operations to increase gate turn time [5]. The increased operations efficiency

and meet their social responsibilities. Air pollution is one

The ENVIROPORT project focuses on developing a new system for port operation which addresses efficiency

of the major environmental impacts of ports on the port

and optimization in the container terminal operations

environment. The sources of the emissions in terms of ship types are port activity based [1]. With the majority

taking into account the environmental aspect of the

of the port emissions originating from the vessels, the

container yard and the terminal gates to improve both the

emissions of the container handling equipment and

efficiency of each section and the overall efficiency of the

port operations comprise the second largest source of

terminal. The new architecture of the system developed

the emissions. Indicative of the role of ports in the local environment is the case of the port of Long Beach, in

uses and exploits available Terminal Operating Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201C; TOS and Fleet Management solutions. These systems

California, which generates 10% of the emissions of the

are currently widespread but their joint operation is not

region. Approximately one quarter of those emissions are

established.

port operations. It focuses on the performance of the

generated by the container handling equipment (CHE) and the trucks in the port [2]. The scope of the paper is to present the architecture and results of an ICT solution for ports which will help ports improve performance and reduce emissions.

The main objectives of the system are to: a) Optimise the port terminal operations within the yard (e.g. movements of Container Handling Equipment - CHE) by efficiently integrating Terminal Operating Systems-TOS with ITS (Intelligent

The ENVIROPORT Project, which is funded in the context of the cooperation framework for Research and Technology between Greece and China for 2012-2014, is a project that addresses issues related to the efficiency and optimization of container terminal operations and use of available resources to develop ICT for more efficient and environmental port operation. ICT developments for Green Ports Port efficiency has been improved over the past years with the development of ICT. Ports face increased demand which cannot be covered through physical expansion. In order to meet this increased demand ports have turned to ICT systems to help them improve

Transportation Systems) e.g. fleet management. Various on-going discussions are considering this approach to help further optimize yard operations. b) Enable environmental intelligence in container handling procedures by taking into account energy saving potentials (e.g. environmentalfriendly assignment of container movements to CHE, distribution of gate in/out related activities to reduce or avoid congestions.

User Requirements In order to develop this system for pilot application in the Port of Ningbo, China, the requirements of the port were investigated. The Port of Ningbo which is involved in the project provided its requirements along with the priority level for each requirement.

www.pliroforiki.org 28

User and system requirements are two important factors

The Gate Appointment System is a functionality of the

considered that determine the specifications of any ICT

gate operation system, which operates above the system

solution. In this particular case, the User requirements

and allows the truck drivers to book a specific time slot

are related to the TOS and the Gate Appointment System

for delivery/pick up of a container. While making this

(GAS) and can be categorized either as functional or

booking the driver will include all required information

non-functional. The functional requirements for the TOS

related to the container which will be checked and

include information such as the location of the CHE in

confirmed upon arrival at the gate. This automatic pre-

the yard, the ad-hoc optimization of its movements,

notification, in conjunction with the gate control system

the equipment configuration, the recording of the fuel consumption for the equipment and the recording of productivity and usage of the equipment. The functional

will allow the truck to enter the terminal at the selected time slot and drop off/collect the container faster and in a more efficient manner. Currently, the majority of the gate

requirements for the GAS include information such

appointment systems use a simple gate control system

as personalised access and content, the provision of booking windows, the communication of events, the

to expedite entry into the port only. The gate control system usually does not communicate any appointment

management and identification of bookings, the auction system for slots and the interfaces to existing systems.

information to the TOS in order to incorporate this information into the yard planning module. Therefore, the location of the container is identified at the time of

The non-functional requirements fall into 6 main categories: usability, reliability, performance,

the truck entry to the port and the system must then arrange for the container to be delivered to the truck or

supportability, design and interface requirements. Usability

transported from the truck to an appropriate location in

requirements regard the overall usability of the system and include help option requirements. Reliability regards

the yard.

the system stability and the requirements and scenarios for the system recovery. Performance regards system

The above show a clear need for the interface of these systems with existing Terminal Operating Systems as well

availability and performance. Supportability regards

as their subcomponents. The chosen solution â&#x20AC;&#x201C; namely

the system extensibility and whether it is for further

Eco-Route â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is designed as a stand-alone module that

extensions or for internationalization and requirements

is interoperable with existing TOS systems and provides

about system testing and troubleshooting. Design includes system specifications and/or constraints. Finally,

the required functionality.

interface requirements refer to the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capabilities for connectivity with external systems.

The Terminal (Yard) Planning of a TOS constitute the basis for an effective operation of terminals in terms

System Architecture

of required resources, expected cargoes/ units to be handled and available yard positions. In particular, yard

The nature of ports and their requirements in terms

planning is a mandatory prerequisite for the efficient

of infrastructure and equipment in order to achieve full automation are implemented in small steps. For

and effective disposition of the containers particularly during the import phase. The Terminal Operating System

TOS the first step can be the development of the

provides significant information for the monitoring of

yard management module and the installation of a Fleet Management System for the monitoring of the

cargo/units. Information related to the physical status of the cargo or entry/exit to/from a terminal is usually

cranes, straddle carriers and other equipment within

provided from the terminal nodes. This information

the terminal and the preparation of a plan for the

can be reported over INTERNET making use of the

positioning of containers within the terminal. Such

standardized messages such as CODECO and COARRI.

systems exist and have been over the years improved to include optimizations in relation of both container

Additionally, the geographical representation of the yard status can be visualized using appropriate GIS solutions

positions, for minimization of container movements and

with INTERNET visualization capabilities.

for optimization of the vehicle movements.

29 www.pliroforiki.org

Figure 1: Typical modules of a TOS

The automatic control of the container movements

Based on the above the overall architecture of the

from the landside is carried out through the Integrated Entry/Exit Control module for containers, vehicles and

systems to be developed is shown in figure 2.

drivers entering through the land gates of the Container Terminal.

It is evident from the above figure that the two subsystems (Eco-Route and GAS-Gate appointment system) are independent modules which interface with

Upon arrival at the gate, the operator provides each driver

other TOS systems through a set of web services, in

with information on the location within the parking area

accordance with the SOA paradigm.

of the slot for the pick up/delivery of the container. The same information is provided to yard management for the collection/delivery of the containers to/from the

The systems to be developed do not cover the communication layer as well as any other business

stowage area. Entry/Exit control helps reduce wait time and congestion at terminals and exercises a high degree

layers and data persistency since all those may well be in place through other solutions (e.g. Port community

of security on inbound/outbound flows of containers,

systems etc.). On the other hand, the two systems

vehicles and drivers.

developed largely depend on existing information and their interactions with other systems will therefore be

The State-of-Art report has identified similar functionalities (Yard Planning and Monitoring, Gate

presented in detail in the following paragraphs.

Control modules) in other TOS developments. This shows that any development should be only focused on a specific TOS, but allowing for the possibility of integration to other available TOS systems in the future.

Advanced Gate Appointment System Architecture The Advanced Gate Appointment system that was developed within the project consists of different sub modules as shown in figure 3.

Within the scope of project, a specific TOS (FRETIS-IFT, currently in operation in Port of Thessaloniki container

The User Management sub-module is responsible for

terminal) was used as a basis for designing and testing

user creation/registration and holds all information

purposes.

regarding the individual users that have access to the

www.pliroforiki.org 30

Figure 2: Overall Architecture of the systems to be developed

Figure 3: Sub-Modules of Advanced GAS

31 www.pliroforiki.org

system. The users are both administration (terminal

Finally the Dynamic Controller is responsible for

operator personnel) and end users (shipping agents,

assigning time slots to each requester (user of the

freight forwarder, truck companies etc.). The User Management component may well use authorization

terminal for one or more containers and/or truck to reach the gates). The component gets the current

mechanisms that exist in the port/terminal ICT solutions or (in the absence of the previous or for security reasons)

configuration from the Booking Configurator and interfaces existing modules of TOS (Gate Control etc.) in

implement its own authorization services.

order to determine which is the best available time slot (or alternatives) to be suggested.

The Booking Configurator sub-module is responsible for all configuration actions and keeps track of relevant

These sub-modules are interconnected and exchange

data. More specifically the configuration refers to:

information while at the same time use a common

- The available booking windows, as can be specified

persistency mechanism (common database) to store

by the terminal administrator/planner - The distribution of time slots within each booking window â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as specified above â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which will determine the desired allocation of time slots throughout the working hours of the terminal gates

and retrieve the specific data. The connection to external systems (e.g. the Document Management system and the Gate Control of the TOS) is realized through a set of web services.

- User-related configurations

Eco-Route System Architecture

It is obvious that the Booking Configurator component

The Eco-Route system that was developed within the

presents a crucial part of the GAS solution since it is the

project consists of different sub modules as shown in

basis upon which the system behavior will be built.

figure 4.

Figure 4: Sub-modules of Eco-Route

www.pliroforiki.org 32

Figure 4 presents the interactions of the Eco-Route

• From yard to parking

with both the Fleet management and the Terminal

• Ad hoc movements.

Operating System. The interaction and exchange of data is performed through a communication layer which takes the form of available interfacing that enables

In this document we will refer mostly to ad hoc movements but the same applies to any container movement.

interoperability

and

integration

with

third-party

applications.

The system must suggest to the user the best CHE to use for a certain movement based on the predefined

Eco Route sub module is based on specific configuration to achieve environmental friendly container movement

criteria. The sequence diagram for this case is shown in figure 5.

optimization. The Container terminal user/planner can configure:

The TOS System calls GetBestCHE(Movement,CHEList)

• The Yard Configurator, which defines the existing yard map and all available routes that the Container

method of the Optimization engine to find the best Container Handling Equipment. The parameters for the

Handler Equipment may use to transfer containers

method are Movement and CHEList as detailed below:

within the terminal.

• Movement

• The Container Handler Equipment (CHE) parameters may be specified by configuring the CHE Configurator.

o Origin Position o Destination Position o ContainerID

• The Rules (Optimization Rules) engine optimizes the container movements using a set of predetermined criteria such as the CHE’s proximity to the container

• CHEList o CHEID

movement position, the CHE’s consumption and respective emissions (e.g. GHG emissions), the Productivity of the CHE and the User-defined

However, the Eco Route needs more information in order to decide the best CHE for the requested movement and

prioritization of the above.

this information is provided to the Optimization Engine by the Eco Route Configurator System (as already

Moreover, the Statistics sub-module uses relevant data

configured through the previously described sequence

regarding energy/fuel consumption of the CHE and

diagram).

implements the specific interface to Fleet management, while the Reporting Tool is used to report on the

The Optimization engine gets:

suggested CHE.

- the yard configuration by calling the GetYardConfig()

The above result to a highly configurable system since

method, - The Container Handling Equipment configuration by

it allows for: - Full flexibility based on user needs and terminal

calling the GetCHEConfig() method, and - The Defined rules by calling GetRules().

setup (yard characteristics and type of CHE) - User-defined weights on available selection criteria

At the same time, the needed information about CHE

- Flexible use of output (suggested CHE to be used):

productivity is provided by Productivity Stats calling

either view only or direct use in own TOS.

GetProdStats().

Optimizing container movements

Finally the detailed information about Movement costs

The Eco Route can be used to optimize any container movement such as:

(with respect to distance, time and fuel consumption) is provided by calling GetMovementCosts(Movement,

• From cranes to yard

CHEList) towards the Fleet Management system.

• From yard to cranes • From parking area to yard

The Optimization Engine collects all this information

33 www.pliroforiki.org

Figure 5: EcoRoute suggesting the best available CHE and suggests the optimal Container movement calling its own method OptimizeMovement().

setup (yard characteristics and type of CHE) - User-defined weights on available selection criteria - Flexible use of output (suggested CHE to be used):

The result is the suggested by the system list of available CHE that should be used to assign the container

either view only or direct use in own TOS.

movement, prioritised according to all the defined

The work presented the design of the system to be

criteria.

developed within the project, namely the Eco-Route and the GAS systems which also interact with certain

This can be directly inserted in the TOS Yard planning module or can be presented to the end user as an

TOS modules. The architecture foresees interoperability of the solutions with existing TOS systems, enhancing

indication/suggestion upon which he can decide the

its functionality towards more environmental-friendly

assignment.

terminal operations.

The interaction and exchange of data is also performed through a communication layer which can take the form

Conclusions

of available web services or other means of interfacing

improving their environmental performanceâ&#x20AC;? as is

that enables interoperability and easy integration with third-party applications.

state in the ESPO Green Guide [6]. Over the years the environmental priorities of the ports have changed.

The above result to a highly configurable system since

Environmental priorities of the past are now considered

it allows for: - Full flexibility based on user needs and terminal

as less important and priorities of the past years were not even included in the list of priorities at the start of

Port authorities aim to â&#x20AC;&#x153;continuously work towards

www.pliroforiki.org 34

1. Integrating the TOS systems with ITS systems (fleet management system): The proposal is focusing on integration of TOS system with ITS systems (such as fleet management solutions) for position verification. With these means providing constant and real-time information of cargo movements the terminal operator can plan and manage cargo flows more effectively and increase the profitability of their operation. 2. Implementing an Advanced Gate appointment system: The deployment of a relevant gate appointment system can also further help in alleviating any traffic congestion usually identified in port gates, since truck operators the century. Today, the environmental performance of a

arrive at the port at a pre-determined slot and

container terminal is considered equally important to its

all activities are able to be performed in a timely

operational performance. Therefore new technologies

manner.

and solutions are constantly being researched and developed to help ports increase their efficiency

3. Integrating the above two systems to currently deployed TOS systems: The integration is expected

while at the same time improving their environmental

to lead to overall optimization of the terminal

performance.

operations with more powerful tools for planning activities and efficiency in execution of daily

The ENVIROPORT project aims at achieving this by developing a system which integrates the TOS with the Fleet Management solution as well as an advanced GAS.

operations. b) Research and identification of relative KPIs in order to validate the approach and create a set of measurable

The expected results of the project are threefold:

results regarding environmental efficiency in port operations, assisting in that way in recent efforts for

a) The integration and pilot demonstration of the ICT in Container Terminal operations with a clear goal

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;greenerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ports. c) Exploitation plans both on developed systems level

to increase optimization while taking into account environmental efficiency and achieve energy savings

as well as for research organizations and participating industrial companies.

in the respective operations. This will be performed by:

References [1] Lam, J. S. L. and Notteboom, T. (2012). The Green Port Toolbox: A comparison of port management tools used by the leading ports in Asia and Europe. GP-072. The IAME 2012 Conference. 6-8 September. Taipei, Taiwan [2] Port of Long Beach (2007). Port emissions. http://www.polb.com/environment/air/port_emissions.asp Accessed 10 January 2014. [3] Le Griffin, H. D., Murphy, M., (2006). Container Terminal Productivity: Experiences at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. 1st National Urban Freight (NUF) Conference. Long Beach, California. February 2006. [4] Bish, E. K., Leong, T. - Y., Li, C. L., Ng, J. W. C., & Simchi-Levi, D. (2001). Analysis of a new vehicle scheduling and location problem. Naval Research Logistics. (Vol. 48) [5] CyberLogitec (2012). OPUS Terminal. Terminal Operating Solution. System Brochure. Website: http://www. cyberlogitec.com/terminal [6] ESPO (2012). ESPO Green Guide. http://www.espo.be Accessed 10 May 2013.

35 www.pliroforiki.org

Mr. George Tsoukos is the Head of the Applications Design and Development Unit of TREDIT S.A. Mr. Tsoukos holds a Diploma on Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and a Joint MBA from NTUA, the University of Athens and the University of Pireaus. Mr. Tsoukos has more than 10 years of experience in the telecommunication and software engineering sector, where he has designed and developed large-scale applications using state-of-the-art technologies and modelling techniques. He has been quite actively involved in several EU funded projects regarding ICT for logistics and the e-freight such as FREIGHTWISE, E-FREIGHT, EURIDICE and SMART-CM. He has also been involved in the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems as well as in the design of specific applications for effective port operations including Terminal Operating and Port Community systems for various ports in Greece. g.tsoukos@tredit.gr Alexander Stathacopoulos graduated in November 2003 from the department of Civil and Offshore Engineering of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, with a MEng in Civil Engineering. In 2005, he obtained his MSc in Construction â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Project Management, also from HeriotWatt University. From 2007 to 2009 he works in Qatar, in a Joint Venture responsible for the construction of specific parts of the New Doha International Airport (NDIA), which include the Emiri Hangars and the Cargo Terminal. His responsibilities there include site supervision, production of shop drawings, method statements and material submittals in accordance with the project technical specifications, which he was required to review and compare to the design specifications. In September 2010 he started working at the Hellenic Institute of Transport as a research associate and in January 2012 he completed his PhD in project management. Since joining HIT, he has been involved in the administrative management of various projects including large IP projects. He is a native English speaker and has a good knowledge of French. alexstath@certh.gr Dr. Georgia Ayfantopoulou is a senior researcher at the Centre of Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT). Her professional and research expertise covers the fields of: Freight transport & Logistics, Traffic & Mobility Management, Transport Systems Optimization and ICT applications in Maritime & Multimodal Transport. She holds a civil engineer diploma, Master degrees in Operations Research & in Transport Management & a PhD in Freight Transport Optimization. gea@certh.gr Mr. Apostolos Bizakis (born in 1967), is holding a Diploma in Civil Engineering (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, c. 1994) and a MSc in transport (State University of Kentucky, USA c. 1996). In his 20-year career he has worked as a freelance contract-based transport engineer both as prime contractor and as a subcontractor to other consulting firms and research institutes (1996-2002) as well as deputy advisor on transport and ICT matters to Municipal Authorities (1999-2005). Since 2006 he is partner and CEO of TREDIT SA and aside from his managerial duties, he has worked in numerous projects in the field of transport planning, ITS design studies and Port MIS System integration deployment activities as either a project manager or a key expert. Since 2007 and through consecutive contracts he works as ITS technical consultant for the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications of Cyprus Republic and is currently Vice-President of the Greek Association of Logistics and Supply Chain Management and a member of the Board of Directors of ITS Hellas Organisation. abizakis@tredit.gr Dr. Eliza GAGATSI, Dipl. Civil Engineer, MSc Transport Engineer, PhD in Maritime Policy and Head of Freight Transport and Logistics Unit at the Hellenic Institute of Transport (CERThHIT). Her main fields of expertise are freight transport and logistics as well as maritime transportation with a particular focus on policy related research. lgagatsi@certh.gr

www.pliroforiki.org 36

ICT for cooperative supply chain visibility

within a port centric intermodal setting: THE THESSALONIKI PORT-RAIL-DRYPORT INTEGRATION Dr. Eliza Gagatsi, Dr. Nikos Athanasopoulos, Dr. Dimitris Makris & Dr. Georgia Aifadopoulou

Although ICT applications in transport and logistics have gone a long way especially in the past decade, supply chain visibility still remains a challenging issue to be tackled. This is especially important in the case of a Med port-rail-dryport setting, as the FutureMed project testifies. Cooperative action of the supply chain actors involved in such a setting is required to solve the informational and ICT integration problems that still exist. This is the case of FutureMedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greek (actually involving Greece and Balkans) demonstrator, which is currently at its development phase. The present article initiates by placing supply chain visibility within its wider context and proceeds to the description of the Greek pilot aiming at enhancing such visibility by the use of ICT.

37 www.pliroforiki.org

Introduction

n the contemporary and dynamically changing environment of globalized trade, being part of the

Interoperability [6] on the other hand, refers to the ability of information and communication technology

agenda of all trans(port) nodes, seaports in particular.

(ICT) systems and the business processes they support, to exchange data and to enable sharing of information and knowledge. Interoperability, as identified in the

Being more than a complex of berths, docks, and

Digital Agenda for Europe [7] -one of the EU 2020

adjacent land where ships and cargoes are served [1], seaports should play an important role in supply chain

Strategy flagships- is essential to maximize the social and economic potential of Information and Communication

integration by serving and facilitating multi-modal

Technologies (ICT).

global supply network is, or should be, high on the

transport intersection, operating as logistics centre, adding value, linking flows, and creating supply chain patterns and processes of their own [2]. In periods of economic distress and decreased freight volumes, the effectiveness of global supply networks is strongly dependant on the exploitation of intermodal, multimodal, combined, co-modal or -the recently introduced- synchro-modal ways of transportation all of which focus on the cooperation among transport modes under the unique goal of supply chain integration. Among the main hindrances of intermodal transport, one could identify the complexity of multimodal freight transport information exchange resulting from the lack

Today,

limited

transport

chain

visibility

and

interoperability are still the case, mainly as a result of the transport sector evolving along national lines and ICT systems being developed as “silo-ed applications”[8], following different industrial structures, operations and information/data models. In the case of a seaport, the ability to operate as an integrated node of the maritime supply chain facilitating land accessibility through the provision of ICT driven Value Added Services (VAS), comprises a unique competitive advantage in this particular period where the ports are depending on global supply chain and terminal operators rather than the opposite.

of interoperability along the supply chain, the need for provision of information several times for different

This paper aims to present a case of a cooperative supply chain visibility within a port-centric intermodal

purposes, the lack of information on multimodal

setting, focusing on the maritime rail interface. The

availabilities and the lack of integration of information

examined port-case concerns the Thessaloniki port,

from tracking and tracing technologies and intelligent

established on the crossroads of Pan-European corridors IV and X and comprising a gateway port of the eastern

cargo applications [3]. The existence of different types of inefficiencies, costs, and reduced visibility of freight,

Mediterranean. Although being a rail connected port,

often lead to a perceived complexity for multimodal transport and subsequently to its sub-exploitation,

it seems that still today it has not exploited its full potential in terms of traffic and catchment area. This is

coupled usually with the non-optimized use of existing transport infrastructure.

especially true regarding rail traffic, at a time when road

Visibility and interoperability are probably the most critical ones, as these underpin the performance of a

cost, also through a series of relevant externalities (congestion, environmental impacts etc).

number of operational issues and at the same time they operate in a mutually reinforcing manner. Supply Chain Visibility is perceived as “a firm’s ability to collect and analyze distributed data, generate specific recommendations, and match insights to strategy.” [4]. Or, put in a slightly different way, as “the ability to access or view pertinent data or information as it relates to logistics and the supply chain, regardless of the point in the chain where the data exists” [5].

transport appears as the preferred alternative, despite the fact that this preference increases the total transport

Port-rail integration in perspective Port-rail integration is a critical issue for the Mediterranean basin. Looking at the current state of the ports & maritime sector one can clearly see that, since China’s advent in the world economic scene in the last decade, the main maritime flows of Europe and the Mediterranean are linked to the Far East (13.7 m TEUs from Far East to Europe and 6.3 m TEUs on the opposite direction in 2012 [9]). From these flows, approximately 1/3 uses the Med ports

www.pliroforiki.org 38

and the remaining 2/3 the north EU ports, creating a trade, transport and economic imbalance. Allowing a more balanced distribution of entry/exit flows is a vital aim of the European infrastructure policy for ports, as stated in the 2011 White Paper. The main reason behind this imbalance is the relative (to the north EU region) ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the Mediterranean as a maritime gateway/ transhipment zone. And this is to a large extent due to the lack of the required port-rail integration. FutureMed is a strategic project of the MED Programme that aims to improve the competitiveness of the Mediterranean port system by enhancing accessibility through technology and procedural innovations. The project addresses the 3 strategic sectors involved in maritime transportation namely freight, passenger and cruise and focuses on the realization of interoperable

to private (company) terminals in Skopje (FYROM), being used mainly for the transportation of bulk products.

management information systems and on the reduction of transport related externalities. Regarding

The main actors involved are the Thessaloniki Port

freight, FutureMed focuses especially on the port-rail

Authority, the rail operator (TRAINOSE S.A.), two inland

integration area. In 2013, the project partners conducted an extended survey based on personal interviews

terminals (one for container handling and one for bulk

with private and public supply chain actors along the Mediterranean coast. The interviews were undertaken

handling), and the shipping agents.

in 6 Med countries (Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia

3.2 Informational and ICT integration The main problem currently faced is the limited

and Cyprus), involving ports/port operators, ocean

(regarding

carriers, rail operators, terminal operators, customs,

(regarding bulk cargo) visibility along the intermodal chain, and more specifically between port, rail and

health inspection authorities, cruise lines, and public transport operators, and were focused on identifying gaps in three areas: trade facilitation, supply chain visibility, and passenger/cruise infomobility. The area where the major gaps and opportunities for improving Med ports competitiveness were identified, was the one of supply chain visibility and integration along the port-rail-dryport chain. Three real-life cases (pilots) are focusing on that issue: one in Spain, one in Italy, and one in Greece. The latter one is described in the following section.

The pilot project 3.1 The physical corridors For the Greek FutureMed case, 2 intermodal corridors have been identified as test beds : • Corridor A: linking the port of Thessaloniki via rail to the inland terminal of Yana (Sofia, Bulgaria). It concerns containerised transport and is to become operational in the next months • Corridor B: linking the port of Thessaloniki via rail

containerised

cargo)

non-existent

inland (dry) port. In the case of containerised cargo, although various status messages are currently being exchanged (CALINF, COARRI, RAILCOARRI), these are confined between the port and the railway operator, but do not extend to the dryport operator. As a result of this: • the shipping agents’ (customers’) view of the whole process is confined to the part from the ship arrival to the loading of the train (and vice versa) • the shipping agents and/or freight forwarders are not provided with any visibility on rail wagon availability and schedules so that they can plan the further movements in advance, and of course they cannot proceed with any wagon bookings • the port operator, having no visibility on the planned rail movements cannot plan adequately its operations (manpower & equipment planning) • the final customer (retail or manufacturing company) does not have visibility over the entire intermodal

39 www.pliroforiki.org

Aiming at port-rail informational integration, the information currently exchanged is to be extended covering currently missing information elements, business areas & supply chain actors. The following table summarises the current and pilot-specific (future) information exchanges. In the case of corridor B that involves the bulk terminal of the port of Thessaloniki, currently no integrated IT system is available. The information exchanged among the different actors is implemented via paperwork, telephones, physical presence etc. No Single Window service or standardised messages are currently applicable in the case of the bulk terminal. Regarding journey. • all actors have to combined various pieces of information from various sources (no single visibility solution available). To overcome those visibility gaps, actions for port-raildryport integration are foreseen within the FutureMed pilot focusing at two levels: at the informational level, and at the ICT level.

INFORMATION CURRENTLY EXCHANGED INFO ELEMENT

Ship ETA

Shipping Agents

ThPA

Ship arrival notification Cargo unloaded notification Cargo in temporary storage Cargo loaded to rail Rail arrival notification

Shipping Agents

ThPA

Rail freight forwarder Rail freight forwarder

ThPA

Table 1: Information exchanged (currently and in the pilot scenario)

this will become operational in the following months, the information exchanged presented in the previous Table is noted as “currently exchanged” as this is the information used in relation to all other corridors. Thus it can be migrated immediately in the case of Corridor A. Furthermore, the use of a Single Transport Document (STD) specifically focused on the port-rail integration will be examined as a means of integrating the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE EXCHANGED IN THE PILOT TESTING

ACTOR FROM

Corridor A, although it was previously mentioned that

ThPA

INFO ELEMENT

ACTOR FROM

Rail ETA

Inland port / Trainose / Rail freight forwarder

ThPA

Rail wagon availability inquiry Rail wagon availability

Shipping Agents

ThPA / Trainose

Trainose

ThPA / Shipping Agents

Rail wagon booking Consignment status request (containerised cargo) Consignment status (containerised cargo) Damage report (containerised cargo) Consignment status request (bulk cargo) Consignment status (bulk cargo)

Shipping Agents

ThPA / Trainose

Inland port / Shipping Agents

ThPA / Trainose

Inland port / Shipping Agents

ThPA

Rail freight forwarder

Inland port / Shipping Agents

ThPA / Trainose

Inland port / Shipping Agents

www.pliroforiki.org 40

information exchanged by the different actors involved. This examination is to be performed in conjunction with the other FutureMed pilots focusing on supply chain visibility, so that any results obtained can have a Med-wide added value. The informational integration will be translated also into ICT integration. This is to be

Conclusions Supply chain integration is an area where a lot still remains to be achieved. This is especially the case when considering intermodal transportation, and even more when the focus is on a geographical region such as the Mediterranean.

achieved by the development of interfaces between the existing systems of ThPA and Trainose, so that clients

Among the main hindrances of intermodal transport,

can access visibility information through a unified

one can identify the complexity of intermodal freight

channel, i.e. a visibility single window. Existing sources of information, for example the CTMIS (Container

transport information exchange resulting from the lack of interoperability along the supply chain, the need

Terminal Management Information System existing in

for provision of information several times for different

the port side) and the railway operator’s order/cargo/

purposes, the lack of information on intermodal services’

wagon management system (rail side) are to be used in

availability and the lack of integration of information

that respect.

from tracking and tracing technologies and intelligent cargo applications. To that respect, visibility and

3.3 Expected impacts

interoperability are probably the most critical aspects, as

Enhancing port-rail-inland port visibility is the ultimate

these underpin the performance or underperformance of a number of operational issues and at the same time

expected impact of the pilot. In order to achieve this, the pilot organisations will: • Identify opportunities for harmonising information/ documentation exchanges between the various operators along the port-rail-dryport chain • Investigate the use of a Single Transport Document (STD) specifically focused on the port-rail integration,

they operate in a mutually reinforcing or disintegrating manner. Recently, the FutureMed project (a strategic project of the Med Programme) conducted an extended survey based on personal interviews with private and public

as a means of integrating the information exchanged

supply chain actors along the Mediterranean coast.

by the different actors involved • Implement the necessary interfaces between the

involving ports/port operators, ocean carriers, rail

existing systems and provide visibility through a single point (visibility single window) • Identify the aspects of the pilot that can be transferred into other port-rail-inland port business settings.

The interviews were undertaken in 6 Med countries, operators, terminal operators, customs, health inspection authorities, cruise lines, and public transport operators, and were focused on identifying gaps in three areas: trade facilitation, supply chain visibility, and passenger/ cruise infomobility. The area where the major gaps (i.e.

In order to assess the pilot’s impact a KPI’s based

opportunities for improving Med ports competitiveness) were identified, was the one of supply chain visibility and

methodology focusing on qualitative and quantitative

integration along the port-rail-dryport chain. Three real-

aspects will be employed. The qualitative aspects will

life cases (pilots) are focusing on that issue: one in Spain, one in Italy, and one in Greece.

capture the supply chain actors’ views on the suitability and usefulness of the visibility information received. The quantitative aspects will identify the cost efficiencies achieved as a result of either the additional information, or the increased cost effectiveness of capturing current information in an improved compared to the current way. Finally, quite important are the expected future impacts identified by the pilot partners in terms of increased use of the port-rail chain, in comparison to the port-road one.

The Greek case (pilot project) involves 2 international corridors towards the Balkans, one focusing on containerised cargo and the other on bulk cargo. The main problem currently faced is the limited (regarding containerised cargo) or non-existent (regarding bulk cargo) visibility along the intermodal chain, and more specifically between port, rail and dryport. To overcome those visibility gaps, actions for port-rail-dryport

41 www.pliroforiki.org

integration are foreseen, focusing at two levels: at the informational level, and at the ICT level. Aiming at port-rail informational integration, the information currently exchanged is to be extended covering currently missing information elements, business areas, and supply chain actors. The informational integration will be translated also into ICT integration. This is to be achieved by the development of interfaces between the existing systems of the corridor

actors, so that clients can access visibility information through a unified channel, i.e. a visibility single window. Furthermore, the use of a Single Transport Document (STD) specifically focused on the port-rail integration will be examined as a means of integrating the information exchanged by the different actors involved. Enhancing port-rail-dryport visibility and achieving technical interoperability is the ultimate expected impact of the Greek pilot.

References [1] International Handbook of Network Industries : The Liberalisation of Infrastructures, M.Finger, W.Kunekke,Edward Elgar Publising Limited, 2011 [2] Bichou K and R.Gray, 2005 A critical review of conventional terminology for classifying seaports, Transport Research A, 39, pg 75-92 [3] Schlewing, Astrid. “ICT for transport logistics in a White Paper context:Paperless multimodal freight ransport.’, E-Freight Conference 2012, Delft : DG MOVE – Maritime Transport & Logistics. [4] Use New Supply Chain Visibility Technologies To Improve Customer Service And Return On Assets, G. Lawrie, M. Gilpin, S. Rose, 2011 [5] Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), “Glossary of Terms”, 2010. [6] CEC, “iDA: Interchange of Data Between Administration, European Interoperability Framework for Pan – European e-Government Services” FRAMEWORK, working document- V4.2-January 2004 [7] CEC, “The Digital Agenda for Europe - Driving European growth digitally”, Brussels, 18.12.2012, COM(2012) 784 final [8] C. Panou, “Document-based interoperability approach to freight SMEs” in ECITL 2011 Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece [9] “Stuck in the Slow Lane”, Containerisation International, p. 6, May 2013. Dr. Eliza GAGATSI, Dipl. Civil

Dr. Nikos ATHANASOPOULOS, is

Engineer, MSc Transport Engineer, PhD in Maritime Policy and Head

Strategic Planning Senior Advisor at TRAINOSE S.A., the Greek

of Freight Transport and Logistics Unit at the Hellenic Institute of

railway operating company.

Transport (CERTh-HIT). Her main fields of expertise are freight transport and logistics as well as maritime transportation

Dr. Georgia AIFADOPOULOU is a

with a particular focus on policy related research.

senior researcher at the Centre of

Dr. Dimitris MAKRIS, is an M. Eng, Sea Transport & Port Operations Specialist, Head of the Strategic Planning, Marketing & Sales Department of Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A.(ThPA SA)

Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT). Her professional and research expertise covers the fields of: Freight transport & Logistics, Traffic & Mobility Management, Transport Systems Optimization and ICT applications in Maritime & Multimodal Transport. She holds a civil engineer diploma, Master degrees in Operations Research & in Transport Management & a PhD in Freight Transport Optimization.

www.pliroforiki.org 42

Spanish Port-Hinterland Intermodal Information FUTUREMED PILOT

Dr. Susana Val , Fernando Rold谩n & Salvador Furi贸

This paper presents one pilot demonstrator that is being designed and developed by the Spanish team involved in the MED project FUTUREMED. It shows the necessity of automated information exchange for making port-hinterland intermodal corridors more efficient and how interoperable information systems contribute to this target.. The pilot aims the analysis of the current situation at port-hinterland intermodal corridors in terms of operations, information systems,logistics activities, identifying the main gaps and shortfalls, and proposing solutions. Furthermore, the work involves the compilation of documentation and operation requirements for every actor involved and also to create a methodology based on these requirements to define an information system model to be finally tested. The result will be an IT operative solution that will enable automated information exchange among the corridor actors in order to develop sustainable and efficient intermodal port-hinterland corridors.

43 www.pliroforiki.org

Introduction

• Solutions to enable visibility along the transport

UTUREMED (Freight and passengers sUpporting infomobiliTy systems for a sUstainable impRovEment of the competitiveness of port-

hinterland systems of the MED area) is a project under the MED Programme that aims to improve the competitiveness of port systems in the MED area by improving accessibility through technology and procedural innovations, and guaranteeing sustainability of transport. The idea focuses on the realization of interoperable management information systems and on the reduction of externalities. The project addresses three strategic sectors: freight traffic, passenger traffic (Ro-Pax) and touristic traffic (cruises).

chain for the operators. • Solutions for specific supply chain (e.g. agro-food). Under the spectrum of overall strategic objectives of the FUTUREMED project, namely to strengthen competitiveness of port systems of the MED area by means of the improvement of accessibility, a part of the project is focused on the technology side, namely the implementation of an interoperable management information system [1] that will make Med Ports more attractive by: • Removing current bottlenecks • Making passenger and goods transport flows smoother and swifter

FUTURE-MED project provides instant results, as it will be focused on the integration of ports with the

• Increasing interaction between port operators, customers and stakeholders

hinterland, on the development of logistics activities

• Integrating the currently fragmented information on

and intermodal transport in the back areas of ports,

port characteristics, activity and specialization One of the two major issues of FUTUREMED focuses on

on the development of infomobility with the aim of more efficient, on the specialization of port systems and

the currently fragmented information provision/ sharing in the various phases of transport and supply chains

on the improvement of the quality of services which

involving MED ports (Figure 1). The project addresses

integrate the port with the hinterland. The project intends to define and implement, by means

this through the development of an Interoperability Framework and Visibility Platform [1] to improve

of concerted territorial actions and pilot projects,

information exchange among transport and supply

sustainable middle - and long-term development

chain actors.

fostering attractiveness and to make the port system

strategies. These will be focused on: • The removal of the current barriers concerning accessibility of ports (seaside and landside). • The integration of ports with the hinterland. • The development of logistic activities and intermodal transport connected with ports. • The development of infomobility aiming at fostering attractiveness and making port system more efficient. • The specialization of port systems.

Within FUTUREMED, a number of pilot projects have been foreseen. This paper is focused on the development of a specific pilot working inside this Interoperability Framework and Visibility Platform. In the next section we describe the proposed pilot project related to this platform, called Spanish Port Hinterland Intermodal Information System (SPHIIS), main topic of this article, implemented by Fundación Valencia Port and Zaragoza Logistics Center.

Specific applications will be developed: • A dynamic system for the real-time management of

The Spanish Port Hinterland Intermodal Information System

freight and passenger flows, aiming at identifying

The main objective of the demonstrator is to improve

actions to remove congestion and bottlenecks in

the efficiency and visibility of intermodal seaporthinterland containerized transport corridors on

the interface between ports and related territories (specifically ports included in cities). • Solutions to digitalize intra-EU port-to-port and port-to-operators

communications

bureaucratic duties (e.g. Customs).

transnational maritime door-to-door transport chains, through the development of interoperable solutions and standards to integrate port systems with inland logistic infrastructures [2].

www.pliroforiki.org 44

Figure 1. Example of the business process

This improvement in integration involves not only terminal operators at seaport and inland facilities but

The demonstrator will be developed in the ValenciaZaragoza corridor (Figure 2), which connects the Port

also all related stakeholders in intermodal corridors such as railway operators, shippers, railway undertakings,

of Valencia, main container port in the Mediterranean, with the Logistics Platform of Zaragoza - PLAZA, the

maritime agents, freight forwarders, truck companies

largest logistics premises on the European continent.

and customs.

Figure 2. SPHIIS pilot graphical representation

45 www.pliroforiki.org

The results, however, will be transferable to other corridors in the Mediterranean area involving different

• Improved track and trace services. • Increased operations efficiency.

ports and inland nodes.

• Extension of the ports hinterland area. • Improved access to maritime transport services by

2.1. Description [2]

land locked regions.

The Spanish demonstrator will focus mainly on the improvement of information exchange through the

• Dynamics for improvement.

implementation of standards and the development

• Improved transport service levels and customer

of the necessary interoperable IT solutions to simplify procedures and integrate different involved partners simplifying and automating information exchange. This will lead to an improvement in the quality of

perception. • Reduced costs and increased economic benefits in intermodal transport chains.

information, reduction of administrative burden, better

2.3. Proposed solution

planning of operations, reduction of waiting times,

The proposed solution involves a set of standard

improvement in visibility and traceability and increased efficiency.

informations flows, messages and e-services to be developed at existing IT Platforms or systems such as

In order to deal with this, examples of specific activities

Port Community Systems, and/or new complementary web platforms (WP), where every supply chain actor

that are planned are: • Analysis of the main activities (services provided, operational processes, administrative procedures, customs procedures and controls, internal and external information exchange) in port and inland intermodal terminals. • Analysis of the visibility at port-hinterland corridors and identification of main bottlenecks, problems and areas of improvement. • Definition of the specific IT services, standards and interoperable solutions to be developed. • Transnational assessment of the process mapping and the interoperable solutions and standards

benchmarking

and

continuous

can interact using the current standards (EDIFACT and OASIS) and specifications, having a complete knowledge over the entire business process (Figure 3).

This application will support Web services for document interchange between actors and between actors and existing solutions (Customs, Port Authority, Spanish Railway Infrastructure Manager, Terminals Operating Systems and railway company Transport Management System).

proposed in order to guarantee the transferability of the solutions proposed. • Development and pilot test of the proposed solutions required, involving all actors.

Through different interviews and workshops with actors involved in the transport chain we have concluded that any final solution should: • Try to adopt the most extended public and private

2.2. Benefits [2]

technologies and standards.

Some of the main benefits to be achieved through the implementation of the experiences of this demonstrator have already been stated:

• Make use of open standards and solutions.

• Accurate and timely information at intermodal port-

• Build simple and affordable solutions that can be

hinterland corridors and their inland hub networks

implemented and supported by small and medium

for operators and users or customers. • Reduction of administrative burden. • Better planning of operations and resource management. • Reduced waiting times for trains and trucks.

• Provide a standard semantic that allows any actor to align their information with any other.

enterprises. • Be hosted by a public administration that can give confidence to companies in terms of data protection.

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Figure 3. Web platform

Conclusions

• Removing current bottlenecks

Transport and logistic stakeholders, in general,

• Making goods transport flows smoother and swifter

acknowledge the need for improved availability, more

• Increasing interaction between port operators,

accurate and faster flow of information, good track and trace facilities and improvements in customs

customers and stakeholders • Integrating the currently fragmented information on

procedures. An improved and standardized transport

ports characteristics, activities and specialization

and logistics network system benefits the internal market dynamic, improves territorial cohesion, along

This will lead to an improvement in the communication

with the competitiveness and growing capacity of the European Union. In the specific case of this project the

systems between the Port of Valencia, all the actors

integration with the port with its hinterland seems to

hinterland composed by companies operating together

be a good opportunity to make the MED area ports attractive, in order to attract new traffic within the

with the ADIF in PLAZA.

Mediterranean Sea. Although the SPHIIS is in the phase of design and

involved in the corridor Valencia-Zaragoza, and the

Moreover, the results will be also transferable to other corridors in the Mediterranean area involving different ports and inland nodes.

development, there are a number of goals the pilot aims to achieve after its implementation, such as:

References [1] E. Gagatzi, A. Halatsis and A. Stathakopoulos, «Methodological Framework of FUTUREMED Work-Package 5: To improve Information Management Systems,» 2012. [2] Fundación Valencia Port and Zaragoza Logistics Center, «Spanish Port Interland Intermodal Information System,» 2012.

47 www.pliroforiki.org

Dr. Susana Val is the Principal Investigator for the Transport Research Group and Associate Research Professor at Zaragoza Logistics Center. She won the CEL Award (Centro Español de Logística) for the best thesis project oin Logistics 2008. She is involved as a researcher in the Group of Transport and Logistics Engineering (GITEL) at the University of Zaragoza. Furthermore, she studied the Master of Engineering and Logistics at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) as a visiting student. Her current research activities are city logistics and urban freight distribution. Also, she participates in various projects related to multimodal transport, green corridors and the carbon footprint. Fernando Roldán is Transport Research Coordinator at Zaragoza Logistics Center. He holds two MSc degrees in Logistics and Industrial Engineering, both from the University of Zaragoza. In his 20-year professional life, he has worked in industry as Logistics Director and General Manager for companies in the domains of ICT, infrastructure, electronics and health. As Transport Research Coordinator at ZLC he has participated in different projects related to supply chain, single window for logistics, intermodality and the carbon footprint. Salvador Furió is Director of Logistics at the Valenciaport Foundation. He is Industrial Engineering by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and holds a MoS in Ports Management and Intermodal Transport by Comillas University (ICADE). He has participated in many transport and logistics research projects at national, European and international level, always related with container logistics, maritime and intermodal transport. He collaborates regularly teaching at different master programs from the Universities of Valencia and Castellon and the Polytechnic Universities of Barcelona and Valencia, and participates at national and international congress concerning logistics and transport.

ΔΙΑΦΗΜΙΣΤΕΙΤΕ ADVERTISE IN ΣΤΗΝ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ PLIROFORIKI Διαφημίζοντας στο περιοδικό Πληροφορική προωθείτε τις υπηρεσίες και τα προϊόντα σας σε περισσότερους από 5000 αναγνώστες, επαγγελματίες και ειδικούς των ΤΠΕ, οργανισμούς και χρήστες στον ιδιωτικό και δημόσιο τομέα. Για πληροφορίες σχετικά με τιμές και κρατήσεις για τα επόμενα μας τεύχη, επικοινωνήστε με την Yπεύθυνη Δημοσίων Σχέσεων του Κυ.Συ.Π., Χριστίνα Παπαμιλτιάδου τηλ. 22460680, email: c_papamiltiadou@ccs.org.cy.

By advertising in “Pliroforiki” you are promoting your services and products to more than 5000 ICT professionals, organizations and users of technology in the private and public sectors. For information regarding prices and reservations you may contact the CCS Public Relations Officer Christina Papamiltiadou at tel. 22460680, email: c_papamiltiadou@ccs.org.cy.

www.pliroforiki.org 48

Operational ICT Gaps IN THE

Mediterranean Ports Dr. Eliza Gagatsi & Kyriakos E. Georgiou

FutureMed1 aims at enhancing the competitiveness of port systems in the Mediterranean area by improving accessibility through technological and process innovations and ensuring transportation sustainability. The projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has identified three added value areas (a) on the facilitation of intermodal transportation, through the improved customs compliance of the port-centric supply chain actors (b) on the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of intermodal transport, through the provision of enhanced intermodal chain services visibility to the different actors involved and (c) the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of maritime passenger and cruise transport, through the provision of info-mobility services.

1. FutureMed Project nÂ° 2S-MED11-29 is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

49 www.pliroforiki.org

• Improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of maritime passenger and cruise transport, through the provision of info-mobility services The validation research included (a) a desktop survey to identify on-going developments, (b) a trans-national survey based on structured face-to-face interviews with relevant actors and (c) Interaction with stakeholders through specifically organised events at national and trans-national level. The desktop research focused on the areas of Single Windows, Port Community Systems and customs ICT Systems and Regulatory Issues, identifying the current status quo, on-going initiatives and expected developments. The trans-national survey was undertaken in the period March - June 2013, in 5 Mediterranean countries (Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia and Greece), using face-to-face structured interviews and covering 7 main Med port areas and involving more than 45 actors/ stakeholders. The objective of this document is to present in a summarised way the main results of the research focusing on the major problems, gaps and value-adding opportunities identified.

The Big Picture Port-hinterland integration is a critical issue for all

Introduction

utureMed

mentioned

above

aims

enhancing the competitiveness of port systems in the Mediterranean (Med) area by improving

accessibility through technological and process innovations and ensuring transportation sustainability. The project’s scope covers three strategic sectors freight, passengers and cruise - and is focused on the port-hinterland interface. The project exploits a mixture of technological solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), best practices guidelines and successful business/operational models tailored to the needs and special characteristics of the Med area. In this context three added value areas were identified: • Facilitation of intermodal transportation, through the improved customs compliance of the portcentric supply chain actors • Iimprovement of the effectiveness and efficiency of intermodal transport, through the provision of enhanced intermodal chain services visibility to the different actors involved

Mediterranean port systems playing a “gateway” role towards the hinterland. Trying to convert this term into a more operational language, port-hinterland integration can be translated into “smooth cargo flow” from sea, to port and to the hinterland, and vice versa. Looking at a typical supply chain passing from a Mediterranean port (what we usually call a “Med port-centric supply chain”), in order to achieve smooth cargo flow there are two requirements: reliable transport connections (maritime on the sea side and rail/barge/road on the hinterland side), and efficient transfer points (sea ports and dryports). For these requirements to be met processes along the supply chain will have to be streamlined and synchronised and operational information should be made available to guide management decisions and ensure compliance with respective regulatory requirements. ICT plays a crucial role in this respect as can be seen in the following Figure 1: ICT supported port-hinterland integration.

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Figure 1: ICT Supported Port-Hinterland Integration

Looking at a typical port-centric supply chain as the one

As expected, due to its compliance focus the maritime

in Figure 1: ICT supported port-hinterland integration; one can identify three distinct areas: the maritime,

part is highly regulated in terms of procedures and systems and in the exclusive competence and duty

the port and the hinterland. The main focus on the

of customs authorities, harbour masters and other

maritime part is compliance with existing regulations

governmental /public organisations.

regarding the cargo and the ship. A number of Single Window applications are currently used or are under development to facilitate the respective information

From the port side the main role in terms of information facilitation is played by the Port Community Systems

exchange needs. These include:

(PCS) and the Terminal Operation System (TOS). The former links governmental and private actors within the

• The Customs Single Windows, facilitating customs declaration exchange so that goods receive the

port area, while the latter ensures the efficient execution of all logistics activities within the terminal.

necessary clearance for import and export • The Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES), facilitating the certification of veterinary information

Finally, information along the hinterland part is characterised by a variety of systems, technologies and

• The SafeSeaNet (SSN), monitoring vessel traffic to

applications (RFID, GPS, national/regional platforms,

ensure maritime safety, port/maritime security and marine environmental protection, and

collaboration platforms, etc.). ICT systems on the hinterland part are focused on ensuring the efficiency

• The under development Maritime Single Windows

of supply chain operations, with interoperability as their

(MSW), to provide a single point where information regarding ship reporting formalities is reported electronically once and made available to various competent authorities and the Member States.

main challenge.

Intermodal Transport Facilitation Both import and export processes and relevant reporting formalities were examined, focusing on the

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Entry Summary Declaration (ENS), the Exit Summary

system, AP+, M Customs etc.)

Declaration (EXS), the Summary Declaration for

• Market solutions operating as third-party interfaces

Temporary Storage (SDTS), the Arrival Notification (AN),

between shipping lines/ freight forwarders/ shippers

the Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) and

and the relevant (customs) authorities (e.g. DAKOSY,

the Notification of Security Information (SI) procedures. The interviews aimed at identifying the main processes

M-customs, etc.), increasingly providing interfaces for additional national customs authorities,

followed for the preparation and submission of the

among which the Mediterranean ones. The variety

respective documents to the relevant authorities/

experienced in the submission of the required

bodies, the various systems used, the information flows,

administrative forms is shown in the following

the actors involved, the main gaps and missing links

Table 1: Submission Characteristics of Regulatory

as well as any existing best practice cases. The main

Compliance Documents.

findings are presented in the following sections.

Variety of Systems and Technologies

No Content-Specific Variations at National Level

A variety of systems and relevant technologies is currently used or being developed for the preparation

The survey also inquired about any national specifications other national / regional particularities

and submission of the examined administrative forms

preventing content standardization. In general, no

to the customs authorities. The main categories of

variations were reported regarding the information

systems/applications that were identified include:

requested for each document/form among the different

• Proprietary applications developed by shipping

Mediterranean countries and the examined entry ports.

lines/ ocean carriers (e.g. Maersk, MSC, etc.) for

The existence of national specifications was reported

supporting trade formalities’ fulfilment. Those

only once concerning one additional field, while in all

systems actually operate as interfaces connecting the companies to the national e-customs systems

other cases the information requested was limited to the fields included in the official forms of the European

and solutions

Commission for each document (e.g. ENS, EXS, and

• Single window or one-stop-shop solutions at port-

CVED).

or national-level (e.g. the Valencia Port community

DOCUMENT

SUBMISSION TO...

SYSTEM USED

INFORMATION / MESSAGE FORMAT

Entry Summary Declaration (ENS)

Customs Authority

EDI, Web service

XML, EDI

Arrival Notification (AN)

Port Authority (PA submits to Customs)

Own application, Web service

XML, EDI

Summary Declaration for Temporary Storage (SDTS)

Port Authority (PA submits to Customs)

Own application

XML, EDI, PDF

Notification of Security Information (SI)

PCS, Port Authority

Own application, Web service, EDI

XML, PDF

Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED)

Health Inspection Authority, Customs office, PCS

Web service (TRACES), Paper

XML, Flat text file

Exit Summary Declaration (EXS)

Customs office, PCS, Port Authority

EDI, Web service, Own application

XML, EDI

Source: FutureMed transnational survey Table 1: Submission Characteristics of Regulatory Compliance Documents

www.pliroforiki.org 52

Multitude of Initiatives Underway

Commission, and investments in new EU wide IT systems

Facilitating customs (and regulation compliance in

and supporting activities. The realisation of the MCC

general) is an area being addressed by many initiatives

has been postponed until the end of 2020. To add to

at EU and national level, especially during the past

the unpredictability of the whole environment, and the

couple of years. Among the most important ones, is the on-going effort to harmonise the reporting formalities,

many issues to be resolved first at the MS level, a recent

applicable to maritime transport, for ships arriving in

“technical IT implementation should be part of an IT

and departing from ports situated in Member States (MS). According to the respective Directive2, MS

strategy needing to be developed and agreed by the

shall accept the fulfilment of reporting formalities in electronic format and their transmission via a Single Window to be operational no later than 1 June 2015. This Single Window, linking SafeSeaNet, e-Customs and other electronic systems, shall be the place where

study on behalf of the European Parliament6 stated that

Member States” with the total implementation period ranging from December 2017 (base case) to March 2033 (worst case). Another relevant initiative is the one of the Blue Belt. In July 2013, a new Communication7 was released,

various competent authorities and the Member States.

proposing the amendment of the existing Customs Code and easing customs formalities for intra-EU

An expert group2 (eMS) has been setup to assist the

shipping and for ships calling in third country ports.

Commission in the implementation of the reporting formalities directive, by developing specifications and

What is common in all of the above is that due to their

services for the electronic data exchange and Single

compliance nature they are highly regulated in terms

Windows for the EU Maritime transport and focusing

of procedures and systems (e-maritime, e-customs, SafeSeaNet, etc.) thus the ability of private operators to

all information is reported once and made available to

on the areas of customs, border control, health and data mapping and functionalities.

influence the speed of their development is quite limited. However, one can not underestimate the positive steps

Another important initiative is the recast of Regulation

already undertaken by the national customs authorities

(EC) No 450/2008 (2012)4 and Customs20205, laying down the Community Customs Code (Modernised

increasingly expanding the services of their systems

Customs Code) aimed at the adaptation of customs

strange that the majority of the stakeholders in the FutureMed survey were in general terms satisfied with

legislation to fit, but also to govern, the electronic

(e.g. AIDA in Italy and ICISNet in Greece). Thus, it is not

environment for customs and trade. The implementation of a major part of the processes to be introduced

their interfaces to the customs systems.

depends on the definition and the development, by the

Moreover, one cannot underestimate the importance

Commission, the national customs administrations and the economic operators, of a wide range of electronic

of the recent revised view of the UNECE on the further

systems.

more interesting considering that UNECE was the main initiator of the SW concept. According to the revised

This requires a complex set up of actions between the Member states, the trade community and the

view8, the focus should be shifted from developing

development of Single Windows. This becomes even

additional Single Windows facilitating regulatory

2. Directive 2010/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on reporting formalities for ships arriving in and/or departing from ports of the Member States and repealing Directive 2002/6/EC 3. Expert group on Maritime administrative simplification and electronic information services (eMS group) 4. Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL laying down the Union Customs Code (Recast), COM(2012) 64 final, Brussels, 20.2.2012 5. http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs/procedural_aspects/general/community_code/index_en.htm 6. PWC (2012) Study for European Parliament on the Implementation of the Modernised Customs Code» 7. COM(2013)510, Blue Belt, a Single Transport Area for Shipping, Communication from the Commission 8. UNECE (2013) Trends for collaboration in international trade: Building a common Single Window Environment

53 www.pliroforiki.org

procedures, to increasing the interoperability among existing inter-organization systems (IOS). This is a very

currently used or being developed for the preparation and submission of visibility-related information along

important issue and should be taken into consideration.

the intermodal chain. The main categories of systems/

Intermodal Chain Visibility Provision

applications that were identified providing visibility

The second thematic area was focused on the visibility

information include: • Proprietary applications developed and used by

aspects of port-based intermodal transportation in the

the various shipping lines. They provide visibility

Mediterranean with a special focus on maritime-port-

information for vessels and cargo. The information is

rail-dry-port interfaces. The aim was to capture how

restricted to the company’s network and customers.

visibility is perceived by the various Mediterranean stakeholders and identify the major missing links and

• Various national vessel traffic monitoring systems and the SafeSeaNet (the European vessel traffic

the relevant priority areas where additional visibility is

monitoring and information system), providing

needed. The main messages revealed, are described in the following sections.

positioning and safety related information at national and EU level. Main sources of information include the Automatic Identification System (AIS) based position reports, and the notification messages sent by the

Variety of Systems and Technologies Used

designated authorities in the various countries (for

A variety of systems and relevant technologies is

LEG OF A SEAPORT-RAILDRY-PORT CHAIN Maritime – port interface (unloading to port)

Port-rail interface (loaded to rail)

the SSN)

EVENTS

FROM...

TO...

SYSTEM USED

INFORMATION / MESSAGE FORMAT

Ship ETA

Shipping line/ agent

Port Authority, Port Operator

Web service

XML, EDI

Ship arrival notification

Mooring services

Shipping line, Port Operator, Official administrative bodies, Logistics Operators

EDI, Web service

XML, EDI

Cargo unloaded

Shipping line/ agent, Port/ Terminal Operator

EDI, Web service

EDI

Cargo in temporary storage status

Shipping line/ agent

Port Authority,

Customs Authority

EDI

Cargo discharge

Shipping line/ agent, Port/ Terminal Operator

EDI, Web service

EDI

Cargo loaded- rail

Port-rail Terminal Operator Rail Operator/ Undertaking

Port-rail Terminal Operator Rail Operator/ Railway Undertaking

Flat text file

Rail Operator / Undertaking, Dryport Operator

Rail Operator/ Undertaking, Dry-port Operator

Flat text file

Cargo shipped Rail-dry-port (unloaded to dry-port)

Cargo arrive at dry-port

Source: FutureMed transnational survey Table 2: Exchange Characteristics of Intermodal Chain Visibility Information

www.pliroforiki.org 54

MARITIME-PORT

PORT-RAIL

RAIL-DRY-PORT

Spain

Low

High

France

Medium

High

Italy

High

Medium

Greece

Low

High

Medium

Slovenia

Low

Medium

Low

Source: FutureMed transnational survey Table 3: Need for Additional Visibility • Different port IT systems and solutions, providing

their hinterland), is either provided in a fragmented

various information “packages” focusing mainly on the cargo monitoring within the port area (e.g.

way or not provided at all. Moreover, the availability of Med-wide visibility on the intermodal services of all

Arrival Notification, loading/unloading, storage,

major ports to their hinterland is currently missing, thus

etc.).

hindering to a large extend the competitiveness of the Mediterranean port systems.

The variety experienced in exchanging visibility information per leg of a typical sea – port – rail – dry-port chain, is shown in the following Table 2: Exchange Characteristics of Intermodal Chain Visibility Information.

Port-Rail-Dry-Port Cargo Visibility

Maritime Passenger and Cruise Info-Mobility The third thematic area was focused on the maritime passenger transportation. Special emphasis was placed on the cruise sector as it has additional requirements on information provision to its passengers and on

Port-rail and rail-dry-port visibility still remains a challenging issue in many Mediterranean port centric

information exchange with other modes. In an era of fragile economies, the cruise industry provides a rare

supply chains, as can be seen in the following Table 3:

example of steady growth in Europe in general, and in

Need for Additional Visibility.

the Mediterranean basin in particular. With €36.7 billion worth of goods and services generated, over 5.7 million

In contrast to the maritime leg (considered to be the most “visible” leg of the supply chain), the visibility provided

passengers and €3.5 billion spent by passengers and crew during visits to the 250 European port cities that

at the port-rail and rail-dry-port legs still has room for considerable improvement. In many cases, visibility

serve cruise ships year-round9, the cruise sector plays a key role in the social and economic development of

related information for the various transport phases (e.g.

Europe as a whole.

cargo loaded on rail, cargo dispatched, etc.), is mainly shared through phone calls, faxes or e-mails due to the

As regards the sector’s economic performance, the

lack of available information systems or applications.

Mediterranean is the most important European

Fragmented Mediterranean Port-Centric Intermodal Services Visibility

market, being the second largest cruise market in the world (after the Caribbean), with a percentage of

One of the issues revealed from the interaction with

approximately 25%, and attracting 75% of the cruise customers who visit European destinations. At the same

the various stakeholders was the clear distinction of visibility in two sub-components: cargo/shipment

time, the sector provides a significant testing ground for realising benefits from territorial cooperation as its

visibility and intermodal services visibility. Intermodal

service offering is based on such a cooperation. The

services visibility (i.e. the availability of information on

main findings are presented in the following sections:

freight rail services from the Mediterranean ports to 9. Cruise Lines International Association Europe (2013) Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Economies of Europe

55 www.pliroforiki.org

Multitude of Actors and Wide Variety in Information Provision Sophistication

for an increased demand within a short time window.

Cruise operations involve a multitude of actors from

Currently the interconnection among the systems

different industries that have to cooperate in order for

of the relevant actors is either limited or missing.

their final product to be provided to the passengers. This high industry diversity has as a logical consequence not

This realisation is also in line with the long list of ICT

only the co-existence of different systems but also a wide

public consultation on maritime and coastal tourism

variety of sophistication in the provision of the required information. This is reflected also in the following Tables

revealed10.

presenting the exchange characteristics, content and provision channels of the respective information. Wellestablished ports rely on their Port Community System to handle part of the information exchange, while newcomers (smaller ports) to a large extent employ either

applications that are still needed according to the CEC’s

Cruise-Related ICT Solutions Focus at Local and not at Mediterranean-Level Combining FutureMed stakeholders’ experience with the desktop research undertaken, one could safely point out that existing ICT solutions for facilitating

and verbal communications. This realisation becomes

Mediterranean cruise development are limited and focused mainly at a local level. However, ICT can also

even more important when considering that the cruise

facilitate the cruise sector’s future development by

sector (besides its marquee ports) is on a continual search of niche port-city combinations which in most cases

adopting the policy-makers view. The provision of ICT solutions (e.g. platforms) bringing together information

do not possess adequate ICT infrastructure to support

from the Mediterranean cruise lines, ports and regions

cruise operations. Table 4: Exchange Characteristics of

could play this role. Potential services to be provided along this direction might include: (a) provision of cruise

conventional means (fax, email, etc.) or even paper forms

Maritime Passenger and Cruise Information and Table 5: Content and Channels of Information Provision provide the relevant information in a tabular form.

lines itineraries and schedules at Med level, (b) provision of cruise port statistics and newsfeeds, establishment of a Mediterranean cruise development dashboard (KPIs),

Limited or Missing Interconnection between Relevant Actors’ Systems

and (c) development of interfaces to other existing platforms with related content.

Cruise operations rely on providing attractive port-city destinations, with each one being conceived by the

Such ICT solutions could combine the viewpoints and

passengers as one entity of local service provision. Thus any problem experienced in relation to one of the local actors

information needs of the operators (cruise lines and ports), the users (cruise passengers), and the relevant

(e.g. port, local provider of tourist services, local transport

policy makers (regional authorities) at a transnational

operator, etc.) has a direct impact on the destination as a whole. This places an additional requirement for the

(Mediterranean) level, addressing one of the main

management and seamless flow of information among the shipping line, the port and the local service providers

comparability of relevant data and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

and authorities. However, this requirement in the majority of cases is not reflected at the level of ICT systems.

Conclusion

Interconnecting existing systems so that information on

In order to maximise its strategic impact, FutureMed

the passengers with no booked excursions is shared with

employed three initiatives to identify problems and

the destination prior to the ship’s arrival, is a case in point.

opportunities for further enhancing the competitiveness

In this way, both the port would benefit from improved

of the Mediterranean ports: a desktop survey to identify

infrastructure/operations management, as well as the public transport operators for planning their operations

on going developments, a trans-national survey based on structured face-to-face interviews with relevant

challenges of the sector being11 the lack of data and poor

10. CEC (2013) Challenges and Opportunities for Maritime & Coastal Tourism in the EU 11. CEC (2014) Communication on A European Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism, COM(2014)86

www.pliroforiki.org 56

EVENTS

INFORMATION

SUBMISSION TO...

SYSTEM USED

INFORMATION / MESSAGE FORMAT

Vessel pre-announcement

Passenger list

Port Authority, Port/ Terminal Operator, National Police, Coast Guard, Customs Authority

Paper, Email, Own application

Paper form, Flat text file, PDF

Estimated time of arrival

Port Authority, Pilotage service, Tug service, Coast Guard

Paper, Web service

Paper form, EDI, PDF

Estimated time of departure

Port Authority, Port/ Terminal Operator, National Police, Coast Guard, Customs Authority, Tourist Agency

Paper, Email, Web service

Paper form, Flat text file, EDI, PDF

Percentage of passengers with non-excursion booking

Port Operator, Public Transport Operator, Private Transport Operators (taxi), Tourist Agency Port Operator, Shipping company, Private Transport Operators (taxi), Tourist Agency, Public Authority on consumer affairs

Flat text file

Email, Telephone

Flat text file, Verbal communication

Embarkation / Disembarkation

Information on passengers with mobility disabilities

Source: FutureMed transnational survey Table 4: Exchange Characteristics of Maritime Passenger and Cruise Information

actors, and interaction with stakeholders through specifically organised events at national and trans-

also important to note is the recently revised view of the UNECE, according to which the focus should be shifted

national level. The main messages revealed can be summarised in the following points, presented in

from developing additional Single Windows facilitating regulatory procedures, to increasing the interoperability

relation to each of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus areas.

among existing inter-organization systems (IOS). Considering the above, FutureMed should examine

Customs (and regulatory compliance in general) is

whether the development of an additional centralised

and will remain a very important issue, impacting the maritime side and having a direct impact on the

customs-related platform is the best way to proceed or whether the customs issue should be addressed mainly

competitiveness of the Mediterranean port systems. However, customs is a highly regulated area in terms

in real business environments (within the FutureMed pilot applications) interconnecting existing PCS with

of procedures and systems and each member state

customs applications.

has been quite active (especially in the past couple of years) in implementing national technological solutions

Regarding intermodal visibility, the cargo visibility

addressing this. In parallel, the industry has proceeded to the development of a number of solutions, providing

provided at the port-rail and rail-dry-port legs still has room for considerable improvement. In many cases,

interfaces between shipping lines/ freight forwarders/

visibility related information for the various transport

shippers and the relevant (customs) authorities.

phases (e.g. cargo loaded on rail, cargo dispatched, etc.), is mainly shared through phone calls, faxes or

Thus, it is not strange that the majority of the stakeholders

e-mails due to the lack of available information systems

in the FutureMed survey were in general terms satisfied with their interfaces to the customs systems. What is

or applications. Moreover, intermodal services visibility (i.e. the availability of information on freight rail services

57 www.pliroforiki.org

INFORMATION RELATED TO...

TYPE OF INFORMATION AND SERVICES PROVIDED

INFORMATION PROVISION CHANNEL

SERVICE/INFORMATION PROVIDER

Air transport

Information on itineraries/ schedules, Booking availability, Electronic payment, Personalised information, Modes connectivity

Info-kiosks at port terminal

Port terminal operator, Local tourism agency

Public Transport (busses, metro etc.)

Itineraries/schedules, Booking availability, Electronic payment, Personalised information, Modes connectivity

Info-kiosks at port terminal, On-board the ship

Port terminal operator, Local tourism agency, Shipping line

Rail transport

Itineraries/schedules, Booking availability, Electronic payment, Personalised information, Modes connectivity

Info-kiosks at port terminal, On-board the ship

Port terminal operator, Local tourism agency

Taxi services

Booking availability

Taxi station at port terminal

Taxi operators

Car rental services

Booking availability

Car rental agency in port terminal, On-board the ship

Car rental agency, Shipping line

Ferry Services

Itineraries/schedules, Booking availability, Personalised information

On the web, Ferry travel agency in port terminal

Port terminal www homepage, Ferry travel agency

Nearby accommodation

General information

Info-kiosks at port terminal, On-board the ship

Port terminal operator, Port terminal operator in cooperation with local authorities and associations, Shipping line

Local and hinterland tourist offer

Location and directions, Booking availability, Personalised information

Info-kiosks at port terminal, Tourism agency in port terminal, On-board the ship, mobile devices

Port terminal operator in cooperation with local authorities and associations, Shipping line

Points of interests (museums, open markets, attraction pointsâ&#x20AC;Ś)

Location and directions, Booking availability, Personalised information

Brochures at port terminal, Tourism agency in port terminal, On the web, On-board the ship

Port terminal, Port terminal www homepage, Port terminal operator in cooperation with local authorities and associations, Shipping line

Events (e.g. concerts, festivals, traffic events etc.)

Location and directions,

On-board the ship

Port terminal operator in cooperation with local authorities and associations, Shipping line

Screens at port terminal, On-board the ship

Port terminal operator, Shipping line

Info-kiosks/signs at port terminal, On-board the ship

Port terminal operator, Shipping line

Weather conditions Other info (e.g. banks, hospitals, etc.)

Location and directions, Personalised information

Source: FutureMed transnational survey Table 5: Content and Channels of Information Provision from the Mediterranean ports to their hinterland), is

These two areas should be further pursued by the

either provided in a fragmented way or not provided at all. The availability of Med-wide visibility on the

project.

intermodal services of all major ports to their hinterland is currently missing, thus hindering to a large extend

Finally, regarding cruise operations, ICT solutions facilitating Mediterranean cruise development are

the competitiveness of the Mediterranean port systems.

limited and focused mainly at a local level and in a

www.pliroforiki.org 58

fragmented way. Cruise is an industry whose success

viewpoints and information needs of the operators

depends largely on the ability to build and promote

(cruise lines and ports), the users (cruise passengers),

attractive and competitive transnational itineraries.

and the relevant policy makers (regional authorities)

Therefore, FutureMed should investigate the potential

at a transnational (Mediterranean) level, facilitating the

development of an ICT solution combining the

sector’s further development.

Dr. Eliza GAGATSI, Dipl.

Kyriakos E. Georgiou, a

Civil Engineer, MSc Transport Engineer, PhD in Maritime Policy and Head of Freight

longtime editor of Pliroforiki, has more than 30 years of professional experience. His

Transport and Logistics Unit

professional activities include

at the Hellenic Institute of

teaching, research and project

Transport (CERTh-HIT). Her main

management of research

fields of expertise are freight transport and logistics

projects, consulting, business and banking. His

as well as maritime transportation with a particular

research interests include information technology

focus on policy related research. She can be reached at lgagatsi@certh.gr.

management, business value and productivity from information technology. He can be reached at kegeorg@logos.cy.net and georgiou.k@unic.ac.

ECDL ΓΙΑ ΟΛΟYΣ ΕCDL ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΔΙΑ ΒΙΟY ΜΑΘΗΣΗ Δεξιότητες για μια ζωή Η τεχνολογία αλλάζει συνεχώς, το ίδιο και τα ενδιαφέροντα όλων μας. Βελτίωσε και αναθεώρησε τις δεξιότητες σου, σε οποιοδήποτε επίπεδο, σε οποιαδήποτε ηλικία. Ψάξε το στο www.ecdl.com.cy

59 www.pliroforiki.org

Spinal Curvature Disorders:

A mobile application to monitor

and track your physiotherapy Andreas Lefkatis

This research paper describes how a mobile application will be of use to patients with spine curvature disorders. It starts off with explaining the aims of the application, the problem it tries to solve and the current technology that will enable such system to be implemented. Research methodology nvolving potential users is then performed and described and key findings are presented. Lastly a prototype of the proposed solution based on the key findings is designed, described and evaluated. Lastly, a conclusion is then produced and displayed based on testing from potential users.

www.pliroforiki.org 60

Introduction

could be a smart sports t-shirt that could be worn under

bout 5-10 percent of people have an abnormal curvature in their spines, thus they suffer from spine curvature disorders such as scoliosis,

the usual clothes of the patient. The insights provided could be used as a substitution of a real knowledgeful physiotherapist that learns and adjusts to the patient’s

kyphosis or lordosis (see figure 1). Such curvature abnormalities in the spine are present at birth, caused

condition over time. This learning ability can be

by injuries or from slouching [2]. The most common and risk free treatment suggested by orthopedists

monitoring his posture and muscles’ condition, provide warnings to prevent injuries and boost the patient’s

and

motivation to continue his treatment.

physiotherapists

improving the body posture

embraced with enhanced features such as continuous

by physiotherapy, in order to

Literature Review

avoid unwanted back pain and prevent the situation

1. Treating and Monitoring Spine Curvature Disorders

from worsening.

Treatment of these disorders is assigned by doctors based Figure 1

Patients who strengthen and stretch the right muscles

on the severity and the type of the disorder. The most common and risk free treatment is physiotherapy, either

can improve their condition significantly either by improving their body shape, posture and look or in

by stretching exercises or by muscle strengthening. This is mostly recommended for mild to moderate curvatures

some cases even prevent the condition from worsening

and to ages that have exceeded adolescence. Braces

[1]. Patients tend to spend numerous hours in fitness

and surgery are also recommended in the more severe

centers, physiotherapy centers or even at home by trying

disorder conditions or to younger ages when spine

lots of exercises. Exercises that may or may not be of use to their situation as every patient has different body with

is still under development. For all treatment options monitoring is also recommended from the orthopedic

different muscle condition and different levels of spine

doctor. Monitoring these disorders is rather simple since

curvature disorders. A lot of smart wearable devices

the same techniques are used as for the identification.

have been introduced that monitor the muscles and

New measurements of the curvature are compared with

the posture of the body but none of them is focused in this kind of patients. As no other computerized system

the old or initial measurements at intervals. (Additional background about spine curvature disorders can be

has been implemented to help this kind of patients at the moment this project is proposed which suggest

found in Appendix (1) in the supplementary data).

the implementation of a mobile application that has as

2. Current Technologies

objectives to: • Monitor the patient’s body posture, his severity of

There are plenty of wearable devices and mobile apps

his spine curvature condition and his body muscle

off with the simplest mobile applications like Fitocracy,

condition. • Guide their physiotherapy of the patient by providing

Strong, Trn.Trak, Reps & Sets and Fitness which help people log and track their workout exercises manually

appropriate fitness programs and workout exercises. • Generate personalized statistics on the patient’s

and provide statistics based on the data logs the user input [12,13,14,15,16]. These apps cannot track motion

spine curvature condition and his body muscle condition.

and most of the things that track require manual

The suggested mobile app can keep track of all the history related to the condition of the patient and provide

accompanied with dedicated devices that enable

insights to the patient such as what muscles to exercise,

and more insightful information to the user. Athos,

warnings about holding a bad posture while exercising

Gymwatch, Atlas, Push and Moov can sense user’s exact moves, track workout details (repetitions, sets, weight),

or possible injuries and the patient’s progress to keep the patient motivated. The proposed wearable device

that are able to make this solution possible. Starting

input, thus they are not appropriate for the problem. More advanced mobile apps also exist, which are body measurements in order to provide more accurate

warn you about possible injuries and recognize the

61 www.pliroforiki.org

type of the fitness exercise the

using vibrations when you holding bad body position

user is doing. Atlas (see figure 2) is using a smartwatch enhanced with heart rate sensors to suggest

while doing Pilates or any fitness activity [26,27]. All these apps are very good for gym exercises although they cannot adapt to physiotherapy so they are not

the appropriate rest time between

appropriate for the problem. No research study can

sets, count the repetitions, detect the type of exercises and track

measure and prove their efficiency and effectiveness since all these technologies mentioned are all either in

Figure 2. Atlas heart rate in order to provide suggestions and tips for

prototype stage or in the preordering stage although an

the user’s workout schedule [17, 23]. Gymwatch tracks

interesting finding by the Athos team is that personal

the range of motion of the fitness exercise using a

trainers are required and important in general workouts.

sensor that can be strapped on legs and arms, it can measure the user’s strength, muscle loads, repetitions

They have data, they can see whether or not you are using the correct form and posture when exercising and

and detect incorrectly performed exercises [18]. Moov

they can identify if a person is under or over exerting

can track and monitor any kind of exercise or sport with its waterproof multi sensor strap, provide guidance,

himself. This supports the need of supervision when working out even if the person doing the workout does

warnings and motivation with voice-enabled features

not have a particular problem. Thus the patients with

[19]. Athos, on the other hand, uses sensor enabled fitness apparel and electromyography to track gym

spine curvature disorders are in even more need of supervision [30].

exercises, provide feedback while working out, measure muscle effort, muscle loads and heart rate so as it can

Research studies are also undergoing to invent new

provide a smart, and knowledgeful workout, prevent unwanted injuries and essentially replace the need of

data (muscle fatigue) using electrocardiograms (ECG)

a personal trainer [20, 21, 22]. Push has similar features to Athos, although its sensor is worn in arms and legs through a strap. Moreover, Moxy muscle oxygen monitor can use wearable sensors

improved technologies to measure several muscle and electromyography (EMG). Alex Grey and his small startup company are developing a sensor to let people analyze their muscle activities patterns and improve people activities. Another study made by Mohamed R. Al-Mulla, Francisco Sepulveda, and Martin Colley proved

and infrared light to continually

that an autonomous system capable of predicting and

track oxygen saturation levels in

detecting muscle fatigue in real time is possible with

the muscles to guide and improve

accuracy of 90.37% [28, 29].

athletic performance [23, 24]. In addition Skulpt (see figure 3) is a non wearable device that can measure

3. Summary Even though most products are new and they are still

body fat and muscle quality, analyze provide precise information about

under development, technology and research on how to monitor and track body posture and body exercises exist

muscle condition track weak and strong muscles and where the fat

system is possible to be implemented. Moreover, the

24 different muscle groups and

lies [23,25].

and they are substantial. This ensures that the proposed

Figure 3. Skulpt

Research and the technology mentioned don’t target the aims of the project nor they can be adopted for

Other types of wearables include posture tracking.

people who perform physiotherapy as they each aim

Lumo and Upright can record the wearer’s posture and

to solve other problems. Athos, Push, Gymwatch and

provide feedback to motivate people to keep correct posture. Lumo can even send warning vibrations, track

Atlas have features that guide and monitor exercises but they are mainly focused on isolating the exercises

steps and calories and track the time the user is inactive.

and the muscles involved. The proposed system would

Additionally, Artifact a design firm, came up with a Pilates smart shirt that could monitor muscle movement

need these technologies adjusted in order to monitor the whole body and track every muscle while the user

and body position and posture to warn the wearer

is performing an exercise as well as monitor the posture

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held by the user for better monitoring and better

how easy it is for them to do it.

identification of potential future injuries. This is where

• To find out what is stopping the patient from doing

Lumo and Upright step in because they can provide

the appropriate physiotherapy recommended by

the missing element of posture tracking. Moreover

the doctor.

none of these technologies seem to be measuring the muscle quality of the user except Skulpt which

• To find out any other difficulties patients might face in regards to their physiotherapy.

essentially provides insights on every individual muscle in order to provide advice on how to proceed with his

2. To examine how patients receive feedback on their

physiotherapy. Moxy’s features could be of use as well, since every bit of extra information about the muscles would help provide informative statistics.

condition • To find out how evaluation of the patient’s condition is made and how often they receive feedback

Concluding, it has been noted that none of the technologies seem to be ideal to be used on their own to solve the problem since none of the technologies seem to perform all the necessary measurements to have a clear view of the patients physiotherapy, but if all the technologies combine their features, a new technology could be developed which will essentially be the proposed system of this study. Thus, user study has been conducted to help identify problems of the current physiotherapy treatment, to produce relevant information and to gather the main features of the proposed application.

METHODOLOGY OF CONDUCTING A USER STUDY My methodology includes ways of capturing data on how patients monitor and treat their condition, what interaction they have with the doctor and how feedback

for their condition. • To help on identifying the information/feedback the patient receives from the doctor • To find any limitations today’s medical science has that prevents doctors from doing more about their patients • To find out more details about the physiotherapy of the patient 2. Target Group The interviews were focused onto 2 target groups: • 5 people who suffer from spine curvature disorder, have visited an orthopedic and performed physiotherapy and/or gym exercises to improve their condition. • 2 Orthopedics and 2 Physiotherapists who deal with spine curvature disorder patients regularly and have experience with dealing with patients with such disorders.

on their condition is provided to them. All these aspects will help the patients find any problems that

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

they may have to go through and how the treatment and monitoring can be improved so as our proposed

and thematic analysis method. Personas, scenarios and

solution can be designed in an efficient way to tackle their problems. (The full methodology can be found in the supplementary data in Appendix 2). 1. Main Aspects Targeted 1. To determine where people do physiotherapy • To find out about the environment used to perform the physiotherapy • How much time they spend doing physiotherapy. • To identify if patients could do their exercises on their own or if they need supervision. • To find out what kind of test they have to do and

Data analysis was conducted using the content analysis activity modelling were also used to provide additional information about the patients and their activities. (Activity modelling, personas and scenarios can be found in the supplementary data in the Appendix 5 and 6) Firstly the data was gathered from all the participants of the interviews, was analysed based on the aims of the methodology and the answers given from both doctors and patients and key findings were produced. (Full data of the interviews can be found in the supplementary data in the Appendix 3). Many findings were produced which proof that the study was successful as all the aims were achieved.

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1. Data Analysis

mood issues. Patients don’t have enough time or

The overall key findings produced are about how

motivation to perform the physiotherapy.

doctors and patients interact and about the procedure of diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. • Patients are diagnosed by their orthopedics. • Patients should see their orthopedic to get feedback on their condition’s progress • Orthopedics assign and recommend treatment to patients. •

Physiotherapists supervise and guide the

physiotherapy treatment.

• Money is an issue in order to get feedback on patient’s condition. Because every appointment to a private practice doctor is around 55 euros • No positive progress on patient’s condition and the x-rays tests done can cause stress and decrease the motivation of the patient to do physiotherapy. • • Orthopedics cannot have an exact projection of the patients’ condition over time. Based on the key findings the key design aspects that should be adopted and applied are:

2. Thematic analysis Thematic analysis was also performed to further analyse the data. (The themes produced are included in the supplementary data in the appendix 4)

• The app should be easy to use and simple enough for any age. • The app should require the minimum input to save time. • The app should require no input during a

3. Key Findings 3.1 Treatment and Condition: • Doctors recommend exercises and stretches as part or whole of their treatment. • Patients cannot measure their progress or condition

physiotherapy session. • The app should be able to attract the user’s attention when needed i.e. warnings.. • The app should motivate people to do their physiotherapy as recommended.

on their own as special medical equipment are used like X-ray scanners and MRI.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

• Physiotherapists believe that patients should have supervision for their physiotherapy.

The designed system aims to

• Four out of five participants use the gym to have their physiotherapy.

help people who suffer from spine curvature disorders.

• Follow up appointments with orthopedics should

The main objectives of the

happen every 3-6 months’ time according to the orthopedics.

app is to monitor, guide and provide insights to patients

• Follow up appointments with orthopedics cost

in order to enable them to

roughly around 55 euros.

perform their physiotherapy

• Patients are diagnosed by their orthopedics by

on their own, with the

performing x-rays or by using scoliometers. • Orthopedics suggest that more frequent

guidance of this app, and wherever they want, as the

measurements would be beneficial for the patient

Figure 4. Home Screen

as he could have a clearer view of his condition and how it progresses.

identify a vast variety of exercises. Its features were designed according to the data analysis (chapter 3) and

application will be able to

some key design principles. The initial page of the app 3.2. Problems and Obstructions: • Physiotherapists confirmed that patients could be hurt if performing physiotherapy in a wrong way

is shown in figure 4. More descriptive screens of the app, and the interactive prototype can be found on the supplementary material on Appendix 8.

and one out of five of the participants was injured (20%). • Patients do not perform their physiotherapy as recommended by their doctor because of time and

1. Tracking -Identifying: The application monitors all the details of the workout sessions the patient has performed. In order to track

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Figure 5. Wireless Device Apparel the required data wireless

- Provide warnings to the user

apparel are connected to the

(e.g. potential injuries, wrong

application (figure 5).

posture etc.) (figure 7). The

1.1. Apparel -Wireless Device

warnings will be displayed to

The application is designed to be able to connect with a wireless Bluetooth

the screen of the application as well as vibrate the apparel

enabled apparel that will enable the system to acquire

and activate sound warnings if

the required data in order to function efficiently and

headphones are connected.

effectively. The apparel worn by the user will be of 2

- Identify

vast

variety

pieces; one form fitted long sleeve shirt and a fitted pair

exercises although manually

of pants. The device will be equipped with a variety of

added

sensors. Sensors will include:

supported too (figure 8.9. in

- A 6-axis accelerometer for tracking the movement of

exercises

will

the body parts in order to identify and monitor the

Appendix 8). Figure 7. Warning while workout - Keep track of the amount of

user’s exercises and the user’s posture. - Optical heart rate sensor will measure the user’s heart

days the user has performed physiotherapy or not and

rate while performing his physiotherapy.

alert him when he is not

- Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM) and Near-

doing the required amount

infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to obtain essential

as a background weekly alert

descriptive information about the user’s muscles like

notification containing the days

muscle oxygen.

he performed physiotherapy

- EMG sensors to perform electromyography in order

within the week (figure 8.11. in

to track muscle fatigue, muscle effort and to detect which muscles are used in an exercise.

Appendix 8). 2. Monitoring - Guiding

Finally the device will be rechargeable and could last for a minimum of 5 hours’ time to be able to withstand the completion of a full workout session.

The application is designed Figure 8. Spine Progress

in a way that the user will be informed about his condition and

how

his

condition

1.2. Mobile Application The mobile application will

progressed over time. The initial page will show the

essentially act as a vessel

overall progress of the patients

of all the information the

physiotherapy as opposed to

wireless

obtains,

the work he has completed for

presenting the gathered information in an interactive,

device

the current month, individual muscle condition colored in

iconic and graphical way for

4 different colors, any injury

the user to understand easily. Real time measurements

alerts and the workout of the day (figure 6). Statistics and

heart

Goals are presented to the user

rate, body posture, muscle fatigue will be taken as well

based on the data captured by the system to motivate the user

muscle

effort,

as occasional measurements (approximately two times in

Figure 6. Live Workout Session

a workout session) of muscle quality, muscle oxygen and the user’s degrees of the spinal curves (figure 6). The real time measurements will be used to:

Figure 9. Muscle Progress

to perform his physiotherapy regularly as appropriate.

- The app will recommend exercises to the user’s daily workout according to his body condition (figure 8.8 on Appendix 8).

65 www.pliroforiki.org

- Graphical statistics for muscle condition and for the

2. Results

users spinal curves’ degrees will be included as well.

The answers from the aforementioned questions have

Muscle condition is calculated using the muscle

led to the following conclusions:

quality and muscle oxygen and represents the overall

• The navigation of the application is easy as the tab

health state of the muscle. (figure 8 9 and figure 8.11 in appendix)

bar can direct you to the main features of the app and the participants could complete all the scenario’s

- Lastly the system will raise the user’s motivation by providing monthly goals based on the performance of the user. (figure 6 and 8)

EVALUATION In order to evaluate the user experience of the application and discover design problems and to identify why users are finding the application hard to

tasks given to them. • The insights are easy to understand, helpful, related to the patients’ needs, useful and informative. • The graphical interface and the interactive images used provide an intuitive and interactive way to provide information that attracts the user. • The live workout session screen is a bit confusing for the users at the start.

use. By using the appropriate methods the participants will get to play around with the system and get an idea

• Some of the screens are too colourful and the titles could have a better look and feel.

of how the prototype app functions. The test plan of

• The font of the application is not friendly

this evaluation is described below. The full descriptive

Meetings were held with each one of the participants

Overall, the sections of the application are well structured and the navigation is good. Some small design adjustments based on the recommendations of the participants need to be done in order to become more user friendly and more easy to understand.

to get briefed about the purpose of the application and its main features as well as perform the usability testing.

CONCLUSION

Usability testing was done via scenarios. The participants

The system as it is received a lot of positive feedback

are requested to use the interactive prototype of the application and execute two predefined scenarios,

and the changes that need to be done are in regards of

evaluation can be found in supplementary material on Appendix 9. 1. Test plan 1.1. Method In order to test the application, usability testing has been applied as well as query based techniques.

which test features of the app such as the insights

some design aspects. Moreover recommendations from the users should be taken under consideration as they

exploration and workout preparation. After that, some

mentioned some good ideas. Gamification and social

time was given to the participants to play around with

integration was one of the idea which could enhance motivation and design adjustments like removing

the application. Finally the participants answered a few questions, which were prepared beforehand. The participants were also given time to use the system

the spine image to reduce the stressed caused and redesigning the workout live session screen which

before they were given any description of the application to test if the application is easy to understand.

was considered to be cluttered. Other than that more designs and a more advance interactive prototype covering all the screens and features of the application

To access the interactive prototype please refer to the appendix 8 in the supplementary data

need to be created.

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References 1. Types of Spine Curvature Disorders. (2005-2014) from http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/typesofspine-curvature-disorders?page=2. 2. Neuroscience Center. Conditions and Treatments. (2014) from http://iuhealth.org/neurosciencecenter/ specialties/scoliosis/. 3. Health Guide (December 2014) from http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/scoliosis/diagnosis. html. 4. Arthur C. Kittleson, M.D. and Lily W. Lim, M.D. (1970). Measurement of Scoliosis. American Journal of Roentgenology.108 (4), 775-777. 5. Spinal mouse. (2014) from http://spinalmouse.ro/en. 6. Kamiah A. Walker. Types of Kyphosis. (1999-2014) from http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/kyphosis/ types-kyphosis. 7. Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD. Spine-Health. Scoliosis Types. (December 2004) from http://www.spinehealth.com/ conditions/scoliosis/scoliosis-types. 8. Nationwide Children’s, When your child needs a hospital, everything matters. Lordosis. from http://www. nationwidechildrens.org/lordosis. 9. Types of Spine Curvature Disorders. (2005-2014) from http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/typesofspine-curvature-disorders?page=2. 10. Dianna F. Physioworks. Scoliosis. (October 2014) from http://physioworks.com.au/injuries-conditions-1/ scoliosis. 11. HR Weiss, M Moramarco. Scoliosis-treatment indications according to current evidence. (March 2013) from https://www.oapublishinglondon.com/article/347. 12. Fitocracy, Inc. Exercise log and online personal trainer. From http://goo.gl/zMxn32. 13. Cameron Chow. Workout Tracker and Training Log for Bodybuilding, Weightlifting Fitness and Strength Routines. From http://goo.gl/GC18Py. 14. TRN.TRAK. Strength Training App. (2014) from http://goo.gl/5sBFuB. 15. Repsio Ltd. Reps & Sets – Gym Logging. From http://goo.gl/ztyZkn. 16. Fitness – Home & Gym Workouts (December 2014) from http://goo.gl/yjccFb. 17. ATLAS. Advanced Exercise Detection. (2014) from http://goo.gl/23vQfG. 18. Gymwatch Measure Strength and Motion. (2014) from http://goo.gl/zPWqbZ. 19. http://goo.gl/xtrtVz. 20. ATHOS. Unparalleled Insight, Intelligent Feedback, Results Redefined. (2013-2014) from http://www. liveathos.com/. 21. KYLE VANHEMERT. Coming Soon: Workout Gear That Monitors Your Muscles. (April 2013) from http://goo. gl/71p8nT 22. Joshua Brustein. Muscle-Measuring Fabric Startup Draws Investment rom NBA Pros. (August 2014) from http://goo.gl/6GpCZZ. 23. Best Fitness Tracker Reviews. (August 2014) from http://goo.gl/sWpRUD. 24. Moxy Muscle Oxygen Monitor. Using Muscle Oxygenation to train with Moxy. (2014) from http://www. moxymonitor.com/. 25. SKULPT. The first true fitness tracker. from http://www.skulpt.me/ . 26. Jay Greene. When wearable computing meets the Pilates shirt. (March 2013) from http://goo.gl/QB866D 27. AFP RELAXNEWS. Smart shirt syncs with smartphone to perfect your Yoga and Pilates. (June 2012) from http://goo.gl/aolz8. 28. Mohament R. Al-Mulla, Francisco S. and Martin C. An Autonomous Wearable System for Predicting and Detecting Localised Muscle Fatigue. (January 2011) from http://goo.gl/F0nphp

67 www.pliroforiki.org

29. Alexandra C. Alex Grey on Tracking Muscle Data (EMG, ECG). (March 2012) from http://goo.gl/R6Lzx9 . 30. KYLE VANHEMERT. Coming Soon: Workout Gear that Monitors Your Muscles. (April 2013) from http://goo.gl/ QwisTb.

Andreas Lefkatis is a software developer from Nicosia, passionate about Web and Mobile Application Development. He has obtained an MComp in Computer Science degree from the University of Sheffield in 2013, and received the Sheffield Graduate Award upon completion of his studies. During his studies, Andreas has worked and participated in several projects with several companies in Cyprus and the UK including Funifi, NCR Corporation and Genesys Solutions. He is currently studying towards an MSc in Mobile Application Design degree at the University of Kent. His interests lie in how cloud based infrastructures and mobile applications could revolutionise our today’s tech world.

ECDL ΓΙΑ ΟΛΟYΣ ΕCDL ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΓΙΑ ΚΑΡΙΕΡΑ Δεξιότητες για επιτυχία Εργαζόμενοι, εξελίξετε την καριέρα σας και αυξήστε την αποδοτικότητα σας. Απόφοιτοι και άνεργοι, αποδείξτε πως έχετε τις δεξιότητες που ζητούν οι εργοδότες. Ψάξε το στο www.ecdl.com.cy

www.pliroforiki.org 68

SMART DEVICES for New Parents Andreas Lefkatis

This paper explains the research and the devices developed to counter the dangers pregnant and newborn babies face and how smart devices can help minimize these dangers and provide parents and doctors with informative insights. Also, a plausible future scenario is included discussing any possible challenges and issues.

INTRODUCTION

DEVICES FOR MONITORING VITALS

nternet of things is undoubtedly the technological trend of our decade. A plethora of “dumb” things are

Through E-Health and smart devices thorough analysis of vitals can be conducted, diseases can be foreseen,

starting to become smarter, sophisticated, better designed and effectively more useful than ever [1]. All

identified and investigated, and medical care could enormously evolve [3]. This report will be focusing on

these numerous intelligent things are interconnected

the prevention of health peril situations within a family

via the internet, are built with sensors and are programmed by software engineers with a sole purpose

home during a woman’s pregnancy and the early age of her baby and how hospitals medical care can be

to make a huge impact in people’s lives in various areas. E-Health is also affected by this new trend. Wearables

improved.

and smart machinery along with the medical innovation

1. Devices for pregnant women

are combined and connected to make the environment and people’s everyday lives safer and healthier.

1.1. Current Problems Monitoring the fetus and maternal signs is an important

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and essential part of a woman’s pregnancy. Research shows that around 25% of pregnancies in the UK end

fetus health state without moving to the hospital or asking for clinicians’ support [11].

up being miscarriages. Doppler ultrasounds are done periodically to prevent and identify health problems but

Moreover, Babytree.com, a Chinese child care internet

it seems that these ultrasounds are neither convenient

community portal launched a smartwatch to monitor

nor effective. Wearable technologies are now being implemented to replace Doppler ultrasounds and

the well-being of pregnant women with a smartwatch called B-smart (figure 2). B-smart using the large amount

provide feedback on the health condition of a woman’s

of information from users in Babytree.com can detect

pregnancy. A lot of research has been conducted on how to improve the efficiency of preliminary diagnosis of pregnancy complications through monitoring of fetus and maternal vital signs.

key physiological indicators such as quickening heart rate [8]. The watch comes with a mobile app which gives the pregnant women advice and reminders about their diet and exercise using the woman’s weight and vital signs. Additionally, B-smart can also predict information

1.2. Research made

on the baby’s growing condition in terms of weight and

Researchers at the University of Ioannina

size [9].

in Greece and the University of Iraq have proposed a system to monitor the heart rate of the fetus using an out of the hospital wearable device that connects

1.4. Discussion on Pregnancy Monitoring The research along with the implemented prototypes have shown to be effective. If they are used appropriately, doctors could have a clear view of the health condition of a pregnancy for both the mother and the fetus and it could identify medical problems such as arrhythmia, high blood pressure or even future infections.

wirelessly with a computer. The device could measure both the fetus and the maternal heart rate, the maternal oxygen saturation and other necessary vital signs in order to obtain information which is then transferred via wirelessly to hospitals and processed by novel algorithms in a computer, to predict and detect possible health problems and to advise the doctors to act appropriately. [4,10] Tests conducted by the researchers in Ioannina in Greece showed efficiency of up to 99% [4]. 1.3. Devices for Monitoring Pregnancy Several other products have been proposed and developed by companies as described below.

Figure 1: Actual architecture of the Telefetalcare system.

StimElation, launched by Phronetic Technologies, features health monitoring for the mother by measuring temperature, respiratory rates, and blood pressure [6,7]. In addition, Telefetalcare, the first prototype of a wearable fetal electrocardiograph which is similar to the proposals and devices researchers in University of Ioannina and Iraq developed measures the heart rate of the fetus via an abdominal garment and transmits the measurements wirelessly to a computer (figure 1). The device intends to allow pregnant women to monitor

Figure 2: B-watch

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2. Wearable Devices for Babies

new mini-computer by Intel specially developed for

2.1. Current Problems and the Artemis Project

wearable devices and can be connected and managed

It has been shown that 5-12% of babies worldwide

through an iOS or Android device [17,18,21]. Owlet acts

are born prematurely, 20% of them develop serious

similarly by tracking the heart rate, respiration levels and

infections and about 18% of them die [14]. Additionally, almost three million of yearly dead babies can be saved

temperature through a wearable sock and transmits the data to an iOS device. Both of these devices can alarm

with low-tech care. Also, new parents are sometimes

the parent of any extraordinary and abnormal vital signs

unable to make contact with their newborn child as

through their mobile app [21,22]. Sproutling on the

they are away for work, and for business trips or they are

other hand has the unique ability to learn and become

divorced. Research and devices have been developed to

smarter in time (figure 4). It can be worn around a baby’s

counter the problems mentioned above.

ankle and it can provide insights instead of raw data by measuring the vital signs of the baby and monitoring its

Artemis, a project developed by Dr Carolyn McGregor,

sleep habits. Parents are informed of when the baby is

involves analysing large amount of data about infant’s

sleeping, when it’s awake, when the environment is too

vital signs to allow doctors to foresee warning medical conditions such as infections upward of 24 hours before

loud for the baby, when the baby is expected to wake up and when there is a problem e.g. high heart rate

the baby develops any symptoms [14]. Various devices

[23,24]. Moreover, smart diapers are in the process of

which have the potential to use this research to warn

being developed aiming to alert the parent of when the

doctors and parents of possible medical complications

baby is wet and to track and reveal signs of urinary tract

have been launched and described below.

infections, prolonged dehydration and kidney problems [16, 5].

2.2. Monitoring Devices for Babies Many products have been introduced either for monitoring the baby’s crib or monitoring the baby’s

2.3. Discussion of monitoring devices for Babies The devices introduced for monitoring babies are doing

vitals. BT introduced an audio baby monitor for hearing

quite well in their early stages. They are very efficient

the baby remotely from an iOS device. The monitor can

on their measurements and the information they are

connect to the home network and can transmit audio streaming of the baby’s location [19]. Additionally, a

able to provide can be of very much use to parents and to doctors. Sproutling wearable device is unique in an

company called Withings developed multifunctional

innovative way because it can get smarter in time by

smart baby monitor that allows a parent to hear, see and talk with the baby remotely (figure 3). The smart baby

learning from the data measurements.

monitor attaches to the crib of the baby and transmits high definition sound and video streaming to iOS/ Android and any computer that is Bluetooth enabled or can connect to the internet. Its built in microphone and camera enables the parents to communicate with the baby remotely, its sensors ensure that the baby’s environment is ideal in terms of temperature and humidity and if anything goes wrong customisable

Figure 3: Withings Smart Baby Monitor

alerts are sent to the parents [15,17,20,23]. Most companies, though, seem to be producing more wearable devices such as Mimo, Owlet and Sproutling. Mimo is an organic cotton onesie with a clip-on turtle attachment that serves as a multi sensor and it’s able to track infant’s respiration, heart rate, skin temperature, sleep quality, and position. It is powered by Edison, the

Figure 4: Sproutling [23]

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A POSSIBLE FUTURE SCENARIO

Later at night Ben falls asleep and his parents go to bed

The scenario is about a family John, Sarah, who is in

as well since Ben was going to wake up after 5 hours

her 7th month of her pregnancy and their 1-year old baby Ben. Sarah woke up by the kicking of her unborn

based on the information of their calendar. As they were

baby, she immediately checked her smartwatch for

suggesting that Ben was to develop an infection and a fever in the next 48 hours and that they have to get

any warnings but her vital signs were fine since the

sleeping the alarm on their phones and TV triggers

smartwatch informed her that she is experiencing “normal behavior”. She got relieved and she switched

him to the hospital. The hospital’s system traces Ben’s

on her TV to check how her baby is doing on the other

has been like in the day before and suggests some

room. She could see Ben in the screen, find out that he

antibiotics which would eliminate the infection and the

is safely sleeping in his blue crib and get informed that she has another two hours until he wakes up hungry. She goes to the kitchen and checks her phone to get the

fever beforehand. The doctor approves the suggested

advisable breakfast she should have based on her vital signs and blood analysis conducted by her smartwatch in order to get the right nutritional values. She then

medical history and what exactly his health condition

prescription and John and Sarah return home to continue their sleep relieved and assured for Ben.

CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE The main challenge that all areas of internet of things

took her pills which were prescribed by her doctor

face today is the ability to interconnect each individual

after the required analysis from data sent from her

device and system.

smartwatch. Then she checks her digital calendar on her phone to realise it is time for Ben to wake up and as she approached his room the smart kettle starts to warm up the milk for Ben. John, who is at work, got notifications about Sarah’s and Ben’s actions and is fully aware of what was going on at home. Also, while having his lunch he checked out his calendar to find out if Ben would be awake when he gets home. Later, both John and Sarah received two appointment requests. The first appointment request is one month from now has to do with Sarah’s due day. The second one is a video call and it’s on Wednesday, when John is not working, to talk about Sarah’s premature delivery. The appointments were made because the doctor was informed on how Sarah was doing and the hospital’s system predicted that Sarah was going to have the baby a month earlier than normal. They also received an accompanying email from the doctor to update them about Sarah’s pregnancy.

A common platform has not yet being adopted although many platforms have been introduced and many alliances have been formed between companies. For the above scenario the devices that need to be connected are the smartphones, TVs, smart kettles, wearables and hospital systems. This interconnection will allow parents to be informed about the produced insights of their babies and their pregnancies and allow parents and doctors to have a remote and convenient interaction. Additionally, the medical research needs to be applied in devices and to be tested in real life situations. One way to achieve this is to produce devices like Sproutling that get smarter by time by learning from the data measurements. If more devices use the measurements and the medical research for predicting medical diseases then informative insights could be produced about the status of a baby and a woman’s pregnancy and parents could be more productive and relieved.

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References 1. Mehta, P. 2014. 8 Ways the ‘Internet of Things’ Will Impact Your Everyday Life. (January 2014). Retrieved October 13, 2014 from http://goo.gl/Uttzk9 2. KATHY PRETZ. 2013. Exploring the Impact of the Internet of Things - IEEE - The Institute. (October 2013) Retrieved October 13, 2014 from http://goo. gl/TZUC9Z 3. Signorini, M. G., Fanelli, A. and Magenes, G. 2014. Monitoring Fetal Heart Rate during Pregnancy: Contributions from Advanced Signal Processing and Wearable Technology (2014) Retrieved October 14, 2014 from http://goo.gl/DDJKvK 4. E.C. Karvounis, C. Papaloukas, K. Papanikolaou and D.I. Fotiadis, A wearable platform for health monitoring during pregnancy. Retrieved October 1,4 2014 from http://goo.gl/negLvs 5. Leslie Katz. 2013. TweetPee: Huggies sends a tweet when baby’s wet (May 2013). Retrieved October 15 2014 from http://goo.gl/BB0I2U 6. Richmond, Virginia. 2013. Phronetic Technologies Announces First Prenatal Smart Wearable Technology; StimElation is Poised for Production. (July 2013). Retrieved 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/ JMal8J 7. Eyetrackingupdate.com, Prenatal wearable technology to protect baby and keep mom healthy http://goo. gl/59oTfM 8. He Wei 2013. Chinese firm launches smart phone for pregnant women (August 2013). Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/EOliUM 9. 2013. Chen QimeiChina’s Babytree.com Leads the Trend: The New Smart Wearable Device for Pregnant Women (November 2013). Retrieved October 16, 2014 from http://goo.gl/qUVPsS 10. Noor Abdul Khaliq, Salih Mahdi Al-Qaraawi, Muayad Sadik Croock. 2014. Fatal Electrocardiography and Web based Out-of-Hospital Monitoring System. (May 2014). Retrieved October 13, 2014 from http://goo. gl/us5Wvd

11. A. Fanelli, Member, IEEE, M.G. Signorini, Member, IEEE, M.Ferrario, Member, IEEE, P. Perego, L. Piccini. 2011. Member, IEEE, G. Andreoni, G. Magenes, Member, IEEE, Telefetalcare: a first prototype of a wearable fetal electrocardiogram. (September 2011) Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/ L6Ufc4 12. David B. Ryan, What Are Some of the Difficulties That New Fathers & Mothers Face. Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/tJ2asr 13. World Health Organization 2012. Born Too Soon, The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth. Retrieved (2012). October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/FNrmO 14. Michael Beyman, Big data’s powerful effect on tiny babies. Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo. gl/EdZxnL 15. Withings, Smart Baby Monitor. Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/W3lutX 16. Indiegogo: Smart Diapers, Prevention in the palm of your hand: A diaper and smartphone app for monitoring your child’s health. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from http://goo.gl/We49B3 17. MiMo. Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo. gl/1ifh79 18. Robert Glatter 2014 Wearable Technology In The Crib: The Smart Baby Onesie. (January 2014). Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/VBeJIl 19. Richard Devine. 2014. The connected nursery: Smart baby monitor. (July 2014). Retrieved October 14, 2014 from http://goo.gl/4g6wPm 20. Lisa Raphael. 2014. This Wearable Is Ready to Replace Your Baby Monitor. (August 2014) Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://goo.gl/Pfzkgs 21. Agam Shah. 2014. Intel’s smallest computer to power wearable devices. (January 2014) Retrieved October 16, 2014 from http://goo.gl/ufJ41l 22. Owlet. Retrieved October 12, 2014 from http://goo. gl/cqMXrJ 23. Sproutling. Retrieved October

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Mobile Marketing:

A NEW CONCEPT IN BUSINESS Monaliz Amirkhanpour

The purpose of this article is to investigate the role and importance of mobile marketing via smartphones and tablet PCs. This will be achieved by theoretically defining mobile marketing as an emerging concept in business; investigating its role in integrating with social media; and exploring the various mobile marketing communication tools.

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obile marketing has emerged as a new addition to the portfolio of marketing communication tools. It is one of the latest direct marketing communication channels and is becoming increasingly popular among marketers, owing to the array of benefits it offers, both to potential customers as well as businesses. A question that immediately clicks the mind is “what is mobile marketing?” Mobile marketing as stated by Okazaki (2012) emerged in the late 1990s with the sending of simple messages through Short Message Service (SMS), but the strategies have changed since the introduction of better technologies and the propagation of smartphones and tablet PCs, where many other new mobile communication tools have emerged. Using various mobile operating systems, such as Apple iOS and Google Android, many mobile network operators now offer a broad range of mobile applications and transaction/payment services in addition to informational and entertainment services to their subscribers. As a result, mobile marketing is helping to make ubiquitous computing a more realistic and everyday technology to be used by both marketers and consumers. There are several methods provided by mobile network operators of reaching mobile users, but it is essential to incorporate all the available mobile communication options into mobile marketing activities in order to make optimum use of the capability of mobile marketing to build brand awareness and goodwill with the target market. The most common mobile marketing communication tools are: (a) Short Message Service (SMS)/Multimedia Message Service (MMS), (b) mobile applications (apps), (c) ambient media, (d) mobile E-mail, and (e) mobile advertising. The most sophisticated type of mobile marketing communication tools are the ambient media. In the mobile marketing context, ambient media is a new marketing term that refers to the touch-points external to the customer’s mobile device activating interactions on the device. It combines various digital interfaces and media in order to create real-time user experiences. The most common forms of ambient media include the following: • 2D barcodes • Augmented Reality (AR) • Near-Field Communications (NFC) • Location-Based Services (LBS) • Mobile Social Media

The 2-Dimension (2D) barcodes are mobile barcodes such as the commonly known Quick Response (QR) codes that are encoded with information. Krum (2010) defines QR codes as small square graphical images that can be captured by the camera of a mobile phone and then decoded by software on the phone known as QR code reader to execute specific tasks. These tasks could be links to any website URL, geographical coordinates, scan-to-call, sending a text message or E-mail, viewing an online video, downloadable coupons or special offers, or social networking activities such as “Like” or “Follow” (Tranter, 2012). Augmented Reality (AR) is a way of enabling a mobile user to “observe” a virtual connection to the physical world by combining mobile device features such as the camera, Global Positioning System (GPS), and broadband connectivity. In other words, it is a live, direct or indirect view of a physical environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated input such as audio/video or GPS data (Pasqua and Elkin, 2013). Near-Field Communications (NFC) is a set of standards for smartphones and tablet PCs to initiate radio communication with each other in very close proximity in order to transfer data in a more secure way compared to similar technologies such as the Bluetooth. The Location-Based Services (LBS) are digital systems that broadcast digital messages to enabled devices within a specific proximity (Krum, 2010). They are mainly used in conjunction with AR and NFC for proximity marketing purposes. As Varnali et al. (2011) indicate proximity marketing is the dissemination of marketing content related to a particular place. Proximity marketing can be done by a business that is accessing a person’s location through its mobile device’s built-in GPS or by determining its position by the nearest cell phone tower, wireless access point, or other near-field communication techniques (Dushinski, 2009). Furthermore, there are several benefits associated with considering proximity marketing as a part of the mobile marketing plan such as development of one-to-one relationship marketing, captured target customers, enhanced Return on Investment (ROI), building brand recognition and loyalty (Okazaki, 2012). The last form of ambient media is the mobile social media which is simply combining the two recent direct marketing approaches: social media marketing and mobile marketing. According to Tode (2012), mobile marketing is a great activation channel that complements

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marketers’ other social media efforts because there is a great synergy between mobile and social media as well as the benefits of combining these two together. The simplicity expected by users is the most important difference between mobile social media and traditional social media. This is further supported by Segreto (2010) who states that even though users are fairly tolerant of cluttered pages on their home computers, they expect sites, pages, and apps on their mobile devices to be especially well-organised, user-friendly, and easy to navigate. Mobile social media can take various forms, but the primary forms are: mobile social networks, social gaming, content sharing and streaming, location-based check-in services, and content sharing via social sites (Berkowitz, 2010). It is therefore obvious that every day more businesses are incorporating mobile marketing into their marketing mix in order to communicate effectively and efficiently with their customers. The main purpose of mobile marketing is to increase the awareness level of the businesses by assisting them in gathering relevant

References Berkowitz, D. (2010), “Social Gaming” [Internet] SlideShare Available from: http://dawngregg.com/ smedia/?tag=social-media-strategy [Accessed 25 April 2012] Dushinski, K. (2009), The Mobile Marketing Handbook, New Jersey: Information Today, Inc. Krum, C. (2010), Mobile Marketing: Finding Your Customers No Matter Where They Are, Indianapolis: Pearson Education Inc. Okazaki, S. (2012), Fundamentals of Mobile Marketing Theories and Practices, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, inc. Pasqua, R. and Elkin, N. (2013), Mobile Marketing: An Hour A Day, Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

information about the needs and preferences of their target customers in a timely and profitable manner. Moreover, mobile marketing plays a significant role in enhancing the interaction between the potential customers and their favorite brands. This is particularly due to the specific characteristics that marketing through the mobile channel has: intimacy, immediacy, intelligence, and innovation. The popularity of personal mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs has introduced a new form of marketing to businesses that can target a large number of people anywhere in the world. As a result, integrating mobile into the marketing mix should become a priority for businesses that want to stay ahead in their relevant industries and enhance their profitability. As mobile technology continues to rapidly evolve, marketing through the mobile channel will become pervasive and not negligible in the upcoming years. Therefore, to entirely adopt mobile as a new element of the marketing mix, marketers are required to evolve along with it. Otherwise, they will gradually lose a large number of customers who are mobile.

Segreto, P. (2010), Simplifying Social Media for Optimum Results, International Franchising Association Tode, C. (2012), “Four mobile marketing strategies that are working right now” [Internet] Mobile Marketer: the news leader in mobile marketing, media and commerce Available from: http://www. mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/12382/ [Accessed 27 March 2012] Tranter, K. (2012), “Social Media Marketing – QR Codes” [Internet] UTICAOD.com Available from: http://www. uticaod.com/blogs/x1965984658/Social-MediaMarketing-QR-Codes/ [Accessed 27 April 2012] Varnali, K., Toker, A., and Yilmaz, C. (2011), Mobile Marketing Fundamentals and Strategy, 1st Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill

Monaliz Amirkhanpour is a PhD Candidate in Business & Management at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. Her research is focused on the application of mobile marketing as a promotional channel within the retail industry. She holds an MBA (with Distinction) from the University of Nicosia (Cyprus), a Postgraduate Certificate in Business IT from the Middlesex University (UK), a BSc in Computer Engineering from the University of Nicosia (Cyprus), and a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Indianapolis (USA). She is a Member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), a Graduate Member of Cyprus Computer Society (CCS), and a Student Member of the EuroMed Academy of Business (EMAB). More information can be found at http://glos.academia.edu/MonalizAmirkhanpour

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MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS as a Profession

Dr. Despo Ktoridou & Kyriakos E. Georgiou

he academic field of Management Information

mathematics, economics, quantitative techniques,

Systems (MIS) is the study of technology, people and organizations and the relationships among

managerial and business skills.

them. It is the study of how individuals, groups, and organizations evaluate, design, implement, manage, and utilize systems to generate information (a) to improve efficiency and effectiveness of decision making, (b) address the information processing requirements

The MIS department is usually based in the business school but has close links and interactions with other academic schools and departments such as computer science, computer engineering, economics,

and (c) the business needs of the organization. These

mathematics and management science. It focuses on both business processes and information technology.

systems include decision support systems, expert systems and executive information systems. To build

provide solutions to business needs.

these systems involves applying computer technology,

MIS brings together all these different disciplines to

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MIS is a people-oriented field with an emphasis on

Technology Director (ITD) and Information Technology

providing services, solutions, and information through

Security Manager (ITSM). The Chief Information Officer

technology. Management information systems are typically computer systems used for data managing to

(CIO) is responsible for the overall technology state of the organization. He or she has a critical role in decision

make searching, analyzing data and spring information

making and action taking in determining the technology

easier. Management information systems are distinct

and information goals of the organization and making

from other information systems in that they are used to

sure the necessary planning to implement those goals

analyze and facilitate strategic and operational activities.

is being carried out.

MIS professionals have the knowledge and skills

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is responsible

to envision where technology can actually lead organizations. In the same context, with the continuous

for evaluating how new technology can help the organization. They usually recommend technological

technological, economic and social challenges, today’s

solutions to support the policies issued by the CIO. The

businesses and organizations seek for qualified employees who are equipped with the necessary

IT Director including MIS Director is in charge of the organization’s Information Technology Departments. He

knowledge and skills to analyze, design, implement,

or she are also in charge of implementing the policies

and manage their computerized information systems.

that have been drafted by the other top executives (CIO,

specifically,

organizations

seek

innovative

employees who are not only, good problem solvers

CTO). It is their role to ensure the availability of data and network services by coordinating IT activities

but who also enjoy working with people. Employees

The IT Security Manager oversees the network and

who can think strategically about technology and

security data as the title implies. He or she develops

who like having the responsibility for developing and

programs to offer information and awareness to

then implementing their ideas; Employees who can be

their employees about security threats. This team

the communication bridge between technology and

is very important because they must keep up to

business; and who can not only see both details and the

date the IT security measures in order safeguard the

big picture but also have the necessary communication and management skills. MIS professionals have a

information systems, networks, applications and data of their organization. Any security violations need to be

good understanding of the economic and social

investigated and supervised by this specific team.

environment in which the organization functions and a comprehensive understanding of issues relevant to law, economics, ethics and management. The amalgamation

The terms Management Information System (MIS), Information System, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP),

of all these qualification can lead business success.

and Information Technology Management are often confused and or used interchangeably. Information

The role of the management information system (MIS)

Systems and MIS are broader categories that include

manager is to focus on the organization’s information

ERP. Information technology management concerns the

and technology systems. The MIS manager typically

operation and organization of information technology

analyzes organizational and business problems and then designs and maintains computer applications to

resources independent of their purpose.

solve them. He or she is equipped with the necessary knowledge to understand and deal with people, business processes and customer’s needs and therefore

Most management information systems specialize in particular commercial and industrial sectors, aspects of the enterprise, or management substructure. These can

are an asset for an organization.

be broadly identified as:

There are several areas of concentration with different

• Management Information Systems (MIS) produce

duties and responsibilities for information system managers starting from the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Information

fixed, regularly scheduled reports based on data extracted and summarized from the firm’s underlying transaction processing systems to middle and

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operational level managers to identify and inform structured and semi-structured decision problems. • Decision Support Systems (DSS) are computer

retailers, and final customers. • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems help businesses manage relationships

program applications used by middle and higher

with potential and current customers and business

management to compile information from a wide range of sources to support problem solving and

partners across marketing, sales, and service.

decision making. A DSS is used mostly for semistructured and unstructured decision problems. • Executive Information Systems (EIS) is a reporting

• Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) help organizations facilitate the collection, recording, organization, retrieval, and dissemination of knowledge. This may include documents, accounting

tool that provides quick access to summarized

records, unrecorded procedures, practices, and

reports coming from all company levels and departments such as accounting, human resources

skills. Knowledge management (KM) as a system covers the process of knowledge creation and

and operations.

acquisition from internal processes and the external

• Marketing Information Systems are Management Information Systems designed specifically for managing the marketing aspects of the business. • Office Automation Systems (OAS) support

world. The collected knowledge is incorporated in organizational policies and procedures, and then disseminated to the stakeholders. There are several benefits that can be attained from

communication and productivity in the enterprise by

using MIS. Companies are able to identify their strengths

automating workflow and eliminating bottlenecks.

and weaknesses due to the presence of revenue reports,

OAS may be implemented at any and all levels of management.

employees’ performance record etc. Identifying these aspects can help a company improve its business

• School Information Management Systems (SIMS)

processes and operations. MIS can also add value in the following ways:

cover school administration, and often including teaching and learning materials. • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system facilitates the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders. More specifically and with reference to MIS There are several systems that can form an MIS and they include: • Enterprise Systems also known as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems provide integrated software modules and a unified database that can be used to plan, manage, and control core business processes across multiple locations. Modules of ERP systems may include finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, production, inventory management, and distribution. • Supply Chain Management (SCM) Systems enable more efficient management of the supply chain by integrating the links in a supply chain. This may include suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers,

• Provide an overall picture of the company. • Act as a communication and planning tool. • Provide customer data and feedback that can help the company to align its business processes to the needs of its customers. The effective management of customer data can help the company to perform direct marketing and promotion activities. • Enable a firm to gain competitive advantage and offer products or services better, faster, cheaper, or uniquely, compared with rivals in the market. In conclusion if a business or organization uses complex information systems that need to be managed, implemented, designed and analyzed, then employing MIS professionals is a prerequisite. There will always be a need for MIS professionals who add value by solving business problems and create new opportunities employing technology; after all, technology is the engine of growth for every business!

79 www.pliroforiki.org

Dr. Despo Ktoridou is currently

Kyriakos E. Georgiou,

an Associate Professor and Head of Management & MIS Department at

a longtime editor of Pliroforiki, has

the University of Nicosia in Cyprus.

more than 30 years

Her research focuses on areas of

of professional

ICT-Information Communication

experience. His

Technologies application in education, Innovation and Technology Management in Education

professional activities include teaching, research and project

and Business and Innovative Teaching /Learning Pedagogies in

management of research projects, consulting,

Higher Education. Dr. Ktoridou has presented papers in numerous refereed international conferences and has published several papers in refereed journals. Dr. Ktoridou participated in EU and

business and banking. His research interests include information technology management, business value and productivity from

local funded programs and has been invited by foreign universities

information technology. He can be reached at

as a guest lecturer. She can be reached at ktoridou.d@unic.ac.cy.

kegeorg@logos.cy.net and georgiou.k@unic.ac.

YΠΟΒAΛΕΤΕ ΤΟ AΡΘΡΟ ΣΑΣ SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE

Ο Κυ.Συ.Π. καλεί τα μέλη του και άλλους επιστήμονες, ερευνητές, ακαδημαϊκούς, επαγγελματίες και επιχειρηματίες του κλάδου Πληροφορικής να υποβάλουν τα άρθρα τους για τα επόμενα τεύχη του περιοδικού! Τα άρθρα μπορούν να αναφέρονται σε οποιαδήποτε πτυχή του τομέα των Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠΕ), και να υποβάλλονται σε συνεχή βάση στη Συντακτική Επιτροπή. Οι συγγραφείς θα ενημερώνονται για την παραλαβή του άρθρου και τον προβλεπόμενο χρόνο δημοσίευσης (σε περίπτωση αποδοχής).

The CCS invites articles and papers from CCS Members and other scientists, researchers, academics, professionals and the business community for the next issues of “Pliroforiki”. Articles and papers may deal with any aspect of Information and Communication Technologies and submitted on a continuous basis to the Editorial Committee. The authors will be notified about the receipt of the article and the expected publication date (in case of acceptance).

Please review the details and instructions through our website www.pliroforiki.org and submit your articles/papers via email to info@ccs.org.cy.

www.pliroforiki.org 80

Χρήση ρομποτικής τεχνολογίας

στη γεωργία

Γιώργος Αδαμίδης

Η χρήση ρομποτικής τεχνολογίας στη γεωργία μπορεί να αποτελέσει μία αποτελεσματική λύση στα

συστημάτων στη γεωργία, είναι όμως και μια πρόκληση αφού, είτε λόγω της υφιστάμενης τεχνολογίας, είτε λόγω

υφιστάμενα προβλήματα, αφού ως γνωστό το γεωργικό

του δυναμικού περιβάλλοντος (π.χ. σκίαση, φυσικός

επάγγελμα φθίνει, η εξεύρεση εργατικού δυναμικού είναι δύσκολη, ενώ από την άλλη, υπάρχει η ανάγκη

φωτισμός, φυσικά ή τεχνητά εμπόδια, κλπ), τα αυτόνομα ρομπότ δύσκολα αντεπεξέρχονται των περίπλοκων και

για αύξηση της γεωργικής παραγωγής έτσι ώστε να ικανοποιηθούν οι αυξανόμενες ανάγκες παραγωγής

συχνά επικίνδυνων γεωργικών ασχολιών. Σε αντίθεση, η χρήση ρομποτικής τεχνολογίας σε επίπεδο εργοστασίου

τροφίμων. Επιπλέον, οι γεωργικές εργασίες συχνά είναι

ή βιομηχανίας, όπως κατασκευή αυτοκινήτων, όπου τα

επίπονες, επαναλαμβανόμενες αλλά όχι πανομοιότυπες, ενώ εκτελούνται συνήθως κάτω από αντίξοες καιρικές

ρομπότ εργάζονται σε πλήρως ελεγχόμενο περιβάλλον, είναι απόλυτα επιτυχής. Στη γεωργία, εργασίες που είναι

συνθήκες σε απρόβλεπτο και δύσκολο περιβάλλον. Αυτό είναι μεν κίνητρο για χρήση ρομποτικών

σχετικά απλές για τον άνθρωπο, όπως για παράδειγμα το να απλώσει το χέρι για να αποκόψει τον καρπό από

81 www.pliroforiki.org

ένα δένδρο ακόμη και αν εμποδίζεται από το φύλλωμα ή

Στο συγκεκριμένο έργο, η γεωργική εργασία που

κλαδιά του δένδρου, για ένα ρομπότ είναι μια πολύπλοκη

επιλέξαμε για να δοκιμάσουμε τη χρήση ρομποτικής

και πολυσύνθετη διαδικασία, η οποία βρίσκεται ακόμα

τεχνολογίας είναι αυτή του ψεκασμού. Με την επιλογή

σε πειραματικό επίπεδο.

αυτή στοχεύσαμε στο να απομακρύνουμε τον αγρότη

Το Ινστιτούτο Γεωργικών Ερευνών συμμετείχε στο

από τα επικίνδυνα χημικά στα οποία εκτίθεται κατά τη διάρκεια του ψεκασμού. Παράλληλα, με την ακρίβεια

έργο Agrirobot (http://agrirobot.ouc.ac.cy), το οποίο συντόνιζε το Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου και σε αυτό συμμετείχαν επίσης, το Ελληνικό Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο, και το E.U.C. Research Center Ltd. Το έργο χρηματοδοτήθηκε από το Ίδρυμα Προώθησης Έρευνας ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΑ/ΓΕΩΡΓΟ/0609(ΒΕ)/06. Στόχος του έργου ήταν η μελέτη της περίπτωσης τηλεχειρισμού ενός αγροτικού ρομπότ (agricultural robot teleoperation). Με τον όρο τηλεχειρισμό εννοούμε ότι ο αγρότης είναι επιβλέπων και καθοδηγητής του ρομπότ, το οποίο βρίσκεται σε χωράφι ή θερμοκήπιο, ενώ ο ίδιος βρίσκεται σε ένα ασφαλές και άνετο περιβάλλον, που θα μπορούσε να είναι ένας χώρος κοντά στο χωράφι ή ακόμα και στο σπίτι του. Το ρομπότ, λοιπόν,

που προσφέρει το ρομπότ στον ψεκασμό επιτυγχάνεται τόσο

μείωση

του

ψεκαστικού

διαλύματος

που

χρησιμοποιείται, άρα μειώνεται και το κόστος, όσο και προστασία του περιβάλλοντος καθώς χρησιμοποιούνται λιγότερα χημικά. Ο τηλεχειρισμός του ρομπότ προϋποθέτει το σχεδιασμό και ανάπτυξη κατάλληλων διεπαφών για επικοινωνία του χρήστη (αγρότη) με το ρομπότ (user interface for human-robot interaction). Έτσι, το έργο Agrirobot επικεντρώνεται στην κατασκευή διεπαφών χρήστη, κατάλληλων για τηλεχειρισμό αγροτικών ρομπότ, επιτρέποντας στον αγρότη να ελέγχει το ρομπότ χρησιμοποιώντας διάφορες μορφές αλληλεπίδρασης.

δεν αντικαθιστά τον αγρότη, αλλά τον υποβοηθά στην

Κύριος στόχος ήταν ο καθορισμός κατάλληλων

εκτέλεση των εργασιών στο χωράφι ή στο θερμοκήπιο.

διεπαφών που θα χρησιμοποιήσει ένας αγρότης για να

Στόχος είναι να εκμεταλλευτούμε τη γνώση και εμπειρία του αγρότη στις πολύπλοκες γεωργικές εργασίες,

τηλε-χειριστεί αγροτικό ρομπότ, συμπεριλαμβανομένου της καθοδήγησης στο χωράφι και της επιλογής στόχων

αφήνοντας τη σκληρή, επίπονη, επαναλαμβανόμενη και

(πχ. για να ψεκάσει, να κλαδέψει, να μαζέψει καρπούς

επικίνδυνη εργασία στο ρομπότ.

κλπ). Το τελικό αποτέλεσμα είναι ο σχεδιασμός και η υλοποίηση διεπαφής για αλληλεπίδραση μεταξύ του

Εικόνα 1. Τηλεχειριζόμενο ρομπότ ψεκαστήρας σε αμπελώνα

www.pliroforiki.org 82

Εικόνα 2. Διεπαφή για επικοινωνία χρήστη-ρομπότ. Περιλαμβάνει την κάμερα που δείχνει το μονοπάτι στο οποίο κινείται το ρομπότ, περιφερειακή κάμερα και κάμερα που βλέπει τα τσαμπιά που έχει να ψεκάσει. χρήστη και του ρομπότ που να είναι εύκολη στη χρήση, να περιορίζει το χρόνο εκμάθησης της χρήσης της, και

Ινστιτούτου Γεωργικών Ερευνών. Τα πειράματα έχουν προκαταρκτικά καταδείξει ότι ένας βασικός παράγοντας

να είναι αποδοτική και αποτελεσματική. Δεδομένου ότι

στη διεπαφή μεταξύ του χρήστη και του ρομπότ είναι μια

ο χρήστης βρίσκεται απομακρυσμένος από το χώρο στον οποίο λειτουργεί το ρομπότ, η διεπαφή θα πρέπει

περιφερειακή άποψη του χώρου γύρω από το ρομπότ, καθώς επίσης και άποψη του χώρου μπροστά του,

να σχεδιαστεί με τέτοιο τρόπο ώστε να παρέχει όλη την

όπως φαίνεται στην Εικόνα 2. Επίσης για τη στόχευση

αναγκαία πληροφόρηση στον αγρότη ώστε να τηλε-

και ψεκασμό των στόχων (π.χ. τσαμπιά σταφυλιών)

χειριστεί το αγροτικό ρομπότ.

χρειάζεται μια κοντινή άποψη πάνω από το ψεκαστικό. Αν παραληφθεί έστω και μια από τις τρεις απόψεις, η

Μέσα από τη διαδικασία της σχεδίασης, ανάπτυξης και μελέτης των διεπαφών χρήστη-ρομπότ, επιδιώκουμε να καταδείξουμε τα στοιχεία εκείνα που είναι αναγκαία

εργασία οδήγησης και ψεκάσματος γίνεται πολύ πιο δύσκολη και με περισσότερα λάθη (βλ. Εικόνα 3).

ώστε να βελτιώσουμε την επίγνωση που χρειάζεται να έχει ο αγρότης κατά την αλληλεπίδραση του με το

Συγκεκριμένα, η ανάλυση των δεδομένων που συγκεντρώθηκαν έδειξαν ότι οι χρήστες στην περίπτωση

αγροτικό ρομπότ. Με την τεχνική αυτή και δεδομένου ότι το ρομπότ βρίσκεται σε απομακρυσμένη από το

που είχαν πρόσβαση σε υποστηρικτικές κάμερες για επιπρόσθετη οπτική ανατροφοδότηση, ψέκασαν

χρήστη περιοχή επιδιώκουμε μέσω της διεπαφής ο

περισσότερα σταφύλια και τηλε-χειρίστηκαν το ρομπότ

χρήστης να έχει επίγνωση της εργασίας που εκτελεί το ρομπότ, επίγνωση του περιβάλλοντα χώρου όπου

με λιγότερες συγκρούσεις σε εμπόδια, σε σύγκριση με τους χρήστες που είχαν τη διεπαφή με μόνο μια (κύρια)

βρίσκεται το ρομπότ, επίγνωση της λειτουργικής

κάμερα t ( 29 ) = 9.06 , p <.001 , r = 0,86 και z = 3,86,

κατάστασης του ρομπότ, και επίγνωση της αποστολής που έχει να εκτελέσει.

ρ < .001 , r = 0,50 , αντίστοιχα. Οι παρατηρούμενες στατιστικά σημαντικές διαφορές καταδεικνύουν τη

Σχεδιάστηκαν και πραγματοποιήθηκαν διάφορα πειράματα πεδίου στους Πειραματικούς Σταθμούς του

σημασία της παροχής ανατροφοδότησης στο χειριστή του ρομπότ μέσω των υποστηρικτικών καμερών, κάτι

83 www.pliroforiki.org

Εικόνα 3. Ο μέσος αριθμός τσαμπιών που ψεκάστηκαν με διεπαφές που είχαν υποστηρικτικές κάμερες ήταν πιο ψηλός σε σχέση με τις διεπαφές που ο χρήστης είχε μόνο μία κάμερα. που ενισχύει και υποβοηθά την αλληλεπίδραση ανθρώπουρομπότ, τόσο στην περίπτωση πλοήγησης του ρομπότ όσο και στην αναγνώριση στόχων για ψέκασμα. Ως ενδεικτικό παράδειγμα, η Εικόνα 4 παρουσιάζει μια περίπτωση κατά την οποία ο χρήστης δεν είναι σε θέση να εντοπίσει την ύπαρξη του εμποδίου - μπροστά από το δεξιό τροχό του ρομπότ (Εικόνα 4α), όταν χρησιμοποιεί μόνο την κύρια κάμερα. Από την άλλη, με τη ανατροφοδότηση που παίρνει από τις υποστηρικτικές κάμερες (Εικόνα 4β), του επιτρέπουν να εντοπίσει εύκολα και να αποφύγει το εμπόδιο, που στην προκειμένη περίπτωση ήταν ένα κουβάς. Από τα προκαταρτικά αποτελέσματα προκύπτει ότι ο βασικός στόχος του έργου, δηλαδή ο τηλεχειρισμός αγροτικού ρομπότ είναι εφικτός. Παράλληλα μετρήθηκε και η αποτελεσματικότητα και αποδοτικότητα της διεπαφής χρήστη-ρομπότ που αναπτύχθηκε.

Εικόνα 4. (α) Διεπαφή για εντοπισμό εμποδίων με την κύρια κάμερα. (β) Διεπαφή για εντοπισμό εμποδίων με κύρια και υποστηρικτικές κάμερες

Ο Γιώργος Αδαμίδης αποφοίτησε Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Michigan, USA (www.wmich.edu) με πτυχίο στην Επιστήμη Ηλεκτρονικών Υπολογιστών το 1997 και από το ίδιο πανεπιστήμιο με μεταπτυχιακό τίτλο MSc in Computer Science το 1999. Από το 2001 εργάζεται ως ερευνητής στο Ινστιτούτο Γεωργικών Ερευνών (www.ari.gov.cy). Τα ερευνητικά του ενδιαφέρονται είναι: Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction, the adoption of ICT in agriculture, and agricultural iinformation sharing. To 2009 ξεκίνησε διδακτορικές σπουδές στο Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου (www.ouc.ac.cy) στην επιστημονική περιοχή human-robot interaction, with emphasis on user interfaces for teleoperated agricultural robotics. Μπορείτε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί του μέσω ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου στη διεύθυνση gadamides@ari.gov.cy

www.pliroforiki.org 84

DO YOU KNOW THIS MACHINE?

Dr. Philippos Peleties, ppeletie@cytanet.com.cy

.he water is blue and crystal clear. The storm is over and the sun is shining. A group of sponge divers taking shelter from a storm decide to try their luck. The dive is a good one. Soon, corroded human limbs scattered on the bottom of the sea catch one diverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye. Further down, marble and bronze heads

stare at him. He stops. He looks around and realizes that he is in the middle of a field of ancient bronze and marble statues. An overloaded galley, full to the brim with statues and other treasures, pottery and wine and oil amphorae sank there. Traveling from Greek colonies in Asia Minor to Rome, this roman galley, a big trading ship for its time, fell on rough seas and met its fate on its bottom. The load is plentiful, so much that for the next 9 months divers keep on bringing up treasures seldom seen before. Greece, the elegance, and Rome, the power, mixed and matched to perfection. The year is 1900, the depth 45 meters, and the diver is Elias Stadiatos. Amongst the statues, a badly

craftsmanship is beyond anything

him and Greek nuclear physicist

corroded and mysterious object

else known for the period. This

Charalambos Karakalos make X-ray

appears. The diver picks it up.

is a machine of high precision, a

and gamma-ray images of the

Eventually the object arrives at the National Museum of Archaeology

machine that serves a purpose, a machine that begs to be understood.

fragments, publishing a paper with their findings in 1974.

in Athens. Soon, it splits into three

But the machine is too complex and

main fragments, A, B, and C. It does

study is abandoned.

not make sense and nobody knows what it is. The museum staff is too busy with analysing other pieces of the wreckage treasure that the corroded lump of metal and wood goes unnoticed for two years. One day, archaeologist Valerios Stais while examining the find, notices that there is a gear embedded in it. Stais is perplexed. Then he realizes. It is some kind of machine, perhaps an astronomical machine. The date is May 17, 1901 and the machine is the Antikythera Mechanism, as it later comes to be known. It is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first computer. A computer that computes what? Gears were known in antiquity but this is different. The precision

Then, in 2006 Professor Michael

Derek J. de Solla Price becomes

Edmunds of Cardiff University leads a team of mathematicians

interested in 1951 and in 1971

and historians of science to study

85 www.pliroforiki.org

it. Edmunds exclaims: “it is just

the center of their orbits. Their

mechanism implemented through

extraordinary, the only thing of

movements and the movements

the use of gears.

its kind”, a high precision piece of astronomy computer that is “more

of the Moon played a significant role in their lives, especially those

valuable than the Mona Lisa”.

of the phases of the Moon. They

The big question is “how old is this mechanism”? The ship’s cargo reveals that it is around 70 to 50 BC. Later studies suggest that is it older, around 200 BC. However, the mechanism is so remarkable that the question “is it a much later mechanism which happened to be dropped in the area and by stroke of luck found its resting place next to the sunken treasure?” keep on

marked

the

start

religious

festivals and the beginning of the

to the Moon. In the 19 year cycle there are 254 lunar orbits (sidereal

crops season, among others. All these movements in the form of

months). Half of 254 is 127. It seems the designer thought that building

orbits can be simulated by the use of gears which revolve around each

too difficult of a task therefore he

other. The trick is to get the ratios right, thus the right number of teeth on each gear needed to be known, and constructed, with the highest possible precision.

coming. Study of the inscription by

a gear with 254 teeth would be decided to build half and multiply their effect with another gear. So far we have the calculation of both synodic and sidereal months. More gears, calculate the position of the Sun, the Moon, the moon phase, eclipse and the positions of the known planets.

epigrapher Benjamin Dean Meritt of the Greek letters on the face of the mechanism suggest that it is old, first century BC, and, thus, certainly

The entire mechanism is thought to have been enclosed in a 340 × 180

not a foreign object to the wreck’s

× 90 mm wooden box, with bronze

cargo.

front and back faces. The front face of the box displays the calendar as a

Derek J. de Solla Price looks through

dial and it is the main attraction. The back face of the mechanism displays

the X-ray images and realizes that there are 27 gears in the artefact

two other calendars as dials. There is

(fragment A). These gears are complex and the entire mechanism hard

Another important number is the number 127, which is also related

understand.

also a hand crank at the side of the box which turns the gears inside

then 2: A schematic of the gear assembly

the box. These gears are attached to “hands” which move around the

decipher their function. Counting is hard but he manages to count

The number 235 is the number of

calendars both at the front as well as

127 teeth and 235 teeth in two different gears. These two numbers

months) in a 19 year cycle, the

realizes that if he counts the teeth on each gear he may be able to

lunar phases or months (synodic

are very important to ancient Greek

Metonic cycle. This is a precise number as opposed to the number

astronomy and life. It looks that the mechanism is designed to keep

of lunar months to a year which is fractional (each lunar month is 29.5

track of celestial objects. Another three gears are also found on the

days therefore not precisely dividing 365 which is the number of days in

remaining large fragments B, C and

a year). Therefore, by keeping a 19

D, making the total number of gears to be 30.

year cycle astronomers made sure

The Greeks knew the motions of the planets with the Earth being

that an integer number of lunar months was involved. It is precisely this cycle that the designer of the

the back of the mechanism. These hands act as pointers. The front dial hands have colored beads attached to them, one per hand and at a different position in relation to the length of each hand, representing the known planets and the Sun. There is also a rotating half white, half black beat representing the Moon and its phases. The Earth is placed at the center of the dial. The front face dial is a fixed ring dial which represents the ecliptic,

www.pliroforiki.org 86

the apparent path of the Sun on the celestial sphere, the heavens. The fixed ring is divided into two concentric

subrings.

The

inner

subring is divided into the 12 zodiac signs, each 30 degrees in span. This corresponds to the Babylonian custom of dividing the ecliptic into 12 equal sections. Each zodiac region

ecliptic. It is not a simple circular

The Olympiad cycle is marked with

orbit but an elliptical one. This

the names of the months when

movement is achieved by using an ingenious design where a pin in a

the Olympic games would occur. The pointer travels in a counter-

gear associated with the rotation

clockwise direction. The dial is

of the Moon is moving back and

divided into four sections each

forth within a slot in the gear,

indicating a main Panhellenic game,

rotating another slightly off center concentric gear attached to the

Isthmia, Olympia, Nemea and Pythia, as well as two lesser games, Naa and

Moon, thus simulating the speeding and slowing of the Moon around the

a second unknown game.

elliptic trajectory. This mechanism

The Saros is a period of 223 synodic

is considered to be one of the first epicyclic gearing ever invented. It is

years and 11 1/3 days, that is used to

months, translating to roughly 18

indeed an ingenious way to simulate an elliptic trajectory.

predict eclipses of the Sun and the

The rear face features two main dials and three subdials. The main large

The spiral of the dial in inscribed with the symbols of the Moon

Moon. Therefore, the mechanism is an eclipse predictor as well!

dials display the Metonic and the

(Σ=Σελήνη), Sun (Η=Ήλιος), day,

is marked with the corresponding

Saros cycles, and the three smallest

hour, and whether it was during the

Greek letter. On the outside subring,

dials indicate the Olympiad, the

night. These symbols were located

the Egyptian calendar based on the Sothic cycle, is inscribed matching

Callippic and the Exeligmos cycles.

in 51 of the 223 synodic month

the 12 months of 30 days plus the

The Olympiad and Callippic subdials are inside the Metonic dial while the

indications on the spiral of the dial and they specify the 38 lunar and 27

5 intercalary days to complete the

Exeligmos subdial is inside the Saros

solar eclipses. Therefore, the pointer

365 day Sothic year. Therefore, each

dial.

on the dial indicates whether there

subdivision of the outer subring represents one day. Each Egyptian month is inscribed in Greek. The two concentric subrings can be rotated against each other in order

The Metonic cycle, as explained before, is 235 synodic months long which is followed by five rotations of the pointer on the dial in a spiral

is an eclipse, whether it is lunar or sun, the day, hour and whether it is night or not. The Exeligmos dial corresponds to

fashion. The dial has inscribed the

the 54-year Exeligmos cycle which

months of the Corinthian calendar. Therefore, setting the correct

is equal to three Saros cycles. If one does the math it turns out that

backwards one day every four years.

solar day on the front panel would

Exeligmos is an integer number of

Furthermore, a number of single Greek letters on the zodiac subring located at specific points form a

indicate the current lunar month

days. The dial is divided into three

give or take a week.

segments and two of the segments

The Callippic dial follows a 76

have the numbers 8 and 16 (in Greek symbology) inscribed. These

to compensate for leap years (the Egyptian calendar did not include them) by turning the outer subring

map of stars and constellations and their ascent on the sky. For example, M indicates Taurus beginning to rise, Π indicates Gemini beginning to rise and so on. A very interesting element is the Moon and its orbit around the

year cycle which is four times the Metonic cycle. The Callippic cycle is an approximate common multiple of the tropical year and the synodic month, and it is concidered an improvement of the 19-year Metonic cycle.

correspond to the number of hours that need to be added to the hour indicated by the Saros dial in order to more precisely calculate the eclipse times. One can think of this as a “fine adjustment” mechanism. What would a great instrument

87 www.pliroforiki.org

its shadow on the Earth, when the Sun was in line.”

such as this would be without an instruction

manual!

Amazingly

enough, the mechanism includes such instruction manual. It is

***

provided as script on two doors, one in the front and one in the back.

The true builder of the mechanism

***

never within reach. A remarkable

may never be known as the fame is claimed by many but the truth is work of science and engineering, an analog computer of astronomy

Such a remarkable mechanism. But who has built it? Nobody knows. Some claim that it could have

and the heavens above, it captivates us more that two thousand years later, us with all these science and

been early Greek scientists such as Hipparchus or Posidonius. Roman historian Cicero claims that it has

technology marvels at our disposal.

been Archimedes. Price claims that it

Even though the mechanism is a remarkable work of science and

was the Greek astronomer Geminus who had built the mechanism

engineering for its time, it cannot

around 87 BC on the Greek island of Rhodes. After all, the island of Rhodes was a center of knowledge for astronomy and mechanical engineering where elaborate and intricate automata were built. The mechanism could have found its way to Rome to be displayed at the triumphant parade in the honor of Julius Caesar. Alas, fate had different plans and the ship never made it to Rome, meeting its final fate in the hands of the treacherous sea off Antikythera. Archimedes, one of the brightest minds of antiquity, has been an all around genius, building intricate machines and weapons, amongst which the infamous “Archimedes heat ray” through which he burned the invading Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse around 214 – 212 BC. Archimedes, according to Cicero, had built two devices which aided in astronomical observations in showing the motion of the Sun, Moon and the five known planets.

escape its time. The scientific knowledge is not complete and After the capture of Syracuse

accurate enough to allow for precise

in 212 BC by the Romans, the commanding General Marcus

calculations. Furthermore, though the engineering is exquisite for 100

Claudius Marcellus took the devices

BC or so it is not precise enough due to the fact that the gears and

with him to Rome. He kept one of the devices as his personal loot from

their triangular shaped teeth are

Syracuse, and he donated the other

hand made introducing enough

to the Temple of Virtue in Rome.

inaccuracy

The device kept by Marcellus was demonstrated, according to Cicero,

Nevertheless,

by Gaius Sulpicius Gallus to Lucius Furius Philus, both notable Roman statesmen. The latter described its operation as:

“When Gallus moved the globe, it happened that the Moon followed the Sun by as many turns on that bronze contrivance as in the sky itself, from which also in the sky the Sun’s globe became to have that same eclipse, and the Moon came then to that position which was

spoil the

precision. mechanism

represents a triumph of the human mind and spirit in its journey to know the future and predict its destiny. This knowledge, lost for many centuries, is picked up by the Arabs who build their Islamic geared calendar-computers. Similar in construction, operation and principle, though simpler, point to the continuation of knowledge from antiquity to the early first millennia AD. This knowledge is furthered to medieval Europe. Time, an ancillary function of the these celestial computers becomes more and more important leading to the creation of

www.pliroforiki.org 88

fine timekeeping mechanisms. The

for the reader to appreciate the

the inner-workings. In writing this

art and science of clockmaking is born. Clockmakers lead to scientific

complexity, ingenuity and beauty of the mechanism itself and the celestial

article I run extensive simulations on these visual simulators as words

instrument-makers and the history

mechanics it computes, but not to

are poor in unraveling the beauty

of science and technology in Europe

fully explain all the intricacies of the

of the machine, the analog celestial

is forever changed.

mechanism, the interested reader

computer known as the Antikythera

***

is urged to consult the provided references and even more, as there

Mechanism.

As the purpose of this article is to introduce the Antikythera Mechanism in some detail enough

is an abundance of material on the Web. In addition, video (mostly from Youtube), and visual simulators allow for a better understanding of

All illustrations are from http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism, accessed December 2014 http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_4.htm, accessed January 2015 http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/whatsnew/column/antikytheraI-0400/kyth1.html, accessed January 2015 http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/isaw/isaw-papers/4/, accessed January 2015 http://www.academia.edu/7468925/Modeling_and_Simulation_of_the_Antikythera_Mechanism, accessed January 2015 http://www.unmuseum.org/amechanism.htm, accessed January 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxWuBNTZ7GE, accessed December 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRrXDrGg7fs, accessed January 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7MlQtnWjU, accessed December 2014

∫˘ÚÈ·Îﬁ˜ ™‡Ó‰ÂÛÌÔ˜ ¶ÏËÚÔÊÔÚÈÎ‹˜ ºÏˆÚ›ÓË˜ 11, City Forum, 3Ô˜ ﬁÚÔÊÔ˜, °Ú. 303 1065 §Â˘ÎˆÛ›·, ∫‡ÚÔ˜ Δ.£. 27038, 1641 §Â˘ÎˆÛ›·, ∫‡ÚÔ˜ ΔËÏ. +357 22 460 680 º·Í. +357 22 767 349 www.ccs.org.cy info@ccs.org.cy www.pliroforiki.org Cyprus Computer Society 11, Florinis str., City Forum, 3rd floor, Office 303 1065 Nicosia, Cyprus P.O. Box 27038, 1641 Nicosia, Cyprus Tel. +357 22 460 680 Fax. +357 22 767 349 www.ccs.org.cy info@ccs.org.cy www.pliroforiki.org