Cefriel

Cities worldwide are facing the challenge of digital information governance: different and competing service providers operating Internet of Things (IoT) devices often produce and maintain large amounts of data related to the urban environment. As a consequence, the need for interoperability arises between heterogeneous and distributed information, to enable city councils to make data-driven decisions and to provide new and effective added value services to their citizens. In this paper, we present the Urban IoT suite of ontologies, a common conceptual model to harmonise the data exchanges between municipalities and service providers, with specific focus on the sharing mobility and electric mobility domains.

<p>This document describes the Data Management Plan (DMP) for the TANGENT project. The DMP provides an analysis of the main elements of the data management policy that will be used throughout the project by the project partners, with regard to all the datasets that will be generated, harvested and/or used by the project.<br> In more detail this document covers the following:<br> 1. TANGENT data identification and collection approach,<br> 2. TANGENT overall dataset structure, including an overview of identified data sources and datasets<br> 3. the TANGENT overall data management plan<br> 4. datset with personal data in TANGENT<br> 5. Ethical aspects related to data management in TANGENT project.<br> As data management is an ongoing process along the duration of the TANGENT project and data management in the project is taking place in a dynamic environment, this document on hand is seen as a living document, which means that the document will be developed and maintained continuously over time.</p>

How to take multiple factors into account when evaluating a Game with a Purpose? How is player behaviour or participation influenced by different incentives? How does player engagement impact their accuracy in solving tasks? In this paper, we present a detailed investigation of multiple factors affecting the evaluation of a GWAP and we show how they impact on the achieved results. We inform our study with the experimental assessment of a GWAP designed to solve a multinomial classification task.

Citizens managing life events are often challenged in finding the needed municipality services (MuSe) and understanding the specific delivery conditions of such services. The lack of a comprehensive view of available services on municipality portals and online systems makes the challenge harder. In this paper, we describe the MuSe ontology, developed in the context of an Italian project that: i) supports the creation of formal and machine-readable descriptions of services available to citizens; ii) enables for personalised recommendations of services based on citizen profiles. Moreover, the paper describes how such recommendations are defined by means of an innovative semantic solution for supply demand matchmaking and how such recommendations are shown to citizens.

Urban information abound today in open Web sources as well as in enterprise datasets. However, the maintenance and update of this wealth of information about cities comes at different costs: some datasets are automatically produced, while other sources require expensive workflows including human intervention. Regression techniques can be employed to predict a costly dataset from a set of cheaper information sources. In this paper we present our early experiments in predicting land use and demographics from heterogeneous open and enterprise datasets referring to the city of Milano. The results are encouraging, thus demonstrating that a data science approach leveraging diverse data can be actually worth for a smarter urban planning support.

In patients with COPD non-naïve to rehabilitation we tested the feasibility, adherence and satisfaction of a home-based reinforcement telerehabilitation program (TRP). Outcomes were compared with a standard outpatient rehabilitation program (ORP). Then 18 TRP patients underwent 28 sessions of strength exercises (60 min) and cycle training (40 min) using a satellite platform provided telemonitoring, tele-prescription, video-assistance and phone-calls, patients were equipped with an oximeter, steps-counter, bicycle, remote control and interactive TV software. 18 matched ORP, retrospectively identified from our hospital ORP database, were used as controls. At baseline and end of program, the 6-min walking test (6MWT), Medical Research Council (MRC) scale and Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were administered. In TRP only, we assessed platform use, incremental exercise, steps walked/day and patient satisfaction. TRP patients completed all sessions without side effects, used the remote control 1,394 ± 2,329 times being in the 84% of the cases satisfied with the service. In 22% of the cases patients found the technology unfriendly. Each health-professional performed 46 ± 65 actions, 14.6 ± 2.12 phone calls and 1 ± 1.67 videoconference sessions per patient. TRP patients increased physical activity (3,412 vs. 1,863 steps/day, p = 0.0002). Both programs produced significant (all, p < 0.01) gains in 6MWT [meters, TRP +34.22 ± 50.79; ORP +33.61 ± 39.25], dyspnea [TRP - 0.72 ± 0.89; ORP - 0.94 ± 0.53] and SGRQ [TRP - 6.9 ± 9.96, ORP - 9.9 ± 12.92] without between-group differences. In conclusion, TRP is feasible and well accepted by patients, although sometimes technology was perceived as difficult. It seems to improve walking capacity, dyspnea, quality of life and daily physical activity. Future RCTs will demonstrate cost-effectiveness.

Emergency Telecommunications (EMTEL) deal with provisioning of telecommunications services in emergency situations; these can range from an individual in a state of personal emergency (with need to make an emergency call due to sudden illness, traffic accident, fire) to a very broad perspective of serious disruptions (earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks). EMTEL covers the telecommunications needs of public safety resources, like: police, fire–fighters, ambulances and other medical services: such services usually rely on dedicated networks and equipment. We realised PICO (control platforms and delivery of services in converged networks) a platform for service delivery and emergency management on public telecommunications networks. PICO platform leverages on application streaming on Android OS and a context–aware system for fixed–mobile convergence based on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

Nowadays digital ultrasound-cardiovascular devices are able to send out directly digital images and films. Thanks to the large adoption of such devices, the echocardiographic world is facing new ways of exchanging images and collaborating. What we present in this paper is a review of the experimental projects carried in Lombardy, meant to support the work of specialists by means of second opinion and telemedicine services. On the medical point of view echocardiography is a widely used activity where operators are perfectly accustomed to do repetitive operations and steps. Tele-echocardiography (T-E) introduces new methods and technologies into stable and everyday medical practice, causing disruptions either on the side of the specialists' way of working or on the new opportunities and service. Introducing such a service means to properly model it in order to reduce the changes in the operators' way of working while maximizing the benefits. A proper method of modelling the operators' needs is then a key factor which must be correctly addressed. This paper will present some successful projects and the assessment procedure but it will also discuss a possible service modelling method, which has been adopted for the described experiences.

BackgroundNowadays, new organisational strategies should be indentified to improve primary care and its link with secondary care in terms of efficacy and timeliness of interventions thus preventing unnecessary hospital accesses and costs saving for the health system. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of the use of teleconsultation by general practitioners in rural areas.MethodsGeneral practitioners were provided with a teleconsultation service from 2006 to 2008 to obtain a second opinion for cardiac, dermatological and diabetic problems. Access, acceptance, organisational impact, effectiveness and economics data were collected. Clinical and access data were systematically entered in a database while acceptance and organisational data were evaluated through ad hoc questionnaires.ResultsThere were 957 teleconsultation contacts which resulted in access to health care services for 812 symptomatic patients living in 30 rural communities. Through the teleconsultation service, 48 general practitioners improved the appropriateness of primary care and the integration with secondary care. In fact, the level of concordance between intentions and consultations for cardiac problems was equal to 9%, in 86% of the cases the service entailed a saving of resources and in 5% of the cases, it improved the timeliness. 95% of the GPs considered the overall quality positively. For a future routine use of this service, trust in specialists, duration and workload of teleconsultations and reimbursement should be taken into account.ConclusionsManagerial and policy implications emerged mainly related to the support to GPs in the provision of high quality primary care and decision-making processes in promoting similar services.

Telemedicine is achieving relevant clinical importance in rural areas in the management of patients. The Second opinion Unificata per Medici di Medicina generAle (SUMMA) Project was designed to evaluate the feasibility of a joint telemedicine service application across general practitioners and clinical specialists in Italy. The secondary objective of the study included the comparison of telemedicine with the routine general practitioners' approach and a cost-effectiveness evaluation. One hundred and thirty-five general practitioners from Lombardy, Molise, and Valle d'Aosta were enrolled. An ad hoc questionnaire was used to evaluate the feasibility, approval, efficacy, and satisfaction of telemedicine among the general practitioners. Ninety-three general practitioners used the telemedicine consultation (responders) for a total of 1,396 calls (1,264 for cardiology, 65 for dermatology, 32 for diabetology, 22 for rheumatology, and 13 for pneumology). In cardiology, telemedicine was used to address all problems without further action in 733 cases (61%). Ninety-eight percent of responders indicate satisfaction with telemedicine. The cost of telemedicine in our study was estimated to be 25.36 Euros/contact. In conclusion, the SUMMA Project demonstrated for the first time clinically the effectiveness of second-opinion consultation by general practitioners and therefore fulfilling the actual needs in areas usually managed by the National Health System.