In this paper, we investigate the efficiency of ray queries on the CPU in the context of path tracing, where ray distributions are mostly random. We show that existing schemes that exploit data locality to improve ray tracing efficiency fail to do so beyond the first diffuse bounce, and analyze the cause for this. We then present an alternative scheme inspired by the work of Pharr et al. in which we improve data locality by using a data-centric breadth-first approach. We show that our scheme improves on state-of-the-art performance for ray distributions in a path tracer.
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Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of data science as a profession and an academic field. The increasing impact and societal relevance of data science is accompanied by important questions that reflect this development: how can data science become more responsible and accountable while also responding to key challenges such as bias, fairness, and transparency in a rigorous and systematic manner? This Patterns special collection has brought together research and perspective from academia, the public and the private sector, showcasing original research articles and perspectives pertaining to responsible and accountable data science.
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The hospitality industry, comprising diverse Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) such as restaurants, hotels, and catering facilities plays an important role in local and regional communities by providing employment opportunities, facilitating the organization of community events, and supporting local social activities and sports teams (Panteia, 2023). The hospitality industry thereby represents a major source of income in Europe, but also a commensurate burden on the environment because of its relatively high usage of water and energy consumption, and food waste, leading to the formulation of several initiatives to increase the sustainability of hotels, restaurants, and resorts, such as farm to fork and towel reuse (Bux & Amicarelli, 2023). Another avenue for hospitality organizations to make progress towards sustainability goals is through circular economy strategies (Bux & Amicarelli, 2023) based on the creation of small regenerative loops that require the involvement of multiple stakeholders (Tomassini & Cavagnaro, 2022). Nevertheless, hospitality operators need to track their progress towards sustainability goals while keep sight of their financial goals (Bux & Amicarelli, 2023), requiring a data-driven decision-making approach to sustainability and circularity. Big data analytics have therefore been identified as an enabler of the circular economy paradigm by reducing uncertainty and allowing organizations to predict results (Awan et al., 2021; Gupta et al., 2019). Hospitality organizations however remain behind in leveraging data analytics for decisionmaking (Mariani & Baggio, 2022). The purpose of the study is therefore to examine how hospitality organizations can leverage data analytics to make data-driven decisions regarding circularity. Using a multiple case study approach of three Dutch hospitality SMEs, enablers and inhibitors of data analytics for datadriven decisions regarding circularity are examined. This addresses the call by Tomassini and Cavagnaro (2022) for more exploration of the circularity paradigm in hospitality. Despite the ongoing interest in increasing the sustainability of the hospitality industry (European Commission, 2013), relatively little attention has been paid to the development of circularity strategies and what is needed to implement them.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the bidirectional relationship between policy and data reliability has been a challenge for researchers of the local municipal health services. Policy decisions on population specific test locations and selective registration of negative test results led to population differences in data quality. This hampered the calculation of reliable population specific infection rates needed to develop proper data driven public health policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12508-023-00377-y
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Current research on data in policy has primarily focused on street-level bureaucrats, neglecting the changes in the work of policy advisors. This research fills this gap by presenting an explorative theoretical understanding of the integration of data, local knowledge and professional expertise in the work of policy advisors. The theoretical perspective we develop builds upon Vickers’s (1995, The Art of Judgment: A Study of Policy Making, Centenary Edition, SAGE) judgments in policymaking. Empirically, we present a case study of a Dutch law enforcement network for preventing and reducing organized crime. Based on interviews, observations, and documents collected in a 13-month ethnographic fieldwork period, we study how policy advisors within this network make their judgments. In contrast with the idea of data as a rationalizing force, our study reveals that how data sources are selected and analyzed for judgments is very much shaped by the existing local and expert knowledge of policy advisors. The weight given to data is highly situational: we found that policy advisors welcome data in scoping the policy issue, but for judgments more closely connected to actual policy interventions, data are given limited value.
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Abstract The Government of the Netherlands wants to be energy neutral by 2050 (Rijksoverheid, sd). A transition towards non-fossil energy sources also affects transport, which is one of the industries significantly contributing to CO2 emission (Centraal Bureau Statistiek, 2019). Road authorities at municipalities and provinces want a shift from fossil fuel-consuming to zero-emission transport choices by their inhabitants. For this the Province of Utrecht has data available. However, they struggle how to deploy data to positively influence inhabitants' mobility behavior. A problem analysis scoped the research and a survey revealed the gap between the province's current data-item approach that is infrastructure oriented and the required approach that adopts traveler’s personas to successfully stimulate cycling. For this more precisely defined captured data is needed and the focus should shift from already motivated cyclists to non-cyclers.
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Rook is playful data visualization device aiming at the dissemination of air quality data. The Rook unit accesses the database of the Hollandse Luchten (henceforth HL) project, which collects data on air quality in Nord-Holland via a network of sensor kits distributed to the local population and displays it in an interactive way using lights and mist. The eerie and mysterious effect of the colored mist aims at a playful and enticing effect on its users, while, at the same time, spreading awareness on one of the key sustainability issues of the region. People can interact freely with the machine so to explore its working and the data it conveys.This paper aims to contextualize and describe the design process behind the creation of Rook and to propose some reflections on playfulness, citizenship and data visualization.
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Big data analytics received much attention in the last decade and is viewed as one of the next most important strategic resources for organizations. Yet, the role of employees' data literacy seems to be neglected in current literature. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) it develops data literacy as an organization competency by identifying its dimensions and measurement, and (2) it examines the relationship between data literacy and governmental performance (internal and external). Using data from a survey of 120 Dutch governmental agencies, the proposed model was tested using PLS-SEM. The results empirically support the suggested theoretical framework and corresponding measurement instrument. The results partially support the relationship of data literacy with performance as a significant effect of data literacy on internal performance. However, counter-intuitively, this significant effect is not found in relation to external performance.
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Personal data is increasingly used by cities to track the behavior of their inhabitants. While the data is often used to mainly provide information to the authorities, it can also be harnessed for providing information to the citizens in real-time. In an on-going research project on increasing the awareness of motorists w.r.t. the environmental consequences of their driving behavior, we make use of sensors, artificial intelligence, and real-time feedback to design an intervention. A key component for successful deployment of the system is data related to the personal driving behavior of individual motorists. Through this outset, we identify challenges and research questions that relate to the use of personal data in systems, which are designed to increase the quality of life of the inhabitants of the built environment.
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In this project we take a look at the laws and regulations surrounding data collection using sensors in assistive technology and the literature on concerns of people about this technology. We also look into the Smart Teddy device and how it operates. An analysis required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) [5] will reveal the risks in terms of privacy and security in this project and how to mitigate them. https://nl.linkedin.com/in/haniers
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