This paper describes an agent-based software infrastructure for agile industrial production. This production is done on special devices called equiplets. A grid of these equiplets connected by a fast network is capable of producing a variety of different products in parallel. The multi-agent-based underlying systems uses two kinds of agents: an agent representing the product and an agent representing the equiplet.
MULTIFILE
In the Dutch construction industry, the demand for advanced information storage and sharing is growing due to the complexity of construction projects. Limitations of traditional methods include lack of transparency and inefficient communication. Blockchain offers a promising solution by enabling decentralized storage and immutable recording of data increasing transparency and efficiency in the construction supply chain. Combining a Common Data Environment with the InterPlanetary File System – decentralized file storage and exchange, and a powerful tool for secure, efficient and reliable data management in construction – can emerge to improve cooperation between parties increasing effectiveness of projects.
Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) such as blockchain have in recent years been presented as a new general-purpose technology that could underlie many aspects of social and economic life, including civics and urban governance. In an urban context, over the past few years, a number of actors have started to explore the application of distributed ledgers in amongst others smart city services as well as in blockchain for good and urban commons-projects. DLTs could become the administrative backbones of such projects, as the technology can be set-up as an administration, management and allocation tool for urban resources. With the addition of smart contracts, DLTs can further automate the processing of data and execution of decisions in urban resource management through algorithmic governance. This means that the technological set-up and design of such DLT based systems could have large implications for the ways urban resources are governed. Positive contributions are expected to be made toward (local) democracy, transparent governance, decentralization, and citizen empowerment. We argue that to fully scrutinize the implications for urban governance, a critical analysis of distributed ledger technologies is necessary. In this contribution, we explore the lens of “the city as a license” for such a critical analysis. Through this lens, the city is framed as a “rights-management-system,” operated through DLT technology. Building upon Lefebvrian a right to the city-discourses, such an approach allows to ask important questions about the implications of DLTs for the democratic governance of cities in an open, inclusive urban culture. Through a technological exploration combined with a speculative approach, and guided by our interest in the rights management and agency that blockchains have been claimed to provide to their users, we trace six important issues: quantification; blockchain as a normative apparatus; the complicated relationship between transparency and accountability; the centralizing forces that act on blockchains; the degrees to which algorithmic rules can embed democratic law-making and enforcing; and finally, the limits of blockchain's trustlessness.
MULTIFILE
298 woorden: In the upcoming years the whole concept of mobility will radically change. Decentralization of energy generation, urbanization, digitalization of processes, electrification of vehicles and shared mobility are only some trends which have a strong influence on future mobility. Furthermore, due to the shift towards renewable energy production, the public and the private sector are required to develop new infrastructures, new policies as well as new business models. There are countless opportunities for innovative business models emerging. Companies in this field – such as charging solution provider, project management or consulting companies that are part of this project, Heliox and Over Morgen respectively – are challenged with countless possibilities and increasing complexity. How to overcome this problem? Academic research proposes a promising approach, namely the use of business model patterns for business model innovation. In short, these business model patterns are descriptions of proven practical solutions to common business model challenges. An example for a general pattern would be the business model pattern “Consumables”. It describes how to lock in a customer into an ecosystem by using a subsidized basic product and complement it with overpriced consumables. This pattern works really well and has been used by many companies (e.g. Senseo, HP, or Gillette). To support the business model innovation process of Heliox and Over Morgen as well as companies in the electric mobility space in general, we propose to systematically consolidate and develop business model patterns for the electric mobility sector and to create a database. Electric mobility patterns could not only foster creativity in the business model innovation process but also enhance collaboration in teams. By having a classified list of business model pattern for electric mobility, practitioners are equipped which a heuristic tool to create, extend and revise business models for the future.
The population in rural areas in the northern provinces are aging in a much higher pace than in other parts of the Netherlands. Many young and higher educated citizens move out of these provinces. Quality of life in rural villages decreases likewise and the inhabitants that stay behind are more vulnerable, with lower income and educational levels. Recent decentralization policies put a larger burden on local constituencies to guarantee the quality of the living environment but a lot of them lack sufficient knowledge and capacity to tackle this complex issue.The initiators of this application have joined their knowledge and experience to put together a consortium with the aim to support these smaller constituencies in rural areas in the three northern provinces with a new and innovative methodology: the GO! approach. This approach was developed in the neigborhoods of Utrecht municipality and will be used for the first time in rural communities with a comparable size .This approach consists of the following steps:• First to identify possibilities to create a healthier living environment by analyzing available data on pollution, spatial layout and social cohesion.• To discuss the result of this analysis with local citizens and other local stakeholders in order to link the data with local experiences• To prioritize into major themes as a result of the combination of all this available information.• To link these major themes to combinations effective measures available from RIVM and international databases.• To present these combinations to the local government, their citizens and other local stakeholders in order to let them choose for an effective approach and inplemant it together in order to create a local healthier living environment.The GO! approach will provide local citizens and professionals with the necessary tools and knowledge to work jointly and effectively to realize a healthier living environment. The project partners that jointly started the consortium will put in effort during this first year to build and formalize the consortium and to make arrangements with several constituencies in the three northers provinces to formulate their own specific knowledge agenda as a basis for concrete project proposals in the second stage to be implemented with the support of the formalized consortium.
