Buildings without an actual function but still very important in the set out of Appingedam and very interesting from an architectural and historical point of view. Advise on how to organise new functions in these old buildings through a church-carrousel.
This paper explores the nexus between digital transformation and cybersecurity, examining professional perceptions of these intertwined concepts As Industry 4.0 reshapes organizations and society, digital technologies and connectivity become pivotal. Businesses adopting e-business and cloud computing encounter challenges like information security and disruptive innovations, propelling digital transformation. However, this shift introduces new risks, particularly in cybersecurity, altering risk distribution and security requirements. The widespread integration of interconnected devices across business functions makes them vulnerable to cyber-attacks, necessitating robust cybersecurity measures. This study scrutinizes factors preventing unintentional and intentional security incidents and maps cyber risk perceptions. Through a survey of 124 professionals in collaboration with BUSIBER, we elucidate risk perception and implemented controls, essential for organizations to navigate the digital landscape securely and safeguard their market reputation. Understanding the impacts of digitalization and cybersecurity on diverse business functions is crucial for devising effective strategies to mitigate risks and ensure sustainable development.
This publication gives a different take on energy and energy transition. Energy goes beyond technology. Energy systems are about people: embedded in political orders and cultural institutions, shaped by social consumers and advocacy coalitions, and interconnected with changing parameters and new local and global markets. An overview and explanation of the three end states have been extracted from the original publication and appear in the first chapter. The second chapter consists of an analysis exploring key drivers of change until 2050, giving special attention to the role of international politics, social dynamics and high-impact ideas. The third chapter explores a case study of Power to Gas to illustrate how the development of new technologies could be shaped by regulatory systems, advocacy coalitions and other functions identified in the ‘technology innovation systems’ model. The fourth chapter explores the case of Energy Valley to understand how local or regional energy systems respond to drivers of change, based on their contextual factors and systems dynamics.
In the last decade, the automotive industry has seen significant advancements in technology (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles) that presents the opportunity to improve traffic safety, efficiency, and comfort. However, the lack of drivers’ knowledge (such as risks, benefits, capabilities, limitations, and components) and confusion (i.e., multiple systems that have similar but not identical functions with different names) concerning the vehicle technology still prevails and thus, limiting the safety potential. The usual sources (such as the owner’s manual, instructions from a sales representative, online forums, and post-purchase training) do not provide adequate and sustainable knowledge to drivers concerning ADAS. Additionally, existing driving training and examinations focus mainly on unassisted driving and are practically unchanged for 30 years. Therefore, where and how drivers should obtain the necessary skills and knowledge for safely and effectively using ADAS? The proposed KIEM project AMIGO aims to create a training framework for learner drivers by combining classroom, online/virtual, and on-the-road training modules for imparting adequate knowledge and skills (such as risk assessment, handling in safety-critical and take-over transitions, and self-evaluation). AMIGO will also develop an assessment procedure to evaluate the impact of ADAS training on drivers’ skills and knowledge by defining key performance indicators (KPIs) using in-vehicle data, eye-tracking data, and subjective measures. For practical reasons, AMIGO will focus on either lane-keeping assistance (LKA) or adaptive cruise control (ACC) for framework development and testing, depending on the system availability. The insights obtained from this project will serve as a foundation for a subsequent research project, which will expand the AMIGO framework to other ADAS systems (e.g., mandatory ADAS systems in new cars from 2020 onwards) and specific driver target groups, such as the elderly and novice.
Human kind has a major impact on the state of life on Earth, mainly caused by habitat destruction, fragmentation and pollution related to agricultural land use and industrialization. Biodiversity is dominated by insects (~50%). Insects are vital for ecosystems through ecosystem engineering and controlling properties, such as soil formation and nutrient cycling, pollination, and in food webs as prey or controlling predator or parasite. Reducing insect diversity reduces resilience of ecosystems and increases risks of non-performance in soil fertility, pollination and pest suppression. Insects are under threat. Worldwide 41 % of insect species are in decline, 33% species threatened with extinction, and a co-occurring insect biomass loss of 2.5% per year. In Germany, insect biomass in natural areas surrounded by agriculture was reduced by 76% in 27 years. Nature inclusive agriculture and agri-environmental schemes aim to mitigate these kinds of effects. Protection measures need success indicators. Insects are excellent for biodiversity assessments, even with small landscape adaptations. Measuring insect biodiversity however is not easy. We aim to use new automated recognition techniques by machine learning with neural networks, to produce algorithms for fast and insightful insect diversity indexes. Biodiversity can be measured by indicative species (groups). We use three groups: 1) Carabid beetles (are top predators); 2) Moths (relation with host plants); 3) Flying insects (multiple functions in ecosystems, e.g. parasitism). The project wants to design user-friendly farmer/citizen science biodiversity measurements with machine learning, and use these in comparative research in 3 real life cases as proof of concept: 1) effects of agriculture on insects in hedgerows, 2) effects of different commercial crop production systems on insects, 3) effects of flower richness in crops and grassland on insects, all measured with natural reference situations
Living walls are increasingly becoming tools for green climate adaptation in the urban context, but distribution efforts are dampened by high investment and operational costs. Those costs are derived mainly from designing and manufacturing unique equipment for such new projects. A system using wastewater could relieve some of these costs by decreasing their irrigation and fertigation needs. Muuras is developing helophyte filters integrated into living wall systems that can readily be attached to any wall surface, with the ultimate purpose of local water recycling. Additionally, based on the fact that Muuras is a pre-engineered company, their product is modular, which means that a considerable advantage is recognized regarding the decreased capital cost. To realize scalable implementation of such a system, research with regards to the purification capabilities of lightweight substrates and small wetland plant species is imperative. In SoW & FloW, the NHL Stenden Water Technology Professorship proposes a collaboration between two SME’s (Muuras, Greenwave Systems) and a company (DeSaH), to evaluate a selection of substrates and endemic plant species based on their capability to use domestic wastewater as an irrigation source.
