Vehicle2Grid is a new charging strategy that allows for charging and discharging of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and Full Electric Vehicles (FEV). The discharged energy can be supplied back to the (local) energy grid, enabling for grid alleviation, but can also be supplied back to the household in the case of a Vehicle2Home connection. Vehicle2Grid is an innovative and complex systems that requires adequate input from users if the local energy grid is to fully benefit from the discharged energy. Users have to be willing for the State of Charge of their EV to be adjusted in order for the Vehicle2Grid system to actually discharge energy from the EV. However, limiting the potential range of an EV can act as a barrier for the use of a Vehicle2Grid system, as discharging might cause uncertainty and possible range anxiety. Charging and discharging an EV through the use of Vehicle2Grid is therefore expected to change user’s routines and interactions with the charging system. Yet few Vehicle2Grid studies have focused on the requirements of a Vehicle2Grid system from the perspective of the user. This paper discussed several incentives and design guidelines that focus on the interaction users have with a Vehicle2Grid system in order to optimize user engagement with the system and integrate user preferences into the complex charging strategy. Results were obtained through a brief literature study, from a focus group as well as from two Vehicle2Grid field pilots. At the end of the paper, recommendations for further research are given.
As interactive systems become increasingly complex and entwined with the environment, technology is becoming more and more invisible. This means that much of the technology that people come across every day goes unnoticed and that the (potential) workings of ambient systems are not always clearly communicated to the user. The projects discussed in this paper are aimed at increasing public understanding of the existence, workings and potential of screens and ambient technology by visualizing its potential. To address issues and implications of visibility and system transparency, this paper presents work in progress as example cases for engaging people in ambient monitoring and public screening. This includes exploring desired scenarios for ambient monitoring with users as diverse as elderly people or tourists and an interactive tool for mapping public screens.
Background and objectivesBefore the Covid-19 pandemic, important social studies already indicated the severe negative feedback associated with high-rise developments. During the Covid-19 pandemic, citizens were confronted with their neighbourhoods’ insufficient restorative capacity to maintain their health and well-being. New methods are urgently required to analyse and learn from existing high-density developments to prevent a repetition of past mistakes and to catalyse the salutary effects of architecture in new developments.Process and methods (for empirical research)The Sensing Streetscapes research investigated the potential of emerging biometric technologies to examine the effects of commonly applied urban design principles in six western cities. In one outdoor and four laboratory tests, eye-tracking technology with sound-recording and Galvanic Skin Response captured subjects’ (un)conscious attention patterns and arousal levels when viewing streets on eye level. Triangulation with other techniques, such as mouse tracking to record participants’ appreciation value and expert panels from spatial design practice, showed the positive and negative impact of stimuli.Main results (or main arguments in the case of critical reviews)The preliminary results provide a dynamic understanding of urban experience and how it is affected by the presence or absence of design principles. The results suggest that streets with high levels of detail and variety may contribute to a high level of engagement with the built environment. It also shows that traffic is likely an important factor in causing stress and diminishing the restorative capacity society seeks.Implications for research and practice/policy | Importance and originality of the contributionThe research study led to the development of a Dynamic User Experience Assessment (D-UXA) tool that supports researchers and designers in understanding the impact of design decisions on users’ experience, spatial perception and (walking) behaviour. D-UXA enables a human-centred analysis and is designed to fill the gap between traditional empirical methods and aspirations for an evidence-based promotion of human health and wellbeing in (high-density) urban developments.
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Aanleiding Nieuwsuitgeverijen bevinden zich in zwaar weer. Economische malaise en toegenomen concurrentie in het pluriforme medialandschap dwingen uitgeverijen om enerzijds kosten te besparen en tegelijkertijd te investeren in innovatie. De verdere automatisering van de nieuwsredactie vormt hierbij een uitdaging. Buiten de branche ontstaan technieken die uitgeverijen hierbij zouden kunnen gebruiken. Deze zijn nog niet 'vertaald' naar gebruiksvriendelijke systemen voor redactieprocessen. De deelnemers aan het project formuleren voor dit braakliggend terrein een praktijkgericht onderzoek. Doelstelling Dit onderzoek wil antwoord geven op de vraag: Hoe kunnen bewezen en nieuw te ontwikkelen technieken uit het domein van 'natural language processing' een bijdrage leveren aan de automatisering van een nieuwsredactie en het journalistieke product? 'Natural language processing' - het automatisch genereren van taal - is het onderwerp van het onderzoek. In het werkveld staat deze ontwikkeling bekend als 'automated journalism' of 'robotjournalistiek'. Het onderzoek richt zich enerzijds op ontwikkeling van algoritmes ('robots') en anderzijds op de impact van deze technologische ontwikkelingen op het nieuwsveld. De impact wordt onderzocht uit zowel het perspectief van de journalist als de nieuwsconsument. De projectdeelnemers ontwikkelen binnen dit onderzoek twee prototypes die samen het automated-journalismsysteem vormen. Dit systeem gaat tijdens en na het project gebruikt worden door onderzoekers, journalisten, docenten en studenten. Beoogde resultaten Het concrete resultaat van het project is een prototype van een geautomatiseerd redactiesysteem. Verder levert het project inzicht op in de verankering van dit soort systemen binnen een nieuwsredactie. Het onderzoek biedt een nieuw perspectief op de manier waarop de nieuwsconsument de ontwikkeling van 'automated journalism' in Nederland waardeert. Het projectteam deelt de onderzoekresultaten door middel van presentaties voor de uitgeverijbranche, presentaties op wetenschappelijke conferenties, publicaties in (vak)tijdschriften, reflectiebijeenkomsten met collega-opleidingen en een samenvattende white paper.
Client: Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Funder: RAAK (Regional Attention and Action for Knowledge circulation) The RAAK scheme is managed by the Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Early 2013 the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport started work on the RAAK-MKB project ‘Carbon management for tour operators’ (CARMATOP). Besides NHTV, eleven Dutch SME tour operators, ANVR, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Climate Neutral Group and ECEAT initially joined this 2-year project. The consortium was later extended with IT-partner iBuildings and five more tour operators. The project goal of CARMATOP was to develop and test new knowledge about the measurement of tour package carbon footprints and translate this into a simple application which allows tour operators to integrate carbon management into their daily operations. By doing this Dutch tour operators are international frontrunners.Why address the carbon footprint of tour packages?Global tourism contribution to man-made CO2 emissions is around 5%, and all scenarios point towards rapid growth of tourism emissions, whereas a reverse development is required in order to prevent climate change exceeding ‘acceptable’ boundaries. Tour packages have a high long-haul and aviation content, and the increase of this type of travel is a major factor in tourism emission growth. Dutch tour operators recognise their responsibility, and feel the need to engage in carbon management.What is Carbon management?Carbon management is the strategic management of emissions in one’s business. This is becoming more important for businesses, also in tourism, because of several economical, societal and political developments. For tour operators some of the most important factors asking for action are increasing energy costs, international aviation policy, pressure from society to become greener, increasing demand for green trips, and the wish to obtain a green image and become a frontrunner among consumers and colleagues in doing so.NetworkProject management was in the hands of the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport (CSTT) of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. CSTT has 10 years’ experience in measuring tourism emissions and developing strategies to mitigate emissions, and enjoys an international reputation in this field. The ICT Associate Professorship of HZ University of Applied Sciences has longstanding expertise in linking varying databases of different organisations. Its key role in CARMATOP was to create the semantic wiki for the carbon calculator, which links touroperator input with all necessary databases on carbon emissions. Web developer ibuildings created the Graphical User Interface; the front end of the semantic wiki. ANVR, the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour operators, represents 180 tour operators and 1500 retail agencies in the Netherlands, and requires all its members to meet a minimum of sustainable practices through a number of criteria. ANVR’s role was in dissemination, networking and ensuring CARMATOP products will last. Climate Neutral Group’s experience with sustainable entrepreneurship and knowledge about carbon footprint (mitigation), and ECEAT’s broad sustainable tourism network, provided further essential inputs for CARMATOP. Finally, most of the eleven tour operators are sustainable tourism frontrunners in the Netherlands, and are the driving forces behind this project.
Over a million people in the Netherlands have type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is strongly related to overweight, and many more people are at-risk. A carbohydrate-rich diet and insufficient physical activity play a crucial role in these developments. It is essential to prevent T2D, because this condition is associated with a reduced quality of life, high healthcare costs and premature death due to cardiovascular diseases. The hormone insulin plays a major role in this. This hormone lowers the blood glucose concentration through uptake in body cells. If an excess of glucose is constantly offered, initially the body maintains blood glucose concentration within normal range by releasing higher concentrations of insulin into the blood, a condition that is described as “prediabetes”. In a process of several years, this compensating mechanism will eventually fail: the blood glucose concentration increases resulting in T2D. In the current healthcare practice, T2D is actually diagnosed by recognizing only elevated blood glucose concentrations, being insufficient for identification of people who have prediabetes and are at-risk to develop T2D. Although the increased insulin concentrations at normal glucose concentrations offer an opportunity for early identification/screening of people with prediabetes, there is a lack of effective and reliable methods/devices to adequately measure insulin concentrations. An integrated approach has been chosen for identification of people at-risk by using a prediabetes screening method based on insulin detection. Users and other stakeholders will be involved in the development and implementation process from the start of the project. A portable and easy-to-use demonstrator will be realised, based on rapid lateral flow tests (LFTs), which is able to measure insulin in clinically relevant samples (serum/blood) quickly and reliably. Furthermore, in collaboration with healthcare professionals, we will investigate how this screening method can be implemented in practice to contribute to a healthier lifestyle and prevent T2D.
