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Guest Lecture for the Federal University of Technology – Paraná (UTFPR) on Open Data Ecosystems in and for sustainable development of data-driven smart cities and Society 5.0

Anastasija Nikiforova Leave a comment

Today (May 16, 2023), I had a pleasure to deliver one more guest lecture for master and doctoral students of the Federal University of Technology – Paraná (Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR)) as part of Smart Cities course delivered by prof. Regina Negri Pagani. This time the topic of my lecture was “Open Data Ecosystems in and for sustainable development of data-driven smart cities and Society 5.0”.

As part of this lecture we talked about open data and open government data (OGD) phenomena and how they evolved over years, what the open data ecosystem is and what constitutes it. I then tried to put it in the context of Brazil reflecting on the current state-of-the-art of open government and OGD in Brazil and its cities referring to both Open Government Partnership (Brazil was one of the the founding countries of OGP), existing OGD, transparency and central bank portals, studies that explored effects of predictors of citizens’ attitudes and intention to use OGD (*by de Souza, Ariel Antônio Conceição, Marcia Juliana d’Angelo, and Raimundo Nonato Lima Filho), factors influencing civil servant’s intention to disclose data (**by Fernando Kleiman, Sylvia J.T. Jansen, Sebastiaan Meijer, Marijn Janssen), as well as the relationship between transparency and open data initiatives in five Brazilian cities (identifying that they are not related for these five cities) (***by Araújo, Ana Carolina, Lucas Reis, and Rafael Cardoso Sampaio)

Then, presenting the concepts of Smart Cities and their “generations”, Sustainable Cities and Sustainable Smart Cities, as well as Society 5.0 (aka Super Smart Society and Society of imagination), I highlighted the overlaps and interweavings of the above and how the development of one contributes to the other, i.e. how interrelated they are and how complex this large ecosystem is.

And then, the remaining part of the lecture was focused around the topic of open data ecosystems starting with the current state of the art around the topic, i.e. different and similar definitions, components, characteristics etc., and finally the study we conducted some time ago with my colleagues from Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Germany and Latvia, namely “Transparency of open data ecosystems in smart cities: Definition and assessment of the maturity of transparency in 22 smart cities“**** published in . Sustainable Cities and Society (Elsevier), in which we:

  • developed a benchmarking framework to assess the level of transparency of open data ecosystems in smart cities consisting of 36 features by adapting transparency-by-design framework for open data portals (*****by Lněnička and Nikiforova, 2021);
  • investigated smart city data portals’ compliance with the transparency requirements, where the developed framework has been applied to 34 portals representing 22 smart cities, allowing determination of the level of transparency maturity at general, individual, and group levels;
  • developed four-level transparency maturity model to allow the classification of the portal as developing, defined, managed, and integrated, thereby allowing to identify key issues to be transformed into corrective actions to be included into agenda and navigate to the set of more competitive portals;
  • ranked the portals concerned based on their transparency maturity, thereby allowing more successful portals to be identified in order to be used as an example for improving overall or feature-wised performance by providing recommendations for the identification and improvement of current maturity level and specific features;
  • conceptualized an open data ecosystem in the context of a smart city (!!!) and determined its key components considering the data-centric and data-driven infrastructure and other components and relationships, using the system theory approach;
  • on the basis of the dominant components of data infrastructure, defined five types of current open data ecosystems (see below) thereby opening up a new horizon for research in the area of sustainable and socially resilient smart cities by means of open data and citizen-centered open smart city governance.

Our definition of open data ecosystem in the smart city context , established based on the knowledge and experience of the experts involved and observations made during the study is:


“systematic efforts to integrate ICT and technologies into city life to deliver citizen-centric, better-quality services, solutions to city problems with open data published through the data-centric and data-driven infrastructure.”

However, the concepts that affect/shape the ecosystem are:

  • stakeholders and their roles,
  • phases of the data lifecycle, in which a stakeholder participates in the ecosystem,
  • technical and technological infrastructure,
  • generic services and platforms,
  • human capacities and skills of both providers and consumers,
  • smart city domains (thematic categories) as the targeted areas for data reuse,
  • externalities affecting goals, policy, and resources,
  • level of (de)centralization of data sources – development, restrictions,
  • perception of importance and support from public officials,
  • user interface, user experience, and usability.

As for the types of current open data ecosystems, we identified 5 types that are as follows:

  • type#1: the city’s OGD portal is the center of the data infrastructure, and all OGD, including those labeled as smart, are published and centralized through it. For this type of open data ecosystem, other websites that had previously provided open data or other services to access public sector information have been replaced by the OGD portal. The focus is on datasets, providing features to work with them, reuse them, and make all data requests transparent in one place;
  • type#2: this ecosystem also usually has the OGD portal as the central point, but other portals and platforms publish open data. The smart data portal and online city dashboards focusing on different dimensions such as transport, health, air quality, etc., are important components of this ecosystem;
  • type#3: a decentralized type of ecosystem that includes many components such as OGD portal, smart data portal, geodata portal, etc. However, it increases the ecosystem’s complexity, which is more difficult to manage and less usable for stakeholders
  • type#4: the smart city portal focused on projects and services is usually the center of this ecosystem, but it is not the priority to provide data and appropriate features to reuse them. Most services are developed by public sector organizations, research institutions, or businesses and provided to citizens;
  • type#5: apart from the city’s OGD portal, there are additional transparency-, participation-, collaboration-, and cooperation-oriented websites and portals to support the formation and improvement of relations between stakeholders. This type of ecosystem is focused on processes to improve open data reuse.

Sounds interesting? Read the article here and see other recommended articles below! 🙂

This was then wrapped up by emphasizing key overseen topics that are paid to little attention to, although being crucial for a sustainable public data ecosystem.

And I can only hope that this lecture was just a little bit as interesting as my dear colleague prof. Regina Negri Pagani characterized it! It is always pleasure to hear her feedback, as her comments are so gentle and inspiring! And there is nothing better than hear such wonderful and positive feedback and an immediate invitation for the next editions of this course, which will be my pleasure – this was the 2nd edition of the course, when I served as a guest lecture and will be definitely glad to make this yet another good tradition!

References:

*de Souza, Ariel Antônio Conceição, Marcia Juliana d’Angelo, and Raimundo Nonato Lima Filho. “Effects of Predictors of Citizens’ Attitudes and Intention to Use Open Government Data and Government 2.0.” Government Information Quarterly 39.2 (2022): 101663.

**Kleiman, F., Jansen, S. J., Meijer, S., & Janssen, M. (2023). Understanding civil servants’ intentions to open data: factors influencing behavior to disclose data. Information Technology & People.

***Araújo, Ana Carolina, Lucas Reis, and Rafael Cardoso Sampaio. “Do transparency and open data walk together? An analysis of initiatives in five Brazilian capitals.” Media Studies 7.14 (2016).

****Lnenicka, M., Nikiforova, A., Luterek, M., Azeroual, O., Ukpabi, D., Valtenbergs, V., & Machova, R. (2022). Transparency of open data ecosystems in smart cities: Definition and assessment of the maturity of transparency in 22 smart cities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 82, 103906.

*****Lnenicka, M., & Nikiforova, A. (2021). Transparency-by-design: What is the role of open data portals?. Telematics and Informatics, 61, 101605.

Some other studies you might be interested:

Rii Forum 2023 “Innovation 5.0: Navigating shocks and crises in uncertain times Technology-Business-Society” & a plenary debate “Advances in ICT & the Society”

Anastasija Nikiforova Leave a comment

The last week I had an unforgettable experience at the Research and Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) on which I posted previously in Krakow, Poland acting as plenary speaker and a chair for a session.

Last week, I had an unforgettable experience at the Research and Innovation Forum (RiiForum) in Krakow, Poland, serving as plenary speaker and session chair. It was another great experience to have an absolutely amazing plenary session titled “Advances in ICT & the Society: threading the thin line between progress, development and mental health”, where we – Prof. Dr. Yves Wautelet, Prof. Dr. Marek Krzystanek, Karolina Laurentowska & Prof. Marek Pawlicki – discussed disruptive technologies in our professional lives in the past years, how they affected us and our colleagues, how they affect(ed) society and its specific groups, including their mental health, and general perception of technology, i.e. an enemy of humanity, or rather a friend and support, and how to make sure the second take place. And from this we have developed a discussion around AI, chatGPT, Metaverse, blockchain, even slightly touching on quantum computing. Of course, all this was placed in the context of democracy and freedoms / liberties. All in all, we approached the topic of governance and policy-making, which is too often reactive rather than proactive, which, in turn, leads to many negative consequences, as well as elaborated on the engineering practices. 

To sum up – emerging and disruptive technologies, Blockchain, AI, Metaverse, digital competencies, education, liberty, democracy, openness, engagement, metaverse, inclusivity, Industry 5.0, Society 5.0 – and it is not a list of buzzwords, but a list of topics we have managed to cover both plenary speakers and the audience and continued to talk about them during the whole conference. Rich enough, isn’t it?

And then the day did not end, continuing with several super insightful sessions, where, of course, one I enjoyed most is the one that I chaired. Three qualitative talks with further rich discussion after each thanks to an excellent audience, despite the fact this was the last session of the day (before the dinner), namely:

  • Privacy in smart cities using VOSviewer: a bibliometric analysis by Xhimi Hysa, Gianluca Maria Guazzo, Vilma Cekani, Pierangelo Rosati
  • Public policy of innovation in China by Krzysztof Karwowski, Anna Visvizi
  • How Human-Centric solutions and Artificial Intelligence meet smart cities in Industry 5.0 by Tamai Ramirez, Sandra Amador, Antonio Macia-Lillo, Higinio Mora
     

And the last, but not the least, Krakow surprised me lot (in a positive sense, of course) – it was my first time in Poland, and I am absolutely glad that it was on such a beautiful city as Krakow – the place with the rich history and culture! Thank you dear RiiForum2023 organizers – Anna Visvizi, Vincenzo Corvello, ORLANDO TROISI, Mara Grimaldi, Giovanni Baldi and everyone who was involved – it is always a pleasure to be a part of this community!

 

CFP for The IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Computing, Communication, Networking and Services (ICCNS2023)

Anastasija Nikiforova Leave a comment

On behalf of the organizers (Technical Program Chair, Steering Committee, and finally publicity chair) of the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Computing, Communication, Networking and Services (ICCNS2023), I am inviting everyone, who is conducting research in this area, to consider submitting the paper to it.

Call for Papers:

New advancements in wireless communication systems such as Fifth-Generation (5G), Beyond Fifth-Generation (B5G), and Sixth-Generation (6G) networks will allow for new and unprecedented services to be made available for users with nearly unlimited capacity. These services will be the core driver for future digital transformation of our cities and communities. This will be accompanied by a ubiquitous deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure and supported by computing capacity that will be available at the edge of the network and in the cloud. This computing infrastructure will handle the processing of data generated by users and services. Such a complex and diverse system will require the applications running on the computing/networking infrastructure to be Intelligent, efficient and sustainable. Additionally, the infrastructure will require smart control and automation systems to integrate and manage its different components. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications will play a significant role in the design, deployment, automation, and management of future services. This will include applications that will be running on the edge and on cloud servers, networking applications to handle the flow of data between the users and the computing system, and intelligent automation and management software operating on the system. The International Conference on Intelligent Computing, Networking, and Services is aiming to provide an opportunity to present state of the art research in the intersections of Computing, Networking, and Services that are supported by Artificial Intelligence.

Submission Link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iccns2023

Researchers from both the industry and academia are encouraged to submit their original research contributions in all major areas, which include, but are not limited to the following main tracks:

💡Track 1: Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals

  • Artificial Intelligent Systems
  • Artificial Intelligent Theory
  • Artificial Intelligent applications in Computers and Communications
  • Artificial Intelligent and Robotics Technologies
  • Artificial Intelligent and cloud computing
  • Artificial Intelligent for Economic paradigms and game theory
  • Machine and Deep Learning of Knowledge
  • Artificial Intelligent based Distributed Knowledge and Processing
  • Artificial Intelligent for Human-Robot Interactions

💡Track 2: Intelligent Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems

  • Intelligent IoT Applications and Services
  • Intelligent security for the Internet of Things and cyber-physical systems
  • Intelligent Internet of Things architectures and protocols
  • Intelligent Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)
  • Blockchain-based application in Intelligent Manufacturing: Industrial Internet of Things,
  • Blockchain and Secure Critical Infrastructure with Industry 4.0
  • Intelligent manufacture and management
  • Consensus and mining algorithms suited for resource-limited IoTs
  • Blockchain-based Controlled mobility and QoS
  • Blockchain-based energy optimization techniques in WSN
  • Blockchain-based Software defined networks

💡Track 3: Edge Intelligence and Federated Learning

  • Distributed and federated machine learning in edge computing
  • Theory and Applications of Edge Intelligence
  • Middleware and runtime systems for Edge Intelligence
  • Programming models compliant with Edge Intelligence
  • Scheduling and resource management for Edge Intelligence
  • Data allocation and application placement strategies for Edge Intelligence
  • Osmotic computing with edge continuum, Microservices and MicroData architectures
  • ML/AI models and algorithms for load balancing
  • Theory and Applications of federated learning
  • Federated learning and privacy-preserving large-scale data analytics
  • MLOps and ML pipelines at edge computing
  • Transfer learning, interactive learning, and Reinforcement Learning for edge computing
  • Modeling and simulation of EI and edge-to-cloud environments
  • Security, privacy, trust, and provenance issues in edge computing
  • Distributed consensus and blockchains at edge architecture
  • Blockchain networking for Edge Computing Architecture
  • Blockchain technology for Edge Computing Security
  • Blockchain-based access controls for Edge-to-cloud continuum
  • Blockchain-enabled solutions for Cloud and Edge/Fog IoT systems
  • Forensic Data Analytics compliant with Edge Intelligence

💡Track 4: Intelligent Networking in Beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G Wireless Communication

  • Intelligent Networking in Beyond 5G/6G Network Architectures
  • large-scale Internet of Things in B5G/6G
  • Vehicular networks in B5G/6G
  • Blockchain with lightweight computation
  • Service and applications for vehicular clouds in B5G/6G
  • Future internet architectures for B5G/6G
  • Intelligent networking services
  • Emerging networks in B5G/6G
  • Byzantine-tolerant FL
  • Churn-tolerant FL
  • FL for NGN and 6G
  • B5G/6G based IoT healthcare systems

💡Track 5: Intelligent Big Data Management and Processing

  • Intelligent Data Fusion
  • Intelligent Analytics and Data mining
  • Intelligent Distributed data management
  • Distributed transaction for blockchain
  • Intelligent Data Science and Data Engineering
  • Protocols for management and processing of data

💡Track 6: Intelligent Security and Privacy

  • Authentication and authorization
  • Applications of blockchain technologies in digital forensic
  • Privacy technologies
  • Blockchain-based threat intelligence and threat analytics techniques
  • Blockchain-based open-source tools
  • Forensics readiness of blockchain technologies
  • Blockchain Attacks on Existing Systems
  • Blockchain Consensus Algorithms
  • Blockchain-based Intrusion Detection/Prevention
  • Security and Privacy in Blockchain and Critical Infrastructure
  • Attacks on Blockchain and Critical Infrastructure
  • Blockchain and Secure Critical Infrastructure with Smart Grid

💡Track 7: Blockchain Research & Applications for Intelligent Networks and Services

  • State-of-the-art of the Blockchain technology and cybersecurity
  • Blockchain-based security solutions of smart cities infrastructures
  • Blockchain in connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) and ITS)
  • Blockchain Technologies and Methodologies
  • Recent development and emerging trends Blockchain
  • New models, practical solutions and technological advances related to Blockchain
  • Theory of Blockchain in Cybersecurity
  • Applications of blockchain technologies in computer & hardware security
  • Implementation challenges facing blockchain technologies
  • Blockchain in social networking
  • Performance metric design, modeling and evaluation of blockchain systems
  • Network and computing optimization in blockchains
  • Experimental prototyping and testbeds for blockchains
  • Blockchain networking for Edge Computing Architecture
  • Blockchain technology for Edge Computing Security
  • Blockchain-based access controls for Edge-to-cloud continuum
  • Blockchain-enabled solutions for Cloud and Edge/Fog IoT systems
  • Forensic Data Analytics compliant with Edge Intelligence

Two workshops are scheduled to take place as part of ICCNS that you cannot miss, namely:

🗓️🗓️🗓️ IMPORTANT DATES

  • Full paper submission: April 21st, 2023 (Firm and Final)
  • Full paper acceptance notification: May 6th, 2023
  • Full paper camera-ready submission: May 20th, 2023
iccns2023Download

For any inquiries, please contact: intelligenttechorg@gmail.com.

Submit the paper and meet our team in Valencia in June, 2023!
 

With best wishes,

ICCNS2023 organizers

Rii Forum 2023 “Innovation 5.0: Navigating shocks and crises in uncertain times Technology-Business-Society” & a plenary debate “Advances in ICT & the Society”

Anastasija Nikiforova 1 Comment

This April the next edition of the Research and Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) on which I posted previously will take place. For those, who are not familiar with Rii Forum yet, it is an annual conference that brings together researchers, academics, and practitioners in conceptually sound inter- and multi-disciplinary, empirically driven debate on key issues influencing the dynamics of social interaction today. Such a wide scope makes it a great event for those who do not want to be limited to a particular area or research question and want to be aware of everything that happens in today’s dynamic and multidisciplinary world. This, in turn, allows you not only to see another perspectives and topics, but also reconsider your topic, revealing something new, i.e. taking a look on it from a different angle, which is exceptionally valuable!

Technology, innovation, and education, as well as issues and topics located at their intersection, define the key dimensions of all discussions held during the Rii Forum. In continuously fragile international and domestic contexts, characterized by shocks, crises, and uncertainty, the Rii Forum 2023 seeks to address the multifaceted question of how to navigate these shocks, crises and uncertainty and deliver value to our society. Thus, the topic of Rii Forum 2023 is “Innovation 5.0.: Navigating shocks and crises in uncertain times Technology – Business – Society” with seven tracks:

  • TRACK 1: Education in times of shocks, crises and uncertainty
  • TRACK 2: Smart cities and communities
  • TRACK 3: Big data, business and society: Managing the distributed risks and opportunities
  • TRACK 4: Management: Rethinking management in times of profound change
  • TRACK 5: Innovation, entrepreneurship, and innovation management in the era of Industry 5.0.
  • TRACK 6: ICT and the medicine and healthcare cluster
  • TRACK 7: Data-driven approaches & human resource management in the era of digitalization

As part of Rii Forum 2023 a plenary debate “Advances in ICT & the Society: threading the thin line between progress, development and mental health” will take place, where I was honored to be invited as one of four plenary speakers, particularly considering that according tot he invitation, the organizers see me as the person whose “expertise and your contribution to the academic debate make you one of the trendsetters in current debate on open data and data quality management”, as well as leading voice and influencer. The other three panel discussants are Prof. Dr. Marek Krzystanek, Karolina Laurentowska & Prof. Marek Pawlicki. Hope this will be an interactive, fruitful and productive discussion with further involvement of the audience!

rii2023-final-full-program-27.03.23

Read more here and stay tuned for more information and reflections on the conference, in case you will not be able to attend it.

CFP: The International Conference on Intelligent Data Science Technologies and Applications (IDSTA2023)

Anastasija Nikiforova Leave a comment

On behalf of the organizers and as a publicity chair, I sincerely invite you to consider submitting the results of your recent research to The International Conference on Intelligent Data Science Technologies and Applications (IDSTA2023), which will be held in conjunction Kuwait Fintech and Blockchain Summit.

Huge amount of data is being generated and transmitted everyday. To be able to deal with this data, extract useful information from it, store it, transmit it, and represent it, intelligent technologies and applications are needed. The International Conference on Intelligent Data Science Technologies and Applications (IDSTA) is a peer reviewed conference, whose objective is to advance the Data Science field by giving an opportunity for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to present their latest findings in the field. It will also invite key persons in the field to share their current knowledge and their future expectations for the field. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:

💡Applied Public Affairs, incl. but not limited to Campaign Management, Mass Communication Politics, Political Analysis, Survey Sampling
💡Business Analytics, incl. but not limited to Stock Market Analysis, Predictive Analytics, Business Intelligence
💡Finance, incl. but not limited to Risk Management, Algorithmic Trading, Fraud Detection, Financial Analysis
💡Computer Science, incl. but not limited to Database Management Systems, Scientific Computing, Computer Vision, Fuzzy Computing, Feature Selection, Neural Networks, Deep Learning, Meta-Learning, Process Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, Big Data, Web Analytics, Text Mining, Natural Language Processing, Sentiment Analysis, Social Media Analysis, Data Fusion, Performance Analysis and Evaluation, Evolutionary Computing and Optimization, Hybrid Methods, Granular Computing, Recommender Systems, Data Visualization, Predictive Maintenance, Internet of Things (IoT), Web Scraping
💡Sustainability, incl. but not limited to Datasets on Sustainability, Sustainability Modeling, Energy Sustainability, Water Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, Risk Analysis
💡Cybersecurity, incl. but not limited to Data Privacy and Security, Network Security, Communication Security, Cryptography, Fraud Detection, Blockchain
💡Environmental Science, incl. but not limited to GIS, Climatographic, Remote Sensing, Spatial Data Analysis, Weather Prediction and Tracking,
💡Biotechnologies, incl. but not limited to Gnome Analysis, Drug Discovery and Screening and Side Effect Analysis, Structural and Folding Pattern, Disease Discovery and Classification, Bioinformatics, Next-Gen Sequencing
💡Smart City, incl. but not limited to City Data Management, Smart Traffic, Surveillance, Location-Based Services, Robotics
💡Human Behaviour Understanding
💡Semi-Structured and Unstructured Data
💡Pattern Recognition
💡Transparency in Research Data
💡Data and Information Quality
💡GPU Computing
💡Crowdsourcing

🗓️🗓️🗓️ IMPORTANT DATES

  • Paper submission:  March 15, 2023  
  • Acceptance notification:  May 20th, 2023
  • Full paper camera-ready submission: October 1st, 2023
    Conference Dates: October 24-26, 2023
IDSTA2023Download

All papers that are accepted, registered, and presented in IDSTA2023 and the workshops co-located with it will be submitted to IEEEXplore for possible publication. 
For any inquiries, contact intelligenttechorg@gmail.com.

Submit the paper and meet our team in Kuwait in October, 2023!
 

With best wishes,

IDSTA2023 organizers