scholarly journals A Harmonized Data Model for Noise Simulation in the EU

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavisha Kumar ◽  
Hugo Ledoux ◽  
Richard Schmidt ◽  
Theo Verheij ◽  
Jantien Stoter
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Data Model ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Schema Design ◽  
Noise Assessment ◽  
The Eu

This paper presents our implementation of a harmonized data model for noise simulations in the European Union (EU). Different noise assessment methods are used by different EU member states (MS) for estimating noise at local, regional, and national scales. These methods, along with the input data extracted from the national registers and databases, as well as other open and/or commercially available data, differ in several aspects and it is difficult to obtain comparable results across the EU. To address this issue, a common framework for noise assessment methods (CNOSSOS-EU) was developed by the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Centre (JRC). However, apart from the software implementations for CNOSSOS, very little has been done for the practical guidelines outlining the specifications for the required input data, metadata, and the schema design to test the real-world situations with CNOSSOS. We describe our approach for modeling input and output data for noise simulations and also generate a real world dataset of an area in the Netherlands based on our data model for simulating urban noise using CNOSSOS.

scholarly journals JRC activities in nuclear safety

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giustino Manna ◽  
Luigi Debarberis ◽  
Andrea Bucalossi ◽  
Roberto May ◽  
Michel Bieth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Nuclear Safety ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Joint Research Centre ◽  
The Public ◽  
Base Load ◽  
Management Issues ◽  
The Eu

Nuclear energy is today the largest single source of carbon free and base-load electricity in Europe. While highlighting its important role in the overall energy mix, it is necessary to address sustainability, safety, and security concerns, in particular nuclear safety and nuclear waste management issues, which influence the public acceptance of nuclear energy. The present paper describes the Joint Research Centre activities in support to the EU nuclear safety policy. It describes the Joint Research Centre role in the EU institutional context, identifies the various customers to which the Joint Research Centre delivers its services, and provides some results of the Joint Research Centre scientific work inherent to nuclear safety.

Forest and forestry policy between the EU and its Member States

elni Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 16-24
Author(s):  
Marco Onida
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
The Eu

Trees and forests in Europe have never been centre stage the way they are now. Until a couple of years ago, forest-related concerns of European citizens focused mainly on international deforestation in tropical forests. The aggravation of the double climate and biodiversity crisis has significantly increased European citizens’ interest in the EU forests as irreplaceable carbon sinks and reservoirs of biodiversity. The pressure of public opinion on EU forest policies therefore is on the rise, also due to the fact that the more Europe takes action vis-à-vis third countries’ forest protection, the more its domestic agenda must be effective and credible; a case in point is the news about systematic illegal harvesting of primeval forests in Eastern European states such as Poland’s well-known Bielowieza, Romania (where the murder of official rangers sparked outrage across Europe), and Slovakia, which resonated powerfully. Citizens’ concerns are not ill-founded: European forests, in fact, are generally not in good ecological condition. Recent scientific reports further paint a worrying picture. According to the 2020 State of Nature Report by the European Environment Agency, less than 15% of assessed woodland and forest habitats are favourable, while up to 84% were assessed as unfavourable-inadequate. The EU Joint Research Centre assessment of ecosystems concludes that “the condition of EU forests is poor, and there are serious concerns regarding upward trends of several pressures and degrading condition indicators”. Even the sustainability of current harvesting levels is subject to debate. Overall, the current intensive use of forests will need to be better balanced against the objectives of carbon sink preservation and biodiversity protection. This ’greener‘ approach to forests has sparked a heated debate in the EU institutions as well as among stakeholders and NGOs, all seeking to influence in some way the future forest policy of the EU. This debate includes some legal issues.

The Medical Device Regulation of the European Union Intensifies Focus on Clinical Benefits of Devices

2019 ◽  
pp. 216847901987073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Wilkinson ◽  
Robert van Boxtel
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Medical Device ◽  
Clinical Evaluation ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Real World ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
Clinical Benefits ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Medical Device Regulation

This article comments on the new approach to the clinical evaluation of medical devices in the European Union (EU), which adds consideration of intended clinical benefits to the traditional focus on safety and performance. The article also discusses types of clinical benefits that may be claimed and how evidence for them may be generated. In the EU, determining the benefit-risk profile is an existing core requirement of the clinical evaluation performed according to MEDDEV 2.7/1 Rev 4 guidelines, but under the new Medical Device Regulation (MDR), “intended” clinical benefits must be determined first. The MDR sets high standards for ensuring reliable data are generated from clinical investigations. It stipulates that the endpoints of clinical investigations should include clinical benefits. However, many clinical-use questions arise only after a device is made widely available to patients. For all medical devices, particularly for on-the-market devices never subjected to randomized controlled trials and for new devices developed when these trials were inappropriate/impossible, the postmarket phase of the device is a valuable source of clinical-benefit data. Postmarket clinical follow-up can corroborate and refine predictions of clinical benefits over time. Indirect clinical effects, which may affect treatment adherence and influence patients’ well-being, may surface in the postmarket phase. Real-world clinical data will improve the manufacturer’s understanding of their device’s clinical benefits, potentially changing claims of intended clinical benefits in subsequent clinical evaluations. A paradigm change in clinical evaluation of medical devices in the EU will ensue when manufacturers ensure that their devices deliver real-world clinical benefits.

scholarly journals An Assessment and Spatial Modelling of Agricultural Land Abandonment in Spain (2015–2030)

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Perpiña Castillo ◽  
Eloína Coll Aliaga ◽  
Carlo Lavalle ◽  
José Carlos Martínez Llario
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Land Abandonment ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
High Nature Value Farmland

This article presents a study based on the outputs from the LUISA Territorial modelling platform (Joint Research Centre of the European Commission) focused on regional and local future projections of land abandonment between 2015 and 2030. Spain is taken as representative of one of the countries highly affected by agricultural land abandonment in the European Union. The most relevant factors driving land abandonment (biophysical, agroeconomics, farm structure and demographic) are described and mapped. Results from the analysis reveal that the Galicia region, northern Spain (Asturias, Cantabria, Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia), north-eastern Spain (Aragón region), central Pyrenees/Ebro basin (Huesca, Navarra, Lleida) and south-eastern Spain (Murcia, Almería, Alicante, Málaga) are expected to undergo important abandonment processes. The study also concludes that land abandonment within mountainous, high nature value farmland and Natura 2000 areas is lower compared to the outside area without conservation and protection measures.

Landscape change analysis and assessment (case studies in Slovakia and Bulgaria)

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Feranec ◽  
Monika Kopecka ◽  
Rumiana Vatseva ◽  
Anton Stoimenov ◽  
Jan Otahel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Landscape Change ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Data Layer ◽  
Environment Agency ◽  
Data Layers

AbstractLandscape change assessment was conducted in selected areas of Slovakia and Bulgaria in 1990–2000 using CORINE land cover (CLC) data layer analysis. Assessment of causes that led to these changes was undertaken, with an emphasis on those that determined the extensification of agriculture. The LC data were obtained under the CLC90 and I&CLC2000 projects, jointly managed by the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy. The CLC1990-2000-changes data layer was generated by overlaying the CLC90 and CLC2000 data layers for change in areas of a minimum 5 ha. The analysed causes of changes (driving forces) were then classified. Land cover (LC) changes characterizing urbanization processes occurred only in the Trnava and Tatras areas. Intensification of agriculture was also higher in these two areas. LC changes characterizing the extensification of agriculture were dominant in Plovdiv and Trnava. Deforestation and forestation were identified in all areas (Trnava, Tatras, Plovdiv, and Burgas). The basic reasons of these changes were related to the transformation of national economies from being centrally planned to market controlled, following the fall of socialism and before the countries joined the European Union.

scholarly journals The science-policy interface – in need for "society" as a third component

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Thielen-del Pozo ◽  
Lise Autogena ◽  
Joshua Portway ◽  
Florian Pappenberger
Keyword(s):  
Science Policy ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Weather Forecast ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Science Policy Interface ◽  
A Performance

<p>The European Union is funding research through so-called framework programmes (FPs), the financial and strategic tools to stimulate excellence, innovation, economic growth and creation of jobs across Europe. The allocated research budgets increased considerably from less than 4 billion Euro for FP1 (4 years) to 100 billion for Horizon Europe (FP9, 7 years), demonstrating the strategic importance that is being attributed to research and development for a strong and competitive Europe. The upcoming framework programme Horizon Europe will add a new level of ambition for the scientific, economic as well as societal impact of EU funding and address global challenges that affect the quality of our daily lives.</p><p>However, if societal issues that affect our everyday lives are to be addressed effectively in research and to drive the necessary innovation process in view of a better future, then the third component at the science-policy interface must be “society”. Robust data, facts and evidences represent an important input to policy making in addition to other inputs and considerations. Scientists and policy makers must therefore not only network amongst their communities and experts but also interact with the public and engage in dialogue with citizens in order to first understand what the concerns and issues are and later to explain the solutions.</p><p>The Joint Research Centre has engaged in an Art, Science and Society programme to fill this gap. Artists are invited to the JRC to co-develop projects with the scientists under a specific theme – in 2015 the topic was “Food”, in 2017 “Fairness” and in 2019 “Big Data, Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence”. The final works are exhibited during the so-called Resonances Festival.</p><p>This presentation illustrates at the example of the Resonances III installation “Weather Prediction by Numerical Process - a forecast for Europe” by artists Lise Autogena and Joshua Portway in collaboration with the co-authors, the added value of this approach. The installation is a performance inspired by the work of L.F. Richardson (1881–1953), a truly multi-disciplinary scientist, who contributed to finite difference solutions of partial differential equations, turbulent flow and diffusion, also fractals, and the cause and evolution of conflicts. He was particularly visionary in his work on designing a numerical scheme for weather forecasting. While serving as ambulance driver during WWI, he performed the calculation for a weather forecast for Europe “by hand”. Even if the result of his years of calculations resulted in a wrong forecast because the numerical solution was not stable, the methodology for numerical weather forecast was born and today’s weather forecasts follow largely the same method – just with infinite more computing power. Richardson estimated that 64000 scientists, working together in a big orchestrated calculation, would be needed to calculate the weather in real-time.</p><p>The chosen format for the art installation is a performance, ritualistically re-enacting a small part of this epic calculation, drawing the audience into a multi-faceted discussion on the relevance of Richardson’s legacy today in the times of super computing and climate change.</p>

scholarly journals Glass Waste3: A Preliminary Study for a New Industrial Recovery Processing

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1997
Author(s):  
Rossana Bellopede ◽  
Lorena Zichella ◽  
Paola Marini
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Plant ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Glass Production ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Flow Sheet ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Glass Waste

In recent times, the selection and treatment of glass waste are implemented in processing plants where a secondary raw material (SRM) named glass cullet, which is suitable for glass production, and a waste containing a high percentage of glass (glass waste2) is obtained. In the literature, there are many studies conducted on the recovery of the cullet, while few are the studies on the recovery of the waste that is produced by cullet processing. According to the 2013 Joint Research Centre (JRC) Reference report, the cullet produces savings in terms of energy and raw materials. However, it has a high current cost and its availability is becoming difficult, therefore its use is not always economically advantageous. The goal and strategy of the European Union is zero waste. For this purpose, further treatment of glass waste has been investigated. Through the industrial treatment of the glass waste2, a glass waste3 constituted again by an SRM made of glass is obtained together with a high quantity of presumed SRM (e.g., heavy plastic, corks, iron, non-ferrous metals, etc.). The process treatment separating these SRMs from the glass waste3 is, in this case, a pilot plant that needs to be optimized in order to reach an economic and sustainable industrial process solution. In particular, the materials to be recycled are exploitable product fractions with different particle sizes and physical properties (such as density, shape and resistance). This research is based on data collected from a North Italy process plant and is aimed at solving the issue of waste in this kind of process by implementing a pilot plant already present. Representative samples of feed material (glass waste3) and different products of the pilot plant have been analyzed. Moreover, laboratory tests were executed to improve separation efficiency and to valorize the different product fractions. A flow sheet of a new treatment plant has been developed and an economic evaluation has been made. The materials that will be separated in the new plant could be traded as SRM—e.g., plastics, metals, synthetic and cork stoppers—which constitute almost 90% of the total feed of the plant.

scholarly journals Adaptation and Integration of Labour Migrants from Central Asia in Russia and Countries of European Union: Comparative Analysis Authors

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-181
Author(s):  
Elena B. Bedrina ◽  
Elena V. Lazareva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Host Community ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Acculturation Process ◽  
The Eu

Currently, the Russian Federation is experiencing a transformation of migration flows from temporary to permanent. The largest share of migrants comes from the countries of Central Asia, where the demographic and economic situation stimulates a long-term increase in flows of labour migrants. In these conditions, it is necessary to examine issues of adaptation and integration of migrants. We review scientific literature on the adaptation practises of labour migrants. We applied the method of comparative analysis due to the importance the accumulated experience of European countries, which chose a policy of active integration. We analysed scientific publicactions, which are indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, E-library databases, and focused on the factors and models of adaptation of labour migrants from Central Asia in Russia and the countries of the European Union (EU). The study revealed the growing interest in the research topic, increased publication activity and joint research by representatives of different countries. In most cases, researchers note the role of social capital in the adaptation of migrants, the length of the acculturation process of migrants and the importance of participation of the host community in the process. We proposed to consider the experience of bilateral adaptation in the EU countries. As the flow of migrants to the EU countries from Central Asia increases, the interest in this topic on the part of Western researchers will grow. The research results can be used to improve efficiency in the research of migration processes.

scholarly journals Predicting Future Forest Ranges Using Array-based Geospatial Semantic Modelling

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise Mulder Osenga
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
European Union ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Joint Research Centre ◽  
Semantic Modelling ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Studying the impacts of climate change requires looking at a multitude of variables across a broad range of sectors [1,2]. Information on the variables involved is often unevenly available or offers different uncertainties [3,4], and a lack of uniform terminology and methods further complicates the process of analysis, resulting in communication gaps when research enterprises span different sectors. For example, models designed by experts in one given discipline might assume conventions in language or oversimplify cross-disciplinary links in a way that is unfamiliar for scientists in another discipline. Geospatial Semantic Array Programming (GeoSemAP) offers the potential to move toward overcoming these challenges by promoting a uniform approach to data collection and sharing [5]. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has been exploring the use of geospatial semantics through a module in the PESETA II project (Projection of economic impacts of climate change in sectors of the European Union based on bottom-up analysis). <BR/>This manuscript has been accepted for publication in IEEE Earthzine 2014 Vol. 7 Issue 2, 2nd quarter theme: Geospatial Semantic Array Programming. The definitive version will be published at: http://www.earthzine.org/

scholarly journals 30 years of European Commission Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring Database (REMdb) – an open door to boost environmental radioactivity research

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Sangiorgi ◽  
Miguel A. Hernández Ceballos ◽  
Giorgia Iurlaro ◽  
Giorgia Cinelli ◽  
Marc de Cort
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Chernobyl Accident ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Environmental Radioactivity ◽  
Monitoring Data ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research

Abstract. The Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring data bank (REMdb) was created in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident (1986) by the European Commission (EC) – DG Joint Research Centre (DG JRC), sited in Ispra (Italy). Since then it has been maintained there with the aim to keep a historical record of the Chernobyl accident and to store the radioactivity monitoring data gathered through the national environmental monitoring programs of the Member States (MSs). The legal basis is the Euratom Treaty, Chapter III Health and Safety, Articles 35 and 36, which clarifies that MSs shall periodically communicate to the EC information on environmental radioactivity levels. By collecting and validating this information in the REMdb, JRC supports the DG for Energy in its responsibilities in returning qualified information to the MSs (competent authorities and general public) on the levels of radioactive contamination of the various compartments of the environment (air, water, soil) on the European Union scale. The REMdb accepts data on radionuclide concentrations from EU MSs in both environmental samples and foodstuffs from 1984 onwards. To date, the total number of data records stored in REMdb exceeds five million, in this way providing the scientific community with a valuable archive of environmental radioactivity topics in Europe. Records stored in the REMDdb are publicly accessible until 2006 through an unrestricted repository ("REM data bank – Years 1984–2006" http://doi.org/10.2905/jrc-10117-10024). Access to data from 2007 onwards is granted only after explicit request, until the corresponding monitoring report is published. Each data record contains information describing the sampling circumstances (sampling type, begin-end time), measurement conditions (value, nuclide, apparatus, etc.), location and date of sampling and original data reference. In this paper the scope, features and extension of the REMdb are described in detail.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document