Digital governance: Research design of a comprehensive research program to analyse ICT driven transformation

The paper presents the theoretical foundations and research design of a comprehensive research program initiated at the National University of Public Service for exploring the complex dynamics of digital transformation of governance and government. In alignment with the Danube Region Strategy the initiative is based on two main pillars: a) concepts of territorial and cross-border governance especially exploring the process from whole-of-government to social participation, and b) information management focusing on ICT ecosystems and project management. Based on these two pillars three drivers of digital transformation are defined which are very tightly intertwined in the research design. The first is what we collectively address as e-services including legaltechnical-organizational solutions, citizens´ acceptance and the complex notion of accessibility with trust. The second driver in our model is the appearance of “smartness” in governance both centrally and locally – spanning from knowledge management to smart communities in symbiosis with smart technologies. Finally, the third set of drivers for digital transition is the capability for innovation and change including management and organizations, social impacts of industry 4.0., and a modified Balanced Scorecard system for administration. The paper presents the key research questions in each pillar and maps how institutional collaborations (amongst 7 Hungarian, 3 European and 2 North-American universities) address them methodologically.

WikiCity

The real-time city is now real! The increasing deployment of sensors and handheld electronic devices in recent years allows for a new approach to the study and exploration of the built environment. The WikiCity project deals with the development of real-time, location-sensitive tools for the city and is concerned with the real-time mapping of city dynamics. This mapping, however, is not limited to representing the city, but also instantly becomes an instrument for city inhabitants to base their actions and decisions upon in a better informed manner, leading to an overall increased efficiency and sustainability in making use of the city environment. While our comprehensive research program considers a larger context, this chapter discusses the WikiCity Rome project, which was the first occasion for implementing some of WikiCity’s elements in a public interface—it was presented on a large screen in a public square in Rome.

EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL MODELING OF TSUNAMI LOADING ON STRUCTURES

The results of a comprehensive research program on tsunami-induced forces on infrastructure located in coastal areas are presented. This research project is the result of an extensive interdisciplinary project (coastal and structural engineering) which spanned over the past five years and which included several field data reconnaissance missions, as well as analytical, experimental and numerical modeling of the extreme hydrodynamic forces on buildings and their component structural elements. The purpose of this research and engineering project is to elucidate the complex hydrodynamic mechanisms of the impact and extreme loadings on buildings and to properly quantify loads and further propose and derive new formulations for the design of structures located in the vicinity of the shoreline in tsunami-prone coastal areas.

The megalithic complex of highland Jambi: An archaeological perspective

The highlands of Sumatra remain one of the most neglected regions of insular Southeast Asia in terms of history and archaeology. No comprehensive research program incorporating both a survey and excavations within a defined geographical or environmental zone has been carried out there since Van der Hoop (1932) conducted his study of the megaliths on the Pasemah plateau in the 1930s. Meanwhile, Van der Hoop’s investigations and several other archaeological research activities at places such as northwest Lampung (McKinnon 1993), Pasemah (Sukendar and Sukidjo 1983-84; Caldwell 1997; Kusumawati and Sukendar 2000), Kerinci (Laporan 1995a, 1996a), and the Minangkabau heartland (Miksic 1986, 1987, 2004) have placed special emphasis on the megalithic remains. As a result, the megaliths are by far the bestknown archaeological attraction of the Sumatran highlands.

Making Meaning in Computers

This chapter describes synthetic ethology, a scientific methodology in which we construct synthetic worlds in which synthetic agents evolve and become coupled to their environment. First we review the motivations for synthetic ethology as an experimental methodology and explain how it can be used to investigate intentionality and meaning, and the mechanisms from which they emerge, with a special emphasis on communication and language. Second, we present several examples of such experiments, in which genuine (i.e., not simulated) meaningful communication evolved in a population of simple agents. Finally, we discuss the extension of the synthetic ethology paradigm to the problems of structured communications and mental states, complex environments and embodied intelligence, and suggest one way in which this extension could be accomplished. Indeed, synthetic ethology offers a new tool in a comprehensive research program investigating the neuro-evolutionary basis of cognitive processes.

Strategy Instruction Research Comes of Age

There is enormous contemporary interest in strategy instruction and in conducting research on this topic, with many researchers attempting to develop strategy interventions for use with both normal and learning disabled populations. Four factors fuel the current enthusiasm: (a) There are now some very convincing information-processing analyses of important educational tasks. (b) There are better models of autonomous cognitive performance. (c) These models of performance have stimulated the development of more complete models of instruction. And (d) Those interested in strategy instruction are becoming sophisticated in the design of experiments that are methodologically sound and conceptually convincing. After reviewing these four influences in the following sections, we argue that complete study of strategy instruction includes research aimed at (a) diagnosing what students do without instruction, (b) determining what they can do when given instruction, and (c) establishing how materials can be adapted to improve performance when inefficient or ineffective student processing cannot be modified by instruction. Such a comprehensive research program requires both laboratory and classroom studies.

SCOUR UNDER A VERTICALLY OSCILLATING LEG

Mishaps with jack-up oil rigs could be caused by scour beneath their legs as they oscillate vertically, either on site or when being shifted to or from site. This action was replicated in the laboratory by moving cylindrical feet to and from a sandy bed at frequencies appropriate to the scale of the model. By retaining equal Reynolds numbers for the sand grains, whose size was commensurate with prototype material, the period of oscillation had to vary with the leg diameter. By adopting a suitable size scale, a range of periods was determined from knowledge of resonant motions of rigs in relatively deep water. Erosion was recorded which appeared sufficient to cause mal-distribution of load in the structure. Even when oscillations occurred in a leg penetrating the bed, no support was available due to liquifaction of the soil. The two pilot studies herein described indicate the need for a comprehensive research program on the subject, due to the large investments in jeopardy.