Detección de usuarios vulnerables de la carretera mediante smartphones

Hoy en día, los teléfonos inteligentes forman parte de la vida de la mayoría de las personas, desde los usuarios más jóvenes a los más adultos, demostrando su utilidad en distintas actividades y con objetivos diferentes, como pueden ser por cuestiones de trabajo, estudio, ocio o incluso seguridad. Con respecto a este último aspecto se ha detectado una utilidad práctica para el colectivo de peatones. Según la DGT el 48% de los fallecidos en accidentes urbanos fueron peatones. Con el objetivo de disminuir drásticamente esta cifra se ideó un proyecto que incrementara la seguridad del peatón avisándole de los potenciales peligros que pudieran afectarle. Para ello era necesario que los vehículos de su entorno, de alguna manera, informaran de su posición y trayectoria y que un software analizara esta información para detectar potenciales situaciones de riesgo. Dada la versatilidad y la ubicuidad de los teléfonos inteligentes (prácticamente la mayoría de personas lo llevan continuamente) se decidió utilizarlos como soporte para el procesado de esta información. Para especificar la funcionalidad de la aplicación se han definido una serie de historias de usuario. La aplicación desarrollada solicita a los vehículos la información necesaria para calcular sus trayectorias y comprueba si pueden suponer algún peligro para el peatón, alertándole en ese caso. ABSTRACT Nowadays, smartphones are part of most people’s life, from the youngest to the oldest users, showing their usefulness in different activities and with different objectives, such as labour issues, studies, leisure or even safety. With respect to this last point, it has been detected a practical utility for pedestrians. According to the DGT, the 48% of the deceased due to urban accidents were pedestrians. In order to slash this figure, it was devised a project to increase pedestrian safety warning him of potential hazards that could affect him. To do so, it was needed that vehicles around him report their position and trajectory, and that a software analyse this information to detect potential risk situations. Due to the versatility and ubiquity of smartphones (practically the majority of people carries them continuously), it was decided to use them as support for the processing of this information. To specify the application functionality, it has been defined a set of user stories. The application developed requests the information needed to the vehicles to calculate their trajectories and checks if they may constitute a hazard for pedestrians, alerting them if that is the case.

Social issues in sustainable supply chain networks: state of the art and further research directions

The study of supply networks sustainability is a field with a long path behind. Nonetheless, most studies to date are focused on the environmental sub dimension of sustainability, while the social perspective in supply chain networks research still shows a potential for pioneering contri butions. Moreover, from the development standpoint we have observed a paradigm shift advancing from a narrow concept of development, centered on purely economic dimensions, towards more refined issues such as inclusive business, shared value or poverty footprint, all of which are highly related to supply chain activities. In this paper we present a review of the current state of the art on social sustainability of supply chains and we identify the main existing trends in this field. After conducting this study, we can state that a new sphere of knowledge is emerging at the interface between sustainable supply chain networks and development research. The academic community is called to play an important dovetailing role in this scenario by advancing both conceptual and methodological contributions.

A review of the potential of renewable energy sources for the State of Jammu and Kashmir (India)

The future economic development trajectory for India is likely to result in rapid and accelerated growth in energy demand, with expected shortages. Many of its current policies and strategies are aimed at the improvement and possible maximization of energy production from the renewable sector. It is also clear that while energy-conservation and energy-efficiency can make an important contribution in the national energy strategy, renewable energies will be essential to the solution and are likely to play an increasingly important role for the growth of grid power, providing energy access, reducing consumption of fossil fuels, and helping India pursue its low carbon progressive pathway. However, most of the states in India, like the northernmost State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), have experienced an energy crisis over a sustained period of time. As India intends to be one of the emerging powers of the 21st century, it has to embark upon with these pressing issues in a more sustainable manner and accordingly initiate various renewable energy projects within these states. This paper will provide a broad-spectrum view about the energy situation within J&K and will highlight the current policies along with future strategies for the optimal utilization of renewable energy resources.