Market of resources for virtual enterprise integration

Most definitions of virtual enterprise (VE) incorporate the idea of extended and collaborative outsourcing to suppliers and subcontractors in order to achieve a competitive response to market demands (Webster, Sugden, & Tayles, 2004). As suggested by several authors (Browne & Zhang, 1999; Byrne, 1993; Camarinha-Matos & Afsarmanesh, 1999; Cunha, Putnik, & ��vila, 2000; Davidow & Malone, 1992; Preiss, Goldman, & Nagel, 1996), a VE consists of a network of independent enterprises (resources providers) with reconfiguration capability in useful time, permanently aligned with the market requirements, created to take profit from a specific market opportunity, and where each participant contributes with its best practices and core competencies to the success and competitiveness of the structure as a whole. Even during the operation phase of the VE, the configuration can change, to assure business alignment with the market demands, traduced by the identification of reconfiguration opportunities and continuous readjustment or reconfiguration of the VE network, to meet unexpected situations or to keep permanent competitiveness and maximum performance (Cunha & Putnik, 2002, 2005a, 2005b).

A flexibility reference model to achieve leagility in virtual organizations

The paper proposes a Flexibility Requirements Model and a Factory Templates Framework to support the dynamic Virtual Organization decision-makers in order to reach effective response to the emergent business opportunities ensuring profitability. Through the construction and analysis of the flexibility requirements model, the network managers can achieve and conceive better strategies to model and breed new dynamic VOs. This paper also presents the leagility concept as a new paradigm fit to equip the network management with a hybrid approach that better tackle the performance challenges imposed by the new and competitive business environments.

IX International conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual instrumentation REV 2012

THE ninth edition of the International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation (REV) [1] was held at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Deusto, Bilbao (Spain), from the 4th to the 6th of July, 2012. A world-class research community in the subject of remote and virtual laboratories joined the event.

Virtual globes as a platform for developing spatial literacy

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies

Reshaping higher education systems in the MENA region: the contribution of remote and virtual labs

Learning is not only happening in school or university; it is also an important aspect of the daily life that allows students to remain in their biological and physical environment helping to reshape it, by applying what they have learnt. Today, the higher education sector is a part of important strategies used by countries in order to foster their development. Despite its geographical location, i.e. its closeness to Europe and Asia, the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region still needs an integrated strategy for the advancement, reform, and update of its higher educational landscape. Although some solutions have been experimented in the region in the field of higher education, they have not been able to raise the quality of education to the level comparable that observed in developed countries. In other words, many MENA higher education systems are facing problems, for which solution ought to be sought. We analyse the situation of higher education systems in the MENA countries and the factors that affect the delay in achieving the level of education existing in other world regions, e.g. Europe, especially in the higher education sector. During the discussion, the impact of new technology-enhanced tools, such as remote laboratories, in the process of development and consolidation of MENA universities, is particularly stressed.

Towards high-available and energy-efficient virtual computing environments in the cloud

Empowered by virtualisation technology, cloud infrastructures enable the construction of flexi- ble and elastic computing environments, providing an opportunity for energy and resource cost optimisation while enhancing system availability and achieving high performance. A crucial re- quirement for effective consolidation is the ability to efficiently utilise system resources for high- availability computing and energy-efficiency optimisation to reduce operational costs and carbon footprints in the environment. Additionally, failures in highly networked computing systems can negatively impact system performance substantially, prohibiting the system from achieving its initial objectives. In this paper, we propose algorithms to dynamically construct and readjust vir- tual clusters to enable the execution of users��� jobs. Allied with an energy optimising mechanism to detect and mitigate energy inefficiencies, our decision-making algorithms leverage virtuali- sation tools to provide proactive fault-tolerance and energy-efficiency to virtual clusters. We conducted simulations by injecting random synthetic jobs and jobs using the latest version of the Google cloud tracelogs. The results indicate that our strategy improves the work per Joule ratio by approximately 12.9% and the working efficiency by almost 15.9% compared with other state-of-the-art algorithms.

O estudo do marketing digital versus marketing tradicional e a percep����o das suas campanhas por parte dos consumidores no mercado virtual e tradicional

Disserta����o apresentada como requisito parcial para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Estat��stica e Gest��o de Informa����o

Innovation through virtual communities of practice: motivations and constraints in the knowledge-creation process

This paper appears in International Journal of Projectics. Vol 4(1), pp. 39-49

Lugar, Espa��o e Geografia - Do Real ao Virtual na Sociedade do Conhecimento

As altera����es sociais, culturais, tecnol��gicas ou puramente virtuais a que se assiste s��o indiscut��veis e, porventura, irrevers��veis. O ritmo da evolu����o tecnol��gica n��o permite pausas. A crescente densidade das redes e a velocidade dos fluxos de informa����o fazem aumentar a complexidade da an��lise, contrastando com uma diminui����o dos tempos de resposta. Observa-se uma din��mica cada vez mais acentuada no processo de transi����o entre a informa����o e o conhecimento, acelerando os inputs que influenciam ou dominam as pr��ticas sociais, pol��ticas e simb��licas da vida. Este artigo analisa conceitos como ���informa����o��� e ���conhecimento��� e outros, mais geogr��ficos, como ���lugar��� e ���espa��o���; e de que forma pode a sua din��mica influenciar o territ��rio, que deixa de ser (apenas) real para passar a ser, tamb��m, virtual. A Sociedade do Conhecimento surge a partir da Sociedade da Informa����o, num contexto evolucional da cadeia de valor ���dado-informa����o-conhecimento-sabedoria��� e onde o elevado potencial tecnol��gico extravasa as no����es tradicionais da Geografia. Para ajudar a compreender as muta����es observadas no territ��rio, explicando as suas causas e consequ��ncias surge a Geografia da Sociedade do Conhecimento, um ramo da Geografia vocacionado para a an��lise do desenvolvimento s��cio-econ��mico da sociedade moderna.

Geografia Virtual ��� A Representa����o do(s) Lugar(es) F��sico(s) no Espa��o da Internet

A Geografia tem a ver com o lugar, com a localiza����o, com a sociedade, com o ambiente, com o espa��o e com a regi��o. Uma vez que no ciberespa��o algumas destas vari��veis s��o dif��ceis de definir, o campo de pesquisa da geografia virtual ter�� que ser aprofundado,. Este novo dom��nio da an��lise geogr��fica apresenta-se como uma forma de percepcionar a representa����o do(s) espa��o(s) f��sico(s) no espa��o virtual da Internet. Este artigo pretende mostrar um exemplo de um ���interface��� de cartografia digital, dispon��vel on-line, que pelas suas caracter��sticas inovadoras representa ���o estado da arte��� na an��lise dos espa��os reais ou geogr��ficos, no espa��o virtual da Internet. A sua escolha prende-se com o facto desta ferramenta utilizar conceitos e fundamentos da Geografia, aos quais foram aplicadas as modernas tecnologias de programa����o para ambientes da www, como as linguagens VRML, XML, Java e Flash.

Cenografia virtual em televis��o: relat��rio de est��gio

Relat��rio de Est��gio submetido �� Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema para cumprimento dos requisitos necess��rios �� obten����o do grau de Mestre em Teatro - especializa����o em Design de Cena.

Distributed Generation and Demand Response Dispatch for a Virtual Power Player Energy and Reserve Provision

Recent changes in the operation and planning of power systems have been motivated by the introduction of Distributed Generation (DG) and Demand Response (DR) in the competitive electricity markets' environment, with deep concerns at the efficiency level. In this context, grid operators, market operators, utilities and consumers must adopt strategies and methods to take full advantage of demand response and distributed generation. This requires that all the involved players consider all the market opportunities, as the case of energy and reserve components of electricity markets. The present paper proposes a methodology which considers the joint dispatch of demand response and distributed generation in the context of a distribution network operated by a virtual power player. The resources' participation can be performed in both energy and reserve contexts. This methodology contemplates the probability of actually using the reserve and the distribution network constraints. Its application is illustrated in this paper using a 32-bus distribution network with 66 DG units and 218 consumers classified into 6 types of consumers.

Virtual Communities of Practice: Design and Development of Support Platforms and Participation Fostering

Mestrado em Engenharia Inform��tica - ��rea de Especializa����o em Sistemas Gr��ficos e Multim��dia

Estrat��gia de dinamiza����o da comunica����o interna num operador de cabo em ambiente virtual

Relat��rio de Est��gio apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necess��rios �� obten����o do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Pr��ticas Web.

Interface multitoque para explora����o de colec����o de arte

Trabalho apresentado no ��mbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Inform��tica, como requisito parcial para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Inform��tica