Capacity building in the use of geospatial tools for natural resource management in Tajikistan: Final Report

The Swiss Swiss Consultant Trust Fund (CTF) support covered the period from July to December 2007 and comprised four main tasks: (1) Analysis of historic land degradation trends in the four watersheds of Zerafshan, Surkhob, Toirsu, and Vanj; (2) Translation of standard CDE GIS training materials into Russian and Tajik to enable local government staff and other specialists to use geospatial data and tools; (3) Demonstration of geospatial tools that show land degradation trends associated with land use and vegetative cover data in the project areas, (4) Preliminary training of government staff in using appropriate data, including existing information, global datasets, inexpensive satellite imagery and other datasets and webbased visualization tools like spatial data viewers, etc. The project allowed building of local awareness of, and skills in, up-to-date, inexpensive, easy-to-use GIS technologies, data sources, and applications relevant to natural resource management and especially to sustainable land management. In addition to supporting the implementation of the World Bank technical assistance activity to build capacity in the use of geospatial tools for natural resource management, the Swiss CTF support also aimed at complementing the Bank supervision work on the ongoing Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project (CAWMP).

Capacity building in the use of geospatial tools for natural resource management in Tajikistan: Inception report BNWPP project

The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) has been contracted by the World Bank Group to conduct a program on capacity development in use of geospatial tools for natural resource management in Tajikistan. The program aimed to help improving natural resource management by fostering the use of geospatial tools among governmental and non-governmental institutions in Tajikistan. For this purpose a database including a Geographic Information System (GIS) has been prepared, which combines spatial data on various sectors for case study analysis related to the Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project (CAWMP). The inception report is based on the findings resulting from the Swiss Consultant Trust Fund (CTF) financed project, specifically on the experiences from the awareness creation and training workshop conducted in Dushanbe in November 2007 and the analysis of historical land degradation trends carried out for the four CAWMP watersheds. Furthermore, also recommendations from the inception mission of CDE to Tajikistan (5-20 August 2007) and the inception report for the Swiss CTF support were considered. The inception report for the BNWPP project (The Bank-Netherlands Water Partnership Program) discusses the following project relevant issues: (1) Preliminary list of additional data layers, types of data analysis, and audiences to be covered by BNWPP grant (2) Assessing skills and equipment already available within Tajikistan, and implications for training program and specific equipment procurement plans (3) Updated detailed schedule and plans for all activities to be financed by BNWPP grant, and (4) Proposed list of contents for the final report and web-based presentations.

Capacity Building in the Use of Geospatial Tools for Natural Resource Management in Tajikistan: Inception report

The sustainable management of natural resources is a key issue for sustainable development of a poor, mountainous country such as Tajikistan. In order to strengthen its agricultural and infrastructural development efforts and alleviate poverty in rural areas, spatial information and analysis are of crucial importance to improve priority setting and decision making efficiency. However, poor access to geospatial data and tools, and limited capacity in their use has greatly constrained the ability of governmental institutions to effectively assess, plan, and monitor natural resources management. The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) has thus been mandated by the World Bank Group to provide adequate technical support to the Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project (CAWMP). This support consists of a spatial database on soil degradation trends in 4 watersheds, capacity development in and awareness creation about geographic information technology and a spatial data exchange hub for natural resources management in Tajikistan. CDE’s support has started in July 2007 and will last until December 2007 with a possible extension in 2008.

Coastal Survey Maps: From Historical Documents to Digital Databases

This paper describes the spatial data handling procedures used to create a vector database of the Connecticut shoreline from Coastal Survey Maps. The appendix contains detailed information on how the procedures were implemented using Geographic Transformer Software 5 and ArcGIS 8.3. The project was a joint project of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the University of Connecticut Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.

Análisis de componentes principales con datos georreferenciados : una aplicación en agricultura de precisión

La utilización de nuevas tecnologías asociadas a la agricultura de precisión permite capturar información de múltiples variables en gran cantidad de sitios georreferenciados dentro de lotes en producción. Las covariaciones espaciales de las propiedades del suelo y el rendimiento del cultivo pueden evaluarse a través del análisis de componentes principales clásico (PCA). No obstante, como otros métodos multivariados descriptivos, el PCA no ha sido desarrollado explícitamente para datos espaciales. Nuevas versiones de análisis multivariado permiten contemplar la autocorrelación espacial entre datos de sitios vecinos. En este trabajo se aplican y comparan los resultados de dos técnicas multivariadas, el PCA y MULTISPATI-PCA. Este último incorpora la información espacial a través del cálculo del índice de Moran entre los datos de un sitio y el dato promedio de sus vecinos. Los resultados mostraron que utilizando MULTISPATI-PCA se detectaron correlaciones entre variables que no fueron detectadas con el PCA. Los mapas de variabilidad espacial construidos a partir de la primera componente de ambas técnicas fueron similares; no así los de la segunda componente debido a cambios en la estructura de co-variación identificada, al corregir la variabilidad por la autocorrelación espacial de los datos. El método MULTISPATI-PCA constituye una herramienta importante para el mapeo de la variabilidad espacial y la identificación de zonas homogéneas dentro de lotes.

Probability inundation map for a scenario combining storm surge and sea-level rise

Coastal managers require reliable spatial data on the extent and timing of potential coastal inundation, particularly in a changing climate. Most sea level rise (SLR) vulnerability assessments are undertaken using the easily implemented bathtub approach, where areas adjacent to the sea and below a given elevation are mapped using a deterministic line dividing potentially inundated from dry areas. This method only requires elevation data usually in the form of a digital elevation model (DEM). However, inherent errors in the DEM and spatial analysis of the bathtub model propagate into the inundation mapping. The aim of this study was to assess the impacts of spatially variable and spatially correlated elevation errors in high-spatial resolution DEMs for mapping coastal inundation. Elevation errors were best modelled using regression-kriging. This geostatistical model takes the spatial correlation in elevation errors into account, which has a significant impact on analyses that include spatial interactions, such as inundation modelling. The spatial variability of elevation errors was partially explained by land cover and terrain variables. Elevation errors were simulated using sequential Gaussian simulation, a Monte Carlo probabilistic approach. 1,000 error simulations were added to the original DEM and reclassified using a hydrologically correct bathtub method. The probability of inundation to a scenario combining a 1 in 100 year storm event over a 1 m SLR was calculated by counting the proportion of times from the 1,000 simulations that a location was inundated. This probabilistic approach can be used in a risk-aversive decision making process by planning for scenarios with different probabilities of occurrence. For example, results showed that when considering a 1% probability exceedance, the inundated area was approximately 11% larger than mapped using the deterministic bathtub approach. The probabilistic approach provides visually intuitive maps that convey uncertainties inherent to spatial data and analysis.

Integrated topographic database for King George Island, South Shetland Islands, with links to shapefiles

SCAR KGIS (SCAR King George Island GIS Project) was an integrated topographic database for King George Island, South Shetland Islands, including the SCAR Feature Catalogue to semantically integrate the data sets. The project, operated by the University of Freiburg, was available at http://portal.uni-freiburg.de/AntSDI as "The Antarctic Spatial Data Infrastructure (AntSDI)". Operation ended in 2007. The remaining data files were archived in shape format (zipped) in projections as recommended by SCAR. The source data was provided by a variety of institutions which were not referenced in the original product.

Pan2Applic - a tool to convert and compile PANGAEA output files

The software Pan2Applic is a tool to convert files or folders of files (ascii/tab-separated data files with or without metaheader), downloaded from PANGAEA via the search engine or the data warehouse to formats as used by applications, e.g. for visualization or further processing. It may also be used to convert files or zip-archives as downloaded from CD-ROM data collections, published in the WDC-MARE Reports series. Pan2Applic is distributed as freeware for the operating systems Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X and Linux.

Las Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales (IDE) como un recurso educativo TIC . Estrategias de formación y difusión para el profesorado de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

Desde mediados de los 90, gracias a las posibilidades de la World Wide Web, se liberó la cartografía de su dependencia del medio físico, posibilitando el acceso y visualización de millones de mapas almacenados en formatos gráficos a través de Internet. En este contexto, el papel de la Información Geográfica (IG) en la vida cotidiana adquirió relevancia en la medida que el acceso a la misma resultaba cada vez más fácil gracias a múltiples herramientas y aplicaciones para distribuir y acercar los mapas en distintos formatos a la sociedad en general. Sin embargo, dado que esa información enseguida pasaba a estar desactualizada, surgió una demanda desde distintos ámbitos (seguridad, medio ambiente transporte, servicios, etc.) y de la sociedad en general para disponer de la información más actual. Como respuesta a esta demanda, surgen las iniciativas denominadas Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales (IDE). Estas iniciativas, mediante la acción coordinada de un conjunto de tecnologías, estándares, normas y políticas, brindan la posibilidad a los usuarios de acceder, a través de Internet, a IG actualizada producida por instituciones y organismos oficiales, en un marco colaborativo y sustentada en una estructura organizativa. En este contexto, el ámbito educativo no ha permanecido ajeno representando uno de los espacios más propicios para la difusión de las potencialidades y usos de las IDE. En esta tesis se propone la utilización de las IDE en el contexto educativo, específicamente en la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO). Utilizar las IDE en el contexto educativo implica asignarle un papel en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje y en el marco de esta tesis se presentan los fundamentos teóricos que permiten afirmar que las IDE son un re-curso educativo que responde a las características de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC). Esto se explicita a través de un concepto más amplio que hemos denominado “recurso educativo TIC”. En este contexto se analizan las posibilidades que ofrece las IDE para alcanzar los objetivos de aprendizaje de asignaturas de la ESO relacionadas con IG y se identifican contenidos susceptibles de ser abordados utilizándolas. Por otra parte, atendiendo al modelo educativo del aprendizaje basado en competencias, se exponen las posibilidades y potencialidades que ofrecen las IDE para desarrollar la competencia digital. Una vez planteado el marco teórico se desarrollaron dos estrategias de formación y difusión de las IDE orientadas al profesorado de la ESO. En primer lugar, utilizando el Modelo de Diseño Instruccional ADDIE, se diseñaron, desarrollaron, implementaron y evaluaron tres cursos e-learning para el profesorado de ESO de las asignaturas Ciencias Sociales, Ciencias de la Naturaleza y Tecnología. En segundo lugar, con objetivo de complementar los resultados obtenidos de los cursos e-learning, se realizó una actividad en dos Institutos de Educación Secundaria orientada a difundir las IDE. La puesta en práctica de estas estrategias ofreció al profesorado la información necesaria sobre qué son las IDE y proporcionó ejemplos concretos de uso de las mismas en su asignatura, permitiéndoles disponer de los conocimientos e información para emitir una valoración sobre las posibilidades que ofrecen las IDE como un recurso educativo TIC. Since about the middle of the 1990 decade, owing to the potential of the World Wide Web, cartography freed itself from its dependence on its physical support, enabling the access and visualisation of millions of maps stored in graphical formats through the Internet. In this context, the role of Geographic Information (GI) in daily life became relevant in as much as its access turned out to be ever easier due to multiple tools and applications to distribute and bring maps in different formats closer to society in general. Yet, since the information available often became outdated, a demand for updated information arose from different specific fields (security, environment, transport, services, etc.) and from the general public. As a response to this demand, the so-called Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) initiatives arose which, through the coordinated action of a set of technologies, stan-dards, and policies, enabled users to access updated GI created by organisations and official institutions, through the Internet, within a cooperative framework and an organisational structure. In this context the educational world has not remained aloof, since it represented one of the most propitious scope for the dissemination of the potentials and uses of SDI. In this thesis the utilization of SDI in the educational context is proposed, specifically in the Spanish Compulsory Secondary Education (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria – ESO). This utilization implies assigning SDI a role in the teaching-learning process; here the theo-retical foundation is presented which allows asserting that SDI is an educational resource fitting in with the characteristics of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This is made explicit by means of a broader concept we have called “ICT educa-tional resource”. The possibilities offered by SDI to reach the objective of learning ESO subjects related to GI are analyzed, and contents apt to be addressed by using them are identified. On the other hand, attending to the educational model of learning based on competences, the possibilities and potentials the SDI offer to develop the digital compe-tence are exposed. After having set forth the theoretical frame, two strategies of training and dissemination of SDI were developed, oriented to the ESO teaching staff. First, using the ADDIE Instruc-tional Design Model, three learning courses were designed, developed, implemented and evaluated for the ESO teaching staff in the subjects of Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Technology. In the second place, with the purpose of supplementing the results ob-tained from the e-learning courses, an activity was carried out in two High Schools, ori-ented to disseminate the SDI. The implementation of these strategies offered the teaching staff the needed information concerning the SDI and provided specific instances of utilisa-tion thereof in their subject, thus enabling them to acquire the knowledge and information to issue an assessment of the possibilities the SDI offer as an ICT educational resource

Showing the Past: Integrating Cartographic Collections through Virtual Map Rooms

Spatial Data Infrastructures have become a methodological and technological benchmark enabling distributed access to historical-cartographic archives. However, it is essential to offer enhanced virtual tools that imitate the current processes and methodologies that are carried out by librarians, historians and academics in the existing map libraries around the world. These virtual processes must be supported by a generic framework for managing, querying, and accessing distributed georeferenced resources and other content types such as scientific data or information. The authors have designed and developed support tools to provide enriched browsing, measurement and geometrical analysis capabilities, and dynamical querying methods, based on SDI foundations. The DIGMAP engine and the IBERCARTO collection enable access to georeferenced historical-cartographical archives. Based on lessons learned from the CartoVIRTUAL and DynCoopNet projects, a generic service architecture scheme is proposed. This way, it is possible to achieve the integration of virtual map rooms and SDI technologies bringing support to researchers within the historical and social domains.

A multinational SDI-based system to facilitate disaster risk management in the Andean Community

A useful strategy for improving disaster risk management is sharing spatial data across different technical organizations using shared information systems. However, the implementation of this type of system requires a large effort, so it is difficult to find fully implemented and sustainable information systems that facilitate sharing multinational spatial data about disasters, especially in developing countries. In this paper, we describe a pioneer system for sharing spatial information that we developed for the Andean Community. This system, called SIAPAD (Andean Information System for Disaster Prevention and Relief), integrates spatial information from 37 technical organizations in the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru). SIAPAD was based on the concept of a thematic Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and includes a web application, called GEORiesgo, which helps users to find relevant information with a knowledge-based system. In the paper, we describe the design and implementation of SIAPAD together with general conclusions and future directions which we learned as a result of this work.

Modelos de análisis econométrico espacial aplicados al desarrollo económico

Los modelos de desarrollo regional, rural y urbano arrancaron en la década de los 90 en Estados Unidos, modelando los factores relacionados con la economía que suministran información y conocimiento acerca de cómo los parámetros geográficos y otros externos influencian la economía regional. El desarrollo regional y en particular el rural han seguido diferentes caminos en Europa y España, adoptando como modelo los programas estructurales de la UE ligados a la PAC. El Programa para el Desarrollo Rural Sostenible, recientemente lanzado por el Gobierno de España (2010) no profundiza en los modelos económicos de esta economía y sus causas. Este estudio pretende encontrar pautas de comportamiento de las variables de la economía regional-rural, y como el efecto de distribución geográfica de la población condiciona la actividad económica. Para este propósito, y utilizando datos espaciales y económicos de las regiones, se implementaran modelos espaciales que permitan evaluar el comportamiento económico, y verificar hipótesis de trabajo sobre la geografía y la economía del territorio. Se utilizarán modelos de análisis espacial como el análisis exploratorio espacial y los modelos econométricos de ecuaciones simultáneas, y dentro de estas los modelos ampliamente utilizados en estudios regionales de Carlino-Mills- Boarnet. ABSTRACT The regional development models for rural and urban areas started in USA in the ´90s, modeling the economy and the factors involved to understand and collect the knowledge of how the external parameters influenced the regional economy. Regional development and in particular rural development has followed different paths in Europe and Spain, adopting structural programs defined in the EU Agriculture Common Policy. The program for Sustainable Rural Development recently implemented in Spain (2010) is short sighted considering the effects of the regional economy. This study endeavors to underline models of behavior for the rural and regional economy variables, and how the regional distribution of population conditions the economic activities. For that purpose using current spatial regional economic data, this study will implement spatial economic models to evaluate the behavior of the regional economy, including the evaluation of working hypothesis about geography and economy in the territory. The approach will use data analysis models, like exploratory spatial data analysis, and spatial econometric models, and in particular for its wide acceptance in regional analysis, the Carlino-Mills-Boarnet equations model.

Documentación en Arqueología. Aplicaciones del Núcleo Español de Metadatos

RESUMEN Las aplicaciones de los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) a la Arqueología, u otra disciplina humanística no son una novedad. La evolución de los mismos hacia sistemas distribuidos e interoperables, y estructuras donde las políticas de uso, compartido y coordinado de los datos sí lo son, estando todos estos aspectos contemplados en la Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales. INSPIRE es el máximo exponente europeo en cuestiones de iniciativa y marco legal en estos aspectos. La metodología arqueológica recopila y genera gran cantidad de datos, y entre los atributos o características intrínsecas están la posición y el tiempo, aspectos que tradicionalmente explotan los SIG. Los datos se catalogan, organizan, mantienen, comparten y publican, y los potenciales consumidores comienzan a tenerlos disponibles. Toda esta información almacenada de forma tradicional en fichas y posteriormente en bases de datos relacionadas alfanuméricas pueden ser considerados «metadatos» en muchos casos por contener información útil para más usuarios en los procesos de descubrimiento, y explotación de los datos. Además estos datos también suelen ir acompañados de información sobre ellos mismos, que describe su especificaciones, calidad, etc. Cotidianamente usamos los metadatos: ficha bibliográfica del libro o especificaciones de un ordenador. Pudiéndose definir como: «información descriptiva sobre el contexto, calidad, condición y características de un recurso, dato u objeto que tiene la finalidad de facilitar su recuperación, identificación,evaluación, preservación y/o interoperabilidad». En España existe una iniciativa para estandarizar la descripción de los metadatos de los conjuntos de datos geoespaciales: Núcleo Español de Metadatos (NEM), los mismos contienen elementos para la descripción de las particularidades de los datos geográficos, que incluye todos los registros obligatorios de la Norma ISO19115 y del estudio de metadatos Dublin Core, tradicionalmente usado en contextos de Biblioteconomía. Conscientes de la necesidad de los metadatos, para optimizar la búsqueda y recuperación de los datos, se pretende formalizar la documentación de los datos arqueológicos a partir de la utilización del NEM, consiguiendo así la interoperabilidad de la información arqueológica. SUMMARY The application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to Archaeology and other social sciences is not new. Their evolution towards inter-operating, distributed systems, and structures in which policies for shared and coordinated data use are, and all these aspects are included in the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). INSPIRE is the main European exponent in matters related to initiative and legal frame. Archaeological methodology gathers and creates a great amount of data, and position and time, aspects traditionally exploited by GIS, are among the attributes or intrinsic characteristics. Data are catalogued, organised, maintained, shared and published, and potential consumers begin to have them at their disposal. All this information, traditionally stored as cards and later in relational alphanumeric databases may be considered «metadata» in many cases, as they contain information that is useful for more users in the processes of discovery and exploitation of data. Moreover, this data are often accompanied by information about themselves, describing its especifications, quality, etc. We use metadata very often: in a book’s bibliographical card, or in the description of the characteristics of a computer. They may be defined as «descriptive information regarding the context, quality, condition and characteristics of a resource, data or object with the purpose of facilitating is recuperation, identification, evaluation, preservation and / interoperability.» There is an initiative in Spain to standardise the description of metadata in sets of geo-spatial data: the Núcleo Español de Metadatos (Spanish Metadata Nucleus), which contains elements for the description of the particular characteristics of geographical data, includes all the obligatory registers from the ISO Norm 19115 and from the metadata study Dublin Core, traditionally used in library management. Being aware of the need of metadata, to optimise the search and retrieval of data, the objective is to formalise the documentation of archaeological data from the Núcleo Español de Metadatos (Spanish Metadata Nucleus), thus obtaining the interoperability of the archaeological information.

Herramienta basada en vistas para la generación automática de anotaciones de fuentes RDF

Durante los últimos años, el imparable crecimiento de fuentes de datos biomédicas, propiciado por el desarrollo de técnicas de generación de datos masivos (principalmente en el campo de la genómica) y la expansión de tecnologías para la comunicación y compartición de información ha propiciado que la investigación biomédica haya pasado a basarse de forma casi exclusiva en el análisis distribuido de información y en la búsqueda de relaciones entre diferentes fuentes de datos. Esto resulta una tarea compleja debido a la heterogeneidad entre las fuentes de datos empleadas (ya sea por el uso de diferentes formatos, tecnologías, o modelizaciones de dominios). Existen trabajos que tienen como objetivo la homogeneización de estas con el fin de conseguir que la información se muestre de forma integrada, como si fuera una única base de datos. Sin embargo no existe ningún trabajo que automatice de forma completa este proceso de integración semántica. Existen dos enfoques principales para dar solución al problema de integración de fuentes heterogéneas de datos: Centralizado y Distribuido. Ambos enfoques requieren de una traducción de datos de un modelo a otro. Para realizar esta tarea se emplean formalizaciones de las relaciones semánticas entre los modelos subyacentes y el modelo central. Estas formalizaciones se denominan comúnmente anotaciones. Las anotaciones de bases de datos, en el contexto de la integración semántica de la información, consisten en definir relaciones entre términos de igual significado, para posibilitar la traducción automática de la información. Dependiendo del problema en el que se esté trabajando, estas relaciones serán entre conceptos individuales o entre conjuntos enteros de conceptos (vistas). El trabajo aquí expuesto se centra en estas últimas. El proyecto europeo p-medicine (FP7-ICT-2009-270089) se basa en el enfoque centralizado y hace uso de anotaciones basadas en vistas y cuyas bases de datos están modeladas en RDF. Los datos extraídos de las diferentes fuentes son traducidos e integrados en un Data Warehouse. Dentro de la plataforma de p-medicine, el Grupo de Informática Biomédica (GIB) de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, en el cuál realicé mi trabajo, proporciona una herramienta para la generación de las necesarias anotaciones de las bases de datos RDF. Esta herramienta, denominada Ontology Annotator ofrece la posibilidad de generar de manera manual anotaciones basadas en vistas. Sin embargo, aunque esta herramienta muestra las fuentes de datos a anotar de manera gráfica, la gran mayoría de usuarios encuentran difícil el manejo de la herramienta , y pierden demasiado tiempo en el proceso de anotación. Es por ello que surge la necesidad de desarrollar una herramienta más avanzada, que sea capaz de asistir al usuario en el proceso de anotar bases de datos en p-medicine. El objetivo es automatizar los procesos más complejos de la anotación y presentar de forma natural y entendible la información relativa a las anotaciones de bases de datos RDF. Esta herramienta ha sido denominada Ontology Annotator Assistant, y el trabajo aquí expuesto describe el proceso de diseño y desarrollo, así como algunos algoritmos innovadores que han sido creados por el autor del trabajo para su correcto funcionamiento. Esta herramienta ofrece funcionalidades no existentes previamente en ninguna otra herramienta del área de la anotación automática e integración semántica de bases de datos. ---ABSTRACT---Over the last years, the unstoppable growth of biomedical data sources, mainly thanks to the development of massive data generation techniques (specially in the genomics field) and the rise of the communication and information sharing technologies, lead to the fact that biomedical research has come to rely almost exclusively on the analysis of distributed information and in finding relationships between different data sources. This is a complex task due to the heterogeneity of the sources used (either by the use of different formats, technologies or domain modeling). There are some research proyects that aim homogenization of these sources in order to retrieve information in an integrated way, as if it were a single database. However there is still now work to automate completely this process of semantic integration. There are two main approaches with the purpouse of integrating heterogeneous data sources: Centralized and Distributed. Both approches involve making translation from one model to another. To perform this task there is a need of using formalization of the semantic relationships between the underlying models and the main model. These formalizations are also calles annotations. In the context of semantic integration of the information, data base annotations consist on defining relations between concepts or words with the same meaning, so the automatic translation can be performed. Depending on the task, the ralationships can be between individuals or between whole sets of concepts (views). This paper focuses on the latter. The European project p-medicine (FP7-ICT-2009-270089) is based on the centralized approach. It uses view based annotations and RDF modeled databases. The data retireved from different data sources is translated and joined into a Data Warehouse. Within the p-medicine platform, the Biomedical Informatics Group (GIB) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, in which I worked, provides a software to create annotations for the RDF sources. This tool, called Ontology Annotator, is used to create annotations manually. However, although Ontology Annotator displays the data sources graphically, most of the users find it difficult to use this software, thus they spend too much time to complete the task. For this reason there is a need to develop a more advanced tool, which would be able to help the user in the task of annotating p-medicine databases. The aim is automating the most complex processes of the annotation and display the information clearly and easy understanding. This software is called Ontology Annotater Assistant and this book describes the process of design and development of it. as well as some innovative algorithms that were designed by the author of the work. This tool provides features that no other software in the field of automatic annotation can provide.

Parameter-based mechanism for unifying user interaction, applications and communication protocols

In the smart building control industry, creating a platform to integrate different communication protocols and ease the interaction between users and devices is becoming increasingly important. BATMP is a platform designed to achieve this goal. In this paper, the authors describe a novel mechanism for information exchange, which introduces a new concept, Parameter, and uses it as the common object among all the BATMP components: Gateway Manager, Technology Manager, Application Manager, Model Manager and Data Warehouse. Parameter is an object which represents a physical magnitude and contains the information about its presentation, available actions, access type, etc. Each component of BATMP has a copy of the parameters. In the Technology Manager, three drivers for different communication protocols, KNX, CoAP and Modbus, are implemented to convert devices into parameters. In the Gateway Manager, users can control the parameters directly or by defining a scenario. In the Application Manager, the applications can subscribe to parameters and decide the values of parameters by negotiating. Finally, a Negotiator is implemented in the Model Manager to notify other components about the changes taking place in any component. By applying this mechanism, BATMP ensures the simultaneous and concurrent communication among users, applications and devices.