Open source [Editorial]

This special issue of the Journal of Music, Technology & Education is intended to examine ‘open source’ practices in software development and philosophical ideas as they might apply to music education. Through six different articles, the issue seeks to examine ideas on a continuum from notions of communal creativity in the shared development of ideas and systems to examining how open source technologies can be utilized within the context of music education. The idea for this special issue grew from a symposium on the same topic at the 2011 International Conference for Research in Music Education (RIME) held biennially at the University of Exeter where the editors for this edition first met. The need to continue the discussion of the issues raised at that symposium was recognized, and the editors of JMTE graciously agreed to our preparation of this special issue.

Open Source Information Technologies Approach for Moddeling of Ankle-Foot Orthosis

Computer modeling is a perspective method for optimal design of prosthesis and orthoses. The study is oriented to develop modular ankle foot orthosis (MAFO) to assist the very frequently observed gait abnormalities relating the human ankle-foot complex using CAD modeling. The main goal is to assist the ankle- foot flexors and extensors during the gait cycle (stance and swing) using torsion spring. Utilizing 3D modeling and animating open source software (Blender 3D), it is possible to generate artificially different kind of normal and abnormal gaits and investigate and adjust the assistive modular spring driven ankle foot orthosis.

An open source service oriented Mobile Business Intelligence Tool (MBIT)

Corporate executives require relevant and intelligent business information in real-time to take strategic decisions. They require the freedom to access this information anywhere and anytime. There is a need to extend this functionality beyond the office and on the fingertips of the decision makers. Mobile Business Intelligence Tool (MBIT) aims to provide these features in a flexible and cost-efficient manner. This paper describes the detailed architecture of MBIT to overcome the limitations of existing mobile business intelligence tools. Further, a detailed implementation framework is presented to realize the design. This research highlights the benefits of using service oriented architecture to design flexible and platform independent mobile business applications. © 2009 IEEE.

Geographic Resources Decision Support System – an Open Source GIS

Fully structured and matured open source spatial and temporal analysis technology seems to be the official carrier of the future for planning of the natural resources especially in the developing nations. This technology has gained enormous momentum because of technical superiority, affordability and ability to join expertise from all sections of the society. Sustainable development of a region depends on the integrated planning approaches adopted in decision making which requires timely and accurate spatial data. With the increased developmental programmes, the need for appropriate decision support system has increased in order to analyse and visualise the decisions associated with spatial and temporal aspects of natural resources. In this regard Geographic Information System (GIS) along with remote sensing data support the applications that involve spatial and temporal analysis on digital thematic maps and the remotely sensed images. Open source GIS would help in wide scale applications involving decisions at various hierarchical levels (for example from village panchayat to planning commission) on economic viability, social acceptance apart from technical feasibility. GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System, http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/grass) is an open source GIS that works on Linux platform (freeware), but most of the applications are in command line argument, necessitating a user friendly and cost effective graphical user interface (GUI). Keeping these aspects in mind, Geographic Resources Decision Support System (GRDSS) has been developed with functionality such as raster, topological vector, image processing, statistical analysis, geographical analysis, graphics production, etc. This operates through a GUI developed in Tcltk (Tool command language / Tool kit) under Linux as well as with a shell in X-Windows. GRDSS include options such as Import /Export of different data formats, Display, Digital Image processing, Map editing, Raster Analysis, Vector Analysis, Point Analysis, Spatial Query, which are required for regional planning such as watershed Analysis, Landscape Analysis etc. This is customised to Indian context with an option to extract individual band from the IRS (Indian Remote Sensing Satellites) data, which is in BIL (Band Interleaved by Lines) format. The integration of PostgreSQL (a freeware) in GRDSS aids as an efficient database management system.

BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS TO OPEN SOURCE APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INNOVATION THROUGH COLLABORATION

It has been proposed that the field of appropriate technology (AT) - small-scale, energy efficient and low-cost solutions, can be of tremendous assistance in many of the sustainable development challenges, such as food and water security, health, shelter, education and work opportunities. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a significant uptake of AT by organizations, researchers, policy makers or the mainstream public working in the many areas of the development sector. Some of the biggest barriers to higher AT engagement include: 1) AT perceived as inferior or ‘poor persons technology’, 2) questions of technological robustness, design, fit and transferability, 3) funding, 4) institutional support, as well as 5) general barriers associated with tackling rural poverty. With the rise of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for online networking and knowledge sharing, the possibilities to tap into the collaborative open-access and open-source AT are growing, and so is the prospect for collective poverty reducing strategies, enhancement of entrepreneurship, communications, education and a diffusion of life-changing technologies. In short, the same collaborative philosophy employed in the success of open source software can be applied to hardware design of technologies to improve sustainable development efforts worldwide. To analyze current barriers to open source appropriate technology (OSAT) and explore opportunities to overcome such obstacles, a series of interviews with researchers and organizations working in the field of AT were conducted. The results of the interviews confirmed the majority of literature identified barriers, but also revealed that the most pressing problem for organizations and researchers currently working in the field of AT is the need for much better communication and collaboration to share the knowledge and resources and work in partnership. In addition, interviews showcased general receptiveness to the principles of collaborative innovation and open source on the ground level. A much greater focus on networking, collaboration, demand-led innovation, community participation, and the inclusion of educational institutions through student involvement can be of significant help to build the necessary knowledge base, networks and the critical mass exposure for the growth of appropriate technology.

A scalable and open source linear positioning system controller

This paper is on the implementation of a dual axis positioning system controller. The system was designed to be used for space-dependent ultrasound signal acquisition problems, such as pressure field mapping. The work developed can be grouped in two main subjects: hardware and software. Each axis includes one stepper motor connected to a driver circuit, which is then connected to a processing unit. The graphical user interface is simple and clear for the user. The system resolution was computed as 127 mu m with an accuracy of 2.44 mu m. Although the target application is ultrasound signal acquisition, the controller can be applied to other devices that has up to four stepper motors. The application was developed as an open source software, thus it can be used or changed to fit different purposes.

Open-ZB: an open-source implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee protocol stack on TinyOS

The IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee protocols are gaining increasing interests in both research and industrial communities as candidate technologies for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications. In this paper, we present an open-source implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4/Zigbee protocol stack under the TinyOS operating system for the MICAz motes. This work has been driven by the need for an open-source implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee protocols, filling a gap between some newly released complex C implementations and black-box implementations from different manufacturers. In addition, we share our experience on the challenging problem that we have faced during the implementation of the protocol stack on the MICAz motes. We strongly believe that this open-source implementation will potentiate research works on the IEEE 802.15.4/Zigbee protocols allowing their demonstration and validation through experimentation.

Maturidade de plataformas SOA Open Source vs proprietários

O bom funcionamento de uma empresa passa pela coordenação dos seus vários elementos, pela fluidez das suas operações diárias, pelo desempenho dos seus recursos, tanto humanos como materiais, e da interacção dos vários sistemas que a compõem. As tecnologias empresariais sentiram um desenvolvimento contínuo após a sua aparição, desde o processo básico, para gestão de processos de negócios (BPM), para plataformas de recursos empresariais (ERP) modernos como o sistema proprietário SAP ou Oracle, para conceitos mais gerais como SOA e cloud, baseados em standards abertos. As novas tecnologias apresentam novos canais de trânsito de informação mais rápidos e eficientes, formas de automatizar e acompanhar processos de negócio e vários tipos de infra-estruturas que podem ser utilizadas de forma a tornar a empresa mais produtiva e flexível. As soluções comerciais existentes permitem realizar estes objectivos mas os seus custos de aquisição podem revelar-se demasiado elevados para algumas empresas ou organizações, que arriscam de não se adaptar às mudanças do negócio. Ao mesmo tempo, software livre está a ganhar popularidade mas existem sempre alguns preconceitos sobre a qualidade e maturidade deste tipo de software. O objectivo deste trabalho é apresentar SOA, os principais produtos SOA comerciais e open source e realizar uma comparação entre as duas categorias para verificar o nível de maturidade do SOA open source em relação às soluções SOA proprietárias.

Projeto de telefonia celular GSM baseada em open source e open hardware para comunidades rurais isoladas e carentes na região amazônica: estudo de caso em Itabocal – Irituia – Pará

Este trabalho teve como proposta realizar pesquisa das tecnologias existentes para telefonia e integração das mesmas para concepção de um sistema inovador e projetado para a realidade Amazônida. O trabalho incluiu avaliar a implementação de um sistema GSM open source / open hardware de custo zero para a população (telefonia celular gratuita) em comunidades rurais na Amazônia, com enfoque nas comunidades isoladas e carentes onde geralmente não há cobertura celular de operadoras comerciais, devido a falta de estímulo do governo e/ou interesse comercial de prover telefonia para essas populações mais pobres.

Entropy effect in quantum computing and information: an open-source environment simulation

The technologies are rapidly developing, but some of them present in the computers, as for instance their processing capacity, are reaching their physical limits. It is up to quantum computation offer solutions to these limitations and issues that may arise. In the field of information security, encryption is of paramount importance, being then the development of quantum methods instead of the classics, given the computational power offered by quantum computing. In the quantum world, the physical states are interrelated, thus occurring phenomenon called entanglement. This study presents both a theoretical essay on the merits of quantum mechanics, computing, information, cryptography and quantum entropy, and some simulations, implementing in C language the effects of entropy of entanglement of photons in a data transmission, using Von Neumann entropy and Tsallis entropy.

White paper sobre Open Source, Open Access, open Standards e o futuro da catalogação

The discussions on the future of cataloging has received increased attention in the last ten years, mainly due to the impact of rapid development of information and communication technologies in the same period, which has provided access to the Web anytime, anywhere. These discussions revolve around the need for a new bibliographic framework to meet the demand of this new reality in the digital environment, ie how libraries can process, store, deliver, share and integrate their collections (physical, digital or scanned), in current post-PC era? Faced with this question, Open Access, Open Source and Open Standards are three concepts that need to receive greater attention in the field of Library and Information Science, as it is believed to be fundamental elements for the change of paradigm of descriptive representation, currently based conceptually on physical item rather than intellectual work. This paper aims to raise and discuss such issues and instigate information professionals, especially librarians, to think, discuss and propose initiatives for such problems, contributing and sharing ideas and possible solutions, in multidisciplinary teams. At the end is suggested the effective creation of multidisciplinary and inter-institutional study groups on the future of cataloging and its impact on national collections, in order to contribute to the area of descriptive representation in national and international level

Project-based learning using robots with open-source hardware and software

[EN]One of the main issues of the current education system is the lack of student motivation. This aspect together with the permanent change that the Information and Communications Technologies involve represents a major challenge for the teacher: to continuously update contents and to keep awake the student’s interest. A tremendously useful tool in classrooms consists on the integration of projects with participative and collaborative dynamics, where the teacher acts mainly as a guidance to the student activity instead of being a mere knowledge and evaluation transmitter. As a specific example of project based learning, the EDUROVs project consists on building an economic underwater robot using low cost materials, but allowing the integration and programming of many accessories and sensors with minimum budget using opensource hardware and software.

Model Driven Architecture (MDA): Integration and Model Reuse for Open Source eLearning Platforms

Open Source (OS) community offers numerous eLearning platforms of both types: Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Learning Content Systems (LCS). General purpose OS intermediaries such as SourceForge, ObjectWeb, Apache or specialized intermediaries like CampusSource reduce the cost to locate such eLearning platforms. Still, it is impossible to directly compare the functionalities of those OS software products without performing detailed testing on each product. Some articles available from eLearning Wikipedia show comparisons between eLearning platforms which can help, but at the end they barely serve as documentation which are becoming out of date quickly [1]. The absence of integration activities between OS eLearning platforms - which are sometimes quite similar in terms of functionalities and implementation technologies - is sometimes critical since most of the OS projects possess small financial and human resources. This paper shows a possible solution for these barriers of OS eLearning platforms. We propose the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) concept to capture functionalities and to identify similarities between available OS eLearning platforms. This contribution evolved from a fruitful discussion at the 2nd CampusSource Developer Conference at the University of Muenster (27th August 2004).

A Model-based Repository for Open Source Service and Component Integration.

Open source is a software development paradigm that has seen a huge rise in recent years. It reduces IT costs and time to market, while increasing security and reliability. However, the difficulty in integrating developments from different communities and stakeholders prevents this model from reaching its full potential. This is mainly due to the challenge of determining and locating the correct dependencies for a given software artifact. To solve this problem we propose the development of an extensible software component repository based upon models. This repository should be capable of solving the dependencies between several components and work with already existing repositories to access the needed artifacts transparently. This repository will also be easily expandable, enabling the creation of modules that support new kinds of dependencies or other existing repository technologies. The proposed solution will work with OSGi components and use OSGi itself.

A proposal for an Internet of Things-based monitoring system composed by low capability, open source and open hardware devices

The Internet of Things makes use of a huge disparity of technologies at very different levels that help one to the other to accomplish goals that were previously regarded as unthinkable in terms of ubiquity or scalability. If the Internet of Things is expected to interconnect every day devices or appliances and enable communications between them, a broad range of new services, applications and products can be foreseen. For example, monitoring is a process where sensors have widespread use for measuring environmental parameters (temperature, light, chemical agents, etc.) but obtaining readings at the exact physical point they want to be obtained from, or about the exact wanted parameter can be a clumsy, time-consuming task that is not easily adaptable to new requirements. In order to tackle this challenge, a proposal on a system used to monitor any conceivable environment, which additionally is able to monitor the status of its own components and heal some of the most usual issues of a Wireless Sensor Network, is presented here in detail, covering all the layers that give it shape in terms of devices, communications or services.