Academic literature on the topic 'Data Exchange and Lighting Environment'

While Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are used in various areas nowadays, they also come in front of us in the remote follow up and management of especially main street, road and city lighting systems and in autonomous applications relating with them. This study has been conducted with the aim to determine the energy consumed by Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) based monitoring and management systems as per topological sequence of lighting systems with renewable energy sources (RES) in a grid-free environment. In this way it was aimed to maximize the life time of WSN which are formed by minimum energy consumption of lighting elements that store energy with accumulator-battery in grid-free RES lighting systems and which use this energy later on. Physical installation of lighting systems having different topological distributions will show differences with respect to costs, labour force and time. Starting from here on, different topologies for grid-free lighting systems have been created in simulation environment and they have been analyzed and an optimal solution has been searched for. Energy consumptions of each lighting system having linear, random and tree lighting topology have been determined during data exchange. For each topology lighting systems with 25, 50, 100 and 200 armatures have been designed and their energy consumptions for data exchange have been found. It has been seen that data packages were influenced at first degree from node hopping numbers within topology and as being parallel to this, it has been seen that topology consuming most energy was linear lighting and that topology consuming minimum energy was tree lighting.

Healthy indoor air environment quality is needed for healthy building hospital. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a microbial infectious agent which causes tuberculosis (TB) disease in human. Hence, health care workers (HCWs) are belonged to a highly potential risk group to be infected by MTB. This research aims to investigate the source and factor(s) of TB transmission in sustainable indoor air environment at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru (HSAJB), Malaysia. The view taken in this paper is that the transmission dynamic of MTB from an active pulmonary TB (PTB) patient to another person via indoor air environment in the health care setting is generated as a result of an interaction between architect, building planner and owner, design and facility engineer, construction engineer, occupational health and safety professionals, hospital and HCWs, epidemiologist and public health officer. The findings were obtained by combining questionnaire and interview approaches using five ordinal measures of agreement using Likert Scale measurement. Analysis of qualitative data found that the source of MTB transmission was coming from active PTB patients especially those with sputum smear positive (SS+). The studied ambient parameters and factors affecting indoor air environment sustainability were thermal comfort, humidity, air pressure, temperature, duration exposure, area and volume, direction of air flow, lighting, air circulation exchange and MTB density in the air.

Social media platforms such as Reddit, centered on user-generated, anonymous discussions, can facilitate the exchange of information and resources across niche online communities known as “subreddits.” Using data mining tools and content analysis methods, our objectives were to identify recurring questions and characterize comment (“response”) accuracy from four subreddits focused on hydroponic indoor gardening (r/hydro, r/Hydroponics, r/UrbanFarming, and r/Aerogarden). A total of 1617 original posts (OPs) were classified into one of ten topics and 4891 primary responses were analyzed for accuracy. The three topics with the most OPs (production systems, plant lighting, and root-zone environment), which accounted for 50% of the total OPs, were subcategorized and inductively analyzed. Most posts in the analyzed subreddits related to confusion regarding the design and implementation of appropriate hydroponic production systems. In addition, misinformation about plant lighting is a major part of discussions about growing plants indoors. There are also knowledge gaps regarding nutrient solution management, particularly about fertilizer formulation, pH balance, and on the impact that solution temperature has on plant growth and development. In general, there were no differences among response accuracy for all topics included in our analysis. However, regardless of topic, responses for most OPs had less than 50% accuracy, which demonstrates that misinformation can be disseminated in social media platforms such as Reddit. As suggested by the results of this study, targeted, open access research and outreach efforts offer an opportunity to address knowledge gaps among consumers interested in indoor gardening.

Abstract The development of Hurricane Danny (1997) from depression to hurricane was examined using cloud-to-ground lightning data, reconnaissance aircraft data, and satellite imagery. Vertical wind shear between 850 and 200 hPa of 5–11 m s−1 produced persistent downshear convective outbreaks that became progressively more intense and closer to the center during the development. Early in the period the storm intensified steadily in the presence of this downshear convection. During the last and most intense outbreak, a second vortex appeared to develop within the convection. Evidence is presented that the new downshear vortex became the dominant vortex and absorbed the original. Based on these events, it is hypothesized that the presence of moderate vertical wind shear accelerated the early development process. Equivalent potential temperature fields within 500 m of the surface were examined. Only well after the period of vortex interaction did the characteristic mature tropical cyclone radial profile of equivalent potential temperature appear. This came about by the virtual elimination of both low θe values in the core and high θe values outside the core that had been present at previous hours. The growth of Hurricane Danny is viewed in terms of the wind-induced surface heat exchange (WISHE) theory. During the tropical depression and early tropical storm (“pre-WISHE”) periods, few if any of the assumptions of WISHE were met: vertical wind shear exceeded 5 m s−1, considerable azimuthal asymmetry was present, transient highly buoyant convection occurred, and low values of θe in the storm core suggested the presence of convective downdrafts. It is proposed that 1) vortex interactions and subsequent axisymmetrization produced a single dominant vortex at the surface, and 2) vertical mixing of moist entropy by strong convection moved the sounding toward moist neutrality. By this reasoning, the disturbance then met the key tenets of the known finite-amplitude WISHE instability, and the storm intensified to hurricane strength.

The Internet of Things (IoT) environment consists of numerous devices. In general, IoT devices communicate with each other to exchange data, or connect to the Internet through a gateway to provide IoT services. Most IoT devices participating in the IoT service are lightweight devices, in which the existing cryptographic algorithm cannot be applied to provide security, so a more lightweight security algorithm must be applied. Cryptographic technologies to lighten and provide efficiency for IoT environments are currently being studied a lot. In particular, it is necessary to provide efficiency for computation at a gateway, a point where many devices are connected. Additionally, as many devices are connected, data authentication and integrity should be fully considered at the same time, and thus digital signature schemes have been proposed. Among the recently studied signature algorithms, the certificateless signature (CLS) based on certificateless public key cryptography (CL-PKC) provides efficiency compared to existing public key-based signatures. However, in CLS, security threats, such as public key replacement attacks and signature forgery by the malicious key generation center (KGC), may occur. In this paper, we propose a new signature scheme using CL-PKC in generating and verifying the signature of a message in an IoT environment. The proposed scheme is a certificateless aggregate arbitrated signature, and the gateway aggregates the signatures of messages generated by the device group to reduce the size of the entire signature. In addition, it is designed to be safe from security threats by solving the problems caused by public key replacement attacks and malicious KGC, and adding arbitrated signatures of the gateway to strengthen non-repudiation.

Energy Communities (EC) are intended as legal entities that can ensure environmental, economic, and social benefits for energy exchanges between its members. The Italian legislation has recently introduced incentives to Renewable Energy Communities (REC). This work analyses the case study of the REC in Villar Pellice (Turin) and defines a methodology to assess its technical-economic feasibility. The hourly energy consumption and the local renewable energy production are assessed through a place-based methodology, considering different category of end users (municipalities, residential dwelling, companies), and obtaining data from available online database. The REC energy performance is assessed through the self-consumption and the self-sufficiency indexes. Besides, cost-optimal analysis evaluates its economic feasibility, considering investment costs and economic incentives. Several interventions are hypothesized to compare possible REC scenarios (e.g., photovoltaic panels and storage systems installation, energy efficiency measures for public lighting, and different configurations of end users). Results show that REC allows to aggregate stakeholders, ensuring economic advantages and environmental benefits. The methodology applied in this work can support the design phase of the RECs. Its flexibility makes it adaptable to different territorial and regulatory contexts, in evaluating the optimal REC configuration to maximize revenues from the incentive and reach the highest level of energy independence.

Annotation. The aim of the work was to evaluate the design decisions of new psychiatric health care facilities in Ukraine and their comparative characteristics with EU institutions. An analysis of the requirements for the design of domestic new psychiatric wards, day hospitals in outpatient psychiatric wards in general hospitals according to paragraph 8.2.15 SBN B.2.2-10: 2019. State building codes of Ukraine “Buildings and structures. Healthcare facilities” (draft, final version) and European facilities of the same type based on the study of literature data. The method of theoretical analysis is used. It was found that conditions of the location of inpatient departments, their zoning, composition, and area of premises, requirements to ensure a safe stay of patients in wards, toilets, and bathrooms are regulating in the new SBN B.2.2-10: 2019. This essentially repeats the sanitary and hygienic requirements of the previous document SBN B .2.2-10: 2001 “Healthcare facilities”, ie no changes are aiming at creating an ecological environment and comfortable conditions for patients and medical staff of psychiatric healthcare facilities. In this normative document, there is no clear understanding of the location of medical facilities and the next post of a nurse in inpatient departments of psychiatric hospitals; there is no area for a private stay of patients with mental disorders in the middle of the department and outside it; the regulations of life support systems for nurses and patients in the inpatient department (lighting, noise, air exchange, etc.) of psychiatric hospitals are not standardized. In European psychiatric clinics, the “therapeutic environment” provides for the presence of single and double wards (coincides with domestic building codes); area of 37.7 m2 per patient under foreign law, while the project DBN B.2.2-10: 2019 – the zone per patient is 12 m2, which is three times less; separate bathrooms and toilets, common areas, individual access to the garden, where the conditions of privacy of patients are creating (not provided by Ukrainian regulations); location of most patient rooms around the central work area for medical staff (according to national legislation – a corridor-type system); creation of visual supervision over the doors of bedrooms, showers, toilets, kitchens, garden gazebos, as well as the selection of colours for painting the walls of wards and corridors of offices (not provided by Ukrainian regulations). To create a proper “therapeutic/healing environment” in new domestic mental health facilities (psychiatric wards, day hospitals in outpatient psychiatric wards in general hospitals, mental health centres), it is necessary to implement European requirements in the design of these facilities with the involvement of multidisciplinary groups: from architects to nurses, from construction contractors to patients and supplement SBN B.2.2-10: 2019 “Buildings and structures. Health Facilities” is a guide to designing psychiatric health facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted face-to-face interactions in healthcare research, with many studies shifting to video-based data collection for qualitative research. This study describes the interactivity achieved in a videoconferencing focus group of seven primary care providers discussing deprescribing opioids and benzodiazepines. Researchers reviewed video footage of a focus group conducted via Zoom and assessed interactivity using Morgan’s framework for focus group communication processes. Two reviewers categorized the type of exchanges as sharing information, comparing experiences, organizing, and conceptualizing the content, as well as validating each other or galvanizing the discussion with “lightning strike” ideas. The conversation dynamics in this focus group included clear examples of interactivity in each of the categories proposed by Morgan (validating, sharing, comparing, organizing, conceptualizing, and lightning strikes) that were observed by two different reviewers with demonstrated high interrater reliability. Conducting focus groups with a skilled moderator using videoconferencing platforms with primary care providers is a viable option that produces sufficient levels of interaction.

Big lighting data are required for evaluation of lighting performance and impacts on human beings, environment, and ecology for smart urban lighting. However, traditional approaches of measuring road lighting cannot achieve this aim. We propose a rule-of-thumb model approach based on some feature points to reconstruct road lighting in urban areas. We validated the reconstructed illuminance with both software simulated and real road lighting scenes, and the average error is between 6 and 19%. This precision is acceptable in practical applications. Using this approach, we reconstructed the illuminance of three real road lighting environments in a block and further estimated the mesopic luminance and melanopic illuminance performance. In the future, by virtue of Geographic Information System technology, the approach may provide big lighting data for evaluation and analysis, and help build smarter urban lighting.

Building Information Management and Digital Twin technology with help of Smart lights can optimizethe built environment impacting our health and well-being, by providing the right amount of light at theright time of day. Lighting simulation is challenging, due to the strict requirements to represent reality. Digitaltwin technology will provide a more dynamic two-way feed-back between the physical and the virtual environmentto optimize the lighting environment giving real-time sensor data. The main problem that currently occurswhile evaluating a lighting design made in photorealistic computer visualization is using the appropriate formof their model presentation. However, validation of light simulations has been done multiple times but not manystudies are based on DT-driven light environment evaluation in which not only the realistic representation butalso the exchange of information plays a crucial role. Therefore, the aim is to develop a strategy for demonstratingthe data exchange between a physical and real environment, for a scenario in which an optimal interactionbetween daylight and electric light derives an optimized realization of a given light demand curve. Basedon a quantitative experiment, validation of a Digital Twin was done between a virtual and a physical twin onan existing room using the light simulation tool DIALux evo. Data exchange was optimized for three levels ofgeometrical complexity. The light environment was optimized for interaction between the Digital and RealTwin. Counter to expectations, the results showed that the coarse model is more accurate representation of thephysical counterpart and generates faster data exchange. Defining DT usage purpose reduces time and effortdone on the process of creation. Knowing what data to exchange and how often avoid developers any limitationsor delaying in the process. Future studies can investigate how optimization of data exchange and light environmentcan be achieved with programming and parametric generative design.

碩士
國立交通大學
網路工程研究所
98
Moodle open source LMS is one of the most popular learning management systems currently. Developers can customize functionality and modules for educating purpose. When integrating with other systems, developers have to deal with the barriers that come from Moodle servers with different version or administrative affairs systems. To solve these problems, a set of Course Communication services are built. With these services, developers can more easily build connection among Moodle servers and other systems. And furthermore, it will be valuable for allowing teachers who are at different places to exchange teaching materials. Therefore, we provide a Moodle module: OpenMoodle. With this module, instructors can establish a resource exchanging environment. Teachers can exchange course materials and teach collaboratively with other educators, meanwhile, control student’s learning status by holding course materials locally. Students can acquire more diverse resources.

碩士
國立成功大學
製造資訊與系統研究所碩博士班
98
In current TFT-LCD industry, manufacturers and their upstream suppliers share the data of work in process (WIP), demand forecast, and material replenishment for resolving the problem of product delivery and inventory. However, the TFT-LCD industry has no specific communication processes and interface standards to effectively exchange and integrate these data among enterprises. Thus, this study designs a simulation environment platform of production planning data exchange for the TFT-LCD industry. In the platform, the webMethods is utilized to create a production planning integration server (PPIS) in each factory. The PPIS can externally perform B2B data exchanges with other factories by the RosettaNet standards. In addition, it is capable of integrating and communicating with various internal systems by the provided application interfaces. Several back-end simulation report interfaces are also offered to show the integration effects and operational statuses of the platform. The real data provided by our co-operative enterprise are used to conduct integrated tests for the simulation system. Testing results demonstrate that the developed platform can run smoothly and have a good performance. It is believed that the research results can provide a solution for effectively integrating internal and external data among enterprises so as to increase the global competitive ability of our nation’s TFT-LCD industry.

As we look to the evolving health care industry with improved care quality, health outcomes, and cost parameters, the demands of the critical care environment require a transformation. Technology, process, and people are at the centre of this transformation. The power is in the knowledge that can be achieved and the process improvements that can be made through automation. Five major areas of technology evolution include workflow automation, information exchange, clinical decision support, and predictive modelling, remote monitoring, and data analytics. If designed properly, technology can result in doing things differently (better) and doing different things. Information exchange is required for quality and efficient critical care information delivery. Data analytics will use information for comparative effectiveness, registry reporting, population management, and research study recruiting.

This study aims to present the plurality of the teacher’s perception, which emerges from the actions taken to minimize the difficulties that come up in remote education. Its relevance is found in the actions and reactions of those involved, and make up possibilities for generating public policies that motivate and foster quality education. The following research question guided this work: What lessons could be learned by those involved in their teaching practice after schools reopen? An exploratory research was carried out, by choosing the methodological approach of qualitative research. Data collection was performed using an online questionnaire, directed to teachers who worked in the classroom and started working in remote education. Sharing knowledge is complex and demands a variety of actions, interventions, processes that, however sophisticated the technology used, it certainly does not allow to develop all the strategies that the teacher uses in the classroom. Technologies help with physical distance. But we believe the exchange that happens naturally between teacher and student, and between student and student, exists only when everyone is in the same physical environment, under the same physical and human conditions, especially in basic education. The lessons learned: (i) improve our training or post-training with the introduction of disciplines related to digital and technological means; (ii) understand that remote education is a possibility to be applied in our teaching practice; (iii) include viable teaching, learning and assessment alternatives in the Political Pedagogical Project; (iv) at parent-teacher conferences or class meetings, seek to collect all possible observations, both positive and negative. We need to considerate new routes, minimize the questions that arise during practice, in order to adapt to the new technological strategies of the art of teaching.

These Guidelines are one of the results of the four-year research project “Open Online Learning for Digital and Networked Society” (2017-2021). The project objective was to enable university teachers to design open and online learning through open and online learning curriculum and environment applying learning analytics as a metacognitive tool and creating open and online learning assessment and recognition practices, responding to the needs of digital and networked society. The research of the project resulted in 10 scientific publications and 2 studies prepared by Vytautas Magnus university Institute of Innovative Studies research team in collaboration with their international research partners from Germany, Spain and Portugal. The final stage of the research attempted creating open and online learning assessment and recognition practices, responding to the learner needs in contemporary digital and networked society. The need for open learning recognition has been increasing during the recent decade while the developments of open learning related to the Covid 19 pandemics have dramatically increased the need for systematic and high-quality assessment and recognition of learning acquired online. The given time also relates to the increased need to offer micro-credentials to learners, as well as a rising need for universities to prepare for micro-credentialization and issue new digital credentials to learners who are regular students, as well as adult learners joining for single courses. The increased need of all labour - market participants for frequent and fast renewal of competences requires a well working and easy to use system of open learning assessment and recognition. For learners, it is critical that the micro-credentials are well linked to national and European qualification frameworks, as well as European digital credential infrastructures (e.g., Europass and similar). For employers, it is important to receive requested quality information that is encrypted in the metadata of the credential. While for universities, there is the need to properly prepare institutional digital infrastructure, organizational procedures, descriptions of open learning opportunities and virtual learning environments to share, import and export the meta-data easily and seamlessly through European Digital Hub service infrastructures, as well as ensure that academic and administrative staff has digital competencies to design, issue and recognise open learning through digital and micro-credentials. The first chapter of the Guidelines provides a background view of the European Qualification Framework and National Qualification frameworks for the further system of gaining, stacking and modelling further qualifications through open online learning. The second chapter suggests the review of current European policy papers and consultations on the establishment of micro-credentials in European higher education. The findings of the report of micro-credentials higher education consultation group “European Approach to Micro-credentials” is shortly introduced, as well as important policy discussions taking place. Responding to the Rome Bologna Comunique 2020, where the ministers responsible for higher education agreed to support lifelong learning through issuing micro-credentials, a joint endeavour of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and DG Research and Innovation resulted in one of the most important political documents highlighting the potential of micro-credentials towards economic, social and education innovations. The consultation group of experts from the Member States defined the approach to micro-credentials to facilitate their validation, recognition and portability, as well as to foster a larger uptake to support individual learning in any subject area and at any stage of life or career. The Consultation Group also suggested further urgent topics to be discussed, including the storage, data exchange, portability, and data standards of micro-credentials and proposed EU Standard of constitutive elements of micro-credentials. The third chapter is devoted to the institutional readiness to issue and to recognize digital and micro-credentials. Universities need strategic decisions and procedures ready to be enacted for assessment of open learning and issuing micro-credentials. The administrative and academic staff needs to be aware and confident to follow these procedures while keeping the quality assurance procedures in place, as well. The process needs to include increasing teacher awareness in the processes of open learning assessment and the role of micro-credentials for the competitiveness of lifelong learners in general. When the strategic documents and procedures to assess open learning are in place and the staff is ready and well aware of the processes, the description of the courses and the virtual learning environment needs to be prepared to provide the necessary metadata for the assessment of open learning and issuing of micro-credentials. Different innovation-driven projects offer solutions: OEPass developed a pilot Learning Passport, based on European Diploma Supplement, MicroHE developed a portal Credentify for displaying, verifying and sharing micro-credential data. Credentify platform is using Blockchain technology and is developed to comply with European Qualifications Framework. Institutions, willing to join Credentify platform, should make strategic discussions to apply micro-credential metadata standards. The ECCOE project building on outcomes of OEPass and MicroHE offers an all-encompassing set of quality descriptors for credentials and the descriptions of learning opportunities in higher education. The third chapter also describes the requirements for university structures to interact with the Europass digital credentials infrastructure. In 2020, European Commission launched a new Europass platform with Digital Credential Infrastructure in place. Higher education institutions issuing micro-credentials linked to Europass digital credentials infrastructure may offer added value for the learners and can increase reliability and fraud-resistant information for the employers. However, before using Europass Digital Credentials, universities should fulfil the necessary preconditions that include obtaining a qualified electronic seal, installing additional software and preparing the necessary data templates. Moreover, the virtual learning environment needs to be prepared to export learning outcomes to a digital credential, maintaining and securing learner authentication. Open learning opportunity descriptions also need to be adjusted to transfer and match information for the credential meta-data. The Fourth chapter illustrates how digital badges as a type of micro-credentials in open online learning assessment may be used in higher education to create added value for the learners and employers. An adequately provided metadata allows using digital badges as a valuable tool for recognition in all learning settings, including formal, non-formal and informal.

AbstractA range of artificial lighting characteristics have been found to influence our visual and cognitive capabilities, mood, motivation and/or (social) behaviour—all affecting how we (academically) perform. One such influential characteristic is spatial contrast, or the way light is distributed in space causing a pattern of light and darkness. This study looks at if and how spatial contrast influences pupil behaviour, and specifically their ability to concentrate. We first explored whether variances in pupil noise, physical activity and mood, which have been found to affect concentration, occur when exposed to either a high or a low spatial contrast in their learning environment. Preliminary data from field experiments in a primary school indicates towards decreased noise levels and improved environmental satisfaction when a high spatial contrast condition is present. This implies improved environmental circumstances to concentrate. Further research to confirm this assumption will be undertaken.

Smart grids are conceived to ensure smarter generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of electricity. It integrates the traditional electricity grid with information and communication technology. This enables a two-way communication among the smart grid entities, which translates to exchange of information about fine-grained user energy consumption between the smart grid entities. However, the flow of user energy consumption data may lead to the violation of user privacy. Inference on such data can expose the daily habits and types of appliances of users. Thus, several privacy preservation schemes have been proposed in the literature to ensure the privacy and security requirements of smart grid users. This chapter provides a review of some privacy preservation schemes. The schemes operational procedure, strengths, and weaknesses are discussed. A taxonomy, comparison table, and comparative analysis are also presented. The comparative analysis gives an insight on open research issues in privacy preservation schemes.

To make an optimal movement of vehicles and to reduce the accident rate, the government has installed traffic lights at almost every intersection. Traffic lights are intended to decrease congestion. However, the dynamic nature of traffic movement causes congestion always. This congestion leads to increased waiting times for every vehicle. In this chapter, two machine learning-based approaches used to improve in the congested traffic environment. The first part of the work is Deep-Learning based traffic signaling, which identifies the congestion on all sides of the intersection with the help of image processing techniques. By analyzing the congestion, the algorithm proposes dynamic green-light times rather than the traditional fixed lighting system. In the second part, a Q-learning-based approach has been suggested in which an agent decides the state of the traffic light based on a cumulative reward. Further, these algorithms have been tested on different traffic simulated environments using SUMO, and detailed analysis has been carried out.

In this information era, big data is revolutionizing business. The data are generated by each and every user from servers, terminals, smart phones, appliances, satellites, and a range of other sensors on vehicles: military, agriculture, and the like. Anything the end users does online can be traced, stored, and analyzed. It is also possible to analyze from various diverse sources such as social media postings, credit card or e-cash purchases, internet searches, mobile phone locations, etc. Users are willing to provide their private information, linked to their real-life identities, in exchange for faster or better digital services. But, the companies yet may not have the fundamental rights of the user from a security perspective. More risks are associated with big data security. The main purpose of this chapter is to explore the security concerns and privacy issues in big data environments.

Computer-aided design (CAD) data interoperability is one of the most important issues to enable information integration and sharing in a collaborative engineering environment. A significant amount of work has been done on the extension and standardization of neutral data formats in both academy and industry. In this paper, we present a feature mapping mechanism to allow for automatic feature information exchange. A hybrid semantic feature model is used to represent implicit and explicit features. A graph-based feature isomorphism algorithm is developed to support feature mapping between different CAD data formats.

The availability and quality of pedestrian infrastructure play key roles in enabling access to transit. Many transit operators face challenges in facilitating this access, however, because they lack land use authority and encounter other institutional and programmatic impediments to effecting changes in the pedestrian environment. This report identifies the barriers to pedestrian access to transit in suburban communities located in the Pace Suburban Bus service area in northeastern Illinois and suggests potential solutions to overcome these barriers. The research team led several activities to collect data, including: conducting an academic literature review; reviewing pedestrian plans, policies, and programs in the region; surveying and interviewing key stakeholders; reviewing pedestrian funding sources; surveying and conducting case studies of peer transit agencies; conducting physical audits of pedestrian infrastructure; and interviewing residents of six municipalities about their transit access experiences. Lack of adequate funding, difficulties planning across jurisdictional boundaries, and conflicts in transportation priorities are major impediments to building pedestrian infrastructure. While planners and decision-makers tend to value pedestrian planning, challenges such as funding constraints and the need to retrofit suburban infrastructure are key barriers to implementation. Peer transit agencies face similar barriers to Pace and use strategies such as plan and policy development, diverse funding opportunities, and collaborative partnerships with stakeholder agencies and advocacy groups to overcome these barriers. Transit riders generally reported positive experiences with pedestrian access to transit in their communities. Many locations had robust infrastructure, but common deficiencies included poor sidewalk connectivity, incomplete crossings, lack of lighting and transit shelters, and deficiencies in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) infrastructure. A suite of policy recommendations for Pace and other partners that focus on planning, policy, funding, interagency coordination, education and training, infrastructure prioritization, and transit amenities address the full range of physical and institutional barriers identified in the research.

With the funding programme Talents, the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) supports people in applied research throughout their entire career. The overarching goal is to increase the utilisation of human potential in the application-oriented, scientific and technical RTI sector. The programme objectives are 1) to inspire young people for research and development, 2) to connect researchers with the economic sector, 3)to guarantee equal opportunities for all. Within the framework of three fields of intervention, there are various programme lines: 1) Intervention field Young Talents with the programme lines Internships for Students and Talents Regional, 2) Intervention field Female Talents with the programme lines FEMtech Internships for Female Students, FEMtech Career and FEMtech Career Check for SMEs (2015 and 2016), as well as FEMtech Research Projects; and 3) Intervention field Professional Talents with the programme lines The Austrian Job Exchange for Research, Development and Innovation as well as Career Grants for Interviews, Relocation and Dual Careers in Applied Research. After an interim evaluation in 2014, a final evaluation took place at the end of the programme period (end of 2020). The programme was analysed with regard to its conception, implementation, achievement of objectives and impact. Furthermore, conclusions and recommendations for the further development of the Talents programme have been drawn. The methodological basis of the evaluation is a document analysis, secondary data analysis (FFG monitoring data), interviews with experts, online surveys of funding recipients (FEMtech Career / FEMtech Career Check for SMEs and Career Grants), case studies (FEMtech Career projects) and workshops.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.