G. Kelleher, A. El‐Rhalibi and F. Arshad
A logistics‐based project is described which addresses the need for better intermodal transport, whilst balancing economic and environmental gains through the use of Internet…
Abstract
A logistics‐based project is described which addresses the need for better intermodal transport, whilst balancing economic and environmental gains through the use of Internet technologies. Pipeline intermodal system to support control, expedition and scheduling (PISCES) provides an integrating platform for using these technologies in processing and sharing commercially sensitive data within transport chains (i.e. road, rail and barge). The paper demonstrates how information from an Internet‐based system can be used to drive a scheduling tool to provide appropriate routes for the transport of goods, using a multimodal transport model.
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Ricardo Leandro Parreira Duarte, Abdennour El Rhalibi and Madjid Merabti
– The purpose of this paper is to present a novel coarticulation and speech synchronization framework compliant with MPEG-4 facial animation (FA).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a novel coarticulation and speech synchronization framework compliant with MPEG-4 facial animation (FA).
Design/methodology/approach
The system the authors have developed uses MPEG-4 FA standard and other development to enable the creation, editing and playback of high-resolution 3D models; MPEG-4 animation streams; and is compatible with well-known related systems such as Greta and Xface. It supports text-to-speech for dynamic speech synchronization. The framework enables real-time model simplification using quadric-based surfaces.
Findings
The preliminary experiments show that the coarticulation technique the authors have developed gives overall good and promising results when compared to related techniques.
Originality/value
The coarticulation approach provides realistic and high performance lip-sync animation, based on Cohen-Massaro's model of coarticulation adapted to MPEG-4 FA specification.
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Shiran Geng, Hing-Wah Chau, Elmira Jamei and Zora Vrcelj
Smart Heritage is a recently established discourse that entwines smartness and the heritage discipline. Studies have shown that place identity is at the core of value-based…
Abstract
Purpose
Smart Heritage is a recently established discourse that entwines smartness and the heritage discipline. Studies have shown that place identity is at the core of value-based frameworks of built heritage. This study aims to unveil the role of identity in existing Smart Heritage frameworks, which is currently a gap in existing research.
Design/methodology/approach
To better understand place identity in the Smart Heritage context and facilitate future framework establishments, this study uses a cross-case analysis method to scrutinise common trends in the identity development of seven current best practices.
Findings
The results show that current best practices involve smart technologies in sustaining or rebuilding heritage identities, mostly mapped on the local scale. Catered solutions are essential in this context due to historic cities’ variegated pursuits of identity. Most current Smart Heritage projects are at the transitioning stage from digital to smart, as the autonomous ability of smart innovations is yet to be fully realised on the city or the global scale. Researchers are encouraged to draw essence from existing heritage frameworks considering the built heritage’s place identity, which is at the core of culturally sustainable Smart Heritage transitions.
Originality/value
This study concludes with five recommendations for addressing heritage identity in Smart Heritage frameworks, targeting future research avenues. Also, this study furthers the discussion on the linkage of Smart Heritage, place identity and marketing strategy, contributing to the city branding and tourism management field. Future research should extend the case-study selection beyond Europe, which is a recognised limitation of this study.
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Shiran Geng, Hing-Wah Chau, Elmira Jamei and Zora Vrcelj
Arising from the concept of a Smart City, Smart Heritage has emerged as a significant aspect of heritage conservation. It is viewed as a means to enhance cultural sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
Arising from the concept of a Smart City, Smart Heritage has emerged as a significant aspect of heritage conservation. It is viewed as a means to enhance cultural sustainability by strengthening the identity of heritage precincts. Nevertheless, the adoption of Smart Heritage solutions in Australian heritage precincts for the purpose of identity development is still relatively limited. This study focuses on Chinatown Melbourne as a case study to unveil how Smart Heritage can influence a heritage precinct’s identity and to identify the enablers and challenges of such implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involves interviews with eight professionals in community development, practitioners in the built-environment discipline and experts in heritage conservation in Chinatown Melbourne.
Findings
The outcomes of this study offer practical insights for facilitating the development of Chinatown Melbourne as an urban heritage site, along with providing recommendations for other heritage precincts considering the adoption of Smart Heritage as part of their conservation strategy.
Originality/value
This study offers a novel examination of Smart Heritage implementation in an urban heritage precinct, addressing both the practical enablers and challenges. It advances the discussion by focusing on how Smart Heritage can enhance cultural identity, an aspect underexplored in Australian heritage studies and provides a framework for future global comparisons.
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Vasileios Zeimpekis and George M. Giaglis
The paper examines the circumstances of success in telematic use and strategic effects resulting from the implementation and use of such technologies from SMEs in the Greek Market.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper examines the circumstances of success in telematic use and strategic effects resulting from the implementation and use of such technologies from SMEs in the Greek Market.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis is based on a three‐phased triangulated research methodology; that is literature review, interviews from 15 logistics directors and a questionnaire survey of 73 logistics SMEs in Greece.
Findings
The basic finding that has been derived from both phases 2 and 3 (survey and interviews) is that although the penetration of telematics is still low in Greece, logistics operators understand the importance of mobile services and they already know which they plan to their customers.
Research limitations/implications
An inherent limitation of this survey is the fact that it address, like all surveys, the requirements of its respondents only, without taking into account.
Originality/value
This paper explores customer perceptions and requirements for the implementation of mobile real‐time support services for city logistics. The requirements, elicited by the results of the survey, are used to propose a systemic representation of a real‐time vehicle management mechanism for urban transportation.
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Thomas Hainey, Gavin Baxter and Amanda Ford
Rudimentary programming is an essential, transferrable, problem solving skill in many higher education (HE) programmes in academic institutions including Software Engineering…
Abstract
Purpose
Rudimentary programming is an essential, transferrable, problem solving skill in many higher education (HE) programmes in academic institutions including Software Engineering, Business Information Technology, Computer Games Development, Design and Technology. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the problematic issues associated with teaching programming by the utilisation of a new novel teaching approach called games-based construction learning (GBCL) to attempt to increase motivation, engagement and learning effectiveness. An international and national trend is to introduce coding at earlier education levels resulting in upper primary education (PE) being the focus of this paper to ascertain if GBCL using Scratch to teach programming concepts is more effective at different levels of upper PE.
Design/methodology/approach
A large-scale empirical study introducing GBCL to teach programming concepts into 16 classes between levels 4 and 7 in PE utilising 384 children. A detailed implementation framework for GBCL using Scratch in PE was utilised to address all incorporation issues and the games constructed by the children scored utilising a game codification scheme specifically designed to address programming and design as a quantification rubric. The experiment utilised eight 1- h lessons on GBCL using Scratch.
Findings
The resulted in 178 games of varying levels of complexity developed. The results indicated that GBCL was an effective mechanism to teach programming concepts using Scratch at all levels of upper PE. Primary seven students scored higher in relation to the design metric of the quantification codification rubric.
Research limitations/implications
Under the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in Scotland non-traditional teaching approaches are encouraged and development of digital literacy skill is highly advocated. This has resulted in a new approach, novel approach called GBCL where children create their own games utilising an engine such as Scratch is gaining significant attention in terms of being a novel approach. Despite a plethora of similar studies associated with GBCL, it is still not as developed as games-based learning and requires further empirical studies to support the validity of the approach and resolve identified issues.
Practical implications
Computer programming itself can lead to a highly rewarding career in a number of sectors from games development to banking, such as cybersecurity and systems development. In the last decade, in particular due to the ubiquitous nature of technology there is an increasing international and national trend associated with teaching rudimentary programming concepts at a far younger age including secondary education and the upper PE level. Introducing programming at an earlier level is now being considered essential as the path to transfer from novice to expert programmer level in time is considered nearly a decade approximately. The introduction of GBCL interventions may yield positive results in a supplementary learning capacity in accordance with the CfE and increase the educational effectiveness of programming education in later levels of education.
Originality/value
This study presents a large-scale empirical evaluation of GBCL in upper PE utilising a compiled implementation framework for incorporation and a detailed game codification scheme to quantify the games produced highlighting coding constructs and design.
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Alan C. McKinnon and Yongli Ge
The aim is to examine the recent trend in empty running by trucks in the UK and assesses the potential for a further reduction in empty running in the food supply chain using a…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim is to examine the recent trend in empty running by trucks in the UK and assesses the potential for a further reduction in empty running in the food supply chain using a new technique.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from the UK Government's main road freight survey and other studies are used to investigate the causes of the decline in empty running. Previous attempts to quantify opportunities for backloading are reviewed. The 2002 KPI Survey in the UK food supply chain created a large multi‐fleet database of over 20,000 trips, which permitted retrospective analysis of backloading opportunities. A method was devised to screen these opportunities against four selection criteria and assess the overall potential for cutting empty truck‐kms.
Findings
Suitable backloads were found for only 2.4 per cent of the empty journey legs, representing 2 per cent of empty truck‐kms. The analysis highlights the operational constraints on backloading in a sector characterised by short average trip length, tight scheduling and variable use of refrigeration.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis provides a more accurate and realistic assessment of backloading potential than previous studies, though is still deficient in several respects. The main shortcomings relate to the sampling method and structure of the Transport KPI Survey. The analytical framework requires further development to refine backload search areas, incorporate commercial data and permit sensitivity analysis.
Originality/value
The paper shows how retrospective analysis of road deliveries made over a short period (48 hour) can identify opportunities for backloading at a sectoral level. It combines government statistics and original survey data to provide both a macro‐ and micro‐level perspective on the empty running problem.
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Carlos Francisco Bitencourt Jorge and Michael J.D. Sutton
The purpose of this paper is to review the concepts of “fun and play” and propose a preliminary model that suggests potential benefits for quantitatively/qualitatively rating…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the concepts of “fun and play” and propose a preliminary model that suggests potential benefits for quantitatively/qualitatively rating serious games and simulations associated with corporate and university game-based learning (GBL).
Design/methodology/approach
A relevant literature review was executed to locate significant references to fun and play, assessment of GBL, and the pattern for integrating those elements with knowledge mobilization (KMb). A repertory grid method (RGM) was used to propose a preliminary model.
Findings
The proposed FUNIFICATION Model will be useful as a foundation for further evaluation of GBL environments.
Research limitations/implications
Additional rationalization of the proposed model and applying it to actual games with focus groups as the observers would provide additional validity to the new model.
Practical implications
A threshold for fun involved in serious games and simulations would provide a quantitative/qualitative measure for playability of serious games and simulations. The FUNIFICATION Factor would feed into a KMb model for acquiring, codifying, disseminating, and making knowledge actionable, either within academic, corporate, or public sector environments.
Originality/value
The range of assessment models for GBL is evident from the literature review, and value could be derived in building an evaluation model based upon the RGM to identify a FUNIFICATION Factor for serious games and simulations.