Stage Of Project Research Articles

HS2: Delivering a climate change adapted and resilient railway

The impacts of climate change are already evident. Like all infrastructure, High Speed Two (HS2) needs to be climate resilient so it can function in a future where there will be warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers, and more extreme weather. Without resilience measures, climate change could affect HS2 through an increased construction programme, network performance impacts and service delays with associated costs, as well as affecting staff and passengers. The policy for HS2 is to build a ‘climate-resilient railway’, taking part in the collective endeavour to combat climate change by setting ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets for HS2’s overall operations to be net zero from 2035 and embedding adaptation measures to increase resilience to climate change. HS2 is one of the first projects to take a holistic approach to incorporating climate change into planning, design and construction. Learning from the approach used for HS2 is set out in this article. The key outputs of this paper are descriptions of how climate resilience thinking has been embedded into all project stages, how bespoke and innovative processes have fed into industry-leading best practice, reporting and guidance, and examples of climate-resilient design solutions. It is vital to integrate climate resilience and adaptation into infrastructure projects now to ensure infrastructure is prepared for our changing climate.

Novel IEC 61850-based off-site engineering and validation methodology for protection, automation, and control systems

The IEC 61850 standard has driven the development of power systems Protection, Automation, and Control Systems (PACS) over the past years. Although it is well-known for its communication protocols, several concepts and features are underused. This paper presents a new engineering and validation methodology applying the IEC61850 standards concepts to optimize the project life cycle by standardizing and enhancing engineering and testing. An electrical specification has been defined according to the IEC 61850 data modeling, reducing misinterpretations at the specification and configuration stage. The proposed top-down configuration approach establishes a user’s profile and product naming to eliminate the vendor’s dependability. The validations were performed using modern commercial tools. The results show that the proposed methodology makes it possible to have a reliable engineering process where the output of the previous stage provides all required information is independent of the next one. The project naming approach makes it possible to validate the system integration based on the agnostic system specification files in an early project stage. Thus, the protection devices and supervision systems can be validated independently, reducing integration issues in the later stages without affecting interoperability and making it possible to achieve interchangeability.

Leadership and the dynamics of projects: Ray Levitt's insights on project leadership

Projects operate in dynamic settings, with changing technologies, and they are themselves evolving forms of organizing. This paper contains insights from Ray Levitt, an operating partner at Blackhorn Ventures and an Emeritus Professor at Stanford, where he led the Global Project Center. It is an extracted and edited version of conversation on a panel discussion at the inaugural Project Leadership in a Changing World Symposium in 2021. The main parts unpack how leaders of complex projects, such as those found in civil engineering construction, face challenges in innovating, particularly in incorporating new technologies that are being developed by start-ups; and how the nature of leadership changes across different project stages and relates to notions of agile leadership. The conversation with Ray Levitt provides contributions to the debate on project leadership in a changing world, on 1) the convergence of technologies affecting project leadership; 2) the importance of success criteria; 3) the changing nature of project leadership through the lifecycle; 4) agile leadership, and 5) the political skills and sensitivities to get project started. These insights can be built on by used by project scholars interested in project leadership in a changing world. In the final section we discuss how they might provoke new research on the leadership and digital innovation in an age of AI and on temporal understandings of project leadership and its discontents in a changing world.

Application of the DEMATEL approach to analyse the root causes of building defects

Building defects are a common phenomenon in the construction industry. The negative consequences of building defects are not limited to waste generation or low resource efficiency. This challenge can have several direct and indirect implications such as cost overruns, unforeseen delays in project completion time, building occupants’ dissatisfaction and health and safety risks. Despite the increase in the number of studies investigating building defects in recent years, little is known about the prioritisation of their causes by considering the interaction among the causes of defects. Therefore, this study employed the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to bridge this gap. Experts' opinion was sought using a questionnaire developed in the form of a matrix and semi-structured interview questions. Thereafter, the interactions among the causes of building defects were analysed and the most prominent causes are identified. The study showed that materials, workmanship and design are the major causes of building defects. Despite being specific context, the findings can be the basis for further research in this area with a focus on a range of different building typologies. Furthermore, the recommendations provided will act as a facilitator to minimise the occurrence of building defects. Lastly, the research findings can be considered in the planning stage of any construction project, to ensure the construction quality, reduce potential waste and enhance the circular economy and resource efficiency in the built environment sector.

DAPS diagrams for defining Data Science projects

BackgroundModels for structuring big-data and data-analytics projects typically start with a definition of the project’s goals and the business value they are expected to create. The literature identifies proper project definition as crucial for a project’s success, and also recognizes that the translation of business objectives into data-analytic problems is a difficult task. Unfortunately, common project structures, such as CRISP-DM, provide little guidance for this crucial stage when compared to subsequent project stages such as data preparation and modeling.ContributionThis paper contributes structure to the project-definition stage of data-analytic projects by proposing the Data-Analytic Problem Structure (DAPS). The diagrammatic technique facilitates the collaborative development of a consistent and precise definition of a data-analytic problem, and the articulation of how it contributes to the organization’s goals. In addition, the technique helps to identify important assumptions, and to break down large ambitions in manageable subprojects.MethodsThe semi-formal specification technique took other models for problem structuring — common in fields such as operations research and business analytics — as a point of departure. The proposed technique was applied in 47 real data-analytic projects and refined based on the results, following a design-science approach.

A structured process for the fuzzy front-end of complex projects

The front-end stage of projects, which covers the period from inception through to project approval, is not well understood in the literature and is considered ‘fuzzy’. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop a structured process for the project front-end stage of complex projects. In this study, the rigorous and protracted front-end process followed by Australian Defence acquisition and development projects is analysed. Findings propose a front-end process that consists of the following four steps: (1) project trigger identification, (2) project idea generation, (3) business case development, and (4) business case appraisal. We further detail the activities included in each step and propose practical implications for operations managers and the organisation. By structuring the front-end process, our research contributes to the operations management literature by clarifying roles, responsibilities, and activities in the management of the front-end of complex projects and their alignment with the operations’ environment.

Implementation of an Online Programming Software to Explore the Computational Thinking Ability of Biological Education Students

This study aimed to explore the Computational Thinking (CT) ability of biology education students in artificial intelligence courses through code.org programming, an online programming software. Students were required to solve problems systematically and design systems with coding for beginners. The research method used a qualitative approach because it was based on observational data from computational media produced in accordance with artificial intelligence learning for education and based on CT indicators. The subjects of this study were 73 students of the Biology Education Study Program in 2021. How students responded to using the code.org platform was captured through a questionnaire distributed via a Google form. The results showed that students could follow each stage of educational game projects through the code.org platform to practice computational thinking skills in accordance with the success of the stages of doing simple projects through good, systematic and problem-solving coding. Student responses to the code.org platform as an online program tool that can hone computational thinking can provide creativity and enthusiasm for student learning. As evidenced by the questionnaire results, 63.3% of students strongly agree that this increases creativity.
 Keywords: online programming, computational thinking, biological education, students

Development of an intervention to support parents receiving treatment in psychiatric inpatient hospital using participatory design methods.

When parents of dependent children are treated in psychiatric inpatient hospital, it typically involves separation of parent and child for the duration of treatment, which can be highly distressing to the dyad and can result in disruption to the parent-child relationship. Parents who have experienced hospitalisation have expressed a desire for their parenting identity to be recognized and appropriately engaged with during their treatment. This recognition includes provision of interventions which support them as parents to limit the impact of their mental health on their children. The current study, the first of its kind known to have taken place, details a collaborative intervention development project for parents receiving inpatient care. The current study, the first of its kind known to have taken place, details a collaborative intervention development project for parents receiving inpatient care. This project involved the adaptation and extension of a prior parenting-focused course for parents high in anxiety to meet the needs of parents being treated in inpatient settings. In the first two stages of the three-phase project, patients, carers and mental health practitioners contributed to the revision and delivery plan for the course including developing new content for the intervention. In the final stage, which took the form of a participatory evaluation, the intervention was delivered to 11 parents receiving inpatient treatment who then provided extensive feedback. A series of iterative adaptations to the intervention were made in response to this feedback alongside stakeholder input. The final intervention comprises five modules focused on exploring the experience of parents alongside specific learning and skills orientated toward boosting their connection with their children during hospitalisation and in readiness for discharge. Preliminary feedback from patients and ward staff has been positive and the process of delivering the project on inpatient wards was associated with no increase in negative clinical outcomes. The successful development of a targeted intervention within inpatient psychiatric units offers a signal that parents treated in this setting welcome the opportunity to be supported in their parenting role. As the first known UK intervention of its kind to be developed in partnership with patients, ward staff and management, it is specifically tailored to the context and needs of this group with the potential to be delivered by a range of health professionals in this setting.

Improving transfer learning for software cross-project defect prediction

AbstractSoftware cross-project defect prediction (CPDP) makes use of cross-project (CP) data to overcome the lack of data necessary to train well-performing software defect prediction (SDP) classifiers in the early stage of new software projects. Since the CP data (known as the source) may be different from the new project’s data (known as the target), this makes it difficult for CPDP classifiers to perform well. In particular, it is a mismatch of data distributions between source and target that creates this difficulty. Transfer learning-based CPDP classifiers are designed to minimize these distribution differences. The first Transfer learning-based CPDP classifiers treated these differences equally, thereby degrading prediction performance. To this end, recent research has the Weighted Balanced Distribution Adaptation (W-BDA) method to leverage the importance of both distribution differences to improve classification performance. Although W-BDA has been shown to improve model performance in CPDP and tackle the class imbalance by balancing the class proportion of each domain, research to date has failed to consider model performance in light of increasing target data. We provide the first investigation studying the effects of increasing the target data when leveraging the importance of both distribution differences. We extend the initial W-BDA method and call this extension the W-BDA$$\mathbf {^{+}}$$ + method. To evaluate the effectiveness of W-BDA$$\mathbf {^{+}}$$ + for improving CPDP performance, we conduct eight experiments on 18 projects from four datasets, where data sampling was performed with different sampling methods. Data sampling was only performed on the baseline methods and not on our proposed W-BDA$$\mathbf {^{+}}$$ + and the original W-BDA because data sampling issues do not exist for these two methods. We evaluate our method using four complementary indicators (i.e., Balanced Accuracy, AUC, F-measure and G-Measure). Our findings reveal an average improvement of 6%, 7.5%, 10% and 12% for these four indicators when W-BDA$$\mathbf {^{+}}$$ + is compared to the original W-BDA and five other baseline methods (for all four of the sampling methods used). Also, as the target to source ratio is increased with different sampling methods, we observe a decrease in performance for the original W-BDA, with our W-BDA$$\mathbf {^{+}}$$ + approach outperforming the original W-BDA in most cases. Our results highlight the importance of having an awareness of the effect of the increasing availability of target data in CPDP scenarios when using a method that can handle the class imbalance problem.

신속통합기획 및 공공정비사업의 사업 초기 저해요인이 사업 만족도에 미치는 영향 연구

In order to revitalize the housing improvement project, it is necessary to study the effect on business satisfaction of union members from the beginning of the project. This study analyzed the impact of legal, financial, and operational obstacles on project satisfaction in the early stages of the housing improvement project. In addition, the purpose is to provide basic data for revitalizing housing supply by analyzing the impact of the recently implemented rapid integrated planning and public maintenance projects on business satisfaction. The method of this study was to conduct analysis by applying a structural equation model based on data from a survey of union members. It was found that when financial obstacles within a union increase, it not only has a negative impact on business satisfaction, but also has the greatest impact on union member conflict. Accordingly, it was found that it was necessary to secure transparency in the cooperative's acquisition of operating expenses in the early stages of the project and to provide support from the government's housing improvement project support fund.

재건축사업에 있어 재건축부담금이 사업소요기간에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to examine how the reconstruction levy system for housing reconstruction and maintenance projects affects the project period, review major procedures and contents that affect the project period by stage, analyze problems, and improve the system. We are trying to find a solution. Due to the influence of the reconstruction levy system, which has been reimposed since 2018, the total project period and the project period for each major stage of the reconstruction project are changing, making decision-making difficult, resulting in unreasonable results. This shows that changes in government systems and policies bring uncertainty to the overall project period, lowering predictability. Accordingly, in this study, we collected and reviewed empirical data related to the reconstruction charge for each business complex for reconstruction projects in Seoul, analyzed the impact of the reconstruction levy on the project period through statistical analysis such as t-test, and analyzed the impact of the reconstruction levy on the project period. We looked at the causes of unreasonable problems, such as delays in the project period for each major stage and difficulty in predicting. As a solution, it was proposed to revise, supplement, and improve the procedure for calculating the estimated contribution under the Urban Development Act. Forecasting the project duration in a reconstruction project is an important feasibility analysis indicator and decision-making tool. As the reconstruction burden affects the project period, in order to smoothly promote the reconstruction project, a system that can reasonably estimate and predict the project cost share and reconstruction burden is established, and the goal of the urban development project is to provide high-quality urban areas in the city center. We hope that by supplying housing, we will be able to achieve great results in improving the residential environment and stabilizing the housing market.

Conflict Handling Styles used by Design Team Leaders During Post Contract Stage of Building Construction Projects in Sri Lanka

In comparison to other industries, construction sector encompasses a distinct, complex, and a competitive environment. It enriches the community with improvements when individuals with diverse perspectives, abilities, and degrees of construction expertise collaborate with each other. In this highly competitive multiparty context, conflicts have been labeled as one of the key constraints that prevent the `success of construction projects. Conflict is a fact that everyone must deal with on a regular basis. Construction projects are therefore not an exception. It entails different types of conflicts. To handle these different types of conflicts, construction professionals use different conflict handling styles. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate design team leaders’ preference of conflict handling styles and its impact on team spirit of the members of the design team during the post contract stage of building construction projects in Sri Lanka. To collect data, an e-based, closed-ended questionnaire was used incorporating the conflict handling styles introduced in Rahim's Dual Concern theory. The questionnaire was answered by 56 professionals who have the experience of working in the design team during the post contract stage. The study was limited to the building construction projects in Sri Lanka. To analyze the gathered data, descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage, count correlation co-efficient etc. were used. The study has revealed that during the post contract stage, the design team leaders use all five conflict handling styles of Rahim’s Dual concern theory: integrating style, obliging style, dominating style, avoiding style, and compromising style in different frequencies to handle conflicts among design team professionals. The design team professionals often use compromising style and rarely use integrating style, obliging style, dominating style, and avoiding style to handle conflicts among the design team professionals during the post contract stage respectively. Furthermore, the study indicates that these styles bring different levels of impact to the team spirit of design team professionals during the post contract stage of building construction projects in Sri Lanka. The team spirit of design team members is shown to be strongly affected by the compromising style. In contrast, the other four conflict handling styles, integrating style, obligating style, dominating style, and avoiding style, were identified to moderately impact team spirit. Moreover, findings revealed that all these five conflicts handling styles show a strong relationship with the team spirit of design team members during the post-contract stage of building construction projects in Sri Lanka. The research findings may assist construction industry design team leaders and other stakeholders to manage conflicts in a more efficient way and provide an insight to the way to handle conflicts to improve the team spirit of the design team during the post-contract stage of building construction projects in Sri Lanka. KEYWORDS: Conflicts, Conflict Handling Styles, Building Projects, Design team, Construction industry, Post contract stage.

A conceptual cost estimation model for the pre-design stage of road projects using multiple regression analysis

Purpose The current estimation practice in construction projects greatly needs upgrading, as there has been no improvement in the cost overrun issue over the past 70 years. The purpose of this research was to develop a new multiple regression analysis (MRA)-based model to forecast the final cost of road projects at the pre-design stage using data from 43 projects in New Zealand (NZ). Design/methodology/approach The research used the case study of 43 completed road projects in NZ. Document analysis was conducted to collect data, and statistical tests were used for model development and analysis. Findings Eight models were developed, and all models achieved the required F statistics and met the regression assumptions. The models’ mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was between 21.25% and 22.77%. The model with the lowest MAPE comprised the road length and width, number of bridges, pavement area, cut and fill area, preliminary cost and cost indices change. Research limitations/implications The model is based on road projects in NZ. However, it was designed to be able to adapt to other contexts. The findings suggest that the model can be used to improve traditional conceptual estimating methods. Past project data is often stored by the project team but rarely used for analysing and forecasting purposes. This research emphasises that past data can be effectively used to predict the project cost at the pre-design stage with limited information. Originality/value No research was conducted to adopt cost modelling techniques into the conceptual estimation practice in the NZ construction industry.

Digital technology-enabled AEC project management: practical use cases, deployment patterns and emerging trends

PurposeDespite extensive academic research related to digital technologies (DT), their integration into architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) projects lags in practice. This paper aims to discover DT deployment patterns and emerging trends in real-life AEC projects.Design/methodology/approachA case study methodology was adopted, including individual case analyses and comparative multiple-case analyses.FindingsThe results revealed the temporal distribution of DT in practical AEC projects, specific DT products/software, major project types integrated with digital solutions, DT application areas and project stages and associated project performance. Three distinct patterns in DT adoption have been observed, reflecting the evolution of DT applications, the progression from single to multiple DT integration and alignment with emerging industry requirements. The DT adoption behavior in the studied cases has been examined using the technology-organization-environment-human (TOE + H) framework. Further, eight emerging trend streams for future DT adoption were identified, with “leveraging the diverse features of certain mature DT” being a shared recognition of all studied companies.Practical implicationsThis research offers actionable insights for AEC companies, facilitating the development of customized DT implementation roadmaps aligned with organizational needs. Policymakers, industry associations and DT suppliers may leverage these findings for informed decision-making, collaborative educational initiatives and product/service customization.Originality/valueThis research provides empirical evidence of applicable products/software, application areas and project performance. The examination of the TOE + H framework offers a holistic understanding of the collective influences on DT adoption. The identification of emerging trends addresses the evolving demands of the AEC industry in the digital era.

Implementation of Contractor Safety Management System (CSMS) PT. Waskita Karya on Rigid Pavement Subcontractor

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the application of Contractor Safety Management System (CSMS) and its compatibility between the administrative stage and implementation in construction projects, particularly focusing on the Kutanegara region in Indonesia. Recognizing the prevalence of work accidents and delays attributed to discrepancies in CSMS, the research seeks to assess the alignment between CSMS policies and their execution in the field. Methods: The research adopts a descriptive qualitative approach to evaluate the application of CSMS. Data collection employs triangulation, combining observation, interviews, and documentation review. Key informants, including main and supporting stakeholders, are selected through purposive sampling techniques to provide insights into CSMS implementation and its effectiveness in ensuring workplace safety and compliance. Results and Discussion: The evaluation of CSMS application reveals inconsistencies between administrative policies and their implementation in the field. Specifically, discrepancies are identified in the installation of vision, mission, and policy statements (16%), K3 signs and smoking bans (42%), warning signs and evacuation directions (53%), and the management of electrical panels and Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO) procedures (37%). While these inconsistencies are categorized as minor, they highlight the need for continuous improvement and alignment between CSMS policies and practices to mitigate work accidents and delays effectively. Implications of the Research: The findings of this study have implications for construction project management and safety practices, emphasizing the importance of aligning CSMS policies with on-site implementation to enhance workplace safety and efficiency. By identifying discrepancies and areas for improvement in CSMS application, the research provides insights into strategies for enhancing safety protocols and reducing the risk of work accidents and delays in construction projects. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the existing literature by addressing the gap in research regarding the alignment between CSMS policies and their implementation in construction projects, particularly in the Indonesian context. By employing a qualitative approach and triangulating multiple data sources, the research offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of CSMS in ensuring workplace safety and compliance. The findings underscore the importance of continuous improvement and adherence to safety protocols in construction projects, ultimately enhancing the overall quality and efficiency of project delivery.

An expert system for highway construction: Multi-objective optimization using enhanced particle swarm for optimal equipment management

Expert systems play a crucial role in decision-making across various industries. This study introduces a novel expert system employing a tailored multi-objective optimization (MOO) model to address the intricate demands of highway projects. Integrating an advanced Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) strategy, our model emphasizes key operations like excavation, hauling, grading, and compaction. Considering factors such as equipment count, velocity, and capacity, the system provides a comprehensive set of optimal solutions and reveals the Pareto frontier. In benchmarking our Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) model against established methods, such as Genetic Algorithms (GA) by various researchers and the Guided Population Archive Whale Optimization Algorithm (GPAWOA), our approach significantly excelled. Our model demonstrated a 35.4%-time reduction and a 39.1% cost reduction while enhancing operational quality—starkly contrasting the modest improvements seen with other methods. This showcases the IPSO model's robustness in optimizing construction equipment utilization beyond current standards. Functioning as a decision-support tool, the expert system aids stakeholders in selecting optimal equipment setups, considering diverse attributes from equipment specifications to speed and volume. This application is exemplified through a real-world highway construction case study. The Case Study showcases the proposed model's remarkable impact, yielding a 35.4% time saving and a 16.8% cost decrease with Optimal Solution (I). In contrast, Optimal Solution (III) required 144.6% more time yet reduced costs by 39.1%. Furthermore, Optimal Solution (II) achieved a 4.6%-time reduction and a 32.4% cost decrease, demonstrating the system's versatility in managing constraints and optimizing decision-making processes across various project stages.

Ethical challenges in global research on health system responses to violence against women: a qualitative study of policy and professional perspectives

BackgroundStudying global health problems requires international multidisciplinary teams. Such multidisciplinarity and multiculturalism create challenges in adhering to a set of ethical principles across different country contexts. Our group on health system responses to violence against women (VAW) included two universities in a European high-income country (HIC) and four universities in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to investigate professional and policy perspectives on the types, causes of, and solutions to ethical challenges specific to the ethics approval stage of the global research projects on health system responses to VAW.MethodsWe used the Network of Ethical Relationships model, framework method, and READ approach to analyse qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 18) and policy documents (n = 27). In March-July 2021, we recruited a purposive sample of researchers and members of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) from the five partner countries. Interviewees signposted policies and guidelines on research ethics, including VAW.ResultsWe developed three themes with eight subthemes summarising ethical challenges across three contextual factors. The global nature of the group contributed towards power and resource imbalance between HIC and LMICs and differing RECs’ rules. Location of the primary studies within health services highlighted differing rules between university RECs and health authorities. There were diverse conceptualisations of VAW and vulnerability of research participants between countries and limited methodological and topic expertise in some LMIC RECs. These factors threatened the timely delivery of studies and had a negative impact on researchers and their relationships with RECs and HIC funders. Most researchers felt frustrated and demotivated by the bureaucratised, uncoordinated, and lengthy approval process. Participants suggested redistributing power and resources between HICs and LMICs, involving LMIC representatives in developing funding agendas, better coordination between RECs and health authorities and capacity strengthening on ethics in VAW research.ConclusionsThe process of ethics approval for global research on health system responses to VAW should be more coordinated across partners, with equal power distribution between HICs and LMICs, researchers and RECs. While some of these objectives can be achieved through education for RECs and researchers, the power imbalance and differing rules should be addressed at the institutional, national, and international levels. Three of the authors were also research participants, which had potential to introduce bias into the findings. However, rigorous reflexivity practices mitigated against this. This insider perspective was also a strength, as it allowed us to access and contribute to more nuanced understandings to enhance the credibility of the findings. It also helped to mitigate against unequal power dynamics.

MMORPG-based collaborative design and construction simulation in prefabricated buildings

ABSTRACT This study aims to address the challenges associated with information exchange during the design and construction phases of prefabricated buildings. To overcome these obstacles, we developed a web-based Smart Collaboration System(SCS), which was inspired by Massively Multiplayer Onlinen Role-playing Game (MMORPG) technology. The methodology employed in this study involves a comprehensive literature review, the development of a prototype system, and the application of this system. The study’s results demonstrate that the utilization of MMORPG-based collaboration system improves efficiency in the design and construction process. And compared to conventional systems, the MMORPG-based system developed in this study exhibits a few key distinctions. Firstly, individual stakeholder roles are explicitly designated, enabling more efficient collaborative exchange of design and construction information. Secondly, the system effectively bridges the gap between project stages, such as design to production and production to construction. Lastly, the system introduces an element of enjoyment to the design, production, and construction process, which is typically absent in existing commercial software developers’ offerings. This research contributes to the advancement of collaborative design and construction methods by leveraging the MMORPG-based technology, and provides valuable insights for industry professionals and researchers seeking to improve collaboration and optimize the design and construction process.

Selected Geoheritage Resources of “Atlantic Geopark” Project (Central Portugal)

The “Atlantic Geopark” Project corresponds to the first stage of a broad project addressing a future application to the Global Geopark Network of a territory located in Portugal: “The Atlantic Geopark: 600 million of geological history”. It covers six central littoral and rural municipalities (Cantanhede, Figueira da Foz, Mealhada, Mira, Montemor-o-Velho, and Penacova), which display special and singular geodiversity, and it includes geological heritage with international relevance representing the opening and closing of the Rheic Ocean, the formation and breakup of Pangea, and the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean. Besides the geological heritage, here presented through the description and characterization of six geological sites (one per municipality) which served as anchors for the development of the project currently underway, the territory also provides other geoheritage resources related to uses of the local geological features. These resources hold significance in bolstering an application to the Global Geopark Network soon. They encompass partially artificial elements such as road excavations, agricultural soils, and quarries, as well as entirely artificial elements such as interpretation centers and museums. These elements serve as tangible representations of the various ways in which the Earth and local communities interact.

Automatyczna platforma testowa dla front-end stron internetowych oraz aplikacji sieciowych w modelu SaaS – BrowserSpot

The article presents a modern tool created in a SaaS model for automating tests of front-end for websites and network applications, BrowserSpot. The key elements and functions of the tool were presented, as well as the industry premises and issues that initiated the start of work on the solution. All eight stages of research and development project were discussed in detail, along with the results and key achievements of each of them. The tool was created in a SaaS model to maximize its accessibility for every type of user, and is available on the market as a product by ClickRay Sp. z o.o.