Transparent Data Research Articles

Enhancing Information Transparency for Effective Governance: A Study on Government Procurement in Indonesia

The Indonesian Constitution prioritises citizen welfare, intellectual growth, and a just society. Effective development and public services are key to this government. Government purchase of products and services is crucial to national and regional development. However, data transparency difficulties typically lead to procurement fairness conflicts, making government procurement openness difficult. This is addressed by Presidential Regulation Number 16 of 2018 and its revision. In addition, the Indonesian Information Commission has set public information disclosure requirements, including procurement exclusions. This research explains Indonesian government procurement transparency policies and their relationship to excellent local governance. This qualitative study examines government procurement information openness using normative legal literature and primary data from interviews and observations. Transparency in procurement processes promotes good governance, and community input in information disclosure exemption determinations is needed.

Digitalization in logistics for textiles – possible fields of application for the Blockchain technology

The globalized supply chains of textiles and clothes involve multiple parties from different countries. Flows of goods, information and finances are coordinated through logistic processes, but offer potential for optimization in terms of digitalization and transparency. Incidents of the past prove that fundamental human rights standards and occupational safety are not met in global production countries yet. Legal regulations like the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains (LkSG) shall help to improve the situation since 2023. Especially small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in Germany, to which the law applies indirectly through private-sector contracts from their non-SME consignees, struggle to control their global supply chain, to provide all necessary data and to ensure a traceable, fraud-resistant and manageable flow of information. Hence, the Center Textile Logistics investigated the potential of the Blockchain technology and its application possibilities for textile supply chains. The Blockchain technology offer chances in terms of securing clothing trademarks, proofing that standards of seals and certificates are met, proofing that political and legal regulations are met and in terms of controlling global processes that involve international suppliers and partners. However, the current state of the art of digitalization is often too low to directly apply the Blockchain technology and has to be improved first. The cost-benefit ratio has to be evaluated individually but the Blockchain technology offers great potential to rise transparency, ease communication and critical data exchange along textile supply chains.

Gaps in gender reporting in National Reports of Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (2021–2022)

Context The Ramsar Convention is the world’s premier environmental treaty for wetlands. This perspective evaluates gender reporting in Ramsar Convention National Reports and compliance with Gender and Wetlands Resolution XIII.18. A total of 71.8% (n = 42) of the sampled nation reports (n = 133) did not submit National Reports. Zero nations provided statistics on equitable pay or pay gaps by gender. In the sampled reports, only 10 nations submitted sex-disaggregated data. Further, only 7.5% (n = 123) of the sampled National Reports (n = 133) provided sex-disaggregated gender data relevant to the Ramsar Convention. Fifteen National Reports deleted the question on gender (Section H) on from their report entirely, including Denmark and Germany. With evidence drawn from the submitted National Reports, this perspective provides concrete empirical suggestions for improving gender reporting in the future. Gender initiatives, including Resolution XIII.18 and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have improved transparent gender reporting in the Ramsar Convention National Reports to a degree. However, on the basis of this review, there is room for improvement in national reporting. Methods National Reports from 2021 to 2022 were reviewed for all instances of ‘gender’ and then evaluated for national replies to Section H, focused on gender. Key results Five years after Resolution XIII.18, there is still a need for system-wide improvements in gender reporting, including sex-disaggregated data, and equity for women (cis and trans) for the Ramsar Convention to become compliant with Resolution XIII.18. Complying with Resolution XIII.18 is one concrete, global and measurable way for wetland science and policy to mainstream gender. Conclusions No nation has prepared a comprehensive answer to Section H on gender and wetland policy and science, as defined below; instead, nations have submitted discrete elements. The analysis of each nation’s answers showed essential elements for a comprehensive answer. In the next 5 years of gender reporting, nations have the option to learn from the past and strive to comply with Resolution XIII.18 and provide transparent sex-disaggregated data on National Heads, community stakeholders, site interpreters, site managers and equitable salary data.

Appropriateness of Care Measures: A Novel Approach to Quality

The clinical judgement of a physician is one of the most important aspects of medical quality, yet it is rarely captured with quality measures in use today. We propose a novel approach using individualized physician benchmarking that measures the appropriateness of care that a physician delivers by looking at their practice pattern in a specific clinical situation. A prime application of our novel approach to appropriateness measures is the surgical management of peripheral artery disease and claudication. We discuss 4 potential consensus metrics for the treatment if claudication that explore appropriateness of care of claudication management, and are meaningful, actionable, and quantifiable. Given the multitude of medical specialties involved in the care of patients with peripheral artery disease, and the consequences of both preemptive and delayed care, it is in all of our interests to promote data transparency with confidential communications to outlier physicians while advocating for evidence-based management.

PFAS Contamination in Europe: Generating Knowledge and Mapping Known and Likely Contamination with "Expert-Reviewed" Journalism.

While the extent of environmental contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has mobilized considerable efforts around the globe in recent years, publicly available data on PFAS in Europe were very limited. In an unprecedented experiment of "expert-reviewed journalism" involving 29 journalists and seven scientific advisers, a cross-border collaborative project, the "Forever Pollution Project" (FPP), drew on both scientific methods and investigative journalism techniques such as open-source intelligence (OSINT) and freedom of information (FOI) requests to map contamination across Europe, making public data that previously had existed as "unseen science". The FPP identified 22,934 known contamination sites, including 20 PFAS manufacturing facilities, and 21,426 "presumptive contamination sites", including 13,745 sites presumably contaminated with fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) discharge, 2911 industrial facilities, and 4752 sites related to PFAS-containing waste. Additionally, the FPP identified 231 "known PFAS users", a new category for sites with an intermediate level of evidence of PFAS use and considered likely to be contamination sources. However, the true extent of contamination in Europe remains significantly underestimated due to a lack of comprehensive geolocation, sampling, and publicly available data. This model of knowledge production and dissemination offers lessons for researchers, policymakers, and journalists about cross-field collaborations and data transparency.

National public health institutes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Insights from experts in the field

National public health institutes (NPHIs) are crucial to the effectiveness of public health systems, including delivering essential public health functions and generating evidence for national health policies, strategies and plans....

Blockchain for Distributed Systems Security in Cloud Computing: A Review of Applications and Challenges

The blockchain is a technology that utilizes a decentralized and distributed ledger system to enhance security in cloud computing for distributed systems. It has gained significant attention in various applications, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. However, the blockchain has scalability limitations that restrict its ability to handle different types of transactions effectively. On the other hand, cloud computing provides the availability of shared computer system resources on demand, but it faces challenges related to automation, process management, policy, and others. By combining blockchain technology with cloud computing in a unified system, it is possible to improve data integrity, resource management, pricing, fair compensation, and resource allocation. This article examines the applications and challenges of blockchain, emphasizing how it ensures data integrity, transparency, and resistance to tampering. It also explores various use cases to address obstacles like scalability issues and interoperability concerns, providing a comprehensive overview of the intersection between blockchain, distributed systems, and cloud computing security. The integration of cloud computing and blockchain is important for business applications because it offers advantages in terms of privacy, security, and service support. This review provides an extensive and up-to-date summary of the integration of cloud computing and blockchain, highlighting its significance in business contexts.

FAIR and Structured Data: A Domain Ontology Aligned with Standard‐Compliant Tensile Testing

The digitalization of materials science and engineering (MSE) is currently leading to remarkable advancements in materials research, design, and optimization, fueled by computer‐driven simulations, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. While these developments promise to accelerate materials innovation, challenges in quality assurance, data interoperability, and data management have to be addressed. In response, the adoption of semantic web technologies has emerged as a powerful solution in MSE. Ontologies provide structured and machine‐actionable knowledge representations that enable data integration, harmonization, and improved research collaboration. This study focuses on the tensile test ontology (TTO), which semantically represents the mechanical tensile test method and is developed within the project Plattform MaterialDigital (PMD) in connection with the PMD Core Ontology. Based on ISO 6892‐1, the test standard‐compliant TTO offers a structured vocabulary for tensile test data, ensuring data interoperability, transparency, and reproducibility. By categorizing measurement data and metadata, it facilitates comprehensive data analysis, interpretation, and systematic search in databases. The path from developing an ontology in accordance with an associated test standard, converting selected tensile test data into the interoperable resource description framework format, up to connecting the ontology and data is presented. Such a semantic connection using a data mapping procedure leads to an enhanced ability of querying. The TTO provides a valuable resource for materials researchers and engineers, promoting data and metadata standardization and sharing. Its usage ensures the generation of finable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable data while maintaining both human and machine actionability.

Securing synthetic faces: A GAN-blockchain approach to privacy-enhanced facial recognition

In recent years, facial recognition technology has become increasingly integrated into society, making privacy protection crucial. Previous techniques offered minimal secrecy safeguards through simple obscuration methods. This paper addresses the strict privacy requirements of face image data by developing a novel framework that synergistically integrates Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), clustering algorithms, and Blockchain technology. The methodology proposes a cutting-edge Privacy-Preserving Self-Attention GAN (PPSA-GAN) to generate realistic synthetic facial imagery. An integrated mini-batch K-means clustering algorithm anonymizes these images into distinct groupings, maximizing privacy preservation. Blockchain integration complements the system by fortifying trust through decentralized ledgers for transparent yet secure data storage and auditing. Rigorous benchmarking on the CelebA dataset confirms the PPSA-GAN architecture’s state-of-the-art performance, attaining an impressive Inception Score of 13.99 and a Fréchet Inception Distance of 35.50. The mini-batch clustering forms 125 distinct clusters, effectively anonymizing facial attributes within the synthetic images. Blockchain integration further bolsters privacy assurances via tamper-proof historical records, showcasing precision, recall, F1-score, and accuracy values of 0.948, 0.938, 0.943, and 0.947, respectively. This multifunctional framework represents a novel contribution, fostering an ethical technological ecosystem that balances progress and privacy. Prospective deployment horizons encompass identity verification, surveillance infrastructure, and augmentation of medical image repositories, seeding an enlightening future for facial recognition domains.

National Solid Waste Policy (NSWP): Challenges and Advances after 10 Years of Implementation

A decade after the implementation of the National Solid Waste Policy (NSWP), municipalities continue to face challenges in implementation. This study aimed to assess the influence of the Municipal Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (MISWMP) and proper waste disposal in the main cities of the country, in light of the National System of Information on Solid Waste Management (NSISWM). The analyzed data indicate slight advances related to what the National Solid Waste Policy (NSWP) proposes, stemming from difficulties in implementing the policy itself and/or making its instruments viable, especially in cities in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. Practices such as improper waste disposal in open dumps or controlled landfills and incineration characterize the reality of Brazil, even a decade after the publication of the NSWP. Among the adopted strategies, waste recycling emerges as significant, with emphasis on composting and energy generation from biogas. There is a need for the integration of municipalities, states, and the Union to provide support for them to better exploit the potential in the generated waste, based on dominant technologies. It is also noteworthy the absence of updated data and cities' non-compliance with individual declarations in the NSISWM, regarding the provision of public solid waste management services, contradicting the policy itself and hindering the transparency of each municipality's data, making it difficult or even preventing monitoring by interested parties, civil society, and public and private entities.

Systematic review of field research reveals critical shortfalls for restoration of tropical grassy biomes

Abstract Scientists and policymakers are becoming aware of the pressing need to restore tropical grassy biomes (TGB), which are home to unique biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services to hundreds of millions of people. TGB face increasing threats, including forest‐ and tree‐centric restoration approaches that promote their degradation and we still lack a systematic assessment of where and how TGB restoration research has been done to guide policy and practice. We synthesized knowledge on field restoration experiments by conducting a systematic literature review to map TGB restoration field studies, examine the association of restoration techniques and degradation sources and investigate the diversity of indicators used to monitor restoration outcomes. TGB restoration was concentrated at Brazilian and Australian savannas, with large blindspots in Asia, Africa and northern and western South America. Studies were largely context‐dependent, with an inconsistent usage of restoration techniques to different sources of degradation. Less than half of the indicators evaluated were monitored consistently through time, often using a low‐dimensional approach related to ecosystem functioning. Few studies manipulated fire, herbivores and soils, the key drivers for the re‐establishment of TGB dynamics. Unfortunately, many studies lacked negative (degraded ecosystems), positive (reference ecosystems) controls, or both, impairing attempts to robustly determine restoration outcomes. Our overview of field research on TGB restoration highlights that research needs improvement to refine our ability to assess, plan, implement and monitor restoration. Severe issues with experimental designs and data reporting are identified as barriers to find generality and upscale TGB restoration to meet the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Synthesis and applications. Our synthesis calls for enhanced field experiments, transparent data reporting and quantitative syntheses to guide large‐scale TGB restoration. The overall lack of knowledge on improving resilience and measuring outcomes hampers meaningful comparisons between studies and hinders synthetic views essential for determining appropriate restoration techniques for different degradation sources and suitable monitoring indicators. To overcome the scarcity of reliable and transparent data supporting TGB restoration, we propose a simple checklist for minimum research reporting information and more complete multilingual standardized guidelines.

A blockchain AI solution to climate change

Background: Climate change represents a critical global challenge, hindered by skepticism towards data manipulation and politicization. Trust in climate data and its policies is essential for effective climate action. Objective: This perspective paper explores the synergistic potential of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in addressing climate change and how their integration can enhance the transparency, reliability, and accessibility of climate science. Methods: The paper analyzes the roles of blockchain technology in enhancing transparency, traceability, and efficiency in carbon credit trading, renewable energy certificates, and sustainable supply chain management. It also examines the capabilities of AI in processing complex datasets to distill actionable intelligence. The synergistic effects of integrating both technologies for improved climate action are discussed alongside the challenges faced, such as scalability, energy consumption, and the necessity for high-quality data. Results: Blockchain technology contributes to climate change mitigation by ensuring the transparent and immutable recording of transactions and environmental impacts, fostering stakeholder trust, and democratizing participation in climate initiatives. AI complements blockchain by providing deep insights and actionable intelligence from large datasets, facilitating evidence-based policymaking. The integration of both technologies promises enhanced data management, improved climate models, and more effective climate action initiatives. Conclusion: The integration of blockchain technology and AI offers a transformative approach to climate change mitigation, enhancing the accuracy, transparency, and security of climate data and governance. This synergy addresses current limitations and futureproofs climate strategies, marking a cornerstone for the next generation of environmental stewardship.

Towards a GDPR-compliant cloud architecture with data privacy controlled through sticky policies.

Data privacy is one of the biggest challenges facing system architects at the system design stage. Especially when certain laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), have to be complied with by cloud environments. In this article, we want to help cloud providers comply with the GDPR by proposing a GDPR-compliant cloud architecture. To do this, we use model-driven engineering techniques to design cloud architecture and analyze cloud interactions. In particular, we develop a complete framework, called MDCT, which includes a Unified Modeling Language profile that allows us to define specific cloud scenarios and profile validation to ensure that certain required properties are met. The validation process is implemented through the Object Constraint Language (OCL) rules, which allow us to describe the constraints in these models. To comply with many GDPR articles, the proposed cloud architecture considers data privacy and data tracking, enabling safe and secure data management and tracking in the context of the cloud. For this purpose, sticky policies associated with the data are incorporated to define permission for third parties to access the data and track instances of data access. As a result, a cloud architecture designed with MDCT contains a set of OCL rules to validate it as a GDPR-compliant cloud architecture. Our tool models key GDPR points such as user consent/withdrawal, the purpose of access, and data transparency and auditing, and considers data privacy and data tracking with the help of sticky policies.

From ocean to table: examining the potential of Blockchain for responsible sourcing and sustainable seafood supply chains

This study integrates technology-organisation-environment (TOE) theory with situation-actor-process (SAP) and learning-action-performance (LAP) models to provide a comprehensive evaluation of complex seafood supply chain management (SCM) systems. We present a framework based on Blockchain technology that facilitates the transformation of the seafood supply chain ecosystem from its current state to a more streamlined one in the future. This framework offers the potential for driving transformation and delivering advantages that encompass improved data efficiency, sustainable practices, and streamlined integration across the seafood supply chain. Our research highlights the importance of accurate data management, stakeholder involvement, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, cost-effectiveness, transparency, and sustainability for the successful integration of Blockchain in seafood SCM systems. This allows stakeholders to make informed decisions and optimise spending. Furthermore, we emphasise the significant value of transparency provided by Blockchain, which enables stakeholders to make well-informed decisions and optimise their spending.

Blockchain-based Traceability for Teak Identity: A Transformational Approach

The Southern regions of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia are where teak originated. Teak is a high-value wood that used to be an export good for Thailand, bringing in a lot of money. Thailand produced approximately 71,954.53 m3 of teak plantation timber and exported wood products worth 1.1 billion baht overseas in 2018, according to the Forest Industry Organization (FIO). Due to its high demand, there is also a chance that smuggled wood from within the country or wood that has been illegally obtained abroad will enter the supply chain. Encroachment and illegal logging are still major problems in Thailand. Blockchain technology has become extremely popular due to its distinctive immutability and traceability properties, which have the opportunity to overcome a variety of issues. In order to get rid of illegal teak timber and achieve traceable, transparent, and reliable teak data that is moved through the teak supply chain, we present a decentralized application (DApp) based on the Ethereum blockchain that implements a traceability system for teak identity. According to the findings of the experiment, our DApp achieves a good trade-off between the system’s gas cost of 116K (2.53 USD) to store data in the Ethereum blockchain and provide high security, transparency, privacy, resilience, and robustness. We observed that the newly proposed blockchain-based system can reduce illegal logging, the usage of paper-based documentation, and the time needed to validate the documentation in teak supply chain controls when we compared it to the traditional process used in the supply chain.

Usability of Health Care Price Transparency Data in the United States: Mixed Methods Study.

Increasing health care expenditure in the United States has put policy makers under enormous pressure to find ways to curtail costs. Starting January 1, 2021, hospitals operating in the United States were mandated to publish transparent, accessible pricing information online about the items and services in a consumer-friendly format within comprehensive machine-readable files on their websites. The aims of this study are to analyze the available files on hospitals' websites, answering the question-is price transparency (PT) information as provided usable for patients or for machines?-and to provide a solution. We analyzed 39 main hospitals in Florida that have published machine-readable files on their website, including commercial carriers. We created an Excel (Microsoft) file that included those 39 hospitals along with the 4 most popular services-Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 45380, 29827, and 70553 and Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) 807-for the 4 most popular commercial carriers (Health Maintenance Organization [HMO] or Preferred Provider Organization [PPO] plans)-Aetna, Florida Blue, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare. We conducted an A/B test using 67 MTurkers (randomly selected from US residents), investigating the level of awareness about PT legislation and the usability of available files. We also suggested format standardization, such as master field names using schema integration, to make machine-readable files consistent and usable for machines. The poor usability and inconsistent formats of the current PT information yielded no evidence of its usefulness for patients or its quality for machines. This indicates that the information does not meet the requirements for being consumer-friendly or machine readable as mandated by legislation. Based on the responses to the first part of the experiment (PT awareness), it was evident that participants need to be made aware of the PT legislation. However, they believe it is important to know the service price before receiving it. Based on the responses to the second part of the experiment (human usability of PT information), the average number of correct responses was not equal between the 2 groups, that is, the treatment group (mean 1.23, SD 1.30) found more correct answers than the control group (mean 2.76, SD 0.58; t65=6.46; P<.001; d=1.52). Consistent machine-readable files across all health systems facilitate the development of tools for estimating customer out-of-pocket costs, aligning with the PT rule's main objective-providing patients with valuable information and reducing health care expenditures.

Optimizing Online Business Security with Blockchain Technology

This research discusses the implementation of blockchain technology to improve online business security. The main problem facing online businesses today is their vulnerability to security attacks such as data theft and information leaks. The aim of this research is to optimize online business security by utilizing the advantages of blockchain technology in providing data security, integrity, and transparency. This research method includes a literature review to understand existing online business security frameworks and analysis of possible weaknesses. Next, we designed and implemented a blockchain-based solution to mitigate the identified security risks. Data collection is carried out through security attack simulations and reliability testing of the proposed system. The research results show that the application of blockchain technology significantly increases the security of online businesses, reduces the risk of data theft, and provides a high level of transparency. The conclusions of this research support the view that blockchain can be an effective solution to overcome security problems in the context of online business. This research makes a significant contribution to understanding and applying blockchain technology as an innovative security solution in the context of online business.

Modernizing CDC's Practices and Culture for Better Data Sharing, Impact, and Transparency.

Modernizing CDC's Practices and Culture for Better Data Sharing, Impact, and Transparency.

Digital Technologies for Quality Assurance in the Construction Industry: Current Trend and Future Research Directions towards Industry 4.0

Despite the growing rich and fragmented literature focusing on quality assurance (QA) and Industry 4.0, the implementation of associated individual digital technologies has not been fully evaluated and synthesised to achieve adequate QA in the construction industry; hence, it has received limited focus. This study, thus, aimed to organise, evaluate, and synthesise the current literature on individual digital technology applications in QA in the construction industry and propose future research directions. A literature review approach was adopted for this study along with Deming’s cycle framework to address four research questions: (1) What is the status of the state-of-the-art in the literature? (2) What digital technologies have been applied for QA in the construction industry? (3) Which areas in QA processes have experienced digital technology applications, and what are the applications? (4) What are the limitations of the existing studies and future research directions of digital technologies for QA in the construction industry? The findings showed an increasing trend of research on digital technology for QA in construction since 2017. This cuts across 23 countries with six different research methods published across 18 different publication sources. Four categories of digital technologies were revealed to have been adopted for QA in construction based on the functionality of the technologies: data collection technologies, decision-oriented technologies, collaborative technologies, and transparency and security-related technologies. Evaluation with Deming’s cycle framework revealed that digital technologies have a high level of application at the “do” phase, improving the quality management process during construction towards achieving pre-stated quality requirements. This includes mostly collaborative technologies, consisting of BIM technologies. Limitations of the existing studies were further identified, and this led to five research directions: interoperability of technology development, integrated digital technologies for QA of prefabricated and modular construction, integrated digital technologies for QA of cross-border construction logistics and supply chain, digital innovation for sustainable QA, and moving beyond the technical solution. The study showed a significant contribution to both academia and the industry in the built environment.

Validation of a Method for Surveillance of Nanoparticles in Mussels Using Single-Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry.

Determining the concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) in marine organisms is important for evaluating their environmental impact and to assess potential food safety risks to human health. The current work aimed at developing an in-house method based on single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) suitable for surveillance of NPs in mussels. A new low-cost and simple protease mixture was utilized for sample digestion, and novel open-source data processing was used, establishing detection limits on a statistical basis using false-positive and false-negative probabilities. The method was validated for 30 and 60 nm gold NPs spiked to mussels as a proxy for seafood. Recoveries were 76-77% for particle mass concentration and 94-101% for particle number concentration. Intermediate precision was 8-9% for particle mass concentration and 7-8% for particle number concentration. The detection limit for size was 18 nm, for concentration 1.7 ng/g, and 4.2 × 105 particles/g mussel tissue. The performance characteristics of the method were satisfactory compared with numeric Codex criteria. Further, the method was applied to titanium-, chromium- and copper-based particles in mussels. The method demonstrates a new practical and cost-effective sample treatment, and streamlined, transparent, and reproducible data treatment for the routine surveillance of NPs in mussels.