Twente Region Research Articles

Interactive Playgrounds and Children’s Outdoor Play Behavior: Children’s Perspectives

This paper provides an in-depth understanding of children’s perspectives toward playing on three interactive playgrounds located in a schoolyard in Enschede, a city located in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the Twente region. The COM-B model of behavior change is used to explore children’s perspectives. This model defines behavior as the result of an interaction between three components that generate behavior: Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation. The perceptions and experiences of 27 children aged 8 to 12 from playing on these interactive playgrounds are investigated through go-along group interviews and focus group discussions. Based on our findings, we list key issues and general recommendations for designing interactive playgrounds for children’s outdoor play based on children’s perspectives. These key issues and recommendations are beneficial for practitioners, and in particular, interactive designers who develop interactive playgrounds that stimulate children’s outdoor play behavior.

Predicting bus ridership based on the weather conditions using deep learning algorithms

This study proposes a new approach to predict bus ridership based on the weather conditions while accounting for additional factors such as large events, holidays, and bus cancellations. For this purpose, a deep learning algorithm - multilayer perceptron (MLP) networks - is implemented using smart-card data from the bus network in the Twente Region in the Netherlands. The prediction was carried out under three scenarios: (1) without the weather conditions (base model), (2) with the weather conditions of the same time as the boarding time into buses, and (3) with the weather conditions of an hour ahead of boarding time into buses. The results showed that the application of the MLP is very promising in forecasting bus ridership considering the meteorological parameters. The average errors were improved by 4.9% on weekdays and 2.8% on weekends as a result of including the meteorological parameters in the models. The improvements were even more prominent on weekdays with moderate to extreme weather conditions (for instance, heavy precipitation, strong wind speed, and low temperature). However, the models showed higher errors during the morning peak hours on days with heavy rainfall and strong wind speed.

An investigation of the motivators and barriers of smartphone app incentives for encouraging cycling

Reducing car use through positive intervention strategies using smartphone apps has attracted a great deal of attention. A common intervention strategy is bicycle use, which is cost-effective, fast, clean, and healthy. However, the potential effects of positive interventions on cycling behaviour have not been well explored. This study builds up a real-world lab by using the SMART Mobility smartphone application to test the effect of interventions. Participants are recruited through the app and their travel data is recorded by the app. Participants’ privacy is protected in the app and experimental concepts are reduced so that the real behaviours can be further reached and analysed. Four types of cycling-related challenges were designed in the app and provided to the users to adopt every month. A mixed logit explanatory model for behavioural change is developed to explain how the behavioural change is related to travel patterns, intervention types and other mediating factors and the possible moderators. More than 1,000 users from the Dutch region of Twente used the smart app from March 2017 to June 2018. We found that challenge type and travel pattern impacted behaviour changes differently. Overall, the cycling challenges were effective in encouraging people to use bikes instead of cars. However, the challenges also had the effect of causing additional bike usage without a modal shift. The findings from the study can help with intervention design decisions.

Periodic Optimization of Bus Dispatching Times and Vehicle Schedules Considering the COVID-19 Capacity Limits: A Dutch Case Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious adverse impacts on public transport service providers. Most public transport lines exhibit reduced ridership levels while, at the same time, some of them may exhibit passenger demand levels beyond the pandemic-imposed capacity limitations. This study models the problem of bus dispatching time optimization within a periodic rolling horizon optimization framework that reacts to travel time and passenger demand variations. This model allows public transport service providers to adjust their bus schedules periodically to avoid in-vehicle crowding beyond the pandemic-imposed capacity limit. The proposed model is a mixed-integer linear program that considers the possible changes to vehicle schedules and tries to minimize the number of vehicles required to perform the service while adhering to the COVID-19 capacity restrictions. Case study results from the implementation of our model on bus Line 2 in the Twente region in the Netherlands are provided demonstrating the potential gains when rescheduling the trip dispatching times and vehicle schedules.

Low-Threshold Testing for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in Long-Term Care Facilities Early in the First Pandemic Wave, the Twente Region, the Netherlands: A Possible Factor in Reducing Morbidity and Mortality.

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests, and testing patients with mild symptoms (low-threshold testing) was not recommended in the Netherlands. Despite these guidelines, to protect those who were most at risk, low-threshold testing was advocated and offered to the majority of long-term care institutions in the Twente region. In this manner, 144 healthcare workers and 96 residents tested SARS-CoV-2-positive and were isolated before the same service was provided nationwide by public health services. Strikingly, excess mortality rate in the Twente region 1 month after the introduction of this strategy was found to be 62%–89% lower than that in neighboring regions, which may be explained by this divergent testing strategy. In an emerging pandemic, early implementation of a liberal testing policy may be more effective than restricted testing in settings with a high death rate.

Defining a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in a country where TBE is emerging, the Netherlands, July 2016-October 2020

TBE is an emerging infectious disease in the Netherlands since July 2016, and risk areas have not been defined yet. Until October 2020 twelve autochthonous cases of TBE have been identified. In six of these cases transmission of TBE virus likely occurred in the Twente region, which therefore is the region with the highest case number and risk of contracting the disease. Here we summarize the Twente cases so far and discuss if the Twente region should be considered a risk-area using criteria of traditional TBE endemic countries, and the public health measures that may accompany such designation.

A COVID-19 Public Transport Frequency Setting Model That Includes Short-Turning Options

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the public transport sector. After the start of the pandemic, passenger demand dropped significantly for public transport services. In addition, social distancing measures have resulted in introducing pandemic-imposed capacity limitations to public transport vehicles. Consequently, public transport operators should adjust their planning to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study introduces a mixed-integer quadratic program that sets the optimal frequencies of public transport lines and sublines in order to conform with the pandemic-imposed capacity. The focus is on cases where the public transport demand is high, but the crowding levels inside public transport vehicles should remain below the pandemic-imposed capacities. Of particular interest are public transport lines with skewed demand profiles that can benefit from the introduction of short-turning sublines that serve the high-demand line segments. The frequency setting model is tested on a network containing two high-demand bus lines in the Twente region in the Netherlands, and it demonstrates that the revenue losses due to social distancing can be reduced when implementing short-turning service patterns.

The Dutch COVID-19 Contact Tracing App (the CoronaMelder): Usability Study.

BackgroundAdoption and evaluation of contact tracing tools based on information and communications technology may expand the reach and efficacy of traditional contact tracing methods in fighting COVID-19. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports initiated and developed CoronaMelder, a COVID-19 contact tracing app. This app is based on a Google/Apple Exposure Notification approach and aims to combat the spread of the coronavirus among individuals by notifying those who are at increased risk of infection due to proximity to someone who later tests positive for COVID-19. The app should support traditional contact tracing by faster tracing and greater reach compared to regular contact tracing procedures.ObjectiveThe main goal of this study is to investigate whether the CoronaMelder is able to support traditional contact tracing employed by public health authorities. To achieve this, usability tests were conducted to answer the following question: is the CoronaMelder user-friendly, understandable, reliable and credible, and inclusive?MethodsParticipants (N=44) of different backgrounds were recruited: youth with varying educational levels, youth with an intellectual disability, migrants, adults (aged 40-64 years), and older adults (aged >65 years) via convenience sampling in the region of Twente in the Netherlands. The app was evaluated with scenario-based, think-aloud usability tests and additional interviews. Findings were recorded via voice recordings, observation notes, and the Dutch User Experience Questionnaire, and some participants wore eye trackers to measure gaze behavior.ResultsOur results showed that the app is easy to use, although problems occurred with understandability and accessibility. Older adults and youth with a lower education level did not understand why or under what circumstances they would receive notifications, why they must share their key (ie, their assigned identifier), and what happens after sharing. In particular, youth in the lower-education category did not trust or understand Bluetooth signals, or comprehend timing and follow-up activities after a risk exposure notification. Older adults had difficulties multitasking (speaking with a public health worker and simultaneously sharing the key in the app). Public health authorities appeared to be unprepared to receive support from the app during traditional contact tracing because their telephone conversation protocol lacks guidance, explanation, and empathy.ConclusionsThe study indicated that the CoronaMelder app is easy to use, but participants experienced misunderstandings about its functioning. The perceived lack of clarity led to misconceptions about the app, mostly regarding its usefulness and privacy-preserving mechanisms. Tailored and targeted communication through, for example, public campaigns or social media, is necessary to provide correct information about the app to residents in the Netherlands. Additionally, the app should be presented as part of the national coronavirus measures instead of as a stand-alone app offered to the public. Public health workers should be trained to effectively and empathetically instruct users on how to use the CoronaMelder app.

Effectiveness of incentives offered by mobile phone app to encourage cycling: A long‐term study

Reduction of car use is one of the most effective ways to tackle congestion-related problems. Using positive incentives to stimulate bicycle use is one possibility to reduce car use. Cycling is a sustainable transport mode that uses little space and is healthy. There is evidence that positive incentives may be more effective than punishing travellers for undesirable behaviour, and the emergence of mobile applications for delivering interventions has opened up new opportunities for influencing travellers. So far, few studies have focused on exploring the effectiveness of positive incentives on long-term behavioural change. We used the SMART app to deliver positive incentives to more than 6000 travellers in the Dutch region of Twente. The app automatically tracks users and provides incentives such as challenges with rewards, feedback, and messages. This study covers the period from March 2017 to June 2018, in which more than 1000 SMART users participated in monthly challenges. We evaluated the effects of the challenges and rewards and found that the challenges did encourage cycling and reduced car use in the short term. There is also some evidence for behavioural change over a longer time period.

Validation of SMAP L2 passive-only soil moisture products using upscaled in situ measurements collected in Twente, the Netherlands

Abstract. The Twente region in the east of the Netherlands has a network with 20 soil monitoring stations that has been utilized for validation of the Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) passive-only soil moisture products. Over the period from April 2015 until December 2018, seven stations covered by the SMAP reference pixels have fairly complete data records. Spatially distributed soil moisture simulations with the Dutch National Hydrological Model have been utilized for the development of upscaling functions to translate the spatial mean of point measurements to the domain of the SMAP reference pixels. The native and upscaled spatial soil moisture means computed using the in situ measurements have been adopted as references to assess the performance of the SMAP (i) Single Channel Algorithm at Horizontal Polarization (SCA-H), (ii) Single Channel Algorithm at Vertical Polarization (SCA-V), and (iii) Dual Channel Algorithm (DCA) soil moisture estimates. In the case of the Twente network it was found that the SCA-V SMAP soil moisture observations collected in the afternoon had the best agreement with the native spatial mean, leading to an unbiased root mean squared error (uRMSE) of 0.059 m3 m−3, whereas for the upscaled in situ references primarily larger biases were found. These error levels are larger than the mission's target accuracy of 0.04 m3 m−3, which can be attributed to large over- and under-estimation errors (>0.08 m3 m−3), in particular at the end of dry spells and during freezing, respectively. The strong vertical dielectric gradients associated with rapid soil freezing and wetting cause the disparity in soil depth characterized by SMAP and in situ that leads to the large mismatches. Once filtered for frozen conditions and antecedent rainfall, the uRMSE improves to 0.043 m3 m−3.

Towards Circular Economy through Industrial Symbiosis in the Dutch construction industry: A case of recycled concrete aggregates

Since 95% of the Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) is down-cycled and the material value is not effectively recovered, the Dutch construction industry strives for implementing Circular Economy (CE). From the recycling/reusing perspective, a key enabler towards CE is Industrial Symbiosis (IS). Although IS has been widely applied in manufacturing industries, its implementation is unclear in the construction industry. Particularly, the potential IS economic convenience is hard to predict in the highly fragmented construction supply chain. This study explores the IS based on the Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) in the context of a concrete waste supply chain in the Twente region of the Netherlands. The research tackles with the CE challenge of lacking economic incentives by investigating the Industrial Symbiosis Network (ISN) emerged by replacing Primary Concrete Aggregates (PCA) with RCA. An Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) approach is proposed by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to present the dynamic supply-demand of RCA. Besides, supply chain actors are simulated as negotiable agents in a platform model to reveal the IS collaboration dynamics under different economic scenarios. It is found that the IS exists in the construction industry but only in an implicit manner because the RCA treatment requires the collaboration of multiple actors across substantial temporal and spatial differences. The study enriches the IS taxonomy by defining Implicit IS and provides instruments to support the decision-making of business collaborations and policy-making for a circular construction industry.

Geothermal potential of the Tubbergen Formation in the Twente region of east Netherlands

We have determined the potential geothermal prospectivity of clean sandstones in the Tubbergen Formation (Late Carboniferous) of the Twente area (eastern Netherlands). We were motivated by the prevailing paradigm that in the Netherlands geothermal power can only be harvested economically through large, expensive installations producing high volumes from high-quality aquifers located between approximately 1500 and 2500 m. No such aquifers are present in Twente. We found that heat production is economically feasible from the Tubbergen Formation sandstones by producing smaller volumes from smaller, highly efficient installations that can be developed at considerably lower cost. Our reinterpretation of publicly available seismic and well data shows that potentially suitable sandstones occur over the whole area with thicknesses of up to 50 m, porosities reaching 20%, and permeabilities reaching 300 mD. The Tubbergen Formation is approximately 400–700 m thick in the study area and contains approximately 60% sandstone. The top reservoir reaches an approximate 1500 m depth in the southwest, and the base reaches some 4300 m in the northeast of the study area. The temperature is expected to range between 60°C and 140°C depending on the depth. The Carboniferous is densely faulted with a block size of approximately 3 × 4 km, each block being a potential target for geothermal development. To determine the economic feasibility, we performed an economic screening for a hypothetical location north of the city of Enschede and backed this up by reservoir simulations. The geologic risks of the Tubbergen Formation are the lack of permeability, reservoir thickness, and lateral extent of the reservoirs. In our judgment, the chance of economic success for this site is 50% or more. Upside potential is present in numerous fault blocks in the study area and in adjacent areas where suitable sandstones with similar porosity and permeability at greater depth and higher temperatures are expected.

The Psychometric Properties of the Grit-O Scale Within the Twente Region in Netherlands: An ICM-CFA vs. ESEM Approach.

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties (i.e., factorial validity, measurement invariance, and reliability) of the Grit-Original scale (Grit-O) within the Netherlands. The Grit-O scale was subjected to a competing measurement modeling strategy that sequentially compared both independent cluster model confirmatory factor analytical- and exploratory structural equation modeling approaches. The results showed that both a two first order, bi-factor structure as well as a less restrictive two factor ESEM factorial structure best-fitted the data. The instrument showed to be reliable at both a lower- (Cronbach’s alpha) and upper-level (composite reliability) limit. However, measurement invariance between genders could only be established for the B-ICM-CFA model. Finally, concurrent validity was established through relating the GRIT-O to task performance. The linear use of the Grit-O scale should therefore carefully be considered.

Knowledge bases and responsibility within regional innovation systems: reflections from the Twente region

ABSTRACTIncreasing public investments in distributed platform infrastructures created new opportunities for economic growth and social welfare but simultaneously were associated with growing societal distrust in science’s power to solve societal problems. The concept of Responsible Research and Innovation was advanced as providing mechanisms to recouple science and society ensuring that research and innovation continues to uphold its societal duties. In this paper, we explore the extent to which it is possible to identify repertoires of responsible innovation behaviour within extant regional research and innovation networks through the way that these innovation networks draw on informal regional innovation resources. We distinguish two kinds of regional innovation network, those based on primarily synthetic knowledge bases, and those based on primarily analytic knowledge bases, in the eHealth sector where there are substantive societal concerns regarding responsibility and innovation. We contend it appears that the coupling of patients to innovation networks through their prior association with innovators (e.g. as patients) affects the scope for responsibility. We therefore contend that more attention is required for understanding the dynamics of citizen-innovator coupling in regional innovation networks if responsibility is to become a more common systemic property.

State updating of root zone soil moisture estimates of an unsaturated zone metamodel for operational water resources management

Combining metamodels with data assimilation schemes allows the incorporation of up-to-date information in metamodels, offering new opportunities for operational water resources management. We developed a data assimilation scheme for the unsaturated zone metamodel MetaSWAP using OpenDA, which is an open source data assimilation framework. A twin experiment showed the feasibility of applying an Ensemble Kalman filter as a data assimilation method for updating metamodels. Furthermore, we assessed the accuracy of root zone soil moisture model estimates when assimilating the regional SMAP L3 Enhanced surface soil moisture product. The model accuracy is assessed using in situ soil moisture measurements collected at 12 locations in the Twente region, the Netherlands. Although the accuracy of the model estimates does not improve in terms of correlation coefficient, the accuracy does improve in terms of Root Mean Square Error and bias. Therefore, the assimilation of surface soil moisture observations has value for updating root zone soil moisture model estimates. In addition, the accuracy of the model estimates improves on both regional and local spatial scales. The increasing availability of remotely sensed soil moisture data will lead to new possibilities for integrating metamodelling and data assimilation in operational water resources management. However, we expect that significant investments in computational capacities are necessary for effective implementation in decision-making.

Understanding the strategic ‘black hole’ in regional innovation coalitions: reflections from the Twente region, eastern Netherlands

ABSTRACTActive coalitions of regional stakeholders are at the heart of contemporary regional economic development policies, such as Smart Specialisation or Constructing Regional Advantage. These coalitions consist of actors from various organizations such as regional authorities, companies and higher education institutions that come together to achieve common agendas and advance their region. Accordingly, the numerous stakeholders are expected to work together seamlessly, build and implement strategies and thereby deliver regional development. However, by assuming that strategy formulation and implementation is straightforward, the challenges that lie within partnerships and the tensions that may arise between stakeholders can become neglected. Therefore, it is vital to understand tensions that drive towards situations in which strategy-building is not successful and ‘black holes’ of strategy-building emerge. By identifying the tensions between regional partners in the Twente region of the Netherlands, the aim is to understand how such stakeholder tensions affect regional development. It is assumed that by easing or resolving these tensions, stakeholder partnerships can contribute to the successful advancement of their region. The data for this qualitative case study are drawn from both research interviews and secondary sources.

Multinomial logit analysis of the effects of five different app‐based incentives to encourage cycling to work

This study presents results from an investigation into the effect of positive incentives on cycling behaviour among 1802 commuters in the Twente region of the Netherlands. The authors used an on-line survey, which included mock-up apps with incentives to commute to work by bicycle. They tested five reward schemes, namely social rewards (such as badges), in-kind gifts, money, competition, and cooperation. They used the survey data in a multinomial logit model to estimate to what extent travellers will use the app and increase their cycling frequency and which incentives they prefer. The model results show that respondents who sometimes cycle to work are more positive about incentive schemes than respondents who never cycle and that offering an app with in-kind gifts is probably most effective. Interestingly, non-cyclists are more likely to change their behaviour for a reward if they care about travel costs, while occasional cyclists are more likely to cycle more often in response to incentives if they care about attributes that are related to the cycling itself. This also depends on attitudes towards cycling and on socio-demographic variables.

Interfered technology: A radiant future: A look forward to EMC in 2023, five years from now

In 1973, a three-part full-page article was published in the local newspaper describing our society in the region of Twente, the Netherlands, in 1923, 1973, and 2023 [1]. The author of this article was only 11 years old at the time, but the predictions made were interesting enough to keep that article for 45 years. The article [1] predicted several innovations for 2023, 50 years ahead, such as a magnetic levitation monorail from Twente to Amsterdam reducing the travel time from 2 hours to less than 30 minutes, as shown in Figure 1. However, all we got after 45 years was a new motorway, with lots of traffic jams, and a train that still takes 2 hours. Despite over a century of research and development, maglev trains are currently operated in just three countries: Japan, South Korea, and China. Other innovations predicted in 1973 for 2023 were clothes made by printers (yes, nearly), no cars in city centres (yes), products made in Shanghai (yes), European regions instead of European countries (no, although Catalonia would like this), no manufacturing but only research and development (no), Holec and Signaal merged (no, Holec split up into several divisions now owned by Siemens, Eaton, and General Electric, and Signaal was sold by Philips to Thomson-CSF, now THALES). And the announcement that the University of Twente will be organizing a conference on communication technology, including electronics. This was a very good prediction: communication technology will be a key issue in 2023.

Presenting a Framework to Analyze Local Climate Policy and Action in Small and Medium-Sized Cities

Academic attention to local climate policy usually focuses on large-sized cities. Given the climate challenges ahead this seems unjustified. Small and medium-sized cities (SMCs) deserve scholarly attention as well. The main question is: What factors influence climate change policy and local climate actions in SMCs? In this article we present an analytical framework to analyze climate change policy and local climate actions of SMCs. The framework addresses different aspects: policy-input, -throughput, -output, -outcome, characteristics of the local environment, local action arenas, influence by higher government levels, and interaction with climate change issue networks. The framework is used to analyze and compare four case studies of SMCs in the Dutch region of Twente (two urban and two rural municipalities, and addresses both adaptation and mitigation). Results show that both ‘localist’, ‘multi-level’ and issue network membership factors influence local climate policy action. Governance modes discerned concern mostly ‘governing by authority’ and ‘self-governing’. When reflecting on the role of SMCs in climate action the study revealed the importance of local capacity building schemes issued by provincial government, inter-municipal network collaboration, and the potential for local governments to mobilize and organize citizen action.

Home Turf: an interdisciplinary exploration of the long-term development, use and reclamation of raised bogs in the Netherlands

ABSTRACTRaised bogs are popular research subjects in various scientific disciplines such as palaeobotany, climatology, archaeology and historical geography. However, interdisciplinary studies using a long-term cultural perspective are rare. This paper aims to make a contribution in that field by exploring the long-term development of raised bogs in the Netherlands, with a main focus on man-land relations. Central are the peatlands in the Pleistocene areas of the country that — with regard to peat inception, development, human use and exploitation — show patterns that are probably similar to those in larger parts of the North-west European Plain. Three spatial research levels are used. The first level offers a concise summary of the current knowledge level on bog development in the Netherlands and adjacent areas. The second level centres on the eastern Dutch region of Twente, and especially attempts to reconstruct the former maximum peat cover. In this region, as in most other parts of the Netherlands, hardly any peat remnants have survived to the present day. The third level consists of two detailed case-studies of smaller areas in Twente. This study shows that raised bogs, soon after they started developing, became intrinsic parts of settlement territories and were used in spatially and temporally varying ways. The assessment and integration of different types of data allows a more detailed and reliable reconstruction and analysis of long-term habitation patterns and man-land relations. The interdisciplinary approach also demonstrates which research deficits exist, allows new interdisciplinary questions to be asked and shows which methods may be applied in future studies.