You can read more about the authors and the book here.
In addition to developing the first electrified heavy motorbike Robert has also managed to use knowledge and skills from his other main occupation: ICT and semantic technologies. The motorbike is thus equipped with a computer running a Linux OS (Ubuntu). The dashboard is not an ordinary dashboard but rather a terminal to the processor. The touch screen lets the driver interact with the computer. The motorbike has also got wireless communication and in addition to recording mileage, temperature, time etc. the driver has the ability to annotate the world he/she drives through.
The owner can also follow his/her motorbike via the web to see what condition the bike's in (charging status ++).
Robert showed his prototype at the eSkills Week exhibition in Oslo this week, and the ICT news site digi.no did an interview (unfortunately both the interview and the story is only in Norwegian).
]]>Along with presentation of the evaluations for this year there are also awards for best municipality web site, best governmental web site, the best web site for accessibility, and the best web service of the year.
Svein Ølnes blogs from the conference on his own blog (but, unfortunately in Norwegian).
Results from the 2009 evaluation of public web sites:
Altogether 684 web sites were evaluated. The average evaluation time for each evaluation was 75 minutes. There were feedback/questions/complaints from 238 organizations.
The results show a substantial improvement from last year. The overall relative score was 62 % in 2009 compared with 55 % for 2008. Looking at the star rating 45 web sites obtained the maximum 6 stars (more than the double of the number in 2008).
Other results:
Accessibility: 64 % (many web sites fulfilled all the requirements here)
Usability: 68 %
Useful content: 54 %
The accessibility award: Sørum municipality
The award for best municipality web site: Tromsø municipality
The award for best governmental web site:
]]>Through the work in the Resource Network for eGovernment, financed by the Norwegian Research Council (the Verdikt program), Vestlandsforsking har a special role promoting interoperability in public sector and research on this topic. This is very much in line with the work Semic.eu is doing and thus it is of mutual benefit to keep a close contact between the two. Semic.eu also contributed to a seminar on interoperability in public sector (this text is unfortunately only in Norwegian), arranged by Vestlandsforsking in cooperation with Norstella in Oslo late in August.
The Semic.eu Advisory Group meeting consisted of many short introduction with follow-up questions and discussions. As such it was not the place for digging deep into the challenges of interoperability. On the other hand many interesting cases were presented with interesting discussions afterwards.
]]>You can read more about the authors and the book here.
På seminaret vil blant andre tidlegare olje- og energiminister Åslaug Haga, administrerande direktør i EBL Steinar Bysveen og avdelingsdirektør i Forskningsrådet Fritjof Unander dele sine tanker om fornybar energi med oss.
Etter campusseminaret arrangerer Sogn og Fjordane fylkeskommune åpe arbeidsmøte om Fylkesdelplan for vindkraft. På møtet vert det presentert eit framlegg til faktadel for Fylkesdelplanen, der målet er å skape ein god politikk for vindkraftutbygging i Sogn og Fjordane.
]]>By coordinating and developing all these special fields, and by linking up with leading academics nationally and internationally, the two institutions aim to create a powerful expert group on renewable energy in the County of Sogn and Fjordane. The research program has a budget of 11.3 million NOK, and will finance the following positions over four years:
1 Professorship
3 Research Fellows/PhD students
The three scholarships are funded through:
The Professorship is funded by seven Norwegian energy companies – Statkraft, Sogn og Fjordane Energi, as well as five other local energy companies.
The effort to increase the production of renewable energy is associated with a number of challenges. The academic focus of the research program is conditions and possible management models for increased production and use of renewable energy. The program is interdisciplinary in nature and combines the social sciences perspectives and methods with technological insights from the natural sciences. The program is closely linked to the national technological research field.
Within a short time period, several programs and centres for renewable energy have been established in Norway, some with funding from the Research Council of Norway (FMEs in 2009). These are in most cases, anchored in the field of Technology, with a focus on technological development (NTNU/SINTEF/IFE). Furthermore, there are strong professional communities anchored in Economics.
The Renewable Energy programme at Western Norway Research Institute and the University College of Sogn and Fjordane focuses on the development of knowledge of the political and economic framework and management possibilities for production and distribution of renewable energy, including environmental and resource conditions, economic, market and institutional conditions. Insight into renewable energy sources such as water, wind, biomass and geothermal energy is important to see what possibilities there are for developing a renewable energy industry both in Norway and in other countries. One of our key objectives is to study the possibilities for, and the challenges in, developing such an industry.
The Renewable Energy Programme seeks to build knowledge that can be disseminated to scientific communities in Norway and abroad, including municipalities and other local and reginal bodies in Sogn and Fjordane.
Within these limits, the Western Norway Research Institute and the University College of Sogn and Fjordane have selected five realms of knowledge that form the scientific basis for the programme:
Seminar 1: Green Electronics and Life Cycle Assessment
15 June, 12 pm - 3 pm
This is a seminar on Green Electronics (environmentally preferred electronics production and products). This includes the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to reduce the environmental impacts of electronics.
Presentations
Dr. Otto Andersen, Vestlandsforsking: Opening remarks (pdf)
Professor Johan Liu, Chalmers University of Tehcnology: How to make environmentally friendly electronic products (pdf)
Dr. Anders Andrae, Huawei Electronics: Limitations of LCA in reducing the environmental impact from electronic products and production (pdf)
Seminar 2: Life cycle health risks and environmental impacts of nanomaterials
16 June, 9 am - 11.30 am
This is a seminar on health risks and environmental impacts of nanomaterials through their whole life cycle. This includes the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to determine the health risks and environmental impacts of these materials.
Dr. Otto Andersen, Vestlandsforsking: Life cycle health risks and environmental impacts of nanomaterials (pdf)
Dr. Anders Andrae, Huawei Electronics: How to assess health risks on nanomaterials? (pdf)
Professor James Morris, Portland State University: Electronics nanopackaging - source of environmental impact and health risks?
For more information and registration, please contact Otto Andersen - oan@vestforsk.no
]]>Political advisor Fride Solbakken from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, opended the first the day of conference with the topic "Challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism". Other key note speakers included representatives from the tourism sector and researchers presenting results from ongoing research projects.
Many participants were particularly interested in the sustainability efforts of Whistler - the famous Canadian skiing destination; Finnair's approach to aviation emissions; and Hilton Hotels' global inititative to reduce the environmental strain associated with the chain's 3000 hotels worldwide. The summit also featured a "best practice" example, Alpine Pearls and the destination Werfenweng in Austria.
Balestrand Summit 2009 was concluded by two Norwegian politicians, Erling Sande (member of the Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment for the Centre Party) and Gunvor Eldegard (Deputy Chairman The Standing Comittee on Business and Industry for the Labour Party).
Presentations from the conference
Presseklipp:
It is our pleasure to extend an invitation to Balestrand Summit 2009, to be held at Kviknes Hotel in Balestand 25-27. May. This year, our twin topics are sustainable tourism and profitability, as seen in the short and the long- term run. The travel industry may achieve considerable savings, e.g. through energy conservation. Many people believe that a clear environmental profile can be a strong element in advertising aimed at the tourists of the future, thus constituting a competitive advantage for early birds. But what about the challenges the travel industry will face in the long run, such as reducing the environmental strain of airborne tourism?
Foreign and domestic companies and destinations, such as Hilton Hotels and the skiing destination Whistler in Canada, will be presenting their best examples of attempts to combine sustainable development and economic benefits, in the short run as well as in the long run.
This year’s Balestrand Summit is the second in a series of three conferences to discuss strategies and initiatives aiming at making Norwegian tourism environmentally sustainable. The results of the discussions will serve as recommendations to the Government for developing outlines for a sustainable tourist industry. Please join us in shaping the future!
The seminar will take place in a gem of a tourist resort, Balestrand, staying at one of the definite classics among old West Norwegian wooden hotels, Kviknes Hotel. This hotel is now in the process of reorganizing its operation in a more sustainable direction, e.g. by specializing in locally produced food. The opening day will feature a tasty lunch, “Sognatapas”, entirely made from local produce. The gourmet chef Ole Johnny Eikefjord from Restaurant Eik in Oslo, will prepare a three-course supper for us, and measure the climatic strain resulting from this meal. A delicious and palatable experiment, performed here for the very first time!
This year's seminar has been organized by Innovation Norge, Sogn og Fjordane University College (HSF), Universitety of Stavanger, The Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) and Western Norway Research Institute.
Moderator: Bernard Lane, Editor of “Journal of Sustainable Tourism”
Sign up here by 1. Mai
Greetings,
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The demonstration project is a part of the Northern Periphery project Clim-ATIC (www.clim-atic.org), and the County Governor of Sogn og Fjordane is in charge of this part of the Norwegian Clim-ATIC activity. Clim-ATIC’s work on early warning is mentioned in the Defence Committee’s recent proposition Societal Safety and Security – Collaboration and Cooperation (”Samfunnssikkerhet – samvirke og samordning”). Under the heading Rescue and civil protection, the Committee writes that although modern and efficient systems of early warning are currently available, they are not aware of any cases of implementation in Norway. The Committee urges the Ministry of Justice to proceed with testing such systems based on telecommunication, and to report back to the Storting (the Norwegian parliament).
Moreover, Committee members from the Labour Party and the Socialist Left Party stress that ”the Ministry is working on several projects, among others a project called ”Clim-Atic” [sic] with the County Governor of Sogn og Fjordane.
- This confirms a fact we are already aware of – namely that our demonstration project looks at a highly important and relevant issue, says Haavard Stensvand, Head of Civil Protection and Emergency Planning at the County Governor’s Office in Sogn og Fjordane. Stensvand is the coordinator of the Norwegian demonstration project, which seeks to carry out a trial warning in a municipality at risk of natural disasters. The community rehearsal is to be carried out and evaluated by late 2010.
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Programme 25 – 26. May 2009
Topic Day 1: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable travel industry
12.00-13.00: Lunch: “Sognatapas”
13.00-14.15: Opening
Which challenges does sustainable tourism face?
Results: What have we obtained with Balestrand I, and what do we wish to obtain with Balestrand II and III
Managing Director Agnes Landstad, WNRI
15 minutes break
14.30-15.15 Profitability and sustainability. Three approaches:
15.15-16.00 Round Table: Audun Pettersen (Innovation Norway), Per Morten Vigtel (Forum for reiseliv), Hilde Charlotte Solheim (Federation of Norwegian and Commercial Service Enterprises), Knut Almquist (Norwegian Hospitality Association), Fride Solbakken (Political Advisor, Ministry of Trade and Industry) and Dr. Truls Engstrøm (University of Stavanger).
A round table discussion on the basis of the three presentations, where the participants are to discuss the following question: How can the tourism industry and public authorities combine profitability and sustainability in tourism?
30 minutes break
16.30-17.00 Food and sustainability: Dr. Carlo Aall, WNRI
What is the role of food in the pursuit of sustainable tourism? WNRI presents calculations of climatic strain deriving from food and shows how the travel industry can reduce the climatic strain from serving food.
17.00-17.15: Kviknes Hotel and sustainable tourism: Managing Director Sigurd Kvikne
National Geographic has on several occasions singled out the Norwegian fjords as the best tourist destinations in the world. How have the hotels in Sogn fulfilled the expectations created by such a rare distinction?
17.15-17.30: Supper of the day: Chef Ole Johnny Eikefjord
This supper will be an exciting experiment. The well-known chef Ole Johnny Eikefjord from Restaurant Eik in Oslo, and author of the prize-winning cook book “Gourmet for folket” – will prepare and describe a three-course supper with a minimal climatic strain.
17.30-18.00: The English Church in Balestrand: A piece of Norwegian tourism industry
19.45: Høyviksalen: Apertif and Kaiser anecdotes
20:00 Supper
Chairman of the County Council, Nils R. Sandal: Welcome to Sogn og Fjordane – a county going for sustainable tourism.
Main topic Day 2: How does the travel industry respond to the challenges of sustainability? - Best practices from Norway and other countries
08.30-09.15 Market and profitability – practical examples
09.15-10.15 How can the transportation industry meet the expectations of sustainability?
Finnair, Carbon labelling: Kati Ihamäki, Sustainable Manager
Panel discussion: SAS (Helge Hafstad), Norwegian Car Rental Association (Leif Nybø), Nor-Way Bussekspress (Bjørn Østby), Hurtigruta (Kirsten Schulz), Avinor (Olav Mosvold Larsen), European Cruise Service (Arthur Kordt)
A panel discussion where representatives of the transportation industry consider their challenges in regard to sustainable travel. Moderator: Professor Dr. Stefan Gössling, WNRI
15 minutes break
10.30-12.00 Think tank
Three parallel sessions chaired by TØI, UiS and WNRI
1. Travel industry profitability: Sustainable Yield (UiS)
University of Stavanger, tank thinkers Truls Engstrøm and Anethe Sandve
Tourism is a complex industry, and it is quite a challenge for decision makers to gain insight in cost and benefit effects of investment in the travel industry. Traditionally, the point of departure is economic and financial objectives of strategic decisions. However, social, cultural and even other consequences ought to be included in such cost-benefit analyses as well. “Sustainable tourism Yield” is an international attempt to measure several such parameters parallel; it has for instance been used in New Zealand and Australia. Now, similar types of analyses are performed in Norway.
This think tank will present results from other countries, as well as our proposal how this can be accomplished in Norway. We invite interested participants to discuss and contribute, in order that as many as possible people may benefit from the results in the future.
2. Sustainability and profitability in a long range perspective (WNRI)
Vestlandsforsking, tank thinkers Stefan Gössling and Carlo Aall
While the travel industry can probably increase its short-term profitability through measures that save resource and hence costs, it s more questionable what will happen in the long-term future. It seems clear that the oil price will rise again, which will affect the cost of travel. Furthermore, emission trading will increase the pressure on the industry, while “green solutions” to the climate change challenge such as biofuels will be expensive. In this, but even sociocultural contexts, it may be asked how Norway will deal with vastly increasing tourist flows if current plans by Innovation Norway to double visitor numbers are realized? What will this mean in terms of area use, economic dependence, or overcrowding?
3. Measurement of economic results of the travel industry on the regional level (TØI)
Transportøkonomisk Institutt, tank thinkers Petter Dybedal and Eivind Farstad
In many local communities, tourism represents a significant supplement to the demand for commodities and services by the permanent residents. In addition to generating production of typical tourist industry services, tourism will expand the number of customers in other branches (sprinkling). Increased revenues (direct effects) and revenues from local suppliers and local consumption of new (tourism-related) incomes (indirect effects) may constitute a decisive addition to economic sustainability in some areas.
Research of ripple effects is desirable, not the least to justify public involvement in tourism. However, it is rather demanding to measure the effects in respect to cash turnover, increased value or employment. Whether we look at a large district (e.g. a county), a particular destination or a single event, one must admit that reliable data are scarce. Even the estimation of the correct number of overnight stays in an area may be a real challenge. There are a number of different methods and approaches to analyse ripple effects. However, few of these represent shortcuts to sufficiently reliable results.
In this think tank, there will be a quick introduction to strengths and weaknesses of ripple effect analyses, and next, how we try to improve the database and methods for analysing consequences on different levels. We invite you to contribute and discuss methods, database, and not the least application and benefits of such analyses.
12.00-12.45 Lunch
12.45-14.15 Best practice destination and company
15 minutes break
14.30-15.15 Heading towards a sustainable travel industry in Norway?
15:15-15.45 Conclusion:
What challenges and opportunities can the ongoing climate negotiations present for the travel industry?
Erling Sande, member, the Standing Committee on Energy and Environment (Sp) and Gunvor Eldegard, Deputy Chairman, the Standing Committee on Environment (Ap)
Closing remarks at the end of Balestrand Summit 2009, Bernhard Lane
May 27, 08.30-12.00 Intermural Research Seminar
The second workshop in the project “Climate change, local response, and multilevel governance”, funded by CIRCLE ERA-Net, was hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute and held in Stockholm January 29-30, 2009. This was mainly a working meeting focused on two tasks: a joint article and a joint research proposal. As input to this process, Åsa Gerger Swartling presented an overview of social learning as an analytical approach. Carina Keskitalo suggested an analytical scheme for looking at determinants of adaptive capacity at different levels of governance.
In summary, the Stockholm meeting provided both a short introduction to the climate adaptation discussion in Sweden and Stockholm as well as an opportunity to define our tasks for the remainder of the CIRCLE project. In addition, we touched on possibilities for future collaboration with other CIRCLE projects. Our next meeting will be hosted by the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (Arctic Centre, University of Lapland) and be held in Rovaniemi August 26-27 (tentative dates).
Minutes from the workshop
Åsa Gerger Swartling’s presentation
Carina Keskitalo’s presentation
Summary of the discussion of a joint article
Thursday January 29
10.30-11 Arrival. Tea/coffee and sandwich in SEI lobby
11-11.10 Welcome
11.10-11.30 Finding common questions – a short exercise
11.30-11.50 Presentation of SWECIA, incl. prel. results from Stockholm study and social learning framework (Åsa Gerger-Swartling)
11.50-12.10 Multilevel governance – how can we use this concept? (Carina Keskitalo)
12.10-12.30 Discussion and adding to our common questions
12:30-13.45 Lunch (including time for a short walk)
13.45-15:15 Parallell sessions:
15:15-15.45 Joint break with cross fertilization
15.45-17 Continued group work
18.30 Dinner
Friday January 30
9- 10.30 Visit to Environmental Objectives Secretariat, Swedish Environmental protection Agency, Valhallavägen 195 Hosts: Tom Hedlund and Anna Forsgren
Stockholm perspectives on climate adaptation – guided city walk (Oskar Wallgren and Peter Rudberg)
11.30-12.15 Lunch
Approx 13-14.30 Reports from group work. Joint discussion
14.30-14.40 Short break
14.40-15:10 Rovaniemi next (Timo Koivurova)
15:10-15.20 Summing up and next steps
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Country
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Institution
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Name
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Finland
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Artic Centre
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Kamrul Hossain |
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Finland
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Artic Centre
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Timo Koivurova |
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Norway
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Cicero
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Halvor Dannevig
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Norway
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Vestlandsforsking | Carlo Aall |
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Norway
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Vestlandsforsking
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Idun Anderssen Husabø
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Norway
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Vestlandsforsking
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Ingrid Sælensminde
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Sweden
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Umeå University |
Carina Keskitalo
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Sweden
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Stockholm Environment Institute
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Katarina Eckerberg |
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Sweden
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Stockholm Environment Institute
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Åsa Gerger Swartling
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Sweden
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Stockholm Environment Institute
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Annika Nilsson |
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Sweden
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Stockholm Environment Institute
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Oskar Wallgren
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Sweden
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Stockholm Environment Institute
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Peter Rudberg
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| Sweden | Stockholm Environment Institute | Richard Klein |
| Sweden | Stockholm Environment Institute | Clarisse Siebert |
Fax number: +47 947 63 727
If you want to get in touch with one av our employees you will find a list here:
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