Abstract
Energy efficiency in buildings can be enhanced by several actions: encouraging users to comprehend and then adopt more energy-efficient behaviors; aiding building managers in maximizing energy savings; and using automation to optimize energy consumption, generation, and storage of controllable and flexible devices without compromising comfort levels and indoor air-quality parameters. This paper proposes an integrated Information and communications technology (ICT) based platform addressing all these factors. The gamification platform is embedded in the ICT platform along with an interactive energy management system, which aids interested stakeholders in optimizing “when and at which rate” energy should be buffered and consumed, with several advantages, such as reducing peak load, maximizing local renewable energy consumption, and delivering more efficient use of the resources available in individual buildings or blocks of buildings. This system also interacts with an automation manager and a users’ behavior predictor application. The work was developed in the Horizon 2020 FEEdBACk (Fostering Energy Efficiency and BehAvioral Change through ICT) project.

Abstract

Abstract
Although new, renewed, and innovative museum experiences are constantly provided to the sighted public, millions of visually impaired persons worldwide are still deprived of access to enjoying and engaging with collections. This research aims to investigate the limitations of blind or partially sighted persons in visiting a museum nowadays. Semistructured interviews with seventy-two visually impaired Portuguese individuals revealed reasons and factors that contribute to positive and negative visiting experiences, and the assessment of sixteen accessibility resources demonstrates their frequency and potential usefulness in museum visits. It concludes that the actual limited experiences in museums could be surpassed and enhanced by moving beyond accessibility, embracing inclusion, and focusing on the creation of multimodal and multisensory approaches to promote exceptional, memorable, and exciting visiting opportunities for all.

Abstract

Abstract