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Publicações

2025

A Domain-Agnostic Virtual Choreography Framework for Digital Twins: an Oil Spill application

Autores
Cassola, F; Cavaleiro, V; Lacet, D; Correia, M; Oliveira, MA; de Carvalho, AV; Morgado, L;

Publicação
OCEANS 2025 BREST

Abstract
Digital Twins (DTs) for the ocean are rapidly emerging as essential tools for understanding, forecasting, and managing environmental phenomena. However, most existing DT visualization solutions are tightly coupled to specific platforms and lack semantic coherence and interoperability-challenges that are particularly critical in federated and distributed DT systems. Furthermore, visualizing dynamic and spatio-temporal behaviors, such as oil spills, across multiple rendering environments remains a complex, platform-dependent task. In this paper, we present VChor, a domain-agnostic virtual choreography framework designed to address these limitations. Our approach integrates model-driven engineering, semantic web technologies, and platform-independent representations to support the declarative specification of behaviors and visual mappings. A single VChor instance describes spatio-temporal dynamics and associated actions, and can be interpreted by multiple visualization engines (e.g., Unity3D and CesiumJS) without the need for code recompilation or platform-specific programming. We demonstrate our approach through a real-world oil spill monitoring use case, developed in the context of the ILIAD H2020 project, and encapsulated within a modular Application Package. This package automates the generation, validation, and transformation of virtual choreographies from raw data to platform-specific outputs. The framework promotes interoperability, reusability, and scalability, while supporting FAIR principles in environmental Digital Twin workflows. The findings highlight VChor's potential to streamline scenario modeling, enable cross-platform visualization, and support decision-makers with accurate, flexible, and reusable visual representations of ocean dynamics.

2025

Robotic Process Automation Comparative Analysis of Market Solutions

Autores
Silva, A; Mamede, HS; Santos, V; Santos, A; Silveira, C;

Publicação
MARKETING AND SMART TECHNOLOGIES, ICMARKTECH 2024, VOL 1

Abstract
Numerous Robotic Process Automation (RPA) market solutions with wildly disparate capabilities and business models are being put forth. RPA is still in its infancy, and its technology framework is continually evolving. There are very few comparative studies of RPA systems, and they do not make it simple to tailor the solution to the needs of the business choosing it. Thus, the research question is that it feasible to design a procedure that enables the choice of the most appropriate RPA tool while accounting for a particular business domain, reality, and set of requirements? In order to accomplish this, this study builds an artifact that comprises a collection of indicators to enable the long-term selection of the best RPA solution for each organization and/or business process using the methodological approach of Design Science Research. The artifact offers a methodology to categorize the level of adaptability of each solution for automating business processes, performs a comparative analysis of existing RPA solutions using a particular framework, and provides an overview of the features of currently available solutions on the market. The viability of the artifact is demonstrated using a real-world case situation. This test demonstrated the artifact's capacity to meet the goals.

2025

Enhancing carsharing pricing and operations through integrated choice models

Autores
Oliveira, BB; Ahipasaoglu, SD;

Publicação
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART E-LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION REVIEW

Abstract
Balancing supply and demand in free-floating one-way carsharing systems is a critical operational challenge. This paper presents a novel approach that integrates a binary logit model into a mixed integer linear programming framework to optimize short-term pricing and fleet relocation. Demand modeling, based on a binary logit model, aggregates different trips under a unified utility model and improves estimation by incorporating information from similar trips. To speed up the estimation process, a categorizing approach is used, where variables such as location and time are classified into a few categories based on shared attributes. This is particularly beneficial for trips with limited observations as information gained from similar trips can be used for these trips effectively. The modeling framework adopts a dynamic structure where the binary logit model estimates demand using accumulated observations from past iterations at each decision point. This continuous learning environment allows for dynamic improvement in estimation and decision-making. At the core of the framework is a mathematical program that prescribes optimal levels of promotion and relocation. The framework then includes simulated market responses to the decisions, allowing for real-time adjustments to effectively balance supply and demand. Computational experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and highlight its potential for real-world applications. The continuous learning environment, combining demand modeling and operational decisions, opens avenues for future research in transportation systems.

2025

Does Every Computer Scientist Need to Know Formal Methods?

Autores
Broy, M; Brucker, AD; Fantechi, A; Gleirscher, M; Havelund, K; Kuppe, MA; Mendes, A; Platzer, A; Ringert, JO; Sullivan, A;

Publicação
FORMAL ASPECTS OF COMPUTING

Abstract
We focus on the integration of Formal Methods as mandatory theme in any Computer Science University curriculum. In particular, when considering the ACM Curriculum for Computer Science, the inclusion of Formal Methods as a mandatory Knowledge Area needs arguing for why and how does every computer science graduate benefit from such knowledge. We do not agree with the sentence While there is a belief that formal methods are important and they are growing in importance, we cannot state that every computer science graduate will need to use formal methods in their career. We argue that formal methods are and have to be an integral part of every computer science curriculum. Just as not all graduates will need to know how to work with databases either, it is still important for students to have a basic understanding of how data is stored and managed efficiently. The same way, students have to understand why and how formal methods work, what their formal background is, and how they are justified. No engineer should be ignorant of the foundations of their subject and the formal methods based on these. In this article, we aim at highlighting why every computer scientist needs to be familiar with formal methods. We argue that education in formal methods plays a key role by shaping students' programming mindset, fostering an appreciation for underlying principles, and encouraging the practice of thoughtful program

2025

PAP900: A dataset of semantic relationships between affective words in Portuguese

Autores
dos Santos, AF; Leal, JP; Alves, RA; Jacques, T;

Publicação
DATA IN BRIEF

Abstract
The PAP900 dataset centers on the semantic relationship between affective words in Portuguese. It contains 900 word pairs, each annotated by at least 30 human raters for both semantic similarity and semantic relatedness. In addition to the semantic ratings, the dataset includes the word categorization used to build the word pairs and detailed sociodemographic information about annotators, enabling the analysis of the influence of personal factors on the perception of semantic relationships. Furthermore, this article describes in detail the dataset construction process, from word selection to agreement metrics. Data was collected from Portuguese university psychology students, who completed two rounds of questionnaires. In the first round annotators were asked to rate word pairs on either semantic similarity or relatedness. The second round switched the relation type for most annotators, with a small percentage being asked to repeat the same relation. The instructions given emphasized the differences between semantic relatedness and semantic similarity, and provided examples of expected ratings of both. There are few semantic relations datasets in Portuguese, and none focusing on affective words. PAP900 is distributed in distinct formats to be easy to use for both researchers just looking for the final averaged values and for researchers looking to take advantage of the individual ratings, the word categorization and the annotator data. This dataset is a valuable resource for researchers in computational linguistics, natural language processing, psychology, and cognitive science. (c) 2025TheAuthors.

2025

Promoting sustainable and personalized travel behaviors while preserving data privacy

Autores
Brito C.; Pina N.; Esteves T.; Vitorino R.; Cunha I.; Paulo J.;

Publicação
Transportation Engineering

Abstract
Cities worldwide have agreed on ambitious goals regarding carbon neutrality. To do so, policymakers seek ways to foster smarter and cleaner transportation solutions. However, citizens lack awareness of their carbon footprint and of greener mobility alternatives such as public transports. With this, three main challenges emerge: (i) increase users’ awareness regarding their carbon footprint, (ii) provide personalized recommendations and incentives for using sustainable transportation alternatives and, (iii) guarantee that any personal data collected from the user is kept private. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing a new methodology. Created under the FranchetAI project, the methodology combines federated Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) estimation models to calculate the carbon footprint of users when choosing different transportation modes (e.g., foot, car, bus). Through a mobile application that keeps the privacy of users’ personal information, the project aims at providing detailed reports to inform citizens about their impact on the environment, and an incentive program to promote the usage of more sustainable mobility alternatives.

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