The governance of global communications is consolidating as a field where innovative political practices of multi-actor collaboration are being experimented. Within this broad political landscape, the Internet governance domain is emerging as one of the most relevant areas where institutional and non-institutional actors are converging in order to reform collectively governance mechanisms that will determine the future developments of the Internet technology. This book adopts a network approach to study the progressive and collective construction of a new discourse on Internet governance fostered by the realization of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, a new "space for multi-stakeholder policy-dialogue" (WSIS Tunis Agenda 2005, art. 72). Looking both at how semantic and social connections are created in the online and the offline discursive spaces, this book seeks to provide insights on how principles of democratic collaboration between institutional and non-institutional actors are translated into actual political dynamics; on how the global political agenda on the governance of the Internet comes to be shaped thanks to the provision of heterogeneous and sometimes opposite thematic inputs; and, finally, on how the roles of States, intergovernmental bodies, civil society entities in participatory supra-national politics are progressively being (re)defined. Starting form the Internet governance case study, this books aims at providing an alternative approach to the study of supra-national politics as well as of global communication governance processes: one that considers simultaneously contents and processes of political dynamics and examines how immaterial resources, such as information and communication, become a new field for multi-actor politics experiments, conflicts and network construction.

This book introduces fundamental concepts of cyber resilience, drawing expertise from academia, industry, and government. Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from or easily adjust to shocks and stresses. Unlike the concept of security - which is often and incorrectly conflated with resilience -- resilience refers to the system's ability to recover or regenerate its performance after an unexpected impact produces a degradation in its performance. A clear understanding of distinction between security, risk and resilience is important for developing appropriate management of cyber threats. The book presents insightful discussion of the most current technical issues in cyber resilience, along with relevant methods and procedures. Practical aspects of current cyber resilience practices and techniques are described as they are now, and as they are likely to remain in the near term. The bulk of the material is presented in the book in a way that is easily accessible to non-specialists. Logical, consistent, and continuous discourse covering all key topics relevant to the field will be of use as teaching material as well as source of emerging scholarship in the field. A typical chapter provides introductory, tutorial-like material, detailed examples, in-depth elaboration of a selected technical approach, and a concise summary of key ideas.

This book is dedicated to the systematization and development of models, methods, and algorithms for queuing systems with correlated arrivals. After first setting up the basic tools needed for the study of queuing theory, the authors concentrate on complicated systems: multi-server systems with phase type distribution of service time or single-server queues with arbitrary distribution of service time or semi-Markovian service. They pay special attention to practically important retrial queues, tandem queues, and queues with unreliable servers. Mathematical models of networks and queuing systems are widely used for the study and optimization of various technical, physical, economic, industrial, and administrative systems, and this book will be valuable for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners in these domains.

This contributed volume discusses diverse topics to demystify the rapidly emerging and evolving blockchain technology, the emergence of integrated platforms and hosted third-party tools, and the development of decentralized applications for various business domains. It presents various applications that are helpful for research scholars and scientists who are working toward identifying and pinpointing the potential of as well as the hindrances to this technology.

Earth at Risk in the 21st Century offers critical interdisciplinary reflections on peace, security, gender relations, migration and the environment, all of which are threatened by climate change, with women and children affected most. Deep-rooted gender discrimination is also a result of the destructive exploitation of natural resources and the pollution of soils, water, biota and air. In the Anthropocene, the management of human society and global resources has become unsustainable and has created multiple conflicts by increasing survival threats primarily for poor people in the Global South. Alternative approaches to peace and security, focusing from bottom-up on an engendered peace with sustainability, may help society and the environment to be managed in the highly fragile natural conditions of a 'hothouse Earth'. Thus, the book explores systemic alternatives based on indigenous wisdom, gift economy and the economy of solidarity, in which an alternative cosmovision fosters mutual care between humankind and nature. * Special analysis of risks to the survival of humankind in the 21st century. * Interdisciplinary studies on peace, security, gender and environment related to global environmental and climate change. * Critical reflections on gender relations, peace, security, migration and the environment * Systematic analysis of food, water, health, energy security and its nexus. * Alternative proposals from the Global South with indigenous wisdom for saving Mother Earth.

This book expands the foundations of general systems theory to enable progress beyond the rich heuristic practices available today. It establishes a foundational framework for the development of scientific transdisciplinary systems principles and shows how these can amplify the potential of individuals and teams working in multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary contexts or striving to translate their progress across disciplinary boundaries. Three general scientific systems principles are presented, and their relevance to the design, analysis, management and transformation of systems is explored. Applying lessons from the history and philosophy science, this book disambiguates key concepts of general systemology, clarifies the role of general systemology within the field of systemology, and explains how general systemology supports other forms of transdisciplinarity. These insights are used to develop new perspectives, strategies and tools for addressing long-standing challenges to the advancement and transdisciplinary application of general insights into the nature of complex systems.The material presented in this book includes comprehensive models of the structure of systemology as a disciplinary field, the structure and significance of the general systems worldview, and the role of general systemology as the heart of systems science, systems engineering and systems practice. It explains what a fully-fledged general theory of systems would look like, what its potential is, what routes are available to us to develop it further, and how to leverage the knowledge we have attained so far. Many examples and analogies show how general systemology has the potential to enable scientific discovery, insightful theory building, and practical innovation in all the disciplines as they study, design, nurture or transform complex systems. This book is essential reading for anyone wishing to master the concepts, terminology, models and strategies needed to make effective use of current general systems knowledge and to engage in the further development of the philosophy, science, and practice of general systemology.

This book features the latest research in the area of immersive technologies, presented at the 5th International Augmented and Virtual Reality Conference, held in Munich, Germany in 2019. Bridging the gap between academia and industry, it presents the state of the art in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies and their applications in various industries such as marketing, education, healthcare, tourism, events, fashion, entertainment, retail and the gaming industry. The volume is a collection of research papers by prominent AR and VR scholars from around the globe. Covering the most significant topics in the field of augmented and virtual reality and providing the latest findings, it is of interest to academics and practitioners alike.

Rising concerns about the security of our data have made quantum cryptography a very active research field in recent years. Quantum cryptographic protocols promise everlasting security by exploiting distinctive quantum properties of nature. The most extensively implemented protocol is quantum key distribution (QKD), which enables secure communication between two users. The aim of this book is to introduce the reader to state-of-the-art QKD and illustrate its recent multi-user generalization: quantum conference key agreement. With its pedagogical approach that doesn't disdain going into details, the book enables the reader to join in cutting-edge research on quantum cryptography.

This book provides insights into smart ways of computer log data analysis, with the goal of spotting adversarial actions. It is organized into 3 major parts with a total of 8 chapters that include a detailed view on existing solutions, as well as novel techniques that go far beyond state of the art. The first part of this book motivates the entire topic and highlights major challenges, trends and design criteria for log data analysis approaches, and further surveys and compares the state of the art. The second part of this book introduces concepts that apply character-based, rather than token-based, approaches and thus work on a more fine-grained level. Furthermore, these solutions were designed for "online use", not only forensic analysis, but also process new log lines as they arrive in an efficient single pass manner. An advanced method for time series analysis aims at detecting changes in the overall behavior profile of an observed system and spotting trends and periodicities through log analysis. The third part of this book introduces the design of the AMiner, which is an advanced open source component for log data anomaly mining. The AMiner comes with several detectors to spot new events, new parameters, new correlations, new values and unknown value combinations and can run as stand-alone solution or as sensor with connection to a SIEM solution. More advanced detectors help to determines the characteristics of variable parts of log lines, specifically the properties of numerical and categorical fields. Detailed examples throughout this book allow the reader to better understand and apply the introduced techniques with open source software. Step-by-step instructions help to get familiar with the concepts and to better comprehend their inner mechanisms. A log test data set is available as free download and enables the reader to get the system up and running in no time. This book is designed for researchers working in the field of cyber security, and specifically system monitoring, anomaly detection and intrusion detection. The content of this book will be particularly useful for advanced-level students studying computer science, computer technology, and information systems. Forward-thinking practitioners, who would benefit from becoming familiar with the advanced anomaly detection methods, will also be interested in this book.

This authoritative text/reference describes the state of the art of fog computing, presenting insights from an international selection of renowned experts. A particular focus is provided on development approaches, architectural mechanisms, and measurement metrics for building smart adaptable environments. The coverage also includes important related topics such as device connectivity, security and interoperability, and communication methods. Topics and features: introduces the core concepts and principles of fog computing, and reviews the latest research and best practice relating to fog/edge environments; discusses the vision for an Internet of Things (IoT) in terms of fog computing and other related distributed computing paradigms, such as cloud computing; presents a survey of the key issues and broader aspects of the fog paradigm, as well as the factors that affect adoption of fog computing; examines frameworks and methodologies for fog-based architecture design, improving performance, and measuring quality of experience; proposes tools and methodologies for analyzing large amounts of sensor data from smart city initiatives; describes approaches for designing robust services, management of data-intensive applications, context-aware data analysis, and vehicular networking; identifies potential future research directions and technological innovations in relation to distributed computing environments such as the IoT. This enlightening volume offers essential perspectives for researchers of distributed computing and computer networking, as well as for advanced undergraduate and graduate students pursuing interests in this area. Professional engineers seeking to enhance security and connectivity in their IoT systems will also find this work to be a valuable reference.

This text is appropriate for those courses with an emphasis on e-commerce and the Internet, as well as short courses or MBA/IS courses that want a modern approach. Networking has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Most texts have focused on network layers and their concepts and then on how the different technologies are implemented; however with the number of viable technologies shrinking, it makes less sense to focus on concepts first and technologies second. Networking in the Internet Age first edition integrates the discussion of concepts and technologies so they appear in one place, organized by layers.

The continuing growth of wireless networks is being driven by ease of installation, flexibility and mobility, offering gains in efficiency, accuracy and lower business costs. This fresh perspective from two experts in the field provides professionals with a practical approach to design implementation, evaluation and problem-solving, which underscores its uniqueness as a hands-on guide to next generation wireless communications systems. The book offers practitioners a wealth of information on WLAN (wireless local area network) implementation, deployment and results. Key topics include: IP networking for wireless; wireless networking and Internet access standards; changes in the IEEE 802.11 standard; system design and implementation; and performance analysis.

Describing the technologies to combine language resources flexibly as web services, this book provides valuable case studies for those who work in services computing, language resources, human-computer interaction (HCI), computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), and service science. The authors have been operating the Language Grid, which wraps existing language resources as atomic language services and enables users to compose new services by combining them. From architecture level to service composition level, the book explains how to resolve infrastructural and operational difficulties in sharing and combining language resources, including interoperability of language service infrastructures, various types of language service policies, human services, and service failures.The research based on the authors' operating experiences of handling complicated issues such as intellectual property and interoperability of language resources contributes to exploitation of language resources as a service. On the other hand, both the analysis based on using services and the design of new services can bring significant results. A new style of multilingual communication supported by language services is worthy of analysis in HCI/CSCW, and the design process of language services is the focus of valuable case studies in service science. By using language resources in different ways based on the Language Grid, many activities are highly regarded by diverse communities. This book consists of four parts: (1) two types of language service platforms to interconnect language services across service grids, (2) various language service composition technologies that improve the reusability, efficiency, and accuracy of composite services, (3) research work and activities in creating language resources and services, and (4) various applications and tools for understanding and designing language services that well support intercultural collaboration.

This hands-on, laboratory driven textbook helps readers understand principles of digital signal processing (DSP) and basics of software-based digital communication, particularly software-defined networks (SDN) and software-defined radio (SDR). In the book only the most important concepts are presented. Each book chapter is an introduction to computer laboratory and is accompanied by complete laboratory exercises and ready-to-go Matlab programs with figures and comments (available at the book webpage and running also in GNU Octave 5.2 with free software packages), showing all or most details of relevant algorithms. Students are tasked to understand programs, modify them, and apply presented concepts to recorded real RF signal or simulated received signals, with modelled transmission condition and hardware imperfections. Teaching is done by showing examples and their modifications to different real-world telecommunication-like applications. The book consists of three parts: introduction to DSP (spectral analysis and digital filtering), introduction to DSP advanced topics (multi-rate, adaptive, model-based and multimedia - speech, audio, video - signal analysis and processing) and introduction to software-defined modern telecommunication systems (SDR technology, analog and digital modulations, single- and multi-carrier systems, channel estimation and correction as well as synchronization issues). Many real signals are processed in the book, in the first part - mainly speech and audio, while in the second part - mainly RF recordings taken from RTL-SDR USB stick and ADALM-PLUTO module, for example captured IQ data of VOR avionics signal, classical FM radio with RDS, digital DAB/DAB+ radio and 4G-LTE digital telephony. Additionally, modelling and simulation of some transmission scenarios are tested in software in the book, in particular TETRA, ADSL and 5G signals. Provides an introduction to digital signal processing and software-based digital communication; Presents a transition from digital signal processing to software-defined telecommunication; Features a suite of pedagogical materials including a laboratory test-bed and computer exercises/experiments .

Rapid advancements in technology have enabled the use of information and communication technologies to exchange and disseminate data and services with citizens, businesses, civil society, and other arms of government. ""The Handbook of Research on E-Government Readiness for Information and Service Exchange: Utilizing Progressive Information Communication Technologies"" formulates leading ICT strategies and critical comprehensive research for the development of efficient and effective e-government systems. This innovative collection provides cutting-edge knowledge to researchers and academicians with in-depth analysis of diversified approaches and patterns.

This volume examines core areas of development in security, emphasizing the pivotal contributions of women to the field's evolution. The author first covers a broad spectrum of key topics, including how security is created, where innovation occurs, what the underpinnings are, and who supports it and how. After an overview of the field, female security professionals share their own stories of technology and innovation in security today; the foundation, where research is headed, and the emerging trends. Women currently make up a very small pocket of cyber security staffing - this book aims to increase the visibility of women in the field and their contributions and encourage other females to join the field. The contributors hold various roles from executive leadership, to engineers, analysts, and researchers.

Countries are increasingly introducing data localization laws and data export restrictions, threatening digital globalization and inhibiting cloud computing's adoption despite its acknowledged benefits. Through a cloud computing lens, this multi-disciplinary book examines the personal data transfers restriction under the EU Data Protection Directive (including the EUUS Privacy Shield and General Data Protection Regulation). It covers historical objectives and practical problems, showing why the focus should move from physical data location to effective jurisdiction over those controlling access to intelligible data and control of access to data through security measures. The book further discusses data localization laws' failure to solve concerns regarding the topical and contentious issue of mass state surveillance. Its arguments are also relevant to other data localization laws, cross-border transfers of non personal data and transfers not involving cloud computing. Comprehensive yet accessible, this book is of great value to academics in law, policy, computer science and technology. It is also highly relevant to cloud computing/technology organisations and other businesses in the EU and beyond, data privacy professionals, policymakers and regulators.

This open access book brings together perspectives from multiple disciplines including psychology, law, IS, and computer science on data privacy and trust in the cloud. Cloud technology has fueled rapid, dramatic technological change, enabling a level of connectivity that has never been seen before in human history. However, this brave new world comes with problems. Several high-profile cases over the last few years have demonstrated cloud computing's uneasy relationship with data security and trust. This volume explores the numerous technological, process and regulatory solutions presented in academic literature as mechanisms for building trust in the cloud, including GDPR in Europe. The massive acceleration of digital adoption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is introducing new and significant security and privacy threats and concerns. Against this backdrop, this book provides a timely reference and organising framework for considering how we will assure privacy and build trust in such a hyper-connected digitally dependent world. This book presents a framework for assurance and accountability in the cloud and reviews the literature on trust, data privacy and protection, and ethics in cloud computing.

This book is an overview of current research in theoretical and practical aspects of security in distributed systems, in particular in information systems and related security tools. Issues treated in the book are security in XML-based management systems, security of multimedia data, technology and use of smart cards, applications of cryptography, security of distributed applications and adherence to standards, model and security issues associated with the organization of components (architectures) of information systems, such as networked systems (Internet and WWW-based), client/server architectures, andlayered architectures. Contributions come both from the academic and the industrial field.

Today, information communication technologies, such as the Internet and World Wide Web, are inextricably woven into the fabric of social and economic development. These changes are happening locally as well as globally, and the impact is transformational everywhere. Networked Communities: Strategies for Digital Collaboration looks at best practices in building sustainable community development to explain not only how but why. This unique book contains extensive referencing and sophisticated analysis in the ways communities are using information communication technologies to secure a more prosperous future.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to applying compressive sensing to improve data quality in the context of mobile crowdsensing. It addresses the following main topics: recovering missing data, efficiently collecting data, preserving user privacy, and detecting false data. Mobile crowdsensing, as an emerging sensing paradigm, enables the masses to take part in data collection tasks with the aid of powerful mobile devices. However, mobile crowdsensing platforms have yet to be widely adopted in practice, the major concern being the quality of the data collected. There are numerous causes: some locations may generate redundant data, while others may not be covered at all, since the participants are rarely systematically coordinated; privacy is a concern for some people, who don't wish to share their real-time locations, and therefore some key information may be missing; further, some participants may upload fake data in order to fraudulently gain rewards. To address these problematic aspects, compressive sensing, which works by accurately recovering a sparse signal using very few samples, has proven to offer an effective solution.

This book analyzes the fundamental issues faced when blockchain technology is applied to real-life applications. These concerns, not only in the realm of computer science, are caused by the nature of technological design. Blockchain is considered the foundation of a wide range of flexible ecosystems; its technology is an excellent mixture of mathematics, cryptography, incentive mechanisms, economics, and pertinent regulations. The book provides an essential understanding of why such fundamental issues arise, by revising the underlying theories. Blockchain theory is thus presented in an easy-to-understand, useful manner. Also explained is the reason why blockchain is hard to adopt for real-life problems but is valuable as a foundation for flexible ecosystems. Included are directions for solving those problems and finding suitable areas for blockchain applications in the future. The authors of this work are experts from a wide range of backgrounds such as cryptography, distributed computing, computer science, trust, identity, regulation, and standardization. Their contributions collected here will appeal to all who are interested in blockchain and the elements surrounding it.

Now fully revised and updated, "VSAT Networks" continues to cover all of the essential issues involved with the installation and operation of networks of small earth stations called 'Very Small Aperture Terminal'. VSATs are typically one to two meters in antenna reflector diameter and communicate with one another, or with a central earth station called a 'hub', via a relay satellite in space. This informative volume enables the reader to understand how services, economics and regulatory aspects condition the success of such networks.

Key features include: configuration and practical applications of VSAT networks radio frequency (RF) link analysis, focusing on basic formulae and the evaluation of the RF link performance protocols used, with emphasis on the necessary adaptation of protocols used in terrestrial networks procedures for the dimensioning of the network according to the type and volume of generated traffic and to the expected quality of service

Written by a well-known, highly respected academic, this authoritative volume will appeal to students of telecommunications, electronics and computer science. Practising telecommunications engineers and technical managers involved in the planning, design and operation of networks and service provision will all find this book a valuable reference source.

This "Second Edition" has taken full advantage of the author's experience gained from the success of the first edition. The theoretical background has been expanded and the operational contents have been updated in view of recent developments in the field.

Electronic mail, personal organizers, voice mail, all were introduced as time-saving devices designed to promote an easier and more efficient workplace. Yet many professionals find that making effective use of these new forms of communication technology can become a time-consuming task. In this handbook written for the office of the 21st century, Barbara Etzel and Peter J. Thomas provide guidance for those struggling to manage the growing volume of mail, memos, e-mail messages, and electronic documents that arrives daily.

Personal Information Management details the skills professionals need to process this information, save time, and work more effectively. Etzel and Thomas present common organizational difficulties and enumerate concrete techniques for overcoming them. They guide the reader through a variety of computer software and hardware products, paper-based information products, and personal time management techniques, helping the reader to develop and individually-tailored Personal Information Management Strategy.

Technologies covered include accounting and business software, word processors, databases, personal organizers, e-mail programs, tracking and storage packages, personal digital assistants, CD-Roms, computer backup devices, scanning device, voice mail, cellular phones, beepers, and fax machines, to name only a few. including an appendix listing the names and addresses of companies that Produce information technologies, Personal Information Technologies is essential reading for anyone suffering from information overload. Designed to be adaptable to emerging technologies, the techniques they provide will be applicable regardless for what the information age brings next.

This book provides a broad overview of the many card systems and solutions that are in practical use today. This new edition adds content on RFIDs, embedded security, attacks and countermeasures, security evaluation, javacards, banking or payment cards, identity cards and passports, mobile systems security, and security management. A step-by-step approach educates the reader in card types, production, operating systems, commercial applications, new technologies, security design, attacks, application development, deployment and lifecycle management. By the end of the book the reader should be able to play an educated role in a smart card related project, even to programming a card application. This book is designed as a textbook for graduate level students in computer science. It is also as an invaluable post-graduate level reference for professionals and researchers. This volume offers insight into benefits and pitfalls of diverse industry, government, financial and logistics aspects while providing a sufficient level of technical detail to support technologists, information security specialists, engineers and researchers.