Ylenia MARUCCIA | University of Salento (original) (raw)

Papers by Ylenia MARUCCIA

Research paper thumbnail of The Star Formation Rate of the Milky Way as Seen by Herschel

The Astrophysical Journal

We present a new derivation of the Milky Way’s current star formation rate (SFR) based on the dat... more We present a new derivation of the Milky Way’s current star formation rate (SFR) based on the data of the Herschel InfraRed Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL). We estimate the distribution of the SFR across the Galactic plane from the star-forming clumps identified in the Hi-GAL survey and calculate the total SFR from the sum of their contributions. The estimate of the global SFR amounts to 2.0 ± 0.7 M ⊙ yr−1, of which 1.7 ± 0.6 M ⊙ yr−1 coming from clumps with reliable heliocentric distance assignment. This value is in general agreement with estimates found in the literature of last decades. The profile of SFR density averaged in Galactocentric rings is found to be qualitatively similar to others previously computed, with a peak corresponding to the Central Molecular Zone and another one around Galactocentric radius R gal ∼ 5 kpc, followed by an exponential decrease as log ( Σ SFR / [ M ⊙ yr − 1 kpc − 2 ] ) = a R gal / [ kpc ] + b , with a = −0.28 ± 0.01. In this regard, the fraction o...

Research paper thumbnail of A Methodological Framework for Developing a Smart-Tourism Destination in the Southeastern Adriatic–Ionian Area

Sustainability

This paper presents a methodological framework aiming to support the creation of a smart-tourism ... more This paper presents a methodological framework aiming to support the creation of a smart-tourism destination. Specifically, the study is realised in the frame of NEST, a European Union Interreg project aiming to create a smart-tourism destination in the Adriatic–Ionian area. Therefore, the study focuses on the southeastern Adriatic–Ionian area, as a portion of the European macro-region including the Italian regions of Molise and Apulia and the Balkan countries of Albania and Montenegro. This area presents a clear vocation for tourism, with a distinctive cultural heritage, attractive natural landscapes, and old culinary traditions offering a variety of eno-gastronomic and folk craft products. In the frame of the EU neighbour policies and in coherence with the objectives of the EU smart specialization strategy, several initiatives have been promoted for innovating the tourism offering in this area. Despite this, the full achievement of the creation of an Adriatic–Ionian smart destinat...

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a Digital Future: an Innovative Semantic IoT Integrated Platform for Industry 4.0, Healthcare, and Territorial Control

One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the... more One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the integration and harmonization of data produced by cyber-physical systems with those already present and generated by classical information systems. Things, on the other hand, are items that have physical sensors, devices actuators, or other tools to generate data and receive information from other sources. In this complex scenario, we can already talk about the Internet of Everything (IoE), an immense network of heterogeneous and complex elements. In this paper, we present a novel business solution supported by the Italian POR FESR 2014 – 2020 of Apulia Region, namely the Digital Future project, that acts as a high-level framework of applications for real-time platforms, integrating a wide variety of IoT services, leveraging data into more useful information, into interoperable industrial control networks to put humans in the loop, connecting them in a more relevant, valuable ways.

Research paper thumbnail of Evidence from Network Analysis application to Innovation Systems and Quintuple Helix

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2020

Abstract The debate on innovation systems has recently been improved through the development of m... more Abstract The debate on innovation systems has recently been improved through the development of more dynamic and forward-looking approaches. Scholars and researchers have started to reserve attention for System Dynamics, a widely used methodology for modelling complex socio-economic systems. Moreover, recent innovation models such as the Quintuple Helix framework call for an effort for better understanding and forecasting relationships among ecology, knowledge and innovation, deeply analysing synergies among economy, society, and democracy. This paper focuses on the relationships between the Quintuple Helix and System Dynamics modelling from a quantitative perspective. It discusses how the application of Network Analysis metrics advances the understanding of an innovation system mapped with a Quintuple Helix model. Using Global Innovation Index, a Casual Loop Diagram has been designed representing the process of knowledge generation and innovation dissemination within the Quintuple Helix model. Identification of structural features within Causal Loop Diagrams through Network Analysis is likely to provide new insights into the emergent properties of an innovation system seen as a complex system. Meanwhile, analysing central drivers has the potential to identify leverage points. Results obtained show the benefits of coupling Network Analysis with System Dynamics modelling and valuable evidence of relationships among helices.

Research paper thumbnail of A system dynamic approach for the smart mobility of people: Implications in the age of big data

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019

Abstract Mobility of people can be configured as an information intensive process resulting from ... more Abstract Mobility of people can be configured as an information intensive process resulting from a complex set of factors. Its effective implementation requires the adoption of methods able to leverage on a set of complex and dynamic variables, and mainly on a huge amount of data available. Moving from this assumption, this paper aims to demonstrate that system dynamics could present a useful approach for optimising decision making for people's mobility. The conceptual model is built by using the principles of system dynamics methodology and is based on causal feedback relationships among the various factors related to the different needs of people's mobility. The causal feedback loops and interrelationship among various parameters illustrate the dynamicity and the influence of parameters on one another. The simulation analysis was conducted to dynamically evaluate six scenarios corresponding to the different solutions available for particular segments of demand. Findings highlight that the modelling approaches could guide the city planners to evolve responsive policy interventions for further developing smart mobility of people. Implications for policy makers regard the developing sustainable mobility scenarios based on the analysis of big data from the adoption of digital platforms grounded on the simulation model.

Research paper thumbnail of Solar System constraints on alternative theories of gravity

Il Nuovo Cimento B

Alternative theories of gravity have been proposed to explain the acceleration of the Universe wi... more Alternative theories of gravity have been proposed to explain the acceleration of the Universe without Ë-term or Dark Energy (DE) and the flatness of the rotation curves of galaxies without Dark Matter (DM). Really, such kind of theories (so-called fourth-order gravity, in particular) were quite successful to fit several cosmological tests. In the present paper it is shown that Solar System data (in particular planetary periods and light bending in the solar limb) put strong constraints on the parameters of this theory making it not so attracting.

Research paper thumbnail of NGC 4051: low state XMM-Newton observation and modelization via the Cloudy code

Research paper thumbnail of The YSO Population in the Vela-D Molecular Cloud

Research paper thumbnail of The Young Stellar Object Population in the Vela-D Molecular Cloud

The Astrophysical Journal, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of CHARACTERIZING THE STRUCTURE OF DIFFUSE EMISSION IN Hi-GAL MAPS

The Astrophysical Journal, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of the fraction of clear sky at the La Palma and Mt Graham sites

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2010

The amount of available telescope time is one of the most important requirements when selecting a... more The amount of available telescope time is one of the most important requirements when selecting astronomical sites, as it affects the performance of ground-based telescopes. We present a quantitative survey of clouds coverage at La Palma and Mt.Graham using both ground-and satellite-based data. The aim of this work is to derive clear nights for the satellite infrared channels and to verify the results using ground-based observations. At La Palma we found a mean percentage of clear nights of 62.6 per cent from ground-based data and 71.9 per cent from satellite-based data. Taking into account the fraction of common nights we found a concordance of 80.7 per cent of clear nights for ground-and satellite-based data. At Mt.Graham, we found a 97 per cent agreement between Columbine heliograph and night-time observing log. From Columbine heliograph and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Ozone Monitoring Instrument (TOMS-OMI) satellite, we found that about 45 per cent of nights were clear, while satellite data (GOES, TOMS) are much more dispersed than those of La Palma. Setting a statistical threshold, we retried a comparable seasonal trend between heliograph and satellite.

Research paper thumbnail of Fraction of clear skies above astronomical sites: a new analysis from the GOES12 satellite

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of A characterization of the NGC 4051 soft X-ray spectrum as observed byXMM-Newton

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2010

Context. Soft X-ray high resolution spectroscopy of obscured AGNs shows a complex soft X-ray spec... more Context. Soft X-ray high resolution spectroscopy of obscured AGNs shows a complex soft X-ray spectrum dominated by emission lines of He and H-like transitions of elements from carbon to neon, as well as L-shell transitions due to iron ions. Aims. In this paper we characterize the XMM-Newton RGS spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051 observed during a low flux state and infer the physical properties of the emitting and absorbing gas in the soft X-ray regime. Methods. X-ray high-resolution spectroscopy offers a powerful diagnostic tool because the observed spectral features strongly depend on the physical properties of matter (ionization parameter U, electron density n e , hydrogen column density N H), which in turn are tightly related to the location and size of the X-ray emitting clouds. We carried out a phenomenological study to identify the atomic transitions detected in the spectra. This study suggests that the spectrum is dominated by emission from a photoionized plasma. Then we used the photoionization code Cloudy to produce synthetic models for the emission line component and the warm absorber observed during phases of high intrinsic luminosity. Results. The low state spectrum cannot be described by a single photoionization component. A multi-ionization phase gas with an ionization parameter in the range of log U ∼ 0.63−1.90 and a column density log N H = 22.10−22.72 cm −2 is required, while the electron density n e remains unconstrained. A warm absorber medium is required by the fit with the parameters log U ∼ 0.85, log N H = 23.40 and log n e < ∼ 5. The model is consistent with an X-ray emitting region at a distance > ∼ 5 × 10 −2 pc from the central engine.

Research paper thumbnail of How to exploit Big Social Data in the Covid-19 pandemic: the case of the Italian tourism industry

Research paper thumbnail of NormaSearch: a Big Data Application for Financial Services

In the recent years banking and financial markets are trying to learn how Big Data can help to tr... more In the recent years banking and financial markets are trying to learn how Big Data can help to transform their processes and organizations, improving customer intelligence, reducing risks, and meeting regulatory objectives. The collection and the analysis of new legislations, understanding if they are introducing new aspects with potential impacts on different fields, could be the basis of a system able to give support in the strategic decision making process and to evaluate the potential impacts on both management and strategic activities. Here we want to present NormaSearch, a Big Data application developed by Exprivia, an international leading company in Italy in the process consulting, technology services and information technology solutions. NormaSearch is able to analyse specifical information taken from the web, both in a structured and unstructured form, and its application in the financial fields.

Research paper thumbnail of Alla scoperta dei segreti della volta celeste

Research paper thumbnail of The soft X-ray spectrum of NGC 4051 in its low state: a CLOUDY approach

Research paper thumbnail of a Herschel Look to Star Formation in the Third Galactic Quadrant

The first Hi-GAL observations of the outer Galaxy consist of five dust continuum maps, between 70... more The first Hi-GAL observations of the outer Galaxy consist of five dust continuum maps, between 70 and 500 μm, of the area delimited by 216.5° < l < 225.5° and -2° < b < 0°). NANTEN CO(1-0) line observations are used to derive cloud kinematics and distances, making it possible to estimate physical parameters of the compact sources (cores and clumps) detected in the region, namely 255 proto-stellar and 590 pre-stellar sources, respectively. Both source typologies are found in all the distance components observed in the field, up to - 5.8 kpc, testifying the presence of star formation beyond the Perseus arm at these longitudes. Furthermore, several sources of both protoand pre-stellar nature are compatible with requirements for massive star formation, based on the mass-radius relation. For the pre-stellar sources belonging to the Local arm (d < 1.5 kpc) we study the mass function, whose high-mass end shows a power-law behavior N(logM) ˜ M^(-1.0±0.2). Finally, we use a lu...

Research paper thumbnail of Extracting insights from big social data for smarter tourism destination management

Measuring Business Excellence

Purpose This paper aims to highlight how big social data (BSD) and analytics exploitation may hel... more Purpose This paper aims to highlight how big social data (BSD) and analytics exploitation may help destination management organisations (DMOs) to understand tourist behaviours and destination experiences and images. Gathering data from two different sources, Flickr and Twitter, textual and visual contents are used to perform different analytics tasks to generate insights on tourist behaviour and the affective aspects of the destination image. Design/methodology/approach This work adopts a method based on a multimodal approach on BSD and analytics, considering multiple BSD sources, different analytics techniques on heterogeneous data types, to obtain complementary results on the Salento region (Italy) case study. Findings Results show that the generated insights allow DMOs to acquire new knowledge about discovery of unknown clusters of points of interest, identify trends and seasonal patterns of tourist demand, monitor topic and sentiment and identify attractive places. DMOs can expl...

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a Digital Future: an Innovative Semantic IoT Integrated Platform for Industry 4.0, Healthcare, and Territorial Control

One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the... more One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the integration and harmonization of data produced by cyber-physical systems with those already present and generated by classical information systems. Things, on the other hand, are items that have physical sensors, devices actuators, or other tools to generate data and receive information from other sources. In this complex scenario, we can already talk about the Internet of Everything (IoE), an immense network of heterogeneous and complex elements. In this paper, we present a novel business solution supported by the Italian POR FESR 2014 – 2020 of Apulia Region, namely the Digital Future project, that acts as a high-level framework of applications for real-time platforms, integrating a wide variety of IoT services, leveraging data into more useful information, into interoperable industrial control networks to put humans in the loop, connecting them in a more relevant, valuable ways.

Research paper thumbnail of The Star Formation Rate of the Milky Way as Seen by Herschel

The Astrophysical Journal

We present a new derivation of the Milky Way’s current star formation rate (SFR) based on the dat... more We present a new derivation of the Milky Way’s current star formation rate (SFR) based on the data of the Herschel InfraRed Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL). We estimate the distribution of the SFR across the Galactic plane from the star-forming clumps identified in the Hi-GAL survey and calculate the total SFR from the sum of their contributions. The estimate of the global SFR amounts to 2.0 ± 0.7 M ⊙ yr−1, of which 1.7 ± 0.6 M ⊙ yr−1 coming from clumps with reliable heliocentric distance assignment. This value is in general agreement with estimates found in the literature of last decades. The profile of SFR density averaged in Galactocentric rings is found to be qualitatively similar to others previously computed, with a peak corresponding to the Central Molecular Zone and another one around Galactocentric radius R gal ∼ 5 kpc, followed by an exponential decrease as log ( Σ SFR / [ M ⊙ yr − 1 kpc − 2 ] ) = a R gal / [ kpc ] + b , with a = −0.28 ± 0.01. In this regard, the fraction o...

Research paper thumbnail of A Methodological Framework for Developing a Smart-Tourism Destination in the Southeastern Adriatic–Ionian Area

Sustainability

This paper presents a methodological framework aiming to support the creation of a smart-tourism ... more This paper presents a methodological framework aiming to support the creation of a smart-tourism destination. Specifically, the study is realised in the frame of NEST, a European Union Interreg project aiming to create a smart-tourism destination in the Adriatic–Ionian area. Therefore, the study focuses on the southeastern Adriatic–Ionian area, as a portion of the European macro-region including the Italian regions of Molise and Apulia and the Balkan countries of Albania and Montenegro. This area presents a clear vocation for tourism, with a distinctive cultural heritage, attractive natural landscapes, and old culinary traditions offering a variety of eno-gastronomic and folk craft products. In the frame of the EU neighbour policies and in coherence with the objectives of the EU smart specialization strategy, several initiatives have been promoted for innovating the tourism offering in this area. Despite this, the full achievement of the creation of an Adriatic–Ionian smart destinat...

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a Digital Future: an Innovative Semantic IoT Integrated Platform for Industry 4.0, Healthcare, and Territorial Control

One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the... more One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the integration and harmonization of data produced by cyber-physical systems with those already present and generated by classical information systems. Things, on the other hand, are items that have physical sensors, devices actuators, or other tools to generate data and receive information from other sources. In this complex scenario, we can already talk about the Internet of Everything (IoE), an immense network of heterogeneous and complex elements. In this paper, we present a novel business solution supported by the Italian POR FESR 2014 – 2020 of Apulia Region, namely the Digital Future project, that acts as a high-level framework of applications for real-time platforms, integrating a wide variety of IoT services, leveraging data into more useful information, into interoperable industrial control networks to put humans in the loop, connecting them in a more relevant, valuable ways.

Research paper thumbnail of Evidence from Network Analysis application to Innovation Systems and Quintuple Helix

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2020

Abstract The debate on innovation systems has recently been improved through the development of m... more Abstract The debate on innovation systems has recently been improved through the development of more dynamic and forward-looking approaches. Scholars and researchers have started to reserve attention for System Dynamics, a widely used methodology for modelling complex socio-economic systems. Moreover, recent innovation models such as the Quintuple Helix framework call for an effort for better understanding and forecasting relationships among ecology, knowledge and innovation, deeply analysing synergies among economy, society, and democracy. This paper focuses on the relationships between the Quintuple Helix and System Dynamics modelling from a quantitative perspective. It discusses how the application of Network Analysis metrics advances the understanding of an innovation system mapped with a Quintuple Helix model. Using Global Innovation Index, a Casual Loop Diagram has been designed representing the process of knowledge generation and innovation dissemination within the Quintuple Helix model. Identification of structural features within Causal Loop Diagrams through Network Analysis is likely to provide new insights into the emergent properties of an innovation system seen as a complex system. Meanwhile, analysing central drivers has the potential to identify leverage points. Results obtained show the benefits of coupling Network Analysis with System Dynamics modelling and valuable evidence of relationships among helices.

Research paper thumbnail of A system dynamic approach for the smart mobility of people: Implications in the age of big data

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019

Abstract Mobility of people can be configured as an information intensive process resulting from ... more Abstract Mobility of people can be configured as an information intensive process resulting from a complex set of factors. Its effective implementation requires the adoption of methods able to leverage on a set of complex and dynamic variables, and mainly on a huge amount of data available. Moving from this assumption, this paper aims to demonstrate that system dynamics could present a useful approach for optimising decision making for people's mobility. The conceptual model is built by using the principles of system dynamics methodology and is based on causal feedback relationships among the various factors related to the different needs of people's mobility. The causal feedback loops and interrelationship among various parameters illustrate the dynamicity and the influence of parameters on one another. The simulation analysis was conducted to dynamically evaluate six scenarios corresponding to the different solutions available for particular segments of demand. Findings highlight that the modelling approaches could guide the city planners to evolve responsive policy interventions for further developing smart mobility of people. Implications for policy makers regard the developing sustainable mobility scenarios based on the analysis of big data from the adoption of digital platforms grounded on the simulation model.

Research paper thumbnail of Solar System constraints on alternative theories of gravity

Il Nuovo Cimento B

Alternative theories of gravity have been proposed to explain the acceleration of the Universe wi... more Alternative theories of gravity have been proposed to explain the acceleration of the Universe without Ë-term or Dark Energy (DE) and the flatness of the rotation curves of galaxies without Dark Matter (DM). Really, such kind of theories (so-called fourth-order gravity, in particular) were quite successful to fit several cosmological tests. In the present paper it is shown that Solar System data (in particular planetary periods and light bending in the solar limb) put strong constraints on the parameters of this theory making it not so attracting.

Research paper thumbnail of NGC 4051: low state XMM-Newton observation and modelization via the Cloudy code

Research paper thumbnail of The YSO Population in the Vela-D Molecular Cloud

Research paper thumbnail of The Young Stellar Object Population in the Vela-D Molecular Cloud

The Astrophysical Journal, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of CHARACTERIZING THE STRUCTURE OF DIFFUSE EMISSION IN Hi-GAL MAPS

The Astrophysical Journal, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of the fraction of clear sky at the La Palma and Mt Graham sites

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2010

The amount of available telescope time is one of the most important requirements when selecting a... more The amount of available telescope time is one of the most important requirements when selecting astronomical sites, as it affects the performance of ground-based telescopes. We present a quantitative survey of clouds coverage at La Palma and Mt.Graham using both ground-and satellite-based data. The aim of this work is to derive clear nights for the satellite infrared channels and to verify the results using ground-based observations. At La Palma we found a mean percentage of clear nights of 62.6 per cent from ground-based data and 71.9 per cent from satellite-based data. Taking into account the fraction of common nights we found a concordance of 80.7 per cent of clear nights for ground-and satellite-based data. At Mt.Graham, we found a 97 per cent agreement between Columbine heliograph and night-time observing log. From Columbine heliograph and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Ozone Monitoring Instrument (TOMS-OMI) satellite, we found that about 45 per cent of nights were clear, while satellite data (GOES, TOMS) are much more dispersed than those of La Palma. Setting a statistical threshold, we retried a comparable seasonal trend between heliograph and satellite.

Research paper thumbnail of Fraction of clear skies above astronomical sites: a new analysis from the GOES12 satellite

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of A characterization of the NGC 4051 soft X-ray spectrum as observed byXMM-Newton

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2010

Context. Soft X-ray high resolution spectroscopy of obscured AGNs shows a complex soft X-ray spec... more Context. Soft X-ray high resolution spectroscopy of obscured AGNs shows a complex soft X-ray spectrum dominated by emission lines of He and H-like transitions of elements from carbon to neon, as well as L-shell transitions due to iron ions. Aims. In this paper we characterize the XMM-Newton RGS spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051 observed during a low flux state and infer the physical properties of the emitting and absorbing gas in the soft X-ray regime. Methods. X-ray high-resolution spectroscopy offers a powerful diagnostic tool because the observed spectral features strongly depend on the physical properties of matter (ionization parameter U, electron density n e , hydrogen column density N H), which in turn are tightly related to the location and size of the X-ray emitting clouds. We carried out a phenomenological study to identify the atomic transitions detected in the spectra. This study suggests that the spectrum is dominated by emission from a photoionized plasma. Then we used the photoionization code Cloudy to produce synthetic models for the emission line component and the warm absorber observed during phases of high intrinsic luminosity. Results. The low state spectrum cannot be described by a single photoionization component. A multi-ionization phase gas with an ionization parameter in the range of log U ∼ 0.63−1.90 and a column density log N H = 22.10−22.72 cm −2 is required, while the electron density n e remains unconstrained. A warm absorber medium is required by the fit with the parameters log U ∼ 0.85, log N H = 23.40 and log n e < ∼ 5. The model is consistent with an X-ray emitting region at a distance > ∼ 5 × 10 −2 pc from the central engine.

Research paper thumbnail of How to exploit Big Social Data in the Covid-19 pandemic: the case of the Italian tourism industry

Research paper thumbnail of NormaSearch: a Big Data Application for Financial Services

In the recent years banking and financial markets are trying to learn how Big Data can help to tr... more In the recent years banking and financial markets are trying to learn how Big Data can help to transform their processes and organizations, improving customer intelligence, reducing risks, and meeting regulatory objectives. The collection and the analysis of new legislations, understanding if they are introducing new aspects with potential impacts on different fields, could be the basis of a system able to give support in the strategic decision making process and to evaluate the potential impacts on both management and strategic activities. Here we want to present NormaSearch, a Big Data application developed by Exprivia, an international leading company in Italy in the process consulting, technology services and information technology solutions. NormaSearch is able to analyse specifical information taken from the web, both in a structured and unstructured form, and its application in the financial fields.

Research paper thumbnail of Alla scoperta dei segreti della volta celeste

Research paper thumbnail of The soft X-ray spectrum of NGC 4051 in its low state: a CLOUDY approach

Research paper thumbnail of a Herschel Look to Star Formation in the Third Galactic Quadrant

The first Hi-GAL observations of the outer Galaxy consist of five dust continuum maps, between 70... more The first Hi-GAL observations of the outer Galaxy consist of five dust continuum maps, between 70 and 500 μm, of the area delimited by 216.5° < l < 225.5° and -2° < b < 0°). NANTEN CO(1-0) line observations are used to derive cloud kinematics and distances, making it possible to estimate physical parameters of the compact sources (cores and clumps) detected in the region, namely 255 proto-stellar and 590 pre-stellar sources, respectively. Both source typologies are found in all the distance components observed in the field, up to - 5.8 kpc, testifying the presence of star formation beyond the Perseus arm at these longitudes. Furthermore, several sources of both protoand pre-stellar nature are compatible with requirements for massive star formation, based on the mass-radius relation. For the pre-stellar sources belonging to the Local arm (d < 1.5 kpc) we study the mass function, whose high-mass end shows a power-law behavior N(logM) ˜ M^(-1.0±0.2). Finally, we use a lu...

Research paper thumbnail of Extracting insights from big social data for smarter tourism destination management

Measuring Business Excellence

Purpose This paper aims to highlight how big social data (BSD) and analytics exploitation may hel... more Purpose This paper aims to highlight how big social data (BSD) and analytics exploitation may help destination management organisations (DMOs) to understand tourist behaviours and destination experiences and images. Gathering data from two different sources, Flickr and Twitter, textual and visual contents are used to perform different analytics tasks to generate insights on tourist behaviour and the affective aspects of the destination image. Design/methodology/approach This work adopts a method based on a multimodal approach on BSD and analytics, considering multiple BSD sources, different analytics techniques on heterogeneous data types, to obtain complementary results on the Salento region (Italy) case study. Findings Results show that the generated insights allow DMOs to acquire new knowledge about discovery of unknown clusters of points of interest, identify trends and seasonal patterns of tourist demand, monitor topic and sentiment and identify attractive places. DMOs can expl...

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a Digital Future: an Innovative Semantic IoT Integrated Platform for Industry 4.0, Healthcare, and Territorial Control

One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the... more One of the challenges launched by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is the integration and harmonization of data produced by cyber-physical systems with those already present and generated by classical information systems. Things, on the other hand, are items that have physical sensors, devices actuators, or other tools to generate data and receive information from other sources. In this complex scenario, we can already talk about the Internet of Everything (IoE), an immense network of heterogeneous and complex elements. In this paper, we present a novel business solution supported by the Italian POR FESR 2014 – 2020 of Apulia Region, namely the Digital Future project, that acts as a high-level framework of applications for real-time platforms, integrating a wide variety of IoT services, leveraging data into more useful information, into interoperable industrial control networks to put humans in the loop, connecting them in a more relevant, valuable ways.