A key aspect of a sustainable urban transportation system is the effectiveness of transportation policies. To be effective, a policy has to consider a broad range of elements, such as pollution emission, traffic flow, and human mobility. Due to the complexity and variability of these elements in the urban area, to produce effective policies remains a very challenging task. With the introduction of the smart city paradigm, a widely available amount of data can be generated in the urban spaces. Such data can be a fundamental source of knowledge to improve policies because they can reflect the sustainability issues underlying the city. In this context, we propose an approach to exploit urban positioning data based on stigmergy, a bio-inspired mechanism providing scalar and temporal aggregation of samples. By employing stigmergy, samples in proximity with each other are aggregated into a functional structure called trail. The trail summarizes relevant dynamics in data and allows matching them, providing a measure of their similarity. Moreover, this mechanism can be specialized to unfold specific dynamics. Specifically, we identify high-density urban areas (i.e hotspots), analyze their activity over time, and unfold anomalies. Moreover, by matching activity patterns, a continuous measure of the dissimilarity with respect to the typical activity pattern is provided. This measure can be used by policy makers to evaluate the effect of policies and change them dynamically. As a case study, we analyze taxi trip data gathered in Manhattan from 2013 to 2015.

A 2018 pilot project between the Public Health Agency of Canada and Advanced Symbolics will use social media posts as a resource to predict regional suicide rates.

NASA has two teams of researchers working to design a robotic bee that can fly on Mars. The space agency announced the project on March 30. It's in its early stages, but the idea is to replace modern rovers -- which are slow, bulky and very expensive -- with swarms of sensor-studded, fast-moving micro-bots that can cover much more ground at a relatively low cost. Literally called Marsbees, the little bots are "flapping wing flyers of a bumblebee size with cicada-sized wings," NASA officials wrote. As Live Science has previously reported, the largest species of bumblebee grows to be up to 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) long, but the American bumblebee is about a quarter of that size.

The University of Agder invites applications for a full-time fixed-term position for a period of three years as PhD Research Fellow. The position is linked to the Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and is located in Grimstad, Norway. The starting date is as soon as possible or by agreement. The Department of ICT hosts three research groups including nine Professors, 20 Associate Professors/Assistant professors and about 20 Research Fellows, pursuing a variety of research areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), wireless communications, network administration, and embedded systems. This open position is associated with Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) and targets development of a Chatbot based Personal Teaching Assistant (educator).

HSBC is making plenty of noise about having spent $2.3 billion on improving its artificial intelligence (AI) and digital capabilities around the globe. WeChat is an "important part of our digital strategy" In an interview with South China Morning Post (SCMP), Vivek Ramachandran, head of growth and innovation for HSBC global commercial banking, said that between 2015 and 2017 the bank created new platforms and partnered with technology companies such as Tencent's WeChat. "We have found that an increasing number of clients like to use new technology to conduct bank transactions in a secure and transparent way," says Ramachandran, aka Captain Obvious. In the interview, Ramachandran says HSBC has allocated $200 million globally for investment in fintech and enterprise start-ups. He called WeChat an "important part of our digital strategy".

The Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Authority (HKCAA) suggests that UAV users may need to register their drones with authorities, undertake training, pass tests and meet certain insurance requirements. As per the new rules, drone weighing over 9 ounces would need to be registered and the operators need to undertake short web-based training. But before making any changes, Hong Kong needs to go through a three month period of public consultation. The proposal will also include making certain parts of the island into no-fly zones. Still, there are number of countries that require proper registration and a license to fly.

The Defense Department has plans to open a joint office focused on developing artificial intelligence prototypes. Michael Griffin, the newly appointed and first undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering, said Friday during a discussion at the Hudson Institute that his office is creating a so-called "Joint Artificial Intelligence Office" and similar offices for other emerging technologies, like hypersonics. Griffin's remarks came on the tail of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Senate testimony Thursday in which he described his aggressive agenda for Pentagon research and engineering. "We're going to move things into production, prototyping," Mattis said. "We're not going to have more papers, we're going to move on hypersonics, move on AI." He explained that means coordinated office across the department, "not a bunch of different organizations all feeling their way forward."

UAE nationals including government officials, employees and students will soon get the opportunity to receive specialised training on artificial intelligence at the Oxford University. The MoU was signed by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Roger L. Michel, founder …

Dubai is rapidly transforming into a smart city as it embraces artificial intelligence (AI), adapts new technologies and begins implementing blockchain strategies. Last week, U.A.E.'s Vice President and Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021 that aims to get 50% of government transactions to adopt the blockchain platform over the next three years- a step that will help the government to save around $3 billion, and 398 million printed documents with 77 million work hours annually. "Adaptation to advanced technologies and utilizing them in serving society and enhancing the efficiency of government performance is a firmly established approach adopted by the U.A.E.," said Shaikh Mohammad. The Gulf city is also seeking to be safer along with being smarter as it aims to use artificial intelligence to police the emirate. The Brazil-headquartered security organization Polsec presented futuristic artificial intelligence camera and sensor technology that sees, smells and listens for potential problems, to delegates at the Future Cities Show at Dubai World Trade Center.

A Bengaluru-based company has come up with a solution that could help the Indian Army leap over the language barrier that has been impeding communication between soldiers deployed in forward areas and their Chinese counterparts. Cogknit Semantics Pvt Ltd has offered the army an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solution that can translate Chinese into English or Hindi in real time, according to a new report prepared by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on solutions to problems identified by the army. Army chief General Bipin Rawat released the report, titled '1st Compendium on Solutions to Problem Statements,' at the DefExpo-2018, which concluded in Chennai on Saturday. The Chinese language barrier is one of the 130 problems identified by the Army Design Bureau (ADB) in three separate reports. Other problems include a drop in engine performance of tanks and infantry combat vehicles at high altitude, and the difficulties in laying bridges for movement of troops and vehicles in mountains.