The passion of engineering in electronics, signal processing, sensor technology, statistics and communication.
Barcelona - Linux and Open Source in Public Administation
There has been a partly dogmatic discussion about whether to use Microsoft products or Open Source and Linux in pulblic administation for years. LiMux in Munich is a well-known example. Recently Munich decided to leave Linux and go back to Microsoft whereas Barcelona is about to move towards Open Source technologies.
Often this discussion is led by the question which model is cheaper regarding license and maintenance costs. Linux comes for free however adaption and maintenance have to be done. It is an interesting question which choice is beneficial in long-term.
The move to Open Source can bring a big momentum in the local IT industry. If a large scale administation like the City of Barcelona is about the apply Open Source, many IT jobs have to be done to adapt and modify the available Open Source software and the IT infrastructure to meet the special requirements in administation. In the sense of Open Source the solutions should be shared afterwards.
Especially the initial set-up generates higher costs compared to closed source solutions based on Microsoft as they mostly come ready out-of-the-box. Moreover maintenance has to be done for the developed software. These tasks can drive the local ecosystem of IT companies. Jobs are generated and knowledge is developing locally which also gives opportunities for other businesses to benefit.
https://itsfoss.com/barcelona-open-source/
The invisible security hazard
More and more things will be connected to the internet of things. The internet connection brings a never ending threat of security issues to the devices. Last weekend it was widely noticable with the effect of the ransomware WannaCry stopping Deutsche Bahn's customer information service.
The security threat is a new challenge for device makers: Before it was a countable number of requirements which had to be fulfilled to ensure that the device would be of good quality and longevity. But the checklist to build an unbreakable and secure connected device doesn't even exist. More and more points would have to be added in future during the lifetime of the device.
The next big thing for the Internet of Things: ESP32
The manufacturer and creator of the almost legendary ESP8266 has something new in the pipeline: A connectivity module which contains WiFi and Bluetooth simultaneously. The Shanghai based company Espressif has planned a product with amazing specs.
Link to the website from Espressif about the ESP32.
3D camera based on compressive sensing
A paper on a 3D camera based on compressive sensing was published by researchers of Beihang University Beijing, University of Glasgow and the company Selex ES.
Link to the Blog Nuit Blanche.