Web and Internet Science (WAIS) academics have deployed a revamp of Southampton’s Web Observatory site – a resource that enables more meaningful engagement with data analytics.

The revamp will be implemented on other Web Observatory sites worldwide, providing a global distributed resource to discover, use and share datasets and analytics.

Dr Thanassis Tiropanis, an Associate Professor in the WAIS reaserch group in Electronics and Computer Science, led the effort which was supported by the University of Southampton, under the umbrella of the Web Science Trust.

The concept of Web Observatories was developed and promoted by the University of Southampton six years ago as a way of fostering Web Science research. They are an emerging global resource that aims to provide a distributed catalogue of datasets and apps that can be shared and accessed in a secure manner.

There are now 11 Web Observatories around the world, each focusing on different aspects including Web Science, disaster management and health and care for the elderly. They provide the means to observe the digital planet, explore its processes, and understand their impact on different sectors of human activity, by nurturing communities exchanging and using each other’s Web-related datasets, as well as sharing analytic applications for research and business Web applications.

Now an improved Southampton Web Observatory has been implemented making the site even more engaging, user-friendly and easy to access.

Key improvements include:

• A new user interface making it easier for businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers and the public to engage with datasets and analytics.
• An improved search function across different Web Observatory sites.
• Better security allowing control of who can access resources.
• Single sign-in allowing access across different Web Observatory sites.

Thanassis said: “This is a key upgrade for engagement with the Web Observatory; better user interface, search function, single sign-in, and tutorials to make it easier for everyone to use and contribute datasets and apps. A great team has been working hard on this deployment and we are all excited about its potential.â€? Dame Wendy Hall, Professor in WAIS and Managing Director of the Web Science Trust, said: “This is a big step forward towards a global network of Web Observatories that will empower researchers in Web Science and beyond.â€?

The University of South Australia Web Observatory and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) PETRAS-funded Internet of Things Observatory are also being upgraded.

Fresh scientific direction from a Southampton cyber expert is advancing secure cloud computing solutions for the public sector in an EU research and innovation programme.

Professor Vladimiro Sassone, Director of the University of Southampton’s Cyber Security Academy, has reshaped the Horizon 2020 SUNFISH project since being appointed Scientific Leader in the summer.

SUNFISH, which stands for SecUre iNFormatIon SHaring in federated heterogeneous private clouds, is overcoming current infrastructural and legislative barriers to develop and integrate software enabling computing clouds for European public sector bodies. The project is first meeting the specific challenges faced by the Maltese and Italian Ministries of Finance, as well as the UK’s Regional Cyber Crime Units.

Professor Sassone, part of the University’s department of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), has turned to the ‘blockchain’ distributed database method as an innovative infrastructure for base cloud computing. Under his leadership, the project has formulated the concept of Federation-as-a-service (FaaS).

“We had started the systematic study of FaaS, having identified blockchain as an exciting vehicle to implement the concept,â€? he said. “FaaS and blockchain are two largely independent things, but their combination – a new notion for cloud computing – offers us something really valuable and is already attracting the attention of the European establishment. The ideas were presented at the Italian Parliament in November in a round table discussion about the future of IT in public administration. I’ll also be speaking at a government conference in January.â€?

Professor Sassone believes the project’s technological solutions open the way for blockchain technologies to be used as an infrastructure to support the Internet of Things in the future.

His team, based in ECS' Agents, Interaction and Complexity research group, consists of researchers Andrea Margheri, Sadek Ferdous and Mu Yang, alongside PhD students David Young and Shorouq Alansari, and visiting student Edoardo Gaetani.

Dr Francesco Paolo Schiavo, Director General of Information Systems and Innovation at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and Project Coordinator for SUNFISH, commented: “I’m very satisfied with the results we are producing. The appointment of Professor Sassone as the project’s Scientific Leader is proving really fruitful, and I am grateful to him for his work and commitment.â€?

Successful trials of 'CharIoT', a unique new system that simultaneously records temperature, humidity and energy use in the home, have opened the way for low-income households to save money while reducing risks to their health.

Researchers from Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton, alongside the University of Nottingham and the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), developed Chariot with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the system generates easy-to-use data that can help local authorities, housing associations, energy suppliers, health authorities and others to target and tailor the energy advice they give to vulnerable people.

As well as revealing under-heated or over-heated parts of a home, Chariot enables energy advisors to pinpoint where and why damp or mould may pose a problem. They can then suggest, for example, ways of using heaters more efficiently and cost-effectively, blocking draughts and eliminating dampness through better ventilation.

Each Chariot kit includes three small wireless sensors that regularly record the temperature and humidity in the rooms they are placed in, and wireless devices that monitor gas and electricity consumption. Data is forwarded to and stored securely in the ‘cloud’ and later analysed via tablet or computer using a simple-to-use web-based interface.

Chariot has now been trialled in over 20 low-income homes. A user guide helps energy advisors to make the most of the graphs and tables that the system generates and to provide tips geared to individual households’ needs – including measures as simple as fitting thicker curtains or loft insulation, or improving air circulation. Of potential value to all households and not just low-income ones, Chariot is now being promoted to potential user organisations across the UK and the team is exploring ways of adding further functionality.

Cold or damp can exacerbate medical conditions ranging from colds, flu, arthritis and asthma to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), circulatory diseases and mental illness. In total, nearly 1 million people in the UK suffer from COPD, for example, while cardio-vascular disease causes 42,000 premature deaths a year. People in the coldest houses can be most at risk.

Researchers from the University of Southampton’s Agents, Interaction, and Complexity research group in ECS developed the sensor boards, algorithms, and user interfaces that were deployed during the project. The challenge was to ensure the kit was cheap enough to deploy at scale, and that the data visualisation employed was legible to a non-expert.

Dr Enrico Costanza, who led the research while at Southampton, says: “Chariot is the only system of its kind that collects data on temperature, humidity and energy use (and therefore CO2 emissions) all at the same time. It makes it easy for advisors to understand what’s going on energy-wise in a house, to make the householder aware of what the problems are and ultimately to get their buy-in to make the necessary beneficial changes.”

The work in the Chariot Project is now being taken forward as the ‘Chariot Agile’ project in an attempt to further mature the technology. Dr Sarvapali Ramchurn, who now leads the work at the University of Southampton says: “The Chariot kit will be both more affordable and more usable than most solutions out there. We will be putting state-of-the-art analytics engines in the hands of energy advisors so that they can provide the best recommendations to help the fuel poor save money and live more comfortably.”

Dr Nick Banks of the CSE says: “It’s not just a question of cutting energy use and greenhouse emissions. By giving energy advisors a tool that allows them to inform themselves and then sit down with a householder and talk through problems and solutions, it offers a very practical route to making wiser energy choices and therefore improving quality of life and enhancing health among vulnerable and low-income groups, who often suffer serious health impacts due to cold and damp homes.”

The 18-month CharIoT project began in October 2014 and ended in March 2016, receiving a total of just over £277,000 in EPSRC funding. The 6-month CharIoT Agile project began in October 2016 and will end in March 2017. It is funded by EPSRC from the Impact Acceleration fund.