The use of embedded Internet systems is growing rapidly in the manufacturing sector. These systems allow the monitoring and controlling of plant machinery and manufactured items from a remote location via a standard Web interface. In a manufacturing environment, it is inevitable that long running processes will require support for dynamic reconfiguration because, for example, machines may fail, services may be moved or withdrawn and user requirements may change. In such an environment it is essential that the operation and architecture of such processes can be modified to reflect such changes. This research project will present methods and ideas for establishing a reconfigurable remote system by using standard 8-bit microcontrollers and reconfigurable hardware. It will allow a manufacturing process to be modified and changed within minutes without even having to be physically present at the location where the process is running.

This paper serves as an introduction to this special issue on the use of multiregional input- output modeling in assessments of natural resource use and resource use efficiency. Due to globalization, growth in trade has outpaced growth in global gross domestic product (GDP). As a consequence, impacts of consumption of a country increasingly take place abroad. Various methods have been developed to perform so-called footprint analyses. We argue that global multiregional input-output (GMRIO) analysis has the largest potential to provide a consistent accounting framework to calculate a variety of different footprint indicators. The state of the art in GMRIO has, however, various shortcomings, such as limited sector and regional detail and incomplete extensions. The work presented in this special issue addresses a number of such problems and how to possibly overcome them, focusing on the construction of a new GMRIO database (EXIOBASE V3). This database includes long time series in both current and constant prices, a high level of product and sector detail, a physical representation of the world economy, and allows analyzing which footprints out of the many possible indicators provide most information for policy making. Various options for empirical analyses are presented in this special issue. Finally, we analyze how GMRIOs can be further standardized and gradually moved from the scientific to the official statistical domain.

This thesis describes the design, development and implementation of the core hardware and software of a modular data acquisition system for geophysical data collection. The primary application for this system is the acquisition and realtime processing of seismic data captured in mines. This system will be used by a commercial supplier of seismic instrumentation, ISS International, as a base architecture for the development of future products. The hardware and software has been designed to be extendable and support distributed processing. The IEEE-1394 High Performance Serial Bus is used to communicate with other CPU modules or peripherals. The software includes a pre-emptive multitasking microkernel, an asynchronous mailbox-based message passing communications system, and a functional IEEE-1394 protocol stack. The reasons for the end design and implementation decisions are given, and the problems encountered in the development of this system are described. A critical assessment of the match between the requirements for the project and the functionality of the implementation is made.

The improvement of environmental impacts from production and consumption is an important sustainability target for Belgium, defined in federal and regional strategies for sustainable development. In order to monitor the implementation of sustainability targets a framework that can consistently link production and consumption and assess multiple environmental impacts such as climate change or resource use is needed. The most recognised method for the quantification of environmental impacts of product systems is life cycle assessment (LCA). Most LCAs focusing on production and consumption activities are carried out at national level. However, when regional differences in production and/or consumption structure exist, which is the case for Belgium, the use of more regionalised datasets and assessments seems more appropriate. This PhD thesis develops a multi-regional environmentally extended input-output model (EE-MRIOM) that can account for regional variation in production and consumption patterns and analyse environmental impacts of products from life cycle perspective. The model analysis three Belgian regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia with a special focus on the latter) and their connections via trade flows with the rest of the world. The regional input-output tables (IOTs) of Belgium were linked to a global input-output database (EXIOBASE) and integrated into the LCA framework. The initial regional environmental data on major air emissions were extended by resource use and other emission data, so that a wide spectrum of potential environmental impacts can be analysed. The model represents all economic activities in 2003, 2007 and 2010 with a higher resolution in environmentally important sectors (e.g. energy, construction products, waste).The analysis of environmental impacts from production and consumption perspective confirms the relevance of the life cycle thinking approach, as, for example only 10 % of Walloon household environmental impacts are direct impacts and only 20 % of the Walloon production-related impacts occur on the regional territory. The results show that certain environmental impacts of production have decreased due to the economic crises and structural changes, while environmental impacts from household consumption have increased during the same period. Therefore, we conclude that only the joint improvement from production and consumption perspective will effectively reduce environmental impacts and particular efforts from the consumer side are needed. The regional comparison of impact intensities indicates significant regional variation for production, at economy scale, but also at product level. However, the results do not suggest a systematically lower or higher environmental impact intensity for a certain region. From the household consumption perspective, the results indicate low regional variation when comparing environmental impacts on a per habitant basis. Based on the results from the regional comparison of impact intensities, we conclude that there is no universal concept that could be transferred from one region to the other to improve environmental impacts. Instead, product-specific best cases at a regional scale must be identified in order to propose improvement options. For the Walloon region ‘priority products’, i.e. products or services that contribute significantly to a certain impact category in terms of total impact and impact intensities, are identified with the developed EE-MRIOM. Further model applications are demonstrated in this work such as comparative assessment within a priority sector, detailed sector analysis and scenario analysis to support the policy-making process. The developed model helps to identify most efficient measures to reduce environmental impacts from production and consumption perspective and suggests further methodological developments. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Effective implementation of resource policies requires consistent and robust indicators. An increasing number of national and international strategies focussing on resource efficiency as a means for reaching a green economy call for such indicators. As supply chains of goods and services are increasingly organised on the global level, comprehensive indica-tors taking into account upstream material flows associated with internationally traded products need to be compiled. Particularly in the last few years, the development of con-sumption-based indicators of material use also termed material footprints has made considerable progress. This paper presents a comprehensive review of existing methodol-ogies to calculate material footprint-type indicators. The three prevailing approaches, i.e. environmentally extended input-output analysis (EE-IOA), coefficient approaches based on process analysis data, and hybrid approaches combing elements of EE-IOA and process analysis are presented, existing models using the different approaches discussed, and advantages and disadvantages of each approach identified. We argue that there is still a strong need for improvement of the specific approaches as well as comparability of re-sults, in order to reduce uncertainties. The paper concludes with recommendations for further development covering methodological, data and institutional aspects.

Abstract This study analyses the significance of goods production and services to regional employment. As a part of this study, a regional input-output model has been created in which the employment of different industries is determined by their own and each others’ final demand, the productivity of the labour input and the production-income-consumption dependencies of the industries. In the empirical results attention is mainly paid on the changes to the employment structure in 2002 and the subsequent five-year period. Four Finnish provinces were represented in this study: Northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Lapland and Uusimaa. The specialisation of the regions causes differences both in the structure and the development of their employment. Of the regions, focus has been primarily on Northern Ostrobothnia, which has specialised strongly in the manufacture of electronic products during the last two decades. In Kainuu and Lapland, the main industries are primary production, basic manufacturing industries and public services. In Uusimaa, where private services are concentrated, the production basis is clearly different from the northern provinces. In all four regions, exports and public consumption have together maintained approximately 80 per cent of the employment in 2002. In Northern Ostrobothnia, exports of electronic products are significant to employment in the service industry as well. The significance of public consumption is greatest in Kainuu and Lapland. In Uusimaa, private services play a central part in employment. A total of one-fifth of the employment in all these regions is maintained by gross capital formation and the exogenous consumption of private households. The income basis of this consumption consists of pensions, unemployment benefits and other transfers of income, the significance of which is greatest in small provinces. Final demand is a central factor in the future development of employment, so its regional prospects should be taken into consideration in the economic policy. In strong, export-oriented regions, background support for companies and counter-cyclical measures might be sufficient. In small and peripheral provinces, continuous and extensive activity is needed for maintaining sufficient demand. The common goal should be to reinforce the production and income basis of the region. / Tiivistelmä Tässä tutkimuksessa analysoidaan tavarantuotannon ja palvelujen merkitystä alueiden työllisyydessä. Osana tutkimusta on laadittu alueellinen panos-tuotosmalli, jossa toimialojen työllisyys määräytyy niiden omasta ja toistensa loppukysynnästä, työn tuottavuudesta sekä toimialojen tuotanto-, tulo- ja kulutusriippuvuuksista. Empiirisissä tuloksissa päähuomio on alueiden työllisyyden vuoden 2002 rakenteessa ja sen jälkeisellä viisivuotiskaudella tapahtuneissa muutoksissa. Tutkimuksessa on edustettuna neljä Suomen maakuntaa: Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, Kainuu, Lappi ja Uusimaa. Alueiden erikoistuminen aiheuttaa eroja sekä niiden työllisyyden rakenteeseen että kehitykseen. Tutkimuksen tuloksissa on paneuduttu yksityiskohtaisimmin Pohjois-Pohjanmaahan, joka on kahden viime vuosikymmenen kuluessa erikoistunut vahvasti sähkötekniseen teollisuuteen. Kainuussa ja Lapissa keskeisiä toimialoja ovat alkutuotanto, perusteollisuus ja yhteiskunnalliset palvelut. Uusimaa valtakunnallisena palvelukeskittymänä poikkeaa tuotantoperustaltaan selvästi pohjoisista maakunnista. Kaikilla neljällä alueella vienti ja julkinen kulutus yhdessä ovat ylläpitäneet noin 80 prosenttia työllisyydestä vuonna 2002. Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla sähköteknisen teollisuuden viennillä on tärkeä asema myös palvelujen työllisyydessä. Julkisen kulutuksen merkitys on suurin Kainuussa ja Lapissa. Uudellamaalla keskeinen asema työllisyydessä on yksityisillä palveluilla. Kaikkien alueiden työllisyydestä yhteensä viidenneksen turvaavat pääoman bruttomuodostus sekä kotitalouksien eksogeeninen kulutus. Tämän, alueiden tuotannosta riippumattoman kulutuksen tuloperustaa ovat eläkkeet, työttömyyskorvaukset ja muut tulonsiirrot, joilla on suurin merkitys pienissä maakunnissa. Loppukysyntä on keskeinen taustavaikuttaja työllisyyden tulevassa kehityksessä, joten sen alueelliset kehitysnäkymät tulisi ottaa talouspolitiikassa huomioon. Vahvoilla, vientiin suuntautuneilla alueilla taustatuki yrityksille ja suhdannepolitiikka saattavat riittää. Sen sijaan pienissä ja perifeerisissä maakunnissa riittävän kysynnän ylläpitäminen edellyttää pysyvää ja laaja-alaista vaikuttamista. Sen yhteisenä pyrkimyksenä tulee olla alueen tuotanto- ja tuloperustan vahvistaminen.

Responsible water management in an era of globalised supply chains needs to consider both local and regional water balances and international trade. In this paper, we assess the water footprints of total final demand in the EU-27 at a very detailed product level and spatial scale - an important step towards informed water policy. We apply the multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model EXIOBASE, including water data, to track the distribution of water use along product supply chains within and across countries. This enables the first spatially-explicit MRIO analysis of water embodied in Europe's external trade for almost 11,000 watersheds world-wide, tracing indirect ("virtual") water consumption in one country back to those watersheds where the water was actually extracted. We show that the EU-27 indirectly imports large quantities of blue and green water via international trade of products, most notably processed crop products, and these imports far exceed the water used from domestic sources. The Indus, Danube and Mississippi watersheds are the largest individual contributors to the EU-27's final water consumption, which causes large environmental impacts due to water scarcity in both the Indus and Mississippi watersheds. We conclude by sketching out policy options to ensure that sustainable water management within and outside European borders is not compromised by European consumption.

Various adaptation and mitigation strategies have been explored to cope with changes in the climate. Estimating these strategies impacts on the local economy is one of the growing and pressing issues for the management of natural resources. This thesis consists of three parts and aims to contribute to regional economic studies by analyzing: (1) the economic impact of solar energy facilities, (2) the level of virtual water flow and the effectiveness of scenarios to mitigate water resource shortage, and (3) the impact of climate change on agriculture through a Ricardian approach weighted by stream flow connectivity. As an increasingly adopted renewable energy resource, solar power has a high potential for carbon emission reduction and economic development. In the first essay the impacts on jobs, income, and economic output of a new solar power plant are calculated in an input-output framework. The contribution is twofold. First, we compare the multipliers generated by the construction and operation/maintenance of a plant located in California with those that would pertain had it been built in Arizona. Second, we point out the differences in the results obtained with the popular IMPLAN software from those obtained with the solar photovoltaic model of JEDI. The second essay focuses on water use in Arizona. As much as 73% of the state's scarce water is used by a single sector: crop production. Because 79% of Arizona's crop production is consumed outside the state, this means that, 67% of the water available in the state is being exported to the rest of the country and abroad. This should be of major concern for a state expected to see its population grow and its climate get drier. Using input-output techniques we explore three scenarios aimed at saving 19% of the water available. This figure is based on the results of the first of the scenarios that explores how much can be saved through improving the efficiency of the current irrigation system. The second scenario shows that equivalent water savings could be reached by a twenty-seven-fold increase in the price of water. The third scenario shows that a 19.5% reduction in crop exports could conserve an equal amount of water. The model results suggest that the least costly solution is a more efficient irrigation system, while export reduction is the second best choice. The third and final essay offers an extension of the well-known Ricardian model of agrarian economic rent. In spite of its popularity among studies of the impact of climate change on agriculture, there has been few attempts to examine the role of interregional spillovers in this framework. We remedy this gap by focusing on the spatial externalities of surface water flow used for irrigation purposes and demonstrate that farmland value—the usual dependent variable used in the Ricardian framework—is a function of the climate variables experienced locally and in upstream locations. This novel approach is tested empirically on a spatial panel model estimated across the counties of the Southwest USA for every five-year period from 1997 to 2012. This region is one of the driest in the country, hence its agriculture relies heavily on irrigation with the preponderance of the sources being surface water transported over long distances. The results highlight the significant role of irrigation spillovers and indicate that the actual impact of climate change on agriculture and subsequent adaptation policies can no longer overlook the streamflow network.

Input Output frameworks have been widely used to study the emissions of industrial sectors either in specific economies or globally but usually focus on aggregated measures under production or consumption accounting principles (PAP and CAP). This leads to a lack of transparency in terms of the structure of the emissions and provides limited information on what are the main drivers of the emissions allocated to each sector under PAP and CAP. This information gap limits the options of policy makers to interventions on whole sectors, rather than the components of their supply chains that hold the major shares of the total embodied emissions. In this thesis we argue in favour of a more disaggregated, a ‘hot-spot’, approach that provides a better understanding of the structure of emissions under both of these headline measures. We develop a methodology to identify CO2 ‘hot-spots’ in downstream and upstream supply chains, both domestic and global. The methodology is applied first to a Single Region Input Output framework for China in 2005 identifying ‘Electricity, Gas and Water Supply’ as the Chinese sector with the highest direct emissions. Examination of the sector’s domestic downstream supply chain reveals that the majority of emissions are generated to support the final demand of other domestic sectors. Of these ‘Construction’ is the main driver and it also is the Chinese sector that is found to have the largest domestic CO2 footprint, with several emissions ‘hot-spots’ in its domestic upstream supply chain. The ‘hot-spot’ methodology is then extended to a global Inter-Regional Input Output framework to consider ‘hot-spots’ in a global supply chain context. By focusing on 2009 (the year for which appropriate data are most recently available) and UK total final demand we find that Chinese ‘Electricity, Gas and Water Supply’ is the non-UK sector with the largest direct emissions driven by UK total final demand. Studying this sector’s downstream supply chain outside China reveals that a large share of the sector’s emissions is ultimately generated to support several UK-based sectors’ domestic final demand. Furthermore, the UK ‘Health and Social Work’ sector is identified as the UK sector with the second largest global footprint to support domestic final demand. We identified a number of ‘hot-spots’ in the international part of its upstream supply chain, with a key finding being its dependence on the activity and the embodied emissions in global chemicals production. Finally, the thesis goes on to demonstrate how conducting ‘hot-spot’ analysis on disaggregated regional/sub-national Input Output tables can provide more detailed local level analysis of ‘hot-spot’ findings from the Inter-Regional Input Output framework. The key finding in this respect is the importance of introducing region specific emissions data where possible, as non-region specific data can lead in incorrect estimation of the embodied emissions in any component of the supply chains of any sectors. In general, through this research project we developed a methodology that can enhance the policy makers understanding of the structure and the drivers of the emissions generated throughout the economy. This additional information on the emissions structure, when combined with familiar IO analysis on employment and value-added for example, has the potential to lead to more targeted/focused policies, which result in significant emissions reduction with the minimum employment, resources and value-added cost.

The aim of master thesis is to analyze the impact of electricity generation from wind on investment activities of CEPS's company, and also to assess the impact of these investments on the Czech economy. The work familiarizes readers with reasons for the development of the transmission system in the Czech Republic, with the concept of blackout and also with apparatus of assessing the impact of investment on the economy of the selected state -- input-output model analysis. The method used to obtain data for this work is based on the literature review, as well as expert advice on the input-output model, consultation with the experts in CEPS and the data provided by them. The theoretical part deals with Czech transmission system, and it is followed by the development of wind energy construction and the problems associated with it, with blackout and readiness of the Czech Republic to the possible failure in electricity supply. In the practical part, there are measures that are built in order to prevent the risk of blackouts in the Czech Republic, there is a more detailed examination of the Plan of development and rehabilitation of Czech transmission system, and there is also described the process of construction of analytical input-output apparatus for analyzing the impact of CEPS's development investments on the Czech economy, approximated by GDP.