While it is generally accepted that environmental data are critical to understanding environmental phenomena, there are yet improvements to be made in their consistent collection, curation, and sharing. This thesis describes two research efforts to improve two different aspects of hydrologic data collection and management. First described is a recipe for the design, development, and deployment of a low-cost environmental data logging and transmission system for environmental sensors and its connection to an open source data-sharing network. The hardware is built using several low-cost, open-source, mass-produced components. The system automatically ingests data into HydroServer, a standards-based server in the open source Hydrologic Information System (HIS) created by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences Inc (CUAHSI). A recipe for building the system is provided along with several test deployment results. Second, a connection between HydroServer and HydroShare is described. While the CUAHSI HIS system is intended to empower the hydrologic sciences community with better data storage and distribution, it lacks support for the kind of “Web 2.0” collaboration and social-networking capabilities that are increasing scientific discovery in other fields. The design, development, and testing of a software system that integrates CUAHSI HIS with the HydroShare social hydrology architecture is presented. The resulting system supports efficient archive, discovery, and retrieval of data, extensive creator and science metadata, assignment of a persistent digital identifier such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), scientific discussion and collaboration around the data and other basic social-networking features. In this system, HydroShare provides functionality for social interaction and collaboration while the existing HIS provides the distributed data management and web services framework. The system is expected to enable scientists, for the first time, to access and share both national- and research lab-scale hydrologic time series in a standards-based web services architecture combined with a social network developed specifically for the hydrologic sciences.These two research projects address and provide a solution for significant challenges in the automatic collection, curation, and feature-rich sharing of hydrologic data.

Im Rahmen der T!Raum-Initiative OSHOP lädt die TU Dresden gemeinsam mit der HTW Dresden und dem Fraunhofer-IWU zur ersten Open Source Hardware Konferenz vom 30. September bis 1. Oktober 2024 in Dresden ein. In Kooperation mit sächsischen Unternehmen soll im Projekt Open Source Hardware (OSH) als Innovations- und Transferkonzept erprobt werden, um die Innovationszyklen sächsischer KMU zu beschleunigen und damit deren Innovationskraft auf nationaler und globaler Ebene zu stärken. Während Open Source Software wie Google oder Android bewährt und bekannt ist, wissen die Wenigsten über Open Source Hardware – also offene Hardware z.B. für Maschinen und Anlagen – Bescheid. Dass Open Hardware allerdings ebenfalls großes Potential hat, zeigen Erfolgsgeschichten im 3D-Druck und im Bau von CNC-Fräsen. Insbesondere für KMU ist es lohnenswert, Open Hardware genauer unter die Lupe zu nehmen, da nicht nur Ressourcen eingespart und der Fachkräftemangel minimiert werden, sondern auch Innovationen schneller und effizienter umgesetzt werden können. Die Konferenz bietet die Möglichkeit, einen Einblick in fachliche Aspekte der OSH sowie Open Innovation zu erlangen, Transferprozesse als Wege zur Innovation zu besprechen und die Potentiale des OSH-basierten Transfers als Innovationskatalysator für sächsische Unternehmen zu entdecken. Durch die Einbeziehung diverser Akteure aus Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft und Wissenschaft in den Innovationsprozess und der gemeinsamen Entwicklung von qualitativ hochwertigen Lösungen für verschiedene Anwendungen können neue Produkte und Leistungen schneller und preiswerter entstehen.

Shifting priorities toward sustainability, longevity, and individuality necessitates adapted value-creation concepts. One promising approach to address these needs is adopting openness in product development. In line with the Open Design Paradigm, the aim is to make the technical documentation accessible to everyone and modifiable, indirectly turning the resulting product into Open Source Hardware (OSH). In this way, the knowledge of many can be pooled, and new innovations can be created. However, OSH frequently suffers from inadequate documentation. To enhance the quality, a reorganisation of product development processes could be beneficial. This may involve the adoption of novel methods and collaborative processes. One promising approach is the implementation of ideation contests, which allow participants to publicly share their ideas and receive early-stage feedback and community ratings. However, the question ensues: What is the subsequent course of action when current platforms seem incapable of integrating established knowledge about product development processes and existing collaborative methods appear to fail? As part of a research project, over 40 participants of an ideation contest were surveyed on Product Innovation, Product Development and Product Processing. The results will be presented in this article to provide a better understanding of the requirements and needs of developers for the structure of platforms for digital collaborative development.

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