Abstract: Most evaluations are done from a policy/ programme/ project perspective. The downstream perspective which accompanies the flow of resources through the dissipative structures of the agencies to produce change in societies requires an organised upstream flow of information in order to keep the resources flowing downstream, where they feed the agencies and produce the intended impact. This perspective has dominated and limited method-driven evaluation as well as the different approaches of theory-based evaluation. An integrated evaluation of change approach tries to understand what is happening at the receiving end of development and social intervention through a perspective that looks first at the society and the wide range of organisations in the organisational landscape. Evaluation can thus cross the boundary of the learning organisation and contributes to a learning organisational landscape - networks, clusters or just assorted organisations targeting the same reality, and thereb

New Perspectives in Global Environmental Disasters is a collection of articles that represent high levels of scholarship in emergent themes and key issues. These include the following: - Crisis management - Emergency planning - Community-based disaster management

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.

Maybe the Global Village metaphor has never been more accurate than it is today, where societies join forces in the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic, in a global coordinated effort, possibly never tested before in the known history of Humankind. Although we are sure that in the past some other shared demands have united the different peoples of the world, this has never been so strongly necessary, mainly in what the global scientific community is concerned. This is a fight for the survival of a society. However, we should not lose sight of what we are fighting for. We fight together for people. Not just for the abstract value of Human life, but for life in society as a whole, including its moral and ethical aspects. The topics of this book are based on this claim, on what makes it possible. We do not build our lives in a vacuum, or in distant Invisible Cities, but through a higher value, which represents physical life in society: the City, built by the discipline of Urbanism. This book is a spin-off of the International Research Seminar on Urbanism_SIIU2020. Inspired by the contents of twelve research seminars, a group of researchers from the universities of Barcelona, Lisbon and São Paulo discuss the contemporary agenda of research in Urbanism. Following the conference, a selection of 35 original double-blind peer-reviewed research papers were brought together with different perspectives about such an agenda.

This comprehensive handbook presents the current state of knowledge on geospatial technologies, techniques, and methods that are imperative for providing solutions to sustainable cities. It addresses the role of geospatial big data and AI techniques and how they are applied when analyzing the sustainability of urban development, land use, urban planning, and resource management, as well as monitoring the impact urbanization has on the environment and the ecosystem. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable cities, and with contributions from renowned experts around the world, this holistic handbook is a toolbox for geospatial, urban, and sustainability professionals, the artificial intelligence community, and those who work in related fields. Features: Explores cutting-edge geospatial and AI techniques in support of efficient, resilient, digital, and smart cities Bridges urban science and sustainability science via geospatial methods Contributes to the efforts of GEO by addressing and exemplifying pertinent societal benefit areas and engagement priorities Includes 16 case studies with a broad geographic scope that integrate societal needs with technological advances Draws expertise in geospatial technology, big data, and artificial intelligence from leading experts in the world This book is intended for researchers and scientists interested in learning techniques in GeoAI, including the technologies for collecting, analyzing, managing, processing, and visualizing geospatial datasets.

Providing a holistic and client-centered approach, Assistive Technologies and Environmental Interventions in Healthcare explores the individual’s needs within the environment, examines the relationship between disability and a variety of traditional and cutting-edge technologies, and presents a humanistic discussion of Technology-Environment Intervention (TEI). Written by a multidisciplinary team of authors, this text introduces readers to a variety of conceptual practice models and the clinical reasoning perspectives. It also provides insight into how designers go about solving human-tech problems, discusses best practices for both face-to-face and virtual teams, and looks at the psychological, sociocultural, and cognitive factors behind the development and provision of assistive technologies. Examines a wide range of technologies and environmental interventions Demonstrates how a better understanding of the complexity of human interaction with both the physical and social environment can lead to better use of technology Explores the future of technology and research in TEI Complete with a range of learning features such as keywords, case studies and review questions, this book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in occupational therapy and other related health professions, as well as those undertaking certification and board examinations.

This volume brings together, in a central text, chapters written by leading scholars working at the intersection of modeling, the natural and social sciences, and public participation. This book presents the current state of knowledge regarding the theory and practice of engaging stakeholders in environmental modeling for decision-making, and includes basic theoretical considerations, an overview of methods and tools available, and case study examples of these principles and methods in practice. Although there has been a significant increase in research and development regarding participatory modeling, a unifying text that provides an overview of the different methodologies available to scholars and a systematic review of case study applications has been largely unavailable. This edited volume seeks to address a gap in the literature and provide a primer that addresses the growing demand to adopt and apply a range of modeling methods that includes the public in environmental assessment and management. The book is divided into two main sections. The first part of the book covers basic considerations for including stakeholders in the modeling process and its intersection with the theory and practice of public participation in environmental decision-making. The second part of the book is devoted to specific applications and products of the various methods available through case study examination. This second part of the book also provides insight from several international experts currently working in the field about their approaches, types of interactions with stakeholders, models produced, and the challenges they perceived based on their practical experiences.

This book follows 3 case studies of children with cerebral palsy: mild, moderate, and severe, from infancy to adulthood. Traditional frames of reference from medical, educational, and developmental models are presented to create a functional approach to the assessment and management of the motor components of vision. The wire coil bound edition of 210 pages contains 134 photographs and illustrations which help to clarify normal and atypical development of vision, and suggest ways to integrate intervention programs into home, school, and community activities.