The Energy Performance in the Italian Public Administration： State of the Art and Future Prospects

The commitment to improve energy and environmental performance in public administration is essential for the success of development models geared towards lasting sustainability. The Public Administration （PA） in Italy, in particular, plays a key role to affn-m models of development oriented towards energy and environmental sustainability, thanks to a wider and more innovative vision. The PA has a dual consumer/user role, public heritage and decision maker/planner, in promoting energy efficiency at local level, in the light of specific problems and peculiarities. For several decades, initiatives have been launched at various levels to improve energy and environmental performance in the public administration. The aim of this study is to outline from a critical perspective, the state of the art of policy makers in Italy concerning energy efficiency measures in public administration. There are however many cultural, value-related, financial, technological, institutional, and operational issues in the PA sector that limit investments in energy efficiency. It should be noted that if on one hand the PA shows a lack of knowledge and is unwilling to adopt practices and systemic tools for monitoring and control, on the other, in terms of bureaucracy, the system appears to be far too complicated and costly. The multiple benefits linked to improved energy performance would therefore require that the PA rethink their organizational and functional models, put in place more flexible and less bureaucratic forms of management and a more dynamic, pervasive, and proactive approach towards initiatives that promote energy efficiency. The research is a contribution towards identifying the driving forces behind potential systems and tools for energy efficiency in the PA, highlighting both critical elements and opportunities and, in particular, the limits deriving from the technological, managerial, and organizational options available for energy eff^ciency enhancement in the sector of the Italian PA.

Big Earth data analytics:a survey

Big Earth data are produced from satellite observations,Internet-ofThings,model simulations,and other sources.The data embed unprecedented insights and spatiotemporal stamps of relevant Earth phenomena for improving our understanding,responding,and addressing challenges of Earth sciences and applications.In the past years,new technologies(such as cloud computing,big data and artificial intelligence)have gained momentum in addressing the challenges of using big Earth data for scientific studies and geospatial applications historically intractable.This paper reviews the big Earth data analytics from several aspects to capture the latest advancements in this fast-growing domain.We first introduce the concepts of big Earth data.The architecture,various functionalities,and supporting modules are then reviewed from a generic methodology aspect.Analytical methods supporting the functionalities are surveyed and analyzed in the context of different tools.The driven questions are exemplified through cutting-edge Earth science researches and applications.A list of challenges and opportunities are proposed for different stakeholders to collaboratively advance big Earth data analytics in the near future.