<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" ><generator uri="https://jekyllrb.com/" version="3.10.0">Jekyll</generator><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" /><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" /><updated>2026-04-15T14:02:08+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/feed.xml</id><title type="html">Advanced Information Systems Laboratory</title><subtitle>Next generation spatial data infrastructures and location intelligence.</subtitle><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><entry><title type="html">We welcome Jonathan Juárez Pelcastre from the Colegio de Postgraduados (COLPOS)</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2026/02/02/JonathanJuarez/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="We welcome Jonathan Juárez Pelcastre from the Colegio de Postgraduados (COLPOS)" /><published>2026-02-02T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-02-02T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2026/02/02/JonathanJuarez</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2026/02/02/JonathanJuarez/"><![CDATA[<p>We welcome Jonathan Juárez Pelcastre from the Colegio de Postgraduados (COLPOS), Montecillos Campus (Texcoco, Mexico). Jonathan will be part of our team for the next three months as part of a research stay within his doctoral studies.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2026-02-02-JonathanJuarez.jpg" alt="Jonathan Juárez Pelcastre" /></p>

<p><em>“My professional training has focused on production systems in protected agriculture, with the firm purpose of promoting innovation and the technification of agriculture. I hold a degree in Agrotechnology, which provided me with knowledge on the management of cropping systems, and a master’s degree in Agroplasticulture oriented toward protected agriculture, where I focused on the development and prototyping of monitoring systems for high-value crops. Through this experience of incorporating technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analysis, I came to understand that the digital era (Agriculture 4.0) is an essential tool in the near future. Therefore, I decided to focus my studies on promoting the development of open-access technologies that facilitate decision-making and, consequently, the management of high-value crops under greenhouse conditions.</em></p>

<p><em>I am currently a PhD student in Science in the Hydrosciences graduate program at COLPOS, Montecillo Campus. During my studies, I have been able to expand my knowledge, particularly on the movement of water within the plant as a function of climatic conditions and the plant’s phenological stage.</em></p>

<p><em>My stay at the IAAA Laboratory of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Zaragoza has allowed me to deepen my knowledge of digital environments, which has been spectacular. My research project consists of determining the optimal timing and amount of irrigation for high-value greenhouse crops through the use of machine learning algorithms based on historical and current data. The objective is to create models that predict the appropriate timing and amount of irrigation required by the crop without compromising yield and fruit quality, thereby increasing water-use efficiency in intensive production systems and avoiding unnecessary irrigation.</em></p>

<p><em>This experience at the University of Zaragoza will be a fundamental part of my professional development in technological advancement and innovation in agriculture in my country, contributing to the growth of the digital era.”</em></p>]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="People" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[We welcome Jonathan Juárez Pelcastre from the Colegio de Postgraduados (COLPOS), Montecillos Campus (Texcoco, Mexico). Jonathan will be part of our team for the next three months as part of a research stay within his doctoral studies.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2026-02-02-JonathanJuarez.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2026-02-02-JonathanJuarez.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Décima edición de los premios Pedro R. Muro-Medrano</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2026/01/15/decima-ed-premios-pedro-muro-tfe/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Décima edición de los premios Pedro R. Muro-Medrano" /><published>2026-01-15T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-01-15T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2026/01/15/decima-ed-premios-pedro-muro-tfe</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2026/01/15/decima-ed-premios-pedro-muro-tfe/"><![CDATA[<p>El <a href="/">Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados</a> y el <a href="http://i3a.unizar.es">Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón</a> abren la convocatoria para los premios a los trabajos de fin de estudios <strong>defendidos en cualquier universidad española entre el 1 de enero de 2025 y el 31 de diciembre de 2025</strong> que más aporten al desarrollo y explotación de datos abiertos o datos geográficos.</p>

<h1 id="objetivo-y-participantes">Objetivo y participantes</h1>
<p>El objetivo de estos premios es fomentar y apoyar la realización de trabajos de final de estudios que creen y/o integren tecnologías para el tratamiento de datos abiertos, datos geográficos o que aborden la integración de datos de múltiples fuentes.</p>

<p>Los premios están dirigidos a quienes hayan defendido su trabajo de fin de estudios entre el 1 de enero de 2025 y el 31 de diciembre de 2025 en cualquier titulación de grado o máster de cualquier universidad española. El término trabajo de fin de estudios, en adelante TFE, engloba tanto a trabajos de fin de grado como proyectos fin de carrera o trabajos de fin de máster.</p>

<h1 id="presentación-de-propuestas-plazos-y-documentación-a-presentar">Presentación de propuestas, plazos y documentación a presentar</h1>
<p><strong>El plazo de recepción de los TFE concluye el 22 de marzo de 2026 a las 23:59 horas.</strong></p>

<p>Las solicitudes para optar al premio deberán enviarse a la siguiente dirección de correo electrónico: <a href="mailto:iaaa@unizar.es">iaaa@unizar.es</a> indicando «Premio TFE» como asunto.</p>

<p>Se deberá adjuntar al correo:</p>

<ul>
  <li>El formulario correspondiente (según <a href="/downloads/Hoja_Solicitud_Premio_Pedro_Muro_TFE.odt">este modelo</a>) debidamente cumplimentado y firmado.</li>
  <li>Resumen ejecutivo del TFE incidiendo en el objetivo, conclusiones, principales aportaciones, conjuntos de datos utilizados, así como la justificación de que el trabajo realizado se encuadra dentro de los objetivos del premio (máximo 3000 caracteres). La no inclusión de todos estos puntos supondrá la no consideración de la candidatura.</li>
  <li>Enlace a un repositorio que permita descargar la memoria del TFE.</li>
  <li>Un breve <em>curriculum vitae</em> del candidato o candidata (máximo 2 páginas).</li>
</ul>

<h1 id="jurado">Jurado</h1>
<p>El jurado estará compuesto por los siguientes miembros:</p>

<ul>
  <li>Francisco Javier Ariza López, Departamento de Ingeniería Cartográfica, Geodésica y Fotogrametría, Director del Grupo de Investigación en Ingeniería Cartográfica, Universidad de Jaén.</li>
  <li>Joaquín Huerta Guijarro, Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos, Director del Geotec Research, Universitat Jaume I.</li>
  <li>Miguel Ángel Manso Callejo, Departamento de Ingeniería Topográfica y Cartografía, Responsable del Grupo MERCATOR: Tecnologías de la Geoinformación y Agentes inteligentes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.</li>
  <li>Javier Nogueras Iso, Departamento de Informática e Ingeniería de Sistemas, Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados,  Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón (I3A), Universidad de Zaragoza.</li>
  <li>Amparo Núñez Andrés, Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental, Responsable del grupo de investigación Geo2Aqua, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.</li>
  <li>Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Luaces, Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación y Tecnologías de la Información, Coordinador del Laboratorio de Bases de Datos, Universidade da Coruña.</li>
  <li>José Ramón Ríos Viqueira, Computación Gráfica e Ingeniería de Datos (COGRADE), Departamento de Electrónica y Computación, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela</li>
  <li>María Sebastián López, Departamento de Didácticas Específicas, Universidad de Zaragoza.</li>
  <li>F. Javier Zarazaga Soria, Departamento de Informática e Ingeniería de Sistemas, Director del Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados, Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón (I3A), Universidad de Zaragoza.</li>
</ul>

<h1 id="criterios-de-valoración">Criterios de valoración</h1>
<p>Los criterios establecidos de valoración de las candidaturas para la concesión del premio comprenden:</p>

<ul>
  <li>La capacidad de la propuesta para transmitir con rigor, extensión y claridad los contenidos del TFE (máximo 30 puntos).</li>
  <li>La calidad e innovación de los elementos que configuran la propuesta y su presentación (máximo 30 puntos).</li>
  <li>La contribución del TFE al desarrollo y explotación de datos abiertos o datos geográficos (máximo 40 puntos).</li>
</ul>

<h1 id="fallo">Fallo</h1>
<p>El jurado, por suma de las puntuaciones asignadas de acuerdo con los criterios anteriores, concederá dos premios: un primer premio y un accésit que corresponderán con los TFE que hayan obtenido las dos puntuaciones más altas entre los presentados. Si a juicio del jurado no hay dos de los TFE presentados que reúnan la calidad mínima exigible o cubran satisfactoriamente el objeto de la convocatoria, cualquiera de los dos premios o los dos pueden declararse desiertos.</p>

<p>El fallo se dará a conocer durante el acto de entrega de diplomas y premios extraordinarios a titulados en el curso 2024-2025 de la <a href="http://eina.unizar.es/">Escuela de Ingeniería y Arquitectura de la Universidad de Zaragoza</a> en fechas todavía por concretar. En el caso de que hubiera alguna modificación se notificaría convenientemente a todos los interesados.</p>

<p>Para la entrega de los premios se aplicará lo establecido en la legislación sobre Impuesto de la Renta de las Personas Físicas que se encuentre vigente en el momento del pago.</p>

<p>El fallo del jurado será inapelable. Se realizarán las acciones de difusión y publicidad del resultado que se consideren convenientes.</p>

<h1 id="dotación-económica">Dotación económica</h1>
<p>El primer premio concedido estará dotado con 600 € y un diploma acreditativo, mientras que el accésit estará dotado con 400 € y un diploma acreditativo.</p>

<h1 id="propiedad-intelectual">Propiedad intelectual</h1>
<p>Cada participante garantiza que el trabajo presentado es una creación propia y que el trabajo no depende de, ni infringe, Derechos de Propiedad Industrial o Intelectual de terceros.</p>

<h1 id="confidencialidad">Confidencialidad</h1>
<p>Cada participante declara, en el momento de la solicitud del premio, que el contenido completo del TFE no tiene carácter confidencial y que se permita su consulta y divulgación.</p>

<p><em>La presentación de una candidatura supone la aceptación de estas bases.</em></p>]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><summary type="html"><![CDATA[El Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados y el Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón abren la convocatoria para los premios a los trabajos de fin de estudios defendidos en cualquier universidad española entre el 1 de enero de 2025 y el 31 de diciembre de 2025 que más aporten al desarrollo y explotación de datos abiertos o datos geográficos.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/Pedro_Muro.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/Pedro_Muro.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">A framework for the acceptance testing of geospatial search engines</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/10/20/A-framework-for-the-acceptance-testing-Paper/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="A framework for the acceptance testing of geospatial search engines" /><published>2025-10-20T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-10-20T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/10/20/A-framework-for-the-acceptance-testing-Paper</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/10/20/A-framework-for-the-acceptance-testing-Paper/"><![CDATA[<p>Geospatial search engines are an essential component of spatial data infrastructures and enable a broad spectrum of environmental applications. The back-end implementation of these search engines has evolved from traditional text-based information retrieval systems into more specialised search engines. However, to assess the actual improvement brought by this evolution, thorough testing is needed.</p>

<p>Our recently published paper, “A framework for the acceptance testing of geospatial search engines”, proposes a framework for the acceptance testing of geospatial search engines that assesses their functionality, effectiveness, and user-friendliness. For each quality attribute, the framework proposes different testing design techniques and guidelines for their practical implementation.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-10-20-graphical-abstract.jpg" alt="Graphical abstract" class="center-image" width="100%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Graphical abstract</b></center></h4>

<p>To demonstrate its feasibility, it has been applied to the evaluation of a geospatial semantic search engine of the Spanish National Geographic Institute. The evaluated search engine showed a sufficient level of functionality and effectiveness. However, the usability results were barely satisfactory due to perceived problems associated with complexity, inconsistency, and low learnability.</p>

<hr />
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2025.106692">A framework for the acceptance testing of geospatial search engines.</a>  D.J. HERRERA-MURILLO, J. NOGUERAS-ISO, P. ABAD-POWER, M.Á. LATRE, F.J. LOPEZ-PELLICER. Environmental Modelling &amp; Software, vol. 194, 106692, 2025.</p>

<hr />]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="Paper overview" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Geospatial search engines are an essential component of spatial data infrastructures and enable a broad spectrum of environmental applications. The back-end implementation of these search engines has evolved from traditional text-based information retrieval systems into more specialised search engines. However, to assess the actual improvement brought by this evolution, thorough testing is needed.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-10-20-graphical-abstract.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-10-20-graphical-abstract.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Roundtrip feedback in open data portals</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/10/19/Roundtrip-feedback-in-open-data-portals-Paper/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Roundtrip feedback in open data portals" /><published>2025-10-19T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-10-19T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/10/19/Roundtrip-feedback-in-open-data-portals-Paper</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/10/19/Roundtrip-feedback-in-open-data-portals-Paper/"><![CDATA[<p>Open Government Data (OGD) portals aim to enhance accountability and transparency by serving as central access points for all government data at local, regional and national levels. To enhance user engagement with OGD portals, it is essential to understand the feedback mechanisms of open data portals and how they can be used to evaluate the data quality and the effectiveness of user engagement. While existing research highlights the importance of feedback in OGD portals, it mainly focuses on the flow from users to data publishers through input channels.</p>

<p>Our recently published study, “Roundtrip feedback in open data portals: analysis of input and output channels” aims to analyse the current status of feedback mechanisms as a foundation for OGD portals future improvement to strengthen user engagement and to advance in accountability and transparency. The novelty of this work lies in examining not only input channels but also the return flow from data publishers to users through output channels. We tested our methodology by reviewing the literature to construct a comprehensive conceptual definition of the feedback mechanism, fine-tuning it through case studies, and then automating the analysis of input and output channels provided by 29 open data portals, including 26 European OGD initiatives, to extend the feedback analysis.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-10-19-methodology.png" alt="Figure 2. General modelling of feedback interaction" class="center-image" width="75%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 2. General modelling of feedback interaction</b></center></h4>

<p>After our study, we have observed that France and Poland have the biggest number of feedback channels on their respective open data portals. In contrast, the open data portals in Malta and Greece have the fewest number of feedback channels. The more feedback channels an open data portal has, the more chances there are for user involvement to connect with the open data portal. To enhance user engagement, it is essential to ensure that feedback mechanisms within the open data portal are used to their fullest potential.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-10-19-feedback.png" alt="Figure 3. Feedback channels of national open data portals." class="center-image" width="100%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 3. Feedback channels of national open data portals</b></center></h4>

<hr />
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-12-2024-0807">Roundtrip feedback in open data portals: analysis of input and output channels.</a>  A. AZIZ, M. ALI, J. NOGUERAS-ISO, C. ALEXOPOULOS, F.J. LOPEZ-PELLICER. Online Information Review, vol. 49(8), p. 134–151, 2025.</p>

<hr />]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="Paper overview" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Open Government Data (OGD) portals aim to enhance accountability and transparency by serving as central access points for all government data at local, regional and national levels. To enhance user engagement with OGD portals, it is essential to understand the feedback mechanisms of open data portals and how they can be used to evaluate the data quality and the effectiveness of user engagement. While existing research highlights the importance of feedback in OGD portals, it mainly focuses on the flow from users to data publishers through input channels.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-10-19-methodology.png" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-10-19-methodology.png" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Multivariate integration of time series with ML for corn price forecasting in Colombia</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/09/28/MaizeColombia/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Multivariate integration of time series with ML for corn price forecasting in Colombia" /><published>2025-09-28T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-09-28T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/09/28/MaizeColombia</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/09/28/MaizeColombia/"><![CDATA[<p>The volatility of corn prices poses a significant challenge for both producers and policymakers. This study proposes a hybrid model that combines Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), optimized through Particle Swarm Optimization with Cuckoo Search (PSO-CS), for accurate corn price forecasting.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-09-28-Fig1.jpg" alt="Figure 1: Proposed methodological framework for corn price forecasting The process is divided into three phases: (1) prediction based on a univariate time series, (2) multivariate data integration, and (3) model validation" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 1: Proposed methodological framework for corn price forecasting The process is divided into three phases: (1) prediction based on a univariate time series, (2) multivariate data integration, and (3) model validation</b></center></h4>

<p>The approach integrates multivariate time series data, including local prices from the Atlántico market and international futures prices from the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is applied to enhance signal clarity and improve model performance.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-09-28-Fig2.jpg" alt="Figure 2: Architecture for forecasting corn prices in Colombia using multivariate time series and ensemble learning models. The figure illustrates the three-phase methodology: (1) univariate prediction using EMD and ML models, (2) integration of CBOT corn futures data to create a multivariate model, and (3) Ensemble predictions are optimized through a PSO-CS metaheuristic to enhance accuracy and robustness" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 2: Architecture for forecasting corn prices in Colombia using multivariate time series and ensemble learning models. The figure illustrates the three-phase methodology: (1) univariate prediction using EMD and ML models, (2) integration of CBOT corn futures data to create a multivariate model, and (3) Ensemble predictions are optimized through a PSO-CS metaheuristic to enhance accuracy and robustness</b></center></h4>

<p>Model performance is assessed through sensitivity analysis and statistical comparison using the Diebold-Mariano (DM) test. The results demonstrate that the proposed ensemble outperforms both individual models and neural network combinations, achieving a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 2.06</p>

<p>This work includes the results of <a href="https://iaaa.es/2024/10/03/Adelaida-internship/">Adelaida Ojeda’s internship at the IAAA.</a></p>

<hr />
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2025.129822">Multivariate integration of time series with ML for corn price forecasting in Colombia.</a>  A. OJEDA-BELTRAN, M.E. SUAZA-MEDINA, F.J. ZARAZAGA-SORIA, E. DE-LA-HOZ-FRANCO, J. ESCORCIA-GUTIERREZ. Expert Systems with Applications, Available online 27 September 2025, 129822, 2025.</p>

<hr />]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="Paper overview" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[The volatility of corn prices poses a significant challenge for both producers and policymakers. This study proposes a hybrid model that combines Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), optimized through Particle Swarm Optimization with Cuckoo Search (PSO-CS), for accurate corn price forecasting.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-09-28-Fig1.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-09-28-Fig1.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">A platform to support the fast development of digital twins for agricultural holdings</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/09/04/DigitalTwins_Platform/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="A platform to support the fast development of digital twins for agricultural holdings" /><published>2025-09-04T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-09-04T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/09/04/DigitalTwins_Platform</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/09/04/DigitalTwins_Platform/"><![CDATA[<p>Industry 4.0 has advanced in agriculture through Smart Agriculture initiatives, but open-field farming still lags in the adoption of digital twins. While digital twins have transformed manufacturing since 2011, their use in open-field agriculture remains limited by environmental variability, data scarcity, and financial constraints.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-09-04-Fig1.jpg" alt="Figure 1: Conceptual architecture" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 1: Conceptual architecture</b></center></h4>

<p>Interest in agricultural digital twins is growing, yet few solutions provide fully integrated platforms, and existing systems are often too complex for non-expert users. Unlike manufacturing, where standardized processes and abundant data enable plug-and-play solutions, open-field farming operates in uncertain, highly variable environments that are difficult to model.</p>

<p>This paper proposes a developer-focused, data-driven digital twin platform that establishes a Digital Twin Environment where autonomous instances coexist and communicate within shared infrastructure. Rather than pursuing standardized plug-and-play models, the platform—fully open source—empowers developers to bridge the gap between technology and farmers. It integrates proprietary and open data sources into a shared data warehouse, making digital twins accessible to farms of all sizes.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-09-04-Fig3.jpg" alt="Figure 3: System implementation" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 3: System implementation</b></center></h4>

<p>The proposed solution addresses four critical gaps:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Affordability – avoids resource-intensive infrastructure unsuited to small farms, where real-time processing is less critical.</li>
  <li>Modeling complexity – replaces rigid physical models with flexible, data-driven methods better adapted to unpredictable field conditions.</li>
  <li>Scarcity of open-source tools – provides accessible, extensible solutions that match agriculture’s slower innovation cycle.</li>
  <li>Technology adoption – equips developers with a foundation to create farmer-oriented applications, fostering community-driven improvements.</li>
</ul>

<p>A case study demonstrated platform efficiency on modest hardware (2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM), with average CPU usage of 60%, RAM consumption of 2.5 GB, and deployment time of ~1 minute. These results confirm its suitability for small holdings with limited resources, lowering adoption barriers that have historically hindered digital transformation in open-field agriculture.</p>

<hr />
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2025.104347">A platform to support the fast development of digital twins for agricultural holdings.</a> J. LAGUNA, M.E. SUAZA-MEDINA, R. BÉJAR, J. LACASTA, F.J. ZARAZAGA-SORIA. Computers in Industry, Volume 172, November 2025, 104347, 2025.</p>

<hr />]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="Paper overview" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Industry 4.0 has advanced in agriculture through Smart Agriculture initiatives, but open-field farming still lags in the adoption of digital twins. While digital twins have transformed manufacturing since 2011, their use in open-field agriculture remains limited by environmental variability, data scarcity, and financial constraints.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-09-04-Fig3.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-09-04-Fig3.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Detection of changes in the heat emissions signature of buildings related to indoor activity using publicly available satellite data</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/06/06/HeatEmission/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Detection of changes in the heat emissions signature of buildings related to indoor activity using publicly available satellite data" /><published>2025-06-06T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-06-06T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/06/06/HeatEmission</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/06/06/HeatEmission/"><![CDATA[<p>The detection of human activity in isolated structures is crucial for improving surveillance and resource management in remote rural areas, where communication infrastructure and sensor networks are often nonexistent. This study investigates the possibility of using publicly available satellite data to infer thermal emissions associated with the presence of people or livestock in pig farms located in the Ebro Valley (the municipalities of Albalate, Ballobar, Granén, and Tamarite). Although the typical range for detecting human heat (8,000–14,000 nm) does not match the bands available on Sentinel-2, band 12 (SWIR, around 2,200 nm) provides spectral information that can be indirectly correlated with thermal variations inside buildings. To overcome the limitations of the spatial and radiometric resolution, machine learning techniques were applied to learn patterns of thermal emission from the spectral response of this band and meteorological data, particularly daily temperature collected between 2021 and 2023.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-06-06-Fig1.png" alt="Figure 1: Methodology Workflow" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 1: Methodology Workflow</b></center></h4>

<p>A total of 281 Sentinel-2 band 12 images covering the four farms in 2021 were collected, of which 206 corresponded to occupied periods (when animals were housed) and 75 to periods without livestock presence. Each image was clipped using vector files created in QGIS to extract only the pixels corresponding to the buildings, ensuring that each installation of at least 15 × 15 m was represented by at least one 20 m × 20 m pixel. At the same time, daily temperature data (minimum, maximum, and mean) from the nearest meteorological stations were obtained via the AEMET portal and integrated as additional channels or pixels in the images.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-06-06-Fig3.png" alt="Figure 3: Creation of farm shapefiles" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 3: Creation of farm shapefiles</b></center></h4>

<p>To increase training diversity and mitigate class imbalance, 3866 samples were generated through random rotation, horizontal/vertical shifts, and zoom to balance the dataset.
The final dataset was split into 70 % for training, 15 % for validation, and 15 % for testing. Four models were evaluated: Dense Neural Networks (DNN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), XGBoost, and LightGBM, with hyperparameters optimised using Optuna, and performance measured by accuracy, AUC, precision, recall, and F1-score.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-06-06-Fig4.png" alt="Figure 4: Pixels selection" class="center-image" width="60%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Figure 4: Pixels selection</b></center></h4>

<p>The results show that incorporating temperature data significantly improves the performance of all models. XGBoost achieved the best classification on the test set, reaching 96% accuracy and an AUC of 0.94 when combining band 12 images and temperature, outperforming CNN (accuracy 88%, AUC 0.86) and DNN (accuracy 83%, AUC 0.81) after applying data augmentation techniques. LightGBM remained relatively consistent (accuracy ≈ 81 %, AUC ≈ 0.80) across all scenarios. When performing the “leave-one-farm-out” experiment excluding one farm from training XGBoost’s accuracy dropped to 92 % (AUC 0.90).
In this work, we demonstrate that Sentinel-2 band 12, combined with meteorological data, can be used to indirectly infer the occupancy of remote buildings, achieving robust classification with XGBoost. The methodology offers an affordable alternative to high-resolution thermal sensors, helpful in detecting activity, optimising the management of agricultural facilities, and supporting decision-making in isolated areas.</p>

<hr />
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-025-01926-6">Detection of changes in the heat emissions signature of buildings related to indoor activity using publicly available satellite data.</a> M.E. SUAZA-MEDINA, J. LACASTA, F.J. LOPEZ-PELLICER, R. BÉJAR, F.J. ZARAZAGA-SORIA. Earth Science Informatics, Volume 18, article number 420, (2025), 2025.</p>

<hr />]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="Paper overview" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[The detection of human activity in isolated structures is crucial for improving surveillance and resource management in remote rural areas, where communication infrastructure and sensor networks are often nonexistent. This study investigates the possibility of using publicly available satellite data to infer thermal emissions associated with the presence of people or livestock in pig farms located in the Ebro Valley (the municipalities of Albalate, Ballobar, Granén, and Tamarite). Although the typical range for detecting human heat (8,000–14,000 nm) does not match the bands available on Sentinel-2, band 12 (SWIR, around 2,200 nm) provides spectral information that can be indirectly correlated with thermal variations inside buildings. To overcome the limitations of the spatial and radiometric resolution, machine learning techniques were applied to learn patterns of thermal emission from the spectral response of this band and meteorological data, particularly daily temperature collected between 2021 and 2023.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-06-06-Fig3.png" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-06-06-Fig3.png" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Collective Intelligence in Humanitarian Voluntary Geographic Information</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/05/12/Collective-Intelligence-in-Humanitarian-Voluntary-Geographic-Information-Paper/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Collective Intelligence in Humanitarian Voluntary Geographic Information" /><published>2025-05-12T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-05-12T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/05/12/Collective-Intelligence-in-Humanitarian-Voluntary-Geographic-Information-Paper</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/05/12/Collective-Intelligence-in-Humanitarian-Voluntary-Geographic-Information-Paper/"><![CDATA[<p>In times of crisis, access to accurate, up-to-date maps can save lives. Voluntary Geographic Information (VGI) initiatives have revolutionized disaster response. Among these, humanitarian mapping projects coordinated by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) stand out for their global impact.</p>

<p>Our recently published study, “Collective Intelligence in Humanitarian Voluntary Geographic Information: The Case of the HOT Tasking Manager,” offers a fresh perspective on how collective intelligence operates within these large-scale mapping efforts.</p>

<p>Drawing on data from 746 humanitarian mapping projects completed between December 2021 and November 2023, involving 38,893 contributors and 312,289 mapping tasks, we set out to explore three key questions:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Who are the individuals mapping humanitarian areas, and what characterizes their participation?</li>
  <li>How does collective action unfold during these collaborative mapping efforts?</li>
  <li>What evidence can we find of intelligent behavior emerging from the collective?</li>
</ul>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-05-12-map.png" alt="Fig. 7. Frequency and duration map of task states and transitions (85% of most frequent traces)" class="center-image" width="100%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Fig. 7. Frequency and duration map of task states and transitions (85% of most frequent traces)</b></center></h4>

<p>Our findings reveal both strengths and challenges in the current system. Most mapping work is carried out by contributors outside the mapped regions, and advanced mappers play a critical role in ensuring the quality and completion of tasks. However, the mapping process often involves limited collaboration: tasks are usually completed individually, with only occasional interaction between contributors.</p>

<p>While this structure effectively meets the short-term objectives of rapid map production, it raises concerns about sustainability and resilience for long-term humanitarian needs. We discuss potential strategies to better harness collective intelligence, such as encouraging deeper collaboration, improving validation workflows, and fostering more inclusive participation.</p>

<p>To uncover these insights, we combined quantitative profiling, process mining, and logistic regression analyses, providing one of the most comprehensive empirical explorations of humanitarian mapping dynamics to date.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2025-05-12-handover.png" alt="Fig. 11. Handover of mapping tasks" class="center-image" width="100%" /></p>
<h4><center><b>Fig. 11. Handover of mapping tasks</b></center></h4>

<hr />
<p><a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3733600">Collective Intelligence in Humanitarian Voluntary Geographic Information: The Case of the HOT Tasking Manager.</a>  D.J. HERRERA-MURILLO, H. OCHOA-ORTIZ, U. AHMED, F.J. LOPEZ-PELLICER, B. RE, A. POLINI, J. NOGUERAS-ISO. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, online, 2025.</p>

<hr />]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="Paper overview" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[In times of crisis, access to accurate, up-to-date maps can save lives. Voluntary Geographic Information (VGI) initiatives have revolutionized disaster response. Among these, humanitarian mapping projects coordinated by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) stand out for their global impact.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-05-12-map.png" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2025-05-12-map.png" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Novena edición de los premios Pedro R. Muro-Medrano</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/02/19/novena-ed-premios-pedro-muro-tfe/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Novena edición de los premios Pedro R. Muro-Medrano" /><published>2025-02-19T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-02-19T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2025/02/19/novena-ed-premios-pedro-muro-tfe</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2025/02/19/novena-ed-premios-pedro-muro-tfe/"><![CDATA[<p>El <a href="/">Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados</a> y el <a href="http://i3a.unizar.es">Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón</a> abren la convocatoria para los premios a los trabajos de fin de estudios <strong>defendidos en cualquier universidad española entre el 1 de enero de 2024 y el 31 de diciembre de 2024</strong> que más aporten al desarrollo y explotación de datos abiertos o datos geográficos.</p>

<hr />
<h4 id="ganadores-del-premio">Ganadores del premio</h4>

<p>El jurado ha decidido conceder el primer premio a Dª. Yaoyao Zhao por el proyecto “Geo-tools for monitoring the shoreline and megacusps at regional level using sentinel-2”, realizado en la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, y el accésit a D. Rodrigo Arévalo-González por el proyecto “Capacidad de acogida de las comarcas de los Ancares, el Bierzo, la Cabrera y la Cepeda (León) para albergar megaproyectos de producción energética eólica”, realizado en la Universidad de León.</p>

<p>La entraga se llevó a cabo en una videoconferencia:</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/premio_PRMuro_2025.jpg" alt="Entrega del premios" class="img-responsive" /></p>

<p><em>(Actualizado el 24 de junio de 2025)</em></p>

<hr />

<h1 id="objetivo-y-participantes">Objetivo y participantes</h1>
<p>El objetivo de estos premios es fomentar y apoyar la realización de trabajos de final de estudios que creen y/o integren tecnologías para el tratamiento de datos abiertos, datos geográficos o que aborden la integración de datos de múltiples fuentes.</p>

<p>Los premios están dirigidos a quienes hayan defendido su trabajo de fin de estudios entre el 1 de enero de 2024 y el 31 de diciembre de 2024 en cualquier titulación de grado o máster de cualquier universidad española. El término trabajo de fin de estudios, en adelante TFE, engloba tanto a trabajos de fin de grado como proyectos fin de carrera o trabajos de fin de máster.</p>

<h1 id="presentación-de-propuestas-plazos-y-documentación-a-presentar">Presentación de propuestas, plazos y documentación a presentar</h1>
<p><strong>El plazo de recepción de los TFE concluye el 6 de abril de 2025 a las 23:59 horas.</strong></p>

<p>Las solicitudes para optar al premio deberán enviarse a la siguiente dirección de correo electrónico: <a href="mailto:iaaa@unizar.es">iaaa@unizar.es</a> indicando «Premio TFE» como asunto.</p>

<p>Se deberá adjuntar al correo:</p>

<ul>
  <li>El formulario correspondiente (según <a href="/downloads/Hoja_Solicitud_Premio_Pedro_Muro_TFE.odt">este modelo</a>) debidamente cumplimentado y firmado.</li>
  <li>Resumen ejecutivo del TFE incidiendo en el objetivo, conclusiones, principales aportaciones, conjuntos de datos utilizados, así como la justificación de que el trabajo realizado se encuadra dentro de los objetivos del premio (máximo 3000 caracteres). La no inclusión de todos estos puntos supondrá la no consideración de la candidatura.</li>
  <li>Enlace a un repositorio que permita descargar la memoria del TFE.</li>
  <li>Un breve <em>curriculum vitae</em> del candidato o candidata (máximo 2 páginas).</li>
</ul>

<h1 id="jurado">Jurado</h1>
<p>El jurado estará compuesto por los siguientes miembros:</p>

<ul>
  <li>Francisco Javier Ariza López, Departamento de Ingeniería Cartográfica, Geodésica y Fotogrametría, Director del Grupo de Investigación en Ingeniería Cartográfica, Universidad de Jaén.</li>
  <li>Joaquín Huerta Guijarro, Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos, Director del Geotec Research, Universitat Jaume I.</li>
  <li>Miguel Ángel Manso Callejo, Departamento de Ingeniería Topográfica y Cartografía, Responsable del Grupo MERCATOR: Tecnologías de la Geoinformación y Agentes inteligentes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.</li>
  <li>Javier Nogueras Iso, Departamento de Informática e Ingeniería de Sistemas, Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados,  Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón (I3A), Universidad de Zaragoza.</li>
  <li>Amparo Núñez Andrés, Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental, Responsable del grupo de investigación Geo2Aqua, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.</li>
  <li>Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Luaces, Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación y Tecnologías de la Información, Coordinador del Laboratorio de Bases de Datos, Universidade da Coruña.</li>
  <li>José Ramón Ríos Viqueira, Computación Gráfica e Ingeniería de Datos (COGRADE), Departamento de Electrónica y Computación, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela</li>
  <li>María Sebastián López, Departamento de Didácticas Específicas, Universidad de Zaragoza.</li>
  <li>F. Javier Zarazaga Soria, Departamento de Informática e Ingeniería de Sistemas, Director del Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados, Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón (I3A), Universidad de Zaragoza.</li>
</ul>

<h1 id="criterios-de-valoración">Criterios de valoración</h1>
<p>Los criterios establecidos de valoración de las candidaturas para la concesión del premio comprenden:</p>

<ul>
  <li>La capacidad de la propuesta para transmitir con rigor, extensión y claridad los contenidos del TFE (máximo 30 puntos).</li>
  <li>La calidad e innovación de los elementos que configuran la propuesta y su presentación (máximo 30 puntos).</li>
  <li>La contribución del TFE al desarrollo y explotación de datos abiertos o datos geográficos (máximo 40 puntos).</li>
</ul>

<h1 id="fallo">Fallo</h1>
<p>El jurado, por suma de las puntuaciones asignadas de acuerdo con los criterios anteriores, concederá dos premios: un primer premio y un accésit que corresponderán con los TFE que hayan obtenido las dos puntuaciones más altas entre los presentados. Si a juicio del jurado no hay dos de los TFE presentados que reúnan la calidad mínima exigible o cubran satisfactoriamente el objeto de la convocatoria, cualquiera de los dos premios o los dos pueden declararse desiertos.</p>

<p>El fallo se dará a conocer durante el acto de entrega de diplomas y premios extraordinarios a titulados en el curso 2023-2024 de la <a href="http://eina.unizar.es/">Escuela de Ingeniería y Arquitectura de la Universidad de Zaragoza</a> en fechas todavía por concretar. En el caso de que hubiera alguna modificación se notificaría convenientemente a todos los interesados.</p>

<p>Para la entrega de los premios se aplicará lo establecido en el vigente Reglamento de Impuesto de la Renta de las Personas Físicas, aprobado en el RD 1841/91 del 30 de diciembre de 1991 y demás disposiciones concordantes.</p>

<p>El fallo del jurado será inapelable. Se realizarán las acciones de difusión y publicidad del resultado que se consideren convenientes.</p>

<h1 id="dotación-económica">Dotación económica</h1>
<p>El primer premio concedido estará dotado con 500 € y un diploma acreditativo, mientras que el accésit estará dotado con 300 € y un diploma acreditativo.</p>

<h1 id="propiedad-intelectual">Propiedad intelectual</h1>
<p>Cada participante garantiza que el trabajo presentado es una creación propia y que el trabajo no depende de, ni infringe, Derechos de Propiedad Industrial o Intelectual de terceros.</p>

<h1 id="confidencialidad">Confidencialidad</h1>
<p>Cada participante declara, en el momento de la solicitud del premio, que el contenido completo del TFE no tiene carácter confidencial y que se permita su consulta y divulgación.</p>

<p><em>La presentación de una candidatura supone la aceptación de estas bases.</em></p>]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><summary type="html"><![CDATA[El Grupo de Sistemas de Información Avanzados y el Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón abren la convocatoria para los premios a los trabajos de fin de estudios defendidos en cualquier universidad española entre el 1 de enero de 2024 y el 31 de diciembre de 2024 que más aporten al desarrollo y explotación de datos abiertos o datos geográficos.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/Pedro_Muro.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/Pedro_Muro.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Mario in Bologna</title><link href="https://www.iaaa.es/2024/11/07/MarioEnBolonia/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Mario in Bologna" /><published>2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.iaaa.es/2024/11/07/MarioEnBolonia</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://www.iaaa.es/2024/11/07/MarioEnBolonia/"><![CDATA[<p>As part of his research, <a href="https://www.iaaa.es/staff/mario/">Mario</a> is collaborating with Professors <a href="https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/maurizio.canavari/en">Maurizio Canavari</a> and <a href="https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/giuliano.vitali/en">Giuliano Vitali</a> from the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Bologna.</p>

<p><img src="/images/posts/2024-11-07-MarioEnBolonia1.jpg" alt="Mario in Bologna" /></p>

<p><em>“The University of Bologna is renowned as one of the oldest and most prestigious academic institutions in Europe. Its Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences provides an exceptional opportunity to integrate areas of study such as agricultural production, food economics, and consumer sciences, offering both the academic environment and technical resources essential for expanding the scope of my research.”</em></p>

<p>This collaboration began in September 2024, and it is officially set to conclude at the end of December 2024, though our research team plans to build on it as a foundation for exploring new opportunities.</p>]]></content><author><name>IAAA</name><email>iaaa@unizar.es</email></author><category term="People" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[As part of his research, Mario is collaborating with Professors Maurizio Canavari and Giuliano Vitali from the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Bologna.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2024-11-07-MarioEnBolonia2.jpg" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.iaaa.es/images/posts/2024-11-07-MarioEnBolonia2.jpg" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry></feed>