tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83571594521482797132024-03-06T22:01:16.055+02:00My work notebookShort stories from my daily work routine, including current and past work, business trips and project tasks.Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-11370656927067481362022-05-06T22:34:00.002+03:002022-05-06T22:34:39.047+03:00As of today, 6 years ago: My last day at Agroknow<p>It was <b>Friday, May 6th 2016</b> - as of today, only six years ago. </p><p>My last day at <a href="http://www.agroknow.com" target="_blank">Agroknow</a>, as I had decided to make a big step and move to a new corporate environment. I went to the office as usually, with some farewell treats for my colleagues; it has been more than 5 years since I started working for Agroknow and usually spent more time with colleagues than with my family. Numerous working days, trips abroad, good and bad times, beers and drinks, celebrations and valuable experience.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="660" src="https://dub06pap001files.storage.live.com/y4mmIq8w5RlovzftMSJSxelyctgNgXltd9EZqf5CW4wsBXJ-7Gy3w6VNaHGIldsdroshQxK2yRKtClvCHFjFYDtgBjilQgx8rhFgmppBBRZ-lUmbeKJ9j13afTswHABru8W99XfWsCwRMQkoVse9ecYwVMBpmnpaLVzaXWXyIZDDgePsTe3zFonPjEHZdfEtX77?width=497&height=660&cropmode=none" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="497" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sweet farewell to my colleagues</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Agroknow has been a huge school for me. I was introduced to the concept of project management, starting with some relatively small Leonardo da Vinci ones, resource management, team & time management, and provided me with the opportunity to dive into information and knowledge management (which I really loved): digital repositories, metadata, technical interoperability, Knowledge Organization Systems like ontologies and controlled vocabularies. </p><p>I learned a lot (and in the end even became an advocate) of Open Access and Open Data, working on facilitating access to research publications and data, </p><p>During my time at Agroknow, I also had the opportunity to compose project deliverables with hundreds of pages, travel thousands of miles reaching even the golden status of Star Alliance, visiting dozens of countries in the EU and even further, met interesting people, took hundreds of photos and created a valuable network. I was invited to dive into Business Development, read relevant books, identified opportunities for collaborations and actually worked for various high-profile organizations outside Greece (as a scientific associate / contractor), like the <b><a href="https://www.fao.org/home/en" target="_blank">UN FAO</a></b> (multiple times!), the <b><a href="https://www.uah.es/en/" target="_blank">University of Alcala</a></b> (Spain), the <b><a href="https://theodi.org/" target="_blank">Open Data Institute</a></b> (UK), <b><a href="https://www.icarda.org/" target="_blank">ICARDA</a></b> (Jordan) and <b><a href="https://www.organicseurope.bio/" target="_blank">IFOAM (EU)</a></b>, to name a few.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="497" src="https://dub06pap001files.storage.live.com/y4mpRuglFyCePa4KL7LJAWqnFZrVUl6VExKn5fIUip6ZmchyqhCtUAH34UX4Sz4IzUS3E_gKoxO6WKTI7Rd0JkmksyX0BHW-DVQ4BsvzpVAb74pUGdPMTpaCH7lCSZIHwWbmOCHKkdAeciZDJaFLvmILDgSvXayA7oTtWjkHGe81JVJCh-iRmNjmH2LQRn6FTKa?width=660&height=497&cropmode=none" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="660" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temporary working station at Agroknow during my last day</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Last but not least - and probably the most important, was that I was invited (and actually encouraged) to apply my love for social media and blogging from a personal level to the company level. I soon became fully responsible for Agroknow blog (covering a wide variety of topics like collaborations, participation in events, interviews with key partners etc.), manager of its social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and I even started an unofficial Instagram profile, which became pretty popular among colleagues (all my posts were deleted since then, as Agroknow obviously decided to use a different approach, more "corporate" compared to my informal one). I was responsible for being the "voice" of Agroknow without any kind of censorship, the messenger of the company's key messages to the world.</p><p>Why was this specifically important? Because it was a key feature that my future employer - NEUROPUBLIC - was looking for. They needed someone to help them with social media, but also with agricultural experience so that the company's smart farming work would be properly communicated. And it was just one of the qualities I got from my Agroknow times.</p><p>So I spent my last working day at Agroknow finalizing a deliverable, handing over some ongoing tasks and greeting colleagues. By the end of the day, the charger of my laptop failed so I exhausted the laptop's battery, left the office keys (after more than 5 years) and left the office for the last time, carrying all the good memories and experiences with me.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="660" src="https://dub06pap001files.storage.live.com/y4mb_zCLKi88PjXFPwviuHcAKlC2GFATVOWlSPsgo6ogYCt_FOYjLlkg9LZuPbTSviwytJUeGcRhbMU85ASbBybZ_frD-IBSu1--_b2IPIMdgAse9xNzBL580Qgtl9XS7gK5SvUleTGvYomJ5cEdg22HgZgbhHJnTsw7X3Bd8UCtJQAAT_n-1OQeo-BCoKYE9lu?width=497&height=660&cropmode=none" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="497" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handing over the office keys was an emotional moment</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Leaving Agroknow was one of the hardest decisions I ever made.</p><p>Monday May 9th was my first day at <a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></p>Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-1065441683164139632021-10-26T20:35:00.001+03:002021-10-26T20:35:00.210+03:00Updates on the use of NEUROPUBLIC's social media<p>One of the first tasks I was assigned to when I joined <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/en" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> back in 2016 was to take over its social media accounts; back then, the company had two almost inactive accounts on Facebook and LinkedIn, respectively. </p><p>I came from <b><a href="http://www.agroknow.com" target="_blank">Agroknow</a></b>, where I was responsible (among others) for its social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram - and it was commonly admitted that I did a pretty good job. Frequent updates, interesting news, good use of handles and hashtags and attractive visuals was a part of the magic.</p><p>So I had the experience, know-how and all the good will to replicate my approach in the case of NEUROPUBLIC. The context was slightly different (information systems and smart farming in this case) and the responsibility was higher (being responsible for the social media presence of a company of 100+ employees) but I rolled up my sleeves and started working on it.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Rolling up my sleeves</h3><p>The first thing I did was to define the areas of interest. Then to find out who the major players were and what reliable sources of relevant content I could use. I started following collaborators, projects and other stakeholders of NEUROPUBLIC, with a segment of them following us back.</p><p>I am especially proud of NEUROPUBLIC's Twitter account. Twitter is the platform I love the most, because of its really fast feed, option to add visuals to an otherwise boring text and the substantial use of hashtags. Plus, I love the strict character limitation of each tweet, which makes everyone think twice before posting a long text.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Have I mentioned that I am especially proud of <a href="https://twitter.com/NEUROPUBLIC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NEUROPUBLIC</a> 's Twitter account, which I set up from scratch some years ago? ✨<br /><br />Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/tweepsmap?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tweepsmap</a> for the useful stats! 🙏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEUROPUBLIC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEUROPUBLIC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Twitter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Twitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SocialMedia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SocialMedia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OrganicGrowth?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OrganicGrowth</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tweepsmap?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tweepsmap</a> <a href="https://t.co/DrGeSb5xGZ">pic.twitter.com/DrGeSb5xGZ</a></p>— V. Protonotarios (@vprot) <a href="https://twitter.com/vprot/status/1451487044098723841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Right now, <a href="https://twitter.com/NEUROPUBLIC" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC's Twitter account</a> has <b>more than 1,200 real followers</b>, all of them organic (i.e. we used no budget for paid posts, Twitter campaigns etc. yet). At the same time, the company's <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/neuropublic-s-a-/" target="_blank">LinkedIn page</a> has reached <b>2,800 followers</b>, making it our most popular social media channel. We used LinkedIn for posting paid job postings, and we noticed a slight increase in the number of followers after each posting.<div><br /></div><div>In both channels, the majority of the content is published in English.<div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Using Facebook for business purposes & the competitive advantage of LinkedIn and Twitter</h3><div>On the other hand, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/neuropublic" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC's Facebook page</a> has about <b>1,600 followers. </b>And we had some paid campaigns running in the past, which increased our reach and brought in some new followers. One might expect more from the more popular social media platform - I didn't. </div><div><br /></div><div>First, our Facebook content is exclusively available in Greek. No matter what the status of the company is in Greece, the audience is much smaller compared to the global one. The vast majority of our projects are EU-funded ones, our larger networks are global and NEUROPUBLIC's <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en" target="_blank">gaiasense smart farming system</a></b> gets a lot of attention from international bodies. Automatic translation of posts has been available for quite a long time now, but it is not the same.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Second, our main audience does not use Facebook for professional purposes. I knew it before - LinkedIn and Twitter are much more appropriate for such purposes. If you asked me, I would say that <b>most companies use Twitter and LinkedIn (in this order) for interacting for professional purposes</b>, while <b>for professionals / individuals LinkedIn is #1</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>And you know why? <b>Because a company cannot interact using a LinkedIn company page</b>! You can surely post things but you cannot like a specific post as a company unless (a) it comes in your feed through a notification based on the just three hashtags you define in the page, or (b) the post explicitly mentions your company page using a tag.</div><div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="539" src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:6858659295391727616" title="Embedded post" width="504"></iframe> </div><div><br /></div><div>As a result, if you want to be active on social media, respond, like other posts etc., then <b>Twitter is your valuable tool</b>. And this is what I am doing with NEUROPUBLIC's accounts.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, as an individual you can use Twitter and LinkedIn for interacting with posts of others with no problem. And this is what I am doing with my personal accounts.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Take home messages</h3><div>We post almost equally on all three channels, with small revisions in some cases. Thanks to the faster pace of Twitter, I am able to post more frequently there and this is really important in the case of our EU (and Greek) projects that I need to communicate every now and then. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, we keep a slower pace on Facebook and LinkedIn, in order to provide our followers with more time to go through each post before going to the next one. This is not a problem, as we usually need some time to curate new posts (longer ones compared to the short tweets!) and make them as effective as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>In all cases, we do not pay much attention to the analytics and metrics of each channel. We still enjoy a degree of freedom in this sense, so we post things we like, when we like (or have the time to do so). We are not "selling" stuff through our social media - we just raise awareness about the company and its work, so we are not stressed (yet) about KPIs. And this is what I love the most.</div><div><br /></div><div>So if I were to summarize, I would suggest a K.I.S.S. approach (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle" target="_blank">Keep It Stupid Simple</a>), putting the focus on quality content and not on KPIs. In this way, we manage to establish a constantly growing community of followers on social media while at the same time having fun.</div>Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-10119471089807800432021-10-25T12:45:00.001+03:002021-10-25T12:45:33.313+03:00Participation in the BEYOND 4.0 International Expo<p>I was excited to be part of the team to represent <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/en" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> at the <b><a href="https://www.be4ond-expo.gr/" target="_blank">Beyond 4.0 International Expo</a></b>. The event took place between <b>14-16 of October 2021</b> at Thessaloniki, Greece. The team was great, consisting of people from our Marketing, Sales, Software Development and Technical departments, covering all different dimensions of the company's services.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0eoh3v9Wc5IvlSiLxRGePX8BBsM8-Rts_nAXeB-raFwkFApWs-KJGgBQu5_IqfwRvth4GCVeMhA0KtzTDgYROE_0OYF3sIPo1IDgGhoYpwteqSZ8Arg40QryA4L-lMLS_hdXtuwCgjE/s600/Beyond_LOGO-Ver2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0eoh3v9Wc5IvlSiLxRGePX8BBsM8-Rts_nAXeB-raFwkFApWs-KJGgBQu5_IqfwRvth4GCVeMhA0KtzTDgYROE_0OYF3sIPo1IDgGhoYpwteqSZ8Arg40QryA4L-lMLS_hdXtuwCgjE/w400-h230/Beyond_LOGO-Ver2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Compared to the <b><a href="https://thessalonikifair.gr/en" target="_blank">Thessaloniki International Fair</a></b>, in which <a href="https://vprot.blogspot.com/2021/10/my-take-on-thessaloniki-international.html" target="_blank">I also participated one month earlier</a>, the visitors seems to be more focused / targeted and close to the theme of BEYOND (while in TIF visitors were mostly a generic audience - probable due to the generic character of the Fair). </p><p>The schedule was packed as BEYOND was open to the public between 10.00-20.00, leaving us only a limited time for sightseeing and other activities. On top of that, the weather during BEYOND was awful (ranging from light rain to heavy thunderstorms), so it was a good things that all Stands were indoors. The bad weather was probably the main factor that prevented potential visitors from visiting the Expo, but still there was quite a crowd on Friday and Saturday - and this indicates the importance of the event.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbJ9qZ1jwGK19cp1gWtQDY_AW8frLkWKnfgJtLHQbW6Bfn46ZIFRah59lvi73gSu0n3jmo4Z2uLXDh1BYH9LjjAjFr6MV7sXspuVvqTT2vUFxPlS8VWmkG9UUD7u8muff8F5Z5Dxofqs/s4640/IMG_20211015_094933098_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4640" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbJ9qZ1jwGK19cp1gWtQDY_AW8frLkWKnfgJtLHQbW6Bfn46ZIFRah59lvi73gSu0n3jmo4Z2uLXDh1BYH9LjjAjFr6MV7sXspuVvqTT2vUFxPlS8VWmkG9UUD7u8muff8F5Z5Dxofqs/w400-h299/IMG_20211015_094933098_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the cloudy and rainy area outside the BEYOND 4.0 Expo</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The exhibitors fell under two main categories: Innovative (and some not so innovative) companies working on digital solutions mostly for the public sector (Regions, Local Governments etc.) and the Public Sector itself (ranging from Municipalities to Regions), showcasing the digital transformation steps that they have implemented so far.</p><p></p><p>We (as NEUROPUBLIC) had the opportunity to present our digital services for the public sector, both through a dedicated presentation at the central stage of the Pavilion and through direct communication with potential stakeholders who approached our Stand. At the same time, we had the opportunity to see the offerings of the competition and see how we compare with them.</p><p>Our Stand was impressive: large, bright and conveniently located at the center of the Pavilion, right next to the central stage. It was full of useful material, like leaflets and other printed material, videos playing on three different large monitors and many of my colleagues available to discuss with visitors of our Stand. Plus, two lovely promoters were always available to hand out informational material to the visitors.</p><p>I don't know if it was due to my academic background. but most of the discussions I had during the Expo was with Professors, Researchers and students from various Universities. I enjoyed learning about their projects and outcomes, their work and collaborations, no matter if they came from the Earth Observation, IoT or any other domain. I also had the opportunity to visit their Stands and see their work.<br /></p><p>Big thanks to my colleagues from our Northern Greece office, who helped a lot with lots of things, from our transportation to the smooth operation of our Stand!</p>Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-10665108837321591332021-10-06T20:35:00.004+03:002021-10-07T12:06:45.131+03:00InnoWise Scale Competition - Lessons learnt<p>Just before summer, <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/en" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> was <a href="https://www.neuropublic.gr/nea/i-neuropublic-epilechthike-apo-to-programma-innowise-scale-toy-eit-food-os-parochos-lyseon/" target="_blank">invited to participate as one of the solution providers</a> for the agriculture Use Case of the <b>InnoWise Scale Competition on Water Scarcity (</b>you can find a nice description of the competition on the <b><a href="https://revolve.media/innowise-scale-competition-agricultures/" target="_blank">REVOLVE website</a> -</b> the Communication partner of the Competition and did a really nice job!).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoeSZFJWs1bzIgb145q0U1WIYxhVCea4LQmzlCHeQ21-DZLQJ3Bxu0Jw4d-qADFFtxhThdfdt4MJX9AF2GDEXrIFSTl4ytP9DRDcqHQDjomuNRRGZIq9fA2kC6V6tDOxMpejN-B9W6gE/s839/InnoWise+Scale-NP.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="832" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoeSZFJWs1bzIgb145q0U1WIYxhVCea4LQmzlCHeQ21-DZLQJ3Bxu0Jw4d-qADFFtxhThdfdt4MJX9AF2GDEXrIFSTl4ytP9DRDcqHQDjomuNRRGZIq9fA2kC6V6tDOxMpejN-B9W6gE/w396-h400/InnoWise+Scale-NP.png" width="396" /></a></div><br /><p>It was an international event that aimed to attract innovative companies to help <b><a href="https://www.sanlucar.com/" target="_blank">SanLucar</a></b>, a fruit and vegetables company based in Spain, address the water scarcity and salinity issues it faces in its apricot orchards at the area of Murcia, Spain.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Participation in the InnoWise Scale Competition</h3><p>I was assigned this task and so I started working on it during the summer. There were several online meetings during this period:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Between the organizers of the event (<b>EIT-Food</b>), the problem holder (<b>SanLucar</b>) and the solution providers (mostly companies offering various types of smart and digital farming services), explaining various aspects of the process and defining the key issues faced by SanLucar, </li><li>1-1 meetings of each company with SanLucar to discuss the details of a potential collaboration, </li><li>Training sessions on better designing and delivering the pitch for the final day</li><li>Numerous sessions of each company with its mentor; we were lucky enough to have Andrea Cruciani from <b><a href="https://www.agricolus.com/en/" target="_blank">Agricolus</a></b> with us who shared ideas, insights and tips for improving our pitch.</li></ul><div>In the meantime, I started working on the slides (visual) and my speech (audio), as the pitch would be pre-recorded using <b><a href="https://www.loom.com/" target="_blank">Loom</a></b> allowing the concurrent recording of webcam and desktop (the slides) video feed. I had to present the context, our <b><a href="https://www.gaiasense.gr/en/gaiasense" target="_blank">gaiasense smart farming system</a></b> and our envisaged solution in just 4 minutes - and this seemed way too short to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>The slides were eventually transformed and the pitch became more focused and lean (with slides and text being left out in the final version) with valuable contributions from both our mentor and our Water Resources Management expert, Dimitris.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwKrPTh6K2oYLq5DYyYAD2tth-8Pa0-N_iexr_Dpzxw3hBThbFRdnkK7ZWf0V632TqzrmAGVKWV7VT-4FZjLxzyAFhXtze3c8BAvMvAKe0-_7wvj31XlbuUJOrBgefQnMe50pHB0_Id0/s1339/InnoWise+Scale-Pitch_VP.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1339" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwKrPTh6K2oYLq5DYyYAD2tth-8Pa0-N_iexr_Dpzxw3hBThbFRdnkK7ZWf0V632TqzrmAGVKWV7VT-4FZjLxzyAFhXtze3c8BAvMvAKe0-_7wvj31XlbuUJOrBgefQnMe50pHB0_Id0/w640-h344/InnoWise+Scale-Pitch_VP.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Judgement Day</h3><div>The big day came and all solution providers completed their pitches, allowing the jury to decide on the most suitable solutions for the specific issue, with the help of SanLucar's representative for selecting the most appropriate one for the big prize and the demo of the solution in the orchards of SanLucar.</div><div><br /></div><div>The competition was really hard and unfortunately and despite our efforts, our proposal was not among the ones awarded. But was the result that bad? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I was hoping for the big prize, that would allow us to set up another gaiasense installation in Spain (following up on the ones taking place in the context of the <b><a href="http://www.lifegaiasense.eu" target="_blank">LIFE GAIA Sense</a></b> project) and set up a potential commercial collaboration with SanLucar, a large international company, with significant perspectives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even the 2nd and 3rd prize would bring some (even small) financial benefit to gaiasense, financing parts of its development - technological or scientific. But what would matter most to me, due to my personal involvement and investment in both time and effort, would be the acknowledgement that what I was working on made a difference and was even slightly better compared to the competition.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Conclusions</h3><div>To be honest, I hoped (and believed) that our proposal would make it in the Top-3. But for various reasons, this didn't happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, our participation in the InnoWise Scale competition was yet another valuable lesson. What did we get from it? More than one could think:</div><p></p><li>Valuable experience from our participation in a different kind of international competition;</li><li>The selection / acknowledgement of NEUROPUBLIC by the organizers as one valuable solution provider, featured in various social media posts;</li><li>The presentation of gaiasense to a different audience abroad;</li><li>The excellent communication we had with <b>Andrea Cruciani</b>, our mentor and CEO of <b><a href="https://www.agricolus.com" target="_blank">Agricolus</a></b>, who is working in a similar field as our gaiasense smart farming system;</li><li>The identification of important competitors activated in Mediterranean countries.</li><li>Last but not least, we established connections with the EIT-Food team, especially with Carmen and Evgenia - which I hope that will may be useful in the near future.</li><div><br /></div>So I am keeping all these as precious outcomes of our participation in the InnoWise Scale competition and will try to make the best use of them in the future.<br />Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-67375653256226289122021-09-26T11:30:00.002+03:002021-10-07T12:05:54.623+03:00My take on the Thessaloniki International Fair 2021<p>After a year of hiatus due to the COVID-19 restrictions, <b><a href="https://thessalonikifair.gr/en" target="_blank">Thessaloniki International Fair 2021</a></b> took place as a physical event between <b>11-19 of September 2021</b> - and I was excited to participate after a long time stuck at the office.</p><p>This year, again due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the Fair was not that International as its previous iterations - plus, the attendance was pretty low, due to the fact that the Fair was open only to those already vaccinated and / or those who had already recovered from COVID-19. The security measures at the entrances were pretty tight, so these measures were actually enforced.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANYBNpusLChJvcFO11R4ps38EXhL0mONYtzEUgJHOYiWNatQuDGZWVhhsI1HuX4Ju7ZsNW7hT-ZkHZfUComVEI9oecV-hb6pMy-w_Jzy5lJQv4WF_qtXYCMX4ffT3OOsOIOd_Ofqd7Qk/s1920/NEUROPUBLIC-TIF-2021-1920x1080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANYBNpusLChJvcFO11R4ps38EXhL0mONYtzEUgJHOYiWNatQuDGZWVhhsI1HuX4Ju7ZsNW7hT-ZkHZfUComVEI9oecV-hb6pMy-w_Jzy5lJQv4WF_qtXYCMX4ffT3OOsOIOd_Ofqd7Qk/w640-h360/NEUROPUBLIC-TIF-2021-1920x1080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>While in the previous versions of the TIF, <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/en" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> had a stand inside one of the Pavilions, this year the company had an impressive external Stand right after the main entrance of the Fair. The main components of NEUROPUBLIC's Stand were the following:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Two external and one internal large monitors were used for the playback of corporate videos and related material, </li><li>Two smartphones were available for visitors to try the new <b><a href="https://www.gaiasense.gr/app" target="_blank">gaiasense mobile app</a> </b></li><li>Lots of printed material like NEUROPUBLIC's corporate profile, the new gaiasense booklet and threefold leaflet, plus my favorite gaiasense pens (they turned out to be pretty popular!)</li><li>A fully functional telemetric agrometeorological station of gaiasense was installed in the nearby flower bed and transmitted data measurements to one of the screens</li></ul><p></p><p>Plus, there were two promoters giving out helium-filled gaiasense balloons to kids and leaflets to visitors.</p><p>I missed the great opening of the event (not a bad thing, for various reasons) as I joined my colleagues after the 3rd day. Everything was already set up so I only had to make sure that everything was working smoothly, relaxing music was playing all the time, our WiFi hotspot was on - as was our valuable air-condition.</p><p>I had the opportunity to discuss about the gaiasense smart farming system and mobile app to various visitors, including farmers, researchers and other technology providers seeking opportunities for collaboration. In addition, I organized project-thematic days at the Stand, featuring our <b><a href="http://www.polirural.eu" target="_blank">PoliRural</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.smartpeach.gr" target="_blank">SmartPeach</a> </b>and <b><a href="http://www.smartolivegrove.gr" target="_blank">SmartOliveGrove</a></b> projects. Each day we had a poster or rollup and leaflets of each project, and this went better than I expected, as the visiting producers were more than I anticipated.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzssfufJDoTx0Gmj0CgCermwtx6VpELg5Ke6dNFi3jULnaEaUZt3RwwMymixQsnxenochyQNeODcg0qe9fzlDuZ2C5dZnI6aW4BA9w26ThjCEMZWxxIUlJ7cFzi2UhAT2WwVRnxHKHR_Q/s4640/IMG_20210916_202645566_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4640" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzssfufJDoTx0Gmj0CgCermwtx6VpELg5Ke6dNFi3jULnaEaUZt3RwwMymixQsnxenochyQNeODcg0qe9fzlDuZ2C5dZnI6aW4BA9w26ThjCEMZWxxIUlJ7cFzi2UhAT2WwVRnxHKHR_Q/s320/IMG_20210916_202645566_HDR.jpg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL8rQSvQTB_w_HV7vEvK5N00Q6amIq7sbEno-9HHwfXiTqSG4BMVDMf7C91O2fSLuokIkeI6pjuFY8lJNPnz7gxzciAFKW6NLY3AfYsGDDz-yh7N9A24biCRxNbvBtu_febXXTkeM6P8/s4640/IMG_20210915_193646853_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL8rQSvQTB_w_HV7vEvK5N00Q6amIq7sbEno-9HHwfXiTqSG4BMVDMf7C91O2fSLuokIkeI6pjuFY8lJNPnz7gxzciAFKW6NLY3AfYsGDDz-yh7N9A24biCRxNbvBtu_febXXTkeM6P8/s320/IMG_20210915_193646853_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During my stay I had the opportunity to meet new colleagues working at NEUROPUBLIC's Thessaloniki office, like Kostas, Vaggelis and Matthew - all of them proved to be great guys and good match to the rest of the team. We set up everything in the morning and packed everything back (including the large monitors, the packs of printed materials and chairs/tables, among others) each evening, by the closing of the Fair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In general, participation in such events is exhausting: You typically have to wake up pretty early, have breakfast, open the Stand and put everything in place, move around all the time restocking printed material, pencils, making sure to fix the mess of chairs and papers being out of place (and all over the place), talking to visitors, preparing cups of coffee and bags of promotional material, and try to find some time for a quick lunch break when the pace of the event is slow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j6MNuRwYSzvSvpwj8fCaZk255f3uxOZgkAP9ZxhK_YphnXvOqnSz3XP2tSURaca5ieKCM8XV2V4SHYEZGspzRUFUvHgTfrARZdSllHzZ1Wl7f4mXeNNgmgy8UMxWxKVWfFHsgU2voq0/s4640/IMG_20210916_203726632.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4640" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j6MNuRwYSzvSvpwj8fCaZk255f3uxOZgkAP9ZxhK_YphnXvOqnSz3XP2tSURaca5ieKCM8XV2V4SHYEZGspzRUFUvHgTfrARZdSllHzZ1Wl7f4mXeNNgmgy8UMxWxKVWfFHsgU2voq0/w400-h299/IMG_20210916_203726632.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day is over and we are about to start packing stuff for the day to come</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, this trip - as each trip inside Greece or abroad - was a refreshing change in the daily office routine. I like hotel life, I love wandering around a city and seeing new things, tasting new dishes and breathing fresh air. This is why I managed to reach my daily steps target during my stay - I had the energy to walk around even during late evening after a long and busy day at the Fair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Getting to talk to potential customers is always a pleasure, but there is an awful lot of work to do back to the office so I am wrapping up and looking forward to the next trip.</div>Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-24560589469814901582020-12-17T14:18:00.001+02:002021-08-18T14:20:18.321+03:00Working from home: A short story<p>It was a rainy winter morning. So rainy that made me feel glad I did not have to drive to work under this heavy rain, through the more-than-usual heavy traffic. A rain, even a light one, increases my commuting time by at least 20 mins.</p><p>Sitting at the cozy sofa of my home, I switched on my laptop, started my secure corporate VPN connection and opened Skype. Using Remote Desktop I could have access to all my files and apps stored at my office desktop PC and my softphone app made sure that all my incoming calls would be forwarded to my home laptop.</p><p>It was just like working from the office but saving a 50 min drive and sitting more comfortably on my sofa. I quickly caught up with all pending emails and had an early morning update chat through Skype with my colleagues - some of them at the office, some of the working from home.</p><p>It was so quiet that I quickly finished an urgent article for a Greek newspaper and had a short break looking for news to use in our corporate and project social media accounts. This was something I can do - and even better - while listening to my favorite moody tracks on Spotify or YouTube.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBGBRL2Zy-32uzngeWkzt4U6jRpwzRG5sj8injA9sSYwDGy-K6Fhssvkeju-bFrLFZshnyh5BbU5m6_UNpvKeBzqA2Wj0KM9f7_cU28-KZRs2IGZuf23VYzVhQuQdl0SsYO34N-qZElo/s3264/20201210_094707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBGBRL2Zy-32uzngeWkzt4U6jRpwzRG5sj8injA9sSYwDGy-K6Fhssvkeju-bFrLFZshnyh5BbU5m6_UNpvKeBzqA2Wj0KM9f7_cU28-KZRs2IGZuf23VYzVhQuQdl0SsYO34N-qZElo/w400-h300/20201210_094707.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>Back to some important tasks: </b>A dissemination report of one of our projects, for the social media of which we (I) am responsible, needed some in depth analysis of usage and outreach. I go into the analytics of each social media platform, export the data in spreadsheets (where applicable) and start filtering, merging and making use of data. I am surprised to see how each platform changes the way it presents the analytics and trying to figure out ways to address some obvious barriers (e.g. Facebook not allowing to go past a quarter of the year).</p><p>After progressing with the report, I need to switch to something easier, to help me clear my mind; I start working on the clipping of news related to the company, our projects and products, filling in some basic information in an online spreadsheet.</p><p>Time for a lunch break, and some time off the screen, to prepare for the rest of my working day.</p><p>A Skype call with the team on the updates and any pending task or issue, and the occasional webinar of the day, on topics of general (or even specific) interest, to catch up with the work of collaborators.</p><p>Stretching my legs shortly before the webinar, grabbing a cup of hot coffee and off we go. In the meantime I check my emails, making sure that all urgent ones are highlighted and the informational ones are quickly sorted out.</p><p>Time's up: Another Skype call with the team, to recap the day and plan things for tomorrow. Everything's sorted out and we are ready for a brand new day.</p>Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-91983131764791211172020-04-27T23:38:00.000+03:002020-04-29T00:04:37.745+03:00IPM Decisions Annual Meeting: A missed opportunity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today I was supposed to fly from Athens to Paris, then get the train to Dijon, settle in my hotel room, grab something to eat and finalize my preparations for the <b><a href="https://www.ipmdecisions.net/" target="_blank">IPM<span id="goog_682120539"></span><span id="goog_682120540"></span> Decisions</a></b> Annual Meeting. Instead, I am sitting at my living room, working from home almost since early March due to <b>COVID-19</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZDFhS51Ipq2vmHI_t_wTrN0Kr3ZzsXGrB58_zLhq1mud8RS8Eb7RRtw_xu1yZbLfblfpzxdqOtqQbsqrhGz_VtAdzkmlFLcLpSNURixKlkJDotN-UZGxuIDfx2BbH0lZ79Q92jIq7d8/s1600/Dijon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1461" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZDFhS51Ipq2vmHI_t_wTrN0Kr3ZzsXGrB58_zLhq1mud8RS8Eb7RRtw_xu1yZbLfblfpzxdqOtqQbsqrhGz_VtAdzkmlFLcLpSNURixKlkJDotN-UZGxuIDfx2BbH0lZ79Q92jIq7d8/s400/Dijon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Flights to Paris and back were early booked, transportation to and from Dijon was carefully planned...damn, I even planned my meals based on TripAdvisor and walks around Dijon (it would be my first time). But apart from the trip itself, it would be my first participation in a project meeting after a really long time.<br />
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<i>The IPM Decisions project will create an online platform that is easy to use for the monitoring and management of pests. The platform will be available across the EU with DSS, data, tools and resources tailored to individual regions.</i></blockquote>
I miss traveling and I miss project meetings. Visiting new places and meeting new people. Walking around unknown roads and working on innovative ways to collaborate in order to fulfill a project's requirements.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnvgv8S_M5300fvcotB8VY8DknMNAUUkS2_t7rWUbceS-c1tjTnmtZYWSoK1giTtBL3zvLxycOgZh7QaPQIciERXO9ZAlQNYoVyiRcOxmled7Hek_uxmTtTYAFE8w7eM-8fEgMUoRA7Y/s1600/IPM_Decisions_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1144" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnvgv8S_M5300fvcotB8VY8DknMNAUUkS2_t7rWUbceS-c1tjTnmtZYWSoK1giTtBL3zvLxycOgZh7QaPQIciERXO9ZAlQNYoVyiRcOxmled7Hek_uxmTtTYAFE8w7eM-8fEgMUoRA7Y/s320/IPM_Decisions_logo.png" width="318" /></a></div>
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I only wish that there will be another opportunity in the near future.<br />
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You can learn more about IPM Decisions on the <b><a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/817617" target="_blank">CORDIS Portal</a></b>.</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-26104762318189505732019-12-19T22:56:00.000+02:002020-04-04T23:05:59.630+03:00Networking events redefined: The example of LIFE Cyclamen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Does your experience from a project's networking event include a typical (usually boring) set of presentations by the invited speakers followed by a Q&A session over a cup of coffee and slides of cake - all these taking place at a meeting room of a university or a hotel?<br />
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Well, we're talking about something totally different here!<br />
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The <b><a href="http://lifecyclamen.com.cy/en/" target="_blank">LIFE Cyclamen</a> <a href="http://lifecyclamen.com.cy/en/the-cyclamen-project/our-team/" target="_blank">project team</a></b> was kind enough to invite me to their networking event that took place on <b>December 12, 2019</b> at <b>Nicosia, Cyprus</b>. I would be one of the just three speakers and was asked to present the <b><a href="http://www.lifegaiasense.eu/" target="_blank">LIFE GAIA Sense</a></b> project. It was like a follow-up from our recent contact during the <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2019/07/networking-workshop-for-greek-life.html" target="_blank">Greek LIFE Task Force Networking Workshop</a>, earlier in 2019.<br />
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There were no time slots, no agenda (at least not published), no strict starting time; just lots of dissemination and buzz around the event. The event would take place in the evening, starting at 18.00.<br />
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I was intrigued.<br />
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As I expected the audience to be diverse (and more focused on the environment) I prepared a new set of slides for the occasion, providing many definitions as simply as possible and avoiding the typical, full-text slides presenting the project.<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="568" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLIFECyclamen%2Fposts%2F3041432246082893&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe>
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The event took place at <b><a href="http://www.1010hall.com/" target="_blank">1010 Hall</a></b>, a carefully designed gallery-style hall which also included a large room suitable for presentations. We were welcomed by a cocktail-style reception, where we had the opportunity to go through a high number of project (and organizations') posters and discuss with the participants over a glass of wine (or two!). I personally had the opportunity to meet about a dozen people from various relevant (to my case) organizations - mostly research and academic institutions, with whom we exchanged experiences and ideas for future collaborations.<br />
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The number of people kept increasing and we finally were invited to the main hall of the place, where a projector was setup and people were seated at bar-style stools. We, the presenters, were presenting while standing - I love this, because it allows me to move from left to right and get close to the projection, highlighting on the screen parts of what I am presenting. I loved the setup!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ck8jK77cJvcejIJMJsF1mphtLIc4tjd8flWeFs-Q3VXnvxGrnriHEb-yns-a3XEQhjVRW_7yHVQtEaTO_aGVSgBfx5zbYL5qXhO4NjxM43trkqnyANBpu54PtpAY03Oc5ESJSLvCsiU/s1600/LIFE+Cyclamen_Networking_20191216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="959" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ck8jK77cJvcejIJMJsF1mphtLIc4tjd8flWeFs-Q3VXnvxGrnriHEb-yns-a3XEQhjVRW_7yHVQtEaTO_aGVSgBfx5zbYL5qXhO4NjxM43trkqnyANBpu54PtpAY03Oc5ESJSLvCsiU/s640/LIFE+Cyclamen_Networking_20191216.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The event concluded with a nice finger food buffet, with various local dishes and lots of drinks (both highly appreciated). This definitely helped in creating a relaxed atmosphere, where people had the opportunity to talk to the speakers and get more information on their presentations.<br />
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I was excited to have another half a dozen of participants approaching me one after the other and asking about various aspects of the LIFE GAIA Sense project and the gaiasense smart farming system, exploring opportunities for collaboration in the context of the same (or even another) LIFE project. I talked with people from the public sector, private companies, NGOs, LIFE project beneficiaries etc. exchanging information about our organizations, our work and potential collaboration.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-mmbfIGL6Jt4Jg-1eHmJ6aHtRR7nUnAHBo2DDUTkhIOjNtjxZq-SfeaPPElxjnsnO3rQTCJmIi-QkqQo1lIRJyoX_MBaMNaT3fDP9Sff_yyi81c-Z0nz5c6qUoLkm9IsXph6mQKMUgA/s1600/LIFE+Cyclamen_Networking_20191216a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="960" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-mmbfIGL6Jt4Jg-1eHmJ6aHtRR7nUnAHBo2DDUTkhIOjNtjxZq-SfeaPPElxjnsnO3rQTCJmIi-QkqQo1lIRJyoX_MBaMNaT3fDP9Sff_yyi81c-Z0nz5c6qUoLkm9IsXph6mQKMUgA/s640/LIFE+Cyclamen_Networking_20191216a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I admit I didn't have the time to grab something to eat, as people kept coming one after the other. I am a foodie but trust me, I didn't mind at all! We talked about crops not yet covered by smart farming, production issues common between Cyprus and Greece, work of common interest in different projects, ideas for participation in common events etc.<br />
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What I especially liked was the fact that even though the attendance was not really high, participants were really into it and their vast majority got engaged in relevant discussions before and after the presentations. And in the end, this is what matters.<br />
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Not your typical networking event I guess!<br />
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<b>Huge thanks to the <a href="http://lifecyclamen.com.cy/en/the-cyclamen-project/our-team/" target="_blank">LIFE Cyclamen team</a></b> for the excellent communication, organization and dissemination of the event and for making this trip one of the best in my 10 years of traveling all over Europe - all my participation details were taken care of. And of course for inviting me to this special event :-)<br />
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0Nicosia, Cyprus35.1855659 33.38227640000002335.0817544 33.220914900000025 35.2893774 33.543637900000022tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-36336916943563114952019-07-04T20:16:00.000+03:002019-07-09T17:27:57.015+03:00Networking workshop for Greek LIFE projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the context of the LIFE Project’s “<b><a href="http://lifecyclamen.com.cy/" target="_blank">Cyprus Capacity Building for LIFE – Cyclamen</a></b>” delegation visit to Athens, the <b><a href="http://www.lifetaskforce.gr/" target="_blank">Greek LIFE Task Force</a></b> organized a workshop on the networking of Greek LIFE projects. The event took place on Tuesday July 2 at the headquarters of the <b><a href="http://www.prasinotameio.gr/index.php/el/" target="_blank">Green Fund</a></b> at Villa Kazoulis.<br />
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I had the pleasure to participate in the Workshop on behalf of <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> and present the <b><a href="http://www.lifegaiasense.eu/" target="_blank">LIFE GAIA Sense</a></b> project, its objectives, the methodology it develops as well as the the progress it has made during its first year of operation.<br />
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LIFE GAIA Sense is a European project coordinated by NEUROPUBLIC, and co-funded by the <b><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/life" target="_blank">LIFE Programme</a></b> of the EC. The project is based on the <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/" target="_blank">gaiasense smart farming system</a></b> and aims to present the way in which gaiasense contributes to the conservation of natural resources, to environmental protection and more generally, to <b>circular economy</b> models.<br />
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My presentation focused on gaiasense, with references to the system’s concept, its four dimensions, the role of technology, scientific results, data and human factor, as well as the benefits (environmental, financial etc.) resulting from its application.<br />
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After the end of the presentation I received a number of questions from the participants, who showed special interest in the approach followed by the project, as well as the gaiasense system. In addition, during the break, we discussed various opportunities for cooperation between LIFE GAIA Sense and other projects participating in the event, extending the system’s activity to new contexts and examining new potential applications.<br />
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I was impressed by the simplicity of the participants; it is something I also felt when meeting biodiversity researchers several years ago, when I participated in a <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2012/05/2nd-biovel-workshop.html" target="_blank">BioVeL meeting</a>. </b>People seem to be more accessible and easy to approach compared to e.g. Horizon project partners - maybe I am mistaken.<br />
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This goes to the organizers of the meeting, who helped me feel comfortable among people I didn't know and a concept (the LIFE projects' ecosystem) that I was not familiar with.<br />
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I was also impressed by the venue; <a href="https://athensattica.com/things-to-see/architecture/villa-kazoulis/" target="_blank"><b>Villa Kazouli</b></a> seems to have a long history and still looks fabulous.</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0Leof. Kifisias 241, Kifisia 145 61, Greece38.067602 23.81034969999996112.804029 -17.498244300000039 63.331175 65.11894369999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-4132453713716515932019-06-26T21:44:00.000+03:002019-07-09T17:06:26.478+03:00Swedish Embassy’s workshop on sustainable agriculture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On <b>Wednesday, June 19</b>, the <b><a href="https://www.swedenabroad.se/athens" target="_blank">Embassy of Sweden in Athens</a></b>, in collaboration with the <b><a href="https://www.uoc.gr/" target="_blank">University of Crete</a></b> and the <b>Consulate of Sweden in Heraklion</b>, organized a Workshop on the sustainability of the agrifood sector, titled «<b><i>Sustainable agriculture & food – our common future!</i></b>» at the <a href="http://www.ebeh.gr/" target="_blank">Chamber of Heraklion</a>, Crete.<br />
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The aim of the Workshop was to highlight the challenges that the agrifood sector faces, including all stages from the field to the shelf, and the presentation of digital and technological solutions that contribute to addressing these challenges and to the sustainability of food production.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aTe7cX7BI0xtBZZyhzdqnWz9VlDNxqGckLC30oVnzdbldAV_-WGApwnUKTExIX0rqCj0qFyNPzB_u4j_rVKQcisBCqvrFMZBW0leRZunYfdJDiso9gMpnETYkt71F_YMqFShyphenhyphenJvtkJ0/s1600/Imerida_Presveias_koino2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aTe7cX7BI0xtBZZyhzdqnWz9VlDNxqGckLC30oVnzdbldAV_-WGApwnUKTExIX0rqCj0qFyNPzB_u4j_rVKQcisBCqvrFMZBW0leRZunYfdJDiso9gMpnETYkt71F_YMqFShyphenhyphenJvtkJ0/s640/Imerida_Presveias_koino2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credits: Embassy of Sweden/Orsia Fragkou</td></tr>
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In this context, research and scientific outcomes were presented by institutions such as <a href="https://www.uoc.gr/" target="_blank">University of Crete</a> and the <a href="https://www.elgo.gr/" target="_blank">Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”</a>, on modern methods related to food safety through laboratory analyzes, plant protection, fisheries and aquaculture, and sustainable food production.<br />
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I had the pleasure to represent <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> in the event, as one of the invited speakers, along with my colleague <b>Dionysis Pantazatos</b>, Project Manager. My participation, in the context of the second session of the Workshop, focused on the <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/" target="_blank">gaiasense smart farming system</a></b> . My presentation highlighted the main features of the system and focused on how gaiasense contributes to the economic, environmental and social sustainability.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1cO8MscV1J2A6tzwJl_b6EjJqLkFW3j1GP3zzw8No1EKGu9bZwirtXwi7TF_C_k4MXRx_FA79G5eyF3x5gWoRq554tLrducxkD6D6FG0r8txrSUng0lrZI79yKsDAYrSuSsbVMe5Fz8/s1600/Protonotarios_imerida_Presveias+Souidias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="1600" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1cO8MscV1J2A6tzwJl_b6EjJqLkFW3j1GP3zzw8No1EKGu9bZwirtXwi7TF_C_k4MXRx_FA79G5eyF3x5gWoRq554tLrducxkD6D6FG0r8txrSUng0lrZI79yKsDAYrSuSsbVMe5Fz8/s640/Protonotarios_imerida_Presveias+Souidias.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credits: Embassy of Sweden/Theodore Karakassis</td></tr>
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The event was attended, among others, by members of the academic community, researchers, representatives of agri-food businesses and related research projects, and was introduced by the <b>Swedish Ambassador to Greece</b> Charlotte Sammelin, and the <b>Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs of the University of Crete</b> Giannis Karakasis.<br />
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I also had the opportunity to join the Embassy's pop-up event, which preceded the Workshop. It was an informal event, during which I got to meet and talk to the Embassy's staff - including but not limited to <b>Patrik Svensson, Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission</b>. Discussions took place over a cup of coffee and snacks and I learned a lot about the Embassy and its activities in Greece.<br />
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Special thanks to Sophia Keramida for the excellent communication and for organizing the event, as well as to all participants for contributing to the success of the event.</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0Koroneou 9, Iraklio 712 02, Greece35.3407206 25.1335867000000239.8186860999999972 -16.175007299999976 60.8627551 66.442180700000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-50250727256144901122019-03-28T22:34:00.002+02:002019-03-28T22:34:17.756+02:00When my online storage / syncing / backup system failed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To make a long story short: About two years ago, I purchased a Samsung smartphone and with it, I got an offer of <b><a href="https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/100gb-onedrive-bonus-with-samsung-devices-e67a6419-f33e-496a-a53a-cbb167c2aadf" target="_blank">100GB of free OneDrive storage space</a></b>. The catch: <b>It would only be valid for 2 years. </b>I activated it, thinking that I would never manage to make use of it, so it wouldn't hurt losing these 100GB after two years. I was wrong.<br />
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I have been using both <b>Dropbox</b> and <b>OneDrive</b> for storing and syncing my most important work files (so that I can access them anytime from any place) but still 100GB is an awful lot of space for me; if I recall well, I was using about 20 of my OneDrive's 30GB available back at that time. To me, having access to my files is crucial; no matter if I am at the office, at home or even on the road, I may have to access my files - both personal and work.<br />
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Since then, I made some important revisions in the way I used my free (maxed at 5.8GB) Dropbox account: I had to.move ALL my personal files from Dropbox to OneDrive (so that I maximized the space available for my work files) while using some OneDrive storage for my work, too. At the same time, I used my OneDrive storage space for syncing all photos and videos recorded through my Windows Phone.<br />
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Today, I needed to edit one of the files I keep on OneDrive, only to receive a message that I could not edit nor sync my files, as I have exceeded my free quota! What had happened is that not only had the 100GB Samsung offer expired, but I had managed to <b>exceed my 30GB of free OneDrive storage (by about 4,5GB)</b> in the meantime! The issue was apparently caused by me constantly shooting photos and videos with my Lumia smartphone, which led to an increased online backup / sync size while I kept adding work and personal files.<br />
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<b>It took me more than a couple of hours to clean up the mess: </b>I started by finding the biggest files, which were obviously the videos. I downloaded a batch of them, moved them to an external hard disk and kept an online backup on my YouTube channel. I also deleted some obsolete files (I even found some large map files and apps for my long-gone <b>Windows 5.0 Mio P350 PDA / Pocket PC</b>!) and duplicate ones, and downloaded my enormous collection of e-books.<br />
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In the end I managed to reduce my files to less than 30GB but still I needed to find a way to free more space for both my work and personal files that I keep online. <b>This highlighted (for once more) the need for having (a) a reliable sync / online backup system and (b) a constant control over the files that need to be backed up and synced online</b> (so that e.g. redundant and duplicate files will be removed ASAP).<br />
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I will surely have to rethink my sync / online backup approach (tools, workflows and files) so that I can exploit existing options and be as efficient as possible. I will probably have to include Google Drive in the picture, as it provides enough storage and an easy to use desktop client for automating the process. I will only need time to do so - and time is scarce during this period... </div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-32920028535971138942019-02-09T22:54:00.001+02:002019-02-09T23:31:16.881+02:00Farewell to Google+<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Google decided to <b><a href="https://support.google.com/plus/answer/9195133" target="_blank">shut down its Google+ platform</a></b> on <b>April 2nd, 2019</b>, after <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45792349" target="_blank">yet another data breach</a> (which may sound surprising for us taking into consideration the infrastructure of Google). It was a prominent but unfortunate platform, which allowed users to share content, interact, participate in online communities etc.; all backed up by a (almost) seamless operation with other Google products like YouTube, Photos, Blogger etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQN-pQg3-sKe8Lmz2tYUwRZeRc4EpX5_q0gXl45EXQl_JuXPit3Ys7VJwJvTdmW610yKZMX5rW3JQXqjuYw732N5nW09yVF9ilIfea9RUz1C0Wg0iS2hAJxoC-kcPs1QDTw_noEGI9dA/s1600/Google_goodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQN-pQg3-sKe8Lmz2tYUwRZeRc4EpX5_q0gXl45EXQl_JuXPit3Ys7VJwJvTdmW610yKZMX5rW3JQXqjuYw732N5nW09yVF9ilIfea9RUz1C0Wg0iS2hAJxoC-kcPs1QDTw_noEGI9dA/s1600/Google_goodbye.jpg" /></a></div>
However, it seems that it never managed to live up to the expectations of their developers, being always in the shadow of Facebook in terms of data sharing.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
But why am I bothered?</h3>
Google+ has been one of the tools I used for sharing updates, content etc. It was dead simple to do so, just pasting a link and you would come up with a preview and a box to share your thoughts on what you shared. Just like you do in Facebook, one would say. Yes, but it was WITHOUT using Facebook!<br />
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You see, in some corporate environments, Facebook is one of the websites that you don't have access to, because it is considered a major distraction (and in fact it is). So it was one of the few alternatives for content sharing.<br />
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On top of that, content sharing among selected contacts and groups of contacts was a breeze: There was the "<b>Circles</b>" concept, which you could use for grouping your contacts (e.g. family, friends, colleagues, professional connections, acquaintances etc.). By selecting the appropriate audience for each post, you could ensure that e.g. professional connections wouldn't see your family vacation photos and at the same time family wouldn't scratch their heads on the latest scientific research post you uploaded. I found much easier to use these Circles than Facebook's groups of connections.<br />
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Google+ was great for businesses, too, as it allows the creation of business profiles and pages, that could be easily linked to Google Maps and other Google tools.<br />
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In my case, I could also tag a specific Google user (and almost everyone has a Google account nowadays) in my blog posts by using a +Username and they would be notified of the post and mention - how cool is that? Everyone could then +1 (like) a post and comment using his Google+ profile. These features will be gone soon.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The next day; without Google+</h3>
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I admit I haven't invested too much in my presence in Google+; I occasionally used it, mostly for sharing more professional content (while the personal one was mostly shared through Facebook). However, I was sorry to see it go, as it was always a good and reliable alternative.</div>
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My blog will surely be affected by this change, including comments left by others and comments left by me, +1 on posts etc. It is much time and effort going to waste.</div>
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I have tested other platforms for quick data sharing, such as <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>. It is nice, but it has its drawbacks, too. In the past I've used others, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springpad" target="_blank">Springpad</a> and </div>
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After seeing a tech giant like Google dropping its Google+ platform, it is hard to put your trust in any third party one. It only proves how "fragile" content sharing is and how much we rely on platforms that may cease to work at any time.</div>
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Farewell Google+. </div>
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-889435018004652112019-01-15T22:56:00.000+02:002019-02-09T23:30:22.941+02:00Overview of my 2018 - Top events<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another year is over; another fruitful year, full of experiences, a few trips and some interesting connections and opportunities for the future. I had the opportunity to try new things, to gain experience in new fields and even push myself to the limits.<br />
<br />
My top 5 moments in 2018 - in terms of events, as I recall them now, are the following (in random order):<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/10/presenting-benefits-of-smart-farming.html" target="_blank"><b>My presentation on smart farming at COPA COGECA</b></a>: It was one of the most interesting experience ever; <b><a href="https://copa-cogeca.eu/" target="_blank">COPA COGECA</a></b> is a huge organization with huge impact on the agrifood sector and it was an honor for me to have the opportunity to talk about smart farming in a pretty restricted and selected audience. The trip itself was also unique; it was a 1-day trip from Athens to Brussels through a total of 5 airports (Athens, Zurich, Geneva, Brussels, Zurich, Athens). An exhausting trip to remember.<br />
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2. <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/03/participation-in-rda-interest-group-on.html" target="_blank">My participation in the RDA Interest Group on Agricultural Data (IGAD) Pre-Plenary Meeting 11</a>: </b>Being among people that I have worked with throughout the last 8 years (and haven't seen for the last two) was really exciting. <b><a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/" target="_blank">Research Data Alliance</a></b> is a huge global network and being a part of it, is a privilege. I felt really comfortable among friends, old and new, and had the opportunity to present the role of <a href="https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples" target="_blank">FAIR Data</a> in our H2020 <a href="http://www.databio.eu/" target="_blank">DataBio project</a>. The trip was challenging for once more, as I missed my connecting flight to Berlin from Frankfurt, had to stay for 3-4 hours at a hotel in the middle of nowhere (!!) and then my flight back was also cancelled so I found myself rushing to Berlin airport, in order to catch an earlier flight that I was rebooked.<br />
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<b>3. The gaiasense workshop in Heraklion, Crete and GAIA Congress 2018: </b>These were two side-by-side events, in which I had multiple roles. The <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/10/gaiasense-at-heraklion-challenging-but.html" target="_blank">gaiasense event</a> was a big success and a great experience; we had to set up everything from scratch (from posters and dissemination materials to sound and video checking) and deliver our presentations. I had to cover a couple of topics along with a demo of selected gaiasense applications. I also managed our social media and<br />
<br />
The next day, I participated in the <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/10/my-take-on-5th-panhellenic-congress-on.html" target="_blank">5th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture</a></b>. I was responsible for covering parts of the Congress through social media, spending time in the gaiasense stand, drop by our DataBio booth and give a hand to my Italian colleague with her communication with Greek stakeholders, network with participants, disseminate our LIFE GAIA Sense project along with a couple of our Greek projects (SymbIoT and SmartPeach), give interviews for Greek media etc. The event concluded with a DataBio session with me being the only presenter :-)<br />
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Yet another exhausting but fruitful experience.<br />
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4. <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/02/participation-in-agrotica-2018.html" target="_blank">My participation in the Agrotica 2018 International Fair</a>:</b> Agrotica is one of the largest international agricultural Fairs in the Balkans. We had an impressive booth there, we had lots of visitors interested in what we were offering, we worked long hours but it was great. For me it was yet another opportunity to get to know more about the agricultural sector, being an agronomist with almost no agricultural experience :-)<br />
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5. <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-five-days-at-thessaloniki.html" target="_blank">Thessaloniki International Fair 2018</a>:</b> This is also one of the largest international Fairs in the Balkans, too, but not only focused on agriculture. We had a great booth for once more, we got to meet key people from the government, political parties and others, and we addressed everything in a professional way. As regards the trip, I had the opportunity to travel to Thessaloniki by train (I cannot recall when was the lest time I did a train trip) and I really enjoyed it!<br />
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Of course there were other highlights in 2018, too, not related to events but to personal and professional achievements. I will try to make a list for them, too, if time allows so that I can use it for future reference.</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-45007638104640111652018-11-04T21:33:00.000+02:002018-11-14T21:43:20.725+02:00Presenting DataBio at the 5th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the things I did during the recent <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.com/2018/10/my-take-on-5th-panhellenic-congress-on.html" target="_blank">5th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture</a></b> was to talk about the <b>DataBio Horizon 2020 project</b> and its smart farming pilots in Greece during an interactive session.<br />
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The session was organized by DataBio project partner <b><a href="http://www.c-gaia.gr/" target="_blank">GAIA Epicheirein</a></b> and supported by <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b>. It aimed at Greek agrifood stakeholder interested in learning about smart farming and the benefits of digital agriculture. It took place on the <b>25th of October 2018</b>, right after the GAIA Congress; in this way, we ensured that participants of the Congress would also attend the DataBio session, along with other selected participants who were invited.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zY8hTXHYwMy1oiEwtOiqMJ0uhRSCGFKiBQpsETP3sNAzM_OeVLAWDIHVf9t0iBrXbyKFKZ61lM0HZ78MMDlhp_tGNpAQaJiNtn0hNBn4wrpOPul0pfEOcsn8VVNYmPWFCtLJtn7VtuA/s1600/DataBio-at-the-5th-GAIA-Congress2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="974" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zY8hTXHYwMy1oiEwtOiqMJ0uhRSCGFKiBQpsETP3sNAzM_OeVLAWDIHVf9t0iBrXbyKFKZ61lM0HZ78MMDlhp_tGNpAQaJiNtn0hNBn4wrpOPul0pfEOcsn8VVNYmPWFCtLJtn7VtuA/s640/DataBio-at-the-5th-GAIA-Congress2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presenting the smart farming pilots in Greece during the session</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I had the pleasure to be the sole speaker of the event: I started the DataBio session with a presentation of the project, focusing on its aims, objectives, expected outcomes and ongoing activities. After this introduction, I continued with a presentation of the smart farming pilots of the project in Greece, which allowed the participants to get practical information on the crops and locations in Greece where the pilots take place, as well as the expected benefits from each pilot – also mentioning the role of technology and data in each case.<br />
<br />
The pilots on olive trees and grapes were of special interest to the participants, as both are among the main crops of Crete.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT5w0cSrI032wr_PqBaEBnpeOZmwMXOoFBNRWZHgKTqCZgcwkReNWAHPCKTK5SCJMsbUigl9sfO1sqFX7nCdF0b7w-6rrkkbobgdrVa3WcBQyyfz_ePskZwLEqFqXaeIQcg19-y8LQrE/s1600/DataBio-at-the-5th-GAIA-Congress1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="974" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT5w0cSrI032wr_PqBaEBnpeOZmwMXOoFBNRWZHgKTqCZgcwkReNWAHPCKTK5SCJMsbUigl9sfO1sqFX7nCdF0b7w-6rrkkbobgdrVa3WcBQyyfz_ePskZwLEqFqXaeIQcg19-y8LQrE/s640/DataBio-at-the-5th-GAIA-Congress1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big "Thank you" to the audience for their participation after a long and tiring Congress day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The last part of the session was a discussion <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">between DataBio members and the audience, </span>on various aspects of the project. The participants expressed their interest in smart farming and the benefits that they can reap through its adoption, with some of them even expressing their interest in participating in the pilots. Face to face discussions also took place at the DataBio booth with individual participants after the end of the session.<br />
<br />
All in all, it was another interesting experience; it was great talking about smart farming to people who showed real interest in the transition from traditional agriculture to smart farming (and that's why they attended the session after a day-long Congress). I also enjoyed the collaboration with the GAIA Epicherein team organizing the session as well as with project partner Anna Bozza from CIAOTECH who spent the whole day at the DataBio booth, informing Congress participants about the project and focusing on the smart farming pilots, which were of special interest to the participants. </div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-37512525857998623022018-11-02T13:00:00.000+02:002018-11-08T21:52:35.289+02:00The SmartAgriHubs Horizon 2020 project is launched - Press Release<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Press release of SmartAgriHubs</b>, a brand-new, ambitious EU project that <b><a href="https://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> is a partner of and <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en" target="_blank">gaiasense</a></b> among the Digital Innovation Hubs.<br />
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<h2 style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<strong><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">EU accelerates the digital transformation of
the European agri-food sector</span></strong></h2>
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<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: right;">
<strong><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Brussels, 01 November 2018</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The SmartAgriHubs project enables a broad
digital transformation of the European farming and food sector. With a €20
million budget co-funded by the European Union, the project aims to build an
extensive pan-European network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs). The project starts
today on November 1st, 2018. </span></strong><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasistekstSchuttelaar">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SmartAgriHubs</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">140</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Digital Innovation
Hubs</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, 9 </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">regional cluster & 28 flagship innovation experiments </span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The project has the potential to be a real
game changer in the adoption of digital solutions by the farming sector. Recent
initiatives showed the eagerness of the sector to seize the opportunities offered
by ICT, network and data–oriented technologies. However, current available
applications are still fragmented and mainly used by a small group of
early-adopters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">SmartAgriHubs will leverage, strengthen and connect
local DIHs, and 20 000 Competence Centres (CCs) throughout Europe.
SmartAgriHubs has already put together a large network of 140 DIHs by building
on its existing projects and ecosystems such as </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="https://www.iof2020.eu/">Internet
of Food and Farm (IoF2020)</a></span></span><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">. All DIHs are aligned with 9 regional clusters, which are led
by organizations that are closely related to national or regional digitization
initiatives and funds. This multi-layer approach is supported by 28 Innovation
experiments in which ideas, concepts and prototypes are further developed and
introduced into the market. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">More than 2 million farms are expected to be
involved through 4000 experiments, bringing the process of digitization closer
to the specific needs of the farmers. Demystifying digitization is vital to the
project, helping farmers and their businesses to achieve real and attainable
results. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A multi-stakeholder approach </span></h3>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">SmartAgriHubs brings together different
expertise and involves a broad value-chain network covering all EU member
states. The consortium includes a vast network of start-ups, SMEs, business and
service providers, technology experts and end-users. End-users from the
agri-food sector are at the heart of the project and the driving force of the
digital transformation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Strong focus on communication, training and stakeholder
engagement </span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">SmartAgriHubs aspires to create an interconnected
ecosystem where stakeholders work together in the different phases of
innovation from early research to application on farms. Therefore, promoting
stakeholder dialogue and providing timely information on progresses and
achieved results lies at the heart of the project’s communication
activities. To involve, train and inform its audience, several tools will
be put in place by the consortium throughout the duration of the project. For
instance, in the innovation portal information will be easily accessible by
farmers and their businesses, creating an effective, efficient and satisfactory
user experience. A catalogue for farmers and agribusiness is also foreseen,
mapping the existing digital technology field, to exchange best practices among
the network. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">“</span><em><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">SmartAgriHubs will not only increase the competitiveness and sustainability of Europe’s agri-food sector. It will become the 4th industrial revolution that will strategically re-orient the digital European agricultural innovation ecosystem towards excellence and success. Together with our partners we believe SmartAgriHubs will unlock the potential of digitization by creating a pan-European network of Digital Innovation Hubs, organizing an inclusive ecosystem around them and fostering them to achieve their full innovation acceleration capacity.”</span></em><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; text-align: right;">
<strong style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">George
Beers, Project Manager at Wageningen University & Research /
SmartAgriHubs Project Coordinator</span></strong></div>
<div class="BasistekstSchuttelaar">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Key facts at a glance: </span></h3>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #4b4b4b; line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Instrument: <b>Horizon 2020, DT-RUR-12-2-18:
ICT Innovation for agriculture </b><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #4b4b4b; line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Contribution of the European
Union: <b>€20 million </b><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #4b4b4b; line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Duration: <b>4 years, 2018-2022</b><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Consortium: <b>108 initial
partners, possibility to extend through open calls <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>140 digital
innovation hubs, 9 regional cluster & 28 flagship innovation
experiments</b></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #4b4b4b; line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Bridge <b>public-private funding</b>
by mobilising additional funding (30 M€)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #4b4b4b; line-height: 15.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Strong focus on <b>establishing a sustainable
network of DIHs with viable business models and investment funds</b></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-69834816967032054902018-10-29T23:38:00.000+02:002018-11-09T00:14:04.283+02:00My take on the 5th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <b><a href="https://www.c-gaia.gr/congress2018/" target="_blank">5th Panhellenic Conference on the Development of Greek Agriculture</a></b> was the latest of the series of Conferences organized by <b><a href="https://www.c-gaia.gr/" target="_blank">GAIA Epicheirein</a></b> in collaboration with various organizations. It took place at the <a href="http://www.candiamaris.gr/" target="_blank">Candia Maris Resort & Spa Crete</a>, an impressive complex at Heraklion, Crete.<br />
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This year's theme was "Digitization: The Future of European Agriculture" - you can read a sort overview <a href="https://www.databio.eu/en/5th-panhellenic-conference-on-the-development-of-greek-agriculture/" target="_blank">here</a> (English).<br />
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I found myself contributing to the coverage of the event, being a part of the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">social media team (and focusing on my favorite Twitter). Using the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gaiacongress18" target="_blank">#GAIACongress18</a>, we created a cloud of tweets while an additional cloud was created through the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=%23gaiacongress2018&src=typd" target="_blank">#GAIACongress2018</a> hashtag by third parties (I admit we hadn't circulated the hashtag of the event beforehand so this was a minor casualty). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">My workflow was pretty much a typical one: I was taking photos of the event with my smartphones and kept tweeting using my Bluetooth keyboard which was paired with them. I also used my 11,6-inch tablet with its keyboard for managing the Facebook pages and responding to emails.</span></div>
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Τελευταίες ετοιμασίες λίγο πριν την έναρξη του 5ου Πανελληνίου Συνεδρίου - σας περιμένουμε! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GaiaCongress18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GaiaCongress18</a> <a href="https://t.co/LY5xYuKvw1">pic.twitter.com/LY5xYuKvw1</a></div>
— Gaia Επιχειρείν (@Gaia_Epixeirein) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gaia_Epixeirein/status/1055344703019859969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
What I (also) did during the Congress</h3>
On top of that, I was around the gaiasense booth that was available at the exhibition room of the Congress; we had a TV screen for playing the gaiasense videos, a huge banner, numerous leaflets and of course our loyal telemetric station (which tends to be around in all recent gaiasense-related event, from the Thessaloniki International Fair 2018 and on!). I had the opportunity to explain the gaiasense concept to participants of the event and talk about the features of our custom telemetric stations.</div>
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Among these, I managed to find some time to be around our <b><a href="http://www.databio.eu/" target="_blank">DataBio</a></b> Horizon 2020 Big Data Lighthouse Project stand and help our charming Italian partner Anna Bozza from CiaoTech to keep up with questions and requests about the project from Greek stakeholders (many of which were not exactly fluent in English). The stand was really well-thought, with project dissemination material <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(T-shirts and hats stood out of the crowd!) and drew the attention of various participants of the event.
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In between, I got engaged in discussions with friends and colleagues, talked about gaiasense and smart farming in Greece to media, arrange an interview with the national TV channel ERT the day after (a challenging task, considering it should take place about 100 km away from our hotel and I had no car or other mean of transportation available), give a hand to the dissemination of our projects during the Congress (such as our Greek ones <b>SmartPeach</b> and <b>SymbIoT</b>, and our <a href="http://lifegaiasense.eu/" target="_blank"><b>LIFE GAIA Sense</b></a> EU one) and last but not least, deliver a presentation about our DataBio project, focusing on the Greek pilots! </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
My DataBio presentation</h3>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Right after the end of the main event (the Congress), GAIA Epicheirein, CiaoTech and NEUROPUBLIC had arranged a brief session focusing on our <b><a href="http://www.databio.eu/" target="_blank">DataBio</a></b> Horizon 2020 Lighthouse project at the main room of the Congress. I had prepared a set of slides about the project itself, its aims and objectives and work so far and a second set on the smart farming pilots taking place in Greece - which <a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a> coordinates and implements. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Despite the fact that the session took place by the end of a long day, the audience was more than we initially expected, consisting of various types of Greek stakeholders (farmers and agricultural cooperatives, agricultural advisors and agronomists, other agrifood chain partners). The presentation went pretty well, I received a number of questions during the session and got into related discussions afterwards.</span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Wrapping up</h3>
<div>
It was surely a long and busy day, with many tasks running at the same time, various requests to be fulfilled and many-many discussions with stakeholders. In the end we managed to keep things under control and deliver what we had to deliver (plus arrange some things for the next day, like the aforementioned TV interview).</div>
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By the end of the day, we had to disassemble everything, pack it up (including posters, roll-ups, banners, leaflets and even our pretty heavy telemetric station), load everything on our pick-up truck and catch up with the rest of colleagues for a nice, traditional Cretan dinner in a small village outside Heraklion.</div>
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We knew that we had accomplished our goals during these two days at Crete (the gaiasense event and the 5th GAIA Congress) and this made everything easier for us.</div>
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0Andreas Papandreou Street 72, Heraklion Gazi 714 14, Greece35.336378 25.0846619999999810.057471000000003 -16.223932000000019 60.615285 66.39325599999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-83578349313218524982018-10-27T22:00:00.000+03:002018-11-08T22:43:11.726+02:00gaiasense at Heraklion: A challenging but successful event<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On <b>October 24th 2018</b>, <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> organized an open event for the <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en" target="_blank">gaiasense</a></b> smart farming system at <a href="https://theatlantishotel.gr/" target="_blank">Aquila Atlantis Hotel</a>, Heraklion, Crete. The aim of the event was to present various aspects of the gaiasense system (e.g. technological, business, policy & CAP) to stakeholders from Crete.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Background</h3>
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There was a lot of preparation behind the event: Presentations were made from scratch with the help of a (talented) graphic designer and multiple rehearsals took place before the event. Demos of the gaiasense applications and tools were prepared, based on predefined scenarios (to save time). A new (stunning) video was prepared highlighting the concept of gaiasense and various activities related to its operation, media coverage was arranged, invitations were sent to key stakeholders and a ticketing system was set up for organizing the attendance in the best possible way. The agenda was carefully thought and prepared, ensuring that representatives from all aspects of gaiasense would have the time to talk and discuss their contributions.</div>
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We even had our famous telemetric station packed and loaded onto the gaiasense pickup truck (and then unpacked it and set it up at the event room - a really challenging task!), loads of posters, roll-ups, banners, leaflets and other dissemination material packed, unpacked and set up as well; everything set up in a couple of hours.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The event</h3>
I admit it; participation was higher than I expected: We had booked a room seating about 150 people and by the beginning of the event we already had people standing and leaning on the walls. There were mostly agricultural advisors, farmers and agricultural cooperatives, and other stakeholders interested in innovation in the agricultural sector.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Partial) view of the audience from the panelists' table</td></tr>
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Everything went smooth and according to the plan; of course, there were some minor glitches here and there (e.g. a specific app wouldn't work over the existing WiFi network so we had to skip it at the last rehearsal), but this is expected during a live event. The sound was fine, videos went out great, the audience was really interested in the presentations and there were some questions after each session.<br />
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What made the event more interesting was the fact that we had decided to skip the typical set of (usually boring) slides for the description of the four dimensions of gaiasense - we also skipped the typical sitting /standing on the podium and we went for a <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PechaKucha" target="_blank">PechaKutcha</a></b> style of presentation, so we had the opportunity to look at our audience instead of the laptop screen, using a wireless microphone.<br />
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The specific session was apparently my favorite one; not only because it was me and my colleagues working closely and presenting the gaiasense dimensions in a complimentary way, but also due to the fact that it was really different than the rest. I personally had the opportunity to present not one but two of the gaiasense dimensions - and right after that, to demonstrate the main gaiasense software tools. It was a real marathon for me, but I think it came out pretty well.<br />
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It was also interesting that aspects of gaiasense like its role in the new CAP as an instrument supporting the implementation of its measures, its role as a tool for agricultural advisors (agricultural advisory services will be a key component of the new CAP) and its European dimension were also presented by colleagues and collaborators.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Wrapping up</h3>
<div>
In less than 2,5 hours we managed to present almost everything related to the gaiasense smart farming system, including the technological, the methodological, the scientific and the policy aspects of gaiasense. The pace was so quick, based on short sessions and the constant change of speakers, that the audience could not help but follow the flow. Their interest was expressed in the form of discussions that took place right after the event. It was a really dense period and an even more dense event - but it went really well and this made up for it.<br />
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The end of the event was not the end of the activities: We had to pack everything and send it over to another hotel, where the <b>5th Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture</b> would take place (and gaiasense would also be represented with its own booth, posters, roll-ups and other dissemination material). Press releases had to be prepared and sent to media, photos had to be organized and I also had yet another presentation to make - this time on the DataBio project and its smart farming pilots in Greece (that NEUROPUBLIC is responsible for).<br />
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It was a day to remember, that's for sure.</div>
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0Igias 2, Iraklio 712 02, Greece35.3401165 25.13803359999997210.061231 -16.170560400000028 60.619002 66.446627599999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-50573908470838839552018-10-10T23:14:00.000+03:002018-10-14T23:24:42.485+03:00Presenting the benefits of smart farming for the olive sector at Copa Cogeca<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
I was excited.</h4>
I was invited to the meeting of <b><a href="https://www.copa-cogeca.eu/" target="_blank">Copa Cogeca</a></b>'s <b>Working Party on Olive Oil and Table Olives</b>, to make a presentation on how smart farming can benefit the olive sector. It was a great opportunity for me to present the work that we are doing with <b><a href="https://www.neuropublic.gr/en/home/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b>'s <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en" target="_blank">gaiasense</a></b> smart farming system. A Facebook reminder (the "On this day" feature) informed me that it was only a couple of years and two days ago when I first attended a Copa Cogeca event (the annual Farmers Congress, that was collocated with the GAIA Congress in Athens, Greece).<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
I was stressed.</h4>
The meeting would take place on the day that we were submitting a pretty important proposal for a project to take place in the Region of Western Greece. I was responsible for the communication with the partners of the proposal, the collection of all necessary documentation and certificates from their side (both in digital and printed version) - and since we are talking about Greece, you can only imagine the amount of paperwork required...<br />
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I was also responsible for uploading all necessary information on the web-based proposal submission platform - for all partners - and in general for the successful submission of the proposal, in full and on time. On top of all that, I needed to find time for preparing my slides for the Copa Cogeca meeting.<br />
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<i>Both were equally important; I needed to find time for both.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
What I did was to work on the submission until Friday, ensuring that everything would be ready for its submission on Monday, leaving only minor parts to be completed by my (always willing to help) colleagues. Then I could allocate time over the weekend for my slides; a challenging task, considering that weekends are usually full of errands and time with the family.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being at Copa Cogeca's premises is a privilege!</td></tr>
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On Thursday and Friday, I made use of my commute time to work (a good 2-hours daily) for building the structure of my presentation. I also filled parts of it with existing material, carefully crafted by me or my colleagues. I knew I had limited time to prepare my presentation and therefore I needed to get the most out of existing resources, making sure that they would be a perfect fit for the specific purpose.<br />
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Over the weekend, I made good use of my free time and materialized what I had planned in paper during the previous days. And it worked. I soon had a presentation consisting of <b>more than 20 slides</b>, telling the story I wanted to tell. I reviewed it a couple of times, made some revisions and I was ready to go. The (relatively) long travel time also allowed me to go through it and make sure that I would deliver it in a decent way :-)<br />
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When I finally reached the Copa Cogeca headquarters at the center of Brussels, I felt confident; I had gone through the slides several times, I had my story ready and some additional points to mention without additional slides. Meeting my colleagues from Greece right before the meeting helped me relax and feel more comfortable.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/vprot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vprot</a> from our strategic partner <a href="https://twitter.com/Neuropublic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Neuropublic</a> presenting the <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasenseGR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gaiasenseGR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smartfarming?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smartfarming</a> system solutions for smallholder olive growers in the <a href="https://twitter.com/COPACOGECA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@COPACOGECA</a> Working Party on Olive Oil and Table Olives: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smartfarming?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smartfarming</a> is a valid & valuable solution for all EU farmers & agri-coops! <a href="https://t.co/JW1I0ph96o">pic.twitter.com/JW1I0ph96o</a></div>
— Gaia Epicheirein EU (@Gaia_Brussels) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gaia_Brussels/status/1049290236143001600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The presentation went pretty well, with an audience of about 20 people - mostly representatives of olive cooperatives and organizations from Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal), as well as Croatia. It took me about 20 minutes to make my presentation and to provide some additional information during the interactive session right after; the parallel translation in the languages spoken within the Party helped things a lot. It was a great experience for me and therefore I would like to thank the Chair of Copa Cogeca's Working Party on Olive Oil and Table Olives and the rest of the Working Part for the kind invitation.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Some interesting info on the trip itself</h4>
It was a one-day trip to Brussels, and since it was booked on the last minute, I didn't have the luxury of many options - and none of the available options was a direct flight. Instead of taking the 1-stop flight at 06.00, I opted for the 2-stop flight with Swiss Air at 06.30, which allowed me to rest for 30 precious minutes more in the morning. However, this would be tricky, as I heavily depended on the accuracy of the flights (and my latest experiences were not exactly positive). I arrived at 12.45 in Brussels and at about 13.45 at the Copa Cogeca premises, early enough to catch up with the meeting starting at 14.30.<br />
<br />
The flight back home was easier, with just one stop in Zurich. I am glad that everything went well travel-wise, so I was able to reach my destination on time.<br />
<br />
I finished my day having taken 5 flights, 1 bus (to the Copa Cogeca premises), 1 train (to Brussels airport) and a short drive to and from Athens airport; on top of that I walked more than 5 km in total in between my destinations, according to my smartwatch :-)<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoqBhA-n5c0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">My collection of boarding passes for the day. Look carefully; there are 5 of them :-) #flyswiss #swissinternationalairlines #swissair #boardingpass #businesstrip</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vprot/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Vassilis P.</a> (@vprot) on <time datetime="2018-10-08T03:13:22+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 7, 2018 at 8:13pm PDT</time></div>
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-62375582844902394272018-09-15T21:48:00.000+03:002018-11-08T21:50:46.528+02:00My five days at the Thessaloniki International Fair 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Between <b>8-12 of September 2018</b>, I had the opportunity to participate (as an exhibitor, on behalf of <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b>) in the <b><a href="https://tif.helexpo.gr/en" target="_blank">Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF)</a></b>, the largest exhibition event in Greece and one of the largest in the wider area. It was an interesting experience as it was not an (agricultural) domain specific event; rather a Fair to promote latest advances in various sectors (including agriculture).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzkmUehrfTIDkfUtXy27R6xrFx8rxK4GD4lXCPxWV2pJ0lBCTUCqvZwbhA2NoKtYTydvRhipyjyJNoJ2_yDFpR1fRhqnwVy8M1_YlOscqZoWKQu0DMmi-2AL86gGemy_1JLHhSmv09Yw/s1600/20180909_111205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzkmUehrfTIDkfUtXy27R6xrFx8rxK4GD4lXCPxWV2pJ0lBCTUCqvZwbhA2NoKtYTydvRhipyjyJNoJ2_yDFpR1fRhqnwVy8M1_YlOscqZoWKQu0DMmi-2AL86gGemy_1JLHhSmv09Yw/s400/20180909_111205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Our aim (and stand) aimed at informing the TIF visitors about our <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en" target="_blank">gaiasense smart farming system</a></b> and other innovations of NEUROPUBLIC, such as the <b>NeuroCode</b>.<br />
<br />
We were at <b>Pavillion 15, Stand 15</b> and the stand was impressive: It was huge, it had everything needed for the occasion, like a sofa and comfortable armchairs for having relaxed discussions with potential customers, stands for our printed material and memorabilia, TV screens playing videos about gaiasense, roll-up posters, printed design graphics on the walls (and even on the ceiling!), and a multi-sided informational construction. However, the main attraction of our Stand was one of the gaiasense telemetric stations, available for the first time to the general public in a show case, with lots of information about its components and features.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
NEUROPUBLIC’s telemetric station in the spotlight of the 83rd Thessaloniki International Fair <a href="https://t.co/QOBXkZhigC">https://t.co/QOBXkZhigC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasenseGR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gaiasenseGR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gaiasense?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gaiasense</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmartFarming?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SmartFarming</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IoT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IoT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/agriculture?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#agriculture</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TIF2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TIF2018</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%CE%94%CE%95%CE%982018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ΔΕΘ2018</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%CE%94%CE%95%CE%9818?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ΔΕΘ18</a> <a href="https://t.co/bE0wpKIoPP">pic.twitter.com/bE0wpKIoPP</a></div>
— NEUROPUBLIC (@Neuropublic) <a href="https://twitter.com/Neuropublic/status/1041691150212587520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Me and my colleagues had the opportunity to talk with many visitors of the Exhibition, including researchers (interested in the concept of gaiasense), electrical engineers (interested in the technical aspects of the station). farmers and members of agricultural cooperatives (interested in adopting gaiasense). In all cases, we held (short and longer) discussions, provided details and gave away leaflets for future reference. We made contacts and kept their details for following up,<br />
<br />
It was a challenging task: the exhibition was open daily between 09.00-21.00 and we had other ongoing tasks as well (e.g. I was trying to keep our social media channels updated and maintain communication with potential partners of a number of proposals that we were working on at that time) but we manage to accomplish our mission in the best possible way.<br />
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Looking forward to the next one :-)</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-4960361101672044022018-08-23T19:49:00.000+03:002018-09-17T22:47:52.629+03:00Another formatting issue in a project deliverable: Heading numbers blacked out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been working with project deliverables since I started working with projects (which is back to 2009, if I recall well) and since then I have authored and contributed to dozens of them; not only I was usually the one to transform ideas and bullets into text (I love writing texts anyway!), but I was also one of those paying attention to the details, and when it comes to document formatting, this is something that can make the difference. The latter made me one of the frequent deliverable reviewers, too :-)<br />
<br />
Why am I writing this? I recently received yet another project deliverable (a dissemination one) for comments and contributions - on top of that, I noticed an annoying issue in the numbering of Level 3 and Level 4 headings, which caused the corresponding heading numbers to black out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju60seYBiopMpiwVUb42sXjp7F4qqGiR9994Y5DAxY_AhblFCA6Kg_QYsAaS-ELRFCLqhzzFxzLWE9SRgQwxcdzWtouW1ESngMUYEGTt2yziY2vE457epY-fkRIB1TPrjiakc90gv9P1s/s1600/Microsoft+Word+Blacked+Out+Numbers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="539" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju60seYBiopMpiwVUb42sXjp7F4qqGiR9994Y5DAxY_AhblFCA6Kg_QYsAaS-ELRFCLqhzzFxzLWE9SRgQwxcdzWtouW1ESngMUYEGTt2yziY2vE457epY-fkRIB1TPrjiakc90gv9P1s/s320/Microsoft+Word+Blacked+Out+Numbers.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source: http://tomtalks.uk/2015/06/fixing-microsoft-word-blacked-out-numbers/</td></tr>
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My first move was to inspect the formatting of the specific headings (right click on the Heading 3 -> Modify); however, I could not find anything strange there. Then, I just <a href="https://www.google.gr/search?q=ms+word+heading+numbering+blacked+out&oq=ms+&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i60l3j69i59j69i60.1582j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">Googled it</a>: It seems that it is a pretty common issue, caused by a corrupt template. The <a href="https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2013_release-word/numbering-blacked-out-on-heading-styles/b5da4230-61d1-4a82-9d8f-e39bae787f70?db=5" target="_blank">proposed solution</a> was the following:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><i><b>Put your cursor on the heading just right of the black box</b></i></li>
<li><i><b>Use the left arrow key on your keyboard to move left until the black box turns grey</b></i></li>
<li><i><b>Use the keyboard combination ctrl+shift+s, the dialog "Apply Styles" should appear</b></i></li>
<li><i><b>In this box, click "reapply"</b></i></li>
</ol>
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I did that, but I had to do it for any Level 3 and Level 4 heading, which was time consuming; then I saw a user proposing another step:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>5. Go to a fixed issue, then right-click on the corresponding Heading button on the top menu of MS Word and click on "Update Heading 3 to match selection"</i>. </b></div>
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<div>
That was quick! I felt pretty good about the solution, saved my document and exited. However, when I opened it again just to make sure, the issue was still there, with the bad formatting still around! No matter how many times I tried, the issue would re-appear each time I opened the document. </div>
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And then, I thought I should try something (not suggested by any user):</div>
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<div>
I fixed the issues, saved the document as .doc (not .docx, as the original) and check. <b>Indeed, the issue was gone </b>(along with some details of the tracking changes but not the tracking changes itself; however, this was pretty minor, as the revisions were still marked and plus I was informed about that before I saved the document in .doc). The only thing I had to do was to save the document as .docx again and check it for the last time - and it was ok!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was just pissed off, because it was a pretty busy day and I had to spend time on this workaround... :-X</div>
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-415268473296883562018-03-27T07:01:00.000+03:002018-04-15T21:36:54.732+03:00Participation in the RDA Interest Group on Agricultural Data (IGAD) Pre-Plenary Meeting 11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The meeting of <a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/" target="_blank">Research Data Alliance</a>'s <a href="http://interest%20group%20on%20agricultural%20data%20(igad)/" target="_blank"><b>Interest Group on Agricultural Data (IGAD)</b></a> took place between 19-20 of March 2018 in Berlin. I was excited to be able to join the meeting - my first RDA meeting after quite a long time - and see how things are moving in the IGAD, a group that I have spent quite a long time working with; both the Interest Group and its Working Groups.<br />
<br />
The first day of the meeting was dedicated to the theme “<b>The FAIR principles to all elements of the research process in agricultural sciences and related disciplines</b>”. I represented <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> and presented the way in which our H2020 Big Data Lighthouse project <b><a href="https://www.databio.eu/" target="_blank">DataBio</a></b> project takes into consideration the <a href="https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples" target="_blank">FAIR Principles</a> in its data management workflows and more specifically, in the case of the smart farming pilots that NEUROPUBLIC is coordinating. Apart from that, I had the opportunity to see the approach of other organizations in adopting the FAIR Principle in their cases, which was extremely interesting.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="485" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/4H9NNZYo4bPbGM" style="border-width: 1px; border: 1px solid #ccc; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="595"> </iframe> <br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px;">
<strong> <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/vprot/big-data-management-fair-principles-the-databio-use-case" target="_blank" title="Big Data Management & FAIR Principles: The DataBio use case">Big Data Management & FAIR Principles: The DataBio use case</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="https://www.slideshare.net/vprot" target="_blank">Vassilis Protonotarios</a></strong> </div>
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(<i>the slides are also available through the <a href="https://f1000research.com/slides/7-393" target="_blank">GODAN Gateway of F1000 Research</a></i>)<br />
<br />
During the second day of the meeting, parallel sessions took place, focusing on different aspects of the IGAD main themes - most of them being the ongoing work of its Working Groups. I started by attending the first part of the <a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/working-groups" target="_blank">AgriSemantics</a> discussion but was curious to see the work of other groups so I also participated to the discussions of the <a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/capacity-development-agriculture-data-wg" target="_blank">Capacity Development for Agriculture</a> (which blends my interest in Open Data with training activities) and t<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">he </span><a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/farm-data-sharing-ofds-wg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">On-Farm Data Sharing</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> (which I found really interesting and close to NEUROPUBLIC's work with smart farming) </span>Working Groups.<br />
<br />
Now, I guess that what I have to do is to align the work that I am doing with NEUROPUBLIC with all these advances taking places at a global level - and this might be a challenging task but it will worth the effort.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Vassilis Protonotarios from <a href="https://twitter.com/Neuropublic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Neuropublic</a> in Greece presents the last talk of the day “Big Data Management and the FAIR Principles: The DataBio use case” <a href="https://twitter.com/DataBio_eu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DataBio_eu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AIMS_Community?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AIMS_Community</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/resdatall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@resdatall</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IGADRDA11?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IGADRDA11</a> <a href="https://t.co/rKIOMoglxs">pic.twitter.com/rKIOMoglxs</a></div>
— İlkay Holt (@ilkayholt) <a href="https://twitter.com/ilkayholt/status/975768729400332288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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All in all, I felt like being home meeting all this long-time friends and collaborators from global organizations like UN FAO (Imma, Caterina and Karna), CGIAR and its research centers (Richard from CIMMYT), GFAR (Valeria), Wageningen UR (Hugo Besemer), INRA (Odile, Esther and Sophie), GODAN (Martin and Suchith), Johannes Keizer and Armando Stellato (I hope I am not forgetting anyone) and get to meet people passionate about their work in agricultural information and knowledge management like Ilkay (FAO - she did a wonderful job regarding the documentation of the meeting!), Chipo (CTA), Diane (GODAN) and Cynthia (USDA) - they were too many to name them all. It was great discussing with these passionate people about how access to open data in agriculture can be improved, how we can better organize all this wealth of information, knowledge and data and how we can build meaningful data-powered solutions for agriculture at a global level.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IGADRDA11?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IGADRDA11</a> ended today with great outcomes and long list of things to do until next time we meet. Now we’ll continue with various panels at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RDAPlenary?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RDAPlenary</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IGAD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IGAD</a> is a great, unique community around agricultural data. Here is a group photo from yesterday 📸by Armando Stellato. <a href="https://t.co/LQGsJNA3M2">pic.twitter.com/LQGsJNA3M2</a></div>
— İlkay Holt (@ilkayholt) <a href="https://twitter.com/ilkayholt/status/976198223177150464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<br /></div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-65896829599088723142018-02-20T23:32:00.001+02:002018-02-20T23:35:40.837+02:00Attending the Smart AKIS 3rd Innovation Workshop <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Earlier today I had the opportunity to be among the selected audience of the <b><a href="https://www.smart-akis.com/index.php/event/smart-akis-3rd-innovation-workshop-greece/" target="_blank">Smart AKIS 3rd Innovation Workshop in Greece</a></b>, which took place at the premises of the Agricultural University of Athens. Among the participants of the Workshop there were academia (researchers working with smart farming and/or precision agriculture), representatives from farmers' associations and private companies, students etc.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="el">
Σήμερα βρισκόμαστε στο ΓΠΑ σε ημερίδα του έργου <a href="https://twitter.com/smart_akis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@smart_akis</a> σχετικά με τις "ευφυείς" τεχνολογίες στη γεωργία <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%CE%95%CF%85%CF%86%CF%85%CE%AE%CF%82%CE%93%CE%B5%CF%89%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ΕυφυήςΓεωργία</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smartfarming?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smartfarming</a> <a href="https://t.co/QqsXQVWi7P">pic.twitter.com/QqsXQVWi7P</a></div>
— gaiasense (@gaiasenseGR) <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasenseGR/status/965860230931283969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The event aimed at providing an overview of various aspects of smart farming in Greece and was well-structured: Starting with a presentation of the Smart AKIS project and its platform, it moved to various funding opportunities available to smart farming stakeholders and then to pitching of innovative ideas based on smart farming that were discussed in the previous Smart AKIS workshop and implemented in the meantime. Since the implementation involved (in most cases) both research organizations and private companies (along with farmers of course!), this brought the EIP-AGRI's <b><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/my-eip-agri/operational-groups" target="_blank">Operational Groups</a></b> in my mind. <br />
<br />
This feeling was further enhanced by the discussions that followed and concluded the event; the audience was split in three groups and discussed about the previously described ideas that would address real issues that farmers face. The fact that each group included at least one representative of a farmers' association was critical; I was lucky to be in the same group with Mark Legas from 7Grapes/Pegasus cooperative and he was a real source of inspiration, matching existing issues with potential solutions on the fly. The most prominent solutions will be presented and discussed during a Pan-European workshop of the project, to take place in the near future.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Participating in the <a href="https://twitter.com/smart_akis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@smart_akis</a> workshop today, dedicated to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmartFarming?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SmartFarming</a> technologies & funding opportunities - w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasenseGR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gaiasenseGR</a> <a href="https://t.co/iUpBA0MvHZ">pic.twitter.com/iUpBA0MvHZ</a></div>
— NEUROPUBLIC (@Neuropublic) <a href="https://twitter.com/Neuropublic/status/965862482572128257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
There was a common understanding (and agreement) among the participants that we need to (and can) produce more with less, that technology alone cannot provide the solutions for the existing food production issues and that research is a vital part of the solution, along with technology and data. Farmers understand that they do not have full control of the way they apply inputs in their fields and admit that they would appreciate support in the form of advice in their decision-making processes that affect their production. Researchers know how their scientific knowledge can contribute and companies have the expertise to implement this by transforming it into advice and apply it through innovative technologies.<br />
<br />
Overall, it was a great event (congratulations to the organizers!), engaging various actors of the agrifood chain, and I was glad to be a part of it.</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-41727086347234425232018-02-11T21:36:00.000+02:002018-02-18T22:00:14.371+02:00Participation in the Agrotica 2018 International Fair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the <b><a href="http://agrotica.helexpo.gr/en" target="_blank">27th International Fair for Agricultural Machinery, Equipment & Supplies Agrotica 2018</a></b>, as a member of the NEUROPUBLIC team working with the <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en/" target="_blank">gaiasense</a></b> smart farming system. We are talking about a huge exhibition focused on agriculture, with thousands of visitors of all kinds - from farmers looking for the new machinery to meet their needs to hi-tech company representatives looking for collaboration opportunities with other companies. I participated in the four days of the event (<b>Thessaloniki</b>, between <b>1-4/2/2018</b>), along with colleagues from NEUROPUBLIC.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDkTAyu40oY3u9ir920HPItIHLVD7-n22KfFZGGAul9nSfugs8BvzCaDLVTg5KkQ-BdijUhKUMQSjzdUowcpL7gv5w7nttmelMLabTg04d50OSg8k6ApSbhReNSqjjO9xXxEcG28JOa4/s1600/Agrotica_logo_en.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="700" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDkTAyu40oY3u9ir920HPItIHLVD7-n22KfFZGGAul9nSfugs8BvzCaDLVTg5KkQ-BdijUhKUMQSjzdUowcpL7gv5w7nttmelMLabTg04d50OSg8k6ApSbhReNSqjjO9xXxEcG28JOa4/s400/Agrotica_logo_en.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This year, <b><a href="http://www.neuropublic.gr/en/home/" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b> worked jointly with <a href="https://www.c-gaia.gr/" target="_blank"><b>GAIA EPICHEIREIN</b></a> towards a joint booth for <b>gaiasense,</b> and the result was outstanding; it was a huge booth, consisting of an informational desk, several tables with chairs for discussions with potential customers, two screens with video playback at the sides and a main video wall for the gaiasense (and other) presentations taking place during Agrotica 2018. On top of that, gaiasense had a 4-hour dedicated informational event on <b>Friday 2/2/2018</b>, for selected potential partners (mostly agricultural advisors, researchers and farmers), which attracted <b>more than 160 people</b>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0J52zlSLmsIYgOivGl8vwNEl7OhgWlTarl5AmQTvsvZXC80hmYiMPc5T7RzUeAfubJA6Tejr7E5RLXEehnhSbCmSXztVsuxgmrdNEHIXGZtKndbqqezbVt9ogVCmfxCICnjn-3f9LE4/s1600/20180202_111229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0J52zlSLmsIYgOivGl8vwNEl7OhgWlTarl5AmQTvsvZXC80hmYiMPc5T7RzUeAfubJA6Tejr7E5RLXEehnhSbCmSXztVsuxgmrdNEHIXGZtKndbqqezbVt9ogVCmfxCICnjn-3f9LE4/s400/20180202_111229.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full house at the gaiasense information event at Agrotica 2018</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The gaiasense informational event had me multitask between preparing & sending tweets with photos (for once more using by Logitech K480 keyboard with two smartphones and one tablet!), jotting down notes, talking to contacts that made it to the event, meeting new people and addressing their questions and taking some photos, too (see below).</span><br />
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From my side, I had an active role in the preparation of all this - mostly in the selection of the invitations' list, the promotion of the event through social media and contacting some key persons for attending the event or visiting our booth. During Agrotica 2018, I was one of the "booth team", providing information about gaiasense to anyone interested in it (and there were dozens of them). I was also responsible for sharing updates through social media (a challenging task, taking into consideration the almost non-functional wireless connection of the event) and also taking some photos (a "backup photographer, as there was a professional one around most of the time - this allowed me to dig out my <b><a href="https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusepm1" target="_blank">Olympus EPM-1</a></b> camera and take some nice shots).<br />
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At the booth I had the opportunity to meet old friends (mostly from university days) and colleagues, collaborators in projects etc. I also met some interesting people, passionate about their work and eager to learn more on how to apply gaiasense in their cases. These are the early adopters that an innovative system like gaiasense needs in order to get a boost at its first steps :-)<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="el">
Τελευταία ημέρα της <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Agrotica2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Agrotica2018</a> - σας περιμένουμε στο Περίπτερο 2 Όροφος, Stand 34-35-36 για να σας μιλήσουμε σχετικά με το σύστημα ευφυούς γεωργίας <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gaiasense?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gaiasense</a>! <a href="https://t.co/6L3wOQN7gm">pic.twitter.com/6L3wOQN7gm</a></div>
— gaiasense (@gaiasenseGR) <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasenseGR/status/960050460496363520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Overall, the experience was pretty challenging, including long hours at the booth, addressing various unexpected issues on the spot, having an irregular daily schedule with few snacks, lots of coffee and lots of laughs with colleagues and friends! The most important outcome of these days though, was the fact that we came to actually meet many different potential customers / users of gaiasense, hear what they need and see if (and how) gaiasense can help them address their needs. It helped us (and me personally) better understand how we can reach these people by better understanding their needs.<br />
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Back to work now :-)</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-44768123454289534112018-01-15T00:00:00.000+02:002018-01-15T00:00:02.233+02:00Our gaisense system gets social!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
During his latest interview, <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/gaiasense-anoigei-ta-pania-tou-2018" target="_blank">NEUROPUBLIC</a></b>'s President mentioned that 2018 <a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/gaiasense-anoigei-ta-pania-tou-2018" target="_blank">will be the year of gaiasense</a>; gaiasense being the smart farming system that NEUROPUBLIC develops along with <b><a href="https://www.c-gaia.gr/" target="_blank">GAIA EPICHEIREIN</a></b>. This means that apart from the actual work (referring to the expansion of the gaiasense network in terms of land coverage and support for new crops) we also need to spread the word about gaiasense and make its target audience familiar with it. </div>
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The first step was accomplished; it was the development of the <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/" target="_blank">gaiasense website</a></b>. This is the point of reference for the system, where all available information (at least the public parts) is included. It is important that the website is bilingual (Greek and English), so that it can be used as a reference when contacting our foreign partners and collaborators, too. </div>
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The next step is to help potential users and collaborators (mostly farmers, agricultural advisors and researchers) find this point of reference. And this is where social media come in the picture.</div>
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So far, we used mostly NEUROPUBLIC's social media (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn page) for sharing news about gaiasense. But now is the time for gaiasense to have its own, customized voice through dedicated social media channels. We decided to go with the same channels that NEUROPUBLIC also uses:</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Facebook: </b>We created a <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaiasenseGR" target="_blank">Facebook product page</a></b> for gaiasense. Thanks to the flexibility of Facebook, I believe that this will be the most attractive channel. In fact, the page managed to attract more than 100 followers in just three days - an impressive number, taking into consideration the fact that the audience of gaiasense is pretty limited. A promoted post surely helped towards this direction,</li>
<li><b>Twitter: </b>We setup a <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasensegr" target="_blank">Twitter account</a> for gaiasense so that we can reach a different audience. This channel will be mostly used for promoting content already published elsewhere and reaching out to related stakeholders. We started following related accounts (e.g. agricultural cooperatives, agricultural advisors, agricultural media etc.).</li>
<li><b>LinkedIn: </b>We created a <b><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/gaiasense/" target="_blank">showcase page</a></b> for gaiasense, as one of NEUROPUBLIC's products. Taking into consideration that LinkedIn is mostly used in English (and is pretty limited in terms of flexibility), this is expected to be the most challenging channel.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Challenges</h4>
<div>
Making the most out of social media is not easy, when it comes to Greek products aimed at Greek users (at least for the time being). The main challenges that we face are the following:</div>
<ul>
<li><b>Language: </b>Channels like Twitter and (mostly) L<a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasensegr" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/gaiasensegr</a>inkedIn are not easy to use in a language other than English. For Twitter, using hashtags in Greek does not seem to be successful. LinkedIn does not play well with Greek, neither. I have tried using #ΕυφυήςΓεωργία, the Greek term for #SmartFarming, and I was surprised to see that we were probably the first ones to use it! As for the content language, we started posting in Greek (our target audience are Greek and some of them are not fluent in English) but I believe that they would benefit from some content in English, as well. It is about balancing between the targeting audience and raising awareness about the product in general.</li>
<li><b>Low use of social media:</b> Farmers do not tend to use social media; they may have (personal) Facebook profiles but using Twitter or LinkedIn? Hm...no. The same goes more or less for agricultural cooperatives, while researchers and agricultural advisors are usually more active on social media (depending mostly on their age). If they do not use social media, then we cannot reach them...</li>
<li><b>Account names:</b> This does not have to do with the language, but is was yet another issue. The account names @gaiasense were already taken both on Facebook and Twitter. In both cases, we considered a couple of alternatives, and the winner was <b>@gaiasenseGR</b>. I have numerous examples of cases where various organizations (and their products) had their account names taken but still they managed to successfully overcome this. So why couldn't we do he same?</li>
</ul>
<div>
All in all, this is a work in progress. The social media channels of gaiasense will be our tools for reaching out to more potential customers and collaborators and we will put effort in addressing the aforementioned challenges. I am sure that the results will be positive, to the extend possible of course.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
So, gaiasense is now available through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaiasenseGR" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/gaiasensegr" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/gaiasense/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, It is up to us to make these channels successful and up to you to learn more about gaiasense :-)</div>
</div>
Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357159452148279713.post-78629576520783693342018-01-03T09:41:00.002+02:002018-01-11T14:52:45.534+02:00Overview of my 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>(I realized that I keep discovering new points to add every now and then so I consider this to be sort of a "living document")</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
2017 has been another busy year, with important contributions and participation to events, co-authoring documents (reports and articles) with impact and many-many minor tasks (which build up and contributed to the bigger picture). I tried to compile a list of the most important ones:<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Events:</h3>
<b>1. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/01/internet-of-things-and-agriculture.html" target="_blank">AIOTI Working Group 06 Meeting</a> (Brussels, 30/1/2017): </b>This was the first face to face meeting of AIOTI's <b><a href="https://aioti.eu/working-groups/" target="_blank">WG06 "Smart Farming and Food Security"</a></b>. The meeting was organized by Gradiant (Spain) and was attended by several members of the WG. My participation allowed me to have a better view of the ecosystem and more importantly the people active in this area.<br />
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<b>2. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/02/discussing-smart-farming-in-greece-in.html" target="_blank">Presentation in the KATANA Roadshow </a></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/02/discussing-smart-farming-in-greece-in.html" target="_blank">Athens</a> (Athens, 2/2/2017): </b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">This was one of a series of meetings organized by the <b><a href="http://katanaproject.eu/" target="_blank">KATANA H2020 project</a></b> which acts as an innovative business accelerator in the agrifood sector. I was invited to present an overview of the smart farming ecosystem in Greece; something that proved to be more challenging than I thought, mostly due to lack of sufficient information. </span></span><br />
<b><i><u><br /></u></i></b>
<b>3.</b> <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/02/" target="_blank">si-Cluster meeting with Minister of Digital Policy, Telecommunications and Media</a></b> (<b>Athens, 7/2/2017</b>): I had the opportunity to actively participate in this important meeting of <b><a href="http://www.si-cluster.gr/en/" target="_blank">si-Cluster</a></b> with the Minister and other officials of the Ministry, which provided the opportunity to companies to present the way in which they use satellite and earth observation technologies and data for building added value services. We presented our <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en/" target="_blank">gaiasense smart farming system</a></b> and the presentation drew the attention of the participants thanks to its simplicity, low cost and effectiveness.<br />
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<b>4.</b> <b><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/05/joining-reviewers-team-of-knowledge-and.html" target="_blank">Joining the list of revieewers of the Knowledge and Performance Management Journal</a></b> (<b>May 2017</b>): I was invited to join the list of reviewers of the aforementioned open access journal and it was something that I found interesting, so I gladly accepted the invitation. It seems like a promising journal with great potential (thanks to the constantly increased importance of knowledge management).<br />
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<b>5. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/05/presenting-neuropublics-smart-farming.html" target="_blank">Presentation in the Money Show 2017 Conference</a> (Thessaloniki, 30/5/2017):</b> It was an interesting event, as the session that I participated in aimed to show how an early harvest extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) can be used for medical purposes, contributing to the treatment of Altzheimer disease patients as a part of a healthy diet. My presentation focused on how the adoption of smart farming in a selected olive grove - <a href="http://yannisolivegrove.gr/" target="_blank">Yanni's Olive Grove</a>, one of the first adopters of NEUROPUBLIC's <b><a href="http://www.gaiasense.gr/en/" target="_blank">gaiasense</a></b> smart farming system - can contribute to the production of olive oil with high levels of antioxidants (polyphenols). Other presentations showed how this olive oil is used experimentally for clinical trials (the aforementioned medical purposes).<br />
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<b>6. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/06/eip-agri-seminar-digital-innovation.html" target="_blank">Participation in the EIP-AGRI Seminar "Digital Innovation Hubs: mainstreaming digital agriculture" </a> (Kilkenny, 1-2/6/2017):</b> This was quite an experience...I had the opportunity to collaborate with experts from different fields from all over Europe and contribute to the shaping of the design and implementation of Digital Innovation Hubs in Agriculture - I believe that this will be one of the hot topics in the near future. Excellent organization by EIP-AGRI, inspiring participants, interesting outcomes. Reports and other material from the meeting are <b><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/event/eip-agri-seminar-digital-innovation-hubs" target="_blank">available online</a></b>.<br />
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<b>7. <a href="https://aioti.eu/aioti-ga-june-2017-strategy-2017-2021-adopted/" target="_blank">AIOTI 2nd General Assembly & 2017-2021 Strategy</a> (Brussels, 30/6/2017)</b>: I had the privilege to represent NEUROPUBLIC in the 2nd General Assembly of AIOTI, which consisted of two parts: an open and a restricted to AIOTI members. It was a unique experience for me to be a part of such a heterogeneous group of people which focus on the adoption of IoT technologies in many different aspects of our lives. During the public part, there were so many interesting discussions on how things are moving on in terms of Internet of Things and how major companies (along with smaller ones) are leading the way towards new developments and implementation in the sector.<br />
<b><br />8</b><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">. </span><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/06/e-forum-on-icts-and-open-data-in.html" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Contribution to the e-Forum on ICTs and Open Data in Agriculture and Nutrition</a> (June 2017)</b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">:</span> I was invited to participate as one of the subject matter experts to this online e-Forum and it was a great experience - thanks to the scope of the discussions but mostly thanks to the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders (focusing on the end users, who highlighted the role of open data in improving their agricultural activities).<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>9. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/11/talking-about-open-data-during-4th.html" target="_blank">Presentation in the 4th Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture </a>(Thessaloniki, 9-10/11/2017)</b>:</span> I was invited to talk about the role of open data in improving agricultural production. My presentation consisted of an introductory part with the basics of open data in agriculture and presented the use case of NEUROPUBLIC as an SME building services and applications on open data (like the Copernicus ones). It was a great Congress with high participation and discussions had impact among the participants.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During a coffee break at the EIP-AGRI Seminar for Digital Innovation Hubs in Agriculture. Kilkenny, Ireland.<br />
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Publications</h3>
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<b>1. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/10/working-on-deliverable-for-aioti-about.html" target="_blank">Digital Innovation Hubs: Democratising digital technologies in agriculture</a> (October 2017):</b> I was one of the three authors of this report, for which I am really proud. It was a great collaborative work, which took place remotely (with frequent Skype calls), making use of all existing information about Digital Innovation Hubs in Agriculture and how they could be materialized for the benefit of various stakeholders of the ecosystem. The report was well-accepted by EC officials and you can find more information <b><a href="https://aioti.eu/aioti-wg06-reports/" target="_blank">here</a></b>.</div>
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<b>2. <a href="https://f1000research.com/articles/6-1843/v2" target="_blank">Developing data interoperability using standards: A wheat community use case</a> (October 2017).</b> I was happy to be involved as one of the authors in this publication, which is one of the outcomes of the <b><a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/wheat-data-interoperability-wg.html" target="_blank">Wheat Data Interoperability Working Group</a></b> of the <b>Research Data Alliance</b>. It was a long time since I last worked on a research publication so this one gave me the opportunity to contribute to the extent possible to the description of the work that the WG has made over the last years in terms of improving the use of standards in the case of wheat research. The article is included in the <a href="https://f1000research.com/gateways/godan" target="_blank">Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) gateway</a> of F1000 Research.</div>
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<b>3. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/11/plublication-encyclopaedia-of-olive.html" target="_blank">Encyclopedia of olive</a> (November 2017):</b> The Encyclopedia of Olive includes different chapters that focus on different aspects of olive trees' cultivation, olive oil production etc. NEUROPUBLIC was invited to contribute with a chapter on the role of modern approaches like smart farming in the improvement of olive (and consequently olive oil) production. It was a challenging task, as we had to squeeze lots of information into a few pages but it seems that the outcome was pretty good. </div>
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<b>4. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/09/newspaper-article-use-case-of-smart.html" target="_blank">Special issue article: A use case of smart farming application in Greek vineyards</a></b> <b>(September 2017)</b>: I contributed to an article (Greek only) on how smart farming can improve the production of table grapes, presenting our experience with the Pegasus/7Grapes cooperative. The article was included in the special issue on wine & viticulture of the Ypaithros Chora newspaper.</div>
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<b>5. <a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/12/publication-article-on-smart-irrigation.html" target="_blank">Article on smart irrigation in EPI GIS</a> (November 2017):</b> We were invited to contribute with an article on smart irrigation in this awarded publication Piraeus Bank, the major financial organization activated in the Greek agricultural sector. For once more I was involved in the authoring of the article, which was well-received by those who read it (and thanks for the numerous comments on this one!) :-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me at the AIOTI WG06 booth during the AIOTI General Assembly in Brussels.</td></tr>
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Other</h3>
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<b>1. Contribution to the content of the <span id="goog_38807529"></span><a href="http://vprot.blogspot.gr/2017/11/the-gaiasense-website-is-launched.html" target="_blank">gaiasense website<span id="goog_38807530"></span></a> (Autumn 2017):</b> This was another challenging task, as we needed to shape the content for the website of <b><a href="http://gaiasense.gr/en" target="_blank">gaiasense</a></b>, NEUROPUBLIC's smart farming system, in a pretty short time. We had various pieces of text ready here and there but we had to collect them, evaluate their value for the website and then repurpose them from generic text to eye-catching content. Various pieces of text were build from scratch, ideas for the structure of the website and related visuals were discussed and everything was ready on time.</div>
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<b>2. Participation in Technical Meetings about the "Collaboration" action of the Greek Rural Development Programme</b> (Autumn 2017): I had the opportunity to participate in two of the Technical Meetings organized for briefing various beneficiaries of the specific action - one in Heraclion, Crete in September and another in Lamia (Central Greece) in December. Officials presented the current status of the framework for the call and participants were invited to contribute their ideas, concerns and experiences. It is a really interesting call based on the concept of Operational Groups concept highlighted by EIP-AGRI, including the role of innovation brokers but focusing on the collaboration between farmers and agricultural cooperatives with companies aiming at improving agricultural production in an environmentally friendly way. The call is expected in the near future and we are already working on that.</div>
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Well, these seem to be the highlights of my 2017; I also have some stuff about the work on social media but I guess they'll take up another post. I can only wish for an equally interesting (and successful) 2018 :-)</div>
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Vassilis Protonotarioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17666783611160159029noreply@blogger.com0