Usefulness of open data to determine the incidence of COVID-19 and its relationship with atmospheric variables in Spain during the 2020 lockdown.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the spread of the COVID-19 disease led to a lockdown being imposed in Spain to minimise contagion from 16 March 2020 to 1 May 2020. Over this period, measures were taken to reduce population mobility (a key factor in disease transmission). The scenario thus created enabled us to examine the impact of factors other than mobility (in this case, meteorological conditions) on the incidence of the disease, and thus to identify which environmental variables played the biggest role in the pandemic's evolution. Worthy of note, the data required to perform the study was entirely extracted from governmental open data sources. The present work therefore demonstrates the utility of such data to conduct scientific research of interest to society, leading to studies that are also fully reproducible. The results revealed a relationship between temperatures and the spread of COVID-19. The trend was that of a slightly lower disease incidence as the minimum temperature rises, i.e. the lower the minimum temperature, the greater the number of cases. Furthermore, a link was found between the incidence of the disease and other variables, such as altitude and proximity to the sea. There were no indications, however, in the study's data, of a relationship between incidence and precipitation or wind.

Rising temperatures and dwindling water supplies? Perception of climate change among residents of the Spanish Mediterranean tourist coastal areas.

In this article, we discuss the results of a survey on the perception of climate change in the 14 "tourist zones" (as defined by the Spanish Statistical Institute, INE) that stretch from the French border to Gibraltar alongside the Spanish Mediterranean coast, including the Balearic Islands. Our sample consisted of 1,014 telephone interviews stratified according to the number of tourists staying in each zone. Respondents showed concern for the likely impacts of climate change on jobs and thought that climate change would reduce the economic activity of their areas. Responses were also pessimistic regarding future water availability but agreed with the development of alternative sources such as desalination and water re-use. Household size, educational levels, and employment tended to be the most significant statistical explanatory factors regarding attitudes toward climate change. Respondents in larger households (a variable not tested in the literature as far as we know), respondents with higher education, and respondents working for a wage tended to express more concerns than the rest.

Navigating latency hurdles: an in-depth examination of a cloud-powered GNSS real-time positioning application on mobile devices.

A growing dependence on real-time positioning apps for navigation, safety, and location-based services necessitates a deep understanding of latency challenges within cloud-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) solutions. This study analyses a GNSS real-time positioning app on smartphones that utilizes cloud computing for positioning data delivery. The study investigates and quantifies diverse latency contributors throughout the system architecture, including GNSS signal acquisition, data transmission, cloud processing, and result dissemination. Controlled experiments and real-world scenarios are employed to assess the influence of network conditions, device capabilities, and cloud server load on overall positioning latency. Findings highlight system bottlenecks and their relative contributions to latency. Additionally, practical recommendations are presented for developers and cloud service providers to mitigate these challenges and guarantee an optimal user experience for real-time positioning applications. This study not only elucidates the complex interplay of factors affecting GNSS app latency, but also paves the way for future advancements in cloud-based positioning solutions, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness critical for safety-critical and emerging applications.