This report takes an initial look at methodologies to measure and estimate the monetary value of personal data, which is creating economic and social value at an increasing pace. But measuring and estimating its value is difficult. This is because not only a huge amount of personal data is being generated, but also as it is used in many different situations and for numerous purposes.

Measuring the Digital Economy: A New Perspective

This paper proposes a new measure of stringency to measure the consequences of environmental regulations on investment, labour demand, and patterns of international trade that would be based on emissions data and which could be constructed separately for different pollutants.

This paper refines indicators to measure innovation in environment-related technologies, drawing on recent methodological advances that allow a more accurate assessment of environment-related innovation in a broader range of countries. Three indicators are discussed: an indicator of technology development; an indicator of international collaboration in technology development and an indicator of technology diffusion.

Secretary-General Angel Gurría addresses the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen and others to discuss highlights of the forthcoming OECD report on local green growth, as part of our efforts to develop more effective tools for measuring cities’ progress and monitoring the impact of green policies.

Chile's OECD membership presents challenges both in the context of changing patterns of production and consumption, and in the framework of a more sustainable economy. Specifically, green growth emphasizes improving growth rates, particularly through greening existing industries, as well as through new eco-businesses.

This report presents, for the first time a local ‘green growth’ indicator framework. This indicator framework was developed from the OECD ‘green growth’ strategy at the national level, but modified to highlight issues of transition that are most relevant for local areas.

This LEED project aims to to define key indicators of area-based transition to a low-carbon economy. The objective is to define measurable indicators at regional/local level that can inform over time of transition to low-carbon economic and industrial activities.

As part of the Better Life Index, Sustainable Development forms a multi-faceted key role in the way the OECD carries out its policy analysis. This latest blog from the OECD's Chief Statistician outlines how this is done.

Chile's OECD membership presents challenges both in the context of changing patterns of production and consumption, and in the framework of a more sustainable economy. Specifically, green growth emphasizes improving growth rates, particularly through greening existing industries, as well as through new eco-businesses.

This report presents, for the first time a local ‘green growth’ indicator framework. This indicator framework was developed from the OECD ‘green growth’ strategy at the national level, but modified to highlight issues of transition that are most relevant for local areas.

This LEED project aims to to define key indicators of area-based transition to a low-carbon economy. The objective is to define measurable indicators at regional/local level that can inform over time of transition to low-carbon economic and industrial activities.

Discussion on how technology helps measuring skills shortages in real time

This workshop served to discuss how benchmarking and measuring regulatory performance can help advance a regulatory policy at the sub-national level.

Good public policies are central to well-functioning economies. Better policies on innovation, combined with high-quality regulations and a more efficient public administration, can help Colombia create jobs, boost economic growth and support development, according to three new OECD reports.

Workshop held in The Hague on 17-18 June 2014 to evaluate stakeholder engagement in regulatory policy

OECD will measure the impact of digitalising the Mexican Social Security Institute formalities and guide future efforts on simplification

Strengthening OECD firewalls can only do so much to combat a phenomenon which thrives on weak governance. This report highlights that donor agencies can support this goal through their central role in linking OECD and developing countries, and using their aid to support governments willing to tackle these issues.

David Hoey, Chief Executive Officer of WorldSkills International spoke to us of the international skills extravaganza (WorldSkills Leipzig 2013) going on now, between 2-7 July.

This report explores the association between school innovation and different measures related to educational objectives. This book is the beginning of a new journey: it calls for innovations in the field of measurement – and not just of education.

The latest report in the OECD’s Starting Strong series reviews the monitoring systems of 24 jurisdictions and reveals that monitoring does not merely encompass regulatory compliance but is moving towards better understanding what is happening inside an ECEC setting and how a child develops in several areas.

This report discusses the implications of the digitalisation of finance for financial education and relevant consumer protection issues and provides an overview of digital financial services around the world.

Secretary-General Angel Gurría addresses the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen and others to discuss highlights of the forthcoming OECD report on local green growth, as part of our efforts to develop more effective tools for measuring cities’ progress and monitoring the impact of green policies.

Chile's OECD membership presents challenges both in the context of changing patterns of production and consumption, and in the framework of a more sustainable economy. Specifically, green growth emphasizes improving growth rates, particularly through greening existing industries, as well as through new eco-businesses.

This report presents, for the first time a local ‘green growth’ indicator framework. This indicator framework was developed from the OECD ‘green growth’ strategy at the national level, but modified to highlight issues of transition that are most relevant for local areas.

The economic crisis has hit certain regions and cities harder than others in the OECD area, calling for better regional policies across levels of governments to foster an inclusive and sustainable recovery, according to two new OECD reports.

This LEED project aims to to define key indicators of area-based transition to a low-carbon economy. The objective is to define measurable indicators at regional/local level that can inform over time of transition to low-carbon economic and industrial activities.

Statistics Working Paper N. 58 - 2014/3 - This paper presents a set of indicators of income inequality and poverty across and within regions for 28 OECD countries. These indicators were produced through a new household-level data collection based on internationally harmonized income definitions undertaken as part of the OECD project on “Measuring regional and local well-being for policymaking”.

Ensure you have the right cover for collectables

Hari, the popular director is joining hands with popular actor Suriya once again, for the upcoming mass entertainer Aruvaa. Interestingly the filmmaker has been making headlines now with his decision to take a voluntary pay cut. As per the latest reports,

Aruvaa, the upcoming mass-family entertainer will bring back Suriya and Hari, the popular actor-director duo together after a short gap. As per the latest updates, the makers have finally finalised the leading lady of Aruvaa. Raashi Khanna, the popular actress has

Hari, the popular director is joining hands with popular actor Suriya once again, for the upcoming mass entertainer Aruvaa. Interestingly the filmmaker has been making headlines now with his decision to take a voluntary pay cut. As per the latest reports,

Archives, Room Use Only - TK5451.S33 1876

Scottish Highlands hit by earthquake with magnitude measuring 2.3  The Scottish Sun

With the increasing trend of using microcrystals and intense microbeams at synchrotron X-ray beamlines, radiation damage becomes a more pressing problem. Theoretical calculations show that the photoelectrons that primarily cause damage can escape microcrystals. This effect would become more pronounced with decreasing crystal size as well as at higher energies. To prove this effect, data from cryocooled lysozyme crystals of dimensions 5 × 3 × 3 and 20 × 8 × 8 µm mounted on cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) grids were collected at 13.5 and 20.1 keV using a PILATUS CdTe 2M detector, which has a similar quantum efficiency at both energies. Accurate absorbed doses were calculated through the direct measurement of individual crystal sizes using scanning electron microscopy after the experiment and characterization of the X-ray microbeam. The crystal lifetime was then quantified based on the D1/2 metric. In this first systematic study, a longer crystal lifetime for smaller crystals was observed and crystal lifetime increased at higher X-ray energies, supporting the theoretical predictions of photoelectron escape. The use of detector technologies specifically optimized for data collection at energies above 20 keV allows the theoretically predicted photoelectron escape to be quantified and exploited, guiding future beamline-design choices.

The information gained by making a measurement, termed the Kullback–Leibler divergence, assesses how much more precisely the true quantity is known after the measurement was made (the posterior probability distribution) than before (the prior probability distribution). It provides an upper bound for the contribution that an observation can make to the total likelihood score in likelihood-based crystallographic algorithms. This makes information gain a natural criterion for deciding which data can legitimately be omitted from likelihood calculations. Many existing methods use an approximation for the effects of measurement error that breaks down for very weak and poorly measured data. For such methods a different (higher) information threshold is appropriate compared with methods that account well for even large measurement errors. Concerns are raised about a current trend to deposit data that have been corrected for anisotropy, sharpened and pruned without including the original unaltered measurements. If not checked, this trend will have serious consequences for the reuse of deposited data by those who hope to repeat calculations using improved new methods.

What is the average blood pressure of a geriatric sloth bear? Asia Trail keeper Stacey Tabellario is hoping to learn exactly that, as she trains […]

The post Measuring Sloth Bear Blood Pressure appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Living trees can rot from the inside out, leaving only a hollowed trunk. Wood rot in living trees can cause overestimates of global carbon pools, […]

The post Measuring trees with the speed of sound appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new study has shed light on the sustainable credentials of bio-based plastics. It indicates that, as yet, no bio-based plastics are sustainable, owing to practices including pesticide use. However, this could change with further technological development.

Although life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely accepted method for supporting decision-making, it can face difficulties when being translated into practical life cycle management. A recent case study on local waste management has led to the development of several principles to ensure that LCAs are understandable and applicable.

Wind energy will likely continue to play a leading role in reaching the EU’s renewable energy targets. However, in some areas wind turbines face social opposition based in large part on the visual impact of wind turbines in the landscape. A new study outlines a novel methodology to measure emotional response to wind turbine visuals, which may assist wind farm planners in gauging public acceptance.

A new study has clarified the concept of the popular phrase 'energy security'. It suggests that measurements of energy security for a country or area should be multi-dimensional and include figures that represent fuel prices, the diversity of the energy market and political stability.

A new index for measuring the health of oceans considers the benefits of the sea to humans, as well as the status of natural components, such as biodiversity. According to the researchers who developed the index, it provides a powerful tool for allocating resources and improving policy in the management of marine ecosystems.

Governments and funding bodies are increasingly evaluating the ‘impact’ of academic research. There are growing discussions about impact – what it means, and how it can be demonstrated – and it is a challenge to evaluate impact on society. This study investigated the broader benefits of scientific research, beyond technology development, to support more comprehensive evaluations of science.

A global team of marine biologists have recently completed a Census of Marine Life, which contributes to our basic understanding of marine ecosystems. Among its findings - marine biodiversity in the Baltic and Mediterranean are among the most threatened globally.

Weathering of treated wood and other construction materials can lead to the release of chemicals into the environment. Researchers have investigated the release of biocides from wood and roof paints, demonstrating that the amount of water in contact with exposed surfaces is a key factor in determining the level of active chemicals released. The study provides guidance for testing biocidal products in line with the European Biocidal Products Regulation.

Soil biodiversity, soil quality, and soil health are integral to protecting the natural environment. Soils are crucial to food production and human well-being, as highlighted by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The abundance of soil biota is of great importance for the provision of associated ecosystem services (ES) and fundamental driver of self-regulation in soil. This study explores how the presence, or absence, of earthworms affects aspects of crop health and productivity, focusing on their shielding of winter wheat from the toxic plant fungi Fusarium.

The EU's Nitrates Directive has led to significant decreases in nitrogen pollution in Europe, a new study suggests. Modelled scenarios with and without implementation of the Directive showed that it had resulted in a 16% reduction of nitrate leaching by 2008. These improvements could be further increased as implementation becomes stricter, the researchers conclude.

A BT cloud-based virtual contact centre helps Etihad deliver own-language service excellence to guests from 37 countries

Almost 40 miles of coral reef and beach around Cancun and Puerto Morelos are now insured against storms.