A new service called Norwegian Climate Monitor was launched on 13 December 2021 in Sogndal. The purpose of the initiative is to collect and share new data on climate change adaptation from all parts of society. "This is an important contribution to Norwegian society" says Carlo Aall, the Head of Noradapt. "Bot research and governance are impatient to learn how far climate adaptation measures have come. Unfortunately, our data show that the pace remains too slow", says Aall.
From January 2022 on, WNRI's Director will be Anne Karin Hamre, the former County Governor of Sogn og Fjordane. Hamre is currently a Director General in the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation. "I am looking forward to leading a robust and expanding researh institute, says Hamre.
Noradapt, a national research centre on climate change adaptation led by WNRI, etablished an international Scientific Advisory Board this month. The board includes five international top scientists in the field of climate change adaptation. The board is led by Sirkku Juhola, Professor of Urban Environmental Policy at the University of Helsinki.
"I would like to be so bold as to claim this is one of the most varied and interesting positions available if you wish to work with and for research in Norway", says Anders-Johan Almås, the current Managing Director of Western Norway Research Institute. This autumn he is leaving his position at WNRI after just two years, in spite of satisfactory achievements and highly pleased staff members.
The IPCC recently reported that the extreme weather we expected to see in future years is already a fact and that things are going to get worse. "It is time to realise that we will not be able to reduce emissions through technology and move on to plan B", says climate researcher and Professor Carlo Aall at Western Norway Research Institute.
With an international career in research, 16 scientific book titles and a large network stretching across the globe, Rajendra Akerkar is one of Sogndal's academic stars. The Big Data Professor is currently working to recruit young researchers to his field of research, as two positions are open this summer in the field of big data and innovation in regional businesses.
Researchers at Western Norway Research Institute have conducted an evaluation of "Girls and Technology", a programme intended to inspire more girls to choose an education within technology and science. The report was commissioned by The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir).
A new, collaborative forum has been established to address research and innovation issues in Vestland county. A key goal is to promote and strengthen research which stimulates R&D linked to innovation and sustainability.
Researcher Svein Ølnes and professor Arild Jansen, University of Oslo, have written the paper "The nature of public e-services and their quality dimensions" published in Government Information Quarterly vol. 33, issue 4.
Emergency management has become a problem for authorities across the world because the frequency of disasters such as floods, landslides, earthquakes, and even riots have considerably have increased.
Norstella, a foundation for e-Business and trade procedures, arranged a conference on blockchain technology 26th of October. Researcher Svein Ølnes was invited to talk about the potential of Bitcoin and blockchain technology in public sector.
Vestforsk arranges the seminar "ISO 15926 and Semantic Technologies" these days (6th and 7th of Sept.). It is the 5th consecutive seminar and the sponsors are GDF Suez and the Norwegian Reseach Council.
The Internet has become an integral part of human life, yet the web still utilizes mundane interfaces to the physical world, which makes Internet operations somewhat mechanical, tedious, and less human-oriented.
A scientific paper from Vestlandsforsking has recently been highlighted by Science for Environment Policy, the European Commission's environmental news service for policy makers, distributed to over 14,000 subscribers.
