ICSI Enters into a Visiting Agreement with University of Genoa to Support Internet of Things and Big Data Research
July 30, 2014
ICSI, a leading center for computer science research, will host members of the Research Center on Computer Platform Engineering, or CIPI, to work on research initiatives related to end-user computing, big data and the Internet of things. CIPI is a joint endeavor of the Universities of Genoa and Padua.
Dr. Michele Stecca, the first postdoctoral fellow to visit ICSI under the terms of the agreement, is working with ICSI researchers on ways to orchestrate huge amounts of data within what are known as composite spreadsheets. This component of the project is supported by the startup SpreadsheetSpace Inc., which allows users to link data sources and explore what-if scenarios to predict business outcomes. Dr. Stecca is developing an intuitive visualization of the links among spreadsheets.
“Our goal is to allow ordinary users a way to play with and perform powerful analyses on data,” said Massimo Maresca, the head of the Scientific Office of San Francisco’s Italian Consulate and a professor of the University of Genoa, who supervises the project. “Our potential is huge because the world uses Excel.”
Another component of the project, funded by the European Union, studies the orchestration of real objects within the Internet of Things. In ongoing work, for example, researchers from CIPI are involved in the iCore project to develop technology for smart cars that combines information from a car, such as location, speed and fuel data, and information from public services, such as data from parking structures, to recommend available parking spaces.