Many cities are moving away from traditional data collection instruments to automated and diverse sources. Cities that incorporate the use of traffic sensors and build intelligent transport systems to manage traffic also have a huge stream of real-time data. The advent of smart cities and smart management of many traditionally manual utilities are making a variety of data streams available (and in some cases open) to be exploited for analysis. Nevertheless, this high volume of data in smart city initiatives, brings a need to secure such data.  Cason and Wierschem (2020) discuss securing information and communication systems of smart city through the transportation sector and identify several trust issues and vulnerabilities in such systems. Promoting transparency and trust are two of the most relevant features that blockchain can bring to applications. This proposal investigates the feasibility, advantages and drawbacks of bringing blockchain into smart city applications.

Keywords: smart cities, blockchain technology, applications

Urban freight transport (UFT) is now recognized as critical in pursuing Sustainable Development Goals given the rise in demand within cities. In fact, UFT is both essential to ensure high standard of livings as well as responsible for relevant environmental and social costs.

Experts suggest adopting a participatory approach to UFT planning so to define the best possible compromise solution that can account for the heterogeneity of preferences among stakeholders (e.g., transport providers, retailers, public administration, and citizens), the substantial interaction effects, and the low level of cooperation among them. While consensus is building around the need for participatory planning, at the same time the engagement of citizens is typically low since freight transport is not considered important from their perspective while being the source of many negative externalities produced within the city boundaries.

The level and width of the engagement of the various stakeholders is a critical element to produce good compromise solutions capable of dealing with the hard-to-solve problems local decision makers are confronted with when taking decisions.

The thesis will investigate the possible role gamification can play in promoting awareness and engagement among citizens whose level of knowledge of the environmental, social, and economic implications deriving from the actions they frequently take (e.g., buy goods online).

The thesis will delve on both the theoretical and practical gamification principles that one has to consider when developing a gamification strategy capable of increasing citizens’ awareness with respect to the impact their daily choices have on their lives, while also upgrading their understanding of the phenomenon. The thesis will also analyze the possible methods one could use to measure the impact the gamification might have in terms of the aims pursued.

The student could also consider developing a simple game and test its impact in a pilot study simulating the adoption of such an approach in practice.

The environmental effects of e-commerce are both difficult to calculate and, as evidence suggests, relevant. Over the last years, e-commerce has consistently grown. The e-commerce share of the turnover of all EU-27 enterprises (except financial) increased from 13% in 2010 to 18% in 2019 and jumped to 20% in 2020 and 2021. Cross-border transactions also increased ad many consumers purchased from sellers in a non-EU country. Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this evolution since many more consumers and retailers in the EU shifted from physical stores to online. In fact, there are several issues that need to be consider estimating the relative environmental impact e-commerce produces with respect to physical buying options.

The extant literature suggests that there are some theoretical as well as practical issues that one must consider. Among these one can recall: 1) the substitution or complementarity of on-line and off-line purchases; 2) the fulfillment arrangements that the seller provides (express vs regular) delivery; 3) the management of missed deliveries and returned items; 4) the mix between home and click-and-pick deliveries; 5) the type of vehicles used and their average load factors; 6) the induced changes e-commerce can generate with respect to shopping habits… and possibly many others.

The assumption of positive environmental consequences linked to e-commerce have not been supported either by convincing theoretical reasonings or hard practical evidence.

Two are the crucial questions one needs to address to reverse this situation which is extremely relevant given the current and expected increase in the volume of e-commerce throughout the world. In more detail, we need to ask ourselves: (1) How do we improve our understanding and management of the environmental effects deriving from e-commerce?; (2) Which are the policy interventions one should deploy to foster the adoption and diffusion of sustainable e-commerce solutions? (3) Which are the methods to communicate the environmental impacts of e-commerce to end consumers (e.g., storytelling)?

Since the literature is currently using alternative methods and conceptual paradigms when estimating the environmental impact of e-commerce, the thesis will systematically investigate, analyze, and critically compare them with the intent of providing a credible and transparent evaluation of the pros and cons of the different options while also making explicit the underlying assumptions each one relies on.

In fact, determining the most accurate estimates about the environmental impact e-commerce produces is essential to ensure communicating the correct and reliable information to end consumers allowing them autonomously and consciously take their purchase decisions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global air travel, leading to shifts in travel behaviors and patterns. There was a significant reduction in air travel during the peak of the pandemic, prompting many individuals and organizations to adapt to new travel norms, such as remote work and virtual meetings. The changes in travel behavior observed during the pandemic are likely to have long-term effects. There is an expectation of sustained reductions in business travel as organizations continue to leverage virtual communication tools.

Understanding these changes is crucial for the aviation industry, policymakers, and researchers to adapt to the new normal and plan for future disruptions. This thesis aims to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis to examine the shifts in air travel behaviors following the COVID-19 pandemic. It will synthesize findings from various surveys, academic articles, and industry reports to draw comprehensive conclusions about post-pandemic air travel trends and assess the long-term implications for the aviation industry.

Potential sources of data may include peer-reviewed journals, industry reports, and longitudinal surveys from credible institutions. Meta-analysis could be utilized as a method of analysis, employing statistical techniques to aggregate findings from different studies to identify common trends and quantify changes in air travel behavior, such as travel frequency, destination choices, and price elasticities.

The transition from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy systems is needed for the green transformation to decarbonize our economic systems and mitigate climate change. Offshore Wind Energy is one of the necessary sources in this transition.

Given the urgency of effectively mitigating climate change, the market share of renewables is planned to increase very quickly.

Among the many requirements for growing renewable energy, the critical role of the supply chain is often forgotten. The Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain is new and in development. There are no guarantees that the supply chain can perform under the predicted increase in demand.

This thesis should analyze the Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain, find challenges and bottlenecks, and propose ways to mitigate delays in Offshore Wind Energy in Europe.

The transition from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy systems is needed for the green transformation to decarbonize our economic systems and mitigate climate change. Offshore Wind Energy is one of the necessary sources in this transition.

Given the urgency of effectively mitigating climate change, the market share of renewables is planned to increase very quickly.

It is crucial for offshore wind farms to have their operation and maintenance expenses at the minimum level. Vessels are the most important part of the logistics costs in offshore operations. Having the correct support vessel fleet sizing avoids disruptions in the operation with a minimal cost.

This thesis should review the literature about failure forecasting and fleet sizing in offshore wind energy O&M support vessels and implement a quantitative approach to determine the optimal fleet sizing under uncertainty.

Nowadays, oil is the main source of energy in the world, and natural gas is the third one. The two sources that share the same supply chain are responsible for more than 50% of the world's energy supply. In Norway, since the 1970s, oil and gas have been the main export commodities, playing a crucial role in the Norwegian economy.

In Norway, oil & gas production is 100% offshore.

Now, numerous aspects are adding dichotomies to the oil and gas industry. On the one hand, we have higher demand because the Europeans need to shift gas suppliers to Western countries, and on the other hand, the planet needs to reduce emissions.

This situation challenges Offshore Logistics, which must improve its capacity, reduce emissions, and keep costs at the same or lower level.

This thesis should analyze the Offshore Oil and gas Supply Chain, identify challenges, and propose ways to mitigate them.

Nowadays, oil is the main source of energy in the world, and natural gas is the third one. The two sources that share the same supply chain are responsible for more than 50% of the world's energy supply. In Norway, since the 1970s, oil and gas have been the main export commodities, playing a crucial role in the Norwegian economy.

In Norway, oil & gas production is 100% offshore.

Now, numerous aspects are adding dichotomies to the oil and gas industry. On the one hand, we have higher demand because the Europeans need to shift gas suppliers to Western countries, and on the other hand, the planet needs to reduce emissions.

This situation challenges Offshore Logistics, which must improve its capacity, reduce emissions, and keep costs at the same or lower level.

This thesis should review the literature about quantitative methods applied to optimize vessel operation in the Offshore Oil and gas industry and/or implement a quantitative approach to optimize vessel planning (at strategic, tactical, or operational levels)

Nowadays, oil is the main source of energy in the world, and natural gas is the third one. The two sources that share the same supply chain are responsible for more than 50% of the world's energy supply. In Norway, since the 1970s, oil and gas have been the main export commodities, playing a crucial role in the Norwegian economy.

In Norway, oil & gas production is 100% offshore.

Now, numerous aspects are adding dichotomies to the oil and gas industry. On the one hand, we have higher demand because the Europeans need to shift gas suppliers to Western countries, and on the other hand, the planet needs to reduce emissions.

This situation challenges Offshore Logistics, which must improve its capacity, reduce emissions, and keep costs at the same or lower level.

This thesis should review the literature about quantitative methods applied to optimize helicopter operation in the Offshore Oil and gas industry and/or implement a quantitative approach to optimize helicopter planning (at strategic, tactical, or operational levels)

The transition from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy systems is needed for the green transformation, which will decarbonize our economic systems and mitigate climate change.

Given the urgency of effectively mitigating climate change, Hydrogen and Ammonia will be crucial as energy carriers.

Ammonia and Hydrogen have special storage and transportation requirements. Their market is new and being developed now and in the near future.

This thesis should analyze the hydrogen and ammonia supply chain, find challenges and bottlenecks, and propose ways to mitigate these potential problems while considering socioeconomic aspects.

The transition from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy systems is needed for the green transformation, which will decarbonize our economic systems and mitigate climate change.

Given the urgency of effectively mitigating climate change, the market share of renewables is planned to increase very quickly.

Among the many requirements for growing renewable energy, the critical role of the supply chain is often forgotten. Some incumbent Energy Sources (Biofuels, solar, geothermal, etc.) will be part of this green transformation. However, there are no guarantees that the supply chain can perform under the predicted increase in demand.

This thesis should analyze at least one Incumbent Energy Source Supply Chain, find challenges and bottlenecks, and propose ways to mitigate these potential problems in Norway and Europe.

The length of stay (LOS) is an important indicator of the efficiency of hospital management. Reduction in the number of inpatient days results in decreased risk of infection and medication side effects, improvement in the quality of treatment, and increased hospital profit with more efficient bed management. The purpose of this thesis is to determine which factors are associated with length of hospital stay, in the covid period using the collected data. In this thesis the student will apply a data mining approach to understand the management process in the covid period. The data is from a Portuguese hospital.

Process mining is a data analytics approach which has shown promising results in healthcare including the potential to improve the management of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiology is a branch of medicine that diagnoses and treats heart and blood vessel illnesses include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other heart conditions. CVDs are the world's leading cause of disease-related death. In 2015, the top two cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease and stroke, caused 15 million deaths worldwide. From an economic standpoint, CVD has a significant impact on healthcare expenses, productivity loss, and the care of persons with chronic illnesses. A big problem is lowering the cost of CVD care while also enhancing the quality of care.

Helping healthcare professionals develop a better understanding of how to improve CVD care pathways may result in better outcomes for patients.   A Data analytics process will be applied to the collected big data from a hospital. Process mining can be applied in healthcare settings to give new insights that help enhance patient treatment processes (also known as care pathways).

The topic is suggested by the SiMolde Canteen (https://simolde.no/en/kantine)

Background

The canteen at Molde University College experiences a classic peak-hour problem with most of the customers coming lunch time creating a bottleneck for the operation of the canteen. The canteen is a part of the Student Welfare Organization in Molde (SiMolde) being organized as a legal entity responsible for the welfare of students at universities, university colleges, scientific universities and other colleges in Norway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_welfare_organisation. Since the canteen is closely related to the operation of HiMolde, cooperation ideas on lecture scheduling, library services, bookstore services might also be explored.

Proposed Main Problem:

How to handle the high variation in arrival of customers while keeping or increasing the total throughput over the opening hours? Other problem statements including the combination with the operation of HiMolde services are welcome.

Tasks could be:

First map the current operation of the canteen. Detailed data for each day is available. Second, do explorative research of different models for handling the peek hour problem, e.g., fast food, sushi conveyor systems, pre-paid models (buffets, or single customer), airport lounge systems, and canteen services combined with other services (literature review, visit places with similar operations). Third, analyze models, compare-and-contrast results. Forth, suggest improvements. Possible research methods include explorative research, AI/ML based on available data for predictions, lean and case study.

Advisors:

Supervisors: Professor Bjørn Jæger bjorn.jager@himolde.no, Steinar Westlie Kristoffersen steinar.w.kristoffersen@himolde.no, and Head of Canteen Tone Anita Åbelvold tone.a.abelvold@simolde.no.

Tine AS produces a wide range of products, some products do not have close substitutes in the market, some other meet intense competition. In order to make correct pricing decisions, the producer needs good estimates of price elasticity of demand for the products. The task for this MSc thesis is to look into existing methods of estimation of price elasticity and find out which of them are relevant and apply them to the case of TINE. This work requires a good understanding of statistical methods and skills to apply them in R or Python.

Surveys have shown that people express interest in supporting companies that adopt sustainable practices. However, actual transactions do not reflect the same level of support. The assumed reason is that the will to support such efforts is not strong enough to overcome the desire to save money. However, it may also be the case that people who are willing to spend more have a limit that does not match the asking price. Alternatively, there may be a concern that the extra money willingly spent is not directed to better sustainability practices.

These possibilities – the pricepoint of willingness and the verification of how the money is spent – need to be further studied. This thesis will address these issues by investigating how much people try to understand implications of sustainability claims and how their purchasing decisions may be affected by what they see. The thesis will use a web-based technology developed at Molde University College specifically to compare different presentations of sustainability information and to track users as they find their way to closing a transaction. The work will involve the collection of user data and the analysis of the collected data to extract user behavior. The thesis will tap into Nudge Theory to examine how the design of interfaces offering multiple choices with varying sustainable practices can impact purchasing decisions based on how the information is presented.