orderless Cyber 2023 Session on Operationalized Security and Privacy

In a past session at the Borderless Cyber 2023 event, Dr. Mariza Koukovini from the Upcast project delivered a presentation on “Empowering Success through Operationalized Security and Privacy.” The session explored challenges and solutions in the dynamic field of cybersecurity: 

The presentation was divided into two main themes:

1. Operationalizing Security and Privacy: Dr. Koukovini discussed the persistent challenge of balancing human considerations, regulations, and technical implementations in the realm of cybersecurity. The presentation provided practical insights into ensuring that deployed systems align effectively with regulatory and policy frameworks.

2. Automation in Security and Privacy: Automation was a key aspect of responding swiftly to cybersecurity threats. The session included a review of successful infrastructure and security tools that enabled quick, automated, and synchronized responses, reducing the reliance on human intervention. The importance of information sharing, coordinated responses, and global collaboration in strengthening cybersecurity was also explored.

Presentation Overview: GoodFlows – A Framework for Automating Compliance of Business Processes and Data Processing Workflows

Presenter: Dr. Mariza Koukovini, Senior Research Engineer, ICT abovo P.C.

Presentation Abstract: Dr. Koukovini’s presentation focused on GoodFlows, a solution designed to assist organizations in ensuring compliance with data protection requirements, with a particular emphasis on GDPR.

The solution comprised two essential pillars:

1. a semantic policy-based access and usage control framework and a process planning

2. re-engineering framework.

The presentation covered topics such as expressive rule specification, real-time decision-making on access authorizations, and a methodology for automating compliance assessment and transformation of process models. GoodFlows aimed to streamline compliance efforts, minimize errors, and enhance scalability.

Our colleague, Tek Raj Chhetri from the University of Southampton, recently had the honor of participating in two prestigious events – KGSWC-2023 Winter School and the Pacific Rim International Workshop on Applied Knowledge Graphs.

The heart of these gatherings pulsated with discussions surrounding the strategic utilization of semantic technology, specifically ontologies and knowledge graphs, to spearhead the development of privacy-preserving and GDPR-compliant systems. This focus stands as a beacon guiding the path toward a data-driven economy.

Key Insights:

1. GDPR Compliance and Privacy: The discourse explored the pivotal role of shared common vocabularies, particularly ontologies, in the construction of robust systems aligned with GDPR standards. Drawing parallels with the UPCAST project’s technological approach, emphasis was placed on ensuring privacy while harnessing the immense power embedded in data.

2. Explainable AI: In-depth discussions unfolded regarding the integration of knowledge graphs into Explainable AI, illuminating the profound impact of transparent models on comprehending AI predictions. This not only adheres to regulatory requirements but also contributes significantly to building trust and fostering accountability in AI applications.

3. Knowledge Graphs and Deep Learning: The sessions shone a light on the harmonious collaboration between knowledge graphs and deep learning, highlighting the augmented predictive capabilities that arise from their seamless integration. The UPCAST project, with its innovative methodology, took center stage, garnering attention and recognition in discussions at both events.

These engagements stand as a testament to the pivotal role that semantic technology plays in shaping the future trajectory of data-driven economies. The discussions offered profound insights into the transformative potential within the realms of privacy, GDPR compliance, and the advancement of AI through explainability

#SemanticTechnology #KnowledgeGraphs #GDPRCompliance #ExplainableAI #UPCASTProject #DataDrivenEconomy

On Thursday, November 30th, the “Open Climate Data Index” workshop of the municipalities of Thessaloniki was organized by the Department of Information and Electronic Engineering of International Hellenic University in collaboration with the Open Knowledge Foundation Greek Chapter.  This initiative was organised by Charalampos Bratsas, Assistant Professor at the Department of Information and Electronic Engineering (IHU) in collaboration with the newly formed team of Open Knowledge Foundation Greece Student branch and the team of IEEE IHU Student. The aim of the workshop was for the students to record the datasets of the municipalities of Thessaloniki regarding environmental data. The students of the different departments of the International University of Greece, mainly from the Department of Information and Electronic Engineering, were divided in team groups, where each group had to search for 10 datasets to consider for the selected municipalities of Thessaloniki. Their task was to search for datasets that exist in open data portals of countries and/or cities abroad that were discussed in the previous workshop. Some of them was: data concerning green spaces or Forest Cover: e.g. the extent of forests in each municipality and locations, number of trees and tree species data on the percentage of land that is green space, such as parks and public gardens. Regarding the data search, the groups before the workshop, but also during it, had to search for the selected datasets:

• on the websites of the municipalities,
• in the open data portals of the municipalities (if they exist),
• on data.gov.gr, and on the old open data portal https://repository.data.gov.gr/ where there is data of municipalities and public bodies
• on other relevant sites such as those of the Ministry of the Environment, Thessaloniki Water Supply and Sewerage Service, Organization of Urban Transport of Thessaloniki, etc.
• on Google

They evaluated the results, according to the questions of Open Data Index, which was presented in a previous workshop. Also, they organized their work in papers and they marked with signs the different level of openness of their results. Throughout the workshop, Dr. Bratsas and his team monitored the progress of the groups and encouraged the discussion on the importance of environmental data and its contribution to the Open Data Index. The presentation of the results will take place in the next workshop where each group will present their results, including findings and questions answered by the Open Data Index.

The students worked with great enthusiasm, as the process of recording the data from the various municipalities of Thessaloniki seemed particularly interesting to them, despite the difficulties they identified in the openness of the data. This workshop was organized in the context of the UPCAST Project and one of its pilots who concerns the 11 cities that comprise the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki and their need to realize data-driven environmental policy-making. Working under their umbrella organization, the Major Development Agency Thessaloniki (MDA), and Open Knowledge Foundation Greece (OKF Greece) this pilot will use one of the UPCAST plugins for integration and exchange of all data related to its environmental use case, thus we are planning to organize a hackathon leveraging UPCAST’s platform for the Thessaloniki pilot.

Also, at the workshop participated Mrs. Paraskevi Tarani and Mrs Anthi Tsakiropoulou on behalf of the Major Development Agency Thessaloniki (MDAT S.A.), who contributed on the procedure of collecting data in a great way with their expertise.

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