This empirical study discusses chances and challenges of disruptive Internet of Things (IoT) business models. The goal of an innovative, successful business model refers to delivering customer value in a new way. Focusing on Eastern European business-to-business data, we address the following question: (1) What do B2B customers expect from the Internet of Things? (2) Are customers willing to co-creating value in the sense of Service-Dominant (S-D) logic and engage in IoT-related business models? This paper evaluates the attitude of B2B customers active in Poland regarding co-creation of value in disruptive projects and provides strategic recommendations to overcome the significant lack of knowledge in IoT-related business opportunities. Based on a case study incorporating qualitative CATI interviews, our findings indicate the following: The willingness of buyers to co-create value is still limited. Considering the idea of Berry et al. (2006), we offer an enhanced IoT-related service strategy to actively include reluctant buyers into the network of actors. “No interaction is an island”, instead it is rooted in the reaction on the involved counterparts’ acting. An early involvement of all actors in interaction processes like the development of service business models may prevent manufacturers from creating severe obstacles for their customers to co-create value.

The aim of this work is to analyze reports of migraine attacks collected online in the citizen science project CLUE with respect to gender- and migraine type-specific differences in drug effectiveness and pain perception. Citizen science project data collection opens the possibility to examine these differences based on a large number of individual attacks instead of a simple survey of patients.

Many municipalities and cities are facing numerous, sometimes very complex water management challenges. In addition to heavy rainfall events, because of climate change, this also applies to the necessary improvement of water quality about trace substances and micro plastics. This also means an increase in the complexity of tasks, a diversity of levels of action and knowledge. The necessary freedom to acquire new knowledge in an appropriate manner in terms of content and time is becoming increasingly limited because of these framework conditions. An additional burden is the fact that it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain adequate specialized staff. Therefore, the necessary planning processes are becoming longer. The implementation of environmental protection measures has to follow later. Furthermore, new, and more efficient methods for better environmental protection are used less frequently or only insufficiently because there is too little knowledge about them. Experts promise more support and facilitation by solutions that have been developed during digitalization and offered on the market for technical and organizational level [1]. Here, however, there is often a lack of time on the user’s side to act in an appropriate manner with resource- supporting IT systems that make it possible to automate or simplify standard procedures or make processes more efficient and effective. If external consultants are part of the selection of appropriate IT systems, successful implementation and use often fails due to the lack of fit between the IT system and the existing organizational structure or culture, as well as in relation to the human end user. Two ways to address these obstacles are the “Anyway Strategy” and “ HELIP” methods. They are the result of a meta-study on success factors and barriers in the selection and application of digitalization solutions [1] and a from a development project for digital innovations [2] in the water industry.

Das iwe-Institut für Wasser- und Energiemanagement an der Hochschule Hof hat eine Metastudie zum Stand der Digitalisierung der Wasserwirtschaft in den deutschsprachigen Ländern durchgeführt. Das Fazit: Die Digitalisierung ist zu einem festen Bestandteil technologischer Lösungen und strategischer Entscheidungen geworden. In einer dreiteiligen Serie berichtet die WasserWirtschaft über die Ergebnisse der Studie. Im dritten Teil der Serie geht es um die Frage, welche Konsequenzen aus den Erkenntnissen und Ergebnissen der Studie zu ziehen sind und wie die Zukunft der Digitalisierung in der Wasserwirtschaft aussehen kann.

Strukturveränderungen und regionale Herausforderungen hatten und haben nahezu immer direkte Folgen für die Abwasserbeseitigung einer Kommune. Dies konnte im Zuge der Corona-Pandemie deutlich durch Daten von Echtzeitmessungen im Rahmen des vom Bundesministerium für Umwelt geförderten Vorhabens „Abwasserflexibilisierung Diemelsee 4.0“ [1] festgestellt werden. Während als Planungsgrundlage für die neue Diemelsee-Kläranlage Heringhausen und das zugehörige Kanalnetz inkl. Pumpenstationen die Urlaubszahlen der vergangenen zehn Jahre Maßstab der Anlagenbemessung waren, zeigten sich sowohl während der Einfahrphase an Ostern als auch im Sommer 2020 andere, unerwartete Bewegungen bei der Gästeanzahl. Aufgrund des Lockdowns in vielen Ländern stieg die Gästezahl in Spitzenzeiten um bis zu 50 % an [2, 3]. Für die Abwasserbeseitigung weitaus problematischer war der Anstieg an Wochenendtourimus und an Wohnmobilen und damit an speziellen Abwässern. Bei der Implementation des geförderten Vorhabens „Abwasserbeseitigung Diemelsee 4.0“ wird ein spezielles Energiemonitoring eingesetzt, welches die Daten einer neuartigen, sogenannten fallbasierten Steuerung [4] aufnimmt und den Betrieb dabei unterstützt, auch in Ausnahmezeiten wie einer Pandemie die gesteckten Effizienz- und Reinigungsziele zu erreichen.

Water is increasingly taking center stage when it comes to coping with climate change. Especially in urban areas, negative consequences from heavy rainfall events and prolonged dry periods are rising worldwide. In the past, the various tasks of urban water management were performed by different departments that often did not cooperate with each other (water supply, wastewater disposal, green space irrigation, etc.), as the required water supply was not a question of available water volumes. This is already changing with climate change, in some cases even dramatically. More and more, it is necessary to consider how to distribute available water resources in urban areas, especially during dry periods, since wastewater treatment is also becoming more complex and costly. In the future, urban water management will examine water use in terms of its various objectives, and will need to provide alternative water resources for these different purposes (groundwater, river water, storm water, treated wastewater, etc.). The necessary technological interconnection requires intelligent digital systems. Furthermore, the water industry must also play its role in global CO2 reduction and make its procedural treatment processes more efficient; this will also only succeed with adequate digital systems. Although digitization has experienced an enormous surge in development over the last five years and numerous solutions are available to address the challenges described previously, there is still a large gap between the scope of offerings and their implementation. Researchers at Hof University of Applied Sciences have investigated the reasons for this imbalance as part of WaterExe4.0, the first meta-study on digitization in the German-speaking water industry, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Only 11% of roughly 700 identified products, projects and studies relate to real applications. For example, the surveyed experts of the water sector stated that everyday problems are considered too little or hardly at all in new solutions, which greatly overburdens users. Furthermore, they see no adequate possibility for a systematic analysis of new ideas to identify significant obstacles and to find the best way to start and implement a digitization project. The results from four methodologically different sub-surveys (literature and market research, survey, expert interviews and workshops) provide a reliable overview of the current situation in the German-speaking water industry and its expectations for the future. The results are also transferable to other countries.

Das iwe-Institut für Wasser und Energiemanagement an der Hochschule Hof hat eine Metastudie zum Stand der Digitalisierung der Wasserwirtschaft in den deutschsprachigen Ländern durchgeführt. Das Fazit: Die Digitalisierung ist zu einem festen Bestandteil technologischer Lösungen und strategischer Entscheidungen geworden. In einer dreiteiligen Serie berichtet die WasserWirtschaft über die Ergebnisse der Studie. Im zweiten Teil der Serie geht es um die Erkenntnis, dass Technik nicht alles ist - und wie Menschen auf dem Weg der Digitalisierung mitgenommen werden können.

This book comprises the select proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Trends in Developments of Thermofluids and Renewable Energy (TFRE 2020). The major topics covered include aerodynamics, alternate energy, bio fuel, bio heat transfer, computational fluid dynamics, control mechanism for constant power generation, and energy storage. The book also discusses latest developments in the fields of electric vehicles, hybrid power systems, and solar and renewable energy. Given the scope of its contents, this book will be useful for students, researchers, and professionals interested in the field of thermofluids and renewable energy resources.