E-Innovation for Sustainable Development of Rural Resources During Global Economic Crisis (Practice, Progress, and Proficiency in Sustainability)

Implementation of technology into social and economic developments have provided key strengths in improving competitiveness and meeting the demands of modern society for life and the economy; including adapting to green development as a means to confront the economic crisis. E-Innovation for Sustainable Development of Rural Resources During Global Economic Crisis brings together a multidisciplinary exchange of knowledge on the application of electronic and mobile innovations towards the sustainable development of the economy. Providing an opportunity to identify effective e-innovation and successful practices, this book is essential for researchers, students, rural developers, and academics in the fields of economics, sustainable development, informatics, and the environment.

Zacharoula Andreopoulou holds a BS degree in Mathematics, a BS degree in Forestry and Natural Environment, and a PhD degree in Forest Informatics, all from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she is currently an assistant professor in the Laboratory of Forest Informatics. She teaches courses on networks and Web services, databases, project management, and software programming with focus on the environment and sustainable development. Her scientific and research interests include networks and Web services, databases, modeling and project management in natural resources and environment, sustainable development, and regional development applications. She is an active member of scientific societies and she has organized and participated in many international and domestic conferences. She is the author, co-author, and editor in books regarding environmental informatics, and her recent scientific publications include papers in various international Journals.

Vagis Samathrakis is an external evaluator of European Community programs such as the Integrated Mediterranean Programs, the Regional Operational Programs, the LEADER etc. Since 1998 he is Professor in the Department of Rural Development & Agribusiness Farm Management at the Alexander Technological Institute of Thessaloniki, where he teaches Management, Entrepreneurship and Micro-Economics. He has worked on topics such as the Competitiveness of Agricultural Food and Beverage Companies, the E-business in SMEs in the Food and Drinks Sector, the Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies in Greek Agriculture and the Internet use by Businesses and Organizations in Rural Areas, the Adoption-Diffusion of Precision Agriculture in Greek Regions, the farm management and the innovation and entrepreneurship. His scientific work is published in scientific journals and presented at international conferences.

Soulla Louca received her Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1994 from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Prior to that, she had received a B.A in Computer Science and Mathematics and a M.Sc. in Computer Science from Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University respectively. She has participated and coordinated numerous projects including National Science Foundation (NSF- USA), Research Promotion Foundation (RPF-Cyprus) and European; has served as a reviewer for various international conferences/journals as well as an ICT expert for the European Commission. Her research interests include socio-economic aspects of Green ICT, e-learning, social integration and digital divide, and e-business Since June 2008; she is the Chair of the Domain Committee for Information Communication Technologies for the European program COST (Co-operation for Science and Technology). Dr Louca is an Associate Professor at the University of Nicosia in the Department of Management and Management Information Systems.