Abstract
PurposeThis study aims to present an innovative sandbox platform that implements a decision support system (DSS) to assess the sustainable development goals (SDGs) addressed at the municipal level. It intends to determine the relative importance of each SDG in municipalities and explore the synergies that can be discovered among them. Design/methodology/approachParticipatory action research is used to develop a DSS and an algorithm designated as discrete heavy fuzzy was also developed, which extends the Apriori algorithm to include discrete quantitative assessments of the level of SDG compliance by each project. A scenario consisting of three municipalities in Portugal (i.e. Porto, Loule and Castelo de Vide) was chosen to demonstrate the implementation of the sandbox platform and to interpret the observed results. FindingsThe results reveal significant differences in the typology of SDGs addressed by each municipality. It was found that municipal sustainable projects are strongly influenced by the contextual factors of each municipality. Porto has projects that address the first five SDGs. Loule appears projects that promote innovation, the fight against climate change and the development of sustainable cities. Castelo de Vida has initiatives related to innovation and infrastructure and decent work and economic growth. Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides knowledge about the relative importance of the SDGs in Portuguese municipalities and explores the synergies among them. The proposed sandbox platform fills the gaps of the ODSlocal Webtool by proposing a dynamic and interactive approach for the exploration of quantitative indicators regarding the implementation status of the SDGs established in the 2030 Agenda. Originality/valueThis study provides knowledge about the relative importance of the SDGs and the various synergies that exist between them considering the Portuguese municipalities. The sandbox platform presented and developed within this study allows filling the gaps of the ODSlocal Webtool that gathers essentially qualitative information about each project and offers a dynamic and interactive exploration with quantitative indicators of the implementation status of the SDGs established in the 2030 Agenda.

Abstract
Agile methodology as a relatively new approach to software engineering is becoming more popular in both industry and academia. Learning agile software development methodologies will unquestionably increase the capabilities and competences of our students as entry-level software engineers. However, how agile methods and techniques should be taught at the undergraduate level in additional to traditional approaches is still being debated. This study was conducted on a studentprogramming project, with sample size of 23 students from the Informatics Engineering course. The Scrum methodology was adopted and 28 user stories and 4 sprints were created. The results indicate a significant impact on students’ skill improvement and let them to have the first contact with real projects and clients. Besides that, the students agree that the adoption of the Scrum methodology helped them to improve the participation and collaboration. However, some issues were also detected in terms of communication and tasks planning. Therefore, we proposed some polities that could help and boost the software development process inside a classroom.

Abstract
This paper looks at the adoption challenges of multiagent systems as an implementation of the intelligent manufacturing concept, which intends to offer a system characterized by its flexibility, reconfigurability, autonomy, reliability and learning capabilities. It describes the concept of multi-agent systems, its generic architecture and some relevant industrial implementations. Additionally, it analyzes the main multi-agent challenges looking for its benefits in the manufacturing industry, but also exposing its limitations and barriers for a widely industry adoption. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract
The project XPRESS introduces a completely new scalable concept of an expertonic networked factory, which is composed by a co-ordinated team of specialized autonomous objects (expertons), each knowing how to do a certain process optimally. This paper looks in particular to the transport experton implementation, which is an experton responsible to carry material at the shop-floor. It is suggested an architecture based in a multi-agent approach that uses a conveyor belt transport experton to perform this task. Additionally, it is presented an implementation of the conveyor belt transport experton that uses the. NET framework integrated with the expertonic framework.

Abstract
The project XPRESS introduces a completely new scalable concept of an expertonic networked factory, which is composed by a coordinated team of specialized autonomous entities (intelligent production units), each knowing how to do a certain process optimally. This paper looks in particular to the transport intelligent unit implementation, which is responsible for the transportation of components at the shop-floor. An architecture based in a multi-agent approach that uses automatic guided vehicle expertons to perform this task is suggested. Additionally, it is presented an implementation of the automatic guided vehicle transport intelligent unit that uses the. NET framework integrated with the expertonic framework.

Abstract