VSTEP is a software development company that specializes in creating simulators for realistic virtual safety training. During my graduation period, I was assigned to work as a graphics programmer intern on environmental and nighttime effects in the company’s ship simulator NAUTIS. In the current version …

Small urban water bodies, like ponds or canals, are often assumed to cool their surroundings during hot periods, when water bodies remain cooler than air during daytime. However, during the night they may be warmer. Sufficient fetch is required for thermal effects to reach a height of 1–2 m, relevant …

Nightshift workers go against the natural sleep–wake rhythm. Light can shift the circadian clock but can also induce acute alertness. This placebo-controlled exploratory field study examined the effectiveness of light glasses to improve alertness while reducing the sleep complaints of hospital nurses …

Small urban water bodies, such as ponds or canals, are commonly believed to solve urban heat problems but recent research shows that the cooling effect of large urban water bodies on hot summer days is quite limited and can actually induce a night-time warming effect. However, shading, vaporising water …

Urban water bodies like ponds or canals are commonly assumed to provide effective cooling in hot periods. Some of the evidence that feeds this assertion is based on remote sensing observations at relatively large scales. Such observations generally reveal reduced surface temperatures of water bodies …

By studying the population pyramid of the Netherlands, two notable trends can be observed: the increase in 'grey pressure ' (population 65 and older, the upcoming 'baby boom generation ') and the decrease in the number of babies born. These trends are noticeable in the spectrum of care, where the population …

Studies among people with dementia demonstrated that the sleep quality and rhythm improves significantly when people are exposed to ambient bright light. Since almost half of the healthy older people also indicate to suffer from chronic sleep disorders, the question arises whether ambient bright light …

Digital technology is beautiful but, unfortunately, is also incredibly unreliable. Imagine, after a night of good sleep, you enter your car where you find that the brake pedal is on the right and the accelerator pedal on the left. An update, with kind regards from Volkswagen. Or that the manufacturer …

Large numbers of sport events are hosted every year, also in the Netherlands. These events all have some sort of impact on their host region, whether it is negative or positive. Multiple evaluation techniques such as the calculation of the economic impact are developed to determine this impact. However, …