Notifications provide a unique mechanism for increasing the effectiveness of real-time information delivery systems. However, notifications that demand users' attention at inopportune moments are more likely to have adverse effects and might become a cause of potential disruption rather than proving beneficial to users. In order to address these challenges a variety of intelligent notification mechanisms based on monitoring and learning users' behavior have been proposed. The goal of such mechanisms is maximizing users' receptivity to the delivered information by automatically inferring the right time and the right context for sending a certain type of information. This book presents an overview of the current state of the art in the area of intelligent notification mechanisms that rely on the awareness of users' context and preferences. We first present a survey of studies focusing on understanding and modeling users' interruptibility and receptivity to notifications from desktops and mobile devices. Then, we discuss the existing challenges and opportunities in developing mechanisms for intelligent notification systems in a variety of application scenarios.

Over a third of global agrifood exports cross borders at least twice before reaching the final consumer. The complexity of food supply chains and the growing importance of the global agrifood trade thus creates new and ever greater challenges for the management of food safety. Geographically dispersed foods that have been produced, processed and distributed by multiple actors can pose heightened food safety risks. Tracing the origins of unsafe food is also more complex and time-consuming. For this reason, many nations have implemented more rigorous systems of food control for agrifood imports, while many others need assistance to develop them. To this end, FAO developed this guidance as part of a project entitled 'Digital solutions in support of improved official food control services'. The aim is to provide guidance for the design and implementation of a food control e-notification system, one tailored to national needs and resources. This guidance includes the system’s legal basis, its structure and operational parameters, as well as its infrastructure and human resource requirements.