HISTORICAL BUILDINGS MODELS AND THEIR HANDLING VIA 3D SURVEY: FROM POINTS CLOUDS TO USER-ORIENTED HBIM

This paper retraces some research activities and application of 3D survey techniques and Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the environment of Cultural Heritage. It describes the diffusion of as-built BIM approach in the last years in Heritage Assets management, the so-called Built Heritage Information Modelling/Management (BHIMM or HBIM), that is nowadays an important and sustainable perspective in documentation and administration of historic buildings and structures. The work focuses the documentation derived from 3D survey techniques that can be understood like a significant and unavoidable knowledge base for the BIM conception and modelling, in the perspective of a coherent and complete management and valorisation of CH. It deepens potentialities, offered by 3D integrated survey techniques, to acquire productively and quite easilymany 3D information, not only geometrical but also radiometric attributes, helping the recognition, interpretation and characterization of state of conservation and degradation of architectural elements. From these data, they provide more and more high descriptive models corresponding to the geometrical complexity of buildings or aggregates in the well-known 5D (3D + time and cost dimensions). Points clouds derived from 3D survey acquisition (aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry, LiDAR and their integration) are reality-based models that can be use in a semi-automatic way to manage, interpret, and moderately simplify geometrical shapes of historical buildings that are examples, as is well known, of non-regular and complex geometry, instead of modern constructions with simple and regular ones. In the paper, some of these issues are addressed and analyzed through some experiences regarding the creation and the managing of HBIMprojects on historical heritage at different scales, using different platforms and various workflow. The paper focuses on LiDAR data handling with the aim to manage and extract geometrical information; on development and optimization of semi-automatic process of segmentation, recognition and modelling of historical shapes of complex structures; on communication of historical heritage by virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) in a 3D reconstruction of buildings aggregates from a LiDAR and UAV survey. The HBIM model have been implemented and optimized to be managed and browse by mobile devices for not only touristic or informative scopes, but also to ensure that HBIM platforms will become more easy and valuable tools helping all professionals of AEC involved in the documentation and valorisation process, that nowadays more and more distinguish CH policies

Ambient Assisted Living: Scoping Review of Artificial Intelligence Models, Domains, Technology, and Concerns

Background: Ambient assisted living (AAL) is a common name for various artificial intelligence (AI)—infused applications and platforms that support their users in need in multiple activities, from health to daily living. These systems use different approaches to learn about their users and make automated decisions, known as AI models, for personalizing their services and increasing outcomes. Given the numerous systems developed and deployed for people with different needs, health conditions, and dispositions toward the technology, it is critical to obtain clear and comprehensive insights concerning AI models used, along with their domains, technology, and concerns, to identify promising directions for future work. Objective: This study aimed to provide a scoping review of the literature on AI models in AAL. In particular, we analyzed specific AI models used in AАL systems, the target domains of the models, the technology using the models, and the major concerns from the end-user perspective. Our goal was to consolidate research on this topic and inform end users, health care professionals and providers, researchers, and practitioners in developing, deploying, and evaluating future intelligent AAL systems. Methods: This study was conducted as a scoping review to identify, analyze, and extract the relevant literature. It used a natural language processing toolkit to retrieve the article corpus for an efficient and comprehensive automated literature search. Relevant articles were then extracted from the corpus and analyzed manually. This review included 5 digital libraries: IEEE, PubMed, Springer, Elsevier, and MDPI. Results: We included a total of 108 articles. The annual distribution of relevant articles showed a growing trend for all categories from January 2010 to July 2022. The AI models mainly used unsupervised and semisupervised approaches. The leading models are deep learning, natural language processing, instance-based learning, and clustering. Activity assistance and recognition were the most common target domains of the models. Ambient sensing, mobile technology, and robotic devices mainly implemented the models. Older adults were the primary beneficiaries, followed by patients and frail persons of various ages. Availability was a top beneficiary concern. Conclusions: This study presents the analytical evidence of AI models in AAL and their domains, technologies, beneficiaries, and concerns. Future research on intelligent AAL should involve health care professionals and caregivers as designers and users, comply with health-related regulations, improve transparency and privacy, integrate with health care technological infrastructure, explain their decisions to the users, and establish evaluation metrics and design guidelines. Trial Registration: PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) CRD42022347590; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022347590This work was part of and supported by GoodBrother, COST Action 19121—Network on Privacy-Aware Audio- and Video-Based Applications for Active and Assisted Living

A smart environments architecture (Search)

We report on a system architecture, SEArch, and its associated methods and tools we have been developing, testing and extending for several years through a number of innovation processes in the field of Smart Environments. We have developed these infrastructure in a bottom up fashion directed by the needs of the different projects as opposed to an ideal one which projects have to conform to. In this sense is practical and although necessarily incomplete, it has significant versatility and reasonable efficiency. Projects developed using this architecture have been funded by different companies and funding bodies in Europe. The different components of the architecture are explained through the software supporting those aspects of the system and through the functionality they exhibit in different practical scenarios, extracted from some of the projects implemented with SEArch

Intelligent Bio-Environments: Exploring Fuzzy Logic Approaches to the Honeybee Crisis

Project in collaboration with the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD)This paper presents an overview of how fuzzy logic can be employed to model intelligent bio-environments. It explores how non-invasive monitoring techniques, combined with sensor fusion, can be used to generate a warning signal if a critical event within the natural environment is on the horizon. The honeybee hive is presented as a specific example of an intelligent bio-environment that unfortunately, under certain indicative circumstances, can fail within the natural world. This is known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The paper describes the design of a fuzzy logic methodology that utilizes input from non-invasive beehive monitoring systems, combining data from dedicated sensors and other disparate sources. An overview is given of two fuzzy logic approaches that are being explored in the context of the beehive; a fuzzy logic system and an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)

Structural Health Monitoring of Large Structures Using Acoustic Emission-Case Histories

Acoustic emission (AE) techniques have successfully been used for assuring the structural integrity of large rocket motorcases since 1963 [...

Значимость технологии дронов в достижении целей устойчивого развития ООН

The drone technology, which originated in military applications, is now widely used for commercial, professional, industrial and private purposes. Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as ‘drones’, include different sectors of economy, for example, agriculture, transport, infrastructure, entertainment, and telecommunications. Not only are drones eco-friendly gadgets that allow to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, but they are also time- and cost-efficient. Thus, drones can prove to be a major force for good as they hold massive potential for being used to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations Organization and adopted in 2015. Developing countries, for instance those of Sub-Saharan Africa, are facing famine, epidemic diseases, poverty and other challenges. All these problems can be addressed with the help of the drone technology. The main objective of this paper is to identify the sectors that are most likely to be influenced by the drone technology and to highlight the scenarios in which this technology can influence the achievement of the SDGs. One of the most promising spheres in this respect is the usage of drones as delivery vehicles in agriculture, e-commerce, and health care. Moreover, drones can be effective for monitoring and surveillance in international and domestic law enforcement, wildlife preservation and scientific research.Технология беспилотных летательных аппаратов, созданная военными, в настоящее время широко используется в коммерческих, профессиональных, промышленных и частных целях. Беспилотные летательные аппараты (БПЛА), широко известные как «дроны», используются в различных секторах экономики, например, сельском хозяйстве, транспорте, инфраструктуре, развлечениях и телекоммуникациях. Дроны не только экологичны и позволяют сократить количество выбросов углекислого газа, но они также экономичны в терминах времени и финансовых затрат. Таким образом, беспилотные летательные аппараты могут оказаться серьезной силой, поскольку они обладают огромным потенциалом для использования в целях достижения целей устойчивого развития (SDG), установленных Организацией Объединенных Наций и принятых в 2015 году. Развивающиеся страны, например, страны, расположенные к югу от Сахары, сталкиваются с голодом, эпидемическими заболеваниями, нищетой и другими проблемами. Все эти проблемы можно решить с помощью технологии беспилотных летательных аппаратов.Основная цель этой статьи — выявить сектора, на которые, скорее всего, повлияет технология беспилотных летательных аппаратов, и выделить сценарии, в которых эта технология может повлиять на достижение целей устойчивого развития. Одной из наиболее перспективных сфер в этом отношении является использование дронов в качестве средств доставки в сельском хозяйстве, электронной торговле и здравоохранении. Более того, беспилотные летательные аппараты могут быть эффективными для мониторинга и наблюдения в международных и внутренних правоохранительных органах, охране дикой природы и научных исследованиях

Intelligent Mobility in Smart Cities

Smart Cities seek to optimize their systems by increasing integration through approaches such as increased interoperability, seamless system integration, and automation. Thus, they have the potential to deliver substantial efficiency gains and eliminate redundancy. To add to the complexity of the problem, the integration of systems for efficiency gains may compromise the resilience of an urban system. This all needs to be taken into consideration when thinking about Smart Cities. The transportation field must also apply the principles and concepts mentioned above. This cannot be understood without considering its links and effects on the other components of an urban system. New technologies allow for new means of travel to be built, and new business models allow for existing ones to be utilized. This Special Issue puts together papers with different focuses, but all of them tackle the topic of smart mobility

Значимость технологии дронов в достижении целей устойчивого развития ООН

The drone technology, which originated in military applications, is now widely used for commercial, professional, industrial and private purposes. Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, include different sectors of economy, for example, agriculture, transport, infrastructure, entertainment, and telecommunications. Not only are drones eco-friendly gadgets that allow to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, but they are also time- and cost-efficient. Thus, drones can prove to be a major force for good as they hold massive potential for being used to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations Organization and adopted in 2015. Developing countries, for instance those of Sub-Saharan Africa, are facing famine, epidemic diseases, poverty and other challenges. All these problems can be addressed with the help of the drone technology. The main objective of this paper is to identify the sectors that are most likely to be influenced by the drone technology and to highlight the scenarios in which this technology can infl uence the achievement of the SDGs. One of the most promising spheres in this respect is the usage of drones as delivery vehicles in agriculture, e-commerce, and health care. Moreover, drones can be effective for monitoring and surveillance in international and domestic law enforcement, wildlife preservation and scientific research.Технология беспилотных летательных аппаратов, созданная военными, в настоящее время широко используется в коммерческих, профессиональных, промышленных и частных целях. Беспилотные летательные аппараты (БПЛА), широко известные как «дроны», используются в различных секторах экономики, например, сельском хозяйстве, транспорте, инфраструктуре, развлечениях и телекоммуникациях. Дроны не только экологичны и позволяют сократить количество выбросов углекислого газа, но они также экономичны в терминах времени и финансовых затрат. Таким образом, беспилотные летательные аппараты могут оказаться серьезной силой, поскольку они обладают огромным потенциалом для использования в целях достижения целей устойчивого развития (SDG), установленных Организацией Объединенных Наций и принятых в 2015 г. Развивающиеся страны, например, страны, расположенные к югу от Сахары, сталкиваются с голодом, эпидемическими заболеваниями, нищетой и другими проблемами. Все эти проблемы можно решить с помощью технологии беспилотных летательных аппаратов. Основная цель этой статьи – выявить сектора, на которые, скорее всего, повлияет технология беспилотных летательных аппаратов, и выделить сценарии, в которых эта технология может повлиять на достижение целей устойчивого развития. Одной из наиболее перспективных сфер в этом отношении является использование дронов в качестве средств доставки в сельском хозяйстве, электронной торговле и здравоохранении. Более того, беспилотные летательные аппараты могут быть эффективными для мониторинга и наблюдения в международных и внутренних правоохранительных органах, охране дикой природы и научных исследованиях