14,085 research outputs found
Vision Science and Technology at NASA: Results of a Workshop
A broad review is given of vision science and technology within NASA. The subject is defined and its applications in both NASA and the nation at large are noted. A survey of current NASA efforts is given, noting strengths and weaknesses of the NASA program
FLIAT, an object-relational GIS tool for flood impact assessment in Flanders, Belgium
Floods can cause damage to transportation and energy infrastructure, disrupt the delivery of services, and take a toll on public health, sometimes even causing significant loss of life. Although scientists widely stress the compelling need for resilience against extreme events under a changing climate, tools for dealing with expected hazards lag behind. Not only does the socio-economic, ecologic and cultural impact of floods need to be considered, but the potential disruption of a society with regard to priority adaptation guidelines, measures, and policy recommendations need to be considered as well. The main downfall of current impact assessment tools is the raster approach that cannot effectively handle multiple metadata of vital infrastructures, crucial buildings, and vulnerable land use (among other challenges). We have developed a powerful cross-platform flood impact assessment tool (FLIAT) that uses a vector approach linked to a relational database using open source program languages, which can perform parallel computation. As a result, FLIAT can manage multiple detailed datasets, whereby there is no loss of geometrical information. This paper describes the development of FLIAT and the performance of this tool
Markov Decision Processes with Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of autonomous and resource-limited
devices. The devices cooperate to monitor one or more physical phenomena within
an area of interest. WSNs operate as stochastic systems because of randomness
in the monitored environments. For long service time and low maintenance cost,
WSNs require adaptive and robust methods to address data exchange, topology
formulation, resource and power optimization, sensing coverage and object
detection, and security challenges. In these problems, sensor nodes are to make
optimized decisions from a set of accessible strategies to achieve design
goals. This survey reviews numerous applications of the Markov decision process
(MDP) framework, a powerful decision-making tool to develop adaptive algorithms
and protocols for WSNs. Furthermore, various solution methods are discussed and
compared to serve as a guide for using MDPs in WSNs
A Systematic Approach to Constructing Families of Incremental Topology Control Algorithms Using Graph Transformation
In the communication systems domain, constructing and maintaining network
topologies via topology control (TC) algorithms is an important cross-cutting
research area. Network topologies are usually modeled using attributed graphs
whose nodes and edges represent the network nodes and their interconnecting
links. A key requirement of TC algorithms is to fulfill certain consistency and
optimization properties to ensure a high quality of service. Still, few
attempts have been made to constructively integrate these properties into the
development process of TC algorithms. Furthermore, even though many TC
algorithms share substantial parts (such as structural patterns or tie-breaking
strategies), few works constructively leverage these commonalities and
differences of TC algorithms systematically. In previous work, we addressed the
constructive integration of consistency properties into the development
process. We outlined a constructive, model-driven methodology for designing
individual TC algorithms. Valid and high-quality topologies are characterized
using declarative graph constraints; TC algorithms are specified using
programmed graph transformation. We applied a well-known static analysis
technique to refine a given TC algorithm in a way that the resulting algorithm
preserves the specified graph constraints.
In this paper, we extend our constructive methodology by generalizing it to
support the specification of families of TC algorithms. To show the feasibility
of our approach, we reneging six existing TC algorithms and develop e-kTC, a
novel energy-efficient variant of the TC algorithm kTC. Finally, we evaluate a
subset of the specified TC algorithms using a new tool integration of the graph
transformation tool eMoflon and the Simonstrator network simulation framework.Comment: Corresponds to the accepted manuscrip
Advanced information processing system: The Army fault tolerant architecture conceptual study. Volume 1: Army fault tolerant architecture overview
Digital computing systems needed for Army programs such as the Computer-Aided Low Altitude Helicopter Flight Program and the Armored Systems Modernization (ASM) vehicles may be characterized by high computational throughput and input/output bandwidth, hard real-time response, high reliability and availability, and maintainability, testability, and producibility requirements. In addition, such a system should be affordable to produce, procure, maintain, and upgrade. To address these needs, the Army Fault Tolerant Architecture (AFTA) is being designed and constructed under a three-year program comprised of a conceptual study, detailed design and fabrication, and demonstration and validation phases. Described here are the results of the conceptual study phase of the AFTA development. Given here is an introduction to the AFTA program, its objectives, and key elements of its technical approach. A format is designed for representing mission requirements in a manner suitable for first order AFTA sizing and analysis, followed by a discussion of the current state of mission requirements acquisition for the targeted Army missions. An overview is given of AFTA's architectural theory of operation
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS): Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) investigation. Phase 1: Feasibility study
The possibility of the Threat Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) traffic sensor and display being used for meaningful Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) applications has resulted in the Federal Aviation Administration initiating a project to establish the technical and operational requirements to realize this potential. Phase 1 of the project is presented here. Phase 1 was organized to define specific CDTI applications for the terminal area, to determine what has already been learned about CDTI technology relevant to these applications, and to define the engineering required to supply the remaining TCAS-CDTI technology for capacity benefit realization. The CDTI applications examined have been limited to those appropriate to the final approach and departure phases of flight
- …