Ferramenta de suporte para apresentação e gestão de dados recolhidos por sistemas autónomos

A medida que as tecnologias relacionadas com os sistemas autónomos progridem, a quantidade de informação obtida dos mesmos também progride. Os sensores que constituem estes sistemas estão a tornar-se progressivamente mais eficientes e a cooperação entre grupos de sensores torna-se cada vez mais complexa. Tudo isto justifica a necessidade da existência de um sistema de uso simples, o qual obtém dados de um número elevado de sensores ou grupo de sensores e os interpreta e visualiza de forma imediata. Uma solução a esta necessidade deve procurar adquirir informação providenciada por sensores associados a sistemas autónomos, seja esta informação obtida através de ficheiros de log ou através de comunicação direta através de sockets, seguida da escrita para bases de dados da informação interpretada. A ferramenta de manipulação de bases de dados, desenvolvida em Python, utiliza “MySQL” queries de forma a criar, alterar ou apagar tabelas dentro de uma base de dados, tabelas as quais serão preenchidas com os dados interpretados a partir de logs ou comunicação com sensores em tempo real, via sockets. Por outro lado, a ferramenta de visualização online, desenvolvida em HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) e JavaScript, utiliza PHP de forma a obter dados através de “MySQL” queries e utiliza gráficos e outras ferramentas visuais, disponibilizadas através de JavaScript, de forma a demonstrar os dados obtidos de forma simplificada.As the technology of autonomous systems evolves with the passage of time, so does the amount of information we can obtain from them. The sensors that are part of these systems are becoming progressively more efficient and cooperation between groups of sensors is becoming ever more complex. All of this creates a need for a simple-to-use system, that obtains sensor data from a plethora of different sensors or groups of sensors and parses and visualizes them in an immediate fashion. A solution to this need should aim to acquire information provided by sensors associated with autonomous systems, be that information obtained from previously existent log files or through direct communication utilizing sockets, followed by the writing to databases of the interpreted information. Once that information is acquired, interpreted and stored, it should then be easy to visualize and access on any platform. The database manipulation tool, developed in Python, uses “MySQL” queries in order to create, alter or delete tables inside a database, tables which will be filled with the interpreted data obtained from logs or real-time sensor communication. On the other hand, the online visualization tool, developed in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) and JavaScript, uses PHP coding to obtain data through “MySQL” queries and uses graphs and other visual tools, available through JavaScript, to convey the acquired data in a simplified fashion

Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) System for Ancient Documentary Artefacts

This tutorial summarises our uses of reflectance transformation imaging in archaeological contexts. It introduces the UK AHRC funded project reflectance Transformation Imaging for Anciant Documentary Artefacts and demonstrates imaging methodologies

Iris: an Extensible Application for Building and Analyzing Spectral Energy Distributions

Iris is an extensible application that provides astronomers with a user-friendly interface capable of ingesting broad-band data from many different sources in order to build, explore, and model spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Iris takes advantage of the standards defined by the International Virtual Observatory Alliance, but hides the technicalities of such standards by implementing different layers of abstraction on top of them. Such intermediate layers provide hooks that users and developers can exploit in order to extend the capabilities provided by Iris. For instance, custom Python models can be combined in arbitrary ways with the Iris built-in models or with other custom functions. As such, Iris offers a platform for the development and integration of SED data, services, and applications, either from the user's system or from the web. In this paper we describe the built-in features provided by Iris for building and analyzing SEDs. We also explore in some detail the Iris framework and software development kit, showing how astronomers and software developers can plug their code into an integrated SED analysis environment.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Computin

Stereoscopic Sketchpad: 3D Digital Ink

--Context-- This project looked at the development of a stereoscopic 3D environment in which a user is able to draw freely in all three dimensions. The main focus was on the storage and manipulation of the ‘digital ink’ with which the user draws. For a drawing and sketching package to be effective it must not only have an easy to use user interface, it must be able to handle all input data quickly and efficiently so that the user is able to focus fully on their drawing. --Background-- When it comes to sketching in three dimensions the majority of applications currently available rely on vector based drawing methods. This is primarily because the applications are designed to take a users two dimensional input and transform this into a three dimensional model. Having the sketch represented as vectors makes it simpler for the program to act upon its geometry and thus convert it to a model. There are a number of methods to achieve this aim including Gesture Based Modelling, Reconstruction and Blobby Inflation. Other vector based applications focus on the creation of curves allowing the user to draw within or on existing 3D models. They also allow the user to create wire frame type models. These stroke based applications bring the user closer to traditional sketching rather than the more structured modelling methods detailed. While at present the field is inundated with vector based applications mainly focused upon sketch-based modelling there are significantly less voxel based applications. The majority of these applications focus on the deformation and sculpting of voxmaps, almost the opposite of drawing and sketching, and the creation of three dimensional voxmaps from standard two dimensional pixmaps. How to actually sketch freely within a scene represented by a voxmap has rarely been explored. This comes as a surprise when so many of the standard 2D drawing programs in use today are pixel based. --Method-- As part of this project a simple three dimensional drawing program was designed and implemented using C and C++. This tool is known as Sketch3D and was created using a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. Due to the modular nature of Sketch3Ds system architecture it is possible to plug a range of different data structures into the program to represent the ink in a variety of ways. A series of data structures have been implemented and were tested for efficiency. These structures were a simple list, a 3D array, and an octree. They have been tested for: the time it takes to insert or remove points from the structure; how easy it is to manipulate points once they are stored; and also how the number of points stored effects the draw and rendering times. One of the key issues brought up by this project was devising a means by which a user is able to draw in three dimensions while using only two dimensional input devices. The method settled upon and implemented involves using the mouse or a digital pen to sketch as one would in a standard 2D drawing package but also linking the up and down keyboard keys to the current depth. This allows the user to move in and out of the scene as they draw. A couple of user interface tools were also developed to assist the user. A 3D cursor was implemented and also a toggle, which when on, highlights all of the points intersecting the depth plane on which the cursor currently resides. These tools allow the user to see exactly where they are drawing in relation to previously drawn lines. --Results-- The tests conducted on the data structures clearly revealed that the octree was the most effective data structure. While not the most efficient in every area, it manages to avoid the major pitfalls of the other structures. The list was extremely quick to render and draw to the screen but suffered severely when it comes to finding and manipulating points already stored. In contrast the three dimensional array was able to erase or manipulate points effectively while the draw time rendered the structure effectively useless, taking huge amounts of time to draw each frame. The focus of this research was on how a 3D sketching package would go about storing and accessing the digital ink. This is just a basis for further research in this area and many issues touched upon in this paper will require a more in depth analysis. The primary area of this future research would be the creation of an effective user interface and the introduction of regular sketching package features such as the saving and loading of images

Design of an Emergency Management Information System for the London Borough of Hounslow

This report, prepared for the London Borough of Hounslow, outlines the rationale for the design decisions implemented in creating Hounslow’s Emergency Management Information System (EMIS). Through a review of existing systems, interviewing key stakeholders, and an iterative design process, an EMIS was created to meet Hounslow’s current and future needs. Additionally, a user guide and maintenance document are included in this report, which outlines recommendations and general EMIS design guidelines to allow Hounslow to improve this system in the future

FamTV : an architecture for presence-aware personalized television

Since the advent of the digital era, the traditional TV scenario has rapidly evolved towards an ecosystem comprised of a myriad of services, applications, channels, and contents. As a direct consequence, the amount of available information and configuration options targeted at today's end consumers have become unmanageable. Thus, personalization and usability emerge as indispensable elements to improve our content-overloaded digital homes. With these requirements in mind, we present a way to combine content adaptation paradigms together with presence detection in order to allow a seamless and personalized entertainment experience when watching TV.This work has been partially supported by the Community of Madrid (CAM), Spain under the contract number S2009/TIC-1650.Publicad

LORIS: a web-based data management system for multi-center studies

Longitudinal Online Research and Imaging System (LORIS) is a modular and extensible web-based data management system that integrates all aspects of a multi-center study: from heterogeneous data acquisition (imaging, clinical, behavior, and genetics) to storage, processing, and ultimately dissemination. It provides a secure, user-friendly, and streamlined platform to automate the flow of clinical trials and complex multi-center studies. A subject-centric internal organization allows researchers to capture and subsequently extract all information, longitudinal or cross-sectional, from any subset of the study cohort. Extensive error-checking and quality control procedures, security, data management, data querying, and administrative functions provide LORIS with a triple capability (1) continuous project coordination and monitoring of data acquisition (2) data storage/cleaning/querying, (3) interface with arbitrary external data processing “pipelines.” LORIS is a complete solution that has been thoroughly tested through a full 10 year life cycle of a multi-center longitudinal project1 and is now supporting numerous international neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration research projects

Mobile Forensics – The File Format Handbook

This open access book summarizes knowledge about several file systems and file formats commonly used in mobile devices. In addition to the fundamental description of the formats, there are hints about the forensic value of possible artefacts, along with an outline of tools that can decode the relevant data. The book is organized into two distinct parts: Part I describes several different file systems that are commonly used in mobile devices. · APFS is the file system that is used in all modern Apple devices including iPhones, iPads, and even Apple Computers, like the MacBook series. · Ext4 is very common in Android devices and is the successor of the Ext2 and Ext3 file systems that were commonly used on Linux-based computers. · The Flash-Friendly File System (F2FS) is a Linux system designed explicitly for NAND Flash memory, common in removable storage devices and mobile devices, which Samsung Electronics developed in 2012. · The QNX6 file system is present in Smartphones delivered by Blackberry (e.g. devices that are using Blackberry 10) and modern vehicle infotainment systems that use QNX as their operating system. Part II describes five different file formats that are commonly used on mobile devices. · SQLite is nearly omnipresent in mobile devices with an overwhelming majority of all mobile applications storing their data in such databases. · The second leading file format in the mobile world are Property Lists, which are predominantly found on Apple devices. · Java Serialization is a popular technique for storing object states in the Java programming language. Mobile application (app) developers very often resort to this technique to make their application state persistent. · The Realm database format has emerged over recent years as a possible successor to the now ageing SQLite format and has begun to appear as part of some modern applications on mobile devices. · Protocol Buffers provide a format for taking compiled data and serializing it by turning it into bytes represented in decimal values, which is a technique commonly used in mobile devices. The aim of this book is to act as a knowledge base and reference guide for digital forensic practitioners who need knowledge about a specific file system or file format. It is also hoped to provide useful insight and knowledge for students or other aspiring professionals who want to work within the field of digital forensics. The book is written with the assumption that the reader will have some existing knowledge and understanding about computers, mobile devices, file systems and file formats