Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of “volunteer mappers”. Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protection

Bioinspired metaheuristic algorithms for global optimization

This paper presents concise comparison study of newly developed bioinspired algorithms for global optimization problems. Three different metaheuristic techniques, namely Accelerated Particle Swarm Optimization (APSO), Firefly Algorithm (FA), and Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) are investigated and implemented in Matlab environment. These methods are compared on four unimodal and multimodal nonlinear functions in order to find global optimum values. Computational results indicate that GWO outperforms other intelligent techniques, and that all aforementioned algorithms can be successfully used for optimization of continuous functions

Experimental Evaluation of Growing and Pruning Hyper Basis Function Neural Networks Trained with Extended Information Filter

In this paper we test Extended Information Filter (EIF) for sequential training of Hyper Basis Function Neural Networks with growing and pruning ability (HBF-GP). The HBF neuron allows different scaling of input dimensions to provide better generalization property when dealing with complex nonlinear problems in engineering practice. The main intuition behind HBF is in generalization of Gaussian type of neuron that applies Mahalanobis-like distance as a distance metrics between input training sample and prototype vector. We exploit concept of neuron’s significance and allow growing and pruning of HBF neurons during sequential learning process. From engineer’s perspective, EIF is attractive for training of neural networks because it allows a designer to have scarce initial knowledge of the system/problem. Extensive experimental study shows that HBF neural network trained with EIF achieves same prediction error and compactness of network topology when compared to EKF, but without the need to know initial state uncertainty, which is its main advantage over EKF

Urbanisation and renewable energies in ASEAN: multi-disciplinary approaches to analysing past and future trends

By using multi-dimensional and comprehensive analyses, this thesis aims at providing harmonised targets, which not only follow the global trend of sustainable development but also serve the rapid economic and demographic growths in the developing countries. This thesis consists of four papers dealing with different challenges faced by Asian Emerging and Developing Countries (EMDCs) in the face of fast-approaching climate change and energy transition. The four papers can be divided into two main streams based on the research method applied. The first two essays employ decomposition and correlation methods to investigate long-term energy service demand and renewable energy developments. The last two essays turn to techno-socio-economic models with much attention to solar PV, a promising renewable energy type in most of Asian EMDCs. The relationship between urbanisation and renewable energy are explored throughout all articles of the thesis. Paper 1 + 2 conclude that urbanisation causes energy consumption increases drastically in Southeast Asian countries, but at the same time creates momentum for renewable energy development, especially in urban areas. Suggestions for combining urban and energy plans in policy design are provided to use urbanisation as a motivation for renewable energy development. Paper 3 estimates a techno-economic potential for rooftop PV and found evidence of a high-concentration of rooftop solar PV potentials in urban areas in Vietnam. Paper 4 conducts a socio-economic assessment to investigate Social Acceptance (SA) and Willingness To Pay (WTP) toward residential PV products in Vietnam. The results show that PV can be considered as a lifestyle product with much greater attention and intention to purchase from the public in urban areas. To assist policymakers in energy planning, Papers 1 + 2 provide decision support and innovative multilevel comparison tool, called the Impact Matrix. It is used for visualising factors comparison by placing considered factors in four quadrants of the matrix corresponding to four relative priority levels of policy focus requirements. The complex relationships between impact factors and energy demand and renewable energy changes can be explained by following the instruction in Paper 2. Paper 3 develops a cost-effective, accessible, transferable and scalable method for cost-potential assessment of decentralised solar rooftop PV in developing countries where limited resource availability. Adjusting the module efficiency corresponding to regional and household conditions has been implemented to improve the output accuracy. The simulation for rooftop PV market is made regarding different input assumptions and estimates of the effect of various policy designs, including changing the Feed-In Tariffs (FiTs), grid tariff, and technology development. In order to explore future rooftop PV adoption, paper 4 conducts empirical research focusing on discovering the differences between Social Acceptance (SA) and Willingness To Pay (WTP). This paper contributes to the literature of customer behaviour toward renewable energy by providing extended moderated mediation models to differentiate the distinctive roles of each influencing variable of SA and WTP. Policy advice is given to translate environmental interest and PV knowledge to higher SA and adopting action

Air Traffic Management Abbreviation Compendium

As in all fields of work, an unmanageable number of abbreviations are used today in aviation for terms, definitions, commands, standards and technical descriptions. This applies in general to the areas of aeronautical communication, navigation and surveillance, cockpit and air traffic control working positions, passenger and cargo transport, and all other areas of flight planning, organization and guidance. In addition, many abbreviations are used more than once or have different meanings in different languages. In order to obtain an overview of the most common abbreviations used in air traffic management, organizations like EUROCONTROL, FAA, DWD and DLR have published lists of abbreviations in the past, which have also been enclosed in this document. In addition, abbreviations from some larger international projects related to aviation have been included to provide users with a directory as complete as possible. This means that the second edition of the Air Traffic Management Abbreviation Compendium includes now around 16,500 abbreviations and acronyms from the field of aviation

Digital Twins in Industry

Digital Twins in Industry is a compilation of works by authors with specific emphasis on industrial applications. Much of the research on digital twins has been conducted by the academia in both theoretical considerations and laboratory-based prototypes. Industry, while taking the lead on larger scale implementations of Digital Twins (DT) using sophisticated software, is concentrating on dedicated solutions that are not within the reach of the average-sized industries. This book covers 11 chapters of various implementations of DT. It provides an insight for companies who are contemplating the adaption of the DT technology, as well as researchers and senior students in exploring the potential of DT and its associated technologies

Portuguese SKA white book

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