6,904 research outputs found
SciTech News Volume 71, No. 1 (2017)
Columns and Reports From the Editor 3
Division News Science-Technology Division 5 Chemistry Division 8 Engineering Division Aerospace Section of the Engineering Division 9 Architecture, Building Engineering, Construction and Design Section of the Engineering Division 11
Reviews Sci-Tech Book News Reviews 12
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Target Tracking in Confined Environments with Uncertain Sensor Positions
To ensure safety in confined environments such as mines or subway tunnels, a
(wireless) sensor network can be deployed to monitor various environmental
conditions. One of its most important applications is to track personnel,
mobile equipment and vehicles. However, the state-of-the-art algorithms assume
that the positions of the sensors are perfectly known, which is not necessarily
true due to imprecise placement and/or dropping of sensors. Therefore, we
propose an automatic approach for simultaneous refinement of sensors' positions
and target tracking. We divide the considered area in a finite number of cells,
define dynamic and measurement models, and apply a discrete variant of belief
propagation which can efficiently solve this high-dimensional problem, and
handle all non-Gaussian uncertainties expected in this kind of environments.
Finally, we use ray-tracing simulation to generate an artificial mine-like
environment and generate synthetic measurement data. According to our extensive
simulation study, the proposed approach performs significantly better than
standard Bayesian target tracking and localization algorithms, and provides
robustness against outliers.Comment: IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, 201
Radio Spectrum and the Disruptive Clarity OF Ronald Coase.
In the Federal Communications Commission, Ronald Coase (1959) exposed deep foundations via normative argument buttressed by astute historical observation. The government controlled scarce frequencies, issuing sharply limited use rights. Spillovers were said to be otherwise endemic. Coase saw that Government limited conflicts by restricting uses; property owners perform an analogous function via the "price system." The government solution was inefficient unless the net benefits of the alternative property regime were lower. Coase augured that the price system would outperform the administrative allocation system. His spectrum auction proposal was mocked by communications policy experts, opposed by industry interests, and ridiculed by policy makers. Hence, it took until July 25, 1994 for FCC license sales to commence. Today, some 73 U.S. auctions have been held, 27,484 licenses sold, and 17 billion in U.S. welfare losses have been averted. Not bad for the first 50 years of this, or any, Article appearing in Volume II of the Journal of Law & Economics.
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