Characteristics of flight simulator visual systems

The physical parameters of the flight simulator visual system that characterize the system and determine its fidelity are identified and defined. The characteristics of visual simulation systems are discussed in terms of the basic categories of spatial, energy, and temporal properties corresponding to the three fundamental quantities of length, mass, and time. Each of these parameters are further addressed in relation to its effect, its appropriate units or descriptors, methods of measurement, and its use or importance to image quality

Attributing scientific and technical progress: the case of holography

Holography, the three-dimensional imaging technology, was portrayed widely as a paradigm of progress during its decade of explosive expansion 1964–73, and during its subsequent consolidation for commercial and artistic uses up to the mid 1980s. An unusually seductive and prolific subject, holography successively spawned scientific insights, putative applications and new constituencies of practitioners and consumers. Waves of forecasts, associated with different sponsors and user communities, cast holography as a field on the verge of success—but with the dimensions of success repeatedly refashioned. This retargeting of the subject represented a degree of cynical marketeering, but was underpinned by implicit confidence in philosophical positivism and faith in technological progressivism. Each of its communities defined success in terms of expansion, and anticipated continual progressive increase. This paper discusses the contrasting definitions of progress in holography, and how they were fashioned in changing contexts. Focusing equally on reputed ‘failures’ of some aspects of the subject, it explores the varied attributes by which success and failure were linked with progress by different technical communities. This important case illuminates the peculiar post-World War II environment that melded the military, commercial and popular engagement with scientific and technological subjects, and the competing criteria by which they assessed the products of science

A study of image quality for radar image processing

Methods developed for image quality metrics are reviewed with focus on basic interpretation or recognition elements including: tone or color; shape; pattern; size; shadow; texture; site; association or context; and resolution. Seven metrics are believed to show promise as a way of characterizing the quality of an image: (1) the dynamic range of intensities in the displayed image; (2) the system signal-to-noise ratio; (3) the system spatial bandwidth or bandpass; (4) the system resolution or acutance; (5) the normalized-mean-square-error as a measure of geometric fidelity; (6) the perceptual mean square error; and (7) the radar threshold quality factor. Selective levels of degradation are being applied to simulated synthetic radar images to test the validity of these metrics

MusA: Using Indoor Positioning and Navigation to Enhance Cultural Experiences in a museum

In recent years there has been a growing interest into the use of multimedia mobile guides in museum environments. Mobile devices have the capabilities to detect the user context and to provide pieces of information suitable to help visitors discovering and following the logical and emotional connections that develop during the visit. In this scenario, location based services (LBS) currently represent an asset, and the choice of the technology to determine users' position, combined with the definition of methods that can effectively convey information, become key issues in the design process. In this work, we present MusA (Museum Assistant), a general framework for the development of multimedia interactive guides for mobile devices. Its main feature is a vision-based indoor positioning system that allows the provision of several LBS, from way-finding to the contextualized communication of cultural contents, aimed at providing a meaningful exploration of exhibits according to visitors' personal interest and curiosity. Starting from the thorough description of the system architecture, the article presents the implementation of two mobile guides, developed to respectively address adults and children, and discusses the evaluation of the user experience and the visitors' appreciation of these application

Attributing scientific and technological progress: The case of holography

Holography, the three-dimensional imaging technology, was portrayed widely as a paradigm of progress during its decade of explosive expansion 1964–73, and during its subsequent consolidation for commercial and artistic uses up to the mid 1980s. An unusually seductive and prolific subject, holography successively spawned scientific insights, putative applications and new constituencies of practitioners and consumers. Waves of forecasts, associated with different sponsors and user communities, cast holography as a field on the verge of success—but with the dimensions of success repeatedly refashioned. This retargeting of the subject represented a degree of cynical marketeering, but was underpinned by implicit confidence in philosophical positivism and faith in technological progressivism. Each of its communities defined success in terms of expansion, and anticipated continual progressive increase. This paper discusses the contrasting definitions of progress in holography, and how they were fashioned in changing contexts. Focusing equally on reputed ‘failures’ of some aspects of the subject, it explores the varied attributes by which success and failure were linked with progress by different technical communities. This important case illuminates the peculiar post-World War II environment that melded the military, commercial and popular engagement with scientific and technological subjects, and the competing criteria by which they assessed the products of science

Digital processing and data compilation approach for using remotely sensed imagery to identify geological lineaments in hard-rock terrains : an application for groundwater explorations in Nicaragua

Sustainable yields from water wells in hard-rock aquifers are achieved when the well bore intersects fracture networks. Fracture networks are often not readily discernable at the surface. Lineament analysis using remotely sensed satellite imagery has been employed to identify surface expressions of fracturing, and a variety of image-analysis techniques have been successfully applied in “ideal” settings. An ideal setting for lineament detection is where the influences of human development, vegetation, and climatic situations are minimal and hydrogeological conditions and geologic structure are known. There is not yet a well-accepted protocol for mapping lineaments nor have different approaches been compared in non-ideal settings. A new approach for image-processing/synthesis was developed to identify successful satellite imagery types for lineament analysis in non-ideal terrain. Four satellite sensors (ASTER, Landsat7 ETM+, QuickBird, RADARSAT-1) and a digital elevation model were evaluated for lineament analysis in Boaco, Nicaragua, where the landscape is subject to varied vegetative cover, a plethora of anthropogenic features, and frequent cloud cover that limit the availability of optical satellite data. A variety of digital image processing techniques were employed and lineament interpretations were performed to obtain 12 complementary image products that were evaluated subjectively to identify lineaments. The 12 lineament interpretations were synthesized to create a raster image of lineament zone coincidence that shows the level of agreement among the 12 interpretations. A composite lineament interpretation was made using the coincidence raster to restrict lineament observations to areas where multiple interpretations (at least 4) agree. Nine of the 11 previously mapped faults were identified from the coincidence raster. An additional 26 lineaments were identified from the coincidence raster, and the locations of 10 were confirmed by field observation. Four manual pumping tests suggest that well productivity is higher for wells proximal to lineament features. Interpretations from RADARSAT-1 products were superior to interpretations from other sensor products, suggesting that quality lineament interpretation in this region requires anthropogenic features to be minimized and topographic expressions to be maximized. The approach developed in this study has the potential to improve siting wells in non-ideal regions

The Influence of media displays and image quality attributes for HDR image reproductions

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography has been in existence at least since the time of Ansel Adams, with his experiments using analog film and darkroom techniques for the production of black and white prints in the 1940\u27s (Ashbrook, 2010). This photographic method has the ability to provide a more accurate representation of a scene through a greater range of the light and dark areas captured in an image. In the mid-20th century HDR Photography it has continued to grow in popularity among those interested in photography wishing to optimize their resulting image beyond a more commonly used technique. Presently, the limitations of commonly available reproduction technologies can lead to unpredictable output results through media such as monitor displays and inkjet prints. The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of quality attributes and image content on the preference of display media for HDR image reproductions. To achieve this purpose, a psychophysical experiment was conducted of 38 observers with previous imaging related exposure. This part of the study consisted of HDR comparisons across both a monitor display device and inkjet prints. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, common trends were identified among observer responses. The results show that for inkjet prints are the most preferred for the output of HDR images, specifically when printed on a metallic substrate. Additionally, the content of displayed images can directly impact display preference depending on the viewer\u27s perception and relationship formed with the photographic image. When evaluating HDR images across two media platforms, quality attributes comprising of a strong influence towards preference are sharpness, naturalness, contrast and highlights while artifacts, physical qualities and shadows were found to have barely any influence. Within the attributes related to HDR, relationships between attributes are found to be significant regarding image evaluation, leading to areas of further research

Comparisons of cloud cover evaluated from LANDSAT imagery and meteorological stations across the British Isles

The author has identified the following significant results. This stage of the study has confirmed the initial supposition that LANDSAT data could be analyzed to provide useful data on cloud amount, and that useful light would be thrown thereby on the performance of the ground observer of this aspect of the state of the sky. This study, in comparison with previous studies of a similar nature using data from meteorological satellites, has benefited greatly from the much higher resolution data provided by LANDSAT. This has permitted consideration of not only the overall performance of the surface observer in estimating total cloud cover, but also his performance under different sky conditions

Utilizing Remote Sensing and Geospatial Techniques to Determine Detection Probabilities of Large Mammals

Whether a species is rare and requires protection or is overabundant and needs control, an accurate estimate of population size is essential for the development of conservation plans and management goals. Wildlife censuses in remote locations or over extensive areas are logistically difficult, frequently biased, and time consuming. My dissertation examined various techniques to determine the probability of detecting animals using remotely sensed imagery. We investigated four procedures that integrated unsupervised classification, texture characteristics, spectral enhancements, and image differencing to identify and count animals in remotely sensed imagery. The semi-automated processes had relatively high errors of over-counting (i.e., greater than 60%) in contrast to low (i.e. less than 19%) under-counting errors. The single-day image differencing had over-counting errors of 53% while the manual interpretation had over-counting errors of 19%. The probability of detection indicates the ability of a process or analyst to detect animals in an image or during an aerial wildlife survey and can adjust total counts to estimate the size of a population. The probabilities of detecting an animal in remotely sensed imagery with semi-automated techniques, single-day image differencing, or manual interpretation were high (e.g. ≥ 80%). Single-day image differencing resulted in the highest probability of detection suggesting this method could provide a new technique for managers to estimate animal populations, especially in open, grassland habitats. Remotely sensed imagery can be successfully used to identify and count animals in isolated or remote areas and improve management decisions. Sightability models, used to estimate population abundances, are derived from count data and the probability of detecting an animal during a census. Global positioning systems (GPS) radio-collared bison in the Henry Mountains of south-central Utah provided a unique opportunity to examine remotely sensed physiographic and survey characteristics for known occurrences of double-counted and missed animals. Bison status (detected, missed, or double-counted) was determined by intersecting helicopter survey paths with bison travel paths during annual helicopter surveys. The probability of detecting GPS-collared bison during the survey ranged from 91% in 2011 to 88% in 2012