Improving the Analyst and Decision-Maker’s Perspective through Uncertainty Visualization

This thesis constructs the Taxonomy of Uncertainty and an approach for enhancing the information in decision support systems. The hierarchical categorization of numerous causes for uncertainty defines the taxonomy, which fostered the development of a technique for visualizing uncertainty. This technique is fundamental to expressing the multi-dimensional uncertainty that can be associated with any object. By including and intuitively expressing uncertainty, the approach facilitates and enhances intuition and decision-making without undue information overload. The resulting approach for enhancing the information involves recording uncertainty, identifying the relevant items, computing and visualizing uncertainty, and providing interaction with the selection of uncertainty. A prototype embodying this approach to enhancing information by including uncertainty was used to validate these efforts. Evaluation responses of a small sample space support the thesis that the decision-maker\u27s knowledge is enhanced with enlightening information afforded by including and visualizing uncertainty, which can improve the decision-making process. Although the concept was initially conceived to help decision support system users deal with uncertainty, this methodology and these ideas can be applied to any problem where objects with many potential reasons for uncertainty are the focus of the decision-making

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

DIVE on the internet

This dissertation reports research and development of a platform for Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs). It has particularly focused on two major challenges: supporting the rapid development of scalable applications and easing their deployment on the Internet. This work employs a research method based on prototyping and refinement and promotes the use of this method for application development. A number of the solutions herein are in line with other CVE systems. One of the strengths of this work consists in a global approach to the issues raised by CVEs and the recognition that such complex problems are best tackled using a multi-disciplinary approach that understands both user and system requirements. CVE application deployment is aided by an overlay network that is able to complement any IP multicast infrastructure in place. Apart from complementing a weakly deployed worldwide multicast, this infrastructure provides for a certain degree of introspection, remote controlling and visualisation. As such, it forms an important aid in assessing the scalability of running applications. This scalability is further facilitated by specialised object distribution algorithms and an open framework for the implementation of novel partitioning techniques. CVE application development is eased by a scripting language, which enables rapid development and favours experimentation. This scripting language interfaces many aspects of the system and enables the prototyping of distribution-related components as well as user interfaces. It is the key construct of a distributed environment to which components, written in different languages, connect and onto which they operate in a network abstracted manner. The solutions proposed are exemplified and strengthened by three collaborative applications. The Dive room system is a virtual environment modelled after the room metaphor and supporting asynchronous and synchronous cooperative work. WebPath is a companion application to a Web browser that seeks to make the current history of page visits more visible and usable. Finally, the London travel demonstrator supports travellers by providing an environment where they can explore the city, utilise group collaboration facilities, rehearse particular journeys and access tourist information data

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

Design and Development of a Research Framework for Prototyping Control Tower Augmented Reality Tools

The purpose of the air traffic management system is to ensure the safe and efficient flow of air traffic. Therefore, while augmenting efficiency, throughput and capacity in airport operations, attention has rightly been placed on doing it in a safe manner. In the control tower, many advances in operational safety have come in the form of visualization tools for tower controllers. However, there is a paradox in developing such systems to increase controllers' situational awareness: by creating additional computer displays, the controller's vision is pulled away from the outside view and the time spent looking down at the monitors is increased. This reduces their situational awareness by forcing them to mentally and physically switch between the head-down equipment and the outside view. This research is based on the idea that augmented reality may be able to address this issue. The augmented reality concept has become increasingly popular over the past decade and is being proficiently used in many fields, such as entertainment, cultural heritage, aviation, military & defense. This know-how could be transferred to air traffic control with a relatively low effort and substantial benefits for controllers’ situation awareness. Research on this topic is consistent with SESAR objectives of increasing air traffic controllers’ situation awareness and enable up to 10 % of additional flights at congested airports while still increasing safety and efficiency. During the Ph.D., a research framework for prototyping augmented reality tools was set up. This framework consists of methodological tools for designing the augmented reality overlays, as well as of hardware and software equipment to test them. Several overlays have been designed and implemented in a simulated tower environment, which is a virtual reconstruction of Bologna airport control tower. The positive impact of such tools was preliminary assessed by means of the proposed methodology

Diálogos com a arte. Revista de arte, cultura e educação, nº 6

The journal " Diálogos com a Arte. Revista de Arte, Cultura e Educação " is an indexed annual journal of international circulation, published since 2010, and edited by the School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (ESE-IPVC) in collaboration with the Center for Research in Child Studies of the University of Minho (CIEC-UM). The journal offers students, teachers and researchers in the arts the possibility of reflecting on both national and international theories and practices about art, culture and education The editorial board defines cooperation as a form of cultural activism that necessitates acting on problems and sharing actions and experiences. Cooperation is successfully accomplished when all the participants’ objectives are shared and the results are beneficial for everyone. This requires constant dialogue and ensuring relations in educational programs, projects, community interventions, artistic and cultural training, and teacher education.A revista “Diálogos com a Arte. Revista de Arte, Cultura e Educação” é uma revista anual indexada, de circulação internacional, publicada desde 2010, e editada pela Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (ESSE-IPVC) em colaboração com o Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança da Universidade do Minho (CIEC-UM). A revista oferece a alunos, professores e investigadores no campo das artes a possibilidade de reflexão sobre teorias e práticas artísticas, culturais e educacionais nos âmbitos nacional e internacional. A equipa editorial define a cooperação como uma forma de activismo cultural que precisa de acção sobre os problemas e de partilha de experiências. A cooperação é alcançada com sucesso quando todos os objectivos dos participantes são partilhados e os resultados são benéficos para todos. Isto exige uma diálogo constante e a garantia do estabelecimento de relações entre programas educacionais, projectos, intervenções comunitárias, formação artística e cultural e formação de professores

Advances in Robot Navigation

Robot navigation includes different interrelated activities such as perception - obtaining and interpreting sensory information; exploration - the strategy that guides the robot to select the next direction to go; mapping - the construction of a spatial representation by using the sensory information perceived; localization - the strategy to estimate the robot position within the spatial map; path planning - the strategy to find a path towards a goal location being optimal or not; and path execution, where motor actions are determined and adapted to environmental changes. This book integrates results from the research work of authors all over the world, addressing the abovementioned activities and analyzing the critical implications of dealing with dynamic environments. Different solutions providing adaptive navigation are taken from nature inspiration, and diverse applications are described in the context of an important field of study: social robotics