Intelligent Transportation Related Complex Systems and Sensors

Building around innovative services related to different modes of transport and traffic management, intelligent transport systems (ITS) are being widely adopted worldwide to improve the efficiency and safety of the transportation system. They enable users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and smarter decisions on the use of transport networks. Current ITSs are complex systems, made up of several components/sub-systems characterized by time-dependent interactions among themselves. Some examples of these transportation-related complex systems include: road traffic sensors, autonomous/automated cars, smart cities, smart sensors, virtual sensors, traffic control systems, smart roads, logistics systems, smart mobility systems, and many others that are emerging from niche areas. The efficient operation of these complex systems requires: i) efficient solutions to the issues of sensors/actuators used to capture and control the physical parameters of these systems, as well as the quality of data collected from these systems; ii) tackling complexities using simulations and analytical modelling techniques; and iii) applying optimization techniques to improve the performance of these systems. It includes twenty-four papers, which cover scientific concepts, frameworks, architectures and various other ideas on analytics, trends and applications of transportation-related data

Performing the digital: performativity and performance studies in digital cultures

How is performativity shaped by digital technologies - and how do performative practices reflect and alter techno-social formations? "Performing the Digital" explores, maps and theorizes the conditions and effects of performativity in digital cultures. Bringing together scholars from performance studies, media theory, sociology and organization studies as well as practitioners of performance, the contributions engage with the implications of digital media and its networked infrastructures for modulations of affect and the body, for performing cities, protest, organization and markets, and for the performativity of critique. With contributions by Marie-Luise Angerer, Timon Beyes, Scott deLahunta and Florian Jenett, Margarete Jahrmann, Susan Kozel, Ann-Christina Lange, Oliver Leistert, Martina Leeker, Jon McKenzie, Sigrid Merx, Melanie Mohren and Bernhard Herbordt, Imanuel Schipper and Jens Schröter

Multimodal interaction with mobile devices : fusing a broad spectrum of modality combinations

This dissertation presents a multimodal architecture for use in mobile scenarios such as shopping and navigation. It also analyses a wide range of feasible modality input combinations for these contexts. For this purpose, two interlinked demonstrators were designed for stand-alone use on mobile devices. Of particular importance was the design and implementation of a modality fusion module capable of combining input from a range of communication modes like speech, handwriting, and gesture. The implementation is able to account for confidence value biases arising within and between modalities and also provides a method for resolving semantically overlapped input. Tangible interaction with real-world objects and symmetric multimodality are two further themes addressed in this work. The work concludes with the results from two usability field studies that provide insight on user preference and modality intuition for different modality combinations, as well as user acceptance for anthropomorphized objects.Diese Dissertation präsentiert eine multimodale Architektur zum Gebrauch in mobilen Umständen wie z. B. Einkaufen und Navigation. Außerdem wird ein großes Gebiet von möglichen modalen Eingabekombinationen zu diesen Umständen analysiert. Um das in praktischer Weise zu demonstrieren, wurden zwei teilweise gekoppelte Vorführungsprogramme zum 'stand-alone'; Gebrauch auf mobilen Geräten entworfen. Von spezieller Wichtigkeit war der Entwurf und die Ausführung eines Modalitäts-fusion Modul, das die Kombination einer Reihe von Kommunikationsarten wie Sprache, Handschrift und Gesten ermöglicht. Die Ausführung erlaubt die Veränderung von Zuverlässigkeitswerten innerhalb einzelner Modalitäten und außerdem ermöglicht eine Methode um die semantisch überlappten Eingaben auszuwerten. Wirklichkeitsnaher Dialog mit aktuellen Objekten und symmetrische Multimodalität sind zwei weitere Themen die in dieser Arbeit behandelt werden. Die Arbeit schließt mit Resultaten von zwei Feldstudien, die weitere Einsicht erlauben über die bevorzugte Art verschiedener Modalitätskombinationen, sowie auch über die Akzeptanz von anthropomorphisierten Objekten

Multimodal interaction with mobile devices : fusing a broad spectrum of modality combinations

This dissertation presents a multimodal architecture for use in mobile scenarios such as shopping and navigation. It also analyses a wide range of feasible modality input combinations for these contexts. For this purpose, two interlinked demonstrators were designed for stand-alone use on mobile devices. Of particular importance was the design and implementation of a modality fusion module capable of combining input from a range of communication modes like speech, handwriting, and gesture. The implementation is able to account for confidence value biases arising within and between modalities and also provides a method for resolving semantically overlapped input. Tangible interaction with real-world objects and symmetric multimodality are two further themes addressed in this work. The work concludes with the results from two usability field studies that provide insight on user preference and modality intuition for different modality combinations, as well as user acceptance for anthropomorphized objects.Diese Dissertation präsentiert eine multimodale Architektur zum Gebrauch in mobilen Umständen wie z. B. Einkaufen und Navigation. Außerdem wird ein großes Gebiet von möglichen modalen Eingabekombinationen zu diesen Umständen analysiert. Um das in praktischer Weise zu demonstrieren, wurden zwei teilweise gekoppelte Vorführungsprogramme zum \u27stand-alone\u27; Gebrauch auf mobilen Geräten entworfen. Von spezieller Wichtigkeit war der Entwurf und die Ausführung eines Modalitäts-fusion Modul, das die Kombination einer Reihe von Kommunikationsarten wie Sprache, Handschrift und Gesten ermöglicht. Die Ausführung erlaubt die Veränderung von Zuverlässigkeitswerten innerhalb einzelner Modalitäten und außerdem ermöglicht eine Methode um die semantisch überlappten Eingaben auszuwerten. Wirklichkeitsnaher Dialog mit aktuellen Objekten und symmetrische Multimodalität sind zwei weitere Themen die in dieser Arbeit behandelt werden. Die Arbeit schließt mit Resultaten von zwei Feldstudien, die weitere Einsicht erlauben über die bevorzugte Art verschiedener Modalitätskombinationen, sowie auch über die Akzeptanz von anthropomorphisierten Objekten

Sensor-based service enablers in engineering firms

Service innovation has attracted the attention of several industries and researches. Progresses in information and communication technologies have provided the opportunities to create innovative service solutions. Sensor-based solution is one of the significant research areas in the service business that has gained considerable importance over the past decade. Previous researches which study the sensor-based service solutions usually do not cover multiple factors in different stages of the solution development and the opportunities in business to business (B2B) cooperation. Therefore, this research concentrates on sensor-based service enablers in B2B cooperation, particularly in the engineering firms. The goal is increased understanding on companies’ use of sensor-based solutions in enabling new service business. The research methodology was multiple case studies. Four engineering firms participated in this research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio recorded and transcribed, and the data were content analyzed. A workshop was also held with case companies to discuss the results and verify the findings. The results of thesis showed that generating new turnover is the most important value driver of manufacturers and increasing the machine uptime is the main value driver of customers. The research explained the necessity of co-developing the solution with customers. The research studied opportunities in utilizing the collected data, especially for improving maintenance and product development. The importance of launch plan was another topic which showed that choosing the proper early adopters, involving sales people and informing them about all capacities and benefits of the new solution and providing after-sales support for customers can enhance the chance of success in commercializing the new solution. The thesis also studied how sensor-based solutions and the collected data enable the engineering firms to provide services efficiently

A Survey of the European Security Market

This document synthesizes the results of the research made on the European security market. It deals with questions of interest regarding the provision of security goods and services for protecting society from terrorism and organised crime. It explores issues such as market revenues, demand and supply, industrial capabilities, technology, research and development, innovation, business strategies, competition as well as market structure, agents' conduct and economic performance. The research has been based upon desk analysis of open source information related to the security market. Economic theory and critical analysis has been applied to understand the gathered information, derive knowledge, point out key issues and assess trends and drivers that will likely shape the sector's future. The study is the outcome of the working package number 5 included in the research project A new Agenda for European Security Economics (EUSECON). This project with code number 218195 has been financed by the European Commission within the 7th European Research Framework Programme. The task has been performed by the company ISDEFE according to the scope and work plan described in the EUSECON proposal. The author wishes to express his appreciation to all the individuals that have provided input and valuable comments to this study, including anonymous referees. Any flaws or omissions contained in this document are solely the responsibility of the author.

Negative vaccine voices in Swedish social media

Vaccinations are one of the most significant interventions to public health, but vaccine hesitancy creates concerns for a portion of the population in many countries, including Sweden. Since discussions on vaccine hesitancy are often taken on social networking sites, data from Swedish social media are used to study and quantify the sentiment among the discussants on the vaccination-or-not topic during phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of all the posts analyzed a majority showed a stronger negative sentiment, prevailing throughout the whole of the examined period, with some spikes or jumps due to the occurrence of certain vaccine-related events distinguishable in the results. Sentiment analysis can be a valuable tool to track public opinions regarding the use, efficacy, safety, and importance of vaccination

Art in the Global Present

Art in the Global Present presents a fascinating collection of essays that together reveal how art is currently navigating a globalised world. It addresses social issues such as the impact of migration, the ‘war on terror’ and the global financial crisis, and questions the transformations produced by new forms of flexible labour and the digital revolution. Through examining the resistance to the politics of globalisation in contemporary art, presenting the construction of an alternative geography of the imagination and reflecting on art’s capacity to express the widest possible sense of being, this book explores the worlds that artists make when they make art. A multifaceted perspective on the complexity of these issues is reached through the words of a diverse range of art practitioners and commentators, including acclaimed artists Lucy Orta, Callum Morton, Danae Stratou and the collective Postcommodity, international curators Hou Hanru, Cuauhtémoc Medina, Ranjit Hoskote and Linda Marie Walker and art critics, academics, writers and theorists Jean Burgess, Paul Carter, Barbara Creed, Geert Lovink, Scott McQuire, Nikos Papastergiadis, Gerald Raunig and Jan Verwoert