Correlation-based communication in wireless multimedia sensor networks

Wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs) are networks of interconnected devices that allow retrieving video and audio streams, still images, and scalar data from the environment. In a densely deployed WMSN, there exists correlation among the observations of camera sensors with overlapped coverage areas, which introduces substantial data redundancy in the network. In this dissertation, efficient communication schemes are designed for WMSNs by leveraging the correlation of visual information observed by camera sensors. First, a spatial correlation model is developed to estimate the correlation of visual information and the joint entropy of multiple correlated camera sensors. The compression performance of correlated visual information is then studied. An entropy-based divergence measure is proposed to predict the compression efficiency of performing joint coding on the images from correlated cameras. Based on the predicted compression efficiency, a clustered coding technique is proposed that maximizes the overall compression gain of the visual information gathered in WMSNs. The correlation of visual information is then utilized to design a network scheduling scheme to maximize the lifetime of WMSNs. Furthermore, as many WMSN applications require QoS support, a correlation-aware QoS routing algorithm is introduced that can efficiently deliver visual information under QoS constraints. Evaluation results show that, by utilizing the correlation of visual information in the communication process, the energy efficiency and networking performance of WMSNs could be improved significantly.PhDCommittee Chair: Akyildiz, Ian; Committee Member: Ammar, Mostafa; Committee Member: Ji, Chuanyi; Committee Member: Li, Ye; Committee Member: Romberg, Justi

Preaching With Audio-Visuals

Problem The increasing usage of audio-visuals in modern communication has brought about an increase in communication efficiency, an efficiency that is sometimes lacking in sermons. Audio-visuals can be viewed by the Christian church as either legitimate or illegitimate means of communication in preaching. If the church accepts these media as genuine and valid vehicles of communication of its message, it must then discover ways of employing audio-visuals effectively and responsibly in preaching. Methods For the development of guidelines for the utilization of audio-visuals in preaching, data and information from the following areas have been studied and surveyed: (1) Scriptural data on communication and revelation; (2) the theology of preaching; (3) the literature of communication, education, and audio-visuals; and (A) a survey conducted among the members of one congregation to discover their response to audio-visual sermons. Results A study of the Scriptures reveals that God has employed a variety of multi-sensory methods in seeking to communicate with men. While both Old and New Testaments strongly support the idea of the prominence of the word, yet the oral-auditory channel is by no means exclusive to other forms of communication. The literature of the audio-visual field and audio-visual education is rich in sound theoretical principles that can readily be adapted to preaching to insure efficiency of communication. The model of instructional development is here of particular benefit in that it seeks to consider the totality of the communication situation. This model also suggests that audio-visuals are not necessarily suited for all kinds of sermons and audiences, but that each particular communication situation must be viewed individually. While the employment of audio-visuals may improve information transmission efficiency in preaching, yet the use of such media is not totally without danger to preaching. To insure that the preacher is aware of such dangers, this project report examines in particular the role of the interpersonal relationship in communication as well as the ethics of human persuasion and suggests responsible ways in which audio—visuals may be used in preaching. A survey conducted among the members of one congregation generally showed favorable responses to audio-visual sermons as well as to various issues arising in such preaching. Conclusions The impact of modern media on man makes it necessary for preaching to respond somehow to the contemporary situation. Audiovisuals in preaching is one way through which greater information transmission efficiency may be achieved, for they are media with which modern man is thoroughly familiar. The employment of audiovisuals in preaching, however, needs the guidance of both theoretical principles from the field of communication and also biblically informed theological principles. From a study of Scriptural evidences, communication literature, and a personal survey it is suggested that the use of audio-visuals in preaching may be one viable means of increasing the church\u27s effectiveness in the communication of the gospel

Image gathering and coding for digital restoration: Information efficiency and visual quality

Image gathering and coding are commonly treated as tasks separate from each other and from the digital processing used to restore and enhance the images. The goal is to develop a method that allows us to assess quantitatively the combined performance of image gathering and coding for the digital restoration of images with high visual quality. Digital restoration is often interactive because visual quality depends on perceptual rather than mathematical considerations, and these considerations vary with the target, the application, and the observer. The approach is based on the theoretical treatment of image gathering as a communication channel (J. Opt. Soc. Am. A2, 1644(1985);5,285(1988). Initial results suggest that the practical upper limit of the information contained in the acquired image data range typically from approximately 2 to 4 binary information units (bifs) per sample, depending on the design of the image-gathering system. The associated information efficiency of the transmitted data (i.e., the ratio of information over data) ranges typically from approximately 0.3 to 0.5 bif per bit without coding to approximately 0.5 to 0.9 bif per bit with lossless predictive compression and Huffman coding. The visual quality that can be attained with interactive image restoration improves perceptibly as the available information increases to approximately 3 bifs per sample. However, the perceptual improvements that can be attained with further increases in information are very subtle and depend on the target and the desired enhancement

A model of the vessel traffic process

A model of the total vessel traffic control process that includes the functioning of the human operator (HO) is presented. The vessel traffic services (VTSs) are modeled in their possible role of monitor, conflict detector, and advisor for the total vessel traffic system. The model assumes a number of ships, with a given planned route, in a given confined area. The navigation of each ship is based on a planned route, which is updated by information about the visual scene, instruments, and the VTS. Both normal operation and collision avoidance are modeled. The model is implemented in a C program. Typical traffic situations have been simulated to showing the ability of the model to address realistic vessel traffic scenarios. The model can answer questions related to safety and efficiency, the effect of HO functioning, information necessary to perform tasks, communication between ships and VTS, the optimization of procedures, automation of the total vessel traffic process, et

La Comunicació visual persuasiva

Per fer front a la complexitat que representa l'estudi de la comunicació visual, es proposa l'eficiència com a concepte que recull la valoració del rendiment entre els recursos utilitzats i els resultats obtinguts. Aquesta nova perspectiva permet parlar d'una metodologia que relaciona el missatge gràfic, o els elements del missatge, amb el comportament del receptor. D'aquesta manera, el receptor es converteix en el punt d'informació principal per obtenir coneixement del procés de comunicació en general, i del procés de comunicació visual en concret. És a dir, del rendiment de les variacions formals en les comunicacions visuals.To face up to the complexity of the study of visual communication, the efficiency it's been proposed as the conception that measures the balance between the used resources and the results obtained. This new perspective enables us to talk about a new methodology that relates the graphic message, or the elements of the message, with the recipient's performance. This way, the recipient becomes the main point of information about the communication process in general, and the process of visual communication specifically. That is to say, the performance of the formal variations in the visual communication

Electro-Optical Design for Efficient Visual Communication

Visual communication, in the form of telephotography and television, for example, can be regarded as efficient only if the amount of information that it conveys about the scene to the observer approaches the maximum possible and the associated cost approaches the minimum possible. Elsewhere we have addressed the problem of assessing the end to end performance of visual communication systems in terms of their efficiency in this sense by integrating the critical limiting factors that constrain image gathering into classical communications theory. We use this approach to assess the electro-optical design of image gathering devices as a function of the f number and apodization of the objective lens and the aperture size and sampling geometry of the phot-detection mechanism. Results show that an image gathering device that is designed to optimize information capacity performs similarly to the human eye. For both, the performance approaches the maximum possible, in terms of the efficiency with which the acquired information can be transmitted as decorrelated data, and the fidelity, sharpness, and clearity with which fine detail can be restored

Information and Communication Technology as an effective tool in employment generation in the educational communication technology sector

Information and communication technology is one of the fastest growing fields of human endeavours. ICTs sector is so robust and versatile that almost nothing can get done in this present time and age without  integrating information and communication technology. It has been observed that ICTs have been successfully integrated in the fields of medicine, engineering, visual, theatre, and applied arts, music, finance, sales and marketing and educational technology, just to mention but a few. One benefit of information and communication technology is its ability to get tasks that hitherto would have taken more time to be completed, done in shortest available run-time. This reduced through-put increases efficiency, consequently saves man-power and conserves funds. Against this backdrop, it is seen that ICT contributes to economic growth by  conserving resources. This paper examines concepts of information and communication technology, and the concepts of educational technology. It also looks at how ICTs are used in the educational technology sector, ICTs as a vehicle for economic growth and finally ICTs as a tool for employment generation in the educational technology sector

Infusing Infographics into the Business Curriculum: A Study of Infographic Interpretations in China, New Zealand, and the United States

The present study sought to identify whether infographics should be infused into business curriculum as a tool for improving the efficiency of cross-cultural business communication. Students from the United States, New Zealand, and China were presented with a series of 10 infographics with all text in French, a language not spoken by any of the student participants. Of the infographics, eight were designed with traditional visual relationships, one was designed based upon metaphor, and one relied upon visual relationships and incorporated metaphor. The majority of students in both samples were able to successfully interpret the information in each infographic except for the infographic that relied upon a combination of visual relationships and metaphor. Additionally, the New Zealand students struggled with the Venn Diagram. As such, it is concluded that infographics should be taught as a business communication tool, but instructors should exercise caution in training students to use color metaphor or Venn Diagrams

Effectiveness and efficiency in international public speaking: when global English meets globalised cultures

The persistent human attempt to succeed in communication and optimise the efforts in doing so find its origin in the ancient rhetoric and it sees its most recent forms in disciplines which apparently are not related to linguistics, such as organisational business communication, or economics. However, these disciplines share a common feature: they share strong interest for global communication. The goal of any information-processing device is to find a solution; efficiency consists in finding it at the minimal cost. Effectiveness is the degree to which the discourse has an impact on the situation and so forwards one’s chances of reaching one’s goals. Public speaking in an international context is a benchmark for testing both the effectiveness and the efficiency of speech communication in English, among native and non-native sujects. This short contribution underlines the relevance of fundamental components of public speaking, such as speech construction (opening, body, closing of the speech; working outline, formal outline, key-word outline), delivery (body language; visual aids), argumentation (informative vs persuasive speaking; patterns of reasoning; developing evidence and proofs). The results of our analysis will bring to further observations on the role of global English in international public speaking