Inertial Navigation System Data Processing For Position Determination

Locating the positions and mapping the spatial information is of critical significance in the field of Precision Farming. Global Positioning System (GPS) is the main tool being utilized for this purpose but it is dependent on the satellite signals. Unfortunately these signals may get lost due to the blockage by canopy of the orchards or plantation. Inertial Navigation System (INS) can address this problem and support the non-availability of GPS signal for a short time. INS is capable of individually calculating the vehicle’s position without any external references. However, its high cost and time dependent errors are its major drawbacks. The research focuses on the mapping solution by INS only so that it can provide solution in the absence of GPS signal. Low cost inertial sensor (Xbow RGA300CA) was used for data collection and processing. Data Processing was done in Matlab/Simulink environment. A Simulink processing model is presented in detail to give an insight of the Strapdown INS Mechanization. Low pass filter and wavelet denoising model was used to assess the margin of improvement for noise filtering. Accurate GPS information was used as a reference of comparison. The model was tested in the lab as well as in the field for its validity. Before going to the field the Inertial sensor was tested in the lab for yaw rate drift and for stationary drift. For kinematic field testing, inertial sensor with GPS was mounted on the vehicle to get the positions for straight trajectories up to 100 meters. Results obtained are presented in detail. A gradual error growth was observed in the INS data and the sensor was found to be stable for short term only. Wavelet denoising was found to be better over short distances up to 40 meters while low pass filtering showed better performance over longer distances up to 100 meters

Identifying research priorities to advance climate services

Climate services involve the timely production, translation, and delivery of useful climate data, information, and knowledge for societal decision-making. They rely on a range of expertise and are underpinned by research in climate and related sciences, sectoral applications (e.g., agriculture, water, health, energy, disasters), and a number of social science fields, including political science, sociology, anthropology, and economics. Feedback and engagement between these research communities and the communities involved in developing and/or using climate services is thus critical, ensuring that climate services are built on the best available science and providing researchers with guidance regarding priority challenges in the development of climate services that should warrant their attention. This paper reports the results of an international survey to gauge community perspective on research priorities for climate services, highlighting several areas in which respondents agree on the need for future work. The survey results indicate an overarching interest in research that can better connect climate information to users, particularly around the communication of climate information, the mapping of climate information needs, and the evaluation and prioritization of capacity building efforts. They also reveal significant interest in climate research to advance the skill of forecasts at subseasonal-to-seasonal scales – considered more broadly useful to decision makers than information at the end-of-century timescale – and to identify the drivers of extreme events. To support climate-related research, survey respondents underscore the need to continually develop and maintain the observational network. In analyzing these results, the paper offers guidance to researchers and to other members of the climate services community that may find these priorities useful in directing their own work to address the challenges posed by climate variability and change

Bibliography of Indian bibliometric publications (1958 -1994)

Provides a bibliography of publications on bibliometrics and related subjects published in India as well as generated from India and published abroad during 1958 to 1994

Designing for Self-Management of Multiple Chronic Conditions by the Aging-at-home

Many elderly individuals are aging at home (AAH) as the planet is graying. In the U.S., the number will rise to more than 64 million people by 2040. The AAH are more susceptible to health-related issues due to the normal process of aging coupled with the incidence of multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Self-management of MCC can be cognitively and operationally challenging for the AAH. We are designing digital resources for AAH with MCC following the action design research methodology. In this paper, we describe outcomes from early rounds, including problem formulation with semi-structured interviews of AAH with MCC, exploring theoretical precursors and technology frames, and evaluating design genres to establish a design vision. The outcomes are described as a theory-ingrained, layered digital artifact, MyHealthNotes; along with the results of an initial applicability check and formative usability test. The paper concludes with a discussion of contributions so far and next steps

Availability and utilization of information and communication technology resources by undergraduate library users in Anambra State University libraries, Nigeria.

Inspite of the vital role ICTs play in University libraries, it is still difficult to have access to the required resources. In this regard, it is also difficult to determine the level of availability and utilization of ICT resources in the university library of Anambra State University. This research titled Availability and Utilization of ICT Resources by undergraduate library users is therefore necessitated by the need to create records that will serve as empirical evidence of identified level of availability and utilization of the ICT resources in the library. To investigate this, exploratory survey research design was adopted, with questionnaire as the tool used for data collection. The questionnaire was constructed and validated in both content and face validity. The reliability of 0.96 was statistically determined by the use of kurdar Richardson correlation (KRCC) formular. The sample size of the study was 378 derived from proportionate and stratified sampling techniques. 378 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents and (370) were returned valid. The research tested one hypothesis using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and analyzed seven research questions using descriptive statistic (frequency tables and per cent ages). The findings of the work questionnaires showed positive relationship between availability and utilization of ICT resources. Findings of the research show that some ICT resources like computer, printer, scanning, machine, photocopiers. CD Rom Internet connectivity etc were available and that they used these resources under constraints of inadequacy, lack of ICT knowledge by the students, limited work stations, poor service delivery etc. to execute class assignments, research etc. The students did not derive full satisfactory services owing to these constraints. The research recommends the expansion of ICT facilities and adequate financial base, training of students on the use of ICT components, providing reliable power, placing the internet service on regular subscription and employing experienced digital librarian to man the ICT unit of the library

The information needs matrix : a navigational guide for refugee integration

This paper presents an information needs matrix as a navigation guide for refugees and host societies to support integration. It is an outcome from an information behaviour investigation into refugee integration, conducted through interviews with asylum seekers and refugees. A sense-making methodology was used as a framework to examine the experiences of refugees, focusing on the situations and information gaps encountered during integration. The study identified information needs on housing, financial, legal and social support, mobility, health, education, employment and state benefits. A unique feature of the proposed matrix is the order dependency of the uncovered needs by our investigation. The findings were validated with observation data collected while undertaking a role at the Scottish Refugee Council. The matrix can be used to guide society’s provisions for integration, assess levels of individual integration and inform the design of information support for refugees

Proactive model to determine information technologies supporting expansion of air cargo network

Shippers and recipients expect transportation companies to provide more than just the movement of a package between points; certain information must be available to them as well, to enable forecasts and plans within the supply chain. The transportation companies also need the information flow that undergirds a transportation grid, to support ad-hoc routing and strategic structural re-alignment of business processes. This research delineates the information needs for an expanding air cargo network, then develops a new model of the information technologies needed to support expansion into a new country. The captured information will be used by shippers, recipients, and the transportation provider to better guide business decisions. This model will provide a method for transportation companies to balance the tradeoffs between the operating efficiencies, capital expenditures, and customer expectations of their IT systems. The output of the model is a list of technologies – optimized by cost – which meet the specific needs of internal and external customers when expanding air cargo networks into a new country

City Data Plan: the conceptualisation of a policy instrument for data governance in smart cities

This paper presents the conceptualisation of the City Data Plan, a data governance policy instrument intended to connect the production and use of urban data in a comprehensive and evolutive long-term strategy aligned with city development goals. The concept of the City Data Plan had been elaborated by taking into account current issues related to privacy and manipulation of data in smart city. The methodological approach adopted to define the nature of a City Data Plan is grounded on the conceptual and empirical parallelism with corporate data governance plans and general urban plans, respectively aimed to regulate decision-making powers and actions on data in enterprise contexts, and the interests of local stakeholders in the access and use of urban resources. The result of this analytic process is the formulation of the outline of a City Data Plan as a data governance policy instrument to support the iterative negotiation between the instances of data producers and data users for instantiating shared smart city visions. The conceptualisation of the City Data Plan includes a description of the multi-stakeholder organisational structures for the city data governance, cooperation protocols and decision areas, responsibilities assignments, components of the plan and its implementation mechanisms

Measuring adaptation progress across scales and time frames

Presentation on metrics for agriculture adaptation for the Agriculture Committee of the International Platfom for Adaptation Metrics (IPAM