Online Moving Object Visualization with Geo-Referenced Data

As a result of the rapid evolution of smart mobile devices and the wide application of satellite-based positioning devices, the moving object database (MOD) has become a hot research topic in recent years. The moving objects generate a large amount of geo-referenced data in different types, such as videos, audios, images and sensor logs. In order to better analyze and utilize the data, it is useful and necessary to visualize the data on a map. With the rise of web mapping, visualizing the moving object and geo-referenced data has never been so easy. While displaying the trajectory of a moving object is a mature technology, there is little research on visualizing both the location and data of the moving objects in a synchronized manner. This dissertation proposes a general moving object visualization model to address the above problem. This model divides the spatial data visualization systems into four categories. Another contribution of this dissertation is to provide a framework, which deals with all these visualization tasks with synchronization control in mind. This platform relies on the TerraFly web mapping system. To evaluate the universality and effectiveness of the proposed framework, this dissertation presents four visualization systems to deal with a variety of situations and different data types

Modular event-driven unmanned aerial vehicles control platform

Hoje em dia, os drones estão-se a tornar cada vez mais comuns nas nossas vidas diárias. Com a agilidade, acessibilidade e diversidade dos drones, eles são uma excelente plataforma para transportar dispositivos (p.ex., conjunto de sensores, câmeras, unidades computacionais de pequena dimensão). Assim sendo, são uma excelente ferramenta para tarefas como: explorar e estudar áreas perigosas, monitorizar campos de agricultura, ajudar na detecção e combate de incêndios ou vigiar multidões. Para realizar tais tarefas, ferramentas de automação e integração são essenciais, para que o desenvolvimento se concentre na própria aplicação e não nos problemas relacionados com a integração e automação do sistema do drone. Os drones atualmente disponiveis não são capazes de lidar com tais complexidades de forma tão transparente. Por exemplo, certos niveis de automação são ja possiveis, mas requerem hardware e software especificos do fornecedor; no que toca a integração, alguns já supportam SDK ou API para interagir com o drone, mas mais uma vez com a inconveniência de necessitar de conhecimento prévio sobre os sistemas dos drones. Para responder a estas necessidades, esta tese propõe uma plataforma modular de controlo baseada em eventos para abstrair os processos de automação e integração da complexidade subjacentes aos drones. Enquanto que a plataforma permite que as aplicações controlem e interajam com os drones, a sua complexidade é resolvida dentro da plataforma, simplificando o processo de integração. Além disso, com a plataforma proposta, a automação e funcionalidades do drone podem ser estendidas para estender as funcionalidades de drones mais limitados. A plataforma desenvolvida foi testada em diferentes cenários, tanto ao nível das suas funcionalidades como ao nível da analise de desempenho. Os resultados mostram que, além das funcionalidades suportadas, a plataforma consegue suportar o controlo e gestão de pelo menos até 64 drones em simultâneo sem ter modificações significativas nos atrasos de comunicação e throughput.Nowadays, drones are becoming more common in our daily lives. Since drones are agile, a ordable and diverse, they make an excellent platform to carry devices around (e.g., sensor arrays, cameras, small computers). With these capabilities, they become an excellent tool for tasks like: explore and study hazardous areas, agriculture monitoring, help on the detection and ght in res, and crowd surveillance. To perform such tasks, automation and integration tools are a must have, so that the development can focus on the application itself and not on the issues related with the integration and automation of the drone system. Current available drones are not capable of properly handling such complexities in a seamless way. For instance, some levels of automation are already possible, but require vendor speci c hardware and software; for integration, some o er SDK or API interactions, but once again with the inconvenience of requiring extensive knowledge about drone systems to implement. To address these issues, this thesis proposes a modular event-driven control platform to abstract automation and integration processes from the underlying complexities of the drones, while the platform lets the applications control and interact with the drones. The drones' complexities are resolved within the platform, therefore simplifying integration process. Moreover, with the proposed platform, drone automation and functionality can be extended across distinct brands of drones, while some may already support some features, others may not, and in that case the platform modules may intervene to extend the features of less capable drones. The developed platform has been tested in di erent scenarios, such as in terms of its functionalities and in terms of performance analysis. The results show that, besides the supported functionalities, the platform is able to handle the control and management of at last 64 simultaneous drones without signi cant changes in the communication delays and throughput.Mestrado em Engenharia Informátic

New methodological approaches of investigating the identity of Historic Settlement

Para estabelecer a “identidade” de um sítio histórico, a utilização de uma metodologia baseada na aplicação de ferramentas de mapeamento para análise de indicadores tangíveis e intangíveis pode ser de grande interesse e significância, uma vez que esta metodologia ainda não tem sido amplamente utilizada em pesquisas patrimoniais. apesar de ser uma ferramenta poderosa. Nesse tipo de mapeamento, a paisagem, a arquitetura e as camadas de mudança que foram depositadas no território sobre elas, ao longo dos tempos. são consideradas indicadores tangíveis, enquanto a toponímia, a história, a memória e os antigos dizeres locais são considerados indicadores intangíveis. Os indicadores, sua existência, geolocalizações, processos, significado e distribuição espacial, transformações etc. devem ser mapeados em diferentes camadas e posteriormente alguns conjuntos e subconjuntos devem ser justapostos para obter combinações e resultados. Portanto, informações produzidas a partir destes indicadores tangíveis e intangíveis de forma científica e matemática, apoiadas na história, artefactos e vestígios, princípios de urbanismo, inscrições e manuscritos, podem revelar muitos aspetos desconhecidos dos sítios históricos. Os métodos precisam ser de natureza mais científica e objetiva para excluir o viés de uma perceção distorcida. Também é uma boa técnica testar o método em mais de um local que tenha antecedentes diferentes, mas configuração semelhante, a fim de provar a validade e eficácia universal do método. Assim, Khalifatabad (Bangladesh) e Évora (Portugal) são os dois locais de um estudo de caso que visa testar a metodologia acima referida, uma vez que ambos foram declarados Património Mundial da UNESCO e possuem valor histórico semelhante; New methodological approaches of investigating the identity of Historic Settlement Abstract: In order to establish the identity of an ancient settlement, the use of a methodology based on the application of mapping tools for analysis of tangible and intangible indicators might be of great interest and significance, as this methodology has not yet been extensively used in heritage research despite of its being a powerful tool. In this kind of mapping, landscape, architecture and the layers of change that have been deposited on them throughout ages are considered as tangible indicators, while toponymy, story, memory and ancient local sayings are considered as intangible indicators. The indicators, their existence, geo locations, processes, spatial significance and distribution, transformations etc. are to be mapped in different layers and later some set and subsets are to be juxtaposed to obtain certain combinations and results. Therefore information produced from both tangible and intangible indicators in a scientific and mathematical manner, supported by history, artefacts and vestiges, principles of urbanism, inscriptions and manuscripts, can reveal many unknown aspects of historic sites. The methods need to be more scientific and objective in nature to exclude biasness of perception. It is also a good technique to test the method on more than one site that has different background but similar configuration in order to prove the validity and efficacy of the method. Therefore Khalifatabad (Bangladesh) and Évora (Portugal) are the two sites of a case study that aims to test the above mentioned methodology, as they both were declared UNESCO World Heritage and carry similar historic value

User guide to the Magellan synthetic aperture radar images

The Magellan radar-mapping mission collected a large amount of science and engineering data. Now available to the general scientific community, this data set can be overwhelming to someone who is unfamiliar with the mission. This user guide outlines the mission operations and data set so that someone working with the data can understand the mapping and data-processing techniques used in the mission. Radar-mapping parameters as well as data acquisition issues are discussed. In addition, this user guide provides information on how the data set is organized and where specific elements of the set can be located

Integrating Augmented Interactive Geo visualizations and Open Government

Es gibt große Hoffnungen zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement im Rahmen von Open Government Initiativen neu zu gestalten. Das Ziel ist es, Bürgerbeteiligung mittels offener Interaktionen und Zugang zu Daten zu stärken und einen Schwerpunkt auf Transparenz, Partizipation und Kollaboration zu legen. Vor diesem Hintergrund formuliert und untersucht diese Arbeit einen Ansatz zur Förderung von bürgerschaftlichem Engagement mittels erweiterten und interaktiven Geo-visualisierungen (AIGs). AIGs nutzen Raum und Zeit als Integratoren, um Bürgern Kontextualisierung, Visualisierung und verschiedene Möglichkeiten zum Engagement zu bieten. Die Hauptforschungsfrage dieser Arbeit untersucht die Effekte von AIGs auf bürgerschaftliches Engagement, während vier Leitfragen Vorbedingungen und Herausforderungen untersuchen. Zusammenfassend werden ein Design Space für AIGs konzeptualisiert, potentielle Rollen der Zielgruppe beschrieben, Best Practices für die Publikation von räumlichen offenen Daten formuliert und es wurden drei AIG Prototypen für einzelne Bürgerbeteiligungsverfahren und Stufen entwickelt und evaluiert.High hopes are pinned to reshaping civic engagement in Open Government Initiatives that seek to open up governmental processes and data by using modern information and communication technologies. The aim is to facilitate citizen engagement through open interactions and access to data by emphasizing transparency, participation, and collaboration. This thesis formulates and evaluates an approach to facilitate citizen engagement with Augmented Interactive Geo-visualizations (AIGs). AIGs use space and time as integrators that allow citizens to contextualize, visualize and engage in different ways. The central research question of this thesis investigates the effects of AIGs on citizen engagement while four guiding questions look at pre-requisits and challenges. In summary, a design space for AIGs is conceptualized, potential roles of the target audience are described, best practices for publishing geospatial Open Data established, and three AIG prototypes have been developed and evaluated for specific instances and levels of citizen engagement

NASA Tech Briefs, November 1990

Topics: New Product Ideas; NASA TU Services; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences

Workshop on Advanced Technologies for Planetary Instruments, part 1

This meeting was conceived in response to new challenges facing NASA's robotic solar system exploration program. This volume contains papers presented at the Workshop on Advanced Technologies for Planetary Instruments on 28-30 Apr. 1993. This meeting was conceived in response to new challenges facing NASA's robotic solar system exploration program. Over the past several years, SDIO has sponsored a significant technology development program aimed, in part, at the production of instruments with these characteristics. This workshop provided an opportunity for specialists from the planetary science and DoD communities to establish contacts, to explore common technical ground in an open forum, and more specifically, to discuss the applicability of SDIO's technology base to planetary science instruments

Eros, women and technology

Eros, Women, and Technology seeks to address the potential of a vibrant position for the body and a vital role for women in technoculture. The important job of imagining and re-imagining the potential of technologies to bring benefits, costs, and concomitant effects requires a plurality of approaches. Using a highly interdisciplinary methodology, I focus on an original project of research-creation undertaken between 1998 and 2011, featuring video interviews with thirteen contemporary artists and designers. Participants' personal stories were gathered using my radical method of nude narrative enquiry, and analysed using affinity mapping to identify important questions regarding erotic experience, expression and imagination, body image, pregnancy and mothering, and relationships between mothers and daughters. Themes of the erotic body and technology in education, family life, creative practices, and intellectual and professional pursuits, uncover a range of technological contents and discontents. Through an examination of the history of women's education, a positive chronology of their historical achievements is reported. Theoretical grounding is established through the Chora as conceptual locus for the female body in creative and technological practices. Related thinking of second- and third-wave feminists Balsamo, Battersby, Braidotti, Butler, Grosz, Irigaray, and Young addresses issues of female bodies, maternity, relationships, and the place of women in technoculture. The role of the camera as a favoured technological tool is examined through the work of photographic pioneers Julia Margaret Cameron, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, and Francesca Woodman, and parallels are drawn through my videographic artworks. Arendt, Blixen, Cavarero, and Kristeva provide theoretical framing for narrative in contemporary art and design projects using mobile technologies to locate and disseminate compelling personal and community stories. Insights are offered into the lives of creative women research participants who reinvigorate ways of thinking, making, and Being in technoculture. Concluding concepts, ideas, recommendations, and strategies are offered to inspire wider consideration. Original research expands from the narratives and professional practices of intellectuals, artists, and designers to build a better understanding of women's individual efforts, and collective work, on the frontlines of eroticism, creative making, and technological change