Combining multi-source information for crop monitoring

Time series of optical satellite images acquired at high spatial resolution constitute an important source of information for crop monitoring, in particular for keeping track of crop harvest. However, the quantity of information extracted from this source is often restricted by acquisition gaps and uncertainty of radiometric values. This paper presents a novel approach that addresses this issue by combining time series of satellite images with other information from crop modeling and expert knowledge. An application for sugarcane harvest detection on Reunion Island using a SPOT5 time series is detailed. In a fuzzy framework, an expert system was designed and developed to combine multi-source information and to make decisions. This expert system was assessed for two sugarcane farms. Results obtained were in substantial agreement with ground truth data; the overall accuracy reached 96.07%. (Résumé d'auteur

Multi-Objective Optimization in Negotiation Support

The paper reviews the methodology of multi-objective modeling and optimization used in decision support based on computerized analytical models (as opposed to logical models used in expert systems) that represent expert knowledge in a given field. The essential aspects of this methodology relate to its flexibility: modeling and optimization methods are treated not as goals in themselves but as tools that help a sovereign user (an analyst or a decision maker) to interact with the model, to generate and analyze various decision options, to learn about possible outcomes of these decisions. Although the application of such methods in negotiation and mediation support is scarce yet, their flexibility increases essentially the chances of such applications. Various aspects of negotiation and mediation methods related to multi-objective optimization and game theory are also reviewed

An investigation of air transportation technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1990-1991

Brief summaries are given of research activities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the sponsorship of the FAA/NASA Joint University Program. Topics covered include hazard assessment and cockpit presentation issues for microburst alerting systems; the situational awareness effect of automated air traffic control (ATC) datalink clearance amendments; a graphical simulation system for adaptive, automated approach spacing; an expert system for temporal planning with application to runway configuration management; deterministic multi-zone ice accretion modeling; alert generation and cockpit presentation for an integrated microburst alerting system; and passive infrared ice detection for helicopter applications

Application of Computer Supported Multi–criteria Decision Models in Agriculture

Hierarchical multi criteria decision models (MCDM) are a general decision support methodology aimed at the classification or evaluation of options that occur in a decision-making processes. Decision models are typically developed through decomposition of complex decision problems into smaller and less complex sub-problems; the result of such decomposition is a hierarchical structure that consists of attributes and utility functions. Basic concepts of MCDM together with two multi criteria modeling methodologies (expert system DEX-i and analytical hierarchical process with application of Expert Choice decision support software) are presented and discussed. In order to show how the explained methods can be applied to agricultural decision problems, two applications of MCDM (DEX-i and AHP) for organic spelt processing planning problem are presented in detail

Designinig Coordination among Human and Software Agents

The goal of this paper is to propose a new methodology for designing coordination between human angents and software agents and, ultimately, among software agents. The methodology is based on two key ideas. The first is that coordination should be designed in steps, according to a precise software engineering methodology, and starting from the specification of early requirements. The second is that coordination should be modeled as dependency between actors. Two actors may depend on one another because they want to achieve goals, acquire resources or execute a plan. The methodology used is based on Tropos, an agent oriented software engineering methodology presented in earlier papers. The methodology is presented with the help of a case study