Augmented Reality for Mobile Devices for Precise Urban Navigation

Diplomová práce je zaměřená na rozšířenou realitu a její realizaci pro mobilní platformu Android. V teoretické části je kladen důraz na obeznámení se s principy rozšířené reality, možnostmi její realizace pro mobilní platformu Android, která je také podrobněji představena. V praktické části se dále zaměřuje na návrh a realizaci knihovny a aplikace využívající tuhle knihovnu pro tvorbu rozšířené reality na platformě Android pomocí GPS a polohových senzorů. Aplikace slouží jako navigace a zobrazuje cestu ke konkrétnímu cíly, jak v podobě rozšířené reality, tak i na klasické dvourozměrné mapě. Práce podrobně popisuje navrhované řešení knihovny a aplikace a jejich implementaci. Nakonec popisuje testování, zhodnocuje dosažené výsledky a diskutuje nedostatky výsledného řešení a možnosti jeho vylepšení, respektive rozšíření.The Master's thesis is focused on the augmented reality and its implementation for the Android mobile platform. The theoretical part is aimed at acquaintance with the principles of the augmented reality and the possibilities of its realization for the Android platform, which is described in detail, too. The practical part is focused on the design and implementation of the library, and the application using this library for the development of location - based augmented reality for Android platform, using the GPS and positioning sensors. The application serves as a navigation and displays a route to a specific destination location, both in the form of augmented reality and the standard two - dimensional map. The thesis describes the designed solution of the library and application and their implementation in detail. Finally, the thesis describes the testing of the solution, reviews achieved results and describes limitations and shortcomings of the solution and possibilities of its future updates, extensions respectively.

The Viking viewer for connectomics: scalable multi-user annotation and summarization of large volume data sets

Modern microscope automation permits the collection of vast amounts of continuous anatomical imagery in both two and three dimensions. These large data sets present significant challenges for data storage, access, viewing, annotation and analysis. The cost and overhead of collecting and storing the data can be extremely high. Large data sets quickly exceed an individual's capability for timely analysis and present challenges in efficiently applying transforms, if needed. Finally annotated anatomical data sets can represent a significant investment of resources and should be easily accessible to the scientific community. The Viking application was our solution created to view and annotate a 16.5 TB ultrastructural retinal connectome volume and we demonstrate its utility in reconstructing neural networks for a distinctive retinal amacrine cell class. Viking has several key features. (1) It works over the internet using HTTP and supports many concurrent users limited only by hardware. (2) It supports a multi-user, collaborative annotation strategy. (3) It cleanly demarcates viewing and analysis from data collection and hosting. (4) It is capable of applying transformations in real-time. (5) It has an easily extensible user interface, allowing addition of specialized modules without rewriting the viewer

The Fermi-LAT Light Curve Repository

The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) light curve repository (LCR) is a publicly available, continually updated library of gamma-ray light curves of variable Fermi-LAT sources generated over multiple timescales. The Fermi-LAT LCR aims to provide publication-quality light curves binned on timescales of 3 days, 7 days, and 30 days for 1525 sources deemed variable in the source catalog of the first 10 years of Fermi-LAT observations. The repository consists of light curves generated through full likelihood analyses that model the sources and the surrounding region, providing fluxes and photon indices for each time bin. The LCR is intended as a resource for the time-domain and multi-messenger communities by allowing users to quickly search LAT data to identify correlated variability and flaring emission episodes from gamma-ray sources. We describe the sample selection and analysis employed by the LCR and provide an overview of the associated data access portal.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Supplement Serie

Principles and Guidelines for Advancement of Touchscreen-Based Non-visual Access to 2D Spatial Information

Graphical materials such as graphs and maps are often inaccessible to millions of blind and visually-impaired (BVI) people, which negatively impacts their educational prospects, ability to travel, and vocational opportunities. To address this longstanding issue, a three-phase research program was conducted that builds on and extends previous work establishing touchscreen-based haptic cuing as a viable alternative for conveying digital graphics to BVI users. Although promising, this approach poses unique challenges that can only be addressed by schematizing the underlying graphical information based on perceptual and spatio-cognitive characteristics pertinent to touchscreen-based haptic access. Towards this end, this dissertation empirically identified a set of design parameters and guidelines through a logical progression of seven experiments. Phase I investigated perceptual characteristics related to touchscreen-based graphical access using vibrotactile stimuli, with results establishing three core perceptual guidelines: (1) a minimum line width of 1mm should be maintained for accurate line-detection (Exp-1), (2) a minimum interline gap of 4mm should be used for accurate discrimination of parallel vibrotactile lines (Exp-2), and (3) a minimum angular separation of 4mm should be used for accurate discrimination of oriented vibrotactile lines (Exp-3). Building on these parameters, Phase II studied the core spatio-cognitive characteristics pertinent to touchscreen-based non-visual learning of graphical information, with results leading to the specification of three design guidelines: (1) a minimum width of 4mm should be used for supporting tasks that require tracing of vibrotactile lines and judging their orientation (Exp-4), (2) a minimum width of 4mm should be maintained for accurate line tracing and learning of complex spatial path patterns (Exp-5), and (3) vibrotactile feedback should be used as a guiding cue to support the most accurate line tracing performance (Exp-6). Finally, Phase III demonstrated that schematizing line-based maps based on these design guidelines leads to development of an accurate cognitive map. Results from Experiment-7 provide theoretical evidence in support of learning from vision and touch as leading to the development of functionally equivalent amodal spatial representations in memory. Findings from all seven experiments contribute to new theories of haptic information processing that can guide the development of new touchscreen-based non-visual graphical access solutions

Applications of Satellite Earth Observations section - NEODAAS: Providing satellite data for efficient research

The NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service (NEODAAS) provides a central point of Earth Observation (EO) satellite data access and expertise for UK researchers. The service is tailored to individual users’ requirements to ensure that researchers can focus effort on their science, rather than struggling with correct use of unfamiliar satellite data

Satellite monitoring of harmful algal blooms (HABs) to protect the aquaculture industry

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can cause sudden and considerable losses to fish farms, for example 500,000 salmon during one bloom in Shetland, and also present a threat to human health. Early warning allows the industry to take protective measures. PML's satellite monitoring of HABs is now funded by the Scottish aquaculture industry. The service involves processing EO ocean colour data from NASA and ESA in near-real time, and applying novel techniques for discriminating certain harmful blooms from harmless algae. Within the AQUA-USERS project we are extending this capability to further HAB species within several European countries

Visual Techniques for Geological Fieldwork Using Mobile Devices

Visual techniques in general and 3D visualisation in particular have seen considerable adoption within the last 30 years in the geosciences and geology. Techniques such as volume visualisation, for analysing subsurface processes, and photo-coloured LiDAR point-based rendering, to digitally explore rock exposures at the earth’s surface, were applied within geology as one of the first adopting branches of science. A large amount of digital, geological surface- and volume data is nowadays available to desktop-based workflows for geological applications such as hydrocarbon reservoir exploration, groundwater modelling, CO2 sequestration and, in the future, geothermal energy planning. On the other hand, the analysis and data collection during fieldwork has yet to embrace this ”digital revolution”: sedimentary logs, geological maps and stratigraphic sketches are still captured in each geologist’s individual fieldbook, and physical rocks samples are still transported to the lab for subsequent analysis. Is this still necessary, or are there extended digital means of data collection and exploration in the field ? Are modern digital interpretation techniques accurate and intuitive enough to relevantly support fieldwork in geology and other geoscience disciplines ? This dissertation aims to address these questions and, by doing so, close the technological gap between geological fieldwork and office workflows in geology. The emergence of mobile devices and their vast array of physical sensors, combined with touch-based user interfaces, high-resolution screens and digital cameras provide a possible digital platform that can be used by field geologists. Their ubiquitous availability increases the chances to adopt digital workflows in the field without additional, expensive equipment. The use of 3D data on mobile devices in the field is furthered by the availability of 3D digital outcrop models and the increasing ease of their acquisition. This dissertation assesses the prospects of adopting 3D visual techniques and mobile devices within field geology. The research of this dissertation uses previously acquired and processed digital outcrop models in the form of textured surfaces from optical remote sensing and photogrammetry. The scientific papers in this thesis present visual techniques and algorithms to map outcrop photographs in the field directly onto the surface models. Automatic mapping allows the projection of photo interpretations of stratigraphy and sedimentary facies on the 3D textured surface while providing the domain expert with simple-touse, intuitive tools for the photo interpretation itself. The developed visual approach, combining insight from all across the computer sciences dealing with visual information, merits into the mobile device Geological Registration and Interpretation Toolset (GRIT) app, which is assessed on an outcrop analogue study of the Saltwick Formation exposed at Whitby, North Yorkshire, UK. Although being applicable to a diversity of study scenarios within petroleum geology and the geosciences, the particular target application of the visual techniques is to easily provide field-based outcrop interpretations for subsequent construction of training images for multiple point statistics reservoir modelling, as envisaged within the VOM2MPS project. Despite the success and applicability of the visual approach, numerous drawbacks and probable future extensions are discussed in the thesis based on the conducted studies. Apart from elaborating on more obvious limitations originating from the use of mobile devices and their limited computing capabilities and sensor accuracies, a major contribution of this thesis is the careful analysis of conceptual drawbacks of established procedures in modelling, representing, constructing and disseminating the available surface geometry. A more mathematically-accurate geometric description of the underlying algebraic surfaces yields improvements and future applications unaddressed within the literature of geology and the computational geosciences to this date. Also, future extensions to the visual techniques proposed in this thesis allow for expanded analysis, 3D exploration and improved geological subsurface modelling in general.publishedVersio

Play JBT – Mobile Application for the Tropical Botanical Garden of Lisbon

Trabalho de projecto de mestrado, Informática, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2020Com o progresso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC), as instituições culturais diversificaram as modalidades de interação com as pessoas. TIC permite hoje as várias instituições culturais de assumir papeis diferentes perante a comunidade (por exemplo, educação dos cidadãos e das suas associações; formador de várias competências; e de perito em vários programas governamentais para desenvolvimento de comunidades). Neste documento está apresentado o trabalho de desenvolvimento de uma aplicação móvel para Jardim Botânico Tropical de Lisboa. Técnicas diversas foram utilizadas no desenvolvimento de aplicação móvel (por exemplo, entrevistas, listagem de conteúdos, prototipagem, avaliação heurística, testes de usabilidade). São apresentados detalhes das tecnologias usadas (software e hardware), procedimentos de implementação, como também sobre arquitetura final do sistema desenvolvido. A aplicação móvel permite aos visitantes de Jardim Botânico Tropical interagir de formas diferentes com os componentes de jardim (plantas, aves e edifícios). Vários recursos educativos são incluídos na aplicação de modo a ser adaptados de modo automático ao perfil do utilizador. A aplicação permite também captar e armazenar os dados produzidos por utilizadores da aplicação de modo a serem utilizados para melhoria de experiência dos visitantes do jardim. Vários serviços Web foram incluídos para melhorar apresentação dos conteúdos e para melhorar os serviços do jardim. Foram também realizados testes com peritos no jardim e recolhido feedback dos utilizadores dos quais recebemos boas críticas e sugestões que foram integradas na aplicação. Foram também realizados um conjunto de testes de desempenho do servidor.Through the progress of information and communication technologies (ICT), cultural institutions have diversified the modalities of interacting with people. Today, ICTs allow various cultural institutions to take on different roles in the community (e.g. educating citizens and their associations; shaping various skills; supporting government programs for community development). This document introduces the process of development of a mobile application, which acts mainly as a helping guide for visitors of the Lisbon Tropical Botanical Garden. This mobile application allows these visitors to interact in different ways with garden components (plants, buildings and birds), as well as to have access to the several educational resources included in it, which are to be adapted to the user's profile. The application also allows them to capture and store the data produced, data which is also used for help with improving garden services. Web services have been developed to provide content and to centrally store data on the visitor’s trajectory in the garden and demographics. Furthermore, various techniques were used in the process of development (e.g. interviews, content listing, prototyping, heuristic evaluation, usability testing). Details on the technologies used (software and hardware), implementation procedures, as well as the final architecture of the developed system will be demonstrated. Finally, a set of usability tests is presented, from which we received positive feedback from the users as well as the performance tests executed on the server