Tracking moving optima using Kalman-based predictions

The dynamic optimization problem concerns finding an optimum in a changing environment. In the field of evolutionary algorithms, this implies dealing with a timechanging fitness landscape. In this paper we compare different techniques for integrating motion information into an evolutionary algorithm, in the case it has to follow a time-changing optimum, under the assumption that the changes follow a nonrandom law. Such a law can be estimated in order to improve the optimum tracking capabilities of the algorithm. In particular, we will focus on first order dynamical laws to track moving objects. A vision-based tracking robotic application is used as testbed for experimental comparison

Model-based wear measurements in total knee arthroplasty : development and validation of novel radiographic techniques

The primary aim of this work was to develop novel model-based mJSW measurement methods using a 3D reconstruction and compare the accuracy and precision of these methods to conventional mJSW measurement. This thesis contributed to the development, validation and clinical application of model-based mJSW measurements for the natural knee and for total knee prostheses. The majority of this work focusses on measuring linear wear of the total knee protheses by estimating the remaining insert thickness with the mJSW. Both in vivo and in vitro research shows that the application of model-based techniques can give a large improvement in measurement accuracy and precision. This applies for measurements based on both Röntgen Stereogrammetric Analysis (RSA) and standard radiographs. Secondary, this work investigated volumetric wear measurement and the effect of patient positioning on the measurement outcome. In conclusion, this work presents convincing evidence that the mJSW measurement accuracy and precision is improved using model-based measurement techniques in RSA images as well as in standard AP radiographs. The next steps towards clinical application are to improve the measurement software and to conduct further research on the influence of knee flexion and implant design on the reliability of mJSW as surrogate for the insert thickness.  LUMC / Geneeskund

Continuous Modeling of 3D Building Rooftops From Airborne LIDAR and Imagery

In recent years, a number of mega-cities have provided 3D photorealistic virtual models to support the decisions making process for maintaining the cities' infrastructure and environment more effectively. 3D virtual city models are static snap-shots of the environment and represent the status quo at the time of their data acquisition. However, cities are dynamic system that continuously change over time. Accordingly, their virtual representation need to be regularly updated in a timely manner to allow for accurate analysis and simulated results that decisions are based upon. The concept of "continuous city modeling" is to progressively reconstruct city models by accommodating their changes recognized in spatio-temporal domain, while preserving unchanged structures. However, developing a universal intelligent machine enabling continuous modeling still remains a challenging task. Therefore, this thesis proposes a novel research framework for continuously reconstructing 3D building rooftops using multi-sensor data. For achieving this goal, we first proposes a 3D building rooftop modeling method using airborne LiDAR data. The main focus is on the implementation of an implicit regularization method which impose a data-driven building regularity to noisy boundaries of roof planes for reconstructing 3D building rooftop models. The implicit regularization process is implemented in the framework of Minimum Description Length (MDL) combined with Hypothesize and Test (HAT). Secondly, we propose a context-based geometric hashing method to align newly acquired image data with existing building models. The novelty is the use of context features to achieve robust and accurate matching results. Thirdly, the existing building models are refined by newly proposed sequential fusion method. The main advantage of the proposed method is its ability to progressively refine modeling errors frequently observed in LiDAR-driven building models. The refinement process is conducted in the framework of MDL combined with HAT. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MDMC) coupled with Simulated Annealing (SA) is employed to perform a global optimization. The results demonstrates that the proposed continuous rooftop modeling methods show a promising aspects to support various critical decisions by not only reconstructing 3D rooftop models accurately, but also by updating the models using multi-sensor data

Robust and Optimal Methods for Geometric Sensor Data Alignment

Geometric sensor data alignment - the problem of finding the rigid transformation that correctly aligns two sets of sensor data without prior knowledge of how the data correspond - is a fundamental task in computer vision and robotics. It is inconvenient then that outliers and non-convexity are inherent to the problem and present significant challenges for alignment algorithms. Outliers are highly prevalent in sets of sensor data, particularly when the sets overlap incompletely. Despite this, many alignment objective functions are not robust to outliers, leading to erroneous alignments. In addition, alignment problems are highly non-convex, a property arising from the objective function and the transformation. While finding a local optimum may not be difficult, finding the global optimum is a hard optimisation problem. These key challenges have not been fully and jointly resolved in the existing literature, and so there is a need for robust and optimal solutions to alignment problems. Hence the objective of this thesis is to develop tractable algorithms for geometric sensor data alignment that are robust to outliers and not susceptible to spurious local optima. This thesis makes several significant contributions to the geometric alignment literature, founded on new insights into robust alignment and the geometry of transformations. Firstly, a novel discriminative sensor data representation is proposed that has better viewpoint invariance than generative models and is time and memory efficient without sacrificing model fidelity. Secondly, a novel local optimisation algorithm is developed for nD-nD geometric alignment under a robust distance measure. It manifests a wider region of convergence and a greater robustness to outliers and sampling artefacts than other local optimisation algorithms. Thirdly, the first optimal solution for 3D-3D geometric alignment with an inherently robust objective function is proposed. It outperforms other geometric alignment algorithms on challenging datasets due to its guaranteed optimality and outlier robustness, and has an efficient parallel implementation. Fourthly, the first optimal solution for 2D-3D geometric alignment with an inherently robust objective function is proposed. It outperforms existing approaches on challenging datasets, reliably finding the global optimum, and has an efficient parallel implementation. Finally, another optimal solution is developed for 2D-3D geometric alignment, using a robust surface alignment measure. Ultimately, robust and optimal methods, such as those in this thesis, are necessary to reliably find accurate solutions to geometric sensor data alignment problems

Recalage rigide 3D-2D par intensité pour le traitement percutané des cardiopathies congénitales

Les cardiopathies congénitales cyanogènes sont des malformations cardiaques infantiles qui, dans leurs formes les plus complexes, sont aggravées par des artères morbides partant de l’aorte et appelées collatérales aorto-pulmonaires majeures (MAPCAs). Pour corriger ces malformations, les cardiologues insèrent un cathéter dans une artère du patient puis, le guident jusqu’à atteindre la structure vasculaire d’intérêt. Le cathéter est visualisé grâce à des angiographies acquises lors de l’opération. Néanmoins, ces interventions, dîtes percutanées, sont délicates à réaliser. L’emploi des angiographies 2D limite le champ de vision des cardiologues et les oblige à mentalement reconstruire la structure vasculaire en mouvement. Afin d’améliorer les conditions d’intervention, des techniques d’imagerie médicale exploitant des données tomographiques acquis avant l’intervention sont développées. Les données tomographiques forment un modèle 3D fiable de la structure vasculaire qui, une fois précisément aligné avec les angiographies, définit un outil de navigation virtuel 3D qui augmente le champ de vision des cardiologues. Dans ce mémoire, une nouvelle méthode automatique de recalage rigide 3D-2D par intensité de données tomographiques 3D avec des angiographies 2D est présentée. Aussi, une technique d’alignement semi-automatique permettant d’accélérer l’initialisation de la méthode automatique est développée. Les résultats de la méthode de recalage proposée, obtenus avec deux jeux de données de patient atteints de malformations cardiaques, sont prometteurs. Un alignement précis et robuste des données tomographique de l’artère aorte et des MAPCAs (0;265�0;647mm et 99 % de succès) à partir d’un déplacement rigide d’amplitude maximale (20mm et 20°) est obtenu en un temps de calcul raisonnable (13,7 secondes)

30. Forum Bauinformatik

Die Bauhaus-Universität Weimar ist seit langer Zeit mit dem Forum Bauinformatik eng verbunden. So wurde die Veranstaltung 1989 hier durch den Arbeitskreis Bauinformatik ins Leben gerufen und auch das 10. und 18. Forum Bauinformatik (1998 bzw. 2006) fand in Weimar statt. In diesem Jahr freuen wir uns daher besonders, das 30. Jubiläum an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar ausrichten zu dürfen und viele interessierte Wissenschaftler und Wissenschaftlerinnen aus dem Bereich der Bauinformatik in Weimar willkommen zu heißen. Das Forum Bauinformatik hat sich längst zu einem festen Bestandteil der Bauinformatik im deutschsprachigen Raum entwickelt. Dabei steht es traditionsgemäß unter dem Motto „von jungen Forschenden für junge Forschende“, wodurch insbesondere Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und ‑wissenschaftlern die Möglichkeit geboten wird, ihre Forschungsarbeiten zu präsentieren, Problemstellungen fachspezifisch zu diskutieren und sich über den neuesten Stand der Forschung zu informieren. Zudem wird eine ausgezeichnete Gelegenheit geboten, in die wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaft im Bereich der Bauinformatik einzusteigen und Kontakte mit anderen Forschenden zu knüpfen. In diesem Jahr erhielten wir 49 interessante und qualitativ hochwertige Beiträge vor allem in den Themenbereichen Simulation, Modellierung, Informationsverwaltung, Geoinformatik, Structural Health Monitoring, Visualisierung, Verkehrssimulation und Optimierung. Dafür möchten wir uns ganz besonders bei allen Autoren, Co-Autoren und Reviewern bedanken, die durch ihr Engagement das diesjährige Forum Bauinformatik erst möglich gemacht haben. Wir danken zudem Professor Große und Professor Díaz für die Unterstützung bei der Auswahl der Beiträge für die Best Paper Awards. Ein herzliches Dankeschön geht an die Kollegen an der Professur Informatik im Bauwesen der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar für die organisatorische, technische und beratende Unterstützung während der Planung der Veranstaltung