10 research outputs found
Personal Identification Based on Live Iris Image Analysis
EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
Ranking to Learn and Learning to Rank: On the Role of Ranking in Pattern Recognition Applications
The last decade has seen a revolution in the theory and application of
machine learning and pattern recognition. Through these advancements, variable
ranking has emerged as an active and growing research area and it is now
beginning to be applied to many new problems. The rationale behind this fact is
that many pattern recognition problems are by nature ranking problems. The main
objective of a ranking algorithm is to sort objects according to some criteria,
so that, the most relevant items will appear early in the produced result list.
Ranking methods can be analyzed from two different methodological perspectives:
ranking to learn and learning to rank. The former aims at studying methods and
techniques to sort objects for improving the accuracy of a machine learning
model. Enhancing a model performance can be challenging at times. For example,
in pattern classification tasks, different data representations can complicate
and hide the different explanatory factors of variation behind the data. In
particular, hand-crafted features contain many cues that are either redundant
or irrelevant, which turn out to reduce the overall accuracy of the classifier.
In such a case feature selection is used, that, by producing ranked lists of
features, helps to filter out the unwanted information. Moreover, in real-time
systems (e.g., visual trackers) ranking approaches are used as optimization
procedures which improve the robustness of the system that deals with the high
variability of the image streams that change over time. The other way around,
learning to rank is necessary in the construction of ranking models for
information retrieval, biometric authentication, re-identification, and
recommender systems. In this context, the ranking model's purpose is to sort
objects according to their degrees of relevance, importance, or preference as
defined in the specific application.Comment: European PhD Thesis. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1601.06615, arXiv:1505.06821, arXiv:1704.02665 by other author
Ranking to Learn and Learning to Rank: On the Role of Ranking in Pattern Recognition Applications
The last decade has seen a revolution in the theory and application of
machine learning and pattern recognition. Through these advancements, variable
ranking has emerged as an active and growing research area and it is now
beginning to be applied to many new problems. The rationale behind this fact is
that many pattern recognition problems are by nature ranking problems. The main
objective of a ranking algorithm is to sort objects according to some criteria,
so that, the most relevant items will appear early in the produced result list.
Ranking methods can be analyzed from two different methodological perspectives:
ranking to learn and learning to rank. The former aims at studying methods and
techniques to sort objects for improving the accuracy of a machine learning
model. Enhancing a model performance can be challenging at times. For example,
in pattern classification tasks, different data representations can complicate
and hide the different explanatory factors of variation behind the data. In
particular, hand-crafted features contain many cues that are either redundant
or irrelevant, which turn out to reduce the overall accuracy of the classifier.
In such a case feature selection is used, that, by producing ranked lists of
features, helps to filter out the unwanted information. Moreover, in real-time
systems (e.g., visual trackers) ranking approaches are used as optimization
procedures which improve the robustness of the system that deals with the high
variability of the image streams that change over time. The other way around,
learning to rank is necessary in the construction of ranking models for
information retrieval, biometric authentication, re-identification, and
recommender systems. In this context, the ranking model's purpose is to sort
objects according to their degrees of relevance, importance, or preference as
defined in the specific application.Comment: European PhD Thesis. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1601.06615, arXiv:1505.06821, arXiv:1704.02665 by other author
QUIS-CAMPI: Biometric Recognition in Surveillance Scenarios
The concerns about individuals security have justified the increasing number of surveillance
cameras deployed both in private and public spaces. However, contrary to popular belief,
these devices are in most cases used solely for recording, instead of feeding intelligent analysis
processes capable of extracting information about the observed individuals. Thus, even though
video surveillance has already proved to be essential for solving multiple crimes, obtaining relevant
details about the subjects that took part in a crime depends on the manual inspection
of recordings. As such, the current goal of the research community is the development of
automated surveillance systems capable of monitoring and identifying subjects in surveillance
scenarios. Accordingly, the main goal of this thesis is to improve the performance of biometric
recognition algorithms in data acquired from surveillance scenarios. In particular, we aim at
designing a visual surveillance system capable of acquiring biometric data at a distance (e.g.,
face, iris or gait) without requiring human intervention in the process, as well as devising biometric
recognition methods robust to the degradation factors resulting from the unconstrained
acquisition process.
Regarding the first goal, the analysis of the data acquired by typical surveillance systems
shows that large acquisition distances significantly decrease the resolution of biometric samples,
and thus their discriminability is not sufficient for recognition purposes. In the literature,
diverse works point out Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras as the most practical way for acquiring
high-resolution imagery at a distance, particularly when using a master-slave configuration. In
the master-slave configuration, the video acquired by a typical surveillance camera is analyzed
for obtaining regions of interest (e.g., car, person) and these regions are subsequently imaged
at high-resolution by the PTZ camera. Several methods have already shown that this configuration
can be used for acquiring biometric data at a distance. Nevertheless, these methods
failed at providing effective solutions to the typical challenges of this strategy, restraining its
use in surveillance scenarios. Accordingly, this thesis proposes two methods to support the development
of a biometric data acquisition system based on the cooperation of a PTZ camera
with a typical surveillance camera. The first proposal is a camera calibration method capable
of accurately mapping the coordinates of the master camera to the pan/tilt angles of the PTZ
camera. The second proposal is a camera scheduling method for determining - in real-time -
the sequence of acquisitions that maximizes the number of different targets obtained, while
minimizing the cumulative transition time. In order to achieve the first goal of this thesis,
both methods were combined with state-of-the-art approaches of the human monitoring field
to develop a fully automated surveillance capable of acquiring biometric data at a distance and
without human cooperation, designated as QUIS-CAMPI system.
The QUIS-CAMPI system is the basis for pursuing the second goal of this thesis. The analysis
of the performance of the state-of-the-art biometric recognition approaches shows that these
approaches attain almost ideal recognition rates in unconstrained data. However, this performance
is incongruous with the recognition rates observed in surveillance scenarios. Taking into
account the drawbacks of current biometric datasets, this thesis introduces a novel dataset comprising
biometric samples (face images and gait videos) acquired by the QUIS-CAMPI system at a
distance ranging from 5 to 40 meters and without human intervention in the acquisition process.
This set allows to objectively assess the performance of state-of-the-art biometric recognition
methods in data that truly encompass the covariates of surveillance scenarios. As such, this set
was exploited for promoting the first international challenge on biometric recognition in the wild. This thesis describes the evaluation protocols adopted, along with the results obtained
by the nine methods specially designed for this competition. In addition, the data acquired by
the QUIS-CAMPI system were crucial for accomplishing the second goal of this thesis, i.e., the
development of methods robust to the covariates of surveillance scenarios. The first proposal
regards a method for detecting corrupted features in biometric signatures inferred by a redundancy
analysis algorithm. The second proposal is a caricature-based face recognition approach
capable of enhancing the recognition performance by automatically generating a caricature
from a 2D photo. The experimental evaluation of these methods shows that both approaches
contribute to improve the recognition performance in unconstrained data.A crescente preocupação com a segurança dos indivĂduos tem justificado o crescimento
do nĂşmero de câmaras de vĂdeo-vigilância instaladas tanto em espaços privados como pĂşblicos.
Contudo, ao contrário do que normalmente se pensa, estes dispositivos são, na maior parte dos
casos, usados apenas para gravação, não estando ligados a nenhum tipo de software inteligente
capaz de inferir em tempo real informações sobre os indivĂduos observados. Assim, apesar de a
vĂdeo-vigilância ter provado ser essencial na resolução de diversos crimes, o seu uso está ainda
confinado Ă disponibilização de vĂdeos que tĂŞm que ser manualmente inspecionados para extrair
informações relevantes dos sujeitos envolvidos no crime. Como tal, atualmente, o principal
desafio da comunidade cientĂfica Ă© o desenvolvimento de sistemas automatizados capazes de
monitorizar e identificar indivĂduos em ambientes de vĂdeo-vigilância.
Esta tese tem como principal objetivo estender a aplicabilidade dos sistemas de reconhecimento
biomĂ©trico aos ambientes de vĂdeo-vigilância. De forma mais especifica, pretende-se
1) conceber um sistema de vĂdeo-vigilância que consiga adquirir dados biomĂ©tricos a longas distâncias
(e.g., imagens da cara, Ăris, ou vĂdeos do tipo de passo) sem requerer a cooperação dos
indivĂduos no processo; e 2) desenvolver mĂ©todos de reconhecimento biomĂ©trico robustos aos
fatores de degradação inerentes aos dados adquiridos por este tipo de sistemas.
No que diz respeito ao primeiro objetivo, a análise aos dados adquiridos pelos sistemas tĂpicos
de vĂdeo-vigilância mostra que, devido Ă distância de captura, os traços biomĂ©tricos amostrados
não são suficientemente discriminativos para garantir taxas de reconhecimento aceitáveis.
Na literatura, vários trabalhos advogam o uso de câmaras Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) para adquirir
imagens de alta resolução à distância, principalmente o uso destes dispositivos no modo masterslave.
Na configuração master-slave um módulo de análise inteligente seleciona zonas de interesse
(e.g. carros, pessoas) a partir do vĂdeo adquirido por uma câmara de vĂdeo-vigilância
e a câmara PTZ é orientada para adquirir em alta resolução as regiões de interesse. Diversos
métodos já mostraram que esta configuração pode ser usada para adquirir dados biométricos
à distância, ainda assim estes não foram capazes de solucionar alguns problemas relacionados
com esta estratĂ©gia, impedindo assim o seu uso em ambientes de vĂdeo-vigilância. Deste modo,
esta tese propõe dois métodos para permitir a aquisição de dados biométricos em ambientes de
vĂdeo-vigilância usando uma câmara PTZ assistida por uma câmara tĂpica de vĂdeo-vigilância. O
primeiro é um método de calibração capaz de mapear de forma exata as coordenadas da câmara
master para o ângulo da câmara PTZ (slave) sem o auxĂlio de outros dispositivos Ăłticos. O
segundo método determina a ordem pela qual um conjunto de sujeitos vai ser observado pela
câmara PTZ. O método proposto consegue determinar em tempo-real a sequência de observações
que maximiza o nĂşmero de diferentes sujeitos observados e simultaneamente minimiza o
tempo total de transição entre sujeitos. De modo a atingir o primeiro objetivo desta tese, os
dois métodos propostos foram combinados com os avanços alcançados na área da monitorização
de humanos para assim desenvolver o primeiro sistema de vĂdeo-vigilância completamente automatizado
e capaz de adquirir dados biométricos a longas distâncias sem requerer a cooperação
dos indivĂduos no processo, designado por sistema QUIS-CAMPI.
O sistema QUIS-CAMPI representa o ponto de partida para iniciar a investigação relacionada
com o segundo objetivo desta tese. A análise do desempenho dos métodos de reconhecimento
biométrico do estado-da-arte mostra que estes conseguem obter taxas de reconhecimento
quase perfeitas em dados adquiridos sem restrições (e.g., taxas de reconhecimento
maiores do que 99% no conjunto de dados LFW). Contudo, este desempenho nĂŁo Ă© corroborado pelos resultados observados em ambientes de vĂdeo-vigilância, o que sugere que os conjuntos
de dados atuais nĂŁo contĂŞm verdadeiramente os fatores de degradação tĂpicos dos ambientes de
vĂdeo-vigilância. Tendo em conta as vulnerabilidades dos conjuntos de dados biomĂ©tricos atuais,
esta tese introduz um novo conjunto de dados biomĂ©tricos (imagens da face e vĂdeos do tipo de
passo) adquiridos pelo sistema QUIS-CAMPI a uma distância máxima de 40m e sem a cooperação
dos sujeitos no processo de aquisição. Este conjunto permite avaliar de forma objetiva o desempenho
dos mĂ©todos do estado-da-arte no reconhecimento de indivĂduos em imagens/vĂdeos
capturados num ambiente real de vĂdeo-vigilância. Como tal, este conjunto foi utilizado para
promover a primeira competição de reconhecimento biométrico em ambientes não controlados.
Esta tese descreve os protocolos de avaliação usados, assim como os resultados obtidos por 9
métodos especialmente desenhados para esta competição. Para além disso, os dados adquiridos
pelo sistema QUIS-CAMPI foram essenciais para o desenvolvimento de dois métodos para
aumentar a robustez aos fatores de degradação observados em ambientes de vĂdeo-vigilância. O
primeiro Ă© um mĂ©todo para detetar caracterĂsticas corruptas em assinaturas biomĂ©tricas atravĂ©s
da análise da redundância entre subconjuntos de caracterĂsticas. O segundo Ă© um mĂ©todo de
reconhecimento facial baseado em caricaturas automaticamente geradas a partir de uma Ăşnica
foto do sujeito. As experiências realizadas mostram que ambos os métodos conseguem reduzir
as taxas de erro em dados adquiridos de forma nĂŁo controlada
Behavioral analysis in cybersecurity using machine learning: a study based on graph representation, class imbalance and temporal dissection
The main goal of this thesis is to improve behavioral cybersecurity analysis using machine learning, exploiting graph structures, temporal dissection, and addressing imbalance problems.This main objective is divided into four specific goals:
OBJ1: To study the influence of the temporal resolution on highlighting micro-dynamics in the entity behavior classification problem. In real use cases, time-series information could be not enough for describing the entity behavior classification. For this reason, we plan to exploit graph structures for integrating both structured and unstructured data in a representation of entities and their relationships. In this way, it will be possible to appreciate not only the single temporal communication but the whole behavior of these entities. Nevertheless, entity behaviors evolve over time and therefore, a static graph may not be enoughto describe all these changes. For this reason, we propose to use a temporal dissection for creating temporal subgraphs and therefore, analyze the influence of the temporal resolution on the graph creation and the entity behaviors within. Furthermore, we propose to study how the temporal granularity should be used for highlighting network micro-dynamics and short-term behavioral changes which can be a hint of suspicious activities. OBJ2: To develop novel sampling methods that work with disconnected graphs for addressing imbalanced problems avoiding component topology changes. Graph imbalance problem is a very common and challenging task and traditional graph sampling techniques that work directly on these structures cannot be used without modifying the graph’s intrinsic information or introducing bias. Furthermore, existing techniques have shown to be limited when disconnected graphs are used. For this reason, novel resampling methods for balancing the number of nodes that can be directly applied over disconnected graphs, without altering component topologies, need to be introduced. In particular, we propose to take advantage of the existence of disconnected graphs to detect and replicate the most relevant graph components without changing their topology, while considering traditional data-level strategies for handling the entity behaviors within. OBJ3: To study the usefulness of the generative adversarial networks for addressing the class imbalance problem in cybersecurity applications. Although traditional data-level pre-processing techniques have shown to be effective for addressing class imbalance problems, they have also shown downside effects when highly variable datasets are used, as it happens in cybersecurity. For this reason, new techniques that can exploit the overall data distribution for learning highly variable behaviors should be investigated. In this sense, GANs have shown promising results in the image and video domain, however, their extension to tabular data is not trivial. For this reason, we propose to adapt GANs for working with cybersecurity data and exploit their ability in learning and reproducing the input distribution for addressing the class imbalance problem (as an oversampling technique). Furthermore, since it is not possible to find a unique GAN solution that works for every scenario, we propose to study several GAN architectures with several training configurations to detect which is the best option for a cybersecurity application. OBJ4: To analyze temporal data trends and performance drift for enhancing cyber threat analysis. Temporal dynamics and incoming new data can affect the quality of the predictions compromising the model reliability. This phenomenon makes models get outdated without noticing. In this sense, it is very important to be able to extract more insightful information from the application domain analyzing data trends, learning processes, and performance drifts over time. For this reason, we propose to develop a systematic approach for analyzing how the data quality and their amount affect the learning process. Moreover, in the contextof CTI, we propose to study the relations between temporal performance drifts and the input data distribution for detecting possible model limitations, enhancing cyber threat analysis.Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias y TecnologĂas Industriales (RD 99/2011) Industria Zientzietako eta Teknologietako Doktoretza Programa (ED 99/2011
Tematski zbornik radova međunarodnog značaja. Tom 1 / Međunarodni naučni skup "Dani Arčibalda Rajsa", Beograd, 1-2. mart 2013
The Thematic Conference Proceedings contains 138 papers written by eminent scholars in the field of law, security, criminalistics, police studies, forensics, medicine, as well as members of national security system participating in education of the police, army and other security services from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, China, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska and Serbia. Each paper has been reviewed by two competent international reviewers, and the Thematic Conference Proceedings in whole has been reviewed by five international reviewers. The papers published in the Thematic Conference Proceedings contain the overview of con-temporary trends in the development of police educational system, development of the police and contemporary security, criminalistics and forensics, as well as with the analysis of the rule of law activities in crime suppression, situation and trends in the above-mentioned fields, and suggestions on how to systematically deal with these issues. The Thematic Conference Proceedings represents a significant contribution to the existing fund of scientific and expert knowledge in the field of criminalistic, security, penal and legal theory and practice. Publication of this Conference Proceedings contributes to improving of mutual cooperation between educational, scientific and expert institutions at national, regional and international level
Neolithic land-use in the Dutch wetlands: estimating the land-use implications of resource exploitation strategies in the Middle Swifterbant Culture (4600-3900 BCE)
The Dutch wetlands witness the gradual adoption of Neolithic novelties by foraging societies during the Swifterbant period. Recent analyses provide new insights into the subsistence palette of Middle Swifterbant societies. Small-scale livestock herding and cultivation are in evidence at this time, but their importance if unclear. Within the framework of PAGES Land-use at 6000BP project, we aim to translate the information on resource exploitation into information on land-use that can be incorporated into global climate modelling efforts, with attention for the importance of agriculture. A reconstruction of patterns of resource exploitation and their land-use dimensions is complicated by methodological issues in comparing the results of varied recent investigations. Analyses of organic residues in ceramics have attested to the cooking of aquatic foods, ruminant meat, porcine meat, as well as rare cases of dairy. In terms of vegetative matter, some ceramics exclusively yielded evidence of wild plants, while others preserve cereal remains. Elevated δ15N values of human were interpreted as demonstrating an important aquatic component of the diet well into the 4th millennium BC. Yet recent assays on livestock remains suggest grazing on salt marshes partly accounts for the human values. Finally, renewed archaeozoological investigations have shown the early presence of domestic animals to be more limited than previously thought. We discuss the relative importance of exploited resources to produce a best-fit interpretation of changing patterns of land-use during the Middle Swifterbant phase. Our review combines recent archaeological data with wider data on anthropogenic influence on the landscape. Combining the results of plant macroremains, information from pollen cores about vegetation development, the structure of faunal assemblages, and finds of arable fields and dairy residue, we suggest the most parsimonious interpretation is one of a limited land-use footprint of cultivation and livestock keeping in Dutch wetlands between 4600 and 3900 BCE.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin
Taphonomy, environment or human plant exploitation strategies?: Deciphering changes in Pleistocene-Holocene plant representation at Umhlatuzana rockshelter, South Africa
The period between ~40 and 20 ka BP encompassing the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) transition has long been of interest because of the associated technological change. Understanding this transition in southern Africa is complicated by the paucity of archaeological sites that span this period. With its occupation sequence spanning the last ~70,000 years, Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter is one of the few sites that record this transition. Umhlatuzana thus offers a great opportunity to study past environmental dynamics from the Late Pleistocene (MIS 4) to the Late Holocene, and past human subsistence strategies, their social organisation, technological and symbolic innovations. Although organic preservation is poor (bones, seeds, and charcoal) at the site, silica phytoliths preserve generally well throughout the sequence. These microscopic silica particles can identify different plant types that are no longer visible at the site because of decomposition or burning to a reliable taxonomical level. Thus, to trace site occupation, plant resource use, and in turn reconstruct past vegetation, we applied phytolith analyses to sediment samples of the newly excavated Umhlatuzana sequence. We present results of the phytolith assemblage variability to determine change in plant use from the Pleistocene to the Holocene and discuss them in relation to taphonomical processes and human plant gathering strategies and activities. This study ultimately seeks to provide a palaeoenvironmental context for modes of occupation and will shed light on past human-environmental interactions in eastern South Africa.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin
Ways and Capacity in Archaeological Data Management in Serbia
Over the past year and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire world has witnessed inequalities across borders and societies.
They also include access to archaeological resources, both physical and digital. Both archaeological data creators and users spent
a lot of time working from their homes, away from artefact collections and research data. However, this was the perfect moment to
understand the importance of making data freely and openly available, both nationally and internationally.
This is why the authors of this paper chose to make a selection of data bases from various institutions responsible for preservation
and protection of cultural heritage, in order to understand their policies regarding accessibility and usage of the data they keep.
This will be done by simple visits to various web-sites or data bases. They intend to check on the volume and content, but also
importance of the offered archaeological heritage. In addition, the authors will estimate whether the heritage has adequately been
classified and described and also check whether data is available in foreign languages.
It needs to be seen whether it is possible to access digital objects (documents and the accompanying metadata), whether access
is opened for all users or it requires a certain hierarchy access, what is the policy of usage, reusage and distribution etc. It remains to
be seen whether there are public API or whether it is possible to collect data through API. In case that there is a public API, one needs
to check whether datasets are interoperable or messy, requiring data cleaning.
After having visited a certain number of web-sites, the authors expect to collect enough data to make a satisfactory conclusion
about accessibility and usage of Serbian archaeological data web bases