An Architecture for QoS-Enabled Mobile Video Surveillance Applications in a 4G EPC and M2M Environment

© 2016 IEEE. Mobile video surveillance applications are used widely nowadays. They offer real-time video monitoring for homes, offices, warehouses, airports, and so on with live and pre-recorded on-demand video streaming. Quality of service (QoS) remains a key challenge faced by most of these applications. In this article, we propose an architecture for mobile video surveillance applications with a guaranteed and differentiated QoS support. The architecture relies on the 3GPP 4G evolved packet core (EPC). The main components are the QoS enabler, media server, and machine-to-machine gateway and surveillance application. To demonstrate its feasibility, a proof of concept prototype has been implemented and deployed. We also took measurements to evaluate the performance. Several lessons were learned. For instance, multimedia frameworks must allow for buffering controls in media streaming to reduce live streaming delay. In addition, we have learned that publicly available materials related to the EPC prototyping platform we have used (i.e., OpenEPC) are scarce. This has made our prototyping task rather difficult

A perceptual comparison of empirical and predictive region-of-interest video

When viewing multimedia presentations, a user only attends to a relatively small part of the video display at any one point in time. By shifting allocation of bandwidth from peripheral areas to those locations where a user’s gaze is more likely to rest, attentive displays can be produced. Attentive displays aim to reduce resource requirements while minimizing negative user perception—understood in this paper as not only a user’s ability to assimilate and understand information but also his/her subjective satisfaction with the video content. This paper introduces and discusses a perceptual comparison between two region-of-interest display (RoID) adaptation techniques. A RoID is an attentive display where bandwidth has been preallocated around measured or highly probable areas of user gaze. In this paper, video content was manipulated using two sources of data: empirical measured data (captured using eye-tracking technology) and predictive data (calculated from the physical characteristics of the video data). Results show that display adaptation causes significant variation in users’ understanding of specific multimedia content. Interestingly, RoID adaptation and the type of video being presented both affect user perception of video quality. Moreover, the use of frame rates less than 15 frames per second, for any video adaptation technique, caused a significant reduction in user perceived quality, suggesting that although users are aware of video quality reduction, it does impact level of information assimilation and understanding. Results also highlight that user level of enjoyment is significantly affected by the type of video yet is not as affected by the quality or type of video adaptation—an interesting implication in the field of entertainment

Non-linear echo cancellation - a Bayesian approach

Echo cancellation literature is reviewed, then a Bayesian model is introduced and it is shown how how it can be used to model and fit nonlinear channels. An algorithm for cancellation of echo over a nonlinear channel is developed and tested. It is shown that this nonlinear algorithm converges for both linear and nonlinear channels and is superior to linear echo cancellation for canceling an echo through a nonlinear echo-path channel

Reinventing the retail sector with Virtual Fitting Rooms: Consumer Perception

Project Work presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Marketing Research and CRMVirtual Fitting Rooms (VFRs) have emerged as a promising technology for the eyewear industry, offering consumers the opportunity to try on glasses virtually before purchasing them. However, little is known about consumers' perception towards VFRs, especially in the context of eyewear. This thesis aims to explore consumers' assessment of VFRs for eyewear using a mixed-methods approach, including an experiment, in-depth interviews, and observation method. The sample consisted of 219 participants from NOVA IMS. The experiment aimed to measure the degree of acceptance of potential privacy issues involved and the willingness to use VFRs. The in-depth interviews aimed to explore the reasons behind participants' assessments towards VFRs, while the observation method was used to analyse the behavior and interaction between the participants and the VFR. The results indicate that concerns regarding potential privacy issues involved in VFRs were higher among the personalized sample. Additionally, younger, and male consumers were more likely to be accepting of potential privacy issues and more responsive to VFRs. Participants were less likely to use VFRs if it required uploading a video but were moderately likely to use VFRs if it required uploading a photo. However, participants were likely to use VFRs if it required entering measurements. Finally, a high proportion of the sample indicated that they would consider or certainly buy after the VFR experience. This study contributes to the literature on consumer’s perception towards VFRs by providing insights of NOVA IMS consumers’ perceptions towards VFRs for eyewear. The findings have important implications for eyewear retailers and manufacturers who are considering the implementation of VFR technology

Design and technical evaluation of an enhanced location-awareness service enabler for spatial disorientation management of elderly with mild cognitive impairment

The progressive ageing of population has turned the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) into a prevalent disease suffered by elderly. Consequently, the spatial disorientation has become a significant problem for older people and their caregivers. The ambient-assisted living applications are offering location-based services for empowering elderly to go outside and encouraging a greater independence. Therefore, this paper describes the design and technical evaluation of a location-awareness service enabler aimed at supporting and managing probable wandering situations of a person with MCI. Through the presence capabilities of the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) architecture, the service will alert patient's contacts if a hazardous situation is detected depending on his location. Furthermore, information about the older person's security areas has been included in the user profile managed by IMS. In doing so, the service enabler introduced contribute to “context-awareness” paradigm allowing the adaptation and personalization of services depending on user's context and specific conditions or preferences

Privacy and e-learning: a pending task

Most educational software programs use and gather personal information and metadata from students. Additionally, most of the educational software programs are no longer operated by the learning institutions but are run by third-party agencies. This means that in the decade since 2020, information about students is stored and handled outside premises and control of learning institutions. The personal information about students and their activity while they interact with learning management systems and online learning tools is increasingly in custody of cloud computing platforms, software-as-a-service providers, and learning tool vendors. There is an increasing will to use all the data and metadata from the activity of the students for research, to develop education management strategies, pedagogy approaches, and develop behavior control tools or learning tools informed by behavior analysis from learning analytics. Many times, these studies lack the ethical and moral perspective. In addition, there is an increasing number of cases in which this information has leaked or has been used in a shady way. Additionally, this information will be around for a long time, tied to the future digital profiles of the students whose data has been leaked. This paper hypothesizes that there has been an ongoing process of technological evolution that leads to a loss of control over personal information, which makes it even more difficult to protect user confidentiality and ensuring privacy, that data surveillance has entered the world of education, and that the current legal frameworks are not enough to really protect the student’s personal information. The paper analyzes how this situation came to pass, and why this is wrong. We conclude with some proposals to address it from its different root dimensions: technical, cultural, legal, and organizational.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A data-globe and immersive virtual reality environment for upper limb rehabilitation after spinal cord injury

While a number of virtual data-gloves have been used in stroke, there is little evidence about their use in spinal cord injury (SCI). A pilot clinical experience with nine SCI subjects was performed comparing two groups: one carried out a virtual rehabilitation training based on the use of a data glove, CyberTouch combined with traditional rehabilitation, during 30 minutes a day twice a week along two weeks; while the other made only conventional rehabilitation. Furthermore, two functional indexes were developed in order to assess the patient’s performance of the sessions: normalized trajectory lengths and repeatability. While differences between groups were not statistically significant, the data-glove group seemed to obtain better results in the muscle balance and functional parameters, and in the dexterity, coordination and fine grip tests. Related to the indexes that we implemented, normalized trajectory lengths and repeatability, every patient showed an improvement in at least one of the indexes, either along Y-axis trajectory or Z-axis trajectory. This study might be a step in investigating new ways of treatments and objective measures in order to obtain more accurate data about the patient’s evolution, allowing the clinicians to develop rehabilitation treatments, adapted to the abilities and needs of the patients