Learning Temporal Transformations From Time-Lapse Videos

Based on life-long observations of physical, chemical, and biologic phenomena in the natural world, humans can often easily picture in their minds what an object will look like in the future. But, what about computers? In this paper, we learn computational models of object transformations from time-lapse videos. In particular, we explore the use of generative models to create depictions of objects at future times. These models explore several different prediction tasks: generating a future state given a single depiction of an object, generating a future state given two depictions of an object at different times, and generating future states recursively in a recurrent framework. We provide both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the generated results, and also conduct a human evaluation to compare variations of our models.Comment: ECCV201

Cultivating Lifelong Donors: Stewardship and the Fundraising Pyramid

This handbook helps nonprofits build long-term giving programs that span the entire supporter lifecycle, from engagement through the end of life. It highlights strategies for engaging new supporters online, investigates the characteristics of loyal donors, examines the importance of developing personal relationships with transitional giving prospects, and discusses donor cultivation

UAS as an Inventory Tool: A Photogrammetric Approach to Volume Estimation

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or remotely piloted vehicles (RPV), are associated with unmanned aircraft either controlled by a pilot on the ground or pre-programmed with specific flight paths. Small UASs have seen a massive increase in public interest in recent years as hobbyist platforms; they are, however, a potentially powerful tool in remote sensing and geospatial applications. Due to the increased availability of low-cost UAS, this technology could soon revolutionize many industries, including those that require volumetric estimation. Traditionally volumetric inventories have been performed with tape measurements, and in some instances where accuracy is of utmost importance, survey grade GPS and/or terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) equipment. UAS platforms can bridge a gap between traditional methods by providing accurate volume estimates quickly and efficiently along with valuable 3D digital data for a historical record. This project addressed this problem using photogrammetric techniques with an inexpensive UAS. Methods of data capture and post processing techniques were explored. Volumetric accuracies were assessed by comparing collected data against in situ reference measurements and engineering diagrams. The results show a promising future for UAS and photogrammetric volume estimation that is both cost and time efficient. Out of thirteen objects surveyed six had a relative error less than 5% and exhibited good quality 3D reconstruction. Of the remaining seven objects, four had a relative error greater than 15% and exhibited a very poor 3D reconstruction. The ability to accurately estimate volume is directly proportional to the quality of the 3D model with the highest quality scenes exhibiting the highest accuracy volume estimates. This project has demonstrated that when suitable circumstances are presented and 3D reconstruction is met with a high level of success, inexpensive UAS and photogrammetry present a powerful tool for performing volume estimation of many objects. Future efforts should include research into the optimization of equipment parameters as well as the effects and limitations of site conditions in order to improve 3D modeling and thus volume estimation

La evolución del activismo digital en México: una historia de dos movimientos "EZLN" y "43 Ayotzinapa"

There is an important tradition in Mexico related to the use of the Internet as a communication strategy for distributing subversive and alternative political discourse since mid-1995, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), named after Manuel Castells as the first "informational guerrilla," until now with the use of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) as optimal spaces to promote alternative social movements such as "I am 132." The purpose of this paper is to make a comparative study in between the movements "EZLN" and "43 Ayotzinapa." Methodology is based on the comparative analysis of cases through the revision of academic literature and original material generated by activists. It focuses not only on studying their political propositions, but particularly on their tactics and the role played by technology in the construction of their discourse. Final outcomes will show in what way the technological change along the years has conditioned the form by which unsubordinated groups create and spread information and how technological platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have facilitated the communication and social participation of movements, but the research also pretend to understand until which level activists use tactics that have somewhat altered in more than 20 years.Hay una tradición importante en México relacionada con el uso de Internet como estrategia de comunicación para difundir el discurso político subversivo y alternativo que se extiende desde mediados de 1995, con el Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN), nombrado por Manuel Castells como el primera "guerrilla informacional", hasta el siglo XXI con la consolidación de las redes sociales como espacios óptimos para la promoción de movimientos alternativos. El trabajo es un estudio comparativo entre los movimientos "EZLN" y "43 Ayotzinapa." La metodología se basa en el análisis comparativo de casos a través de la revisión de la bibliografía existente sobre el tema, así como de los materiales generados por los activistas. La investigación se focaliza no solo en estudiar sus proposiciones políticas, sino particularmente sus tácticas, así como el papel desempeñado por la tecnología en la construcción del discurso de ambos movimientos.Ciencias de la Comunicació

Cloud technologies as a tool of creating Earth Remote Sensing educational resources

This article is dedicated to the Earth Remote Sensing (ERS), which the authors believe is a great way to teach geography and allows forming an idea of the actual geographic features and phenomena. One of the major problems that now constrains the active introduction of remote sensing data in the educational process is the low availability of training aerospace pictures, which meet didactic requirements. The article analyzes the main sources of ERS as a basis for educational resources formation with aerospace images: paper, various individual sources (personal stations receiving satellite information, drones, balloons, kites and balls) and Internet sources (mainstream sites, sites of scientific-technical organizations and distributors, interactive Internet geoservices, cloud platforms of geospatial analysis). The authors point out that their geospatial analysis platforms (Google Earth Engine, Land Viewer, EOS Platform, etc.), due to their unique features, are the basis for the creation of information thematic databases of ERS. The article presents an example of such a database, covering more than 800 aerospace images and dynamic models, which are combined according to such didactic principles as high information load and clarity.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure, 1 tabl

Basic policy driven to shared photo on OSN’s

Now a days sharing images on social networking is common but maintaining security is a major issue, as demonstrated by a recent wave of publicized incidents where users inadvertently shared personal information. In light of these incidents, the need of tools to help users control access to their shared content is apparent. The future framework naturally explains the pictures. With the expanding volume of pictures clients offer through social locales, keeping up protection has turned into a noteworthy issue, as exhibited by a late flood of plugged episodes where clients coincidentally shared individual data. In light of these occurrences, the need of apparatuses to push clients control access to their mutual substance is evident. Toward tending to this need, we propose a Versatile Protection Arrangement Expectation (A3P) framework to offer clients some assistance with composing security settings for their pictures. We look at the part of social setting, picture substance, and metadata as could be allowed pointers of clients' protection inclinations. We propose a two-level structure which as indicated by the client's accessible history on the site, decides the best accessible security approach for the client's pictures being transferred. Our answer depends on a picture grouping structure for picture classes which may be connected with comparative arrangements, and on a strategy expectation calculation to naturally create an approach for each recently transferred picture, likewise as per clients' social elements

Using phenocams to monitor our changing earth: Toward a global phenocam network

Rapid changes to the biosphere are altering ecological processes worldwide. Developing informed policies for mitigating the impacts of environmental change requires an exponential increase in the quantity, diversity, and resolution of field-collected data, which, in turn, necessitates greater reliance on innovative technologies to monitor ecological processes across local to global scales. Automated digital time-lapse cameras – “phenocams” – can monitor vegetation status and environmental changes over long periods of time. Phenocams are ideal for documenting changes in phenology, snow cover, fire frequency, and other disturbance events. However, effective monitoring of global environmental change with phenocams requires adoption of data standards. New continental-scale ecological research networks, such as the US National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and the European Union's Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), can serve as templates for developing rigorous data standards and extending the utility of phenocam data through standardized ground-truthing. Open-source tools for analysis, visualization, and collaboration will make phenocam data more widely usable