Analysing the behaviour of robot teams through relational sequential pattern mining

This report outlines the use of a relational representation in a Multi-Agent domain to model the behaviour of the whole system. A desired property in this systems is the ability of the team members to work together to achieve a common goal in a cooperative manner. The aim is to define a systematic method to verify the effective collaboration among the members of a team and comparing the different multi-agent behaviours. Using external observations of a Multi-Agent System to analyse, model, recognize agent behaviour could be very useful to direct team actions. In particular, this report focuses on the challenge of autonomous unsupervised sequential learning of the team's behaviour from observations. Our approach allows to learn a symbolic sequence (a relational representation) to translate raw multi-agent, multi-variate observations of a dynamic, complex environment, into a set of sequential behaviours that are characteristic of the team in question, represented by a set of sequences expressed in first-order logic atoms. We propose to use a relational learning algorithm to mine meaningful frequent patterns among the relational sequences to characterise team behaviours. We compared the performance of two teams in the RoboCup four-legged league environment, that have a very different approach to the game. One uses a Case Based Reasoning approach, the other uses a pure reactive behaviour.Comment: 25 page

Characterization and numerical simulation of the microstructural and micromechanical viscoelastic behavior of oil sands using the discrete element method

Oil sands are naturally geologic formations of predominantly quartz sand grains whose void spaces are filled with bitumen, water, and dissolved gases. The electric rope shovel is the primary equipment used for excavating the Athabasca oil sand formations. The equipment\u27s static and dynamic loads are transferred to the formation during excavation and propel. These loads cause ground instability leading to sinkage or rutting, crawler wear, and fracture failures. These problems result in unplanned downtimes, production losses, and high maintenance costs. In order to address these problems, there is a need to develop valid models that capture the behavior and performance of oil sands under these loads. Particle-based physics methods, such as the discrete element method (DEM) can provide useful insight into the micromechanical and microstructural behavior of oil sands. This research is a pioneering effort towards contributing to the existing body of knowledge in oil sands formation characterization and numerical simulation using the DEM. These areas include oil sands as a four-phase material, shovel-formation interactions, and coupled deformation-stress under dynamic loading. A 2-D DEM model of the oil sands is built and simulated in PFC2D. The simulation results show that the generalized Burgers model with five Kelvin-Voigt elements fully characterized the microscopic viscoelastic response of the material. The micromechanical and microstructural viscoelastic model developed in this study can predict the dynamic modulus and phase angle of the material with a maximum error of 13.6%. This research initiative is a pioneering effort toward understanding shovel-oil sands formation interactions using a micromechanical and microstructural particle-based mechanics approach --Abstract, page iii

Advanced Cultural Districts. Innovative Approaches to Organizational Design

Most of the literature concentrated on urban clusters, cities of art and cities of culture, intended for local socio-economic development. How can the process of advanced districtualisation be supported also in a supra-urban territory and from an organizational perspective? What are the peculiarities of the Italian understanding of this process? Through the exploitation of eight Italian case studies, our argumentations are enriched and supported by a recent and innovative literature on the issue of design. The aim is to extend the knowledge and the understanding of cultural heritage under a managerial and, in particular, organizational perspective. More specifically, the work aims to open debate through the juxtaposition of too deterministic design approaches (we name “straight lines”), that extol the virtues of anticipation and completeness, and the actual process of design ‘in action’ within complex projects (depicted through the metaphor of “circles and spirals”) of Advanced Cultural Districts. Our argumentations converge in a model conceived as a support for both analysis and design intended towards a more conscious and sustainable way of cultural districtualisation as a form to support the local socio-economic development

From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet

This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)

Engineering self-organizing urban superorganisms

Progresses in ubiquitous, embedded, and social networking and computing make possible for people in urban areas to dynamically interact with each other and with ICT devices around. This can result in a system with a very large number of agents working together in an orchestrated and self-organizing way to achieve specific urban-level goals, i.e., as if they were a “superorganism”. In this paper, we sketch the future vision of urban superorganisms and overview some emerging application areas heading towards the vision. Following, we identify the key challenges in engineering self-organizing multi-agent systems that can work as a superorganism, i.e., seamlessly involving ICT agents and human agents so to achieve some required urban level goals. Finally, we introduce the reference architecture for an infrastructure to support our future vision of self-organizing urban superorganisms

Towards a Digital Ecosystem of Trust: Ethical, Legal and Societal Implications

The European vision of a digital ecosystem of trust rests on innovation, powerful technological solutions, a comprehensive regulatory framework and respect for the core values and principles of ethics. Innovation in the digital domain strongly relies on data, as has become obvious during the current pandemic. Successful data science, especially where health data are concerned, necessitates establishing a framework where data subjects can feel safe to share their data. In this paper, methods for facilitating data sharing, privacy-preserving technologies, decentralization, data altruism, as well as the interplay between the Data Governance Act and the GDPR, are presented and discussed by reference to use cases from the largest pan-European social science data research project, SoBigData++. In doing so, we argue that innovation can be turned into responsible innovation and Europe can make its ethics work in digital practice

Urban Living Lab: An Experimental Co-Production Tool to Foster the Circular Economy

In recent decades; the balance of power between institutional and economic actors has radically changed; with a significant impact on the modes and dynamics of governance. In the broad array of experimental practices of co-production; Living Labs (LLs) represent a promising mode of collaboration among public bodies; research centres; private companies and citizens. By means of LLs; public actors aim to co-produce experimental policies; breaking out of traditional policy schemes to find new solutions to collective problems. On an urban scale; such tools have come to be known as Urban Living Labs (ULLs), and they are increasingly used by local governments to tackle complex problems such us stimulating the circular economy to tackle climate change. This paper provides a systematic review of case studies to understand whether and how the ULLs can represent an effective policy tool to foster the circular economy on an urban scale

Towards Operational Research Infrastructures with FAIR Data and Services

Environmental research infrastructures aim to provide scientists with facilities, resources and services to enable scientists to effectively perform advanced research. When addressing societal challenges such as climate change and pollution, scientists usually need data, models and methods from different domains to tackle the complexity of the complete environmental system. Research infrastructures are thus required to enable all data, including services, products, and virtual research environments is FAIR for research communities: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. In this last chapter, we conclude and identify future challenges in research infrastructure operation, user support, interoperability, and future evolution

Autonomous Vehicle and Smart Traffic

Long-term forecasting of technology has become extremely difficult due to the rapid realization of any suggested idea. Communication and software technologies can compensate for the problems that may arise during the transition period between idea generation and realization. However, this rapid process can cause problems for the automotive industry and transportation systems.Autonomous vehicles are currently a hot topic within the transportation sector. This development is related to the compatibility of vehicles of the near future with the development of the infrastructure on which these vehicles will be based. There are certain problems regarding the solutions that are currently being worked on, such as how autonomous should vehicles be, their control mechanisms, driving safety, energy requirements, and environmental use. The problem is not just about the design of autonomous vehicles. The user transportation systems of these vehicles also need problem-free solutions. The problem should not only be seen as financial because sociological effects are an important part of this feature.In this book, valuable research on the modeling, systems, transportation, technological necessity, and logistics of autonomous vehicles is presented. The content of the book will help researchers to create ideas for their future studies and to open up the discussion of autonomous vehicles