MapSnapper: Engineering an Efficient Algorithm for Matching Images of Maps from Mobile Phones

The MapSnapper project aimed to develop a system for robust matching of low-quality images of a paper map taken from a mobile phone against a high quality digital raster representation of the same map. The paper presents a novel methodology for performing content-based image retrieval and object recognition from query images that have been degraded by noise and subjected to transformations through the imaging system. In addition the paper also provides an insight into the evaluation-driven development process that was used to incrementally improve the matching performance until the design specifications were met

Texas coastal zone biotopes : an ecography : interim report for the Bay and Estuary Management Program (CRMP)

November 1972Because esthetics, biological environment and physiography are so interrelated and have changeable meanings in various environments, we are obligated to think of the environment in terms of biological change, as environmental protection is presently a basis for much dialogue and sometimes controversy. To do this we have chosen an old concept and adapted it to identify the relationships among biological communities that may be changed when man or nature modifies the coastal environment. The chosen term is BIOTOPE, which is defined in Webster's as a region uniform in environmental conditions and in populations of animals and plants for which it is the habitat. Although the biological environment may appear to the layman as either diverse or uniform and without pattern, there are recognizable biotic assemblages that have some degree of relationship in their composition. Such recognizable assemblages may cover wide areas, such as the extensive turtle grass flats, or may be discrete small units, such as an oyster reef. Thus we have adapted the term BIOTOPE to identify such assemblages and initially suggest the following eighteen examples listed in Table 1. Thirteen of them plus an overview are illustrated. ... If the concept of the BIOTOPE is to be used to describe common, recognizable Texas Gulf coast communities, then we can use these descriptions to demonstrate the results of changes. For example, if one plans to dredge a grass flat to produce a spoil bank and a channel, the Biotopes of these three areas can be compared to allow the decision maker to evaluate how the change may affect the area involved. Because the decision maker is not always scientifically oriented, we have elected to describe the Biotope by artists' renditions accompanied with lists of common and scientific names of major species of plants and animals and a description of the relative productivity of the major organisms in the area.Supported in part by Coastal Resources Management Program, Office of the Governor, IAC (72-73)-806, and The National Science Foundation RANN, Grant GI-34870XMarine Scienc

Reduction of Yield and Income Risk Under Alternative Crop Insurance and Disaster Assistance Plans

This study compares the effectiveness of five crop insurance/disaster assistance plans: an individual farm yield insurance plan similar to the current FCIC multi-peril program ; two area yield insurance plans; a farm yield disaster assistance plan; and an area yield disaster assistance plan. These methods are examined for reduction in yield and gross income variability with and without participation in the government deficiency payment programs using farm-level yield data from 98 dryland wheat farms and 38 dryland corn farms in Kansas . Although individual farm yield insurance is complex, suffers from moral hazard and adverse selection problems, and is likely to be the most expensive to administer , it provides more yield and gross income risk reduction than any of the alternative insurance/disaster assistance plans.Crop Insurance, Crop Disaster Assistance, Risk, Wheat, Corn, Risk and Uncertainty,

A preliminary investigation of the use of throttles for emergency flight control

A preliminary investigation was conducted regarding the use of throttles for emergency flight control of a multiengine aircraft. Several airplanes including a light twin-engine piston-powered airplane, jet transports, and a high performance fighter were studied during flight and piloted simulations. Simulation studies used the B-720, B-727, MD-11, and F-15 aircraft. Flight studies used the Lear 24, Piper PA-30, and F-15 airplanes. Based on simulator and flight results, all the airplanes exhibited some control capability with throttles. With piloted simulators, landings using manual throttles-only control were extremely difficult. An augmented control system was developed that converts conventional pilot stick inputs into appropriate throttle commands. With the augmented system, the B-720 and F-15 simulations were evaluated and could be landed successfully. Flight and simulation data were compared for the F-15 airplane

Social work practice with groups in the elementary school setting : a demonstration project with randomly selected children in grades 4, 5 & 6.

Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1973 .C25. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1973