Efficient depth image compression using accurate depth discontinuity detection and prediction

This paper presents a novel depth image compression algorithm for both 3D Television (3DTV) and Free Viewpoint Television (FVTV) services. The proposed scheme adopts the K-means clustering algorithm to segment the depth image into K segments. The resulting segmented image is losslessly compressed and transmitted to the decoder. The depth image is then compressed using a bi-modal block encoder, where the smooth blocks are predicted using direct spatial prediction. On the other hand, blocks containing depth discontinuities are approximated using a novel depth discontinuity predictor. The residual information is then compressed using a lossy compression strategy and transmitted to the receiver. Simulation results indicate that the proposed scheme outperforms the state of the art spatial video coding systems available today such as JPEG and H.264/AVC Intra. Moreover, the proposed scheme manages to outperform specialized depth image compression algorithms such as the one proposed by Zanuttigh and Cortelazzo.peer-reviewe

Internet Based Benchmarking

We discuss the design of interactive, internet based benchmarking using parametric (statistical) as well as non-parametric (DEA) models. The user receives benchmarks and improvement potentials. The user is also given the possibility to search different efficiency frontiers and hereby to explore alternative improvement strategies. An implementation of both a parametric and a non parametric model are presented.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Simulation support for internet-based energy services

The rapidly developing Internet broadband network offers new opportunities for deploying a range of energy, environment and health-related services for people in their homes and workplaces. Several of these services can be enabled or enhanced through the application of building simulation. This paper describes the infrastructure for e-services under test within a European research project and shows the potential for simulation support for these services

Modeling the Rise in Internet-based Petitions

Contemporary collective action, much of which involves social media and other Internet-based platforms, leaves a digital imprint which may be harvested to better understand the dynamics of mobilization. Petition signing is an example of collective action which has gained in popularity with rising use of social media and provides such data for the whole population of petition signatories for a given platform. This paper tracks the growth curves of all 20,000 petitions to the UK government over 18 months, analyzing the rate of growth and outreach mechanism. Previous research has suggested the importance of the first day to the ultimate success of a petition, but has not examined early growth within that day, made possible here through hourly resolution in the data. The analysis shows that the vast majority of petitions do not achieve any measure of success; over 99 percent fail to get the 10,000 signatures required for an official response and only 0.1 percent attain the 100,000 required for a parliamentary debate. We analyze the data through a multiplicative process model framework to explain the heterogeneous growth of signatures at the population level. We define and measure an average outreach factor for petitions and show that it decays very fast (reducing to 0.1% after 10 hours). After 24 hours, a petition's fate is virtually set. The findings seem to challenge conventional analyses of collective action from economics and political science, where the production function has been assumed to follow an S-shaped curve.Comment: Submitted to EPJ Data Scienc

Applying Internet-based Writing Course to Improve the Banyumas Tourism Office Staff\u27s Ability in Writing English Informative Texts

Attempts at introducing Indonesian tourism attractions to the world are often hindered by the lack of ability to provide proper information. This problem is apparent in regional tourism offices, like Banyumas Regency\u27s, where the personnel are usually not highly trained in English. Therefore, a research was conducted to identify the ability of Banyumas tourism office staff in writing descriptive texts and to investigate whether applying internet-based writing course to the staff can improve the ability. This research is experimental in which a group of Banyumas tourism office staff participated. The group got a treatment, i.e. writing course blended with internet as a medium of writing. Pre-test and post-test were conducted to compare the level of writing ability before and after the experiment. Observations, interviews and questionnaire were also employed to obtain data. The results show that the participants\u27 ability in writing descriptive texts before the treatment is average. The common problems found were wrong choice of words, incorrect sentence structures, insufficient topic sentences and poor cohesion and coherence within the paragraphs. Comparison between pre-test and post-test indicated that the writing ability of the respondents increased by 30 % in general. Further analysis to the supporting data revealed that the increase is highly attributed to the use of references on the internet, and higher motivation and awareness in writing and revising drafts as they were publicized on-line

Map online system using internet-based image catalogue

Digital maps carry along its geodata information such as coordinate that is important in one particular topographic and thematic map. These geodatas are meaningful especially in military field. Since the maps carry along this information, its makes the size of the images is too big. The bigger size, the bigger storage is required to allocate the image file. It also can cause longer loading time. These conditions make it did not suitable to be applied in image catalogue approach via internet environment. With compression techniques, the image size can be reduced and the quality of the image is still guaranteed without much changes. This report is paying attention to one of the image compression technique using wavelet technology. Wavelet technology is much batter than any other image compression technique nowadays. As a result, the compressed images applied to a system called Map Online that used Internet-based Image Catalogue approach. This system allowed user to buy map online. User also can download the maps that had been bought besides using the searching the map. Map searching is based on several meaningful keywords. As a result, this system is expected to be used by Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia (JUPEM) in order to make the organization vision is implemented

Control Led Through Internet Based on Nodemcu with Blynk Application

   Internet (interconnected-networking) is a series of computers that are connected globally in several circuits and use TCP / IP as packet exchange communication protocol. The internet as part of the technological development that is very rapidly developing in people\u27s lives today has been able to be used as a medium of communication and control of devices from a distance as long as they are still connected to each other. The internet is like virtual threads that connect with one another, forward data and convey data from one point to another. However, along with the development of increasingly advanced science and technology, the internet is no longer just to connect between humans but also to control between any object that can be connected. In this study there were 3 (three) problems and 3 (three) problem solving methods Electronic device control in the form of LED lights using an IoT platform that is open source. This study uses the NodeMCU module as a station, which will be controlled by the Blynk application with an internet connection. In this study using the NodeMCU module as a station, which will be controlled by the Blynk application by connecting to the internet

A review of research ethics in internet-based research

Internet-based research methods can include; on-line surveys, web page content analysis, videoconferencing for on-line focus groups and/ or interviews, analysis of ‘e’ conversations through social networking sites, email, chat rooms, discussion boards and/ or blogs. Over the last ten years an upsurge in Internet Based Research (IBR) has led to increased interest in IBR and research ethics. Here we present some ethical guidelines for IBR whilst at the same time accepting that it would be unrealistic to expect that any single set of guidelines can cover all ethical situations concerning IBR). There is simply too much diversity across internet cultures, values and modes of operation for that to be the case. Perhaps the most useful solution to the complex challenges of IRB lies with a form of ‘negotiated ethics’, a situated approach grounded in the specifics of the online community, the methodology and the research question(s). This does not mean an ‘anything goes’ relativist approach, rather an open, pluralistic policy in relation to IBR ethical issues (Ess, 2009; AoIR, 2002)