Data fusion with computational intelligence techniques: a case study of fuzzy inference for terrain assessment

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

With the constant technology progression is inherent storage of all kinds of data. Satellites, mobile phones, cameras and other type of electronic equipment, produce on daily basis an amount of data of gigantic proportions. These data alone may not convey any meaning and may even be impossible to interpret them without specific auxiliary measures. Data fusion contributes in this issue giving use of these data, processing them into proper knowledge for whom analyzes. Within data fusion there are numerous processing approaches and methodologies, being given here highlight to the one that most resembles to the imprecise human knowledge, the fuzzy reasoning. These method is applied in several areas, inclusively as inference system for hazard detection and avoidance in unmanned space missions. To this is fundamental the use of fuzzy inference systems, where the problem is modeled through a set of linguistic rules, fuzzy sets, membership functions and other information. In this thesis it was developed a fuzzy inference system, for safe landing sites using fusion of maps, and a data visualization tool. Thus, classification and validation of the information are made easier with such tools.