Directional Geodesic Active Contours

We present a non-conformal metric that generalizes the geodesic active contours approach for image segmentation. The new metric is obtained by adding to the Euclidean metric an additional term that penalizes the misalignment of the curve with the image gradient and multiplying the resulting metric by a conformal factor that depends on the edge intensity. In this way, a closer fitting to the edge direction results. The provided experimental results address the computation of the geodesics of the new metric by applying a gradient descent to externally provided curves. The good performance of the proposed techniques is demonstrated in comparison with other active contours methods.

Showing the Past: Integrating Cartographic Collections through Virtual Map Rooms

Spatial Data Infrastructures have become a methodological and technological benchmark enabling distributed access to historical-cartographic archives. However, it is essential to offer enhanced virtual tools that imitate the current processes and methodologies that are carried out by librarians, historians and academics in the existing map libraries around the world. These virtual processes must be supported by a generic framework for managing, querying, and accessing distributed georeferenced resources and other content types such as scientific data or information. The authors have designed and developed support tools to provide enriched browsing, measurement and geometrical analysis capabilities, and dynamical querying methods, based on SDI foundations. The DIGMAP engine and the IBERCARTO collection enable access to georeferenced historical-cartographical archives. Based on lessons learned from the CartoVIRTUAL and DynCoopNet projects, a generic service architecture scheme is proposed. This way, it is possible to achieve the integration of virtual map rooms and SDI technologies bringing support to researchers within the historical and social domains.

Reduction in Calculated Uncertainty of a Noise Map by Improving the Traffic Model Data Through Two Phases

The influence of applying European default traffic values to the making of a noise map was evaluated in a typical environment like Palma de Mallorca. To assess these default traffic values, a first model has been created and compared with measured noise levels. Subsequently a second traffic model, improving the input data used for the first one, has been created and validated according to the deviations. Different methodologies were also examined for collecting model input data that would be of higher quality, by analysing the improvement generated in the reduction in the uncertainty of the noise map introduced by the road traffic noise emission

Dense Map Inference with User-Defined Priors: From Priorlets to Scan Eigenvariations

When mapping is formulated in a Bayesian framework, the need of specifying a prior for the environment arises naturally. However, so far, the use of a particular structure prior has been coupled to working with a particular representation. We describe a system that supports inference with multiple priors while keeping the same dense representation. The priors are rigorously described by the user in a domain-specific language. Even though we work very close to the measurement space, we are able to represent structure constraints with the same expressivity as methods based on geometric primitives. This approach allows the intrinsic degrees of freedom of the environment’s shape to be recovered. Experiments with simulated and real data sets will be presented

Pushover analysis for the seismic response prediction of cable-stayed bridges under multi-directional excitation

Cable-stayed bridges represent nowadays key points in transport networks and their seismic behavior needs to be fully understood, even beyond the elastic range of materials. Both nonlinear dynamic (NL-RHA) and static (pushover) procedures are currently available to face this challenge, each with intrinsic advantages and disadvantages, and their applicability in the study of the nonlinear seismic behavior of cable-stayed bridges is discussed here. The seismic response of a large number of finite element models with different span lengths, tower shapes and class of foundation soil is obtained with different procedures and compared. Several features of the original Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) are modified in light of cable-stayed bridge characteristics, furthermore, an extension of MPA and a new coupled pushover analysis (CNSP) are suggested to estimate the complex inelastic response of such outstanding structures subjected to multi-axial strong ground motions.

Integration of Virtual Map Rooms as a support tool in historical and social research

At the present time almost all map libraries on the Internet are image collections generated by the digitization of early maps. This type of graphics files provides researchers with the possibility of accessing and visualizing historical cartographic information keeping in mind that this information has a degree of quality that depends upon elements such as the accuracy of the digitization process and proprietary constraints (e.g. visualization, resolution downloading options, copyright, use constraints). In most cases, access to these map libraries is useful only as a first approach and it is not possible to use those maps for scientific work due to the sparse tools available to measure, match, analyze and/or combine those resources with different kinds of cartography. This paper presents a method to enrich virtual map rooms and provide historians and other professional with a tool that let them to make the most of libraries in the digital era.

New selective earth faults only current directional method for isolated neutral systems

In order to achieve total selectivity at electrical distribution networks it is of great importance to analyze the defect currents at ungrounded power systems. This information will help to grant selectivity at electrical distribution networks ensuring that only the defect line or feeder is removed from service. In the present work a new selective and directional protection method for ungrounded power systems is evaluated. The new method measures only defect currents to detect earth faults and works with a directional criterion to determine the line under faulty conditions. The main contribution of this new technique is that it can detect earth faults in outgoing lines at any type of substation avoiding the possible mismatch of traditional directional earth fault relays. This detection technique is based on the comparison of the direction of a reference current to the direction of all earth fault capacitive currents at all the feeders connected to the same bus bars. This new method has been validated through computer simulations. The results for the different cases studied are remarkable, proving total validity and usefulness of the new method.

Assigning diameter distribution typologies to an ALS data grid map

distribuciones diamétricas con ALS

Noise-induced attractor annihilation in the delayed feedback logistic map

We study dynamics of the bistable logistic map with delayed feedback, under the influence of white Gaussian noise and periodic modulation applied to the variable. This system may serve as a model to describe population dynamics under finite resources in noisy environment with seasonal fluctuations. While a very small amount of noise has no effect on the global structure of the coexisting attractors in phase space, an intermediate noise totally eliminates one of the attractors. Slow periodic modulation enhances the attractor annihilation.

ICT Road map for supporting energy systems in smart cities

This paper introduces a road map for ICTs (Information and communication technologies) supporting planning, operation and management of energy systems in smart cities. The road map summarises different elements that form energy systems in cities and proposes research and technical development (RTD) and innovation activities for the development and innovation of ICTs for holistic design, planning and operation of energy systems. In addition, synergies with other ICT systems for smart cities are considered. There are four main target groups for the road map: 1) citizen; 2) building sector; 3) energy sector; and 4) municipality level. As an example for enabling active participation of citizens, the road map proposes how ICT can enable citizens? involvement among others into building design. The building sector roadmap proposes how ICTs can support the planning of buildings and renovations in the future, as well as how to manage building energy systems. The energy sector road map focuses on city?s energy systems and their planning and management, including e.g. demand side management, management of different district level energy systems, energy performance validation and management, energy data models, and smarter use of open energy data. Moreover, the municipality level road map proposes among others ICTs for better integration of city systems and city planning enabling maximised energy efficiency. In addition, one road map section suggests development needs related to open energy data, including among others the use of energy data and the development and harmonisation of energy data models. The road map has been assembled in the READY4SmartCities project (funded by EU 7th Framework Programme), which focuses on the energy system at the city level, consisting of centralised energy systems and connections to the national level energy grids, as well as interconnections to the neighbourhood and building level energy systems.

A novel ground fault non-directional selective protection method for ungrounded distribution networks

This paper presents a new selective and non-directional protection method to detect ground faults in neutral isolated power systems. The new proposed method is based on the comparison of the rms value of the residual current of all the lines connected to a bus, and it is able to determine the line with ground defect. Additionally, this method can be used for the protection of secondary substation. This protection method avoids the unwanted trips produced by wrong settings or wiring errors, which sometimes occur in the existing directional ground fault protections. This new method has been validated through computer simulations and experimental laboratory tests.