Parameter optimization for automated concrete detection in image data

Several research studies have been recently initiated to investigate the use of construction site images for automated infrastructure inspection, progress monitoring, etc. In these studies, it is always necessary to extract material regions (concrete or steel) from the images. Existing methods made use of material's special color/texture ranges for material information retrieval, but they do not sufficiently discuss how to find these appropriate color/texture ranges. As a result, users have to define appropriate ones by themselves, which is difficult for those who do not have enough image processing background. This paper presents a novel method of identifying concrete material regions using machine learning techniques. Under the method, each construction site image is first divided into regions through image segmentation. Then, the visual features of each region are calculated and classified with a pre-trained classifier. The output value determines whether the region is composed of concrete or not. The method was implemented using C++ and tested over hundreds of construction site images. The results were compared with the manual classification ones to indicate the method's validity.

An integrated service-device-technology roadmap for smart city development

Firms and other organizations use Technology Roadmapping (TRM) extensively as a framework for supporting research and development of future technologies and products that could sustain a competitive advantage. While the importance of technology strategy has received more attention in recent years, few research studies have examined how roadmapping processes are used to explore the potential convergence of products and services that may be developed in the future. The aim of this paper is to introduce an integrated roadmapping process for services, devices and technologies capable of implementing a smart city development R&D project in Korea. The paper applies a QFD (Quality Function Deployment) method to establish interconnections between services and devices, and between devices and technologies. The method is illustrated by a detailed case study, which shows how different types of roadmap can be coordinated with each other to produce a clear representation of the technological changes and uncertainties associated with the strategic planning of complex innovations. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.

Jetting of complex fluids

Recent results from a number of UK academic inkjet research studies advance the understanding of complex fluid jetting behavior and may be of interest to the wider digital fabrication community for the enhancement of inkjet printing applications. © 2013 Society for Imaging Science and Technology.