Large scale monitoring of crowds and building utilisation: A new database and distributed approach

Public buildings and large infrastructure are typically monitored by tens or hundreds of cameras, all capturing different physical spaces and observing different types of interactions and behaviours. However to date, in large part due to limited data availability, crowd monitoring and operational surveillance research has focused on single camera scenarios which are not representative of real-world applications. In this paper we present a new, publicly available database for large scale crowd surveillance. Footage from 12 cameras for a full work day covering the main floor of a busy university campus building, including an internal and external foyer, elevator foyers, and the main external approach are provided; alongside annotation for crowd counting (single or multi-camera) and pedestrian flow analysis for 10 and 6 sites respectively. We describe how this large dataset can be used to perform distributed monitoring of building utilisation, and demonstrate the potential of this dataset to understand and learn the relationship between different areas of a building.

Environmental technologies, intellectual property and climate change (2013) edited by Abbe Brown

Abbe Brown from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, is one of the leading international researchers on intellectual property and climate change. She is an intellectual dynamo. Her work brings together a mastery of intellectual property, with a strong interest in innovation theory and practice, and an engagement with public policy issues surrounding human rights, competition policy, and access to knowledge. Abbe Brown has shown a particular aptitude for tackling big ideas and wicked global problems, with intelligence, gusto, insight, and formidable wisdom.

Save the Reef! Civic crowdfunding and public interest environmental litigation

This article examines the emerging area of civic crowdfunding, a subset of crowdfunding, as a means of financing public interest environmental litigation. The literature surrounding civic crowdfunding and third party litigation funding is currently underdeveloped. The link between those areas and public interest environmental litigation takes a further step into the unknown. As a case study, the Sea Dumping Case presents exciting opportunities for civil society and access to justice, but further research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

Assessment of antenna characteristic effects on pedestrian and cyclists travel-time estimation based on Bluetooth and WiFi MAC addresses

Monitoring pedestrian and cyclists movement is an important area of research in transport, crowd safety, urban design and human behaviour assessment areas. Media Access Control (MAC) address data has been recently used as potential information for extracting features from people’s movement. MAC addresses are unique identifiers of WiFi and Bluetooth wireless technologies in smart electronics devices such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. The unique number of each WiFi and Bluetooth MAC address can be captured and stored by MAC address scanners. MAC addresses data in fact allows for unannounced, non-participatory, and tracking of people. The use of MAC data for tracking people has been focused recently for applying in mass events, shopping centres, airports, train stations etc. In terms of travel time estimation, setting up a scanner with a big value of antenna’s gain is usually recommended for highways and main roads to track vehicle’s movements, whereas big gains can have some drawbacks in case of pedestrian and cyclists. Pedestrian and cyclists mainly move in built distinctions and city pathways where there is significant noises from other fixed WiFi and Bluetooth. Big antenna’s gains will cover wide areas that results in scanning more samples from pedestrians and cyclists’ MAC device. However, anomalies (such fixed devices) may be captured that increase the complexity and processing time of data analysis. On the other hand, small gain antennas will have lesser anomalies in the data but at the cost of lower overall sample size of pedestrian and cyclist’s data. This paper studies the effect of antenna characteristics on MAC address data in terms of travel-time estimation for pedestrians and cyclists. The results of the empirical case study compare the effects of small and big antenna gains in order to suggest optimal set up for increasing the accuracy of pedestrians and cyclists’ travel-time estimation.

Automatic surveillance in transportation hubs: No Longer just about catching the bad guy

As critical infrastructure such as transportation hubs continue to grow in complexity, greater importance is placed on monitoring these facilities to ensure their secure and efficient operation. In order to achieve these goals, technology continues to evolve in response to the needs of various infrastructure. To date, however, the focus of technology for surveillance has been primarily concerned with security, and little attention has been placed on assisting operations and monitoring performance in real-time. Consequently, solutions have emerged to provide real-time measurements of queues and crowding in spaces, but have been installed as system add-ons (rather than making better use of existing infrastructure), resulting in expensive infrastructure outlay for the owner/operator, and an overload of surveillance systems which in itself creates further complexity. Given many critical infrastructure already have camera networks installed, it is much more desirable to better utilise these networks to address operational monitoring as well as security needs. Recently, a growing number of approaches have been proposed to monitor operational aspects such as pedestrian throughput, crowd size and dwell times. In this paper, we explore how these techniques relate to and complement the more commonly seen security analytics, and demonstrate the value that can be added by operational analytics by demonstrating their performance on airport surveillance data. We explore how multiple analytics and systems can be combined to better leverage the large amount of data that is available, and we discuss the applicability and resulting benefits of the proposed framework for the ongoing operation of airports and airport networks.

Fundraising and boards: be a leader and a meddler!

The old board maxim says, ‘Be a leader not a meddler’! However, in the case of board members and fundraising, meddling is wise. Why? Because the board has a responsibility and a unique opportunity to guide and support its organisation’s fundraising. Indeed, in successful nonprofit organisations (NPOs) fundraising is an attitude, not a department.

Consent for third molar tooth extractions in Australia and New Zealand: A review of current practice

Background Informed consent is the legal requirement to educate a patient about a proposed medical treatment or procedure so that he or she can make informed decisions. The purpose of the study was to examine the current practice for obtaining informed consent for third molar tooth extractions (wisdom teeth) by Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. Methods An online survey was sent to 180 consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. Surgeons were asked to answer (yes/no) whether they routinely warned of a specific risk of third molar tooth extraction in their written consent. Results 71 replies were received (39%). The only risks that surgeons agreed should be routinely included in written consent were a general warning of infection (not alveolar osteitis), inferior alveolar nerve damage (temporary and permanent) and lingual nerve damage (temporary and permanent). Conclusions There is significant variability among Australian and New Zealand Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons regarding risk disclosure for third molar tooth extractions. We aim to improve consistency in consent for third molar extractions by developing an evidence-based consent form.

Pack

Inspiration for this work came from my recent experience of living in Beijing, China. Having a massive population of over 21 million people, one cannot feel but just another number within the crowd of this hectic megalopolis. Society is conditioned to obey, to conform, with some cultures being more hard lined with their citizens than others. However, there is a desire within each of us to have freedom of expression… to project an identity, to be an individual… nevertheless a desire not to be different… to follow trends and fads… a desire to fit in and connect. Within the pack there is also the outcast… the one who is different… the one who does not fit in. Pack has been created to be absorbed and interpreted openly by each individual. Driven by repetition and cycles, I have used this choreographic approach as a metaphor for the daily routine inherent in one’s life.

Some empirical evidence on offender time discount rates

The conventional wisdom is that offenders have very high discount rates not only with respect to income and fines but also with respect to time incarcerated. These rates are difficult to measure objectively and the usual approach is to ask subjects hypothetical questions and infer time preference from their answers. In this article, we propose estimating rates at which offenders discount time incarcerated by specifying their equilibrium plea, defined as the discount rate, which equates the time and expected time spent in jail following a guilty plea and a trial. Offenders are assumed to exhibit positive time preference and discount time spent in jail at a constant rate. Our choice of sample is interesting because the offenders are not on bail, punishment is not delayed and the offences are planned therefore conforming to Becker’s model of the decision to commit a crime. Contrary to the discussion in the literature, we do not find evidence of consistently high time discount rates, and therefore cannot unequivocally infer that the prison experience always results in low levels of specific deterrence.

Global Media and National Policies : The Return of the State

Conventional wisdom views globalization as a process that heralds the diminishing role or even 'death' of the state and the rise of transnational media and transnational consumption, that defy state control or regulation. This book questions these assumptions and shows that the nation-state never left and is still a force to be reckoned with.

The architecture of the psychiatric milieu

The last time a peer-reviewed volume on the future of mental health facilities was produced was in 1959, following a symposium organised by the American Psychological Association. The consensus was easy enough to follow and still resonates today: the best spaces to treat psychiatric illness will be in smaller, less restrictive units that offer more privacy and allow greater personalisation of space – possibly a converted hotel (Goshen, 1959). In some way, all those ideals have come to pass. An ideal typology was never established, but even so, units have shrunk from thousands of beds to units that typically house no more than 50 patients. Patients are generally more independent and are free to wander (within a unit) as they please. But the trend toward smaller and freer is reversing. This change is not driven by a desire to find the ideal building nor better models of care, but by growing concerns about budgets, self-harm and psychiatric violence. This issue of the Facilities comes at a time when the healthcare design is increasingly dominated by codes, statutes and guidelines. But the articles herein are a call to stop and think. We are not at the point where guidelines can be helpful, because they do not embody any depth of knowledge nor wisdom. These articles are intended to inject some new research on psychiatric/environmental interactions and also to remind planners and managers that guidelines might not tackle a core misunderstanding: fear-management about patient safety and the safety of society is not the purpose of the psychiatric facility. It is purpose is to create spaces that are suitable for improving the well-being of the mentally ill.

What is a “Christian” jurisprudence?

The term ‘jurisprudence’ is derived etymologically from the Latin juris, meaning law, and prudentia, meaning wisdom. So jurisprudence simply means the wisdom of the law, or, as it has come to mean in scholarly legal circles these days, the theory of law. It asks fundamental questions regarding the nature and definition of law. And so, the question I wish to pose to us today is what does a truly “Christian” theory of law look like? One that is faithful to, as taken from the conference brochure, the “historic Christian faith” in its “principles and practice”. To contextualise this question, I must give you a deceptively brief and superficial overview of prevailing theories of law – and for those of you who know more about the topic, I apologise for the crass nature of my summary – time prevents me from doing any more...