Vote as you go : Blending interfaces for community engagement into the urban space

This paper presents a series of studies on situated interfaces for community engagement. Firstly, we identify five recurring design challenges as well as four common strategies used to overcome them. We then assess the effectiveness of these strategies through field studies with public polling interfaces. We developed two very different polling interfaces in the form of (1) a web application running on an iPad mounted on a stand, allowing one vote at a time, and (2) a playful full-body interaction application for a large urban screen allowing concurrent participation. We deployed both interfaces in an urban precinct with high pedestrian traffic and equipped with a large urban screen. Analysing discoverability and learnability of each scenario, we derive insights regarding effective ways of blending community engagement interfaces into the built environment, while attracting the attention of passers-by and communicating the results of civic participation.

Fractional models in space for diffusive processes in heterogeneous media with applications in cell motility and electrical signal propagation

This work addresses fundamental issues in the mathematical modelling of the diffusive motion of particles in biological and physiological settings. New mathematical results are proved and implemented in computer models for the colonisation of the embryonic gut by neural cells and the propagation of electrical waves in the heart, offering new insights into the relationships between structure and function. In particular, the thesis focuses on the use of non-local differential operators of non-integer order to capture the main features of diffusion processes occurring in complex spatial structures characterised by high levels of heterogeneity.

ACE research briefing paper 008 : How to Design and Manage Successful Joint Ventures in the Exploration Space

Joint ventures are formed and dissolved regularly in the mining industry. What impact do such changes have on the viability of mineral exploration projects? The Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research (ACE) has taken 9 years' worth of data (2002-2011) on 1,025 joint ventures in the Australasian mining industry and studied trends in fomentation, dissolution, and reconfiguration and how they impact project outcomes. This research is generously sponsored by the Queensland Exploration Council (QEC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

Space Station Design Report 2007

Design Proposal for the Blue Lunar Support Hub The conceptual design of a space station is one of the most challenging tasks in aerospace engineering. The history of the space station Mir and the assembly of the International Space Station demonstrate that even within the assembly phase quick solutions have to be found to cope with budget and technical problems or changing objectives. This report is the outcome of the conceptual design of the Space Station Design Workshop (SSDW) 2007, which took place as an international design project from the 16th to the 21st of July 2007 at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR), University of Sydney, Australia. The participants were tasked to design a human-tended space station in low lunar orbit (LLO) focusing on supporting future missions to the moon in a programmatic context of space exploration beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). The design included incorporating elements from systems engineering to interior architecture. The customised, intuitive, rapid-turnaround software tools enabled the team to successfully tackle the complex problem of conceptual design of crewed space systems. A strong emphasis was put on improving the integration of the human crew, as it is the major contributor to mission success, while always respecting the boundary conditions imposed by the challenging environment of space. This report documents the methodology, tools and outcomes of the Space Station Design Workshop during the SSDW 2007. The design results produced by Team Blue are presented.

A determinism and desire: Some neurological processes in perceiving the design object

The environment moderates behaviour using a subtle language of ‘affordances’ and ‘behaviour-settings’. Affordances are environmental offerings. They are objects that demand action; a cliff demands a leap and binoculars demand a peek. Behaviour-settings are ‘places;’ spaces encoded with expectations and meanings. Behaviour-settings work the opposite way to affordances; they demand inhibition; an introspective demeanour in a church or when under surveillance. Most affordances and behaviour-settings are designed, and as such, designers are effectively predicting brain reactions. • Affordances are nested within, and moderated by behaviour-settings. Both trigger automatic neural responses (excitation and inhibition). These, for the best part cancel each other out. This balancing enables object recognition and allows choice about what action should be taken (if any). But when excitation exceeds inhibition, instinctive action will automatically commence. In positive circumstances this may mean laughter or a smile. In negative circumstances, fleeing, screaming or other panic responses are likely. People with poor frontal function, due to immaturity (childhood or developmental disorders) or due to hypofrontality (schizophrenia, brain damage or dementia) have a reduced capacity to balance excitatory and inhibitory impulses. For these people, environmental behavioural demands increase with the decline of frontal brain function. • The world around us is not only encoded with symbols and sensory information. Opportunities and restrictions work on a much more primal level. Person/space interactions constantly take place at a molecular scale. Every space we enter has its own special dynamic, where individualism vies for supremacy between the opposing forces of affordance-related excitation and the inhibition intrinsic to behaviour-settings. And in this context, even a small change–the installation of a CCTV camera can turn a circus to a prison. • This paper draws on cutting-edge neurological theory to understand the psychological determinates of the everyday experience of the designed environment.

Home is where the stuff is: Framing life-worlds in domestic space

This PhD playfully employs visual arts as a means through which to explore concepts of gender, normative behaviour, play, humour, collecting and an intimate and idiosyncratic relationship with domestic space. This PhD seeks to: represent certain complexities of individual experience through theoretical frameworks of Gaston Bachelard, Michel de Certeau, Pierre Bourdieu and selected visual artists; use my art to elucidate the humour that exists in the mundane; and illustrate the construction of particular life-worlds using auto-ethnography and visual documentation. This is represented in a 50,000 word exegesis (50%) and a practice comprising of eight artist books (50%).

Identifying candidate gene effects by restricting search space in a multivariate genetic analysis of white matter microstructure

Several genetic variants are thought to influence white matter (WM) integrity, measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Voxel based methods can test genetic associations, but heavy multiple comparisons corrections are required to adjust for searching the whole brain and for all genetic variants analyzed. Thus, genetic associations are hard to detect even in large studies. Using a recently developed multi-SNP analysis, we examined the joint predictive power of a group of 18 cholesterol-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on WM integrity, measured by fractional anisotropy. To boost power, we limited the analysis to brain voxels that showed significant associations with total serum cholesterol levels. From this space, we identified two genes with effects that replicated in individual voxel-wise analyses of the whole brain. Multivariate analyses of genetic variants on a reduced anatomical search space may help to identify SNPs with strongest effects on the brain from a broad panel of genes.

Verification and Operation of Adaptive Materials in Space

Piezoelectric polymers based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) are of interest as smart materials for novel space-based telescope applications. Dimensional adjustments of adaptive thin polymer films are achieved via controlled charge deposition. Predicting their long-term performance requires a detailed understanding of the piezoelectric property changes that develop during space environmental exposure. The overall materials performance is governed by a combination of chemical and physical degradation processes occurring in low Earth orbit as established by our past laboratory-based materials performance experiments (see report SAND 2005-6846). Molecular changes are primarily induced via radiative damage, and physical damage from temperature and atomic oxygen exposure is evident as depoling, loss of orientation and surface erosion. The current project extension has allowed us to design and fabricate small experimental units to be exposed to low Earth orbit environments as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiments program. The space exposure of these piezoelectric polymers will verify the observed trends and their degradation pathways, and provide feedback on using piezoelectric polymer films in space. This will be the first time that PVDF-based adaptive polymer films will be operated and exposed to combined atomic oxygen, solar UV and temperature variations in an actual space environment. The experiments are designed to be fully autonomous, involving cyclic application of excitation voltages, sensitive film position sensors and remote data logging. This mission will provide critically needed feedback on the long-term performance and degradation of such materials, and ultimately the feasibility of large adaptive and low weight optical systems utilizing these polymers in space.

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.

Public space design of knowledge and innovation spaces: Learnings from Kelvin Grove Urban Village, Brisbane

The era of knowledge-based urban development has led to an unprecedented increase in mobility of people and the subsequent growth in new typologies of agglomerated enclaves of knowledge such as knowledge and innovation spaces. Within this context, a new role has been assigned to contemporary public spaces to attract and retain the mobile knowledge workforce by creating a sense of place. This paper investigates place making in the globalized knowledge economy, which develops a sense of permanence spatio-temporally to knowledge workers displaying a set of particular characteristics and simultaneously is process-dependent getting developed by the internal and external flows and contributing substantially in the development of the broader context it stands in relation with. The paper reviews the literature and highlights observations from Kelvin Grove Urban Village, located in Australia’s new world city Brisbane, to understand the application of urban design as a vehicle to create and sustain place making in knowledge and innovation spaces. This research seeks to analyze the modified permeable typology of public spaces that makes knowledge and innovation spaces more viable and adaptive as per the changing needs of the contemporary globalized knowledge society.

Populations of models, experimental designs and coverage of parameter space by Latin Hypercube and Orthogonal Sampling

In this paper we have used simulations to make a conjecture about the coverage of a t-dimensional subspace of a d-dimensional parameter space of size n when performing k trials of Latin Hypercube sampling. This takes the form P(k,n,d,t) = 1 - e^(-k/n^(t-1)). We suggest that this coverage formula is independent of d and this allows us to make connections between building Populations of Models and Experimental Designs. We also show that Orthogonal sampling is superior to Latin Hypercube sampling in terms of allowing a more uniform coverage of the t-dimensional subspace at the sub-block size level. These ideas have particular relevance when attempting to perform uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analyses.

Territoriality and the regulation of public space in Favela Morro da Formiga, Rio de Janeiro

Public space in many communities around the world has been identified as over-regulated and devoid of social vibrancy. This research contributed new knowledge regarding the way local residents territorialise and take ownership of streets and open areas in a favela, or informal settlement, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Findings showed that public spaces were only partly activated by spatial pattern or structure. User agency also played a significant role, despite recent regulatory and policing interventions in the favela. This may have important implications for new communities where design could allow for more flexible usage and thereby enhance social vibrancy.

Fourier spectral methods for fractional-in-space reaction-diffusion equations

Fractional differential equations are becoming increasingly used as a powerful modelling approach for understanding the many aspects of nonlocality and spatial heterogeneity. However, the numerical approximation of these models is demanding and imposes a number of computational constraints. In this paper, we introduce Fourier spectral methods as an attractive and easy-to-code alternative for the integration of fractional-in-space reaction-diffusion equations described by the fractional Laplacian in bounded rectangular domains ofRn. The main advantages of the proposed schemes is that they yield a fully diagonal representation of the fractional operator, with increased accuracy and efficiency when compared to low-order counterparts, and a completely straightforward extension to two and three spatial dimensions. Our approach is illustrated by solving several problems of practical interest, including the fractional Allen–Cahn, FitzHugh–Nagumo and Gray–Scott models, together with an analysis of the properties of these systems in terms of the fractional power of the underlying Laplacian operator.

Estimates on the coverage of parameter space using populations of models

In this paper we provide estimates for the coverage of parameter space when using Latin Hypercube Sampling, which forms the basis of building so-called populations of models. The estimates are obtained using combinatorial counting arguments to determine how many trials, k, are needed in order to obtain specified parameter space coverage for a given value of the discretisation size n. In the case of two dimensions, we show that if the ratio (Ø) of trials to discretisation size is greater than 1, then as n becomes moderately large the fractional coverage behaves as 1-exp-ø. We compare these estimates with simulation results obtained from an implementation of Latin Hypercube Sampling using MATLAB.

Numerical analysis of a new space-time variable fractional order advection-dispersion equation

Many physical processes appear to exhibit fractional order behavior that may vary with time and/or space. The continuum of order in the fractional calculus allows the order of the fractional operator to be considered as a variable. In this paper, we consider a new space–time variable fractional order advection–dispersion equation on a finite domain. The equation is obtained from the standard advection–dispersion equation by replacing the first-order time derivative by Coimbra’s variable fractional derivative of order α(x)∈(0,1]α(x)∈(0,1], and the first-order and second-order space derivatives by the Riemann–Liouville derivatives of order γ(x,t)∈(0,1]γ(x,t)∈(0,1] and β(x,t)∈(1,2]β(x,t)∈(1,2], respectively. We propose an implicit Euler approximation for the equation and investigate the stability and convergence of the approximation. Finally, numerical examples are provided to show that the implicit Euler approximation is computationally efficient.