Progettazione e sviluppo di un' applicazione mobile basata su Wi-Fi Direct per la comunicazione tra veicoli e pedoni

Questo documento di tesi si incentra principalmente sullo studio delle reti wireless mobili e dei relativi scenari di utilizzo. In particolare, come esse vengono applicate per il riconoscimento e la prevenzione di incidenti stradali. Vista l’importanza di questo problema a livello di sicurezza stradale, ho deciso di sviluppare un' applicazione per smartphone Android, in grado di riconoscere le attività di uso quotidiano dell’utente e associarle a dei comportamenti, come ad esempio quello di un ciclista, di un pedone o di un automobilista. Nel caso in cui, in uno scenario stradale i dispositivi si trovassero ad una distanza ravvicinata, possono comunicare tramite una connessione Wi-Fi Direct il loro ruolo e lanciare messaggi di pericolo per avvisare la loro presenza, in modo da prevenire collisioni stradali. La realtà in cui si vuole collocare questa applicazione è quella che viene chiamata Pedestrian Detection, già idea di General Motors, che la sta sviluppando sui futuri veicoli che metterà in produzione nei prossimi anni e che sicuramente integreranno funzionalità aggiuntive per la segnalazione di pericoli tramite smartphone e Wi-Fi Direct.

Learning and Exploiting Camera Geometry for Computer Vision

This work explores the use of statistical methods in describing and estimating camera poses, as well as the information feedback loop between camera pose and object detection. Surging development in robotics and computer vision has pushed the need for algorithms that infer, understand, and utilize information about the position and orientation of the sensor platforms when observing and/or interacting with their environment.

The first contribution of this thesis is the development of a set of statistical tools for representing and estimating the uncertainty in object poses. A distribution for representing the joint uncertainty over multiple object positions and orientations is described, called the mirrored normal-Bingham distribution. This distribution generalizes both the normal distribution in Euclidean space, and the Bingham distribution on the unit hypersphere. It is shown to inherit many of the convenient properties of these special cases: it is the maximum-entropy distribution with fixed second moment, and there is a generalized Laplace approximation whose result is the mirrored normal-Bingham distribution. This distribution and approximation method are demonstrated by deriving the analytical approximation to the wrapped-normal distribution. Further, it is shown how these tools can be used to represent the uncertainty in the result of a bundle adjustment problem.

Another application of these methods is illustrated as part of a novel camera pose estimation algorithm based on object detections. The autocalibration task is formulated as a bundle adjustment problem using prior distributions over the 3D points to enforce the objects' structure and their relationship with the scene geometry. This framework is very flexible and enables the use of off-the-shelf computational tools to solve specialized autocalibration problems. Its performance is evaluated using a pedestrian detector to provide head and foot location observations, and it proves much faster and potentially more accurate than existing methods.

Finally, the information feedback loop between object detection and camera pose estimation is closed by utilizing camera pose information to improve object detection in scenarios with significant perspective warping. Methods are presented that allow the inverse perspective mapping traditionally applied to images to be applied instead to features computed from those images. For the special case of HOG-like features, which are used by many modern object detection systems, these methods are shown to provide substantial performance benefits over unadapted detectors while achieving real-time frame rates, orders of magnitude faster than comparable image warping methods.

The statistical tools and algorithms presented here are especially promising for mobile cameras, providing the ability to autocalibrate and adapt to the camera pose in real time. In addition, these methods have wide-ranging potential applications in diverse areas of computer vision, robotics, and imaging.

Sensor Planning for Bayesian Nonparametric Target Modeling

Bayesian nonparametric models, such as the Gaussian process and the Dirichlet process, have been extensively applied for target kinematics modeling in various applications including environmental monitoring, traffic planning, endangered species tracking, dynamic scene analysis, autonomous robot navigation, and human motion modeling. As shown by these successful applications, Bayesian nonparametric models are able to adjust their complexities adaptively from data as necessary, and are resistant to overfitting or underfitting. However, most existing works assume that the sensor measurements used to learn the Bayesian nonparametric target kinematics models are obtained a priori or that the target kinematics can be measured by the sensor at any given time throughout the task. Little work has been done for controlling the sensor with bounded field of view to obtain measurements of mobile targets that are most informative for reducing the uncertainty of the Bayesian nonparametric models. To present the systematic sensor planning approach to leaning Bayesian nonparametric models, the Gaussian process target kinematics model is introduced at first, which is capable of describing time-invariant spatial phenomena, such as ocean currents, temperature distributions and wind velocity fields. The Dirichlet process-Gaussian process target kinematics model is subsequently discussed for modeling mixture of mobile targets, such as pedestrian motion patterns.

Novel information theoretic functions are developed for these introduced Bayesian nonparametric target kinematics models to represent the expected utility of measurements as a function of sensor control inputs and random environmental variables. A Gaussian process expected Kullback Leibler divergence is developed as the expectation of the KL divergence between the current (prior) and posterior Gaussian process target kinematics models with respect to the future measurements. Then, this approach is extended to develop a new information value function that can be used to estimate target kinematics described by a Dirichlet process-Gaussian process mixture model. A theorem is proposed that shows the novel information theoretic functions are bounded. Based on this theorem, efficient estimators of the new information theoretic functions are designed, which are proved to be unbiased with the variance of the resultant approximation error decreasing linearly as the number of samples increases. Computational complexities for optimizing the novel information theoretic functions under sensor dynamics constraints are studied, and are proved to be NP-hard. A cumulative lower bound is then proposed to reduce the computational complexity to polynomial time.

Three sensor planning algorithms are developed according to the assumptions on the target kinematics and the sensor dynamics. For problems where the control space of the sensor is discrete, a greedy algorithm is proposed. The efficiency of the greedy algorithm is demonstrated by a numerical experiment with data of ocean currents obtained by moored buoys. A sweep line algorithm is developed for applications where the sensor control space is continuous and unconstrained. Synthetic simulations as well as physical experiments with ground robots and a surveillance camera are conducted to evaluate the performance of the sweep line algorithm. Moreover, a lexicographic algorithm is designed based on the cumulative lower bound of the novel information theoretic functions, for the scenario where the sensor dynamics are constrained. Numerical experiments with real data collected from indoor pedestrians by a commercial pan-tilt camera are performed to examine the lexicographic algorithm. Results from both the numerical simulations and the physical experiments show that the three sensor planning algorithms proposed in this dissertation based on the novel information theoretic functions are superior at learning the target kinematics with

little or no prior knowledge

Sydenham Street Revived: A Public Space Experiment

In 2015, the Sydenham Street Revived pop-up park project (SSR) transformed Sydenham Street between Princess and Queen Streets into a temporary pedestrian-only public space. The goal of the project was to test out the idea of permanently pedestrianizing this street section. But what did this urban experiment ultimately prove? Using video footage, photographs, and observations recorded before and during the project, this report analyzes the use of the space in order to evaluate the claim that SSR created a successful public space and to make recommendations for a permanent public space on Sydenham Street. Two research methods were used: quantitative data collection, consisting of headcounts of both pedestrians and stationary users of the space; and a qualitative observational survey, based on the criteria for successful public spaces developed by the Project for Public Spaces. Data collection occurred two days one week prior to the project, and two days during the project, on days that were similar in terms of temperature and weather. The research revealed that the SSR did create a successful public space, although additional research is needed in order to determine how the space would function as a public place throughout different seasons, to study the street closure’s impact on surrounding residents and businesses, and to understand how private commercial activity would influence use. Recommendations for a permanent public space on Sydenham Street include considerations for flexible street design and a continuous, barrier-free surface; ensuring that there is an abundance of places to sit; making opportunities for public and community-created art; and to improve walkability by connecting the grid using a mid-block walkway.

An adaptive motion model for person tracking with instantaneous head-pose features

This letter presents novel behaviour-based tracking of people in low-resolution using instantaneous priors mediated by head-pose. We extend the Kalman Filter to adaptively combine motion information with an instantaneous prior belief about where the person will go based on where they are currently looking. We apply this new method to pedestrian surveillance, using automatically-derived head pose estimates, although the theory is not limited to head-pose priors. We perform a statistical analysis of pedestrian gazing behaviour and demonstrate tracking performance on a set of simulated and real pedestrian observations. We show that by using instantaneous `intentional' priors our algorithm significantly outperforms a standard Kalman Filter on comprehensive test data.

Bicycle Facilities Network Identification Handbook, 1995

Manual was developed to assist metropolitan planning organizations and regional planning affiliations identify a bicycle and pedestrian facilities network for their respective planning areas.

Expressão da ética na assistência de enfermagem aos jovens intoxicados

Analisar sobre o processo de cuidar da equipe de enfermagem na visão dos usuários intoxicados por tentativa de suicídio. Metodologia: estudo descritivo exploratório, de abordagem qualitativa, realizada em um centro de assistência ao intoxicado da Paraíba/Brasil, com nove usuários. Como critérios de inclusão, participaram as pessoas que tentaram o suicídio por intoxicação, nos meses de abril e maio de 2010, período de coleta de dados do estudo, e que tivessem condições de responder as questões formuladas. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevista semiestruturada com uso de formulário, cujos dados foram tratados pela Análise Temática. A pesquisa foi aprovada conforme avaliação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da UEPB e mediante CAAE nº 0003.0.349.133-10. Resultados: os participantes concentraram-se na faixa etária de 14 a 26 anos, predominando o gênero feminino e o consumo de agrotóxicos na tentativa de suicídio. A análise dos discursos permitiu identificar que todos os integrantes demonstraram-se satisfeitos com a assistência de enfermagem, entretanto, apontaram ausência de comunicação com os profissionais cuidadores e atraso para a realização dos procedimentos. Conclusão: a ética na assistência de enfermagem supõe o estabelecimento da valorização do humano durante as atribuições profissionais, proporcionando o bem-estar daqueles que não enxergam a dádiva maior, que é nesse plano, a vida

HATWALK/ Guerilla Millinery/ Part of the Cultural Olympiad

Stealth Visor for the Duke of Wellington Project HATWALK The 2012 Cultural Olympiad would not have been representative of London's creative industries without fashion design. Sponsored by the Mayor of London brought milliners to organise an alternative to the catwalk format , the designers brought together a Hatwalk, uniting landmark heritage statues, classical and modern, to be crowned with a new bespoke design piece each. Together forming a pedestrian navigation through the Jubilee city, the hats also invited twenty one milliners to consider the specificity of working for the great outdoors. Rigorously tested in wind tunnel laboratory to withstand hurricane wind speeds and squally shows the designs aim to bring the 'exclusive' culture of fashion accessories to the inclusive culture of international festival. Working with new technologies of engineering, such as laser measuring tools, and crane for assemblage and fitting, McLean brings new meaning to the familiar figures of national public authority. Since the storming of the Bastille in revolutionary France it has been traditional for the new order to symbolize change through attacking public statuary. In a similar vein, Hatwalk, invites spectators to reconsider the relationship between distant and lofty personages of power and the sartorial insignia through which their power is signified. Crowned with a revolutionary red ' large plexi punk neon number' the Duke of Wellington, at Wellington arch is the first in the Hatwalk exhibition. The originality of this research consists in the effects of surprise and Brechtian 'de familiarisation' resulting from the unexpected. The effects of this structural carnivalesque inversion of authorities can involve a range of reactions from the disdain of the offended to the laughter and pleasure of the surprised. This strategy of bringing the ludic element of play to the formalised authority of legitimised power is also signified through the conscious use of materials and colour in a monochrome and uniform culture of statuary. Here the difference in materials and visible surface of the design signifies the differences that need to be included within a socio political order before it may takes its place in history as being representative of the people it is entrusted to lead. This research output continues the work that led to the Hat Anthology exhibition (output 1), the Fifty Hats that Changed the World (output 2), the Jamaican Olympic team headwear design ( output 4), and is continued in the design, merchandise, accessories and avant garde artefacts of the House of Flora ( see website). The iterative process of the research brings innovation within continuity to McLean's work. It is difficult to theorise the 'rigour' that is undeniably present in a creative design praxis except in that McLean;s research outputs are always surprising and unexpected.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Alterations to the Public Right-of-Way

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

O design para a comunicação do território : rotas pedestres da Figueira da Foz

O concelho da Figueira da Foz é um local tipicamente turístico, conhecido essencialmente pela sua costa marítima, extenso areal e vida noturna. No entanto, esta localidade dispõe de um património cultural e ecológico desconhecido pela maioria da população. Com o objetivo de dar a conhecer o território, foi desenvolvido um Guia das Rotas Pedestres, que permite dar a conhecer um pouco desse ambiente desconhecido.

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Reordenamento viário da Rua da República e acompanhamento da instalação da Biblioteca Ary dos Santos em Sacavém

Relatório de estágio para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Edificações

Expressão da ética na assistência de enfermagem aos jovens intoxicados

Analisar sobre o processo de cuidar da equipe de enfermagem na visão dos usuários intoxicados por tentativa de suicídio. Metodologia: estudo descritivo exploratório, de abordagem qualitativa, realizada em um centro de assistência ao intoxicado da Paraíba/Brasil, com nove usuários. Como critérios de inclusão, participaram as pessoas que tentaram o suicídio por intoxicação, nos meses de abril e maio de 2010, período de coleta de dados do estudo, e que tivessem condições de responder as questões formuladas. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevista semiestruturada com uso de formulário, cujos dados foram tratados pela Análise Temática. A pesquisa foi aprovada conforme avaliação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da UEPB e mediante CAAE nº 0003.0.349.133-10. Resultados: os participantes concentraram-se na faixa etária de 14 a 26 anos, predominando o gênero feminino e o consumo de agrotóxicos na tentativa de suicídio. A análise dos discursos permitiu identificar que todos os integrantes demonstraram-se satisfeitos com a assistência de enfermagem, entretanto, apontaram ausência de comunicação com os profissionais cuidadores e atraso para a realização dos procedimentos. Conclusão: a ética na assistência de enfermagem supõe o estabelecimento da valorização do humano durante as atribuições profissionais, proporcionando o bem-estar daqueles que não enxergam a dádiva maior, que é nesse plano, a vida

Análisis de la percepción de seguridad en puentes peatonales: una aproximación mediante modelación híbrida

Este artículo de investigación científica y tecnológica estudia la percepción de seguridad en el uso de puentes peatonales, empleando un enfoque sustentado en dos campos principales: el microeconómico y el psicológico. El trabajo hace la estimación simultánea de un modelo híbrido de elección y variables latentes con datos de una encuesta de preferencias declaradas, encontrando mejor ajuste que un modelo mixto de referencia, lo que indica que la percepción de seguridad determina el comportamiento de los peatones cuando se enfrentan a la decisión de usar o no un puente peatonal. Se encontró que el sexo, la edad y el nivel de estudios son atributos que inciden en la percepción de seguridad. El modelo calibrado sugiere varias estrategias para aumentar el uso de puentes peatonales que son discutidas, encontrando que el uso de barreras ocasiona una pérdida de utilidad, en los peatones, que debería ser estudiada como extensión del presente trabajo.