Broadband today : the role of Australian local government authorities

The paper seeks to clarify the role of Local Government Authorities in facilitating the Australian digital economy. It does this by analysing responses to the 2012 BTA, NBN and Digital Economy Survey. This reveals the level of recognition by LGAs of relevant issues; their level of use of federal, state and other programs designed to enable end user engagement; and other actions LGAs are undertaking to enable their regional digital economies. The analysis reinforces the significant role of LGAs in the future of Australia’s digital economy and identifies areas where assistance may be required.

Image based flow visualisation of experimental flow fields inside a gross pollutant trap

Typical flow fields in a stormwater gross pollutant trap (GPT) with blocked retaining screens were experimentally captured and visualised. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) software was used to capture the flow field data by tracking neutrally buoyant particles with a high speed camera. A technique was developed to apply the Image Based Flow Visualization (IBFV) algorithm to the experimental raw dataset generated by the PIV software. The dataset consisted of scattered 2D point velocity vectors and the IBFV visualisation facilitates flow feature characterisation within the GPT. The flow features played a pivotal role in understanding gross pollutant capture and retention within the GPT. It was found that the IBFV animations revealed otherwise unnoticed flow features and experimental artefacts. For example, a circular tracer marker in the IBFV program visually highlighted streamlines to investigate specific areas and identify the flow features within the GPT.

The future of Australian e-learning : it’s all about access

This article clarifies the interdependence between high-speed broadband and e-Learning. It does this by identifying the importance of the internet for Australia’s education future and the importance of education for the future of the internet. It concludes by confirming the role the NBN will play as an enabler of both; and the need to ensure access for all to appropriate skills, as well as to services.

Importance of a resilient air services network to Australian remote, rural, and regional communities

Rural, regional, and remote settlements in Australia require resilient infrastructure to remain sustainable in a context characterized by frequent large-scale natural disasters, long distances between urban centers, and the pressures of economic change. A critical aspect of this infrastructure is the air services network, a system of airports, aircraft operators, and related industries that enables the high-speed movement of people, goods, and services to remote locations. A process of deregulation during the 1970s and 1980s resulted in many of these airports passing into local government and private ownership, and the rationalization of the industry saw the closure of a number of airlines and airports. This paper examines the impacts of deregulation on the resilience of air services and the contribution that they make to regional and rural communities. In particular, the robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness, and rapidity of the system are examined. The conclusion is that while the air services network has remained resilient in a situation of considerable change, the pressures of commercialization and the tendency to manage aspects of the system in isolation have contributed to a potential decrease in overall resilience.

Towards configuring the Internet for social development in the Philippines

The Internet is one of the most significant information and communication technologies to emerge during the end of the last century. It created new and effective means by which individuals and groups communicate. These advances led to marked institutional changes most notably in the realm of commercial exchange: it did not only provide the high-speed communication infrastructure to business enterprises; it also opened them to the global consumer base where they could market their products and services. Commercial interests gradually dominated Internet technology over the past several years and have been a factor in the increase of its user population and enhancement of infrastructure. Such commercial interests fitted comfortably within the structures of the Philippine government. As revealed in the study, state policies and programs make use of Internet technology as an enabler of commercial institutional reforms using traditional economic measures. Yet, despite efforts to maximize the Internet as an enabler for market-driven economic growth, the accrued benefits are yet to come about; it is largely present only in major urban areas and accessible to a small number of social groups. The failure of the Internet’s developmental capability can be traced back to the government’s wholesale adoption of commercial-centered discourse. The Internet’s developmental gains (i.e. instrumental, communicative and emancipatory) and features, which were always there since its inception, have been visibly left out in favor of its commercial value. By employing synchronic and diachronic analysis, it can be shown that the Internet can be a vital technology in promoting genuine social development in the Philippines. In general, the object is to realize a social environment of towards a more inclusive and participatory application of Internet technology, equally aware of the caveats or risks the technology may pose. It is argued further that there is a need for continued social scientific research regarding the social as and developmental implications of Internet technology at local level structures, such social sectors, specific communities and organizations. On the meta-level, such approach employed in this research can be a modest attempt in increasing the calculus of hope especially among the marginalized Filipino sectors, with the use of information and communications technologies. This emerging field of study—tentatively called Progressive Informatics—must emanate from the more enlightened social sectors, namely: the non-government, academic and locally-based organizations.

100Hz onboard vision for quadrotor state estimation

This paper introduces a high-speed, 100Hz, visionbased state estimator that is suitable for quadrotor control in close quarters manoeuvring applications. We describe the hardware and algorithms for estimating the state of the quadrotor. Experimental results for position, velocity and yaw angle estimators are presented and compared with motion capture data. Quantitative performance comparison with state-of-the-art achievements are also presented.

Swept source OCT with air puff chamber for corneal dynamics measurements

None of currently used tonometers produce estimated IOP values that are free of errors. Measurement incredibility arises from indirect measurement of corneal deformation and the fact that pressure calculations are based on population averaged parameters of anterior segment. Reliable IOP values are crucial for understanding and monitoring of number of eye pathologies e.g. glaucoma. We have combined high speed swept source OCT with air-puff chamber. System provides direct measurement of deformation of cornea and anterior surface of the lens. This paper describes in details the performance of air-puff ssOCT instrument. We present different approaches of data presentation and analysis. Changes in deformation amplitude appears to be good indicator of IOP changes. However, it seems that in order to provide accurate intraocular pressure values an additional information on corneal biomechanics is necessary. We believe that such information could be extracted from data provided by air-puff ssOCT.

Fast scanning electron microscope (FSEM)

High magnification and large depth of field with a temporal resolution of less than 100 microseconds are possible using the present invention which combines a linear electron beam produced by a tungsten filament from an SX-40A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), a magnetic deflection coil with lower inductance resulting from reducing the number of turns of the saddle-coil wires, while increasing the diameter of the wires, a fast scintillator, photomultiplier tube, photomultiplier tube base, and signal amplifiers and a high speed data acquisition system which allows for a scan rate of 381 frames per second and 256.times.128 pixel density in the SEM image at a data acquisition rate of 25 MHz. The data acquisition and scan position are fully coordinated. A digitizer and a digital waveform generator which generates the sweep signals to the scan coils run off the same clock to acquire the signal in real-time.

Featureless visual processing for SLAM in changing outdoor environments

Vision-based SLAM is mostly a solved problem providing clear, sharp images can be obtained. However, in outdoor environments a number of factors such as rough terrain, high speeds and hardware limitations can result in these conditions not being met. High speed transit on rough terrain can lead to image blur and under/over exposure, problems that cannot easily be dealt with using low cost hardware. Furthermore, recently there has been a growth in interest in lifelong autonomy for robots, which brings with it the challenge in outdoor environments of dealing with a moving sun and lack of constant artificial lighting. In this paper, we present a lightweight approach to visual localization and visual odometry that addresses the challenges posed by perceptual change and low cost cameras. The approach combines low resolution imagery with the SLAM algorithm, RatSLAM. We test the system using a cheap consumer camera mounted on a small vehicle in a mixed urban and vegetated environment, at times ranging from dawn to dusk and in conditions ranging from sunny weather to rain. We first show that the system is able to provide reliable mapping and recall over the course of the day and incrementally incorporate new visual scenes from different times into an existing map. We then restrict the system to only learning visual scenes at one time of day, and show that the system is still able to localize and map at other times of day. The results demonstrate the viability of the approach in situations where image quality is poor and environmental or hardware factors preclude the use of visual features.

Fast formulas for computing cryptographic pairings

The most powerful known primitive in public-key cryptography is undoubtedly elliptic curve pairings. Upon their introduction just over ten years ago the computation of pairings was far too slow for them to be considered a practical option. This resulted in a vast amount of research from many mathematicians and computer scientists around the globe aiming to improve this computation speed. From the use of modern results in algebraic and arithmetic geometry to the application of foundational number theory that dates back to the days of Gauss and Euler, cryptographic pairings have since experienced a great deal of improvement. As a result, what was an extremely expensive computation that took several minutes is now a high-speed operation that takes less than a millisecond. This thesis presents a range of optimisations to the state-of-the-art in cryptographic pairing computation. Both through extending prior techniques, and introducing several novel ideas of our own, our work has contributed to recordbreaking pairing implementations.

Measurement, modelling and capacity analysis for novel, fixed multi-user single-antenna MIMO-OFDM system, in rural environments

High-speed broadband internet access is widely recognised as a catalyst to social and economic development. However, the provision of broadband Internet services with the existing solutions to rural population, scattered over an extensive geographical area, remains both an economic and technical challenge. As a feasible solution, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) proposed a highly spectrally efficient, innovative and cost-effective fixed wireless broadband access technology, which uses analogue TV frequency spectrum and Multi-User MIMO (MUMIMO) technology with Orthogonal-Frequency-Division-Multiplexing (OFDM). MIMO systems have emerged as a promising solution for the increasing demand of higher data rates, better quality of service, and higher network capacity. However, the performance of MIMO systems can be significantly affected by different types of propagation environments e.g., indoor, outdoor urban, or outdoor rural and operating frequencies. For instance, large spectral efficiencies associated with MIMO systems, which assume a rich scattering environment in urban environments, may not be valid for all propagation environments, such as outdoor rural environments, due to the presence of less scatterer densities. Since this is the first time a MU-MIMO-OFDM fixed broadband wireless access solution is deployed in a rural environment, questions from both theoretical and practical standpoints arise; For example, what capacity gains are available for the proposed solution under realistic rural propagation conditions?. Currently, no comprehensive channel measurement and capacity analysis results are available for MU-MIMO-OFDM fixed broadband wireless access systems which employ large scale multiple antennas at the Access Point (AP) and analogue TV frequency spectrum in rural environments. Moreover, according to the literature, no deterministic MU-MIMO channel models exist that define rural wireless channels by accounting for terrain effects. This thesis fills the aforementioned knowledge gaps with channel measurements, channel modeling and comprehensive capacity analysis for MU-MIMO-OFDM fixed wireless broadband access systems in rural environments. For the first time, channel measurements were conducted in a rural farmland near Smithton, Tasmania using CSIRO's broadband wireless access solution. A novel deterministic MU-MIMO-OFDM channel model, which can be used for accurate performance prediction of rural MUMIMO channels with dominant Line-of-Sight (LoS) paths, was developed under this research. Results show that the proposed solution can achieve 43.7 bits/s/Hz at a Signal-to- Noise Ratio (SNR) of 20 dB in rural environments. Based on channel measurement results, this thesis verifies that the deterministic channel model accurately predicts channel capacity in rural environments with a Root Mean Square (RMS) error of 0.18 bits/s/Hz. Moreover, this study presents a comprehensive capacity analysis of rural MU-MIMOOFDM channels using experimental, simulated and theoretical models. Based on the validated deterministic model, further investigations on channel capacity and the eects of capacity variation, with different user distribution angles (θ) around the AP, were analysed. For instance, when SNR = 20dB, the capacity increases from 15.5 bits/s/Hz to 43.7 bits/s/Hz as θ increases from 10° to 360°. Strategies to mitigate these capacity degradation effects are also presented by employing a suitable user grouping method. Outcomes of this thesis have already been used by CSIRO scientists to determine optimum user distribution angles around the AP, and are of great significance for researchers and MU-MUMO-OFDM system developers to understand the advantages and potential capacity gains of MU-MIMO systems in rural environments. Also, results of this study are useful to further improve the performance of MU-MIMO-OFDM systems in rural environments. Ultimately, this knowledge contribution will be useful in delivering efficient, cost-effective high-speed wireless broadband systems that are tailor-made for rural environments, thus, improving the quality of life and economic prosperity of rural populations.

Ironless wheel motor for a direct drive vehicle application

An ironless motor for use as direct wheel drive is presented. The motor is intended for use in a lightweight (600kg), low drag, series hybrid commuter vehicle under development at The University of Queensland. The vehicle will utilise these ironless motors in each of its rear wheels, with each motor producing a peak torque output of 500Nm and a maximum rotational speed of 1500rpm. The axial flux motor consists of twin Ironless litz wire stators with a central magnetic ring and simplified Halbach magnet arrays on either side. A small amount of iron is used to support the outer Halbach arrays and to improve the peak magnetic flux density. Ducted air cooling is used to remove heat from the motor and will allow for a continuous torque rating of 250Nm. Ironless machines have previously been shown to be effective in high speed, high frequency applications (+1000Hz). They are generally regarded as non-optimal for low speed applications as iron cores allow for better magnet utilisation and do not significantly increase the weight of a machine. However, ironless machines can also be seen to be effective in applications where the average torque requirement is much lower than the peak torque requirement such as in some vehicle drive applications. The low spinning losses in ironless machines are shown to result in very high energy throughput efficiency in a wide range of vehicle driving cycles.

Visualising experimental flow fields through a stormwater gross pollutant trap

Abstract An experimental dataset representing a typical flow field in a stormwater gross pollutant trap (GPT) was visualised. A technique was developed to apply the image-based flow visualisation (IBFV) algorithm to the raw dataset. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) software was previously used to capture the flow field data by tracking neutrally buoyant particles with a high speed camera. The dataset consisted of scattered 2D point velocity vectors and the IBFV visualisation facilitates flow feature characterisation within the GPT. The flow features played a pivotal role in understanding stormwater pollutant capture and retention behaviour within the GPT. It was found that the IBFV animations revealed otherwise unnoticed flow features and experimental artefacts. For example, a circular tracer marker in the IBFV program visually highlighted streamlines to investigate the possible flow paths of pollutants entering the GPT. The investigated flow paths were compared with the behaviour of pollutants monitored during experiments.

Injury severity of pedestrian crashes in Singapore

Singapore is a highly urbanized city-state country where walking is an important mode of travel. Pedestrians form about 25% of road fatalities every year, making them one of the most vulnerable road user groups in Singapore. Engineering measures like provision of overhead pedestrian crossings and raised zebra crossings tend to address pedestrian safety in general, but there may be occasions where pedestrians are particularly vulnerable so that targeted interventions are more appropriate. The objective of this study is to identify factors and situations that affect the injury severity of pedestrians involved in traffic crashes. Six years of crash data from 2003 to 2008 containing around four thousands pedestrian crashes at roadway segments were analyzed. Injury severity of pedestrians—recorded as slight injury, major injury and fatal—were modeled as a function of roadway characteristics, traffic features, environmental factors and pedestrian demographics by an ordered probit model. Results suggest that the injury severity of pedestrians involved in crashes during night time is higher indicating that pedestrian visibility during night is a key issue in pedestrian safety. The likelihood of fatal or serious injuries is higher for crashes on roads with high speed limit, center and median lane of multi-lane roads, school zones, roads with two-way divided traffic type, and when pedestrians cross the roads. Elderly pedestrians appear to be involved in fatal and serious injury crashes more when they attempt to cross the road without using nearby crossing facilities. Specific countermeasures are recommended based on the findings of this study.