The application of computer modelling to develop a methodology for ‘existing building’ upgrades to move towards carbon-neutral buildings

The retrofitting of existing buildings for decreased energy usage, through increased energy efficiency and for minimum carbon dioxide emissions throughout their remaining lifetime is a major area of research. This research area requires development to provide building professionals with more efficient building retrofit solution determination tools. The overarching objective of this research is to develop a tool for this purpose through the implementation of a prescribed methodology. This has been achieved in three distinct steps. Firstly, the concept of using the degree-days modelling method as an adequate means of basing retrofit decision upon was analysed and the results illustrated that the concept had merit. Secondly, the concept of combining the degree-days modelling method and the Genetic Algorithms optimisation method is investigated as a method of determining optimal thermal energy retrofit solutions. Thirdly, the combination of the degree-days modelling method and the Genetic Algorithms optimisation method were packaged into a building retrofit decision-support tool and named BRaSS (Building Retrofit Support Software). The results demonstrate clearly that, fundamental building information, simplified occupancy profiles and weather data used in a static simulation modelling method is a sufficient and adequate means to base retrofitting decisions upon. The results also show that basing retrofit decisions upon energy analysis results are the best means to guide a retrofit project and also to achieve results which are optimum for a particular building. The results also indicate that the building retrofit decision-support tool, BRaSS, is an effective method to determine optimum thermal energy retrofit solutions.

The semi-automatic parallelisation of scientific application codes using a computer aided parallelisation toolkit

The shared-memory programming model can be an effective way to achieve parallelism on shared memory parallel computers. Historically however, the lack of a programming standard using directives and the limited scalability have affected its take-up. Recent advances in hardware and software technologies have resulted in improvements to both the performance of parallel programs with compiler directives and the issue of portability with the introduction of OpenMP. In this study, the Computer Aided Parallelisation Toolkit has been extended to automatically generate OpenMP-based parallel programs with nominal user assistance. We categorize the different loop types and show how efficient directives can be placed using the toolkit's in-depth interprocedural analysis. Examples are taken from the NAS parallel benchmarks and a number of real-world application codes. This demonstrates the great potential of using the toolkit to quickly parallelise serial programs as well as the good performance achievable on up to 300 processors for hybrid message passing-directive parallelisations.

On the persistence of computer dreams: an application framework for robust adaptive deployment

The anticipated rewards of adaptive approaches will only be fully realised when autonomic algorithms can take configuration and deployment decisions that match and exceed those of human engineers. Such decisions are typically characterised as being based on a foundation of experience and knowledge. In humans, these underpinnings are themselves founded on the ashes of failure, the exuberance of courage and (sometimes) the outrageousness of fortune. In this paper we describe an application framework that will allow the incorporation of similarly risky, error prone and downright dangerous software artefacts into live systems – without undermining the certainty of correctness at application level. We achieve this by introducing the notion of application dreaming.

Integrated multi-scale architecture of the cortex with application to computer vision

Tese de dout., Engenharia Electrónica e de Computadores, Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2007

A computer vision based web application for tracking soccer players

Soccer is a sport where everyone that is involved with it make all the efforts aiming for excellence. Not only the players need to show their skills on the pitch but also the coach, and the remaining staff, need to have their own tools so that they can perform at higher levels. Footdata is a project to build a new web application product for soccer (football), which integrates two fundamental components of this sport's world: the social and the professional. While the former is an enhanced social platform for soccer professionals and fans, the later can be considered as a Soccer Resource Planning, featuring a system for acquisition and processing information to meet all the soccer management needs. In this paper we focus only in a specific module of the professional component. We will describe the section of the web application that allows to analyse movements and tactics of the players using images directly taken from the pitch or from videos, we will show that it is possible to draw players and ball movements in a web application and detect if those movements occur during a game. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.

A computer vision based web application for tracking soccer players

Soccer is a sport where everyone that is involved with it make all the efforts aiming for excellence. Not only the players need to show their skills on the pitch but also the coach, and the remaining staff, need to have their own tools so that they can perform at higher levels. Footdata is a project to build a new web application product for soccer (football), which integrates two fundamental components of this sport’s world: the social and the professional. While the former is an enhanced social platform for soccer professionals and fans, the later can be considered as a Soccer Resource Planning, featuring a system for acquisition and processing information to meet all the soccer management needs. In this paper we focus only in a specific module of the professional component. We will describe the section of the web application that allows to analyse movements and tactics of the players using images directly taken from the pitch or from videos, we will show that it is possible to draw players and ball movements in a web application and detect if those movements occur during a game.

Deep learning of representations and its application to computer vision

L’objectif de cette thèse par articles est de présenter modestement quelques étapes du parcours qui mènera (on espère) à une solution générale du problème de l’intelligence artificielle. Cette thèse contient quatre articles qui présentent chacun une différente nouvelle méthode d’inférence perceptive en utilisant l’apprentissage machine et, plus particulièrement, les réseaux neuronaux profonds. Chacun de ces documents met en évidence l’utilité de sa méthode proposée dans le cadre d’une tâche de vision par ordinateur. Ces méthodes sont applicables dans un contexte plus général, et dans certains cas elles on tété appliquées ailleurs, mais ceci ne sera pas abordé dans le contexte de cette de thèse. Dans le premier article, nous présentons deux nouveaux algorithmes d’inférence variationelle pour le modèle génératif d’images appelé codage parcimonieux “spike- and-slab” (CPSS). Ces méthodes d’inférence plus rapides nous permettent d’utiliser des modèles CPSS de tailles beaucoup plus grandes qu’auparavant. Nous démontrons qu’elles sont meilleures pour extraire des détecteur de caractéristiques quand très peu d’exemples étiquetés sont disponibles pour l’entraînement. Partant d’un modèle CPSS, nous construisons ensuite une architecture profonde, la machine de Boltzmann profonde partiellement dirigée (MBP-PD). Ce modèle a été conçu de manière à simplifier d’entraînement des machines de Boltzmann profondes qui nécessitent normalement une phase de pré-entraînement glouton pour chaque couche. Ce problème est réglé dans une certaine mesure, mais le coût d’inférence dans le nouveau modèle est relativement trop élevé pour permettre de l’utiliser de manière pratique. Dans le deuxième article, nous revenons au problème d’entraînement joint de machines de Boltzmann profondes. Cette fois, au lieu de changer de famille de modèles, nous introduisons un nouveau critère d’entraînement qui donne naissance aux machines de Boltzmann profondes à multiples prédictions (MBP-MP). Les MBP-MP sont entraînables en une seule étape et ont un meilleur taux de succès en classification que les MBP classiques. Elles s’entraînent aussi avec des méthodes variationelles standard au lieu de nécessiter un classificateur discriminant pour obtenir un bon taux de succès en classification. Par contre, un des inconvénients de tels modèles est leur incapacité de générer deséchantillons, mais ceci n’est pas trop grave puisque la performance de classification des machines de Boltzmann profondes n’est plus une priorité étant donné les dernières avancées en apprentissage supervisé. Malgré cela, les MBP-MP demeurent intéressantes parce qu’elles sont capable d’accomplir certaines tâches que des modèles purement supervisés ne peuvent pas faire, telles que celle de classifier des données incomplètes ou encore celle de combler intelligemment l’information manquante dans ces données incomplètes. Le travail présenté dans cette thèse s’est déroulé au milieu d’une période de transformations importantes du domaine de l’apprentissage à réseaux neuronaux profonds qui a été déclenchée par la découverte de l’algorithme de “dropout” par Geoffrey Hinton. Dropout rend possible un entraînement purement supervisé d’architectures de propagation unidirectionnel sans être exposé au danger de sur- entraînement. Le troisième article présenté dans cette thèse introduit une nouvelle fonction d’activation spécialement con ̧cue pour aller avec l’algorithme de Dropout. Cette fonction d’activation, appelée maxout, permet l’utilisation de aggrégation multi-canal dans un contexte d’apprentissage purement supervisé. Nous démontrons comment plusieurs tâches de reconnaissance d’objets sont mieux accomplies par l’utilisation de maxout. Pour terminer, sont présentons un vrai cas d’utilisation dans l’industrie pour la transcription d’adresses de maisons à plusieurs chiffres. En combinant maxout avec une nouvelle sorte de couche de sortie pour des réseaux neuronaux de convolution, nous démontrons qu’il est possible d’atteindre un taux de succès comparable à celui des humains sur un ensemble de données coriace constitué de photos prises par les voitures de Google. Ce système a été déployé avec succès chez Google pour lire environ cent million d’adresses de maisons.

Application of computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) for intelligent buildings operation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concepts of intelligent buildings (IBs), and the opportunities offered by the application of computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) systems. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper definitions of IBs are investigated, particularly definitions that are embracing open standards for effective operational change, using a questionnaire survey. The survey further investigated the extension of CAFM to IBs concepts and the opportunities that such integrated systems will provide to facilities management (FM) professionals. Findings – The results showed variation in the understanding of the concept of IBs and the application of CAFM. The survey showed that 46 per cent of respondents use a CAFM system with a majority agreeing on the potential of CAFM in delivery of effective facilities. Research limitations/implications – The questionnaire survey results are limited to the views of the respondents within the context of FM in the UK. Practical implications – Following on the many definitions of an IB does not necessarily lead to technologies of equipment that conform to an open standard. This open standard and documentation of systems produced by vendors is the key to integrating CAFM with other building management systems (BMS) and further harnessing the application of CAFM for IBs. Originality/value – The paper gives experience-based suggestions for both demand and supply sides of the service procurement to gain the feasible benefits and avoid the currently hindering obstacles, as the paper provides insight to the current and future tools for the mobile aspects of FM. The findings are relevant for service providers and operators as well.

A mathematical model of neuromuscular adaptation to resistance training and its application in a computer simulation of accommodating loads

A large corpus of data obtained by means of empirical study of neuromuscular adaptation is currently of limited use to athletes and their coaches. One of the reasons lies in the unclear direct practical utility of many individual trials. This paper introduces a mathematical model of adaptation to resistance training, which derives its elements from physiological fundamentals on the one side, and empirical findings on the other. The key element of the proposed model is what is here termed the athlete’s capability profile. This is a generalization of length and velocity dependent force production characteristics of individual muscles, to an exercise with arbitrary biomechanics. The capability profile, a two-dimensional function over the capability plane, plays the central role in the proposed model of the training-adaptation feedback loop. Together with a dynamic model of resistance the capability profile is used in the model’s predictive stage when exercise performance is simulated using a numerical approximation of differential equations of motion. Simulation results are used to infer the adaptational stimulus, which manifests itself through a fed back modification of the capability profile. It is shown how empirical evidence of exercise specificity can be formulated mathematically and integrated in this framework. A detailed description of the proposed model is followed by examples of its application—new insights into the effects of accommodating loading for powerlifting are demonstrated. This is followed by a discussion of the limitations of the proposed model and an overview of avenues for future work.

Application of GIS-based computer modelling to planning for adaption to climate change in rural areas

A GIS-based computer modelling methodology was developed and applied to identify climate change adaptation issues arising in regional agricultural production systems (including forestry). Agricultural production in Australia is very susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change due to projected shifts in rainfall and temperature. The methodology integrates land suitability analysis with uncertainty analysis and spatial (regional) optimisation to determine optimal agricultural land use at a regional scale for current and possible future climatic conditions. The approach can be used to recognise regions under threat of productivity decline, identify alternative cropping systems that may be better adapted to likely future conditions, and investigate implementation actions to improve the sub-optimal situations created by climate change. An example of how the methodology may be used is outlined through a case study involving the South West Region of Victoria, Australia. The case study provides information on the tools available to support the formulation of a regional adaptation strategy.

tCAD: a 3D modeling application on a depth enhanced tabletop computer

Tabletop computers featuring multi-touch input and object tracking are a common platform for research on Tangible User Interfaces (also known as Tangible Interaction). However, such systems are confined to sensing activity on the tabletop surface, disregarding the rich and relatively unexplored interaction canvas above the tabletop. This dissertation contributes with tCAD, a 3D modeling tool combining fiducial marker tracking, finger tracking and depth sensing in a single system. This dissertation presents the technical details of how these features were integrated, attesting to its viability through the design, development and early evaluation of the tCAD application. A key aspect of this work is a description of the interaction techniques enabled by merging tracked objects with direct user input on and above a table surface.

Turning math attractive to computer science students: an application-to-model approach

This paper describes an innovative approach to develop the understanding about the relevance of mathematics to computer science. The mathematical subjects are introduced through an application-to-model scheme that lead computer science students to a better understanding of why they have to learn math and learn it effectively. Our approach consists of a single one semester course, taught at the first semester of the program, where the students are initially exposed to some typical computer applications. When they recognize the applications' complexity, the instructor gives the mathematical models supporting such applications, even before a formal introduction to the model in a math course. We applied this approach at Unesp (Brazil) and the results include a large reduction in the rate of students that abandon the college and better students in the final years of our program.

The application of distributed virtual machines for enterprise computer management: A two-tier network file system for image provisioning and management

In order to simplify computer management, several system administrators are adopting advanced techniques to manage software configuration of enterprise computer networks, but the tight coupling between hardware and software makes every PC an individual managed entity, lowering the scalability and increasing the costs to manage hundreds or thousands of PCs. Virtualization is an established technology, however its use is been more focused on server consolidation and virtual desktop infrastructure, not for managing distributed computers over a network. This paper discusses the feasibility of the Distributed Virtual Machine Environment, a new approach for enterprise computer management that combines virtualization and distributed system architecture as the basis of the management architecture. © 2008 IEEE.