Word processing for blind people

The preparation of high-quality and error-free letters, reports and similar text is a major activity in many business and commercial environments. For this reason, it is not surprising that word processors are becoming an increasingly important feature in offices. They may be found as dedicated systems or as a microcomputer with disc loading software.

A significant feature of word processing is the display of text on a screen which can be accessed or edited with the aid of a visual cursor that is controlled by the keyboard. This dependence on a visual display to manipulate and alter text assumes that the operator of the word processor is sighted. This paper considers the consequences for blind people.     

Non-technical communication factors at the Vessel Traffic Services

This study done at the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) explored how the VTS operators (VTSOs) communicated with ships and other actors in the maritime sociotechnical system and how decisions were made with regard to assisting traffic in maintaining safe passage in port areas, where most vessel movements are seen and accidents occur. The fieldwork was done during four independent visits to a VTS centre under the Swedish Maritime Authority, with a total sample of six VTSOs and one VTS instructor. The qualitative data were sorted and coded using a grounded theory approach. The data pointed at non-technical information processing and communication factors that play a role in decision-making and ultimately in safety. During protocol operations at the VTS, these factors influenced how VTSOs judged the skills of the vessels’ bridge teams, and how they approached them. This is a time where much effort is being put into upgrading technological systems, and these will have the power to change the ways in which the maritime network obtains and processes information, as well as how they can communicate with each other. The further development of technological systems, work protocols and training programmes can benefit from taking the soft aspects of communication and the needs of the operators and their tasks into account for the enhancement of safety.     

Comparing speech versus text displays for alarm handling

The rise of computers in command and control domains has meant that control operations can be performed via desk-based visual display terminals. This trend has also produced the potential to display information to operators in a variety of formats. Of particular interest has been the use of text-based displays for alarm presentation. There are possible limitations to the use of text for alarm presentation, not least of which is the need for a dedicated alarms display screen (or, at least, a display page). Given the capability of computers to synthesize speech, it is possible that speech-based alarms could generate the same information as text-based displays without the need for dedicated screen space. In this paper an experimental comparison of speech-based and text-based displays for presentation of alarms is reported. The findings show that speech leads to longer response times than text displays, but that it has minimal effect on the efficacy of fault handling. The results are discussed within the alarm initiated activities framework and implications for alarm system design are outlined.     

Prediction of manually controlled vessels’ position and course navigating in narrow waterways using Artificial Neural Networks

Despite modern navigation devices, there are still some problems for navigating of vessels in narrow waterways because of geographical structures and various disturbances. In this study, a guidance and an early warning method by means of predicting three-minute-ahead position of a vessel, especially in the turning points, has been developed for navigating in narrow waterways. The Istanbul Strait has been specifically studied as a model. Since operators in Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) can watch only straight bearing of vessels on VTS panels but especially for turning regions, they have to foresee a risk on time which may result in a disaster. The objective of this study is to predict the future coordinates of a manually controlled vessel using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN).Artificial Neural Networks have been trained by using position and speed data collected from vessels which navigated manually in the Strait. Three-minute-ahead position of vessels has been predicted by using the trained ANN. Some on-line experiments have been done in Istanbul VTS centre and it has been observed that the method satisfied the goal in especially turning points of the Strait. Hence the proposed method could be utilized for warning system by VTS operators and guidance system by vessel crew.     

改进型空中交通流量预测算法的验证与实现

为了提升管制现场运行数据挖掘效率,改善现有空管流量预测系统存在系统结构与算法设计复杂性,提出一种基于空中交通管制自动化系统综合航迹数据和基础飞行数据交换报文处理的,能够实时修正航空器航迹4D剖面预测模型的流量预测算法。主要通过计划航迹和雷达航迹匹配关联算法模型以及利用航向角平面投影匹配算法提高流量预测的精确性。通过与当前主流的优秀算法对比和验证,方法能够全面、真实反映目标航迹当时运动态势和管制区域流量预测信息,工程实现较为简洁,具有一定的工程实践意义。     

Urban Traffic Information Service Application Grid

Traffic information processing is very complicated because of dynamic, cooperative and distributed features.This paper describes the prototype system version 2.0 of Urban Traffic Information Service Application Grid (UTISAG),which is based on the previous version. In this version, a new architecture and more enhanced services are introduced.The remarkable characteristic of the new system is providing dynamic information services for travelers by grid technology.Therefore, the key research includes integrating large multi-source traffic data, forecasting route status, simulating regional traffic flow parallelly, and implementing optimum dynamic travel scheme based on massive GPS data.     

Advanced methods for displays and remote control of robots

An in-depth evaluation of the usability and situation awareness performance of different displays and destination controls of robots are presented. In two experiments we evaluate the way information is presented to the operator and assess different means for controlling the robot. Our study compares three types of displays: a “blocks” display, a HUD (head-up display), and a radar display, and two types of controls: touch screen and hand gestures. The HUD demonstrated better performance when compared to the blocks display and was perceived to have greater usability compared to the radar display. The HUD was also found to be more useful when the operation of the robot was more difficult, i.e., when using the hand-gesture method. The experiments also pointed to the importance of using a wide viewing angle to minimize distortion and for easier coping with the difficulties of locating objects in the field of view margins. The touch screen was found to be superior in terms of both objective performance and its perceived usability. No differences were found between the displays and the controllers in terms of situation awareness. This research sheds light on the preferred display type and controlling method for operating robots from a distance, making it easier to cope with the challenges of operating such systems.     

Monadic set operations

In ordinary geonetrical modelling systems, set operations, eg union, intersection and difference, are described by dyadic operators. This kind of definition leads to a binary-tree structure.

In this paper a method is presented where only monadic set operators are used to describe the model completely. With this method the definition structure can be expressed as a list structure only.

A further feature of this model is that a special procedure to define symmetry and/or periodic repetitions of a certain shape can be easily added.

A program which uses this method has been written to test the model and some drawings produced by this program are shown in this paper.     

Modeling the cognitive content of displays

An approach for measuring the cognitive complexity of visual displays is discussed and applied to a dynamic display of avionic information. A semantic network formalism is used to model two interrelated knowledge systems, world knowledge and display knowledge. The information the operator receives during training about the general display format characteristics and the task requirements, along with other previously stored information, constitutes world knowledge. The semantic content of a particular configuration of information encountered during task performance constitutes display knowledge. Four orthogonal predictor measures of cognitive complexity were derived from the networks. In an experiment three of the orthogonal predictors were significantly correlated with task performance. After averaging across operators, the three significant predictors accounted for 99% of the variation of display effectiveness. Results indicate that a model of cognitive complexity based on a semantic network formalism may provide a useful technique for quantitatively evaluating the quality of competing display format concepts.     

基于浮空器雷达的公路铁路积累方法研究及比较

针对“低慢小”目标的威胁,让雷达升空成为近年来雷达发展的一种新趋势,但随着雷达升空,杂波干扰问题也随之而来,特别是地面上高速运动的汽车、火车等,都易于成为虚假目标,影响操作员的判断.而传统的电子公路图铁路图又难以适应不断深入的公路铁路基础建设的发展.针对这一问题,研究了基于浮空器雷达的公路铁路积累方法,利用雷达回波的点迹信息积累生成实时的公路铁路图,用于辅助操作员进行判断,尽快丢弃在公路或铁路上行驶的虚假目标.还在雷达检飞过程中比较了不同坐标系下的公路铁路积累效果,实验结果表明,基于极坐标系下的公路铁路积累方法可以有效形成实时公路铁路积累图,从而辅助操作员快速辨别公路铁路上运动的目标.     

Evaluation of formats for aircraft control/display units

Control/display unit (CDU) technology has been advancing more rapidly than the human factors research needed to establish guidelines for the design of display formats. Such guidelines must be established and followed to ensure effective and efficient human performance in the cockpit environment. A preliminary study which addressed the issue of defining an optimal CDU display format design was completed.

Subjects were asked to search visually alphanumeric displays for a single piece of information and indicate when it was found. Data were collected on the elapsed time to isolate the information as well as the accuracy of the information retrieval. Ten formats of two information densities each were evaluated. Each format contained labels and associated data for typical flight information such as communications data (radio type and frequency) and navigation data (waypoint identifier, longitude and latitude). The ten basic format designs were developed by changing the location relationship between the labels and their associated data.

Data were collected while subjects did and did not perform a two-dimensional tracking task. Preliminary findings indicate that both format design and density affect operator response time and response accuracy. Implications of the results for the design of cockpit displays are discussed.     

雷电监测数据三维可视化技术研究

为研究满足目前气象行业需求特点的全国雷电监测数据三维可视化技术,实现雷电数据的二维与三维融合交互显示,采用面向对象语言Visual Studio .Net(C#)集成ArcEngine进行雷电监测数据三维显示系统的开发,解决雷电数据在二维及三维地图上的处理与显示问题。介绍ArcEngine组件的二次开发、地图数据的处理以及二/三维间雷电数据的交互显示方法。实验结果表明,采用上述方法构建的国家雷电监测数据三维显示系统能更好地满足实际业务需求,为防雷减灾等工作提供更直观的决策支持服务信息。     

Interactive displays in tactical command and control

The tactical command and control systems environment has evolved to the state such that for any non-trivial scenario that can be postulated by mission analysts, the tactical commander will most likely become saturated by the sheer magnitude of the data and the options which can be made available to him. This situation prevails equally for all platforms—air, subsurface, surface and shore. Providing the tactical commander with the information he needs in a form which enhances his comprehension and facilitates his ability to make decisions in a timely and effective manner is the most important problem facing the command and control system architect and designer. It is universally agreed that the man-machine interaction in command and control is the critical parameter to be optimized. The ability of the command and control operator to interact directly with the tactical data base represents the single most important design requirement to achieve this optimization. With such a capability, an operator aided by an interactive display can access all elements of the tactical data base, can query the system to provide and display up-dated information on any aspect of the tactical environment, can evaluate a priori the probabilistic outcomes of choices of actions which are available and can modify easily the form of the information presented to concentrate on those parameters of greatest interest or concern. This is consistent with forecasts of command and control needs over the next decade which unanimously point to increased reliance on interactive processing and display to facilitate on-line, real-time data management and display, decision-making, data entry and reduction, simulation, resource allocation and deployment and overall force coordination and management.Trends in display technology and in the technologies supporting man-machine interactions point to increasing capabilities for interactive tactical display systems. Improved display devices, better engineered keyboards, light pens, track balls, etc., voice entry techniques, “smart” terminals with processing performed at the display and better hard-copy output represent major technological thrusts which support the projected needs of the tactical command and control system user. These developments range from hand-held interactive display terminals which could be used in the field by individual elements of the Army or Marine Corps to group viewing displays for application on shore or on platforms such as aircraft carriers. This paper describes some of these new directions in display technology with a view toward their expected impact upon the design and operational capability of tactical command and control systems.     

Impact of visualization type and contextual factors on performance with enterprise resource planning systems

We studied the use of two types of graphic information visualization to support human operators performing tasks using enterprise resource planning systems (ERP). We compared the original display design of a commercial ERP system with a prototype information visualization design. A simulated supply chain was used to test the hypothesis that graphical visualization can improve the performance of the human operator using ERP systems for supply chain management. Tasks from the production and purchasing domains were tested in the experiment in which experienced and inexperienced human operators had to perform tasks of an easy, moderate, and difficult nature. Analysis of the results revealed that the two types of graphical visualization significantly reduced response time, particularly with inexperienced users performing difficult tasks. Our results imply that some graphic information visualization displays for ERP systems can increase the probability of a successful implementation and enhance the capabilities of the human operators.     

A generic natural language interface for task planning — application to a mobile robot

This paper presents a generic natural language interface that can be applied to the teleoperation of different kinds of complex interactive systems. Through this interface the operators can ask for simple actions or more complex tasks to be executed by the system. Complex tasks will be decomposed into simpler actions generating a network of actions whose execution will result in the accomplishment of the required task. As a practical application, the system has been applied to the teleoperation of a real mobile robot, allowing the operator to move the robot in a partially structured environment through natural language sentences.     

Advanced Operator Interface Design for Complex Space Telerobots

With technology advancements in computers and displays, computer interfaces can be used to alleviate the operator workload while controlling a complex robot. A graphical simulation of the robotic system can be used to improve development, train operators, and enhance their performance during actual operations. This paper summarizes the advantages realized using a graphical simulation to visually display telemetry from a multiple arm space telerobot. By displaying the commanded position of a manipulator graphically along with the actual position, the operator becomes more effective in diagnosing anomalies in the system. The negative impact of communication time delay can also be alleviated using this commanded display. The above advantages coupled with the simulation's ability to display multiple synthetic views, to move each view to any virtual location, and to highlight functions to emphasize important information, can ease the operator's workload, making him or her more effective in controlling a complex system.     

Automated detection of proliferative diabetic retinopathy using a modified line operator and dual classification

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a condition that carries a high risk of severe visual impairment. The hallmark of PDR is neovascularisation, the growth of abnormal new vessels. This paper describes an automated method for the detection of new vessels in retinal images. Two vessel segmentation approaches are applied, using the standard line operator and a novel modified line operator. The latter is designed to reduce false responses to non-vessel edges. Both generated binary vessel maps hold vital information which must be processed separately. This is achieved with a dual classification system. Local morphology features are measured from each binary vessel map to produce two separate feature sets. Independent classification is performed for each feature set using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The system then combines these individual classification outcomes to produce a final decision. Sensitivity and specificity results using a dataset of 60 images are 0.862 and 0.944 respectively on a per patch basis and 1.00 and 0.90 respectively on a per image basis.     

Tracking,recognition, and distance detection of hand gestures for a 3‐D interactive display

Abstract— This study proposes an interactive system for displays, the technologies of which consists of three main parts: hand‐gesture tracking, recognition, and depth measurement. The proposed interactive system can be applied to a general 3‐D display. In this interactive system, for hand‐gesture tracking, Haar‐like features are employed to detect a specific hand gesture to start tracking, while the mean‐shift algorithm and Kalman filter are adopted for fast tracking. First, for recognizing hand gestures, a principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm is used to localize colored areas of skin, and then hand gestures are identified by comparison with a prepared database. Second, a simple optical system is set up with an infrared laser source and a grid mask in order to project a proposed horizontal stripe pattern. Third, the projected patterns are deciphered to extract the depth information using the Hough‐transform algorithm. The system containing hand‐gesture localization, recognition, and associated depth detection (the distance between the display and the hand), was included in a prototype of an interactive display. Demonstration of rotation recognition of a finger‐pointing hand gesture was successful by using the algorithm of radar‐like scanning.