Towards gadget-free internet services: A roadmap of the Naked world

This paper presents a roadmap for the transition from current gadget-centric digital services towards a gadget-free services environment called the Naked world. The main idea of the Naked world is that all the services which are currently provided by gadgets will be provided by the infrastructure, thus no gadgets will be needed to use any kind of digital services. When a user in the Naked world intends to use a service, the infrastructure senses the user, the nearby intelligent surrounding launches an interactive user interface, performs identification through biometric identities, provides the service, and then closes the session when the user finishes the job. Therefore, the Naked world comprises highly intelligent and context-aware interactive environments. The vision of the Naked world is an evolution towards a user-friendly and ubiquitously available digital services, which is naturally bounded by the technological advancement. Henceforth, this paper presents the essential technologies and functional requirements along with the current and forthcoming novel technological concepts and challenges for the realization of the Naked world.     

Knowledge and interpretation in environmental conflict: Fish farming and eutrophication in the Archipelago Sea, SW Finland

The article deals with the role of knowledge in discursive interpretations of an environmental conflict. The research is embellished through a special case study of the debate on the water eutrophication problem and the fish farming industry in the Finnish Archipelago Sea in southwest (SW) Finland. The main question addressed in the article concerns the competing definitions of the eutrophication problem and its spatial dimensions, and the possible implications these definitions have on the political efforts to solve the problem. My focus lies on the role of knowledge as a resource in the struggle over the definition. Accordingly, I will ask how the actors’ frames and knowledge are connected with their position within the power hierarchy, and their relation with the study area.The results illustrate the dependence of the environmental debate on scientific research, but they also show the lay people’s ambivalent attitude to science. The several gaps, uncertainties and controversies in the knowledge base allow interest groups to select the research results that support their view and challenge other scientific interpretations or to oppose environmental restrictions by referring to uncertainties of knowledge.Tensions are revealed between local and translocal views and several forms of knowledge. Disagreements do not arise, however, between pure, separate forms of knowledge. Particularly the fish farmers’ discursive repertoire holds ingredients provided by traditional knowledge, knowledge based on their own experiences, knowledge produced in co-operation with researchers and popularised science.The results show how the lay persons’ mistrust in scientific knowledge is linked with their critical attitudes towards the motives, interests and values of outside actors. The mistrust implies a strong spatial element, an experienced outside threat to local identity, way of life and traditional user rights of natural resources. Producers and users of scientific research are seen as part of the complex of social and cultural power representing urban recreation interests, ecological fundamentalism and an alienated connection with nature.     

Estimation of tree stand characteristics through computer visualisation

Computer visualisation is increasingly used to demonstrate the consequences of forest management alternatives to laymen and forest owners. However, how accurate and truthful the information conveyed by the visualisation is, has not been investigated. This study analysed the precision and accuracy of stand characteristic assessment by computer visualisation. A total of 20 forestry specialists assessed quantitative stand characteristics from the output of two software packages, Monsu and SmartForest, representing 40 stands of varying stand age, density and species composition. The selected software packages are available for practical use in Finland. They represent different techniques of producing forest visualisation, one using line graphics and the other scanned photographs of trees. The stand basal area and number of trees per hectare were not assessed accurately from computer visualisations. The mean tree height and diameter were estimated reasonably well. The visualisations produced an averaging effect, characteristics being often overestimated for young and small-sized strata and underestimated for strata of old and large trees.     

Job grouping in surface mounted component printing

The arrangement of operations in a production line for mounting the surface components on a printed circuit board is discussed. The production program includes a wide range of different products, which causes frequent set-up operations. The overall efficiency of the production line depends heavily on how the printing operations are organized. Set-ups cause delays which can be cut down by selecting carefully the feeders for the components and by solving a suitable sequence for the products. We describe an integrated production management system for job grouping. The system utilizes approximate algorithms for minimizing the number of component switching instants. A discussion of the exact minimization by using mathematical 0/1 integer programming approach is also given. The revision of the production management system has had a major impact on the productivity, and an increase of ca. 58% in the number of component insertions per hour is observed.     

Integer programming with 2-variable equations and 1-variable inequalities

We present an efficient algorithm to find an optimal integer solution of a given system of 2-variable equalities and 1-variable inequalities with respect to a given linear objective function. Our algorithm has worst-case running time in O(N²) where N is the number of bits in the input.     

Maximal infinite-valued constraint languages

We systematically investigate the computational complexity of constraint satisfaction problems for constraint languages over an infinite domain. In particular, we study a generalization of the well-established notion of maximal constraint languages   from finite to infinite domains. If the constraint language can be defined with an ω$\omega$-categorical structure, then maximal constraint languages are in one-to-one correspondence to minimal oligomorphic clones. Based on this correspondence, we derive general tractability and hardness criteria for the corresponding constraint satisfaction problems.     

Shape statistics in kernel space for variational image segmentation

We present a variational integration of nonlinear shape statistics into a Mumford-Shah based segmentation process. The nonlinear statistics are derived from a set of training silhouettes by a novel method of density estimation which can be considered as an extension of kernel PCA to a probabilistic framework.We assume that the training data forms a Gaussian distribution after a nonlinear mapping to a higher-dimensional feature space. Due to the strong nonlinearity, the corresponding density estimate in the original space is highly non-Gaussian.Applications of the nonlinear shape statistics in segmentation and tracking of 2D and 3D objects demonstrate that the segmentation process can incorporate knowledge on a large variety of complex real-world shapes. It makes the segmentation process robust against misleading information due to noise, clutter and occlusion.     

Development and evaluation of a lightweight root cause analysis method (ARCA method) - Field studies at four software companies

Context

The key for effective problem prevention is detecting the causes of a problem that has occurred. Root cause analysis (RCA) is a structured investigation of the problem to identify which underlying causes need to be fixed. The RCA method consists of three steps: target problem detection, root cause detection, and corrective action innovation. Its results can help with process improvement.

Objective

This paper presents a lightweight RCA method, named the ARCA method, and its empirical evaluation. In the ARCA method, the target problem detection is based on a focus group meeting. This is in contrast to prior RCA methods, where the target problem detection is based on problem sampling, requiring heavy startup investments.

Method

The ARCA method was created with the framework of design science. We evaluated it through field studies at four medium-sized software companies using interviews and query forms to collect feedback from the case attendees. A total of five key representatives of the companies were interviewed, and 30 case participants answered the query forms. The output of the ARCA method was also evaluated by the case attendees, i.e., a total 757 target problem causes and 124 related corrective actions.

Results

The case attendees considered the ARCA method useful and easy to use, which indicates that it is beneficial for process improvement and problem prevention. In each case, 24-77 target problem root causes were processed and 13-40 corrective actions were developed. The effort of applying the method was 89 man-hours, on average.

Conclusion

The ARCA method required an acceptable level of effort and resulted in numerous high-quality corrective actions. In contrast to the current company practices, the method is an efficient method to detect new process improvement opportunities and develop new process improvement ideas. Additionally, it is easy to use.     

A Hybrid Method for Quality Evaluation in the Context of Use for Mobile (3D) Television

Controlled psychoperceptual quality evaluation experiments are used to assess the excellence of produced audiovisual quality from fundamental signal processing algorithms to consumer services. When compromising produced quality for consumer services, used in dynamic and heterogeneous mobile contexts, the ecological validity of conventional quality evaluation methods can be questioned. The goal of this paper is to develop a method for evaluating the experienced multimedia quality in the context of use. We conducted three studies where the quality of mobile 2D and 3D television was assessed in three different field contexts, one simulated context and one controlled laboratory situation when audio-video compression and transmission parameters were varied. We propose a hybrid method for the design, data-collection and analysis of the experiments in the contexts of use. Its novelty is to complement conventional quantitative quality evaluation with concrete tools to identify factors that surround the assessment in the context. The methodological framework is part of our long-term aim to measure and understand the user-centered quality of experience.