7392070
System and Transport Interface of H.264/AVC Scalable Extension
The scalable extension of H.264/AVC, known as scalable video coding or SVC, has recently been the main focus of the Joint Video Team. The higher level syntax of SVC follows the design principles of H.264/AVC. This allows the work towards an optimized file format and RTF payload format to be conducted in parallel with the core SVC specification. This paper provides an overview of the system and transport interface design of SVC, including the SVC high-level syntax and functionalities, SVC file format, and SVC RTF payload format.
14708720
Coding of faded scene transitions
Coding of a scene transition is often a challenging problem, from the compression efficiency point of view, because motion compensation may not be a powerful enough method to represent changes between pictures in the transition. This paper proposes a overlay coding technique for coding faded scene transitions. As shown by extensive simulations, over 50% bit-rate savings in both cross-fades and through-black fades compared to earlier techniques can be achieved. Overlay coding suits situations where video is edited manually or automatically.
2496902
Improved Error Concealment Using Scene Information
Signaling of scene information in coded bitstreams was proposed by the authors and adopted into the emerging video coding standard H.264 (also known as MPEG-4 part 10 or AVC) as a supplemental enhancement information (SEI) message. This paper proposes some improved error concealment methods for intra coded pictures and scene transition pictures using the signaled scene information. Simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform conventional techniques significantly.
18778381
Block truncation coding with adaptive decimation and interpolation
A modification of block truncation coding (BTC) is proposed in this paper. The modification is with a novel adaptive decimation and interpolation method, and predictive entropy coding of the quantization data. The decimation algorithm is designed based on the directional gradients of image blocks so as (1) to preserve the edge information, (2) to enable the interpolator utilize the already reconstructed data in decoder and (3) to better predict the mean value of a block. The quantization data is not directly coded by the two reconstruction levels, but by the block mean and the difference between the block mean and the lower reconstruction level, to further reduce the bit-rate. Compared to other interpolative methods, the new decimation and interpolation method substantially improves the image quality and removes the annoying blocky artifact at the same time. The proposed scheme, which has low computational complexity, is shown to have comparable or better performance to/than BTC methods combined with vector quantization/discrete cosine transform and the most recently BTC modification that utilize the inter-block correlation.
14888347
Error Resilient Mode Decision in Scalable Video Coding
Error resilient macroblock mode decision has been extensively investigated in the literature for single-layer video coding, for which error resilient mode decision is also called as intra refresh. In this paper, we present a loss-aware rate-distortion optimized macroblock mode decision algorithm for scalable video coding, wherein more macroblock coding modes than intra and inter are involved. Thanks to the good performance, the proposed method has been adopted into the joint scalable video model by the joint video team.
15352869
Error Resilient Video Coding using Redundant Pictures
Coding of redundant pictures is supported in the latest international video coding standard H.264 (also known as MPEG-4 part 10 or AVC). This paper proposes a standard-compliant way to encode and decode redundant pictures for improved error resilience. The method is based on a combination of picture-level reference picture selection, reference picture list ordering, and a hierarchical allocation of redundant pictures, which can efficiently prevent temporal error propagation without relying on feedback information. Simulation results show that the method outperforms the optimal loss-aware rate-distortion optimized intra refresh method. The proposed algorithm has been adopted into the H.264 joint model.
16943053
Towards an indoor location system using RF signal strength in IEEE 802.11 networks
Location is one of the most important contexts used in pervasive computing environments. GPS systems are intensely used to detect the location information; they mainly work in outdoor environment. Applications call for precise, easy-to-build, and easy-to-use indoor location systems. This paper presents our work to implement an indoor location determination system for Microsoft-Windows-based platforms using a preexisting IEEE 802.11 wireless network. The location is determined from radio signal strength information collected from multiple base stations at different physical locations. Our experiments show a high accuracy rate of this approach.
19029975
Design and Implementation of an Automatic RTPA Code Generator
Real-time process algebra (RTPA) is a mathematics-based notation system for the specification and refinement of realtime and safety-critical systems. This paper presents the work on designing and developing a set of tools that facilitate automatic generation of C++ code from RTPA specifications of system architectures and behaviors. A two-phrase strategy has been employed in the design of the toolkit. In the first phrase, an RTPA specification is lexically and syntactically analyzed and type-checked, which results in a set of abstract syntax trees. In the second phrase, C++ code is generated using the RTPA-to-C++ mapping strategies and patterns when walking down the abstract syntax trees. The RTPA-to-C++ mapping strategies specify both the traditional sequential part of RTPA mapping onto the standard C++ library and the real-time features of RTPA, such as interrupt, concurrency, duration, and event/time-driven dispatch, mapping onto the RTPA run-time library, which provides real-time support and is implemented using real-time kernel techniques. The toolkit implemented includes an RTPA lexer, an RTPA parser, an RTPA type-checker, and an RTPA code-generator. The experimental results show that RTPA specifications can be rigorously checked and corresponding C++ code can be automatically generated from RTPA specifications using the toolkit. The automatically generated code is executable and effective under the support of the standard C++ library and the specially developed RTPA run-time library
3357707
A method for document zone content classification
This paper describes an algorithm to classify each given document zone into one of nine classes and provides a protocol for its performance evaluation. The classification scheme uses an optimized binary decision tree and Viterbi algorithm for HMM to find the optimal solution. Our algorithm was trained and tested on a total of 24,177 zones within the 1600 images from UWCDROM III database. Its accuracy rate is 98.45% with a mean false alarm rate of 0.50%.
27176673
The Latest Development on Cognitive Informatics
Cognitive informatics (CI) is a cutting-edge and profound interdisciplinary research area that tackles the common root problems and foundations of modern informatics, computation, software engineering, AI, and life sciences. CI is a new frontier that studies internal information processing mechanisms and processes of the brain, and their applications in computing, software, and ICT industries. Conventional information theory (Shannon, 1948) treated information as a measure of the probability of messages received from a channel. It was focused on information transmission rather than information itself. Modern information theory perceives information as any aspect of the natural world that can be abstracted and digitally represented. With this orientation, information is regarded as entities of messages, rather than a probabilistic measurement of them as in the classical information theory. However, it is recognized that current information theories are still in a category of external informatics. Complementing to these, there is a whole range of extremely interesting new research areas known as CI, a term which was coined by the author in 2001. I think, therefore I am (Rene Descartes, 1596–1650).’ CI draws the attention of research on the internal information processing mechanisms of the brain, which are perceived as the foundation of next generation IT and software technologies, such as neural computers, bio-computers, novel methodologies of software engineering, quantum information processing, and powerful ICT systems. This talk focuses on the natural information processing mechanisms and cognitive processes. The latest development on CI at the First IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics (ICCI’02) will be reported. At heoretical framework of CI as an emerging and interdisciplinary research area will be presented. The objectives of this talk are to draw attention of researchers, practitioners and graduate students on the investigation of cognitive mechanisms and processes of human information processing, and to stimulate the collaborative international effort on CI research and engineering applications.
45073197
On cognitive properties of human factors in engineering
Human traits and needs are the fundamental force underlying almost all phenomena in human task performances, engineering organizations, and societies. This paper explores the cognitive foundations of human traits and cognitive properties of human factors in engineering. The fundamental traits of human beings are identified, and the hierarchical model of basic human needs is formally describes. The characteristics of human factors and their influences in engineering organizations and socialization are explored. Based on the models of basic human traits, needs, and their influences, driving forces behind the human factors in engineering and society are revealed. A formal model of human errors in task performing is derived, and case studies of the error model in software engineering are presented.