BirdSpot - 4th place @ WESC 2006

Project name: BirdSpot
Contest: WESC 2006
Award: 4th place
Alpha Team: Alin-Iulian Lazar, Andrei Gheorghe, Mihai Ciureanu, Radu Nedelcut
Mentor: Nicolae Tapus
(raport)

In the news:




Abstract:

The Danube Delta located in Eastern Romania is one of the best preserved natural habitats in the world and is on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves [1]. Besides a wide variety of plants and fish, the Delta is also home to over 300 different bird species, some of them being very rare or unique such as the cormorant or the white pelican [2]. Studying these birds without too much anthropic interference is thus an important element in conserving their habitat and sustaining growth. Furthermore, as millions of birds come to the Delta every year to lay their eggs, several cases of avian influenza have been detected in autumn 2005, the virus being brought by some species coming from Asia [3][4]. Identifying these species as soon as they arrive and monitoring the high risk areas has become vital in order to prevent the virus from spreading and thus affecting the health of both wildlife and human beings or having harsh economic consequences.
The BirdSpot system automatically detects, identifies and classifies bird species based on visual information in order to determine the evolution of the population density of distinct species in a designated area. The system is built upon non-obtrusive, energy-efficient and affordable wireless devices that can be placed in remote natural habitats to gather visual data. BirdSpot then uses wireless long range communication equipment to aggregate data from these remote devices to a processing server. Bird detection and classification are accomplished by means of intelligent image processing and adaptive machine learning algorithms. As the images are analyzed, the output results consisting of the identified bird species and their locations are integrated into a database and are accessible via a user-friendly web interface. Furthermore, these results can be used in order to create specific reports. For instance, in case the arrival of a migrating virus-susceptible species is detected, a special alert will be issued to the interested authorities.
BirdSpot improves on existing imaging equipment used by bird-watchers or scientists: BirdSpot devices are designed to be autonomous and operate unattended in remote areas. Moreover, the key feature of the system is that it allows automatic, real-time classification of birds into species starting from relevant captured images. Tracking animals and birds in particular currently involves tagging individual specimens using rings or cumbersome electronic transmitters [5]. What BirdSpot focuses on however is not following the habits of individual birds but monitoring and synthesizing the general evolution of the density of species over a certain territory.
Thus, as it receives input from a number of remote devices deployed in an area, the BirdSpot system is able to compute and offer a general picture of the distribution of bird species. This can greatly facilitate and streamline the work of ornithologists. Current methods for assessing bird populations require the participation of hundreds of volunteers who must follow tedious procedures [6]. BirdSpot, on the other hand, can provide similar information with minimal supervision and is able to process statistical and geographic results automatically. The human contribution is reduced to collaborative assistance in training an automated species classifier.
The system is also designed with the numerous hobbyists and enthusiasts in mind as BirdSpot can be a fun way to take part in an exciting and educative birdwatching experience. However the main features of BirdSpot primarily qualify it as a powerful scientific tool and in the context of the recent birdflu threat as a potential means of protecting lives.

Synairgy - 3rd place @ CSIDC 2006

Project name: Synairgy
Contest: CSIDC 2006
Award: 3rd
Team: Maximilian Machedon, Iulian Moraru, Bogdan Marius Tudor, Dan Ştefan Tudose
Mentor: Nicolae Tapus, Vlad Panait

(report)

In the news:

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IEEE

Abstract:

One of the major environmental concerns of our time is air pollution. Apart from severely degrading the natural environment, air pollution directly affects our health. Short term and long term effects range from light allergic reactions – irritation of the nose, throat and eyes – to serious conditions like bronchitis, pneumonia, aggravated asthma, lung and heart diseases. Air pollution is also the cause for many premature deaths (50,000 to 100,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone, 300,000 in the EU and over 3,000,000 worldwide [1] and [2]).

Damage done to the environment by air pollution includes acid rain, climate change – shifting from a four temperate seasons to two seasons – and global warming. Economic losses from acid rain surpass 13 billion USD annually only for the eastern part of the United States [3], and 13.3 billion USD in China [4]. With the current trend holding, by 2060 predictions indicate costs up to 220 – 330 billion USD per year in the U.S. alone [5]. The cost of global warming was, as of 2001, 0.5% of the combined GNP of the entire world [6]. Synairgy is a solution for both the health and the environmental problems.

People suffering from heart diseases or chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) would benefit from being warned about high concentrations of car exhaust gasses like nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and the smog associated (as these could cause an aggravation of their condition). Joggers and bikers would want to know if the air they inhale is clean on their usual trails. Parents would want to be assured that their children breathe fresh air on their playgrounds. People moving to a new city would like to choose their new home based among other things on information about the air quality.

The solution offered by Synairgy to all these people relies on a small portable device that will warn the person carrying it when it detects an abnormally high concentration of an air pollutant. If the user has a Bluetooth enabled smart-phone or PDA, he can connect to the device and obtain details. The device records the measured data along with location coordinates and can later transfer it to a computer running the Synairgy application. With the user’s acceptance, the application can share the data with the Synairgy Internet server. As a result, the system’s user – and the entire community – can benefit from a potentially wide information-gathering network. The Synairgy application displays maps with the data measured by the device and the statistics received from the server. The feedback loop completes with the device receiving information from the application about the polluted areas, so that it can caution the users as soon as they enter one.

Probably the best approach to solving the environmental problems caused by air pollution is to make people aware of it and of their actions that possibly favor it. Synairgy does just that by gathering and publishing meaningful and up-to-date information. This is the result of people using Synairgy devices and sharing the measured data. Synairgy is innovative in offering a customizable mobile device (the user can select which sensors to plug in) that helps protect the people with respiratory illnesses or people concerned about the air they breathe, relying not only on the data it gathers but also on the data measured by other Synairgy devices. Furthermore, the sharing of air pollution information between the users is original in its own.

Global Health System - 2nd place @ ImagineCup 2006

Project name: Global Health System
Contest: Imagine Cup 2006 - Regional Phase
Award: 2nd place
Team: Dan Badea, Catalin Criveteanu, Eduard Orasanu, Dan Crisan
Mentor: Nicolae Tapus, Vlad Panait

(report)

In the news:

Abstract:

Our lives have never been more dynamic and the whole sprint for performance, breakthrough and achievement has brought us to the point where we neglect important aspects of our life, such as our health. Health has become a global challenge. It's a fact, that nobody can contest. From the appearance of new diseases, over 30 in the past 20 years, diseases that have no know cure or vaccine to the diseases inflicted by the very own technology that we created, we failed to keep a healthy perspective on our innovations. We have built cars to travel faster, but we manage to spend more time in traffic jams, we've built mobile devices to be more independent, but only manage to depend more on this way of communication, we've built software to be more productive, but only manage to set tougher goals that imply more time. Traveling back and forth from home to the office and to important meetings, we don’t really allow ourselves to have a balanced schedule and we don’t really recognize that a healthy body is crucial to being productive.
It's time to build software to depend on, software for life, software that doesn't help us achieve bigger goals, but enables us to live healthier lives.
We’ve named this application “Global Health System”, and it represents our approach to the challenge raised by the Imagine Cup competition. The (GHS) is directed at healthy people, at people suffering of different illnesses and at medical doctors all alike. It presents each of them with a reason to log on to the GHS and to employ it in their daily life.
Imagine doctors, situated anywhere on the globe, exchanging ideas and experience or imagine patients from all parts of the world sharing their experience to help each other through difficult times and to enable specialists to better understand their problems. It is all possible through the of the GHS, guided discussions, based on health related topics, that employ advanced communication technologies like text, audio and video conferencing to present the users with the best possible experience.
All the people of the world can stay in touch with the medical world through news, articles and tutorials, with rich interactive multimedia content, appealing to all users, independent of age, culture or background education. All this is possible through the of the GHS.
Imagine a very easy, fast and efficient way for doctors to do research by conducting surveys and tests over a large number of people, suffering from the same illness, but who are located anywhere on the globe. The of the GHS gives doctors the possibility to design user friendly surveys and tests and it gives the rest of the users the chance to complete them.
Let’s create an artificially intelligent application, perfected by the knowledge and experience of all the doctors in the system, which could diagnose you in a matter of questions and prescribe to you a treatment even when you are on the move, just by using a smart phone, PDA or Notebook. Imagine a patient from any country in the world receiving advice from one of the best doctors on Earth through a live diagnosing application, which employs advanced communication technologies. All this is included in the of the GHS.
Suppose that there is an application that would help all people of the planet to live healthier lives by giving them the chance to stay in touch with specialists through and (LMC). Imagine a software that can maintain and manage your complete medical history, that can schedule your LMCs, that can rearrange your daily tasks for a healthier and less stressful life and that can plan a daily routine to serve your personal health requirements. This is all done by the of the GHS.

Imagine just one system that would suit the health requirements of all the people in the world.
The Global Health System …for healthier people …with healthier lives.