This book presents a contemporary view of the role of information quality in information fusion and decision making, and provides a formal foundation and the implementation strategies required for dealing with insufficient information quality in building fusion systems for decision making. Information fusion is the process of gathering, processing, and combining large amounts of information from multiple and diverse sources, including physical sensors to human intelligence reports and social media. That data and information may be unreliable, of low fidelity, insufficient resolution, contradictory, fake and/or redundant. Sources may provide unverified reports obtained from other sources resulting in correlations and biases. The success of the fusion processing depends on how well knowledge produced by the processing chain represents reality, which in turn depends on how adequate data are, how good and adequate are the models used, and how accurate, appropriate or applicable prior and contextual knowledge is. By offering contributions by leading experts, this book provides an unparalleled understanding of the problem of information quality in information fusion and decision-making for researchers and professionals in the field.

This book shows how to model selected communication scenarios using game theory. The book helps researchers specifically dealing with scenarios motivated by the increasing use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G Communications by using game theory to approach the study of such challenging scenarios. The author explains how game theory acts as a mathematical tool that models decision making in terms of strategies and mechanisms that can result in optimal payoffs for a number of interacting entities, offering often antagonistic behaviors. The book explores new technologies in terms of design, development and management from a theoretical perspective, using game theory to analyze strategic situations and demonstrate profitable behaviors of the cooperative entities. The book identifies and explores several significant applications/uses/situations that arise from the vast deployment of the IoT. The presentation of the technological scenarios is followed in each of the first four chapters by a step-by-step theoretical model often followed by equilibrium proof, and numerical simulation results, that are explained in a tutorial-like manner. The four chapters tackle challenging IoT and 5G related issues, including: new security threats that IoT brings, e.g. botnets, ad hoc vehicular networks and the need for trust in vehicular communications, content repetition by offloading traffic onto mobile users, as well as issues due to new wearable devices that enable data collection to become more intrusive.

Through interaction with other databases such as social media, geographic information systems have the ability to build and obtain not only statistics defined on the flows of people, things, and information but also on perceptions, impressions, and opinions about specific places, territories, and landscapes. It is thus necessary to systematize, integrate, and coordinate the various sources of data (especially open data) to allow more appropriate and complete analysis, descriptions, and elaborations. Spatial Planning in the Big Data Revolution is a critical scholarly resource that aims to bring together different methodologies that combine the potential of large data analysis with GIS applications in dedicated tools specifically for territorial, social, economic, environmental, transport, energy, real estate, and landscape evaluation. Additionally, the book addresses a number of fundamental objectives including the application of big data analysis in supporting territorial analysis, validating crowdsourcing and crowdmapping techniques, and disseminating information and community involvement. Urban planners, architects, researchers, academicians, professionals, and practitioners in such fields as computer science, data science, and business intelligence will benefit most from the research contained within this publication.

As the amount of accumulated data across a variety of fields becomes harder to maintain, it is essential for a new generation of computational theories and tools to assist humans in extracting knowledge from this rapidly growing digital data. Global Trends in Intelligent Computing Research and Development brings together recent advances and in depth knowledge in the fields of knowledge representation and computational intelligence. Highlighting the theoretical advances and their applications to real life problems, this book is an essential tool for researchers, lecturers, professors, students, and developers who have seek insight into knowledge representation and real life applications.

This book documents recent attempts to conduct systematic, prodigious and multidisciplinary research in learning analytics and present their findings and identify areas for further research and development. The book also unveils the distinguished and exemplary works by educators and researchers in the field highlighting the current trends, privacy and ethical issues, creative and unique approaches, innovative methods, frameworks, and theoretical and practical aspects of learning analytics.

This book presents a systematic approach to analyzing the challenging engineering problems posed by the need for security and privacy in implantable medical devices (IMD). It describes in detail new issues termed as lightweight security, due to the associated constraints on metrics such as available power, energy, computing ability, area, execution time, and memory requirements. Coverage includes vulnerabilities and defense across multiple levels, with basic abstractions of cryptographic services and primitives such as public key cryptography, block ciphers and digital signatures. Experts from Computer Security and Cryptography present new research which shows vulnerabilities in existing IMDs and proposes solutions. Experts from Privacy Technology and Policy will discuss the societal, legal and ethical challenges surrounding IMD security as well as technological solutions that build on the latest in Computer Science privacy research, as well as lightweight solutions appropriate for implementation in IMDs.

Soft computing, as an engineering science, and statistics, as a classical branch of mathematics, emphasize different aspects of data analysis.
Soft computing focuses on obtaining working solutions quickly, accepting approximations and unconventional approaches. Its strength lies in its flexibility to create models that suit the needs arising in applications. In addition, it emphasizes the need for intuitive and interpretable models, which are tolerant to imprecision and uncertainty.
Statistics is more rigorous and focuses on establishing objective conclusions based on experimental data by analyzing the possible situations and their (relative) likelihood. It emphasizes the need for mathematical methods and tools to assess solutions and guarantee performance.
Combining the two fields enhances the robustness and generalizability of data analysis methods, while preserving the flexibility to solve real-world problems efficiently and intuitively.

VoIP (voice over IP) networks are currently being deployed by enterprises, governments, and service providers around the globe and are used by millions of individuals each day. Today, the hottest topic with engineers in the field is how to secure these networks. "Understanding Voice over IP Security" offers this critical knowledge. The book teaches practitioners how to design a highly secure VoIP network, explains Internet security basics, such as attack types and methods, and details all the key security aspects of a VoIP system, including identity, authentication, signaling, and media encryption. What's more, the book presents techniques used to combat spam and covers the future problems of spim (spam over instant messaging) and spim (spam over internet telephony).

Recent achievements in hardware and software development, such as multi-core CPUs and DRAM capacities of multiple terabytes per server, enabled the introduction of a revolutionary technology: in-memory data management. This technology supports the flexible and extremely fast analysis of massive amounts of enterprise data. Professor Hasso Plattner and his research group at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, have been investigating and teaching the corresponding concepts and their adoption in the software industry for years. This book is based on an online course that was first launched in autumn 2012 with more than 13,000 enrolled students and marked the successful starting point of the openHPI e-learning platform. The course is mainly designed for students of computer science, software engineering, and IT related subjects, but addresses business experts, software developers, technology experts, and IT analysts alike. Plattner and his group focus on exploring the inner mechanics of a column-oriented dictionary-encoded in-memory database. Covered topics include - amongst others - physical data storage and access, basic database operators, compression mechanisms, and parallel join algorithms. Beyond that, implications for future enterprise applications and their development are discussed. Step by step, readers will understand the radical differences and advantages of the new technology over traditional row-oriented, disk-based databases. In this completely revised 2nd edition, we incorporate the feedback of thousands of course participants on openHPI and take into account latest advancements in hard- and software. Improved figures, explanations, and examples further ease the understanding of the concepts presented. We introduce advanced data management techniques such as transparent aggregate caches and provide new showcases that demonstrate the potential of in-memory databases for two diverse industries: retail and life sciences.

This book brings together the diversified areas of contemporary computing frameworks in the field of Computer Science, Engineering and Electronic Science. It focuses on various techniques and applications pertaining to cloud overhead, cloud infrastructure, high speed VLSI circuits, virtual machines, wireless and sensor networks, clustering and extraction of information from images and analysis of e-mail texts. The state-of-the-art methodologies and techniques are addressed in chapters presenting various proposals for enhanced outcomes and performances. The techniques discussed are useful for young researchers, budding engineers and industry professionals for applications in their respective fields.

The papers in this volume comprise the refereed proceedings of the conference Arti- cial Intelligence in Theory and Practice (IFIP AI 2010), which formed part of the 21st World Computer Congress of IFIP, the International Federation for Information Pr- essing (WCC-2010), in Brisbane, Australia in September 2010. The conference was organized by the IFIP Technical Committee on Artificial Int- ligence (Technical Committee 12) and its Working Group 12.5 (Artificial Intelligence Applications). All papers were reviewed by at least two members of our Program Committee. - nal decisions were made by the Executive Program Committee, which comprised John Debenham (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia), Ilias Maglogiannis (University of Central Greece, Lamia, Greece), Eunika Mercier-Laurent (KIM, France) and myself. The best papers were selected for the conference, either as long papers (maximum 10 pages) or as short papers (maximum 5 pages) and are included in this volume. The international nature of IFIP is amply reflected in the large number of countries represented here. I should like to thank the Conference Chair, Tharam Dillon, for all his efforts and the members of our Program Committee for reviewing papers under a very tight de- line.

This book presents recent machine learning paradigms and advances in learning analytics, an emerging research discipline concerned with the collection, advanced processing, and extraction of useful information from both educators' and learners' data with the goal of improving education and learning systems. In this context, internationally respected researchers present various aspects of learning analytics and selected application areas, including: * Using learning analytics to measure student engagement, to quantify the learning experience and to facilitate self-regulation; * Using learning analytics to predict student performance; * Using learning analytics to create learning materials and educational courses; and * Using learning analytics as a tool to support learners and educators in synchronous and asynchronous eLearning. The book offers a valuable asset for professors, researchers, scientists, engineers and students of all disciplines. Extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter guide readers to probe further into their application areas of interest.

This book presents the current state of the art in the field of e-publishing and social media, particularly in the Arabic context. The book discusses trends and challenges in the field of e-publishing, along with their implications for academic publishing, information services, e-learning and other areas where electronic publishing is essential. In particular, it addresses (1) Applications of Social Media in Libraries and Information Centers, (2) Use of Social Media and E-publishing in E-learning (3) Information Retrieval in Social Media, and (4) Information Security in Social Media.

In the last 15 years we have seen a major transformation in the world of music. - sicians use inexpensive personal computers instead of expensive recording studios to record, mix and engineer music. Musicians use the Internet to distribute their - sic for free instead of spending large amounts of money creating CDs, hiring trucks and shipping them to hundreds of record stores. As the cost to create and distribute recorded music has dropped, the amount of available music has grown dramatically. Twenty years ago a typical record store would have music by less than ten thousand artists, while today online music stores have music catalogs by nearly a million artists. While the amount of new music has grown, some of the traditional ways of ?nding music have diminished. Thirty years ago, the local radio DJ was a music tastemaker, ?nding new and interesting music for the local radio audience. Now - dio shows are programmed by large corporations that create playlists drawn from a limited pool of tracks. Similarly, record stores have been replaced by big box reta- ers that have ever-shrinking music departments. In the past, you could always ask the owner of the record store for music recommendations. You would learn what was new, what was good and what was selling. Now, however, you can no longer expect that the teenager behind the cash register will be an expert in new music, or even be someone who listens to music at all.

Complex systems and their phenomena are ubiquitous as they can be found in biology, finance, the humanities, management sciences, medicine, physics and similar fields. For many problems in these fields, there are no conventional ways to mathematically or analytically solve them completely at low cost. On the other hand, nature already solved many optimization problems efficiently. Computational intelligence attempts to mimic nature-inspired problem-solving strategies and methods. These strategies can be used to study, model and analyze complex systems such that it becomes feasible to handle them. Key areas of computational intelligence are artificial neural networks, evolutionary computation and fuzzy systems. As only a few researchers in that field, Rudolf Kruse has contributed in many important ways to the understanding, modeling and application of computational intelligence methods. On occasion of his 60th birthday, a collection of original papers of leading researchers in the field of computational intelligence has been collected in this volume.

"The book...has enough depth for even a seasoned professional to pick up enough tips to pay back the price of the book many times over." -Dr. Paul Dorsey, President, Dulcian, Inc., Oracle Magazine PL/SQL Developer of the Year 2007, and President Emeritus, New York Oracle Users Group "This is a fascinating guide into the world of Oracle SQL with an abundance of well-collected examples. Without a doubt, this book is helpful to beginners and experts alike who seek alternative ways to resolve advanced scenarios."-Oleg Voskoboynikov, Ph.D., Database Architect The World's #1 Hands-On Oracle SQL Workbook-Fully Updated for Oracle 11g Crafted for hands-on learning and tested in classrooms worldwide, this book illuminates in-depth every Oracle SQL technique you'll need. From the simplest query fundamentals to regular expressions and with newly added coverage of Oracle's powerful new SQL Developer tool, you will focus on the tasks that matter most. Hundreds of step-by-step, guided lab exercises will systematically strengthen your expertise in writing effective, high-performance SQL. Along the way, you'll acquire a powerful arsenal of useful skills-and an extraordinary library of solutions for your real-world challenges with Oracle SQL. Coverage includes 100% focused on Oracle SQL for Oracle 11 g, today's #1 database platform-not "generic" SQL! Master all core SQL techniques including every type of join such as equijoins, self joins, and outer joins Understand Oracle functions in depth, especially character, number, date, timestamp, interval, conversion, aggregate, regular expressions, analytical, and more Practice all types of subqueries, such as correlated and scalar subqueries, and learn about set operators and hierarchical queries Build effective queries and learn fundamental Oracle SQL Developer and SQL*Plus skills Make the most of the Data Dictionary and create tables, views, indexes, and sequences Secure databases using Oracle privileges, roles, and synonyms Explore Oracle 11 g's advanced data warehousing features Learn many practical tips about performance optimization, security, and architectural solutions Avoid common pitfalls and understand and solve common mistakes For every database developer, administrator, designer, or architect, regardless of experience!

This book represents the combined peer-reviewed proceedings
of the Seventh International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing - IDC-2013, of the Second Workshop on Agents for Clouds - A4C-2013, of the Fifth International Workshop on Multi-Agent Systems Technology and Semantics - MASTS-2013,
and of the International Workshop on Intelligent Robots - iR-2013.
All the events were held in Prague, Czech Republic during September 4-6, 2013.

The 41 contributions published in this book address many topics
related to theory and applications of intelligent distributed
computing and multi-agent systems, including:
agent-based data processing, ambient intelligence, bio-informatics, collaborative systems, cryptography and security, distributed algorithms, grid and cloud computing, information extraction, intelligent robotics, knowledge management, linked data, mobile agents, ontologies, pervasive computing, self-organizing systems, peer-to-peer computing, social networks and trust, and swarm intelligence.

This book presents and discusses the main strategic and organizational challenges posed by Big Data and analytics in a manner relevant to both practitioners and scholars. The first part of the book analyzes strategic issues relating to the growing relevance of Big Data and analytics for competitive advantage, which is also attributable to empowerment of activities such as consumer profiling, market segmentation, and development of new products or services. Detailed consideration is also given to the strategic impact of Big Data and analytics on innovation in domains such as government and education and to Big Data-driven business models. The second part of the book addresses the impact of Big Data and analytics on management and organizations, focusing on challenges for governance, evaluation, and change management, while the concluding part reviews real examples of Big Data and analytics innovation at the global level. The text is supported by informative illustrations and case studies, so that practitioners can use the book as a toolbox to improve understanding and exploit business opportunities related to Big Data and analytics.

This book describes the application of modern information technology to reservoir modeling and well management in shale. While covering Shale Analytics, it focuses on reservoir modeling and production management of shale plays, since conventional reservoir and production modeling techniques do not perform well in this environment. Topics covered include tools for analysis, predictive modeling and optimization of production from shale in the presence of massive multi-cluster, multi-stage hydraulic fractures. Given the fact that the physics of storage and fluid flow in shale are not well-understood and well-defined, Shale Analytics avoids making simplifying assumptions and concentrates on facts (Hard Data - Field Measurements) to reach conclusions. Also discussed are important insights into understanding completion practices and re-frac candidate selection and design. The flexibility and power of the technique is demonstrated in numerous real-world situations.

Disaster management is a process or strategy that is implemented when any type of catastrophic event takes place. The process may be initiated when anything threatens to disrupt normal operations or puts the lives of human beings at risk. Governments on all levels as well as many businesses create some sort of disaster plan that make it possible to overcome the catastrophe and return to normal function as quickly as possible. Response to natural disasters (e.g., floods, earthquakes) or technological disaster (e.g., nuclear, chemical) is an extreme complex process that involves severe time pressure, various uncertainties, high non-linearity and many stakeholders. Disaster management often requires several autonomous agencies to collaboratively mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from heterogeneous and dynamic sets of hazards to society. Almost all disasters involve high degrees of novelty to deal with most unexpected various uncertainties and dynamic time pressures. Existing studies and approaches within disaster management have mainly been focused on some specific type of disasters with certain agency oriented. There is a lack of a general framework to deal with similarities and synergies among different disasters by taking their specific features into account. This book provides with various decisions analysis theories and support tools in complex systems in general and in disaster management in particular. The book is also generated during a long-term preparation of a European project proposal among most leading experts in the areas related to the book title. Chapters are evaluated based on quality and originality in theory and methodology, application oriented, relevance to the title of the book.

Strives to be the point of reference for the most important issues in the field of multidimensional databases. This book provides a brief history of the field and distinguishes between what is new in recent research and what is merely a renaming of old concepts. The book reviews past papers and discusses current research projects in the hope to encourage the search for new solutions to the many problems that are still unsolved. In addition this outlines the incredible advances in technology and ever increasing demands from users in the most diverse applicative areas such as finance, medicine, statistics, business, and many more. Many of the most distinguished and well-known researchers have contributed to this book writing about their own specific field.

The academic landscape has been significantly enhanced by the advent of new technology. These tools allow researchers easier information access to better increase their knowledge base. Research 2.0 and the Impact of Digital Technologies on Scholarly Inquiry is an authoritative reference source for the latest insights on the impact of web services and social technologies for conducting academic research. Highlighting international perspectives, emerging scholarly practices, and real-world contexts, this book is ideally designed for academicians, practitioners, upper-level students, and professionals interested in the growing field of digital scholarship.