Journal articles on the topic 'Appropriate benchmarks for crowd sourcing'

Nowadays, in most of the modern database applications, lots of critical queries and tasks cannot be completely addressed by machine. Crowd-sourcing database has become a new paradigm for harness human cognitive abilities to process these computer hard tasks. In particular, those problems that are difficult for machines but easier for humans can be solved better than ever, such as entity resolution, fuzzy matching for predicates and joins, and image recognition. Additionally, crowd-sourcing database allows performing database operators on incomplete data as human workers can be involved to provide estimated values during run-time. Skyline queries which received formidable attention by database community in the last decade, and exploited in a variety of applications such as multi-criteria decision making and decision support systems. Various works have been accomplished address the issues of skyline query in crowd-sourcing database. This includes a database with full and partial complete data. However, we argue that processing skyline queries with partial incomplete data in crowd-sourcing database has not received an appropriate attention. Therefore, an efficient approach processing skyline queries with partial incomplete data in crowd-sourcing database is needed. This paper attempts to present an efficient model tackling the issue of processing skyline queries in incomplete crowd-sourcing database. The main idea of the proposed model is exploiting the available data in the database to estimate the missing values. Besides, the model tries to explore the crowd-sourced database in order to provide more accurate results, when local database failed to provide precise values. In order to ensure high quality result could be obtained, certain factors should be considered for worker selection to carry out the task such as workers quality and the monetary cost. Other critical factors should be considered such as time latency to generate the results.

Nigerian campuses comprises of diverse culture, ethnicity and religion. Controlling these campuses is a very big deal. Cameras are installed to help security personnel in carrying out these enormous tasks. However, the installed closed circuit television [CCTV] cameras are only used for evidence sourcing rather than prevention of campus vices. With the use of appropriate technique, campus vices can be prevented thus securing the campus. In this research, an Artificial Intelligent (AI) video surveillance system was developed. The system captures, analyses video for any abnormal behaviour and alerts relevant personnel for appropriate required action. The scheme uses crowd surge a crowd analyzer for videos with vulnerability and threats. The result shows that when deployed at strategic flagged locations early campus vices are detected and reported to relevant personnel whom take appropriate actions and measures to curb escalation of the vices.

Nowadays, in most of the modern database applications, lots of critical queries and tasks cannot be completely addressed by machine. Crowdsourcing database has become a new paradigm for harness human cognitive abilities to process these computer hard tasks. In particular, those problems that are difficult for machines but easier for humans can be solved better than ever, such as entity resolution, fuzzy matching for predicates and joins, and image recognition. Additionally, crowd-sourcing database allows performing database operators on incomplete data as human workers can be involved to provide estimated values during run-time. Skyline queries which received formidable attention by database community in the last decade, and exploited in a variety of applications such as multi-criteria decision making and decision support systems. Various works have been accomplished address the issues of skyline query in crowd-sourcing database. This includes a database with full and partial complete data. However, we argue that processing skyline queries with partial incomplete data in crowd-sourcing database has not received an appropriate attention. Therefore, an efficient approach processing skyline queries with partial incomplete data in crowdsourcing database is needed. This paper attempts to present an efficient model tackling the issue of processing skyline queries in incomplete crowdsourcing database. The main idea of the proposed model is exploiting the available data in the database to estimate the missing values. Besides, the model tries to explore the crowd-sourced database in order to provide more accurate results, when local database failed to provide precise values. In order to ensure high quality result could be obtained, certain factors should be considered for worker selection to carry out the task such as workers quality and the monetary cost. Other critical factors should be considered such as time latency to generate the results.

In the domain of software architecture, Event Sourcing (ES) has emerged as a significant paradigm, especially for systems requiring high levels of auditability, traceability, and intricate state management. Systems such as financial transaction platforms, inventory management systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and any application requiring a detailed audit trail can significantly benefit from this approach. Numerous aspects of ES remain unexplored, as they have yet to be thoroughly investigated by scientific research. The unique demands of such systems, particularly in terms of database performance and functionality, are not adequately addressed by existing database benchmarks. By establishing benchmarks, organizations can compare different databases to determine which best meets their needs for applications. This aids in selecting the most appropriate technology based on empirical data rather than assumptions or marketing claims.This paper introduces a novel benchmarking framework specifically designed for evaluating databases in the context of event sourcing. The framework addresses critical aspects unique to ES, including event append performance, efficient handling of Projections (separate databases for read operations), strong consistency, ordered data insertion, and robust versioning controls. Through rigorous testing and analysis, this framework aims to fill the gap in existing database benchmarking tools, providing a more accurate and relevant assessment for ES systems. We also conducted experiments that not only demonstrated the effectiveness of our approach but also yielded meaningful results, substantiating its practicality and applicability.

Lagrangian theory provides a rich set of tools for analyzing non-local, long-term motion information in computer vision applications. Based on this theory, we present a specialized Lagrangian technique for the automated detection of violent scenes in video footage. We present a novel feature using Lagrangian direction fields that is based on a spatio-temporal model and uses appearance, background motion compensation, and long-term motion information. To ensure appropriate spatial and temporal feature scales, we apply an extended bag-of-words procedure in a late-fusion manner as classification scheme on a per-video basis.We demonstrate that the temporal scale, captured by the Lagrangian integration time parameter, is crucial for violence detection and show how it correlates to the spatial scale of characteristic events in the scene. The proposed system is validated on multiple public benchmarks and non-public, real-world data from the London Metropolitan Police. Our experiments confirm that the inclusion of Lagrangian measures is a valuable cue for automated violence detection and increases the classification performance considerably compared to stateof- the-art methods.

The Municipality of Coimbra in Portugal, and indeed the country as a whole, is currently undergoing a long-term land registration (cadastre creation) exercise, with approximately 50 % of the country having been surveyed, amounting to 1/3 of the total properties, by the end of 2013. The survey process is currently generating two-dimensional (2D) maps. However, as with many other countries, these maps have limitations when representing the real three-dimensional (3D) complexities of land and property ownership. Capturing 2D cadastre is an expensive process, and does not provide the required insight into the number of properties where the ownership situation is inadequately represented, as the survey does not include the internal building structure. Having information about the extent of the 2D/3D issue is, however, fundamental to making a decision as to whether to invest resources in even more expensive 3D survey. <br><br> Given that the 3D complexity inside buildings is only known to residents/occupants - thus making crowd sourcing perhaps the only economically feasible approach for its capture - this paper describes the development of a web-based App envisaged for use by the general public to flag different land and property ownership situations. The paper focuses on two aspects of the problem - firstly, identifying an appropriate, clear, set of diagrams depicting the various different ownership situations from which the user can then pick one, and secondly prototyping and user testing an App for multi-platform VGI data capture in absence of direct feedback from the final end users - i.e. the general public.

AbstractAdvancement of understanding in paleontology and biology has always been hindered by difficulty in accessing comparative data. With current and burgeoning technology, the severity of this hindrance can be substantially reduced. Researchers and museum personnel generating three-dimensional (3-D) digital models of museum specimens can archive them using internet repositories that can then be explored and utilized by other researchers and private individuals without a museum trip. We focus on MorphoSource, the largest web archive for 3-D museum data at present. We describe the site, how to use it most effectively in its current form, and best practices for file formats and metadata inclusion to aid the growing community wishing to utilize it for distributing 3-D digital data. The potential rewards of successfully crowd sourcing the digitization of museum collections from the research community are great, as it should ensure rapid availability of the most important datasets. Challenges include long-term governance (i.e., maintaining site functionality, supporting large amounts of digital storage, and monitoring/updating file to prevent bit rot, which is the slow and random corruption of electronic data over time, and data format obsolescence, which is the problem of data becoming unreadable or ineffective because of the loss of functional software necessary for access), and utilization by the community (i.e., detecting and minimizing user error in creating data records, incentivizing data sharing by researchers and institutions alike, and protecting stakeholder rights to data, while maximizing accessibility and discoverability).MorphoSource serves as a proof-of-concept of how these kinds of challenges can be met. Accordingly, it is generally recognized as the most appropriate repository for large, raw datasets of fossil organisms and/or comparative samples. Its existence has begun to transform data transparency standards because journal reviewers, editors, and grant officers now often suggest or require that 3-D data be made available through this site.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize how digital humanities (DH) projects can be integrated into instructional services programs in libraries. The paper draws on three digital projects from the New York Public Library (NYPL) and explores how librarians can creatively utilize these resources to teach new digital literacy skills such as data analysis and data management. For patrons, they can learn about the content of these crowd-sourcing projects as well. By integrating DH projects into library instruction, the possibilities and opportunities to expand and explore new research and teaching areas are timely and relevant. Design/methodology/approach – The approach of this paper is to explore NYPL’s three digital projects and underscore how they can be integrated into instructional services: “What’s On the Menu,” “Direct Me NYC” and “Map Warper” all offer strengths and limitations but they serve as paradigms to explore how digital resources can serve multipurpose use: they are databases, digital repositories and digital libraries but they can also serve as instructional service tools. Findings – The paper conceptualizes how three DH projects can serve as teaching opportunities for instructional services, particularly teaching digital literacy skills. By exploring the content of each digital project, the paper suggests that users can develop traditional information literacy skills but also digital literacy skills. In addition, as crowdsourcing projects, the Library also benefits from this engagement since users are adding transcriptions or rectified maps to the Library’s site. Patrons develop visual literacy skills as well. The paper addresses how librarians can meet the needs of the scholarly community through these new digital resources. While the paper only addresses the possibilities of these integrations, these ideas can be considered and implemented in any library. Practical implications – The paper addresses positive outcomes with these digital resources to be used for library instructional services. Based on these projects, the paper recommends that DH projects can be integrated into such instructions to introduce new content and digital skills if appropriate. Although, there are limitations with these digital resources, it is possible to maximize their usage if they are used in a different and creative way. It is possible for DH projects to be more than just digital projects but to act as a tool of digital literacy instruction. Librarians must play a creative role to address this gap. However, another limitation is that librarians themselves are “new” to these resources and may find it challenging to understand the importance of DH projects in scholarly research. Originality/value – This paper introduces DH projects produced in a public research library and explores how librarians can use these digital projects to teach patrons on how to analyze data, maps and other content to develop digital literacy skills. The paper conceptualizes the significant roles that these DH projects and librarians can play as critical mediators to introducing and fostering digital literacy in the twenty-first century. The paper can serve as an interest to academic and public libraries with large research collections and digital projects. By offering new innovative ideas of integrating DH into instructional services, the paper addresses how DH projects teaching tools can support specific digital skills such as visual literacy and data analysis.

Online crowdsourcing platforms have proliferated over the last few years and cover a number of important domains, these platforms include from worker-task platforms such Amazon Mechanical Turk, worker-for hire platforms such as TaskRabbit to specialized platforms with specific tasks such as ridesharing like Uber, Lyft, Ola etc. An increasing proportion of human workforce will be employed by these platforms in the near future. The crowdsourcing community has done yeoman’s work in designing effective algorithms for various key components, such as incentive design, task assignment and quality control. Given the increasing importance of these crowdsourcing platforms, it is now time to design mechanisms so that it is easier to evaluate the effectiveness of these platforms. Specifically, we advocate developing benchmarks for crowdsourcing research. Benchmarks often identify important issues for the community to focus and improve upon. This has played a key role in the development of research domains as diverse as databases and deep learning. We believe that developing appropriate benchmarks for crowdsourcing will ignite further innovations. However, crowdsourcing – and future of work, in general – is a very diverse field that makes developing benchmarks much more challenging. Substantial effort is needed that spans across developing benchmarks for datasets, metrics, algorithms, platforms and so on. In this article, we initiate some discussion into this important problem and issue a call-to-arms for the community to work on this important initiative.

Precision medicine aims to treat diseases with special consideration for the individual biological variability. Novel biomarkers (BM) are needed to predict therapeutic responses and to allow for the selection of suitable patients for treatment with certain drugs. However, the identification and validation of appropriate BMs is challenging. Close col-laboration between different partners seems to be a key success factor. While the importance of partnerships and larger, well-established consortia in BM discovery such as the pharmaceutical industry and academic institutions is well un-derstood and has been investigated in the past, the use of open-innovation models, also known as ‘crowd sourcing for biomarkers’, is still in its infancy. Crowd sourcing comprises of a —usually via internet— request for problem solution to an open group of users in a kind of an ‘open call’. The community (crowd) is asked to provide solutions. Since the application of the crowd sourcing method offers the possibility to collect as many as possible novel ideas from a broad community with different expertise, this approach is particularly promising for BM development. In this article we de-scribe the first examples of open-innovation models, such as the ‘grants for targets’ (G4T) and biomarkers initiative ‘InnoCentive’ (innovation/incentive) platform. They may be a fruitful basis for collaborative BM development in the future.

The recent progress on image recognition and language modeling is making automatic description of image content a reality. However, stylized, non-factual aspects of the written description are missing from the current systems. One such style is descriptions with emotions, which is commonplace in everyday communication, and influences decision-making and interpersonal relationships. We design a system to describe an image with emotions, and present a model that automatically generates captions with positive or negative sentiments. We propose a novel switching recurrent neural network with word-level regularization, which is able to produce emotional image captions using only 2000+ training sentences containing sentiments. We evaluate the captions with different automatic and crowd-sourcing metrics. Our model compares favourably in common quality metrics for image captioning. In 84.6% of cases the generated positive captions were judged as being at least as descriptive as the factual captions. Of these positive captions 88% were confirmed by the crowd-sourced workers as having the appropriate sentiment.

Traditional offline optimization frameworks rely on representative hardware, software, and inputs to compare different optimizations on. With application-specific optimization for mobile systems though, the idea of a representative testbench is unrealistic while creating offline inputs is non-trivial. Online approaches partially overcome these problems but they might expose users to suboptimal or even erroneous code. Therefore, our mobile code is poorly optimized, resulting in wasted performance and energy, and user frustration. In this paper, we introduce a novel compiler optimization approach designed for mobile applications. It requires no developer effort, it tunes applications for the user’s device and usage patterns, and has no negative impact on the user experience. It is based on a lightweight capture and replay mechanism. Our previous work [46], captures the state accessed by any targeted code region during its online stage. By repurposing existing OS capabilities, it keeps the overhead low. In its offline stage, it replays the code region but under different optimization decisions to enable sound comparisons of different optimizations under realistic conditions. In this paper, we propose a technique that further decreases the storage sizes without any additional overhead. It captures only the intersection of reachable objects and accessed heap pages. We compare this with another new approach that has minimal runtime overheads, at the cost of higher capture sizes. Coupled with a search heuristic for the compiler optimization space, our capture and replay mechanism allows us to discover optimization decisions that improve performance without testing these decisions directly on the user. Finally, with crowd-sourcing we split this offline evaluation effort between several users, allowing us to discover better code in less time. We implemented a prototype system in Android based on LLVM combined with a genetic search engine and a crowd-sourcing architecture. We evaluated it on both benchmarks and real Android applications. Online captures are infrequent and introduce ~5ms or 15ms on average, depending on the approach used. For this negligible effect on user experience, we achieve speedups of 44% on average over the Android compiler and 35% over LLVM -O3. Our collaborative search is just 5% short of that speedup, which is impressive given the acceleration gains. The user with the highest workload concluded the search 7x faster.

This paper presents a new crowdsourcing approach to the construction of patent clusters, and systematically benchmarks it against previous expert and algorithmic approaches. Patent databases should be rich sources of inspiration which could lead engineering designers to novel solutions for creative problems. However, the sheer volume and complexity of patent information means that this potential is rarely realised. Rather than the keyword driven searches common in commercial systems, designers need tools that help them to understand patents in the context of the problem they are considering. This paper presents an approach to address this problem by using crowd intelligence for effective generation of patent clusters at lower cost and with greater rationale. A systematic study was carried out to compare the crowd’s efficiency with both expert and algorithmic patent clusters, with the results indicating that the crowd was able to create 80% more patent pairs with appropriate rationale.

Introduction: Before and after photographs (BAPs) in breast surgery have been identified as important components of the informed consent process. Currently, there is limited consensus on the contents and presentation of BAPs. This study collected the opinions of prior and prospective patients on this topic. Methods: A survey, based on criteria identified by our previous nominal group technique (NGT) study, was designed to obtain patient perspectives on BAPs in breast surgery. Amazon Mechanical Turk, a validated crowd-sourcing tool, was used to identify and survey a group of 72 participants who indicated that they had undergone or were planning to undergo breast surgery. Likert items were analyzed using either chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Results: Most respondents were cis-gendered-women (89%), Caucasian (83%), and between 31 and 41 years old (38%). Respondents agreed that BAPs are important to the consent process, for enabling patient-centered care, and should be presented in standardized sets. BAPs should be more accessible through different platforms, display multiple time points to show the healing process, and have multiple views including close-ups of scars. Photos should be unaltered except for de-identification, and have more diversity with regard to patient gender, age, skin color, and body mass index. These results align with results from our NGT study. Conclusion: Through this study we have identified many criteria that BAPs should meet according to prior and prospective breast surgery patients. Surgeons should think critically about how they present BAPs during the consent process to ensure effective patient-centered care.

Vision-based activity monitoring provides applications that revolutionized the e-health sector. Considering the potential of crowdsourcing data, to develop large scale applications, the researchers are working on consolidating smart hospital with crowd sourcing data. For creating a meaningful pattern from such huge data, a key challenge is that it needs to be annotated. Especially, the annotation of medical images plays an important role in providing pervasive health services. Although, multiple image annotation methods such as manual and semi-supervised exist. However, high cost and computation time remains a major issue. To overcome the abovementioned issues, a methodology is proposed for automatic annotation of images. The proposed approach is based on three tires namely frame extraction, interest point's generation, and clustering. Since the medical imaging lacks an appropriate dataset for our experimentation. Consequently, we have introduced a new dataset of Human Health care Actions (HHA). The data set comprises of videos related to multiple medical emergencies such as allergy reactions, burn, asthma, brain injury, bleeding, poisoning, heart attack, choking and spinal injury. We have also proposed an evaluation model to assess the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The promising results of the proposed technique indicate the effectiveness of 78% in terms of Adjusted Rand Index. Furthermore, to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed technique, a comparison is made, by training the neural network classifier with annotated labels generated by proposed methodology and other existing techniques such as semi-supervised and manual methods. The overall precision of the proposed methodology is 0.75 (i.e., 75%) and semi-supervised learning is 0.69 (69%).

Background: Reproductive health technology has evolved significantly since the introduction of in vitro fertilization in 1978, enhancing the possibility of conceiving children at later stages in life. Despite these advancements, there remains a critical gap in fertility knowledge among young adults, as demonstrated by recent studies. This gap is compounded by the growing influence of social media on health information, where misinformation can distort public understanding of fertility-related issues. Addressing this knowledge deficit is essential for empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive futures. Objectives: With the increasing prevalence of older individuals becoming parents and the growing reliance on Assisted Reproductive Technologies for conception, our study aimed to assess fertility knowledge among young adults. Design: This study employed a survey-based approach using Amazon’s crowd-sourcing marketing platform, Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants were asked to complete a 17-question survey that included a section on demographic information. The questionnaire explored various aspects of knowledge and perceptions regarding male and female fertility. Methods: The survey was completed by 983 participants aged 18–30, recruited through MTurk. Individuals outside this age range were excluded from the study. Participants received a $0.50 incentive for their participation. Results: Notably, a high percentage of respondents correctly identified the age range at which female fertility (70.4% of participants) declines, while fewer (56.4% of participants) demonstrated awareness of the age range at which male fertility declines. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority exhibited appropriate knowledge regarding the impact of lifestyle factors, such as obesity and smoking, on fertility. The findings suggest an encouragingly high level of awareness among participants regarding fundamental fertility concepts. Approximately 63% of participants reported social media as a source of this information. Conclusion: This study yields promising insights into fertility knowledge among young adults. However, it underscores a notable deficiency in understanding male fertility, emphasizing the imperative for further educational initiatives in this domain. These results also highlight the crucial role of healthcare providers in maintaining an online presence to disseminate valuable, evidence-based knowledge. By doing so, healthcare professionals can empower individuals to make informed decisions regarding fertility.

Introduction On Saturday 6 February 1954, on the third day of the Australian leg of their tour of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The specially-staged Royal Surf Carnival they witnessed—comprising a spectacular parade, surf boat races, mock resuscitations and even unscheduled surf rescues—generated extensive media coverage. Attracting attention from historians (Warshaw 134; Ford 194–196), the carnival lingers in popular memory as not only a highlight of the Australian tour (Conway n.p.; Clark 8) and among the “most celebrated events in Australian surf lifesaving history” (Ford et al. 5) but also as “the most spectacular occasion [ever held] at Bondi Beach” (Lawrence and Sharpe 86). It is even, for some, a “highlight of the [Australian] post-war period” (Ford et al. 5). Despite this, the fuller history of the Queen’s visit to Bondi, including the detailed planning involved, remains unexplored. A small round tin medal, discovered online, offered a fresh way to approach this event. 31mm in diameter, 2mm in depth, this dual-sided, smooth-edged medal hangs from a hoop on approximately 80mm of discoloured, doubled red, white, and blue striped ribbon, fastened near its end with a tarnished brass safety pin. The obverse features a relief portrait of the youthful Queen’s face and neck in profile, her hair loosely pulled back into a low chignon, enclosed within a striped symmetrical scrolled border of curves and peaks. This is encircled with another border inscribed in raised capitals: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Royal Visit to Waverley N.S.W.” The reverse features a smooth central section encircled with the inscription (again in raised capitals), “Presented to the Children of Waverley N.S.W. 1954”, the centre inscribed, “By Waverley Municipal Council C.A. Jeppesen Mayor”. Figs. 1 & 2: Medal, c.1954. Collection of the Author. Medals are often awarded in recognition of achievement and, in many cases, are worn as prominent components of military and other uniforms. They can also be made and gifted in commemoration, which was the case with this medal, one of many thousands presented in association with the tour. Made for Waverley Council, it was presented to all schoolchildren under 15 in the municipality, which included Bondi Beach. Similar medals were presented to schoolchildren by other Australian councils and States in Australia (NAA A462). This gifting was not unprecedented, with medals presented to (at least some) Australian schoolchildren to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee (The Age 5; Sleight 187) and the 1937 coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (“Coronation Medals” 6). Unable to discover any provenance for this medal aside from its (probable) presentation in 1954 and listing for sale in 2021, I pondered instead Waverley Council’s motivation in sourcing and giving these medals. As a researcher, this assisted me in surmounting the dominance of the surf carnival in the history of this event and led to an investigation of the planning around the Bondi visit. Planning Every level of government was involved in planning the event. Created within the Prime Minister’s Department, the Royal Visit Organisation 1954—staffed from early 1953, filling positions from within the Commonwealth Public Service, armed services and statutory authorities—had overall authority over arrangements (NAA 127, 134). National planning encompassed itineraries, travel arrangements, security, public relations, and protocol as well as fly and mosquito control, the royals’ laundry arrangements, and advice on correct dress (NAA: A1533; NAA: A6122; NAA: A9708, RV/DD Annex.15; NAA: A1838, 1516/11 Parts 1&2; NAA: A9708, RV/CD; NAA: A9708, RV/CQ; NAA: A9708, RV/T). Planning conferences were held with State officials who developed State visit programs and then devolved organisational responsibilities to Councils and other local organisations (NAA: A9708, RV/DD Annex.2; NAA: A9708, RV/DD Annex.3). Once the Bondi Beach location was decided, the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia received a Royal Command to stage a surf carnival for the royals. This command was passed to the president of the Bondi club, who organised a small delegation to meet with government representatives. A thirteen-member Planning Committee, all men (“The Queen to See” 12), was appointed “with full power to act without reference to any other body” (Meagher 6). They began meeting in June 1953 and, soon after this, the carnival was announced in the Australian press. In recognition, the “memorable finale” of a Royal Command Performance before the Queen in London in November 1953 marked the royal couple’s impending tour by filling the stage with people from Commonwealth countries. This concluded with “an Australian tableau”. Alongside people dressed as cricketers, tennis players, servicemen, and Indigenous people, a girl carrying a huge bunch of bananas, and a couple in kangaroo suits were six lifesavers dressed in Bondi march-past costumes and caps, carrying the club flag (Royal Variety Charity n.p.). In deciding on a club for the finale, Bondi was “seen the epitome of the surf lifesaving movement—and Australia” (Brawley 82). The Planning Committee worked with representatives from the police, army, government, local council, and ambulance services as well as the media and other bodies (Meagher 6). Realising the “herculean task” (Meagher 9) ahead, the committee recruited some 170 members (again all men) and 20 women volunteers from the Bondi and North Bondi Surf Clubs to assist. This included sourcing and erecting the carnival enclosure which, at over 200 meters wide, was the largest ever at the beach. The Royal dais that would be built over the promenade needed a canvas cover to shield the royal couple from the heat or rain. Seating needed to be provided for some 10,500 paying spectators, and eventually involved 17 rows of tiered seating set across the promenade, 2,200 deckchairs on the sand in front, and, on each flank, the Bondi Surf Club’s tiered stands. Accommodations also had to be provided at selected vantage points for some 100 media representatives, with a much greater crowd of 50–60,000 expected to gather outside the enclosure. Four large tents, two at each end of the competition area, would serve as both change rooms and shady rest areas for some 2,000 competitors. Two additional large tents were needed, one at each end of the lawns behind the beach, fitted out with camp stretchers that had to be sourced for the St John Ambulance Brigade to deal with first-aid cases, most of whom were envisaged to come from the crowds due to heat stroke (Meagher 6–7). The committee also had to solve numerous operational issues not usually associated with running a surf carnival, such as ensuring sufficient drinking water for so many people on what might be a very hot day (“The Queen to See” 12). With only one tap in the carnival area, the organisers had to lay a water line along the entire one-kilometre length of the promenade with double taps every two to three metres. Temporary toilets also had to be sourced, erected, and serviced. Self-financing and with costs adding up, sponsors needed to be secured to provide goods and services in return for advertising. An iced water unit was, for instance, provided on the dais, without cost, by the ElectrICE Commercial Refrigeration company. The long strip of red carpet laid from where the royals would alight from their car right through the dais was donated by the manufacturer of Feltex, a very popular Australian-made wool carpet. Prominent department store, Anthony Horden’s, loaned the intricately carved chairs to be used by the Royal couple and other officials, while The Bondi Diggers Club provided chrome plated chairs for other official guests, many of whom were the crew of royal yacht, the S.S. Gothic (Meagher 6). Fig. 3: “Feltex [Advertisement].” The Australian Home Beautiful Nov. 1954: 40. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2985285882. The Ladies Committees of the Bondi and North Bondi surf clubs were tasked with organising and delivering lunch and drinks to over 400 officials, all of whom were to stay in position from early morning until the carnival concluded at 5 pm (Meagher 6). Girl members of the Bondi social clubs were to act as usherettes. Officials describe deciding who would meet, or even come in any close proximity to, the Queen as “most ticklish” and working with mayors and other officials a “headache” (“Socialites” 3). In Bondi, there were to be notably few officials sitting with the royal couple, but thousands of “ordinary” spectators seated around the carnival area. On her arrival, it was planned that the Queen would walk through a guard of honour of lifesavers from each Australian and New Zealand club competing in the carnival. After viewing the finals of the surf boat races, the Queen would meet the team captains and then, in a Land Rover, inspect the massed lifesavers and greet the spectators. Although these activities were not contentious, debate raged about the competitors’ uniforms. At this time, full-length chest-covering costumes were normally worn in march-past and other formal events, with competitors stripping down to trunks for surf races and beach events. It was, however, decided that full-length costumes would be worn for the entirety of the Queen’s visit. This generated considerable press commentary that this was ridiculous, and charges that Australians were ashamed of their lifesavers’ manly chests (“Costume Rule” 3). The president of the Bondi Life Saving Club, however, argued that they did not want the carnival spoiled by lifesavers wearing “dirty … track suits, football guernseys … old football shorts … and just about everything except proper attire” (ctd. in Jenkings 1). Waverley Council similarly attempted to control the appearance of the route through which the royals would travel to the beach on the day of the carnival. This included “a sequence of signs along the route” expressing “the suburb’s sentiments and loyalty” (“Queen in the Suburbs” 4; see also, “The Royal Tour” 9). Maintaining that “the greatest form of welcome will be by the participation of the residents themselves”, the Mayor sought public donations to pay for decorations (with donors’ names and amounts to be published in the local press, and these eventually met a third of the cost (“The Royal Tour” 9; Waverley Council n.p.). In January 1954, he personally appealed to those on the route to decorate their premises and, in encouragement, Council provided substantial prizes for the most suitably decorated private and commercial premises. The local Chamber of Commerce was responsible for decorating the transport and shopping hub of Bondi Junction, with many businesses arranging to import Coronation decorations from England (“Queen in the Suburbs” 4; “The Royal Tour” 9). With “colorful activity” providing the basis of Council’s plan (“Queen in the Suburbs” 4), careful choreography ensured that thousands of people would line the royal route through the municipality. In another direct appeal, the Mayor requested that residents mass along the roadsides, wearing appropriate rosettes or emblems and waving flags (“Queen in the Suburbs” 4; “The Royal Tour” 9). Uniformed nurses would also be released from duty to gather outside the War Memorial Hospital as the royals passed by (“Royal Visit” n.p.). At the largest greenspace on the route, Waverley Park, some 10,000 children from the municipality’s 18 schools would assemble, all in uniform and wearing the medal to be presented to them to commemorate the visit. Children would also be provided with large red, white, or blue rosettes to wave as the royals drove by. A special seating area near the park was to be set aside for the elderly and ex-servicemen (“Queen in the Suburbs” 4). Fostering Expectations As the date of the visit approached, preparation and anticipation intensified. A week before, a detailed visit schedule was published in local newspaper Bondi Daily. At this time, the Royal Tour Decorations Committee (comprised of Aldermen and prominent local citizens) were “erecting decorations at various focal points” throughout the municipality (“The Royal Tour” 9). On 4 February, the Planning Committee held their final meeting at the Bondi Beach clubhouse (Meagher 6). The next day, the entire beach was cleaned and graded (Wilson 40). The afternoon before the visit, the Council’s decoration competition was judged, with the winners a house alongside Waverley Park and the beachside Hotel Astra (“Royal Visit” n.p.), one of 14 Sydney hotels, and the only one in Bondi, granted permission to sell liquor with meals until the extended hour of 11.00 pm during the Royal visit (“State House” 5). On the day of the surf carnival, The Sydney Morning Herald featured a large photograph of the finishing touches being put to the official dais and seating the day before (“Stage Set” 15). In reality, there was still a flurry of activity from daybreak on the day itself (Meagher 7), with the final “tidying up and decorating still proceeding” (Meagher 7) as the first carnival event, the Senior boat race heats, began at 10.00 am (“N.Z. Surf” 15). Despite some resident anger regarding the area’s general dilapidation and how the money being spent on the visit could have been used for longstanding repairs to the Pavilion and other infrastructure (Brawley 203), most found the decorations of the beach area appealing (“Royal Visit” n.p.). Tickets to the carnival had sold out well in advance and the stands were filled hours before the Queen arrived, with many spectators wearing sundresses or shorts and others stripping down to swimsuits in the sunshine (“Royal Visit” n.p.). With Police Inspector Michael O’Neill’s collapse and death at a royal event the day before thought to be the result of heat exposure, and the thermometer reaching the high 80s°F (low 30s°C), a large parasol was sourced to be held over the Queen on the dais (Meagher 8). A little after 3:15 pm, the surf club’s P.A. system advised those assembled at the beach that the royal party had left Randwick Racecourse on time and were proceeding towards them (“Queen’s Visit to Races” 17), driving through cheering crowds all the way (“Sydney” 18). At Waverley Park, Council had ensured that the waiting crowds had been entertained by the Randwick-Coogee pipe band (“Royal Visit” n.p.) and spirits were high. Schoolchildren, wearing their medals, lined the footpaths, and 102-year-old Ernest Dunn, who was driven to the park in the morning by police, was provided with a seat on the roadway as well as tea and sandwiches during his long wait (“Royal Tour Highlights” 2; “Royal Visit” n.p.). The royal couple, driving by extremely slowly and waving, were given a rousing welcome. Their attire was carefully selected for the very warm day. The Queen wore a sunny lemon Dior-styled cap-sleeved dress, small hat and white accessories, the Duke a light-coloured suit and tie. It was observed that she wore heavier makeup as a protection against the sun and, as the carnival progressed, opened her handbag to locate her fashionable sunglasses (“Thrills” 1). The Duke also wore sunglasses and used race binoculars (Meagher 8). The Result Despite the exhaustive planning, there were some mishaps, mostly when the excitement of the “near-hysterical crowds” (Hardman n.p.) could not be contained. In Double Bay, for instance, as the royals made their way to Bondi, a (neither new nor clean) hat thrown into the car’s rear seat struck the Duke. It was reported that “a look of annoyance” clouded his face as he threw it back out onto the road. At other points, flags, nosegays, and flutter ribbons (long sticks tied with lengths of coloured paper) were thrown at, and into, the Royal car. In other places, hundreds raced out into the roadway to try to touch the Queen or the Duke. They “withstood the ordeal unflinchingly”, but the Duke was reportedly concerned about “this mass rudeness” (“Rude Mobs” 2). The most severe crowding of the day occurred as the car passed through the centre of Bondi Junction’s shopping district, where uniformed police had to jump on the Royal car’s running boards to hold off the crowds. Police also had to forcibly restrain a group of men who rushed the car as it passed the Astra Hotel. This was said to be “an ugly incident … resentment of the police action threatened to breed a riot” (“Rude Mobs” 2). Almost everything else met, and even exceeded, expectations. The Queen and Duke’s slow progress from Bondi Road and then, after passing under a large “Welcome to Bondi” sign, their arrival at the entrance to the dais only three minutes late and presence at the carnival went entirely to plan and are well documented in minute-by-minute detail. This includes in detailed press reports, newsreels, and a colour film, The Queen in Australia (1954). Their genuine enjoyment of the races was widely commented upon, evidenced in how they pointed out details to each other (Meagher 8), the number of times the Duke used his binoculars and, especially, in their reluctance to leave, eventually staying more than double the scheduled time (“Queen Delighted” 7). Sales of tickets and programs more than met the costs of mounting the event (Meagher 8–9) and the charity concert held at the beach on the night of the carnival to make the most of the crowds also raised significant funds (“Queen in the Suburbs” 4). Bondi Beach looked spectacularly beautiful and gained considerable national and international exposure (Landman 183). The Surf Life Saving Association of Australia’s president noted that the “two factors that organisation could not hope to control—weather and cooperation of spectators—fulfilled the most optimistic hopes” (Curlewis 9; Maxwell 9). Conclusion Although it has been stated that the 58-day tour was “the single biggest event ever planned in Australia” (Clark 8), focussing in on a single event reveals the detailed decentralised organisation which went into both each individual activity as well as the travel between them. It also reveals how significantly responsible bodies drew upon volunteer labour and financial contributions from residents. While many studies have discussed the warm welcome given to the monarch by Australians in 1954 (Connors 371–2, 378), a significant finding from this object-inspired research is how purposefully Waverley Council primed this public reception. The little medal discussed at the opening of this discussion was just one of many deliberate attempts to prompt a mass expression of homage and loyalty to the sovereign. It also reveals how, despite the meticulous planning and minute-by-minute scheduling, there were unprompted and impulsive behaviours, both by spectators and the royals. Methodologically, this investigation also suggests that seemingly unprepossessing material remnants of the past can function as portals into larger stories. In this case, while an object biography could not be written of the commemorative medal I stumbled upon, a thoughtful consideration of this object inspired an investigation of aspects of the Queen’s visit to Bondi Beach that had otherwise remained unexplored. References Brawley, Sean. “Lifesavers of a Nation.” 3 Feb. 2007: 82. [extract from The Bondi Lifesaver: A History of an Australian Icon. Sydney: ABC Books, 2007.] Clark, Andrew. “The Queen’s Royal Tours of Australia Remembered: Reflection.” The Australian Financial Review 10 Sep. 2022: 8. Connors, Jane. “The 1954 Royal Tour of Australia.” Australian Historical Studies 25 (1993): 371–82. Conway, Doug. “Queen’s Perennial Pride in Australia.” AAP General News Wire 26 Nov. 2021: n.p. “Coronation Medals Presented to School Children: 6000 Distributed in Rockhampton District.” Morning Bulletin 12 May 1937: 6. “Costume Rule for Queen’s Bondi Visit.” Barrier Miner 18 Dec. 1953: 3. Curlewis, Adrian. “Letter.” Bondi Surfer: Official Organ of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club 2.7 (1954): 9. Ford, Caroline. Sydney Beaches: A History. Sydney: NewSouth Publishing, 2014. Ford, Caroline, Chris Giles, Danya Hodgetts, and Sean O’Connell. “Surf Lifesaving: An Australian Icon in Transition.” Australian Bureau of Statistics Year Book, Australia 2007. Ed. Dennis Trewin. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007. 1–12. Hardman, Robert. Our Queen. London: Hutchinson, 2011. <https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/OurQueen/DySbU9r0ABgC>. Jenkings, Frank. “Editorial.” Bondi Surfer: Official Organ of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club 2.6 (1954): 1. Landman, Jane. “Renewing Imperial Ties: The Queen in Australia.” The British Monarchy on Screen. Ed. Mandy Merck. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2016. 181–204. Lawrence, Joan, and Alan Sharpe. Pictorial History: Eastern Suburbs. Alexandria: Kingsclear Books, 1999. Maxwell, C. Bede. “Letter.” Bondi Surfer: Official Organ of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club 2.7 (1954): 9. Meagher, T.W. “The Royal Tour Surf Carnival Bondi Beach, February 6, 1954.” Bondi Surfer: Official Organ of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club 2.7 (1954): 6–9. National Archives of Australia (NAA): A462, 825/4/6, Royal tour 1954—Medals for School children—General representations, 1954. National Archives of Australia (NAA): A1533, 1957/758B, Royal Visit, 1953–1954. 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Royalty and Australian Society: Records Relating to The British Monarchy Held in Canberra. Research Guide. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 1998. “N.Z. Surf Team in Dispute.” The Sydney Morning Herald 6 Feb. 1954: 15. “Queen Delighted by Carnival.” The Sun-Herald 7 Feb. 1954: 7. “Queen in the Suburbs: Waverley.” Sun 21 Jan. 1954: 4. “Queen’s Visit to Races: Drive in Suburbs.” The Daily Telegraph 6 Feb. 1954: 17. “Royal Tour Highlights.” The Mail 6 Feb. 1954: 2. Royal Variety Charity. “Coronation Year Royal Variety Performance.” London: London Coliseum, 2 Nov. 1953. <https://www.royalvarietycharity.org/royal-variety-performance/archive/detail/1953-london-coliseum>. “Royal Visit to Waverley.” Feb. 1954 [Royal Visit, 1954 (Topic File). Local Studies Collection, Waverley Library, Bondi Junction, LS VF] “Rude Mobs Spoil Happy Reception.” The Argus 8 Feb. 1954: 2. Sleight, Simon. Young People and the Shaping of Public Space in Melbourne, 1870–1914. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. “Socialites in for Rude Shock on Royal Tour Invitations.” Daily Telegraph 3 Jan. 1954: 3. “Stage Set for Royal Surf Carnival at Bondi.” The Sydney Morning Herald 6 Feb. 1954: 15. “State House Rehearses Royal Opening.” The Sydney Morning Herald 27 Jan. 1954: 5. “Sydney.” Women’s Letters. The Bulletin 10 Feb. 1954: 18. The Age 24 Jun. 1897: 5. The Queen in Australia. Dir. Colin Dean. Australian National Film Board, 1954. “The Queen to See Lifesavers.” The Daily Telegraph 24 Aug. 1953: 12. “The Royal Tour.” Bondi Daily 30 Jan. 1954: 9. “Thrills for the Queen at Bondi Carnival—Stayed Extra Time.” The Sun-Herald 7 Feb. 1954: 1. Warshaw, Matt. The History of Surfing. San Fransisco: Chronicle Books, 2010. Wilson, Jack. Australian Surfing and Surf Lifesaving. Adelaide: Rigby, 1979.