Academic literature on the topic 'HiRISE'

The dissertation is related to the work of the team involved in the development of a STereo Camera (STC) for the ESA-JAXA mission BepiColombo to Mercury (Cremonese et al, 2009) and is focused on validation of the STC 3D reconstruction process and software development for DTM generation. STC will provide the images for the global mapping in stereo mode of the entire Hermean surface. In order to estimate and characterize the actual stereo reconstruction capabilities of STC, an indoor Stereo Validation Setup (SVS) has been developed and tested in laboratory with a functional breadboard. The stereo validation concept has been proven by comparing the DTMs produced by the Dense Matcher software (DM), developed at University of Parma, from a series of rock samples stereo pairs with the ones produced by an high resolution laser scanning system. The same procedure will be therefore applied to the STC flight model. Originally developed for use in close range photogrammetry, the DM program, in these years, has been optimized to cope with very high resolution images provided by the most recent missions (LROC NAC and HiRISE). Efforts have been mainly directed to the improvement of the image correlation kernel and of the process automation. More specifically, important changes have been made to the correlation kernel, still maintaining its high performance in terms of precision and accuracy by implementing an advanced version of the Least Squares Matching (LSM) algorithm. An iterative algorithm has been developed to adapt the geometric transformation in image resampling using different shape functions. Commonly an affine transformation is used as geometric transformation in the area-based matching algorithms implemented in the Least Squares Optimization; however, perspective changes due to rough terrain morphology are difficult to accommodate by an area-based stereo correlator with such model only. Many authors (Sutton & al., 1988) (Bruck & al., 1989) (Lu & Cary, 2000) found that the use of a simplified shape function requires less computational load but yields lower accuracy when significant changes in the terrain curvature occurs. Also Bethmann (Bethmann & al., 2010) showed that using different shape functions to model the geometric transformation in LSM can bring higher accuracy and solve, in some cases, numerical problems like pixel-locking (Stein, Andreas, & Larry, 2006). In this context, the new DM software uses, rather than the common affine transformation, alternative functional models in the geometrical transformation involved during LSM to handle perspective differences. The evaluation of the alternative models has been carried out in terms of accuracy and evaluating statistically the quality of the solution convergence. The test scenarios have been organized considering many processing variables and different set of images, in order to identify the difficulties in the matching phase. Furthermore, the performance of the image correlation kernel of the program has been evaluated through comparisons with DTMs generated by other well established software like Socet Set by Bae System and Ames Stereo Pipeline (NASA) on HiRISE stereo pairs. Comparisons have been also made with the DTMs produced with NAC stereo-pairs by the VICAR software by DLR (German Aerospace Center), as well as against the LOLA altimeter tracks. The results look very promising and represent a concrete proof of the capability of Dense Matcher software in dealing with HiRISE and LROC images, two of the most significant examples of high resolution orbital imagers.<br>Questo lavoro di tesi è connesso alle attività del team coinvolto nello sviluppo della Stereo Camera (STC) per la missione ESA-JAXA Bepicolombo su Mercurio (Cremonese et al, 2009) ed è focalizzato alla validazione del processo di ricostruzione tridimensionale di STC insieme allo sviluppo del software per la generazione di DTM. STC fornirà le immagini per la mappatura globale dell’intera superficie di Mecurio in modalità stereo. Al fine di caratterizzare le effettive capacità di ricostruzione stereo di STC, un Setup di Validazione Stereo (SVS) è stato sviluppato e testato in laboratorio tramite un apposito breadboard. Il concetto di validazione stereo è stato collaudato confrontando i DTM (Digital Terrain Model) prodotti con Dense Matcher software (DM), sviluppato all’Università di Parma, rispetto al modello tridimansionale acquisito con un sistema laser ad alta risoluzione. La stessa procedura verrà applicata al modello di volo. Originariamente sviluppato per l’ambito della fotogrammetria dei vicini, il DM, in queesti anni è stato ottimizzato per gestire le immagini ad alta risoluzione fornite dalle più recenti missioni spaziali (LROC NAC and HiRISE). A questo scopo molti sforzi sono stati diretti al miglioramento del kernel connesso al processo di correlazione di immagine e anche allo sviluppo dell’automazione dell’intero processo. Più specificatamente, sono stati attuati una serie di miglioramenti algoritmici con l’implementazione di una versione avanzata dell’algorimo ai minimi quadrati (LSM) cercando di mantenere le elevate prestazioni in termini di precisione ed accuratezza già caratterizzanti il pacchetto software. L’algorimo che è stato introdotto permette di adattare la trasformazione geometrica coinvolta nel ricampionamento dell’immagine in maniera iterativa usando diverse funzioni di forma. Gli algoritmi di matching area-based che implementano ottimizzazioni ai minimi quadrati, impiegano come traformazione geometrica nel modello funzionale, la trasformazione Affine; tuttavia, i cambiamenti prospettici coinvolti in presenza di morfologie superficiali complesse, sono difficili da descrivere attraverso un algoritmo di correlazione che implementa tale modello a soli 6 parametri. Molti autori (Sutton & al., 1988) (Bruck & al., 1989) (Lu & Cary, 2000) sostengono che l’uso di modelli di semplici come l’Affine richiedano meno sforzo computazionale portando tuttavia all’ottenimento di accuratezze più basse qualora si incontrino complessità superficiali elevate. Anche Bethmann (Bethmann & al., 2010) dimostra che usare funzioni di forma di grado superiore per modellare le trasformazioni geometriche nel LSM può portare ad accuratezze superiori e si risolvono, in alcuni casi, problemi numerici come il cosiddetto “pixel-locking” (Stein, Andreas, & Larry, 2006). In questo contesto, il nuovo DM usa, piuttosto che la comune trasformazione Affine, modelli funzionali alternativi per la definizione delle trasformazioni geometriche coinvolte durante la stima ai minimi quadrati finalizzata ad modellare le differenze prospettiche tra le immagini. La valutazione dei modelli alternativi implementati nell’algoritmo di matching di DM è stata svolta in termini di accuratezza e analizzando statisticamente la qualità e il comportamento della convergenza alla soluzione. Lo scenario dei test ha previsto lo studio di diverse variabili di processamento e sono state impiegati diversi tipi di immagini al fine di identificare precisamente le difficoltà della fase di matching. Le performance del nuovo algoritmo di matching implementato nel programma DM è stato valutato anche eseguendo una serie di confronti tra i DTM generati e quelli ottenuti mediante altri pacchetti software ben collaudati come Socet Set della Bae System e Ames Stereo Pipeline (NASA) processando le coppie stereo di HiRISE. Per quanto riguarda una serie di immagini acquisite dalla camera NAC, una serie di confronti sono stati svolti con il software VICAR del DLR e anche le traccie fornite dal laser altimetro sono state impiegate come dato di riferimento. I risultati ottenuti dai confronti quali-quantitativi tra i vari modelli tridimensionali possono essere considerati una prova delle capacità di DM gestire le immagini ad altissima risoluzione fornite dalle camere HiRISE e LROC.

The auditing profession is a popular career choice among business graduates, and the Big N firms hire large cohorts of audit assistants every year. The auditing profession is special in the way that it has a defined career ladder, as well as a high employee turnover rate. The hiring process involves contact both with the HR department and auditors from the operating business. Since the audit assistants are not expected to have great technical knowledge at the beginning of their employment, other things than the actual auditing skills must be tested during the hiring process.   In prior research, studies have been conducted from the perspective of the applicant, rather than the organizational perspective. There has been relatively little research on the recruitment of auditors, and most research has been conducted in another context than a Swedish one. The research question used for this thesis is: How do audit firms hire entry-level audit assistants, and what profile is desired by the HR department and the operating business?   The main purposes of this study are to explore the hiring process and what profile is desired, from both the HR department’s perspective and the operating business’ perspective. The study is qualitative, and the data was collected through semi-structured interviews with delegates from the largest audit firms in Sweden. The sample consisted of eleven informants including seven auditors and four recruiters.  The empirical findings suggest that the Big N firms in Sweden hire through a centralized HR-department, with a standardized process that is similar among all the firms. A lot of responsibility lies with the HR-department, but the auditors make the final determination if the applicant will fit into the group. The most important characteristics desired of an audit assistant are found to be social skills, team ability, and dedication, and these are assessed at the different steps of the hiring process. Finally, the findings suggest that the HR department and the delegates from the operating business of the HR firms agree on what profile they are looking for, however, there is no formal way of evaluating the hiring process in any of the firms. The contributions of this thesis can be of use for various actors, for example audit firms when developing their hiring strategies, regulatory authorities when discussing the development of the industry and educational bodies and students when preparing for a career within auditing. From an academic perspective, this study can be used as a point of departure for future research.

The data derived from the study of the hereditary traits in Drosophila-Melanogaster remind the viewer of the tremendous potential in technology and genetic engineering. My Installation is witness to this ever-changing technology and how it shapes our culture, history, and politics. Dreams and nightmares coexist in this installation and my intent is merely to invite the viewer to consider the consequences. Inheritance in the age of database culture and the sovereignty of the Algorithm conspires to envision utopia - a New Atlantis: Bound and Unbound.

Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2014.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>An exploratory qualitative study of hiring practices at technology startups in Silicon Valley and the USA.<br>by Gerrit Hall.<br>M.B.A.

Gaining information about competency within hiring practices is critical for hiring managers seeking to hire skilled workers, improve employee fit, and lower hiring cost. Employee replacement cost ranges from 30% of an entry-level engineering or aeronautical employee's salary to 400% for a high-level employee in those fields. Guided by the transformational leadership theory and the decision-making theory, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the hiring strategies used by 4 hiring managers to hire employees for organizational fit. The managers work within the aeronautics and engineering fields within the Southeast region of the United States, which included metro Atlanta, Georgia, and South Carolina. Data came from semistructured interviews with the hiring managers and company documents. Member checking was employed as a means of reinforcing credibility and trustworthiness. The data were analyzed and coded and 5 themes emerged: job descriptions and job requirements, resume review and interview matrices, practical demonstrations, leadership training, and compensation and benefits. By implementing practices that management supports, hiring managers can succeed in hiring employees for organizational fit. The findings may influence social change in that if hiring managers select the right workers, the business may sustain operations in the community and thus contribute to the prosperity of the employees, their families, the community, and the economy.

<p>In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, principals are often ill prepared for the demands of the job. According to Baxter (2012), every year in the Archdiocese approximately 30 principal vacancies are filled. Many of the Pastors who hire for these vacancies do not have an educational background, nor do they have much experience in hiring practices. With the increase of lay educators leading Catholic schools, not only are competent principals needed, but principals who can be Pastoral, educational, and managerial leaders (Manno, 1985). To increase the probability of hiring strong candidates for the principal vacancies in schools across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a hiring protocol is needed to standardize the process, while encouraging collaboration and input from multiple stakeholders. This case study implemented and evaluated a hiring protocol at one school site within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The protocol was designed to help Catholic schools hire qualified principals, and its development was guided by previous research on effective hiring procedures for such positions. The case-study data collected provides insight into the benefits and of using this specialized hiring protocol while also identifying potential changes to further strengthen the protocol. The results of the case study will be shared with the Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to provide a framework for a principal hiring protocol that can be used at all school sites.

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, principals are often ill prepared for the demands of the job. According to Baxter (2012), every year in the Archdiocese approximately 30 principal vacancies are filled. Many of the Pastors who hire for these vacancies do not have an educational background, nor do they have much experience in hiring practices. With the increase of lay educators leading Catholic schools, not only are competent principals needed, but principals who can be Pastoral, educational, and managerial leaders (Manno, 1985). To increase the probability of hiring strong candidates for the principal vacancies in schools across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a hiring protocol is needed to standardize the process, while encouraging collaboration and input from multiple stakeholders. This case study implemented and evaluated a hiring protocol at one school site within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The protocol was designed to help Catholic schools hire qualified principals, and its development was guided by previous research on effective hiring procedures for such positions. The case-study data collected provides insight into the benefits and of using this specialized hiring protocol while also identifying potential changes to further strengthen the protocol. The results of the case study will be shared with the Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to provide a framework for a principal hiring protocol that can be used at all school sites.