Victor S. Frost

A Model for Radar Images and Its Application to Adaptive Digital Filtering of Multiplicative Noise

Standard image processing techniques which are used to enhance noncoherent optically produced images are not applicable to radar images due to the coherent nature of the radar imaging process. A model for the radar imaging process is derived in this paper and a method for smoothing noisy radar images is also presented. The imaging model shows that the radar image is corrupted by multiplicative noise. The model leads to the functional form of an optimum (minimum MSE) filter for smoothing radar images. By using locally estimated parameter values the filter is made adaptive so that it provides minimum MSE estimates inside homogeneous areas of an image while preserving the edge structure. It is shown that the filter can be easily implemented in the spatial domain and is computationally efficient. The performance of the adaptive filter is compared (qualitatively and quantitatively) with several standard filters using real and simulated radar images.

Traffic modeling for telecommunications networks

As new communications services evolve, professionals must create better models to predict system performance. The article provides an overview of computer simulation modelling for communication networks, as well as some important related modelling issues. It gives an overview of discrete event simulation and singles out two important modelling issues that are germane to extant and emerging networks: traffic modelling and rare event simulation. Monte Carlo computer simulation is used as a performance prediction tool and Markov models are considered.<<ETX>>

A Survey on Methods for Broadband Internet Access on Trains

We present a survey of approaches for providing broadband Internet access to trains. We examine some of the barriers that hinder the use of broadband Internet on trains and then discuss some of the opportunities for broadband deployment to trains. This survey considers some of the basic concepts for providing broadband Internet access and then reviews associated network architectures. The review of network architectures shows that we can subdivide networks for providing broadband Internet access to trains into the train-based network, the access network-for connecting the train to the service provider(s)-and the aggregation network-for collecting user packets generated in the access network for transmission to the Internet. Furthermore, our review shows that the current trend is to provide Internet access to passengers on trains using IEEE 802.11; however, a clear method for connecting trains to the global Internet has yet to emerge. A summary of implementation efforts in Europe and North America serves to highlight some of the schemes that have been used thus far to connect trains to the Internet. We conclude by discussing some of the models developed, from a technical perspective, for testing the viability of deploying Internet access to trains.

Priority discarding of speech in integrated packet networks

The authors discuss the control of short-term congestion, which is referred to as overload, in integrated packet networks (IPNs) containing a mix of data, speech, and possibly other types of signals. A system model is proposed that assigns a delivery priority to each packet (speech or otherwise) at the transmitter and discards speech packets according to delivery priority at any point in the network in response to overload. This model attempts to minimize per-packet processing at networks nodes. The research described is guided by two principles for IPN design: minimal per-packet processing and flexibility due to signal structure. The quality of the received speech is maintained by classifying speech segments according to their structure and coding them in a way that ensures ease of lost-packet regeneration at the receiver. The results of an experiment are reported that confirmed the general validity of this model from the standpoint of transmitter and receiver processing and subjective quality. >

Nested threshold cell discarding for ATM overload control: optimization under cell loss constraints

Overload control in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks is dealt with via priority cell discarding mechanisms governed by a set of nested queue fill thresholds. An efficient search technique is developed which is applicable to any number of discarding priorities for determining the set of thresholds that optimize the offered load when constraints on cell loss (discarding) probabilities are specified. Results are presented as a function of queue capacity for given traffic distribution and arrival statistics. The results indicate that nested threshold discarding systems can support significantly higher traffic loads than systems without priorities. The sensitivity of the performance advantage to traffic mix and cell loss constraints is also illustrated. The efficient search procedure is shown to provide substantial computational gain when there are more than two discarding priorities.<<ETX>>

Textural Features for Radar Image Analysis

Texture is an important spatial feature useful for identifying objects or regions of interest in an image. While textural features have been widely used in the analysis of a variety of photographic images, they have not been used for processing radar images. In this paper, we present a procedure for extracting a set of textural features for characterizing small areas in radar images and show that these features can be used for classifying segments of radar images corresponding to different geological formations.

Prioritized resource allocation for stressed networks

Overloads that occur during times of network stress result in blocked access to all users, independent of importance. These overloads can occur because of degraded resource availability or abnormally high demand. Public broadband networks must dynamically recognize some multimedia connections as having greater importance than others and allocate resources accordingly. A new approach to connection admission control is proposed that uses an upper limit policy to optimize the admission of connections based on the weighted sum of blocking across traffic classes. This results in a simple algorithm suitable for multimedia and packet networks. This work is also the first to demonstrate that the use of an upper limit policy is superior to traditional approaches of adding extra capacity or partitioning capacity, both in terms of the amount of resources required and sensitivity to load variations. An upper limit policy can also be deployed much faster when a large overload occurs from a disaster event.

An adaptive filter for smoothing noisy radar images

Radar images are corrupted by multiplicative noise due to fading. This paper presents an algorithm for smoothing noisy radar images. The algorithm is easily implemented in the spatial domain and is computationally very efficient. By adapting the filter parameters to local statistics, it is shown that the filter preserves edges.

Design and analysis of a bandwidth management framework for ATM-based broadband ISDN

When designing and configuring an ATM-based B-ISDN, it remains difficult to guarantee the quality of service (QoS) for different service classes, while still allowing enough statistical sharing of bandwidth so that the network is efficiently utilized. These two goals are often conflicting. Guaranteeing QoS requires traffic isolation, as well as allocation of enough network resources (e.g., buffer space and bandwidth) to each call. However, statistical bandwidth sharing means the network resources should be occupied on demand, leading to less traffic isolation and minimal resource allocation. The authors address this problem by proposing and evaluating a network-wide bandwidth management framework in which an appropriate compromise between the two conflicting goals is achieved. Specifically, the bandwidth management framework consists of a network model and a network-wide bandwidth allocation and sharing strategy. Implementation issues related to the framework are discussed. For real-time applications the authors obtain maximum queuing delay and queue length, which are important in buffer design and VP (virtual path) routing.

Efficient techniques for the simulation of computer communications networks

The statistical nature of Monte Carlo techniques presents significant computational problems in the simulation of computer communications networks. A variety of techniques has been developed over the years to improve the computational efficiency of simulation models of general queuing networks, some of which have been applied to communication networks. The authors review the status of efficiency-enhancing techniques as they relate to the simulation of computer communications networks, present some novel approaches, and suggest promising areas for future research. >