The approach of conceptualizing biodiversity and ecosystems as goods and services to be represented by monetary values in policy is being championed not just by economists, but also by ecologists and conservation biologists. This new environmental pragmatism is now being pushed forward internationally under the guise of hardwiring biodiversity and ecosystems services into finance. This conflicts with the realisation that biodiversity and ecosystems have multiple incommensurable values. The current trend is to narrowly define a set of instrumental aspects of ecosystems and biodiversity to be associated with ad hoc money numbers. We argue that ecosystem science has more to offer the policy debate than pseudo-economic numbers based on assumptions that do not reflect ecological or social complexity. Re-establishing the ecological discourse in biodiversity policy implies a crucial role for biophysical indicators as policy targets e.g., the Nature Index for Norway. Yet there is a recognisable need to go beyond the traditional ecological approach to create a social ecological economic discourse. This requires reviving and relating to a range of alternative ecologically informed discourses (e.g. intrinsic values, deep ecology, ecofeminism) in order to transform the increasingly dominant and destructive relationship of humans separated from and domineering over Nature. (author's abstract) / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

The BlackPearl in the Computer Engineering Department is an Automotive Demonstrator, which has a variety of sensors, and users can control these via the server. The server is responsible for the remote interaction, the Smart Queue, and the Raspberry Pi display for human interaction. The Automotive Demonstrator consists of four components, which are installed on the CE-Box: Main QML Application, Main Server, Live Stream, and Smart Queue. All of these servers are running on three single-board computers (Raspberry Pi 3B): Main, BlackPearl, and Camera servers. The Automotive Demonstrator is built with the latest version from both Qt and NodeJS, and the components can access, store and exchange the data in JSON format. The BlackPearl will be controlled via four types of interaction methods: Web server, Voice commands (Sparrow), Pi Display, and Gamepad. The outcome of this thesis is a configurable and adaptive User Interface for Automotive Demonstrator, and this can be easily updated, customized, and accessible for new applications without the need to update or rebuild the program.

A problem with having a fast and wide production of different platforms for mobile devices is that you can’t code for one and deploy on all devices at the same time. This thesis is focused on cross-plat1form development environments for smartphones and mainly to see what options there are on the market. This report will investigate how well a cross-compiler solution compares to hybrid cross-platform development. To do this we took a closer look at their architecture and then compared this with the results from different tests made. All the tests were made on the same smartphone to ensure fairness between them. All the tests strive to be as equal as possible even though the languages might differ from each other. The tested frameworks were PhoneGap, Qt, Unity3D and GameMaker. The different tests were about performance, power consumption, difficulty in accessing web browsers to perform HTML parsing and lastly to see if the platforms can access different native APIs such as the camera and accelerometer. The previously mentioned topics were compared between all the frameworks. We also compared the documentation found on their webpage to figure out which is the easiest to get started on.

Integration of knowledge has become a contentious issue in an age where increasing specialisation creates boundaries and division. Yet, there is an identifiable need for integration across social, ecological and economic understandings if we are to address ever more threatening crises and alarming potential scenarios. This paper relates to the work of K. William Kapp and in so doing raises questions about how integration might be achieved. A core idea that arises is the role of common denominator concepts. (author's abstract) / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

Abstract The target of this dissertation is to propose a new qualification tool (QT) for component package (CP) feasibility qualification in telecommunication infrastructure products. The primary reason for the introduction of the QT is the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) manufacturers’ continuing development of new products with tighter product requirements, e.g. compact size, environmental friendliness and cost-efficiency. CP’s need to match these requirements and thus they need to be developed further and qualified/re-qualified continuously. This qualification process with the new component package needs to be done in as early phase as possible, enabling EEE manufacturers to implement component packages into use with minimal risk. Qualification of a CP to match with these requirements is usually done with the qualification expert’s possessed know-how. However, this process takes a lot of time as all the possible data must be collected or even created. Thus a new method needs to be introduced for early phase qualification. The QT proposed here contains eight qualification sub-areas for feasibility qualification of the CP and it uses three qualification principles. Including all these sub-areas to the feasibility qualification clearly enables more reliable and trustworthy conclusions. The QT is required as an assisting qualification tool for specialists and as a preliminary qualification tool, e.g. for hardware (HW) designers or component engineers. It could be used also as a requirement communication tool between customers and component package manufacturers. After the QT’s sub-areas and functionality were developed, functionality and approval limits were set-up with 44 different widely used commercial CPs. This historical data is recorded for future use in its own database. The QT is a unique tool as there are no competing open-source tools available in the market that can be tailored to match with the user’s own requirements. / Tiivistelmä Työn tarkoituksena oli esittää uusi kvalifiointityökalu (QT) infrastruktuurituotteiden komponenttikoteloiden käytettävyyden arviointiin. Laitevalmistajien kehittäessä uusia pienempiä, ympäristöystävällisempiä ja kustannustehokkaampia laitteita asettavat he samalla vastaavia vaatimuksia myös komponenttikoteloille. Vastaavasti komponenttien valmistajat joutuvat kehittämään komponentteja ottamalla käyttöön uusia materiaaleja ja kotelorakenteita ja kvalifioimaan niiden ominaisuuksia asiakkaiden vaatimuksien mukaisesti. Laitevalmistajien riski uusien komponenttikoteloiden käyttöönotossa pystytään minimoimaan, kun komponenttikoteloiden kvalifiointi tehdään mahdollisimman aikaisessa vaiheessa. Kvalifioinnit tehdään yleensä kvalifiointiasiantuntijoiden tietotaidon perusteella. Tämä prosessi on kuitenkin perinteisesti hidas, joten nopeammalle arviointimenetelmälle on selkeä tarve. Työssä kehitettyyn kvalifiointityökaluun määritettiin kahdeksan arviointialuetta. Lisäksi sitä voidaan käyttää kolmella eri kvalifiontiperiaatteella. Näiden arviointialueiden huomioiminen kvalifiointiprosessin aikana parantaa selkeästi tuloksen luotettavuutta ja todenmukaisuutta. Työkalu on määritetty siten, että sitä voivat käyttää asiantuntijat avustavana kvalifiointityökaluna sekä suunnittelijat / komponentti-insinöörit alustavana kvalifiointityökaluna. Lisäksi sitä voidaan myös käyttää asiakasvaatimusten määrityksessä ja tiedonvälityksessä asiakkaan ja toimittajan välillä. QT:n kvalifiointialueiden määrittelyn ja toiminnallisuuden rakentamisen jälkeen, hyväksyntäkriteerit tutkittiin ja arvioitiin käyttäen 44 erilaista kaupallista komponenttikoteloa työkalun lopullisen hienosäädön tekemiseksi. Koska kvalifioinnin tiedot tallennetaan QT:n tietokantaan, pystyy laitevalmistajat hyödyntämään aikaisemmat historiatiedot tulevissa kvalifioinneissa. QT on ennen näkemätön työkalu, sillä markkinoilla ei ole vastaavia avoimen lähdekoodin kvalifiointityökaluja tarjolla, jota voidaan räätälöidä asiakkaan omien tarpeiden mukaisesti.

Disertační práce je zaměřena na oblast inerciálních navigačních systémů a systémů, které pro odhad polohy používají pouze výpočty. Důležitým faktem v dané problematice je vysoká nepřesnost určení polohy při střednědobém a dlouhodobém využívání takového systému díky kumulativní chybě za předpokladu, že inerciální systém není podpořen žádným dalším přídavným systémem. V disertační práci jsou uvedeny možné přístupy k této problematice a návrh na zvýšení přesnosti určování polohy pouze na základě inerciálních senzorů. Základem inerciální měřicí jednotky je systém s 9 stupni volnosti, který umožňuje snímat celkové zrychlení, rychlost rotace a sílu magnetického pole, jednotlivě ve třech osách. Klíčovou myšlenkou je zařazení umělých neuronových sítí do navigačního systému tak, že jsou schopny rozpoznat charakteristické rysy pohybů, a tím zvýšit přesnost určení polohy. Popis navrhovaných metod zahrnuje analytický postup jejich vývoje a tam, kde je to možné, i analytické hodnocení jejich chování. Neuronové sítě jsou navrhovány v prostředí MATLABTM a jsou používány k určení stavu inerciální jednotky. Díky implementaci neuronových sítí lze určit pozici jednotky s řádově vyšší přesností. Aby byl inerciální polohovací systém s možností využití neuronových sítí demonstrativní, byla vyvinuta aplikace v prostředí Qt. Navržený systém a neuronové sítě byly použity při vyhodnocování reálných dat měřených senzory.

This thesis is focused on design and implementation of procedural generator of galaxy for games or simulations. Second goal is implementation of demonstration application which is showing possible usage of generator. Generator is able to create galaxy by predefined types or by user created map.

This diploma thesis is divided into two main parts. The first section is dedicated to the history and development of the laser technology. The second part describes all individual types of laser technology which are used in the industry nowadays. The next section follows with the research of various laser devices which serve mainly as a cutting tool. This knowledge gathered in the previous part was used to create the next part including the own conception of the machine. The second half of this diploma thesis deals with a research of software available at the market today. Eventually, after summarizing the characteristics of each software, the new concept and implementation of own software are made. In the final section, there are mentioned the possible extension and available upgrades. The reader should be able to create his/her own conception of the laser device and software after reading and understanding this paper.

This thesis deals with the design and implementation of application for control of mobile robot. In the introductory section is discussed used platform GEARS-SMP, the principle of functionality of protocol for servo motors control, format M-JPEG and standard H.264. Further work is dedicated to analysis of designing user interface in robotic applications, available options for control devices and hardware used in remote controller. The following part focuses on the design of robotic application, especially on graphic user interface and virtual head-up display and follow-up implementation of created application in Raspberry Pi. In the end, thesis describes implemented software solution and compares resulting application with the created design.

The thesis deals with problems of agile methodologies in the settings of virtual teams. It begins with the description of virtual teams and their models and deals with both theoretical and practical aspects of mutual communication of their team members. The thesis follows with general characteristics of agile approach and their demonstration on representative methodologies. One of them (methodology Scrum) is described in detail in the next chapter and linked with possibilities of its deployment within virtual teams. Practical part of the thesis deals with the design and implementation of a software application that is focused on effective communication support of virtual teams that utilize Scrum. Deployment of this application is discussed within a case study of a real project which team faced problems of agile software development in the settings of virtual team on a daily basis.