This thesis addresses the current lack of comprehensive, quantitative methods for comparing hydrological spatial fields. Comparison of spatial fields is needed for assessing hydrological models and for data assimilation. The methods that are currently used for quantitative comparison generally fail to consider the spatial arrangement of element values within spatial fields. Instead, there is a dependence on qualitative methods (e.g. visual comparison) to undertake comparison of many aspects (e.g. intermediate scale features), but such methods are non-repeatable, often biased and difficult to report on. This thesis advances the comparison methods available for use with hydrological spatial fields. (For complete abstract open document)

This thesis covers the investigation and application of continuous spatial models for multiple antenna signal processing. The use of antenna arrays for advanced sensing and communications systems has been facilitated by the rapid increase in the capabilities of digital signal processing systems. The wireless communications channel will vary across space as different signal paths from the same source combine and interfere. This creates a level of spatial diversity that can be exploited to improve the robustness and overall capacity of the wireless channel. Conventional approaches to using spatial diversity have centered on smart, adaptive antennas and spatial beam forming. Recently, the more general theory of multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) systems has been developed to utilise the independent spatial communication modes offered in a scattering environment.¶ Underlying any multiple antenna system is the basic physics of electromagnetic wave propagation. Whilst a MIMO system may present a set of discrete inputs and outputs, each antenna element must interact with the underlying continuous spatial field. Since an electromagnetic disturbance will propagate through space, the field at different positions in the space will be interrelated. In this way, each position in the field cannot assume an arbitrary independent value and the nature of wave propagation places a constraint on the allowable complexity of a wave-field over space. To take advantage of this underlying physical constraint, it is necessary to have a model that incorporates the continuous nature of the spatial wave-field. ¶This thesis investigates continuous spatial models for the wave-field. The wave equation constraint is introduced by considering a natural basis expansion for the space of physically valid wave-fields. This approach demonstrates that a wave-field over a finite spatial region has an effective finite dimensionality. The optimal basis for representing such a field is dependent on the shape of the region of interest and the angular power distribution of the incident field. By applying the continuous spatial model to the problem of direction of arrival estimation, it is shown that the spatial region occupied by the receiver places a fundamental limit on the number and accuracy with which sources can be resolved. Continuous spatial models also provide a parsimonious representation for modelling the spatial communications channel independent of specific antenna array configurations. The continuous spatial model is also applied to consider limits to the problem of wireless source direction and range localisation.

This thesis addresses the current lack of comprehensive, quantitative methods for comparing hydrological spatial fields. Comparison of spatial fields is needed for assessing hydrological models and for data assimilation. The methods that are currently used for quantitative comparison generally fail to consider the spatial arrangement of element values within spatial fields. Instead, there is a dependence on qualitative methods (e.g. visual comparison) to undertake comparison of many aspects (e.g. intermediate scale features), but such methods are non-repeatable, often biased and difficult to report on. This thesis advances the comparison methods available for use with hydrological spatial fields. (For complete abstract open document)

二次大戰之後，東亞國家經濟快速發展，促使一些具策略位置的城市搖身一變成為重要的世界/全球城市，其中新加坡、香港、上海、台北及首爾等五個由南至北位居東亞重要位置的世界/全球城市，更進而積極鞏固或致力發展「區域金融中心」角色，由於這五個城市所擁有的優劣勢及利基未盡相同，以至於未來的發展態勢並不明朗。另方面「區域金融中心」的研究範疇是跨越了「城市和區域經濟」的空間領域與「貨幣和金融經濟」的金融領域，因此為了解新加坡、香港、上海、台北及首爾等五城市發展「區域金融中心」各自在空間與金融領域分別擁有的優劣勢及利基，本論文除蒐集空間及金融領域在資金流動、金融市場發展情形、金融業生產力及法制環境等方面的次級資料予以評比外，並透過專家學者深度訪談所提具對五城市優劣勢及利基的評比意見，進行內容分析。 研究發現空間及金融領域都強調「政府因素」以及政治穩定的重要，也一致認為「金融中心」必須要有「經濟力量」的支撐；不過空間領域認為世界/全球城市可由「政府力量」促成，而金融領域則認為「金融中心」係由「市場力量」所形塑，但是為使「市場力量」發揮運作機制，政府扮演最重要的角色。此外，受訪專家學者認為「金融中心」的評比指標，雖然有自由化、國際化程度、人才素質、基礎建設及金融市場效率等，但「政府因素」最具影響。最後，受訪專家學者一致認同香港發展「區域金融中心」最具優勢，新加坡次之；大體上同意台北第三，上海第三或第四，首爾居末。其中，最具爭議的台北及上海，都是由於「政府因素」而導致未來發展不明。此外，研究也發現五城市在發展「區域金融中心」的過程，由於各具不同優勢與利基，遂呈現不同的功能與特徵。 / Since the economy in East Asia has been flourishing remarkably after the World War II, few major cities in this region have undoubtedly become international and grow rapidly in the last few decades. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai and Seoul are the five leading cities in East Asia, located from south to north, in respect of their financial importance. Moreover, people in these cities eager to improve them to take the place as the leading regional financial center. It is but hard to estimate and compare each of them with the other, for each has both its advantages and disadvantages. In fact, the study on the concrete shape and future of the expected regional financial center must take into account not only the spatial field survey of city and local economy, but also that of the financial field concerning monetary and finance economy. That is, to bridge over the research of spatial and financial field as well as to understand the relative competitiveness among these cities to develop regional financial centers. In this regard, the study gathers information about the foreign direct investment of capital flows, the scope of financial market, the productivity of financial service industry as well as legal and regulatory environments in these cities on the one hand, and interview many experts to have their opinions on the issue on the other hand. The result of the study indicates that both the spatial and financial field survey emphasize the importance of governmental support and political stability, and prove consistency in the opinion about the supportive role of economic power in each financial center. However, the spatial field survey considers government-drive as the most relevant element of developing a global city as the regional financial centre, while that from financial field inclines to support market-drive as the key element and persuade government to keep the free-market policy. According to the analysis of expert interviews, there are many determinant elements for developing a regional financial centre, including financial liberalization, internationalization and human capital, fundamental infrastructure, efficiency of financial market and so on. They also indicate that local government plays a critical but most influential role. Meanwhile, all experts regard Hong Kong as the top one among these local financial centers, Singapore as the second, and most experts consider Taipei as the third and Shanghai as the third or the forth, while they all take Seoul as the last. Expert opinions about Taipei and Shanghai are ambiguous, so far as local governments in the two cities play the key role but fail to provide certainty in the future. Finally, it is without doubt that the five cities have their advantages and disadvantages to fulfill different functions.