Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Computer Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-166). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11736

This thesis will look at the importance of 3D Visualization within the planning process and addresses the issue of improving public participation within urban regeneration. The main aim of this research is therefore to discover what type of model the public require in terms of understanding future developments, which may in turn help them engage in the planning process. In order to achieve the main aim several other aims need to be established, such as; identifying the capacity of the profession in Wales to deliver 3D models of urban environments, evaluating software solutions to create 3D models of urban environments, and to explore emerging techniques that might contribute to the efficiency and economy of producing models of urban environments. These aims were realised through conducting surveys which targeted the Building Design Profession (BDP) and established which software packages were being used and for what purpose. A second survey was also conducted by means of an exhibition, which aimed to establish what the public require in regards to being presented with proposed developments. Other aims were realized through conducting trials. These examined the usability of different 3D CAD packages and the possibility of integrating CAD data with GIS, and how it could be used to quicken the modeling process. Results from these trials showed that through the use of workarounds there are possibilities of integrating CAD and GIS data. The research reported here indicates that members of the public have trouble understanding 2D Plans and Elevations and the data consistently demonstrates that more than 40% of participants chose 3D technology as a more understandable method of being shown future developments. The results from the two surveys show that although the majority (42.4%) of participants selected 3D technology as their preferred option, only 28% of participating Building Design Professionals in Wales use 3D computer packages, albeit not for presenting propose urban regeneration projects to the public. From the outset of this research the purpose has been to evaluate whether public participation will be increased if 3D technologies are provided to showcase proposed developments. The more efficient the modelling process, the more feasible and likely it will be that 3D CAD will one day be a paramount tool within the Planning Process. Numerous techniques were included to examine this efficiency.

This work describes the investigation of a new 3D capture method for acquisition and subsequent forensic analysis of bite mark injuries on human skin. When documenting bite marks with standard 2D cameras, errors in photographic technique can occur if best practice is not followed. Subsequent forensic analysis of the mark is problematic when a 3D structure is recorded in a 2D space. A 3D image capture and processing system might avoid the problems resulting from the 2D reduction process, simplifying the guidelines and reducing errors. The proposed solutions in this work are: conducting a review of the current 2D and three 3D capture methods, also a series of benchmarks for system assessment. Followed by a series of performance evaluations of the existing current 2D and two 3D methods. Further proposed solutions include, the design of a system specification for the practical reproducible acquisition of bite mark injuries. Finally a review of the validation process for forensic evidence presented to the courts. The results of the work are as follows: A 3D system is required to produce the correct 3D data of a bite mark and suspect dentition for forensic analysis. Such a system should be practical and consistent, if it is to replace the current de facto 2D systems. The MAVIS hardware can be considered a practical and consistent solution for producing the required 3D image of a bite mark for analysis; however, the MAVIS hardware cannot produce a satisfactory 3D image of a dental cast. At present a laser scanner is required to produce satisfactory results of a dental cast. Angular distortion and errors created by the user in 2D image capture can hinder the digital measurement process. 3D capture therefore introduces less operator error in the form of angular distortion.

Specifically equipped and programmed robots are highly successful in controlled industrial environments such as automated production lines. For the transition of robots from such controlled uniform environments to unconstrained household environments with a large range of conditions and variations, a new paradigm is needed to prepare the robots for deployment. Robots need to be able to quickly adapt to their changing environments and learn on their own how to solve their tasks in novel situations. This dissertation focusses on the aspect of learning to predict the success of two-object means-end actions in a developmental way. E.g. the action of bringing one object into reach by pulling another, where the one object is on top of the other. Here it is the “on top” relation that affects the success of the action. Learning the preconditions for complex means-end actions via supervised learning can take several thousand training samples, which is impractical to generate, hence more rapid learning capabilities are necessary. Three contributions of this dissertation are used to solve the learning problem. 1. Inspired by infant psychology this dissertation investigates an approach to intrinsic motivation that is based on active learning, guiding the robot's exploration to create experience useful for improving classification performance. 2. This dissertation introduces histogram based 3D vision features that encode the relative spatial relations between surface points of object pairs, allowing a robot to reliably recognise the important spatial categories that affect means-end action outcomes. 3. Intrinsically encoded experience is extracted into symbolic category knowledge, encoding higher level abstract categories. These symbolic categories are used for knowledge transfer by using them to extend the state space of action precondition learning classifiers. Depending on the actions and their preconditions, the contributions of this dissertation enable a robot to achieve success prediction accuracies above 85% with ten training samples instead of approximately 1000 training samples that would otherwise be required. These results can be achieved when (a) the action preconditions can be easily identified from the used vision features or (b) the action preconditions to be learnt rest upon already existing knowledge, then it is possible to achieve these results by reusing the existing knowledge. This dissertation demonstrates, in simulation, an alternative to handcoding the knowledge required for a robot to interact with and manipulate objects in the environment. It shows that rapid learning, grounded in autonomous exploration, can be feasible if the necessary vision features are constructed and if existing knowledge is consistently reused.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Mathematics / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Data on the three?dimensional (3?D) morphology of normal faces and facial deformities as well as objective techniques for evaluating postoperative changes are currently unavailable. With the advent of stereophotography and cone?beam CT (CBCT), it is possible to acquire 3?D images of soft and hard tissues of the maxillofacial complex. A series of studies were conducted aimed at 1) establishing 3?D facial anthropometric norms for Hong Kong young adults, 2) determining 3?D facial anthropometric features in skeletal Class II and III deformities, 3) characterizing the oropharyngeal space in Class II and III skeletal deformities, 4) exploring clinical applications of 3?D colour maps, 5) establishing a non?invasive technique for estimating serial volume changes and 6) creating virtual craniofacial models by fusing 3?D photographs and CBCT images. Study 1: A stereophotographic system was used to capture 3?D images of 103 Hong Kong Chinese young adults with normal balanced faces. An anthropometric analysis protocol with linear, angular and proportional measurements was developed to establish a normative database and quantify dysmorphology. The Hong Kong Chinese norms were distinct from Caucasians, especially with regard to ocular and nasal measurements. Facial height and nasolabial measurements differed significantly between Hong Kong males and females. Study 2: Anthropometric analyses of 3?D facial images from 41 skeletal Class II and 43 Class III subjects were performed. The Class II subjects had increased lower facial height compared with Class III, who had longer total facial heights and narrower faces. While Class II deformity primarily resulted from mandibular deficiency with a normal maxilla, Class III presented as combined midfacial hypoplasia and mandibular hyperplasia. Study 3: Anthropometric characteristics of the oropharygeal space in skeletal Class II and III were evaluated using 62 CBCT scans. The retroglossal (RG) and retropalatal (RP) volumes and average cross sectional areas were significantly larger in Class III than Class II skeletal deformity. The RP compartment was larger but less uniform than the RG compartment in both Classes. Study 4: 3?D photographs or CBCT images acquired at two different time points were superimposed using a common unaffected area. 3?D colour maps were generated depicting distance differences between superimposed images in a graphical format. These maps were used as an objective tool for treatment planning and assessing outcomes after orthognathic surgery, bimaxillary distraction and facial trauma. Study 5: 3?D photogrammetry was employed for planning soft tissue expansion (STE) and transplantation of a vascularised scapular flap in hemifacial microsomia. This technique facilitated the identification of extent and degree of tissue deficiency, selection of the appropriate tissue expander, monitoring volumetric changes during STE and estimation of the free flap dimensions. Study 6: 3?D facial photographs and CBCT scans of 29 subjects were merged to create virtual craniofacial models with natural surface texture. Accuracy was assessed with 3?D colour maps and Root Mean Square (RMS) error. The CBCT and 3?D photographic data were integrated while minimizing average RMS error to 0.441mm. These virtual composite craniofacial models permitted concurrent 3?D assessment of bone and soft tissue. / published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy