CMIS Hannover Messe

fastflo image GENERAL PURPOSE FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING - FASTFLO

Air movements over a wing, heat transfer, stress and strain, electromagnetic forces - they can all be described by mathematical systems known as partial differential equations (PDEs).

There are hundreds of other applications for PDEs in scientific and engineering disciplines. In chemistry, for example, and in fluid dynamics and metallurgy. They are even useful in the equally complex world of finance.

Solving the relevant PDEs is the key to successfully simulating the systems they describe. Simulation demands the most advanced mathematical modelling techniques allied with heavyweight computing resources. But on the other hand there is a big incentive for researchers to learn more about how such systems work and to suggest ways of improving them.

That's because the equipment in which these highly complex systems operate is often extremely expensive. Some of it is also extremely inefficient.

CSIRO has developed a suite of novel software technologies specifically designed to solve these problems and to simulate complex engineering and scientific systems. These technologies help engineers, scientists, researchers and academics address a range of problems related to product or process behaviour.

Fastflo is already a successful commercial product from this suite. It is extremely flexible and is able to solve a very wide range of PDEs. The solutions can be presented in complex 3D geometrics, and the user is empowered to develop his or her own algorithms to solve particular problems.

Despite the advanced concepts on which it is based, Fastflo addresses PDE systems using a mathematically intuitive and easy-to-understand language. The product also has a friendly user interface.

Distributed in some 35 countries by the Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG) and its affiliates, Fastflo has found wide research applications in engineering and science, and as a teaching tool in academia. Special purpose ToolBoxes are now available to provide 'black box' solvers for certain specific problems.

Fastflo Version 2.1 is currently available in UNIX and PC versions. An advanced Version 3 is planned for release by June 1999. This will feature an improved mesh generator, 3D post-processing, mesh adaptation, and the release of the new Fluids ToolBox.

Fastflo's developers have been working on the famous Black-Scholes equation for option pricing in finance, and a new Black-Scholes product based on Fastflo is also likely to be launched in mid-1999.

Contact:
Dr Noel Barton
Computational Fluid Dynamics
CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics Locked Bag 17
North Ryde NSW 1670
Australia

Tel +61 2 9325 3270
Fax +61 2 9325 3200
noel.barton@csiro.au
www.cmis.csiro.au/cfd

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Granular flow image SIMULATIONS OF GRANULAR FLOW

CSIRO has developed a suite of novel software technologies to help engineers, scientists, researchers and academics address a range of problems related to product or process behaviour in complex engineering and scientific systems.

A software package for simulating the flow of granular material is available for commercial use.

It is designed to model the flow of granules, with or without a surrounding slurry, in mining and minerals processing equipment. This requires advanced algorithms and substantial computer resources. But the benefits will be extremely large. A typical mineral ore grinding mill costs as much as an airliner, but only between 1% and 2% of the power actually goes into rock breakage. If the process could be properly simulated - and this has never been possible before - then huge improvements in efficiency might be expected, and equally huge savings would follow.

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transit image RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM SOFTWARE

CSIRO is developing modelling and control software for just such smart transit technologies. The software will allow travellers to plan journeys using multiple transport modes such as trains, buses and ferries, and even using services that are demand responsive and don't run to a fixed timetable. These advanced CSIRO software tools are already helping planners to develop new transport systems and schedules.

CSIRO research covers scheduling, routing, traffic assignment and vehicle location systems. It is geared to the development of models which will lead to more accessible public transport, and to more efficient traffic prioritisation, route guidance and scheduling.

Contact:
Dr John Smith
Intelligent Transport Systems
CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics GPO Box 664, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia

Tel +61 2 6216 7053
john.smith@csiro.au
www.cmis.csiro.au/its

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SATE image SCHEDULING TRADE SHOW APPOINTMENTS- SATE

Scheduling meetings is tricky and complicated. It's doubly complicated when there are particular preferences or constraints which have to be taken into account. And triply troublesome when any of the parameters concerned might change at a moment's notice.

This applies in the workplace, at conferences, in colleges, at trade fairs; whenever people have to be in the right place at the right time, using limited resources and working to a tight schedule.

Scheduling of Appointments at Trade Events (SATE) handles the scheduling of large scale events such as trade fairs and conferences. SATE allows for the preferences of participants, and meets constraints of venue, meeting times, facilities available, and so on. The software is already employed successfully for trade promotion events by the Australian Tourist Commission, who use it to schedule as many as 50,000 appointments per event between travel product buyers and sellers.

Read the recent Press Release on this project.

Contact:
Dr Graham Mills
Operations Research
CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics Private Bag 2, Glen Osmond SA 5064
Tel +61 8 8303 8784
Fax +61 8 8303 8763
graham.mills@csiro.au
www.cmis.csiro.au/or

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SORT image STAFF ROSTERING SOFTWARE - SORT

Staff rostering is complicated enough but when people have particular preferences, skills or constraints which have to be taken into account and when any of the parameters concerned might change at a moment's notice, it can become a nighmare.

It's little wonder that rostering and scheduling are among the most sensitive and demanding tasks in any organisation.

Staff Optimisation Rostering Toolkit (SORT) is software for rostering staff while taking into account staff preferences, award rules, and customer demand. A generic toolkit is being developed for a range of industries. CSIRO is collaborating on this project with South Australian human resources software firm, Time and People Australia.

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TRITRAM image TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT - TRITRAM

TRITRAM is a traffic simulator for investigating what happens in congested city traffic. It was developed by CSIRO experts in intelligent transport systems working within the Co-operative Research Centre for Advanced Computational Systems in Canberra. It models the flows of traffic on urban streets and connects to adaptive regional traffic controllers in real time.

TRITRAM can help train traffic signal operators to clear congestion caused by unexpected events such as accidents, or to give priority to ambulances or other emergency vehicles. TRITRAM is already linked to the traffic control network known as SCATS, originally developed in Sydney but now one of the world's major adaptive traffic control systems. It also could be adapted to work with other traffic control systems through their communications protocol to local controllers.

Read the recent Press Release on this project.

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LITRES image TRANSPORT SCHEDULING - LITRES-2

LITRES-2 is a passenger transport simulator and journey planner designed by CSIRO to evaluate the economic performance of public transport systems and the quality of traveller service. It models a range of travel modes including base timetabled fixed route services, single and multi-hire taxis, and other types of demand responsive service. LITRES-2 is a testbed for new generation scheduling, dispatching and passenger information systems.

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Isolde image AUTOMATIC SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION - ISOLDE

ISOLDE is a research prototype which automatically generates software documentation as a new application is being developed. Using ISOLDE, developers no longer need to prepare massive software manuals after the software application has already been designed. Currently, such documentation is often produced manually, almost as an expensive afterthought. ISOLDE is under development with the support of the US Office of Naval Research.

Contact:
Dr Cecile Paris
Intelligent Interactive Technology
CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics Locked Bag 17
North Ryde NSW 1670
Australia

Tel +61 2 9325 3160
Fax +61 2 9325 3200
cecile.paris@csiro.au
www.cmis.csiro.au/iit

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PEBA image CATALOGUE TEXT ON-THE-FLY - PEBA II

PEBA-II is a system for rapidly generating text for electronic catalogues. It is unique in that it produces text which is based on specific information known about the intended reader - for example, educational level, language skills or professional experience. PEBA-II ensures that the right information is presented to users in a timely and meaningful way, taking account of their needs and interests. It permits the true individualisation of reports, documents, catalogues and web pages. Though currently aimed at electronic publishing, its applications could be very much wider.

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EMA image USER INTERFACE EVALUATION - EMA

EMA is a research prototype designed to help software evaluators assess a user interface from the user's point of view. EMA analyses the way people interact with the software they are expected to use. Armed with this information, designers can identify potential problems and so make their software and their equipment, such as auto-teller machine (ATM) interfaces, more 'intuitive' for users. EMA has also been tested with a complex graphical editor and a library interface.

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CACTUS image COMPUTER ASSISTED CLOSED CAPTIONNING - CACTUS

Computer Assisted Closed Captioning technologies support the analysis, access, understanding and repurposing of digital media such as audio and video.

This suite of software products simplifies the creation of captions and subtitles for TV, movies and videos. It automatically detects dialogue and shot boundaries, and allows on-line audio and video-clip browsing. It provides a template for captioners to work from and removes much of the tedium of the captioning process.

The system cuts costs, speeds up work flow and reduces training time for captioners. Under new Australian legislation, a good deal of prime time TV will have to be captioned for the benefit of people with hearing problems. The new software could play an important role in countries where similar legislation is in place.

Contact:
Dr Graham Reynolds
Digital Media Information Systems
CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics GPO Box 664, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

Tel +61 2 6216 7009
Fax +61 2 6216 7111
graham.reynolds@csiro.au
www.cmis.csiro.au/dmis

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sports image GENERATING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

Sports Highlights software allows video editors to browse rapidly through archives of digitised sports video and to collate the highlights of a sports match. The system is based on advanced automatic processing of audio/visual TV content and integrated database technology. It finds highlights in different ways depending on the particular sport, but a unique feature is that it searches both audio and video tracks.

For cricket, for example, the software finds the sounds of crowds cheering and searches for camera pans and zooms. The software cuts production costs and also opens opportunities for value-add applications such as on-line e-commerce.

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webflix image WEBFLIX - MPEG SOFTWARE

Webflix-Pro is a revolutionary new editing system for the film, video and multimedia industries developed by high tech company MediaWare Solutions. MediaWare Solutions was formed in April 1997 by a group of senior scientists from CSIRO. The company principals have strong backgrounds in image processing, signal processing, and systems design and development.

Webflix-Pro allows users to navigate quickly through very large MPEG files. The editor can quickly see what is on a piece of footage and view selected examples. He or she can then cut and paste parts of huge files into smaller files, or draw on a large number of smaller files to create larger videos for particular applications.

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