Onderwerpen van Martine Buysse
13458: #Spacing: finding word separations for hashtags
Promotor(en):
Bart Dhoedt, Thomas Demeester
Begeleider(s):
Cedric De Boom, Steven Van Canneyt
Contactpersoon: Cedric De Boom
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
On several social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, hashtags are a
powerful means to indicate the occurrence of events, engage in a conversation, attract
attention and express one’s opinion on a subject. Many of these hashtags are made up
of one single word and form an indivisable unit – e.g. #belgium or #love – but others
are composed several words with the in-between spaces left out – e.g. #ilikeit or
#theskyisthelimit. For many information retrieval tasks, such as sentiment detection,
these concatenated hashtags will perform badly; e.g. it is easy to realize that the
phrase ‘I like it’ implies a positive emotion, while this is less obvious for the single word
‘#ilikeit’.
Current approaches to separating hashtags into words mostly rely on prefix searches in
predefined vocabularies, but for social media posts this is often insufficient given the
rapidly transient nature of words and the linguistic creativity of users on these social
platforms. Besides, the constructed vocabulary is often very large, yielding extensive
calculation times; this is very unwanted in the context of social media posts
processing.
Doelstelling:
In this master’s dissertation several systems for word separation of hashtags will be
constructed, analysed and compared. The task at hand is very related to continuous
speech-to-text conversion. So first, one or more baseline systems will be built with
traditional techniques from the field of speech processing, such as tree-based
vocabulary search. In the past few years, however, speech processing made a lot of
advancements by using deep neural networks. Especially recurrent neural networks
(RNNs) and their variants, such as long short term memories (LSTMs), are considered
state-of-the-art in the field. These techniques will be leveraged to the task of word
separation to increase the the performance of traditional techniques. Since processing
deep neural architectures is computationally demanding, the algorithms will be
developed in a framework allowing for GPU acceleration. The developed algorithms will
be trained on a semi-manually constructed dataset of tweets.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12980: A day in the life of a connected consumer
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Frank Gielen, Jeroen Hoebeke
Jelle Nelis, Matthias Strobbe, dhr. Arnoud Koning [P&G]
Jelle Nelis
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The rapid spread of smart devices and sensors in our everyday lives (e.g. wearables),
allow us to interact with and control our environment in an intelligent way (Internet of
Things paradigm). This will have an important impact on how we consume in the future.
We can expect that our environment will provide suggestions on what to buy and use
based on contextual parameters such as planned activities, recommendations by
friends, personal health condition, weather predictions, content levels of the product
boxes, etc.
One example on how this could influence consumers: in the morning your smart
bracelet (e.g. a Fitbit) could combine your sleeping pattern from that night with
planned activities for that day and expected weather conditions to provide suggestions
on what skin cream or shampoo to use
Doelstelling:
For companies that produce consumer goods, such as Procter & Gamble, it’s important
to be at the forefront of these developments to clearly understand what a future
connected consumer wants and to adjust the product offerings & anticipate supply
chain changes to deal with these needs.
In this master thesis the goal is to explore the impact of Internet of Things on the
purchasing behavior and product usage of end consumers, especially at home. How can
already available and future contextual data be combined and used in an intelligent way
with consumer goods to improve the experience of a consumer. Also the impact on the
privacy of the consumer needs to be taken into account. The goal is to come up with a
broad range of possible future applications, after which a few of the most promising
ones will be selected and implemented as proof of concept.
This thesis requires a broad view on (future) technology and the creativity to come up
with new ideas, as well as implementation skills to realize the proof of concept
applications. The intent is to focus on the product sectors in which Procter & Gamble is
active and it should not be limited to existing products in the current Procter & Gamble
portfolio.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13630: A disruptive approach to unified digital TV delivery
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck
Begeleider(s):
Niels Bouten, Maxim Claeys, Stefano Petrangeli
Contactpersoon: Niels Bouten
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
By 2018, video over IP is predicted to represent 79% of all Internet traffic. Currently,
separate protocols are used to deliver video to set top boxes (typically multicast-based
IPTV) and for streaming to end-user devices (typically unicast HTTP). This requires the
telecommunications provider to roll out and maintain two different delivery systems,
even though they serve the same purpose. Furthermore, also the consumption of timeshifted TV and the seamless transition of streaming sessions between devices add
additional challenges.
The attached figure shows how the multicast-based IPTV protocol delivers the same
content at the same time to each of the set top boxes, implying that multicast is
particularly suited for linear TV, while for the on-demand or live streaming to other
devices, an individual unicast HTTP connection is required. This leads to the transfer of
a lot of redundant video data, putting additional load on the network and potentially
leading to high amounts of peering traffic when 3rd party streaming services such as
Netflix are offered.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to develop a next generation delivery architecture and
protocols for unified video services. The starting point could be a new transport
protocol called SCAP (Shared Content Addressing Protocol) that allows intermediary
nodes to participate in optimizing the delivery process. Currently, TCP is used as an
underlying transport protocol for HTTP video streaming, but since TCP is end-to-end,
optimizations to data transport require expensive application layer interactions in the
network. Using the novel protocol, intermediary nodes can group requests for the
same data at the transport layer and schedule the delivery of this data. To cope with
time and place shifting, this intermediary caching should be optimized to benefit
maximally from overlapping streaming sessions. Developing and deploying a unified
architecture and protocols to deliver the video services to the end-user can potentially
reduce the costs of both installation and maintenance of the system. Furthermore,
since the two delivery methods now share the same framework, new services can be
deployed with shorter time-to-market.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13104: Adapting Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) for Flow
Cytometry data
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Tom Dhaene, Eric Laermans
Sofie Van Gassen
Sofie Van Gassen
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The Self-Organizing Map (SOM) was developed by Prof. Kohonen in 1990. This is an
unsupervised machine learning technique to cluster and visualize data and has many
potential applications. However, the original clustering scheme is not optimal for
datasets with certain specific properties. Therefore, adaptations can be explored and
this topic of research is still very relevant today.
Flow Cytometry data measures the presence of surface proteins on cells. These
measurements are highly relevant for state-of-the-art immunology research, focusing
on topics such as asthma, HIV and TB. To gain insight in the structure of different types
of immune cells, self-organizing maps seem a promising approach. However, these
datasets have several properties for which the original algorithm is not optimally suited
yet.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to adapt self-organizing maps to the specific properties of flow
cytometry data.
The student will do a literature study to explore several adaptations that have been
proposed, such as growing self-organizing maps and hierarchical self-organizing maps,
and gain insight in their specific properties. Using this knowledge, they will combine the
most relevant adaptations or develop their own method to cluster and visualize flow
cytometry data.
Because of our collaboration with the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), we
have several relevant datasets. This thesis will help the researchers to gain more
insight in their data and make biological discoveries.
No previous knowledge about bio-informatics, biology or machine learning is required,
interest is enough.
This research subject offers possibilities for a scientific publication or further doctoral
research.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, Zwijnaarde (VIB), thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12991: Adaptive network performance modelling for video
streaming services
Promotor(en):
Didier Colle, Mario Pickavet
Begeleider(s):
Wouter Tavernier, Bruno Volckaert, dhr. Jurgen Slowack [Barco]
Contactpersoon: Wouter Tavernier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Having an accurate estimation of the performance of network links or end-to-end paths
is of high interest for many network functions. For example, file sharing services or
video streaming services prefer those paths which are likely to have low delay and high
available (steady) bandwidth. In many cases, no information is available about the
routing or performance of the network for the end-user application using the best-effort
network. In such a case, active monitoring tools are required which initiate active
measurements such as ping or more advanced tools such as pathchirp.
When many end-users are involved, the use of inference/learning techniques in order to
estimate performance characteristics at other network points is desirable in order to
reduce the number of active probes in the network. Most of the current performance
models focus on peer to peer services, and do not focus on particular services such as
real-time video streaming. In addition, there is no particular use of temporal
relationships within these models (periodicity of network load, etc.).
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to design and evaluate a performance estimation or ranking
mechanism for video streaming services on best effort networks. Depending on the
interest of the student, the proposed mechanism might focus on estimation of exact
performance parameters such as delay and available bandwidth estimation based on
limited measurements, or using path ranking mechanisms similar to recommendation
algorithms, or even exploit the concept of virtual coordinate systems introducing a
distance concept between involved nodes within the video streaming service (cf. Vivaldi
coordinate system as used in Gnutella). In a first phase, the student will be required to
study literature with respect to available mechanisms and available datasets. Based on
limited datasets the student may experiment with potential estimation frameworks in a
simulation environment in order to design a suitable estimation framework for chosen
scenario for video-streaming services. Using the experimental facilities of the research
group, the student may evaluate the proposed framework in a realistic emulated setup
for a modelled network scenario.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13482: Adaptive optimization for resource & task assignment in
hospitals
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Pieter Bonte
Femke Ongenae
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Hospitals are facing major medical and financial challenges. A key issue to be solved to
tackle these challenges is the management of the internal logistics processes, such as,
the route taken by a patient during his/her stay, the allocation of nursing staff to tasks
and the efficient management of the needed medical equipment (e.g. radiology
equipment or medication) and resources.
Despite the technological advances that have been made in recent years within the
eHealth domain, no adequate intelligent systems exist today to efficiently manage
these process real-time and on an organization-wide scale. To enable the realization of
such a system, information needs to be available about the various processes that need
to be carried out and the resources, staff and patients that need to be allocated to
them. This requires the efficient consolidation of the huge amount of (context) data
available in the hospital. Moreover, intelligent processing of this consolidated data is
needed to achieve an ideal mapping of processes on the available resources, staff and
patients. Finally, a way needs to be devised to most efficiently push the conclusions of
the system towards the staff.
Doelstelling:
The objective of this thesis is three-fold. First, a data and context consolidation
framework needs to be researched and developed which is able to consolidate, in an
efficient manner, the huge amount of data available in the hospital about the processes
that need to be executed and the staff, patients and resources that need to be allocated
to them. The available data does not only be integrated, but should also be processed,
filtered and summarized in such a manner that it can be easily used to optimally
schedule the processes and allocate resources. Second, self-learning algorithms can be
researched that are able to process the consolidated information and discover
optimizations in the scheduling of the processes and resources based on this data.
Third, it needs to be researched if smart wearables can be leveraged efficiently to push
the knowledge learned by the system towards the staff.
The particular focus of the thesis on one or more of the objectives can be determined
based on the particular interests and preferences of the students. The student will be
able to evaluate the developed solution based on realistic, anonymized data by two
Flemish hospitals.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13524: Adaptive Video Streaming Based on HTTP/2
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck
Begeleider(s):
Jeroen van der Hooft, Stefano Petrangeli
Contactpersoon: Jeroen van der Hooft
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Over the last years, delivery of multimedia content has become more prominent than
ever. To provide the user with an enjoyable viewing experience, important players such
as YouTube and NetFlix are constantly looking for new and better ways to share their
content. Recently, the concept of HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) has been introduced
to provide content over the best-effort Internet. In HAS, video content is temporally
divided into segments with a typical length of 1 to 10 seconds, each encoded at
multiple quality levels. Segments are dynamically requested by the HAS client,
equipped with a rate adaptation heuristic to select the best quality level based on
criteria such as the perceived bandwidth and the video player's buffer filling level.
This approach has shown promising results in video-on-demand scenarios, where large
buffers can be used to prevent play-out freezes at client side. In live video streaming
however, the video play-out should be as close as possible to the live signal; imagine
the frustration of a sports fan when he sees his favourite team score a goal with a delay
of tens of seconds. Nevertheless, using a low buffer size makes the video player more
susceptible to play-out freezes; in this case, the segment's duration needs to be limited
to avoid large delays and buffer starvation. This however results in issues when the
round trip time is comparable to the segment's duration. As Figure 1a suggests,
sending a GET request for every segment results in minimal bandwidth utilization.
Doelstelling:
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, this thesis will focus on developing a
push-based strategy for HAS based on HTTP/2, the newest HTTP standard1. HTTP/2
comes with the possibility of pushing server content, thus providing an opportunity to
eliminate the need for a series of GET requests. As Figure 1b suggests, using such a
strategy should result in an improved bandwidth utilization and thus in a better video
quality. As the client is no longer in full control – the server can push a new segment
without waiting for an update on the client-side decision – this approach can however
suffer from network congestion; a smart solution is thus required. Depending on the
application scenario (e.g. single/multi client, AVC/SVC) and network conditions (e.g.
wired/mobile), different objectives will be identified: reducing the time between the live
event and its play-out at client side, improving the average video quality, preventing
the occurrence of play-out freezes etc. Both simulation and emulation of experiments
are possible, using the available NS-3 simulator and Mininet. As this proposal requires a
fairly extensive basis, the student can start from an existing client-side implementation
and algorithms developed in our research group (e.g. QoERAHAS2). Innovative
solutions will be encouraged, providing the necessary guidance and support.
1) https://http2.github.io/http2-spec
2) http://users.ugent.be/~spetrang/QoE-RAHAS.pdf
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12922: Advanced Interference Detection Module
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Ingrid Moerman, Christophe Van Praet
Wei Liu
Christophe Van Praet
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Confidea is a highly reliable wireless conference system developed by Televic, making
use of state-of-the-art Quad-Band wireless technologies, fault tolerant error correcting
protocols and advanced encryption algorithms. The system contains a dedicated
interference detection module making it possible to give an overview of RF activity on
all possible operating frequencies. With this information the most suitable operating
frequency can be selected and a first level of frequency planning can be performed.
The advanced Interference detection module will offer a much richer overview of RF
activity and spectrum usage. This can be achieved by not only monitoring the signal
strength but also the protocol, the used bandwidth, duty cycle and transmission
pattern. In addition, the detection module can be extended to detect all kind of radar
patterns as described in the regulatory standards. This would lead to a much more
reliable frequency selection algorithm and offers the user an advanced frequency
planning tool.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to solve one of the following wireless communication
challenges:
Option 1: Improve spectrum sensing, an essential part of cognitive radio solutions, to
better estimate interference in the allocated part of the spectrum, both in terms of
spectral resolution as in time to obtain knowledge on bandwidth usage and its duty
cycle. This work would involve FPGA design.
Option 2: Detection of protocol, transmission pattern and radiation pattern relies on
data gathered by the spectrum sensing module. The student should collect data using
an existing spectrum scanner and develop the required algorithms and protocols.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
This master thesis offers the possibility for an internship at Televic Conference
12784: Analyse van de impact van veranderingen op de
telecomsector aan de hand van een dynamische voorstelling van
het waardenetwerk
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Marlies Van der Wee, Bram Naudts
Marlies Van der Wee
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
De telecomindustrie bestaat uit een complex kluwen van relaties tussen klanten,
dienstverlenende organisaties, netwerkoperatoren, infrastructuurbeheerdes,
belangenorganisaties, regulatoren, enz. De interacties (uitwisseleng van producten,
geld, kennis, enz.) tussen deze organisaties kunnen grafisch worden voorgesteld in een
waardenetwerk. Een waardenetwerk verklaart dan ook hoe op dit moment waarde
wordt gecreëerd door de organisaties die er deel van uit maken.
Veranderingen die gedreven zijn door bijvoorboold technische innovatie, demografische
evolutie of politieke beslissingen kunnen een verregaande impact hebben op een
organisatie, zijn aangeboden producten en de interacties met andere spelers op de
markt. Als gevolg zal ook het waardenetwerk in zijn geheel veranderen..
De bijgesloten figuur toont bijvoorbeeld de dynamiek die ontstaan is door het
aantreden van over-the-top TV aanbieders (zoals Netflix) op de markt van triple play
diensten (TV, Internet en telefonie) die in België traditioneel wordt gedomineerd door
Telenet en Belgacom. Zo zullen sommige bestaande klanten hun TV abonnement
opzeggen en overschakelen naar Netflix, eventueel zullen ze daarbij overschakelen naar
een duurder Internet abonnement, anderen zullen dan weer Netflix toevoegen als een
extra dienst, enz. Het waardenetwerk zal dan ook evolueren van de situatie links naar
rechts
Doelstelling:
Een waardenetwerk wordt meestal gebruikt om een statisch inzicht te krijgen in de
manier waarop waarde wordt gecreëerd door verschillende spelers in de markt. Omdat
de telecommarkt echer gekenmerkt is door veel en vooral snelle veranderingen, is het
interessant indien deze veranderingen (en hun impact op de verschillende spelers en de
markt) kunnen gevisualieerd en geanalyseerd worden. Deze dynamiek in het
waardenetwerk symboliseert de verandering van het belang van een rol en de
waardeuitwisselingen in het waardenetwerk doorheen de tijd.
Het doel van deze thesis is om, aan de hand van een aantal aangereikte of zelf
geïntroduceerde, recente veranderingen in de telecom- en ICT-omgeving, een analyse
te maken van welke impact deze veranderingen kunnen hebben op het waardenetwerk,
en deze visueel voor te stellen. Naast het voorbeeld van de introductie van Netflix in
België, denken we bijvoorbeeld ook aan het waardenetwerk voor aanbieden van
internet op de trein, het gebruiken van ICT in de gezondheidssector of media-sector,
enz.
De thesis valt uit in drie delen. In een eerste stap worden 1 of meerdere concrete cases
bekeken om zo de parameters te bepalen die best het belang van een rol of een
waardeuitwisseling representeren (bijvoorbeeld aantal klanten, type diensten, kosten,
opbrengsten). Aan de hand van deze parameters kunnen dan eenvoudige modellen
worden opgesteld die deze rollen en hun interacties voorstellen. Voor deze modellen
kan gebruik worden gemaakt van reeds ontwikkelde modelleringstemplates in Java.
Deze voorstellingen voor rollen en interacties kunnen dan samengebracht worden in
een tool voor visuele representatie (vb een javascript gebaseerde website). In een
derde en laatste fase kan deze tool dan praktisch gebruikt worden voor het evalueren
van de impact van eerder beschreven technologische of politieke veranderingen in de
bestudeerde cases.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12822: Analysis of cloud services with service level guarantees
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Gregory Casier, Bram Naudts
Bram Naudts
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Cloud services allow ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared
pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications,
and services). These resources can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal
management effort or service provider interaction.
As businesses move critical processes to the cloud, service level agreements (SLAs) are
important to ensure that the cloud services meet the requirements of the enterprise. An
SLA codifies the specific parameters and minimum requirements for each element of
the service, as well as remedies for failure to meet those requirements.
The SLA should act as a guide for handling potential problems. It is however not
straightforward to interpret a service level agreement. The comparison of cloud service
providers against common outage scenarios is therefore challenging.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to create an analysis framework that validates if the service
level offered by the service provider can meet the service level requirements of a
business.
The following challenges are part of this research:

Translating written service level agreements into a set of technical parameters
for evaluation



Creation of a tool for evaluation of SLAs in case of common outage scenarios in a
network
Modeling and generation of a service request by a client in terms of resource
demand and service specifications (e.g. uptime)
Investigating if optimal mapping of a service request to a service provider’s
service offering is possible
The output of this research will be a better understanding of how organizations can
evaluate if the service provider can meet their needs. Service providers on the other
hand can use the model to optimize their offering.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12821: Analysis of optimal IoT system development and related
minimal component cost
Promotor(en):
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Begeleider(s):
Frederic Vannieuwenborg, Koen Casier
Contactpersoon: Frederic Vannieuwenborg
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
Goedgekeurd
de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek, Master of Science in
voor:
Electrical Engineering, Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and
Operations Research
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The world of Internet of Things (IoT) is growing at fast pace. Both in society and in
industrial environments more and more useful IoT applications can be found. Monitoring
the condition of the cycle paths by measuring the vertical acceleration, monitoring the
air pollution at traffic junctions, measuring the PH-level and body temperature of cows
are just a glimpse of today’s purpose of IoT systems.
Together with this growing interest in IoT also IoT components and building blocks
(sensors, network modules, microprocessors, batteries, etc.) become more and more
accessible. IoT providers and designers can choose to buy existing modules such as
Arduino, raspberry Pi, Beaglebone,etc. and connect complete sensor modules in no time
or they can prefer to make an own IoT hardware device. The question is what is most
optimal; Make or Buy? When they decide to make it, what components to choose at
what resource costs and what are the trade-offs? All these trade-offs will impact the
total cost of the device or will for instance influence the battery lifetime. The challenge
is to develop an optimal IoT system that meets the requirements.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to define a method for analysing these trade-offs and
component selection in order to develop resource cost optimal IoT devices.
1. All the IoT components and design trade-offs come with a cost. A bottom-up cost
analysis of the required technical components will result in approximately the
total assembly cost of the device.
2. Therefore a repository of IoT device components (e.g. temperature sensors,
power circuitry and network modules) should be build up (starting from an initial
dataset) which includes cost and other resource usage characteristics such as
power consumption per IoT component.
Ultimately, this thesis seeks to provide the optimal answer to following cases: “We
would like to develop an IoT device that is able to monitor for example temperature,
movement and acceleration. We need 100 devices. There is no WIFI or LAN network
available. What technology to use, which sensors, what will the battery life be
approximately and how much will it cost? Are there alternative solutions and at what
quantity are they valid?”
Cases could be, but are not limited to: monitoring vitals of cows, monitoring the state
of bicycle pathways, monitoring the vibrations of a machine shaft, monitoring the water
level of indoor plants, etc.
Any (willingness to gain) interest in actual electronic systems is required for this
thesis.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13726: Anomaly Detection for Security
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Eric Laermans, Tom Dhaene
Eric Laermans
Contactpersoon:
dhr. Hugo Embrechts [Sony Europe]
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Several large organisations have fallen victim to attacks by organised crime on their
web services in recent years. The large scale attacks, which often make news
headlines, are but the preparatory steps to the real fraud, targeting account credentials
and credit card details e.g. These subsequent attacks are typically on a much smaller
scale, operate over a longer period of time, and are harder to detect.
An analysis of historical traffic data shows that this malicious activity can be detected
as an anomaly in the normal web traffic, typically as a sudden change in the observed
time series of access requests. The anomalies are only visible within well-chosen
request subsets. The goal is to identify which subsets are the best candidates for
anomaly detection. Feature extraction algorithms from machine learning will help us
achieving this goal.
Doelstelling:
The student will study anomaly detection algorithms and feature extraction techniques.
The goal of this thesis is to improve an existing Risk Based Authentication (RBA)
system. RBA attempts to calculate the risk score of an incoming request. Elevated risk
scores will trigger an additional authentication step or cause the request to be blocked.
Using feature extraction, it should be possible to identify request parameters that yield
useful information about possible suspicious behaviour. The student will analyse which
feature extraction techniques offer the best results for the problem considered.
Sony Europe will provide anonymised production test data for verification.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, at home
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
This thesis is in cooperation with Sony Europe. Opportunity for an internship is offered,
but not obliged.
12914: Automated Extraction of real estate properties from
unstructured house descriptions
Promotor(en):
Chris Develder, Thomas Demeester
dhr. Toon Coppens [Realo], dhr. Vincent Verlee [Realo], Philip
Begeleider(s):
Leroux, Lucas Sterckx
Contactpersoon: Thomas Demeester
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
AJ:
2015-2016
1
2
Probleemstelling:
The automated and large-scale extraction of structured facts from user generated
house descriptions is a vital task for the brand-new and ambitious real estate company
realo (www.realo.com). Examples of such facts are the number of rooms, presence of
an attic, available storage space for bicycles, etc... Realo’s business approach is
strongly rooted in the big data paradigm, ultimately aiming at the automated
generation of realistic pricing models, for which the extracted facts will form
indispensable features.
The thesis fits within the broader research area of automated relation extraction from
large unstructured data collections, a currently hot research topic in the fields of
Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, and Machine Learning.
The thesis will be executed under the supervision of Ghent University researchers, and
in close collaboration with realo, who offer the opportunity for an internship during the
2015 summer holidays.
By working on this problem in a competitive environment, the student will acquire a
number of data scientist skills that are highly valuable in present-day industries. At the
same time, the scientific approach will form a suitable preparation for students who
would like to start their career in research.
Please contact us by e-mail (thomas.demeester@intec.ugent.be) to arrange a short
meeting (on Skype or in person) in case you are interested, or if you would like to get
more information.
Doelstelling:
The goal of the thesis is to design, train, and evaluate an automated algorithm for the
extraction of facts from real estate descriptions. This problem is complicated by many
challenging properties from natural language, such as highly personal formulations,
implicit statements, negations... For example, the mere presence of the term “garage”
in a sentence does not guarantee that the house contains a garage (as in “There are
opportunities to rent a garage nearby”).
The student will work in different steps:
(1) The problem will be cast as an information extraction problem, with identification of
the different facets that need to be extracted.
(2) A training collection will be created. The student will investigate whether active
learning approaches can be used to increase the efficiency of identifying suitable items
for annotation.
(3) The information extractor will be implemented as a sequence based machine
learning algorithm (e.g., conditional random fields), and a thorough evaluation will be
performed on the test collection. For use in a business context, the accuracy of the
extracted items must be high, and the trained extractor will compete against the rulebased extractor currently in use at realo.
(4) If time allows, a number of tests will be performed with regression techniques for
price predictions, based on the extracted properties as input features.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Realo would gladly welcome thesis students to do a summer internship. Location:
Zuiderpoort / Realo (Ghent, close to Zuiderpoort) / home
12987: Automated map matching
Promotor(en):
Mario Pickavet, Pieter Audenaert
Begeleider(s):
Maarten Houbraken, dr. ir. Steven Logghe [Go-Mobile, Brussel]
Contactpersoon: Maarten Houbraken
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
Goedgekeurd
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
voor:
de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen, Master of
Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Looking up a street address or GPS position has evolved from pulling out a stack of
dusty paper maps to just entering it in a navigation device, smartphone or desktop
browser search engine to get a view on the surrounding area. By digitizing maps, they
became more widely available and easier to use, maintain and update. This ease has
come to a point that maps can now be created by any enthusiast in online collaboration
groups like OpenStreetMaps.
While the maps are now available for editing online, the editing is still largely manual
labor, with people marking roads they know or identify on aerial photographs. The next
step here is for maps to be generated and/or corrected automatically, based on GPS
positions of users.
Doelstelling:
The aim of this thesis is to examine the automated processing of large amounts of
navigational data to improve digital maps. The student will first focus on the available
algorithms and data structures for spatial matching and their (dis-)advantages.
Following this algorithmic study, several point matching use cases will be investigated,
example use cases include mapping a timestamped set of coordinates to a map and
how are individual points treated. With the knowledge built up in the use case analysis,
we then turn to the processing of historically collected GPS data and examine if and
how this data can be used to enhance existing digital maps (or create it).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13632: Automatic Prediction of the Evolution of Patients in the
Intensive Care Unit by means of Machine Learning
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Tom Dhaene
Begeleider(s):
Rein Houthooft, Joeri Ruyssinck, Femke Ongenae
Contactpersoon: Rein Houthooft
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
AJ:
2015-2016
1
1
Probleemstelling:
Although the intensive care unit (ICU) is an extremely important hospital department, it
is still an open problem how to predict the evolution of a patient status over time and to
predict whether or not there is still room for additional patients. This leads to postponed
surgeries due to the lack of ICU capacity as well as unoccupied beds, which is a burden
for both patient and hospital.
The Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent) is currently investigating the automated
gathering and measurement of large amounts of patient data originating from blood
samples and monitoring devices. Intensivists and physicians have a hard time
processing this large data stream in an efficient and effective manner. Therefore, in
practice the data is simplified, for example, rather than working with raw data values,
these are aggregated into discrete steps. In contrast, an artificial intelligence system
would not require such simplifications to operate. Moreover, it could add additional
objectiveness to the ICU decision making process.
To summarize, the research, design, and development of an automatic system that
keeps track of the evolution of the number of patients and their survivability, based on
historical data, is a very interesting research topic. In particular, it is interesting to
investigate how machine learning techniques can help in identifying data patterns for
ICU decision support.
Doelstelling:
In this thesis, you will design an automatic system that predicts the free capacity of the
ICU at different times in the future, as well as the future patient status (e.g., survival
probability). For this, different machine learning techniques, such as support vector
machines, random forests, and neural networks, will be researched and compared with
each other.
A big challenge is, on the one hand, the extraction of the most relevant features
(properties) from historical ICU data by means of feature selection or feature learning
methods, and on the other hand, handling the temporal aspect of the data. Many times
it is more informative to model the data trend rather than its absolute values. A
possible way to tackle this is by using time series prediction.
In a second phase of the thesis, we will work towards the integration of the most
promising into an automated system of the Ghent University Hospital. This system may
have, in the long run, a large impact on the ICU decision making process.
No knowledge of medical aspects or machine learning is required, but these concepts
should vastly excite you.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to contact me at
rein.houthooft@ugent.be, especially when you are considering different topics!
13635: Autonomous Environment Sensing via Machine Learning
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Rein Houthooft
Contactpersoon: Rein Houthooft
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
For efficient knowledge management, discovery and sensing of the environment is very
important. In particular, detection of object instances in images (e.g., human1,
human2, car1) is an important example of environment sensing. Machine learning
techniques are particularly suited for this task. By first training classification models on
large datasets of images, the memorized patterns can be utilized to predict novel
images. Different approaches are possible: One possibility is first extracting image
features, e.g., color or gradient information, in order to train traditional classification
models, e.g., support vector machines. By using a sliding window this allows the
identification of objects at different locations within the image. Another possibility is
using deep learning techniques, e.g., deep belief nets or convolutional neural networks,
which process the image on the pixel level and hence do not require feature extraction.
In this thesis we are interested in comparing different methods for object localization
that allow the extraction of probabilistic information. These methods assign a
confidence level to the different detected objects, which can be used in a next machine
learning processing step to allow for higher-level reasoning. In Figure 1 (top) an
example is shown in which different objects and instances are detected. Figure 1 (bot)
shows a deep neural network for image recognition, which can be investigated in this
thesis.
Doelstelling:
The goal is to investigate how we can detect objects of different classes in images. For
this, publicly available training data can be used to train different machine learning
models. These models, e.g., support vector machines, neural networks, random forests,
will then be compared in terms of accuracy. It will be investigated how we can
recognize not only object classes in the image, but also different instances of the same
object class, e.g., two different cars. As this thesis goes on, we will inspect more
advanced models such as deep neural networks (Figure 1 (top)) which are able to
process gigantic numbers of images and yield very accurate results. Moreover, we will
investigate how it is possible to obtain probabilistic output maps rather than classic
bounding boxes, which allows the system to estimate its own truth value.
Different approaches are possible, e.g., focusing on sliding window methods with
traditional techniques in order to compare them with each other, or focusing on deep
neural network models in which we want to learn hierarchical representations of
images, similar to the human brain. No prior knowledge of the techniques is expected,
however your motivation to learn is very important.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to contact me at
rein.houthooft@ugent.be, especially when you are considering different topics!
13021: Beheers je radio: oplossingen voor toekomstige Internet
of Things netwerken
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Ingrid Moerman
Bart Jooris, Peter De Valck
Peter De Valck
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Hoewel we de laatste jaren al veel vooruitgang gezien hebben op het vlak van
draadloze communicatie, willen we nog steeds dat onze batterij langer mee gaat en
downloads sneller gaan. Dit betekent dat we geen energie of bandbreedte mogen
verspillen en de communicatie zo efficiënt mogelijk moet gebeuren.
Jammer genoeg kunnen draadloze gebruikersscenario’s zo divers zijn (van het bekijken
van een film op je telefoon tot een thermostaat die verschillende jaren mee moet
kunnen) dat het niet mogelijk is om een oplossing te vinden die optimaal is voor al deze
scenario’s.
Om dit probleem op te lossen heeft IBCN flexibele componenten ontwikkeld voor alle
lagen van de communicatiestack. Op MAC-niveau hebben we een virtuele
radiocomputer ontwikkeld die toelaat om op een eenvoudige manier de radio te
controleren, MAC-protocollen aan te passen of andere radiogerelateerde taken uit te
voeren (zoals het spectrum scannen).
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze thesis is om de functionaliteit van de virtuele radiocomputer, ook wel
TAISC genoemd (Time Annotated Instruction Set Computer), uit te bereiden.
De eerste uitbereiding is het toevoegen van simulatiefunctionaliteit aan de TAISC
toolchain. Bij het ontwerpen van een programma voor deze radiocomputer kan dit
momenteel enkel getest worden op echte hardware. Door een simulator van de virtuele
computer te schrijven kunnen nieuwe programma’s veel eenvoudiger getest worden en
kan de werking nieuwe protocollen veel strenger geverifieerd worden.
Een tweede uitbereiding bestaat uit het toevoegen van nieuwe technologieën aan
TAISC. De huidige implementatie is beperkt tot een commercieel ingebed systeem dat
ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4) gebruikt, maar we willen ook andere technologieën
ondersteunen. Een mogelijkheid hiervoor is het nieuwe SDR platform dat ontwikkeld
wordt binnen IBCN. De performantie en flexibiliteit van TAISC op deze platformen kan
dan vergeleken worden met de bestaande oplossingen.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12975: Bouwen aan het Internet of Things: CoAP versus andere
oplossingen
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Floris Van den Abeele, Jen Rossey
Floris Van den Abeele
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
3
masterproeven:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
De volgende revolutie van het Internet vindt momenteel plaats: het Internet of Things
(IoT) of ‘Internet der Dingen’, waarbij niet alleen PCs, laptops en smartphones
aangesloten worden op het Internet, maar ook een enorm groot aantal andere
toestellen zoals o.a. sensoren, huishoudtoestellen, machines, en robots. Terwijl in het
klassieke Internet data wordt gegenereerd door mensen, zal in het nieuwe IoT
hoofdzakelijk data worden gecreëerd door ‘dingen’. Verwacht wordt dat er tegen 2020
50 miljard toestellen verbonden zullen zijn met het Internet.
Deze toestellen hebben meestal beperkingen in termen van geheugen,
energievoorziening, etc. waardoor bestaande Internetprotocollen zoals IPv6 en HTTP
niet geschikt zijn. Daarom werden er de laatste jaren nieuwe Internetstandaarden
gedefinieerd zoals 6LoWPAN en CoAP. 6LoWPAN laat de integratie van embedded
toestellen in het IPv6 Internet toe. De meer recente standaard CoAP, een soort
embedded HTTP, laat de integratie van deze toestellen in web services toe. Op deze
manier wordt het steeds eenvoudiger om IoT toepassingen te bouwen.
Doelstelling:
Deze thesis biedt studenten de mogelijkheid om enerzijds CoAP te vergelijken met
andere technologieën en anderzijds het gebruik ervan in een specifieke context te
onderzoeken. Hierbij kan voortgebouwd worden op de beschikbare expertise en tools
binnen ons IoT team.
Afhankelijk van de interesses van de studenten worden volgende 4 mogelijkheden
aangeboden:
1. CoAP in building automation: Wat zijn de voor- en nadelen van CoAP ten
opzichte van bestaande protocollen voor de automatisatie van gebouwen en is
een mapping van of integratie met bestaande oplossingen op CoAP mogelijk?
2. Mobile CoAP: Het gebruik van CoAP op een mobiel device met veranderend IP of
over SMS is uitdagend en zal onderzocht worden aan de hand van een industriële
tracker voor monitoring.
3. MQTT versus CoAP: Het MQ
4. AllJoyn versus CoAP:
Voor elk van deze onderwerpen wordt een implementatie op een embedded platform
verwacht, integratie met andere componenten en een uitgebreide evaluatie. Hierbij zal
gebruik gemaakt worden van de grootschalige draadloze testfaciliteiten van IBCN
(http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12937: Bringing the cloud to your local radio: optimize wireless
communication
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Peter De Valck
Eli De Poorter
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Today, a wide range of devices makes use of wireless communication. This does not
only include your laptop or smartphone, but also less visible devices like intrusion
sensors, thermostats, light switches… With all these devices using their own
communication protocols, realizing efficient communication between them is a major
challenge.
For the developers of wireless appliances, the growing number of devices poses a
growing problem: consumers expect their devices to work out of the box in a wide
range of environments. They will blame the device if it does not operate correctly, even
if the problem is caused by other wireless devices the developer has no control over.
At IBCN, we already have a solution that allows us to change the behavior of the
wireless radio locally, but individually it is hard to tune the optimal parameters. By
moving the radio control from the local device to the cloud it is possible to use widearea information to easily adapt the operation of their device to a wide variety of
scenarios.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to research, through simulations and implementation, the
feasibility of a cloud based radio control system. Is it possible to control a MAC protocol
remotely? Can a remotely controlled MAC more easily be reconfigured to cope with
wireless interference problems that would otherwise prevent the device from working
properly?
This will require extending and modifying our existing MAC and drivers to support
remote control and devising methods to share and use the information gained from all
cloud controlled radios. The developed solution will be implemented in our wireless
testbed (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview) to test its performance in a
wide range of scenarios, ranging from a single link to a more realistic network (like a
smart home).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13077: Building Kriging Models of spacecraft lift properties
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Dirk Deschrijver
Begeleider(s):
Joachim van der Herten, Ivo Couckuyt
Contactpersoon: Joachim van der Herten
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
When confronted with a small amount of expensive simulator evaluations, a commonly
applied technique is the construction of a response surface or surrogate model, to
predict the response of the simulator over the entire domain. The surrogate model can
now be used for applications typically requiring many evaluations such as optimization,
sensitivity analysis or design space exploration. Many different regression techniques
from Machine Learning can be used to learn the response behavior such as Neural
Networks, Supper Vector Machines, RBF etc.
The Gaussian Process (or Kriging) model type is an excellent choice if the response
surface is smooth. However, when a “cliff” occurs in the response behavior, the
prediction of the model will be unreliable in this area. This limits the applicability of the
Kriging model: cliffs often occur in simulations due to sudden changes in properties, as
is the case in a dataset describing the lift of a spacecraft design by NASA. A sudden
change in lift properties is observed when the object surpasses the speed of sound.
Doelstelling:
This project aims to investigate a solution to overcome the issue of cliffs by building
separate Kriging models for each side of the cliff, and combining them into an Ensemble
model. The weights for the individual models are binary and determined by a
classification model, which represents the cliff.
First, literature is reviewed on Kriging (high-level) and classification. An introduction is
given to the SUMO-Toolbox, a framework developed by the SUMO-group for surrogate
modeling. This toolbox provides a powerful Kriging implementation, has several
classifiers built-in, and supports several methods for optimization. In a second phase, a
solution is developed and implemented on simple problems containing a cliff. The
method is then validated by modeling the NASA dataset of the spacecraft.
LINKS:
http://www.gaussianprocess.org/
http://www.sumo.intec.ugent.be/ooDACE
http://www.sumo.intec.ugent.be/SUMO
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12915: Creating a personalized news feed based on automatic
user interest detection from Twitter
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Chris Develder, Thomas Demeester
Thong Hoang Van Duc, Lucas Sterckx
Thomas Demeester
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Twitter, due to its massive growth as a social networking platform, has been in focus
for the analysis of its user-generated content for important tasks, e.g., personalization,
recommendation, etc. A common challenge across these tasks is identifying user
interests from their tweets. If a user’s interests can be automatically detected, they can
be used for information recommendation and/or marketing (e.g., targeting of
advertisements).
In this thesis, we focus on news recommendation: creating a personalized news feed.
The underlying research question amounts to identifying and eventually predicting user
interests, purely based on the tweets they publish. Multiple challenges complicate this.
First, although the total number of tweets generated may be huge, only few of them
impact a particular user, making the interaction between his tweets sparse. Second,
user interests can change over time. Third, the content embedded in Tweets is rich yet
noisy: Simple information retrieval or topical modeling techniques may not suffice to
accurately capture user interests.
By working on this thesis in close collaboration with the IBCN Information Retrieval
team, the student will acquire a number of data scientist skills that are highly valuable
in present-day industries. At the same time, the scientific approach will form a suitable
preparation for students who would like to start their career in research.
Please contact us by e-mail (thomas.demeester@intec.ugent.be) to arrange a short
meeting (on skype or in person) in case you are interested, or would like to get more
specific information.
Doelstelling:
Eventually, the goal of the thesis is to create a personalized news feed based on a
user’s Twitter activity, in particular for the NewsMonkey application. This encompasses
several sub-steps.
First, the Twitter data needs to be crawled, esp. for users who have NewsMonkey (a
Belgium news website) links in their tweets. For each such Twitter user, all Tweets need
to be collected during a fixed amount of time.
Second, the user interests will be identified based on these tweets. A major obstacle
here is that tweets are noisy, i.e., they are very short, and contain abbreviations,
phonetically shortened terms, etc. Therefore a semantic enrichment of the tweets also
needs to be considered.
Third, starting from data from Flemish media companies (such as Newsmonkey or
VRT), the modeled user interests will be used to predict which items will likely be
(re)tweeted by the considered users
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12986: Design and analysis of an energy efficient Internet of
Things environment
Promotor(en):
Mario Pickavet, Bart Lannoo
Begeleider(s):
Ludwig Stroobant, Sofie Lambert
Contactpersoon: Ludwig Stroobant
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
AJ:
2015-2016
1 of 2
2
Probleemstelling:
Information and communications technology (ICT) is often used as an instrument to
lower energy consumption (e.g. in intelligent heating systems or by making telework
possible). However, the energy consumption of the ICT gear itself cannot be
neglected. An estimate of 7 percent of the global electricity usage is linked to ICT
equipment.
Over the last few years, manufacturers of ICT equipment have worked on the energy
efficiency of their tools. In certain situations, however, the ICT solution is made up of
several components. Each of them can be made more energy efficient, but the
optimization of the entire solution could go a step further.
An Internet of Things (IoT) solution for example, usually consists of a number of nodes
or sensors, a gateway and a cloud service. The setup of this data collection and
processing defines the energy efficiency of the entire IoT setup: data can be collected
and processed at the lowest level (the actual nodes), at an intermediate level (master-
nodes or at a central point, e.g. the IoT gateway) or at the highest level, e.g. a cloud
service. What will be the most energy efficient setup and what are the tradeoffs
towards performance and functionality?
Doelstelling:
Included in this master thesis you will:




Make a study of what the current ‘state-of-the-art’ is regarding the necessary
performance and functionality of an IoT environment, including different
topologies and how these should be evaluated for energy efficiency;
Implement an IoT setup in which different use cases can be evaluated e.g. data
handling can be done at the lowest, intermediate and/or highest level.
The IoT setup will mostly be based on off the shelf components which are based
on open source software or which have an open and known interface; the use
cases will be implemented in software on the different components.If needed, a
basic electronic design will be setup to assist in measuring the energy
consumption of these components.
For every use case, monitor the energy consumption and evaluate.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13537: Design and development of generic framework for Cloudbased simulation control
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Bruno Volckaert
Begeleider(s):
Thomas Dupont, Wannes Kerckhove
Contactpersoon: Bruno Volckaert
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Performing research can involve generating and evaluating results through simulations
and emulations of novel problem solutions (e.g. cloud resource provisioning /
scheduling heuristics). The principle behind this remains the same: a program, along
with potential input files and parameters, needs to be run (preferably in parallel to
speed up the generation of results), after which results / output files need to be
retrieved and visualized in an orderly fashion. In order to get statistically reliable
results, this process needs to be repeated.
Every researcher is at that point confronted with the challenge of doing this in a timeefficient, controlled and clear manner without having to manually retrieve potentially
hundreds of results from individual machines (a task which can be error-prone).
Cloud technology offers potentially unlimited scalability (and could thus offer a
substantial speed-boost to generating above-mentioned research results) but portability
remains an issue (i.e. deploying your program on a variety of clouds introduces
substantial overhead).
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to do research on and design / prototype implement a generic
framework that integrates techniques for automated and scalable cloud deployment of
generic research tasks (simulations / emulations / etc.) and which allows automated
retrieval and graphic visualization of task results. This involves supporting selection of
cloud technology provider (in terms of budget / capabilities), authentication
(appropriate credentials need to be passed to the selected cloud providers), user
selection of task parameters (e.g. required parameters, input and output files),
automatic status-updates of running tasks and retrieval and visualization of results
once these tasks are finished. Investigating how to deal with interoperability /
portability across different cloud technologies (via generic adapters) will be of prime
importance.
This thesis will give the student a clear insight in the challenges of working with Cloudbased systems and will provide access to a state-of-the-art operational Cloud research
testbed on which experiments can be run.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13562: Design and development of generic framework for VRheadset-enabled drone control
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Bruno Volckaert
Begeleider(s):
Thomas Dupont, Wannes Kerckhove
Contactpersoon: Bruno Volckaert
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Currently a large variety of relatively low-cost drones, all with differing sensor abilities
and control methods, are coming to market. These drones can be remote controlled by
an operator, and their sensor input (e.g. camera) can be retrieved while doing so
(usually on a portable tablet or smartphone).
The emergence of virtual reality headsets (Oculus Rift, Microsoft HoloLens, etc.) open
new possibilities for controlling these drones and visualizing their sensor information.
Due to the variety in drones and VR headsets, a software framework that can provide
the necessary abstractions is required, and would allow operators to switch between
active drones on-the-fly, automatically retrieving their capabilities and giving the
operator control over their features. Particularly in the scenario of drones used in
rescue operations (e.g. fires raging in a building or calamity-struck regions), effortless
control over drones becomes very important to timely guide rescue workers to places of
interest or inform them of hazards.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to do research on and design / prototype implement a generic
framework that allows Virtual Reality-headsets control over a variety of camera-enabled
drones. The framework will need to provide abstractions for dealing with different types
/ brands of drones on the one hand, and different Virtual Reality goggles on the other
(the aim is to use an Oculus Rift development kit in the demonstrator). The main focus
will be on techniques to minimize the experienced lag (control input versus visual
representation of said input) when controlling the different drones. The framework must
allow an operator to get a visual representation of where the drones are located,
retrieve their capabilities (in terms of controlling different available sensors) and must
allow the operator to switch between control / visualization of these drones at will
(minimizing the time required to perform said switch).
This thesis will allow the student to gain experience and insights into working with
sensor-equipped drones and state-of-the-art virtual reality-headsets. The main
objective is the design and creation of a framework prototype
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12990: Design of adaptive algorithms for tree connectivity in
multi-user gaming
Promotor(en):
Mario Pickavet, Didier Colle
Begeleider(s):
Wouter Tavernier, Dimitri Staessens
Contactpersoon: Wouter Tavernier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Many network applications rely on an efficient interconnection of groups of users or
devices. Multi-user games, for example, require connectivity with constrained network
delay in regimes with high user churn. Ideally the resulting connectivity is maximally
fair to all uses (the difference in perceived delay is as uniform as possible), and routing
functionality within this multipoint connectivity should be as easy as possible. A
spanning tree, or Steiner tree are very interesting topological network structures to
target in such setups.
However, dynamically calculating an optimal tree, as well as migrating from one tree
towards another is a problem which has not yet been thoroughly investigated. In
addition, no network control or configuration tools are currently available in order to
target dynamic and optimal reconfiguration of tree connectivity.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to investigate and design dynamic algorithms for optimal tree
setups between changing groups of users with given network constraints (e.g., delay).
In a first phase, this will require literature study of graph algorithms for dynamic
minimal spanning tree and/or Steiner tree calculation. Next, extensions to these
algorithms will need to be designed and evaluated in order to enable dynamics in the
user groups, as well as in the network (constraints). The proposed algorithms might be
investigated in a (graph) simulation environment, as well as in a more realistic
emulated SDN setup. Software-Defined Networks (SDN) are of particular interest, as
the logic in order to configure the routing and switching state of a communication
network is fully implemented in a (logically) centralized software component, which will
make it easier to validate newly designed network control mechanisms compared to
traditional distributed routing algorithms
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13539: Design of an extensible and modular simulation engine
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Filip De Turck, Bruno Volckaert
Thomas Dupont, Wannes Kerckhove
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Bruno Volckaert
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
IBCN is involved in the development of large-scale distributed software systems which
are deployed in various industry domains, including public transportation, traffic control
and city management. A recurring challenge is the evaluation and validation of the
software that is implemented.
Developers now either have to set-up elaborate in-lab scenario’s that simulate real-life
situations or create demo’s that can be tested in a real use case. The lab tests require a
lot of development overhead to get useful results, but they can be done in a controlled
environment and are easily repeated. Drawbacks are that only a limited number of
situations can be included and that test results often are a poor representation of the
real capabilities of the software. The use of real demos on the other hand, does provide
tangible results, but can be difficult to organize properly and is not easily repeated in
case something goes wrong (a location needs to be provided, test users need to be
contacted, etc…).
It is clear that the current approach is time-consuming, leads to a small percentage of
test coverage and/or suffers from poor demonstrability. A new method for rapid
evaluation and validation is required that is easily applicable across multiple
domains.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to research the viability of using an agent-based simulation
engine (often used in the field of biology and economics, but also in computer games
like SimCity™) as the basis for a multi-purpose testing framework for distributed
software systems. The engine would provide a sandbox environment that allows
detailed modeling of public infrastructure. Simulated agents (representing vehicles,
people, facilities, etc…) can then populate the engine and interact with the
infrastructure based on a predefined behavior. By connecting these agents with a
distributed system that needs to be evaluated, the engine can execute far more varied
and realistic scenarios than previous in-lab tests. A visualization layer on top of the
engine would make it an excellent tool for demonstration purposes too.
The broad scope of this thesis will allow the student to gain experience with a wide
range of technologies and gain further insight into software robustness and scalability,
modularity, artificial intelligence and distributed computing. The main objective
however is the creation of a working prototype for a selected subject domain (e.g. a
small railway circuit).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13639: Design of Cognitive Systems for Spatio-Temporal Scene
Understanding
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Rein Houthooft
Contactpersoon: Rein Houthooft
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
For knowledge management, it is important to be able to analyze a sequence of
observations and take the correlations between the observations into account. In
particular, we are interested in the segmentation of different video frames into
semantic objects, by labeling each pixel. Doing this for every pixel independently,
without taking into account their interdependencies, leads to very inaccurate results.
This can be solved by means of structured prediction. Contrary to traditional machine
learning, structured prediction models do not predict a single output value, but a whole
vector of values. Their advantage is the ability to reason about various output elements
simultaneously, taking into account contextual relations. An example is the conditional
random field (CRF) model, a form of probabilistic graphical model that can be used for
structured prediction. By defining a CRF over the image space, reasoning methods allow
for label inference for the image as a whole, similar to human visual intelligence.
Figure 1: From top left to bottom right, segmentation of sequential frames originating
from vehicle dashboard cameras, without temporal information.
A disadvantage of basic CRF models is their lack of temporal consistency. In Figure 1, a
segmentation of video data is shown for an outdoor scenario in which software assigns
five labels, namely road, sky, vegetation, vehicle, road marking, and sign. Herein,
every frame is labeled independently. This causes frequent state changes of the label
assignments. Temporal relations are a way to fight this problem by not only using
contextual cues within a single image, but by also using temporal context, e.g., a pixel
labeled as vehicle will likely still be labeled as vehicle in the following frame.
Doelstelling:
This research requires investigating both probabilistic reasoning and structured machine
learning techniques. The goal of this thesis is to introduce temporal relations into CRFs,
allowing machines to learn temporal on top of their spatial relations.
To achieve this goal, we will start by investigating nontemporal approaches regarding
feature extraction, clustering the image in different clusters, CRFs, structured SVMs,
etc. These models will be compared and evaluated on different datasets, leading to
initial results. Next, we will inspect how to extend these models in a temporal fashion
by, for example, introducing relations between two subsequent video frames. The goal
is to improve segmentation consistency in video data, leading to higher accuracy
compared to independent classification.
Although this subject has a particular computer vision focus, it should be noted that
these models enjoy much broader applicability, e.g., natural language processing,
speech recognition, text understanding, bio-informatics, robotics, etc, making this
research highly interesting to the outside world.
Multiple research directions are possible, dependent on your interests (for example, a
deep learning angle in which we extract spatio-temporal information). No prior
knowledge of machine learning or artificial intelligence is expected, however your
motivation to learn is very important
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to contact me at
rein.houthooft@ugent.be, especially when you are considering different topics!
13641: Design of Structured Machine Learning Models for
Perception in Autonomous Vehicles
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Rein Houthooft
Contactpersoon: Rein Houthooft
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
AJ:
2015-2016
1
1
Probleemstelling:
Perception is an interesting, but also important topic in the field of autonomous
vehicles. Especially settings present many challenges to vehicle operation due to the
lack of structured elements in the environment. By going further than the identification
traversable/nontraversable regions and standard object detection, it is possible to
approach environmental sensing in a semantic fashion.
Figure: (top) Example of autonomous vehicle video with the labels assigned via a
structured prediction model (vehicle, road, sky, vegetation, road markings, and sign)
together with the original image; (mid) A different example of an image segmentation;
(bot) Example of autonomous vehicles used to record these videos.
In particular, we want machines to learn and reason about objects in their environment.
Detecting objects, and semantically identifying them, allows for obstacle avoidance and
other high-level reasoning tasks. For this, structured prediction techniques can be used
such as structured support vector machines (SSVMs) and conditional random fields
(CRFs). In contrast to traditional machine learning techniques, these algorithms allow
the prediction of a vector of values rather than a single output. For example, instead of
predicting each image pixel independently, we predict all of them at once by taking into
account contextual cues between output variables, e.g., by means of probabilistic
graphical models, in the reasoning process. An illustration of this is shown in Figure 1
(top and (mid) in which a computer attempts to understand two different outdoor
scenes.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to explore the use of structured prediction techniques for
semantic image labeling, applied to autonomous vehicles, for which the research group
has datasets available, generated by industrial partners. Starting with the exploration of
basic algorithms, we gradually delve deeper into more advanced techniques. In this
research, we can step into different directions, allowing for both a theoretical angle, and
a more hands-on practical approach. It is possible to focus entirely on machine learning
models for image processing, or to focus on a multimodal sensor fusion approach in
which we take into account time-of-flight, infrared, laser scan, and RGB-depth sensor
information.
Ultimately, we want to implement these techniques in real autonomous vehicles of one
of our industrial partners (similar to the one in Figure 1 (bot)). Therefore, this thesis
gives you a chance of making an actual impact. Although this subject has a particular
computer vision focus, it should be noted that these models enjoy a much broader
applicability, e.g., natural language processing, speech recognition, text understanding,
bio-informatics, robotics, etc, making this research highly interesting to the outside
world. No prior knowledge of the machine learning and artificial intelligence is expected,
however your motivation to learn is very important.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13060: Detection of structural variation in genomes using long
read data
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Jan Fostier, Kathleen Marchal
Giles Miclotte
Jan Fostier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The DNA encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of
known living organisms. From a computer science point of view, the DNA can be seen
as a large string over the A, C, G, T alphabet. Using a chemical process (called
`sequencing’), a large collection of substrings (called ‘reads’) can be obtained.
Depending on the exact sequencing process used, these reads can be either short
(length 100-200 characters) with a low error rate (1%) or long (length > 10.000
characters) with a high error rate (10-15%).
Despite their high error rate, long reads contain lots of useful information about the
DNA sequence. Indeed, these long reads can be used to uncover certain modifications
in the DNA sequence such as deletions (the removal of a part of the DNA sequence),
insertions (extra DNA that has been inserted in a certain positions), translocations (part
of the DNA that has shifted position), etc. These modifications are collectively called
‘structural variation’ and can sometimes be linked to disease or fitness of an organism
or individual with important applications for biological and medical sciences. In this
thesis the goal is to develop algorithms and software to detect structural based on long
read data.
Doelstelling:
The aim of this thesis is to develop algorithms to detect structural variation between
different individuals of the same organism or between closely related organism. The
thesis involves the modification of existing software that has been developed by our
research group. This software is currently able to align long read data to a known
reference genome, taking into account the high error rate in the long reads. These
algorithms need to be extended in the case certain long reads contain an insertion,
deletion (see Figure), translation, etc. In that case, the long reads will no longer
contiguously map to the reference genome. The goal is to identify, characterize and
locate this structural variation. When the algorithms have been designed and
implementing, they should be extensively benchmarked for performance on synthetic
data. Finally, the software can be applied to real data that is available in our research
group.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
The thesis involves programming in C/C++
13475: Distributing deep neural networks
Promotor(en):
Bart Dhoedt, Pieter Simoens
Begeleider(s):
Sam Leroux
Contactpersoon: Sam Leroux
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Deep neural networks are currently the state of the art technique for solving a wide
variety of machine learning problems, ranging from speech recognition to object
detection in 2D or even 3D images. Recent breakthroughs are often driven by the deep
learning movement. A deep network tries to learn increasingly complex representations
from the input data, while the first layers learn global features, the layers at the end of
the network will learn more specific features.
These deep networks are powerful but they are also computationally expensive. At the
moment most deep networks need GPU's to run reasonably fast. We want to investigate
the possibility of using deep neural networks on resource constrained devices such as
smartphones or sensor-nodes. The limited memory and processing power of these
devices makes it impossible to run all the layers of the network on the device, recent
research however has shown that it is possible to distribute the layers between devices
Doelstelling:
We want to further investigate the possibilities of distributed neural networks. We are
especially interested in practical use-cases. Possible domains are Internet-of-things,
robotics and autonomous vehicles. Recently different companies (IBM, Qualcomm, …)
have developed neural network chips. At the moment neural networks are mostly
simulated in software, hardware implementations are much faster and much more
energy efficient. At the same time these chips are relatively expensive and the
computing power is limited. We want to investigate how to use these chips the most
efficiently. The goal is to create a network of neural networks, the different
components can run on heterogeneous platforms and can make decisions on their own.
At the same time they have to be able to work together to solve complex tasks.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13629: Dynamic mobile multimedia services based on virtualized
network functions
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck
Begeleider(s):
Niels Bouten, Jeroen van der Hooft
Contactpersoon: Niels Bouten
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The Internet was originally designed as a service to transport simple text files.
However, over the last decades, it has evolved into a platform for delivering a wide
range of multimedia services. A growing number of these services are interactive,
context-dependent and content-oriented. In addition, they are increasingly consumed
by mobile devices. Despite these developments, the set-up and configuration of
services and their required network functions is still performed in a static and manual
manner. This prevents operators to take into account the dynamic needs of mobile
users.
The principle of Network Virtualization was recently proposed to alleviate these
problems and extends the principles of cloud computing to the network. In addition to
computational and storage capacity, also the intermediate network components can be
virtualized. This allows to reserve bandwidth dynamically and cloud-based networking
features to automatically reposition to meet the strict quality requirements of mobile
multimedia services.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to develop a framework and control algorithms that allow to
dynamically reposition the virtualized components of multimedia services in order to
guarantee the quality of mobile multimedia services, even when users migrate from
network to network. The accompanying figure shows an example where a user
consumes a video streaming service offered by Netflix through the data center of its
operator via his smartphone, connected to his WiFi network (1). When this user then
moves outside his house, his smartphone will automatically switch to the network of his
mobile operator (2). In order to guarantee a continuous streaming service with
sufficient quality and low delay, the framework should decide to migrate some of the
service components to a regional data center (3), from which the user can subsequently
stream the video (4). This ensures an uninterrupted video streaming service with
quality guarantees and can be provided despite the mobility of the user. Existing
platforms, such as OpenStack for cloud-based networking and OpenFlow for
dynamically reserving bandwidth, could be extended to achieve such a framework.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13099: Dynamic pricing of hotel rooms
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Dirk Deschrijver
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Ivo Couckuyt
dhr. Sirvydas Dagys [OTA INSIGHT]
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal studenten: 1
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
OTA Insight is a technology company that aggregates and processes millions of rows of
hotel data every day. They deliver simple to use, innovative, market leading hospitality
revenue maximisation technology solutions. They help hotels to maintain occupancy
rates and be price competitive using the latest business intelligence and data
technologies.
A hotel has to make hundreds of room pricing decisions every day. Some keep it simple
and always charge the same rate while many learnt from the airlines dynamic pricing
revolution and started applying room rates that are updated by software every day or
even in real-time. Many factors can influence the optimal price, namely the internal
hotel factors (quality, location) and external market factors (competitors, general
demand). Smart dynamic pricing should prevent a hotel from selling out all rooms early
and too cheap or charging too high and losing all clients to the competition. Therefore,
all of this has to be evaluated automatically and pricing adjusted accordingly early
enough.
Doelstelling:
At OTA Insight they have collected over a year’s worth of historical pricing data from
thousands of hotels and their competitors together with internal hotel features, hotel
occupancy and a database of popular events that influence hotels’ demand.
The goal of this master thesis is to analyse the data using various machine learning
techniques.
First, the student will make a theoretical study of several state-of-the-art machine
learning techniques, including feature selection, decision support, and time series
prediction.
In a second step, the student will apply, adapt and improve the algorithms to perform
the following tasks:

Identify key hotel room price determinants (feature selection)


Research and develop a system that alerts a hotel when pricing change is
needed (decision support)
Estimate the room price a hotel should charge for a given day (regression and
time series prediction)
LINK: http://www.otainsight.com/
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13495: Een gebruiksvriendelijke testomgeving voor complexe
service-georiënteerde applicaties
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Pieter Bonte, Femke De Backere
Pieter Bonte
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Het Semantische web, of Web 3.0, is de opvolger van het huidige web (Web 2.0)
waarbij data voorzien wordt van metadata om zo betekenis toe te voegen. Dit laat
intelligente verwerkingen toe omdat de computer zelf in staat is de data te
interpreteren. De beschrijving van de metadata wordt gedaan aan de hand van een
ontologie die een bepaald domein op een formele manier beschrijft. Het model zelf
wordt de T-Box genoemd en de instantiering van de data volgens dit model wordt de ABox genoemd, samen vormen ze een ‘knowledge base’.
Steeds meer diensten maken hiervan gebruik om hun verworven kennis mee te
beschrijven. Gezien de werking van deze diensten afhankelijk is van de inhoud van de
knowledge base, is het niet voor de hand liggend de werking van de diensten op een
eenduidige wijze te testen, vb. aan de hand van unit tests. De output van deze diensten
wordt namelijk bepaald door de aanwezige data. Een voorbeeld van dergelijke dienst, is
het aanbieden van intelligente ondersteuning aan chauffeurs. Tegenwoordig zijn auto’s
uitgerust met verschillende sensors. Door het combineren van de locatie van auto’s, de
bestemming van de chauffeurs en informatie die beschikbaar is (bv. via
verkeerscentrum) over het huidig aantal kilometers file, kunnen files vermeden door
elke individuele chauffeur een specifieke route aan te raden die het verkeer optimaal
verdeeld over de verschillende wegen en zo de transportinfrastructuur het best
benut.
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze is thesis is te onderzoeken hoe een testomgeving kan ontwikkeld
worden waarmee diensten, die gebruik maken van een semantisch kennismodel,
eenvoudig kunnen getest worden. De focus ligt hierbij vooral op het uitvoeren van
functionele correctheidstesten. De uitkomt van de werking van deze diensten wordt
vooral bepaald door de inhoud van hun kennismodel, waarbij er verschillende
toestanden mogelijk zijn. Er zal gestart worden vanuit het MASSIF platform, die
ontwikkeld is aan IBCN en toelaat semantische diensten te implementeren. Elke dienst
bestaat uit een knowledge base, het type binnenkomende data, enkele
transformatiefuncties op deze binnenkomende data en een of meerdere queries om te
bepalen welke data als resultaat kan teruggegeven worden. Om een volwaardige
testomgeving te ontwikkelen dient een automatische analyse te gebeuren op de
binnenkomende data, de transformaties en de verwachte output. In deze thesis zal
onderzocht worden hoe semantische diensten op het MASSIF platform kunnen getest
worden, door een automatische analyse van de input data, de transformaties en de
queries. Verder dient onderzocht te worden hoe de knowledge base kan gemanipuleerd
worden om de verschillende toepassingsscenario’s te simuleren.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Voorkennis over semantiek is niet vereist. In de eerste fase van de thesis wordt ruim de
tijd gelaten aan om zich in te werken in deze technieken en technologieën.
13593: Efficiënt workflow-management voor de gezondheidszorg
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Femke De Backere, Pieter Bonte
Femke De Backere
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
voor:
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Binnen het eHealth-domein wordt er meer en meer gebruik gemaakt van workflow- en
procesmanagement. Het vertalen van de pathologie, therapie of het herstel na een
operatie in een digitale workflow brengt verschillende voordelen met zich mee, zoals
consistentie en een verhoogde kwaliteit van de zorg. Bovendien kunnen op deze manier
alle parameters die over een patiënt beschikbaar zijn, in rekening gebracht worden. Er
bestaan echter nog steeds uitdagingen binnen dit domein.
Chronisch zieke patiënten krijgen meer en meer korte ziekenhuisopnames en worden
daarnaast thuis opgevolgd door verpleegkundigen of een thuiszorgorganisatie. Dit
betekent dat er een nood is aan workflows, die buiten de grenzen van het ziekenhuis of
de thuiszorgorganisatie gaan. Een ander probleem is het dynamisch aanpassen van de
workflows op basis van bepaalde parameters die opgegeven zijn door de patiënt of
doordat de patiënt bijvoorbeeld een hogere basistemperatuur heeft dan de gemiddelde
persoon. Indien zo’n zaken gebeuren, dient de workflow aangepast te worden of moet
er een specifieke actie ondernomen worden, zoals het sturen van een alarm naar een
dokter.
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze thesis is het ontwikkelen van een workflow-managementplatform,
dat in staat is om de workflows op een dynamische manier aan te passen op basis van
de reeds uitgevoerde acties of de beschikbare parameters. Daarnaast moet het ook
mogelijk zijn om deze workflows persoonlijk te maken, aangezien patiënten
bijvoorbeeld verschillende basiswaarden hebben voor medische, fysieke parameters.
Daarnaast dient bekeken te worden of het mogelijk en nuttig is om contextinformatie in
rekening te brengen binnen het managementplatform.
Hoofdpijn is een neurlogische aandoening die frequent voorkomt. Er zijn verschillende
types hoofdpijn, zoals migraine, clusterhoofdpijn en spanningshoofdpijn. Iedere type
vereist een andere aanpak en opvolging. Momenteel houden de patiënten een
hoofdpijndagboek bij in een schriftje. Deze informatie wordt dan besproken op het
consult met de neuroloog. Het opvolgen van hoofdpijn op een digitale manier en door
gebruik te maken van workflows, zou een hele hulp kunnen zijn voor de patiënten en
hun zorgverstrekkers. Deze use case kan binnen deze thesis eventueel als proof of
concept geïmplementeerd worden
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13567: Efficient configurability of a service oriented architecture
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Femke De Backere, Pieter Bonte
Femke De Backere
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Due to the increase of data produced by smart devices, it becomes more and more
difficult to process this information in an automated, scalable and performant manner.
To extract information or knowledge from the data, IBCN has developed the MASSIF
platform (ModulAr, Service-based, SemantIc & Flexible Platform), which offers modular
components capable of analyzing large amounts of data. In this way, flexible
development of services to solve specific use cases is made possible.
However, as MASSIF is data driven and a lot of different types of services can be
defined onto the platform, it is difficult for the developer to keep track of the different
functionality they offer. Moreover, it is difficult for external developers to develop new
services within the MASSIF platform because of the knowledge needed to create these
services and the rules used to perform a specific task (within the services).
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is two-fold. First, templates have to be researched and designed,
which allow developers to create new services in a simple and straightforward way.
These templates need to be easily deployed into the MASSIF platform and
implementation work should be kept to a minimum. This also means that the developer
does not need to have a thorough knowledge of the used technologies within the
platform and the services. Techniques and algorithms should be examined to ensure
that the developer creates services in a correct way and that no conflicts are created
when adding a new service to the MASSIF platform.
Second, a user-friendly application is needed, which supports the developer in creating
the services. This also means that this application has to give an overview of the used
services and their functionality within the MASSIF platform, and their purpose. An
algorithm should be researched and designed to indicate if conflicts arise with other
rules and services while creating these new services.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13492: Efficient processing of linked data streams in the Internet
of Things
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Pieter Bonte, Jelle Nelis, dhr. Wim Dereuddre [Televic]
Contactpersoon: Pieter Bonte
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, numerous things and objects are connected to
the internet and are able to interact with each other to reach common goals. Data
originates from numerous heterogeneous sources, each describing a different
abstraction of the environment. Combining data from different sources allows
applications to support context and situation awareness. For example, vehicles are
nowadays equipped with various sensors. By combining the position of the driver, the
destination and the current amount traffic, traffic jams could be minimized by routing
each individual driver over a specific route to optimally utilize the transportation
infrastructure.
The semantic web, or Web 3.0, is the successor of the current web (Web 2.0). It
provides metadata to add meaning to data. This enables intelligent processing since the
machine is able to interpret the data. Semantics can aid in the integration of the
generated heterogeneous IoT data by enabling interoperability between different
sources and providing a uniform model. Utilizing semantic reasoning enables
transforming the integrated low level data into high-level knowledge, allowing accurate
and intelligent decisions. Linked data is the general term for methods of publishing
structured data so it can be interlinked and become useful through semantic queries.
Whereas linked data streams denote a continuous stream of linked data.
IBCN has developed the MASSIF Platform for rapid enrichment and semantic reasoning
of sensor data. However, the huge data production within an IoT environment imposes
challenges to process data on a timely manner. To tackle this problem, a new paradigm
shift can be seen towards Stream Reasoning. Stream reasoning will utilize a shifting
time-based window to consider recent data in a specified time-frame.
Doelstelling:
This thesis focuses on the processing of linked data streams in a timely manner to
realize intelligent IoT applications offering personalized services to the end-users. First,
existing stream reasoning solutions should be analyzed and compared to assess which
one is ideal to process the huge amount of data processed by IoT applications.
Extensions to these solutions will possibly also be needed to achieve the required
performance and scalability. Second, research is necessary to determine how one or
more of the investigated (and possibly extended) stream reasoning solutions can be
integrated into the MASSIF Platform. Third, it needs to be investigated how the windowbased reasoning on the streaming data originating from the IoT sources can be
combined with the reasoning on more static data, e.g., profile information of the users,
to achieve a personalized service offering.
The streaming capabilities can be evaluated in a real-life environment by integrating
real streaming sensors in the Homelab. The homelab (http://ilabt.iminds.be/homelab)
is a realistic environment that allows easy technology integration. The specific IoT use
case can be decided based on the interests of the students.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
There is a possibility to do an internship within the Televic company
(http://www.televic.com/en/). This internship is not mandatory. Existing knowledge
about semantics and reasoning is not required. At the start of the thesis enough time
will be provided to get acquainted with these techniques and technologies.
13605: Efficient workflow management for healthcare solutions
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Femke De Backere, Pieter Bonte
Pieter Bonte
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Within the eHealth domain, there is a move towards workflow/process management.
Translating the treatment of a pathology or the recovery after an operation into a
digital workflow has several advantages, such as, consistency, taking all parameters of
a patient into account, etc. However, there are still challenges within this field.
Chronically ill patients have short hospital admissions combined with care at home.
This means that workflows need to go beyond the borders of the hospital or the home
care organizations, providing the follow-up at home. Another issue which arises, is the
dynamic adaptations that can be made to the workflow according to the specific
situation or context. For example, when a patient has a repeatedly high blood pressure,
the workflow should be changed to notifiy the physician.
Doelstelling:
Different research goals can be identified in this thesis. First, existing standards for
workflow and process management have to be researched to identify the most optimal
standard or language to be used in the health sector. Within the ehealth sector, specific
standards for information sharing are already used, such as HL7. It needs to be
researched if these ehealth standards are compatible with standards/languages for
workflow management.
Second, focus should be given to manage workflows cross the borders of the hospital or
home care. Can the workflow be managed in the cloud, across organizations and how
will this affect the process management tools already used within the hospital or home
care organization.
Finally, it can be researched whether workflows can be altered in a dynamic manner to
make them personalized based on the specific condition of the patient. It also needs to
be considered whether it is useful to take the context into account.
The scope of this thesis can be chosen based on the interests of the student and in
agreement with the supervisors.
The following use case will be considered to demonstrate the research performed in this
thesis. Headache is a neurological illness that frequently occurs. There are different
types of headache, each requiring a specific treatment and follow-up protocol.
Nowadays, patients use a booklet to keep track of their headache episode and report
this information at the consult with the neurologist. The digital follow-up of headaches
by using workflows, could improve the quality of life for the patient and improve the
quality of care for the formal caregivers. The headache use case can be implemented as
a proof of concept
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13469: Enabling the Internet-of-Things by making dumb things
smarter using Spatial Augmented Reality
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Bart Dhoedt, Pieter Simoens
Steven Bohez, Tim Verbelen
Steven Bohez
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The arrival of the Internet-of-Things is bound to change the way we interact with
devices or “things” all around us. While vendors are primarily focusing on creating new,
connected smart devices, little attention is given to everyday “dumb” devices or objects
that are not interconnected. Nonetheless can we make such things smarter using
existing technologies from, among others, computer vision. Object detection and
recognition allow us to describe (the state of) an object, while techniques such as
augmented reality allow us to virtually interact with them.
Imagine, for example, a user placing a “dumb”, empty mug on his/her kitchen counter.
Immediately a pop-up beneath the mug appears asking the user if he would like some
coffee. If the user confirms by tapping the pop-up, the nearby networked coffee
machine turns on. Taking this even further, the system could detect the food items
placed on the counter and make suggestions for recipes or notify the user of what’s
missing for his favorite dish and assist him during kooking by tracking his progress.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this MSc thesis is to create a novel user interface for the Internet-of-Things
using spatial augmented reality, object detection and recognition. Using a picoprojector
and camera mounted in a light fixture, an interactive desktop is projected on a surface.
When objects are placed on the surface, they should be detected, recognized and
suitable commands should be projected on top of or near it. These commands can then
be triggered using hand gestures.
If a placed object is known to be “smart” or connected (e.g. smartphone), a connection
is automatically established to allow more means of interaction (e.g. use the surface as
external screen). The system should also be able to discover and connect to nearby
networked devices and provide meaningful commands to interact with them. In order to
keep the system compact, aspects of (edge) cloud computing will need to be
investigated as well.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13565: Energy-aware management of a mobile video player for
adaptive video streaming services
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Tim Wauters
Begeleider(s):
Tim Wauters, Stefano Petrangeli, Niels Bouten
Contactpersoon: Filip De Turck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Video streaming is responsible for more than half of the total global bandwidth
consumption on the Internet. Each month over 6 billion hours of video are watched on
YouTube, of which 40% through mobile devices. The diffusion of mobile devices raises
new challenges in the field of Internet video streaming. The heterogeneity of these
devices in terms of processing capabilities, battery lifetime, screen dimensions and the
highly varying network conditions typically observed in a mobile environment make it
difficult to deliver an acceptable video quality to the users. Due to their ability to
dynamically adapt to bandwidth fluctuations, HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) protocols
are especially suited for the delivery of multimedia content in mobile and wireless
environments. Recently, a standardized solution has been proposed by MPEG, called
Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH).
In a HAS architecture, video content is stored on a server as segments encoded at
different quality levels. Each client is equipped with a decision algorithm that requests
the segments at the most appropriate quality level, based on the local perceived
bandwidth and video player buffer status (Figure 1a). In this way, video playback
dynamically adapts to the available resources, resulting in a smooth video streaming
experience.
Doelstelling:
In order to investigate the aforementioned issues arising in the video delivery to mobile
devices, a DASH-compliant iOS video player has been developed at the IBCN research
group. Figure 1b shows some screen-shots of the iOS application. The video player
allows monitoring the battery consumption and CPU usage of the device and provides
this information to the decision algorithm. The goal of this thesis is to enhance the
existing decision algorithm by using this real-time information in order to, for example,
maximize the video viewing time by minimizing the battery consumption. By using the
iOS video player on real devices, the student will investigate the correlation between
the video quality levels and the battery consumption. Next, the developed models will
be implemented in the iOS video player and integrated in the decision algorithm in
order to achieve specific goals (e.g., minimize battery consumption, maximize video
quality, a trade-off between both etc.). Finally, evaluations on mobile networks will
validate the gain achieved by the enhanced decision algorithm.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12982: Energy-aware task planning and allocation between
multiple robots
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Pieter Simoens, Bart Dhoedt
Pieter Simoens
Contactpersoon:
Pieter Simoens
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Robots will soon be assisting in our activities of daily life. Humanoid robots like the Nao
robot have two distinct advantages: their humanoid form factor increases social
acceptance, and they have much more versatile action capabilities compared to e.g.
dog-alike robots. In healthcare settings like hospitals and nursing homes; robots are
already used for occupational therapy, education and leisure activities. Essentially,
these are one-to-many settings: the robot is simultaneously interacting with multiple
patients or residents. In the future, we envisage robots operating in many-to-one
settings: multiple robots are operational and engage in personal interactions with a
single patient.
A cloud-based platform is needed to coordinate the task allocation among the multiple
robots, taking into account the limited battery autonomy of an individual robot. Existing
work on energy-aware multi-robot scheduling has only focused on optimal trajectory
planning to discover a specific area, but did not take into account the energy
consumption of tasks executed by robots on a particular location.
Doelstelling:
The student is responsible for the design of a scalable, energy-aware multi-robot task
allocation and planning algorithm. The research will start with the characterization of
energy consumption of the Nao robot for various workloads: walking around; playing
video; limb motion; etc.
Given a list of predefined tasks (robot action, location, deadline), you will design a
scheduling algorithm that ensures all tasks are completed within the given deadline and
plans the appropriate charging periods so no robot runs out of energy. You will need
design and evaluate performant heuristics for this NP-complete scheduling
problem. Once the baseline scenario is realized, the research will focus on an
optimization of the number of robots needed to perform a given task set. In concrete,
you will investigate the optimal balance between the number of robots, the amount of
work that can be executed, and the number and location of charging stations.
A possible extension is to allow for ad-hoc tasks that necessitate a rescheduling of the
ongoing tasks.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13101: Ensemble Combination Schemes for Regression Models
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Dirk Deschrijver
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Prashant Singh, Ivo Couckuyt
Prashant Singh
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Ensemble models are used routinely in classification problems, but their use is not as
widespread in regression tasks. The predictions of the models of an ensemble can be
combined by either considering predictions of all models, or selecting the prediction of
one model by virtue of a measure and pronouncing it the winner. Both of these
schemes allow for different methods of averaging predictions, or different metrics to
select a winner respectively.
Different classes of problems dictate whether averaging schemes should be preferred or
selection. Further, the choice of the particular averaging method, or selection metric
also depends on the problem at hand. Computationally expensive problems involving
noisy data are typically hard to model, and can benefit from well-designed ensemble
combination schemes. The problem setting considered is the metamodeling of
expensive regression problems using ensembles in order to obtain a model with
improved accuracy.
Doelstelling:
The student will first do a literature study on ensemble schemes. He/she will investigate
the different combinations and list their advantages and disadvantages. An introduction
is given to the SUMO-Toolbox, a framework developed by the SUMO-group for
surrogate modeling. This toolbox provides powerful regression (and classification)
models that can be used in ensemble models and supports several methods for
optimization. Subsequently, one or more promising ensemble schemes are selected and
implemented in the SUMO toolbox taking full advantage of its capabilities.
The approach(es) will be tested on different mathematical functions as well as real-life
applications such as design of cyclone separators, satellite truss structures, etc.
LINKS
- http://www.sumo.intec.ugent.be
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13885: Evaluatie van een software-architectuur voor IPgebaseerde videotoestellen in een residentieel Internet-ofThings-ecosysteem
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Filip De Turck, Matthias Strobbe
Matthias Strobbe, Jelle Nelis
Jelle Nelis
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In onze huishoudens zijn steeds meer netwerkgeconnecteerde apparaten aanwezig,
zoals laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart TV’s, verschillende soorten camera’s (bv.
geïntegreerd in een babyfoon of in een deurbel), slimme thermostaten, slimme
huishoudtoestellen, etc.
Interoperabiliteit tussen deze toestellen wordt typisch gerealiseerd via ad-hoc
oplossingen waarbij specifieke software nodig is om de data van deze toestellen te
kunnen bekijken of gebruiken. Dit is echter niet houdbaar in een snel evoluerend
ecosysteem waarbij constant nieuwe toestellen en toepassingen op de markt komen.
De TV zou binnen een dergelijk Internet of Things (IoT) ecosysteem de centrale hub
kunnen worden voor monitoring en visualisatie van al deze toestellen en het
huisnetwerk. Hiervoor is het belangrijk dat er een zeer flexibel softwareplatform
beschikbaar is dat automatisch toestellen kan detecteren en aansturen en dat
geïnstalleerd kan worden op een smart TV
Doelstelling:
Binnen de IBCN-onderzoeksgroep wordt al enige tijd gewerkt aan een softwareplatform
genaamd DYAMAND, dat toelaat om een brede waaier aan toestellen automatisch te
detecteren, op te volgen en aan te sturen. De data afkomstig van deze toestellen wordt
vertaald naar een generiek dataformaat zodat applicaties gemakkelijk de data van
verschillende toestellen kunnen combineren zonder de details van de specifieke
communicatieprotocollen te moeten kennen.
Een eerste doel van deze thesis is om te onderzoeken welke andere softwareplatformen
er nog bestaan die toelaten om toestellen te detecteren, combineren en aan te sturen
en deze te vergelijken met het DYAMAND platform. Op basis van deze studie is het dan
de bedoeling om in samenwerking met het bedrijf TP Vision, dat de televisies van de
toekomst ontwerpt voor o.a. Philips, DYAMAND te porteren naar Android TV en
eventueel ook bijkomende interessante functionaliteit toe te voegen op basis van de
resultaten van de literatuurstudie.
In een laatste stap zal de combinatie smart TV + DYAMAND gedemonstreerd worden in
een thuisomgeving met toestellen die audio en video kunnen doorsturen zoals
beveiligingscamera’s, camera’s geïntegreerd met de deurbel en babyfoons. Wanneer
een nieuw toestel geïnstalleerd wordt moet dit automatisch gedetecteerd kunnen
worden en kunnen interageren met de TV zonder enige configuratie van de gebruiker.
Wanneer één van deze camera’s iets detecteert, moet de gebruiker hier automatisch
van op de hoogte gebracht worden door het video- en/of audiosignaal te visualiseren op
de TV.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Een stage is zeker mogelijk en zelfs gewenst
12789: Evaluating the impact of net neutrality on the telecom
market: a game-theoretic approach
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Marlies Van der Wee, Koen Casier
Marlies Van der Wee
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The recent entry of Over-The-Top (OTT) players such as Netflix has seriously impacted
the telecom service market and provides direct competition to the Video-On-Demand
(VOD) services of telecom access providers such as Telenet and Proximus in Flanders.
Important in this market evolution is the debate around net neutrality.
Net neutrality is defined as the concept in which internet service providers are obliged
to treat all data streams equally, independent of which application, service, device,
sender or receiver is involved. They are as such forbidden to block, throttle or alter data
traffic over their networks. The current debate about net neutrality rises important
questions about if and how it should be implemented by law.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this master thesis is to provide high-level suggestions to regulators or law
makers on the necessity of defining strict rules with regards to net neutrality to both
telecom access operators and OTT players. These recommendations can be provided
based on simulations of different market players’ strategies using a game theoretic
approach. Note that the emphasis of the thesis will be on analyzing the economic
impact of technical and regulatory choices, not on the formulation of any regulatory
texts.
The work in this thesis consists of three parts. In a first literature study, the current
laws and practices with regards to net neutrality are studied to define useful simulation
scenarios. In a second part, this thesis builds on existing techno-economic, market
simulation and game theoretic models (Java-based), which need to be extended to be
able to apply the scenarios. Finally, the analysis of the simulation results allows to draw
conclusions about the best approach taken by regulators.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
In collaboration with the Belgian Telecom regulator BIPT
13453: Experiment Design for Subjective Quality of Experience
Evaluation of Remotely executed Games
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Bart Dhoedt, Bert Vankeirsbilck
Bert Vankeirsbilck, Dirk Deschrijver
Bert Vankeirsbilck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In our research group, we investigate Quality of Experience (QoE) for cloud gaming.
Specifically, we assume that a server executes the game, and streams the screen
content as a video to a remote client. We have created a framework where the quality
levels of that video stream can be changed on-the-fly, e.g., frame rate, visual quality.
Furthermore, we have included facilities to get feedback from the test person about
how well he/she is able to play the game. With the feedback from a sufficiently large
test group, we construct models that allow predicting the perceived QoE (i.e. playability
of the game) in relation to the video stream parameters.
The problem with our current experiments is that it is impossible to get feedback on all
possible combinations of the video quality levels, because the experiment would take
too long for each test person. There is a clear need for better experiment design where
the most relevant samples are selected, and avoiding testing conditions with little
added value.
Doelstelling:
The main research challenge to be tackled by the student is the intelligent experiment
design for QoE evaluation of interactive applications (including, but not limited to,
games) as schematically described above. This will require taking into account the
specific requirements for quality assessment experiments that will be explored by the
student from literature and from cooperation in experiment design as it is currently
performed. Also, a requirement for this project is to choose the samples in a
mathematically sound manner, i.e. inspired by current best practices in meta-modeling,
which is a major research topic in our group.
This work is expected to result in a software component integrated in the existing
assessment platform, and it will be put to practice during the project by application in
an actual subjective assessment experiment.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12973: Experimentele studie van communicatie-oplossingen voor
het Internet of Things
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Elnaz Alizadeh Jarchlo, Enri Dalipi, Jen Rossey, Floris Van den Abeele
Jeroen Hoebeke
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
3
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
De volgende revolutie van het Internet vindt momenteel plaats: het Internet of Things
(IoT) of ‘Internet der Dingen’, waarbij niet alleen PCs, laptops en smartphones
aangesloten worden op het Internet, maar ook een enorm groot aantal andere
toestellen zoals o.a. sensoren, huishoudtoestellen, machines, en robots. Terwijl in het
klassieke Internet data wordt gegenereerd door mensen, zal in het nieuwe IoT
hoofdzakelijk data worden gecreëerd door ‘dingen’. Verwacht wordt dat er tegen 2020
50 miljard toestellen verbonden zullen zijn met het Internet.
De laatste jaren komen er dan ook meer en meer IoT-oplossingen op de markt, gaande
van nieuwe draadloze technologieën over protocollen tot nieuwe geïntegreerde
oplossingen en architecturen. Het is niet altijd duidelijk wat deze oplossingen kunnen,
hoe ze zich onderscheiden van alternatieven en welke oplossing het meest geschikt is
voor welke toepassing.
Doelstelling:
Deze thesis biedt studenten de mogelijkheid om een aantal IoT systemen kritisch te
bekijken en in detail te analyseren en evalueren. Typisch zal daarbij een concrete use
case (bv. building automation, manufacturing, etc.) als uitgangspunt genomen worden.
Hierbij kan voortgebouwd worden op de beschikbare expertise en tools binnen ons IoT
team.
Afhankelijk van de interesses van de studenten worden volgende 4 mogelijkheden
aangeboden:
1. 6TiSCH / WirelessHART versus CSMA: 6TiSCH en het industriële alternatief
WirelessHART maken gebruik van tijdssloten om garanties te bieden inzake
toegang tot het draadloze medium. Het doel is om de prestaties en beperkingen
van een dergelijk systeem te bekijken.
2. Prestaties van BLE mesh: BLE mesh is een uitbreiding van Bluetooth Low Energy
om een mesh netwerk op te bouwen. De mogelijkheden van deze nieuwe
technologie zijn tot op heden niet gekend.
3. Delen van BLE connectiviteit tussen smartphones: Een smartphone krijgt
toegang tot een sensor netwerk via BLE. Het doel is om ook andere toestellen op
een performante manier toegang te geven door een geconvergeerd Wi-Fi/BLE
netwerk te bouwen
4. Coëxistentie van sensorverkeer en ander data verkeer in een Wi-Fi netwerk: in
de toekomst zullen grote hoeveelheden sensor data over onze bestaande
netwerken lopen. De interacties tussen deze verkeerstromen zijn niet gekend en
zullen bestudeerd worden onder verschillende omstandigheden.
Voor elk van deze onderwerpen wordt een implementatie op een embedded
platform verwacht, integratie met andere componenten en een uitgebreide
evaluatie. Hierbij zal gebruik gemaakt worden van de grootschalige draadloze
testfaciliteiten van IBCN (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13103: Exploring the stability of dimensionality reduction
techniques
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Tom Dhaene, Eric Laermans
Sofie Van Gassen
Sofie Van Gassen
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Dimensionality reduction techniques reduce the number of variables under
consideration. They make it possible to visualize high-dimensional datasets and get
more insight about what is happening in the data.
A very important application of these techniques is on biological data. Researchers and
physicians need a clear understanding of the data they collected from the patients and
an advanced visualization of this data can help tremendously.
However, many state-of-the-art techniques are not very stable. This means that
visualizations of the data look very different between runs or between small variations
of the datasets, which strongly complicates the interpretability for the biological
researcher.
A stable dimensionality reduction technique which still captures the important aspects
of the data is a must.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this master thesis is to develop a stable dimensionality reduction technique.
The student will start with a literature study to explore current state-of-the-art
techniques (such as PCA, Isomap, t-SNE, etc.). They will develop a stability measure
that can be used to compare different dimensionality techniques and make a
comparative study between several state-of-the-art dimensionality reduction
techniques. Using the insights gained by this comparison, they will try to make some
variations or develop their own technique to improve the results.
Because of our collaboration with the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), we
have several relevant datasets. This thesis will help the researchers to gain more
insight in their data and make biological discoveries.
No previous knowledge about bio-informatics, biology or machine learning is required,
interest is enough.
This research subject offers possibilities for a scientific publication or further doctoral
research.
LINK: http://lvdmaaten.github.io/drtoolbox/
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, Zwijnaarde (VIB), thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12988: Extended hierarchical routing algorithms for better
navigation
Promotor(en):
Mario Pickavet, Pieter Audenaert
Begeleider(s):
Maarten Houbraken, dr. ir. Steven Logghe [Go-Mobile, Brussel]
Contactpersoon: Maarten Houbraken
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
voor:
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek, Master of
Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
With Internet and smartphones, knowing how to go from one place to another is
reduced to a few clicks on an app. Behind the scenes, however, dozens of algorithms
work in tandem to translate your clicks to coordinates, link those coordinates to a road
network and calculate the shortest/fastest route.
Even more algorithms are used to create a routable network to take into account travel
modes (car/bike/train), weather forecasts (to prefer bike when the sun shines), actual
travel conditions (real-time traffic jams) and optimize routing performance (preprocess
the network to allow for lower query times). Combining these algorithms, if possible,
often requires careful integration as some optimizations can only be used in specific
cases or are not compatible with each other.
Doelstelling:
This thesis will focus on routing algorithms. While Dijkstra is well-known, versatile and
commonplace, it can often be outperformed by modern algorithms by exploiting more
specific use-case properties. Hierarchical routing, for example, exploits the hierarchy in
road types by structuring its network from small roads to highways as typical routes go
from small local roads to faster inter-city roads to highways and back down to the
smaller roads. However, this structuring requires careful preprocessing which hinders
several other functional applications like real-time updates, second-best routes, … In
this thesis, the student will concentrate on modifying the algorithm to allow for new
features to be incorporated. After first getting familiar with the internal workings of the
algorithm, the student can modify/relax/expand optimization criteria of the algorithm,
depending on the required optimization
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12940: Finding time in a wireless world: how to synchronize
heterogeneous devices in a wireless environment
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Begeleider(s):
Peter De Valck
Contactpersoon: Peter De Valck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Although we have witnessed a great evolution in the field of wireless communication in
the past decades, people still want their battery to last longer and their downloads to
be faster. A key factor to enable more efficient use of the wireless medium is
synchronization. Two transmitting devices that are not synchronized either run the risk
of collisions when their transmissions overlap (resulting in packet loss) or have to leave
a guard time between subsequent transmissions to make sure they don’t accidentally
transmit at the same time. This decreases both energy efficiency and possible
throughput of the system as the radio has to be on during a period no data is
transmitted and no data can be transmitted during this guard time.
At iMinds we have a large testbed of more than 80 nodes supporting multiple wireless
technologies (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview). In this thesis we want to
evaluate how such a dense network of devices using different technologies can be
synchronized and the effect this has on the efficiency of the wireless
communication.
Doelstelling:
This thesis consist of two tracks that can be done independently by two different
students/groups or combined in a limited fashion:


The first track is the characterization of the timing properties of all devices and
technologies installed in the iMinds testbed as well as identifying the factors that
influence these properties. These results can be used to refine new or existing
models and predict the influence of synchronization on wireless communication.
The second track start with a literature survey of existing synchronization
solutions and the evaluation of their performance in the iMinds testbed. This will
require the implementation of these solutions on actual hardware (from
application level to low-level embedded programming). Based on this evaluation
improvements or new solutions can be proposed, implemented, evaluated and
compared.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13471: Fingerprinting encrypted network traffic types using
machine learning
Promotor(en):
Bart Dhoedt, Pieter Simoens
Begeleider(s):
Sam Leroux
Contactpersoon: Sam Leroux
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
While encryption techniques such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) can protect the content
of network traffic from eavesdroppers, it can not prevent third parties to record
statistics such as average packet size, time between packets and length of session
streams. These measurements can leak information that may point to the type of traffic
(video, HTML website, …), to the protocol being used (web traffic, e-mail, VOIP, ssh) or
even to a specific website.
When a web page is retrieved, the browser inspects the HTML structure and downloads
additional files such as images, stylesheets and Javascript files. This behavior may
result in a sequence of encrypted network traffic that could be used as a fingerprint of
the web page. Possible applications would be to detect encrypted malicious network
traffic or quality of service (QOS) on encrypted network traffic
Doelstelling:
The first task would be to thoroughly analyze the encrypted traffic of different
applications and websites. Various open source tools are available that can analyze and
summarize network traffic but more specialized tools may be needed. The next task
would be to define suitable features that provide crucial clues to identify the network
stream. These features are then to be used as the input of a machine learning model. A
wide variety of classification models are available and experimental verification is
needed to select the most appropriate technique. In practical situations, the
classification should be done in real-time, a less complex classification model may be
preferred over a more accurate but resource demanding model. The selected model
should be evaluated on a real-world dataset with a focus on both the accuracy and the
needed runtime.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13533: Flexible Automated Reasoning for Legible Digital Signage
Displays on Trains
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Filip De Turck, Bruno Volckaert
Stijn Verstichel
Bruno Volckaert
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal studenten: 1
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Can you imagine being onboard of a train and not being able to read the announcement
messages on the on-board displays? The font is too small, the contrast is not sharp
enough, and the text is scrolling too fast, etc. Due to the large variety of screens
installed in the different types of trains, this can quickly become the reality.
In order to ensure legible digital signage (digital content used to communicate a
message to a specific group), several display parameters (such as display technology,
intensity, contrast) and the layout of the content to be shown need to adhere to certain
restrictions. Moreover, regulatory bodies tend to add and remove restrictions frequently
over the years.
Companies offering digital signage solutions are hence faced with constantly having to
tailor / tweak their signage solutions to a variety of screens and regulations.
Doelstelling:
The purpose of this thesis is to develop an intelligent software application that makes
use of semantics and reasoning technologies in order to ensure legible digital signage
on a variety of train display types. Properties of different screens are queried and along
with local regulation constraints and railway operator demands, form the input for a
reasoning component which needs to find a solution (where to display what item, size
of text, time in which the text needs to remain visible, etc.) adhering to legibility,
railway operator and regulation constraints.
In the thesis the following steps are planned: first a reasoning assessment will be done
(study of appropriate reasoning techniques and translation of the display parameter
restrictions in an easily configurable and adaptable rule-set). Second the design,
development and formal validation of the semantic reasoning application will be subject
of research. Finally the solution will be integrated with a real-life digital signage content
management system and validated.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Stage mogelijik bij Televic RAIL
12989: Graceful degradation for ICT networks in an energy
constrained future
Promotor(en):
Mario Pickavet, Didier Colle
Begeleider(s):
Sofie Lambert, Bart Lannoo
Contactpersoon: Sofie Lambert
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In recent years, rising energy prices and increasing environmental concerns have
boosted research
in so-called green information and communications technology (ICT) and green
networking research, aimed at improving the energy efficiency of communications while
still offering maximal functionality.
However, recent events have shown that energy availability can be compromised in
specific situations (e.g. “afschakelplan” in Belgium last winter due to inactivity of a
number of production facilities, or limited energy availability during recovery from the
Fukushima disaster). As a transition to renewable energy sources is being made and as
we move towards energy sources with intermittent availability such as solar or wind
energy, we can expect this kind of low-energy period to become more common. In this
context, we investigate how current and future ICT infrastructures can cope with
temporary energy limitations, and how they can still offer a basic functionality under
strict temporary energy limitations.
Doelstelling:
In a low-energy context, we are interested in how the delivered service level of a
network scales with the available power. Three generic power profiles are shown in the
figure below. Without graceful degradation, the delivered service level will quickly drop
to (almost) zero when the available power decreases, as indicated by the lower line
(low potential).
The thesis research will consist of a case study, where simulations will be performed on
a given network topology to see the effect of energy constraints on quality of service:
when the available energy is only 20% of what is usually available, what does this
imply for the services and connectivity that we can still offer? Depending on the
student’s preference, the network under study can be either a wireless access network
where base stations and antennas can be switched on and off to tune energy needs; or
a wired core network in which links can be activated and deactivated to allow energy
efficient multilayer traffic engineering.
The work will consist of three main tasks:



Building a simulator to study the performance of the network under study in an
energy constrained setup;
Generating strategies to drastically reduce energy consumption in the network
while keeping the best possible service level;
Evaluating the above strategies based on quality of service metrics such as
coverage and throughput.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13075: High dimensional design optimization of time consuming
problems using trust region frameworks
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Ivo Couckuyt
Begeleider(s):
Dirk Deschrijver
Contactpersoon: Tom Dhaene
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Metamodels, or surrogate models, are simple analytical equations that approximate the
behavior of computational expensive computer simulations. One of the many uses of
metamodels is in optimization, where they are able to significantly reduce the number
of simulations while still being able to find a good optimal solution.
“Successive Response Surface Methodology” (SRSM), or “trust regions”, is a set of
methods in metamodel assisted optimization that are very efficient and work
particularly well for high-dimensional design problems. SRSM uses a quadratic
polynomial function (metamodel) to locally mimic the behavior of the expensive
system, i.e., the polynomial will only make accurate predictions in a small part of the
input (design) space called the ‘trust region’. In an iterative fashion SRSM then moves
this trust region throughout the design as well as zooming into interesting regions
(making the trust region smaller or bigger) looking for the optimal solution.
Unfortunately, a quadratic polynomial does not scale as well to higher dimensions.
Specifically, SRSM requires N*(D+1)*(D+2) /2 simulations where N is the number of
SRSM iterations en D is the number of parameters
Doelstelling:
The student will first make a theoretical study of various existing SRSM frameworks [1].
Subsequently, the student will choose at least one of the more interesting approaches
and implement them in the SUrrogate MOdeling (SUMO) Toolbox. The SUMO toolbox
contains many algorithms (optimization methods, metamodel types), which the student
can use for the implementation.
In a second step, the student will look into improving the implemented SRSM
approach(es) and their scalability while keeping the number of simulations minimal.
Specifically,
1. Investigate the use of different metamodel types, with emphasis on neural networks,
Kriging, Support Vector Regression, and Extreme Learning Machines.
2. Investigate different strategies of managing the trust region window in the input
space (moving, enlarging, etc. the trust region) and how to make them more
intelligent.
The SUMO toolbox contains many optimization examples: both mathematical functions
and applications that can be used to test and improve the different SRSM approaches.
Including:
- detecting an aneurysm in a human artery
- the design of microwave filters and antennas (from Computer Simulation Technology
(CST))
LINKS
- http://www.sumo.intec.ugent.be
- [1] Alexandrov, Natalia M., et al. "A trust-region framework for managing the use of
approximation models in optimization." Structural Optimization 15.1 (1998): 16-23.
- http://ab-initio.mit.edu/wiki/index.php/NLopt_Algorithms#BOBYQA
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Knowledge of machine learning, optimization and metamodeling is not required, Matlab
expertise will be helpful.
13612: Hoofdpijn-smartphone-applicatie voor de opvolging van
hoofdpijn door de patiënt en zijn zorgverstrekkers
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Filip De Turck, dhr. Vincent Keereman [IBITECH]
Femke De Backere, Femke Ongenae
Contactpersoon:
Femke De Backere
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Schoonmeersen
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
3
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Hoofdpijn is een frequent voorkomende neurologische aandoening. Er zijn diverse
vormen van hoofdpijn (bv. migraine, spanningshoofdpijn, clusterhoofdpijn) die elk een
specifieke behandeling en opvolging vragen. Om meer informatie te krijgen over het
verloop van hoofdpijnaanvallen (duur, intensiteit, begeleidende symptomen), de
spreiding hiervan in de tijd (dagelijks, wekelijks, maandelijks) en de behandeling die
patiënten ervoor nemen, gebruiken neurologen vaak een “hoofdpijn-dagboek”. Dit
gebeurt vaak nog op papier, waarbij de patiënt de papieren versie meebrengt naar de
volgende consultatie en de neuroloog deze informatie dan overneemt. Dit is een weinig
praktische oplossing de dag van vandaag, gezien patiënten deze data beter zouden
kunnen inbrengen in hun smartphone.
Er is dus nood aan een smartphone-applicatie en een platform die de patiënt in staat
stellen om op een efficiënte manier zijn huidige fysieke en mentale toestand weer te
geven en op te slaan. Dit kan gebeuren binnen een algemeen kader (toepasbaar op
elke hoofdpijnpatiënt) of binnen een kader specifiek gemaakt voor het probleem van de
huidige patiënt. Via de applicatie kan ook feedback gegeven worden aan de patiënt, bv.
mbt overmatig medicatiegebruik e.d. Daarnaast heeft de behandelend neuroloog een
platform nodig waarmee hij deze data op een snelle en efficiënte manier kan oproepen,
en op die manier tijd kan besparen tijdens de consultatie
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze thesis is de ontwikkeling van een platform dat toelaat om op een
efficiënte manier informatie te verzamelen over de hoofdpijn van de patiënt en deze
snel en efficiënt te analyseren. Daarnaast dient er ook de mogelijkheid te zijn voor de
behandelend neuroloog om het behandelingsplan up te loaden naar het platform, zodat
de patiënt dit kan raadplegen. Tot slot moet er ook de mogelijkheid zijn om dynamische
feedback te implementeren, zodat de patiënt een waarschuwing krijgt als hij
bijvoorbeeld te vaak medicatie gebruikt, of als zijn hoofdpijnpatroon lijkt te veranderen.
Naast monitoring en opvolging kan het platform door de patiënt ook gebruikt worden
voor het krijgen van tips. Deze tips of richtlijnen kunnen er eventueel voor zorgen dat
de situatie van de patiënt onder controle gehouden kan worden.
De mogelijkheden van het ontwikkelde platform zullen gedemonstreerd worden aan de
hand van een voorbeeldapplicatie. De ontwikkeling van deze applicatie laat toe om het
volledige resultaat van de thesis te toetsen aan enkele niet-functionele vereisten zoals
schaalbaarheid en responstijd.
Dit onderwerp biedt de student de mogelijkheid om kennis op te doen rond het
modelleren en interpreteren van informatie (rule engines en context modellering) en
cloud computing binnen een uitdagende en sociaal relevante use case.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13065: Improved load balancing with Hadoop MapReduce
Promotor(en):
Jan Fostier
Begeleider(s):
Dries Decap
Contactpersoon: Jan Fostier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
Goedgekeurd
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
voor:
de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen, Master of
Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
voor:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Hadoop MapReduce is a programming model that is used to process large amounts of
data in parallel on a big cluster of commodity hardware. This model relies on two
phases: a ‘map’ phase in which the input data is processed in parallel followed by a
‘reduce’ step in which intermediate data from the map phase is aggregated or
combined. In between both steps data is sorted and shuffled across worker nodes.
Hadoop relies on the HDFS file system to store its data in a distributed fashion across
worker nodes. The shuffling of data in between map and reduce phase is based on the
partitioning of the data according to a hash function. Because of this, the load
balancing is fixed and the performance is entirely determined by the hash function. As a
result, it is possible that more tasks are assigned to one container than other
containers, which will result in a poor load balance and hence a longer runtime.
In our research group, we recently developed Halvade, which implements a parallel
DNA-sequencing and variant calling pipeline with important clinical applications.
Halvade reduces the runtime from 12 days (sequential run) to less than 3 hours
(parallel run using 15 multi-core nodes). However, runtime could be further reduced if
load balancing is improved.
Doelstelling:
More and more, the Hadoop MapReduce framework is combined with other parallel file
systems, e.g., Lustre and GPFS (available on the UGent HPC). These file systems allow
all nodes to access any of the data in parallel. This provides for increased flexibility as it
allows programmers to change the way the data is distributed among the reduce tasks.
This, in turn, allows programmer to better balance the workload and reduce runtime.
The goal of this master thesis is to first get a better understanding of the MapReduce
programming model and the different file systems involved. Next, a new data
distribution scheme needs to be implemented in which an idle node is allowed to take
over a task of other nodes that are still computing. This concept will first be tested on
canonical examples with a variety of academic workloads. Next, an optimal load
balancing scheme should be developed for realistic workload as encountered in
Halvade. The ultimate goal is to achieve a well-balanced load and reduced runtime
across a variety of datasets (both DNA and RNA-seq) in Halvade
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12984: Influence of inaccuracy of timers on the stability of the
Delta-t transport layer protocol
Promotor(en):
Didier Colle, Mario Pickavet
Begeleider(s):
Dimitri Staessens, Sander Vrijders
Contactpersoon: Dimitri Staessens
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is the transport layer protocol used on the
internet. The transport layer provides services such as reliability, flow control,
congestion control, error recovery and multiplexing. To synchronize its internal state, it
uses SYN, FIN, RST ... packets (hard state) and timers (soft state). However only soft
state is required to achieve synchronization of state. Delta-t is such a transport layer
protocol that relies completely on timers to achieve this. Delta-t relies on 3 values to be
bound:



Maximum Packet Lifetime (MPL)
Time before sending an Acknowledgement (A)
R (Maximum time to try to retransmit a packet)
Some of these values are also shown in the Figure. When data is sent to a
receiver, the R timer is started. If the packet is not acknowledged (Acked) after
some time, it is sent again. After R time, the sender stops trying to retransmit
the packet. The time before sending an acknowledgement (A) is also depicted.
The receiver can wait at most A milliseconds before sending an
acknowledgement to the sender that it has received the data. But what happens
when the timers used in this protocol become inaccurate?
Doelstelling:
The goal of the thesis is to investigate the influence of inaccuracy of timers on the
delta-t protocol. This will first be done analytically by studying the delta-t protocol and
investigating the effect on the reliability when timers are not fired at the right time.
The Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) is a novel network architecture that is
an alternative to TCP/IP. Its data transfer protocol, EFCP, is based on delta-t. IRATI is a
Linux/OS prototype of RINA. IRATI’s EFCP implementation may be modified to simulate
clock drift. In this way, the obtained theoretical results can be experimentally
verified.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12976: Integratie van CoAP in het interoperabiliteitsplatform
DYAMAND
Promotor(en):
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Jelle Nelis, Floris Van den Abeele
Jelle Nelis
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
De volgende revolutie van het Internet vindt momenteel plaats: het Internet of Things
(IoT) of ‘Internet der Dingen’, waarbij niet alleen PCs, laptops en smartphones
aangesloten worden op het Internet, maar ook een enorm groot aantal andere
toestellen zoals o.a. sensoren, huishoudtoestellen, machines, en robots. Terwijl in het
klassieke Internet data wordt gegenereerd door mensen, zal in het nieuwe IoT
hoofdzakelijk data worden gecreëerd door ‘dingen’. Verwacht wordt dat er tegen 2020
50 miljard toestellen verbonden zullen zijn met het Internet. Interoperabiliteit tussen al
deze toestellen wordt beschouwd als één van de grote uitdagingen van IoT.
Binnen IBCN werd het interoperabiliteitsplatform DYAMAND ontwikkeld (meer info: zie
http://users.atlantis.ugent.be/cdvelder/papers/2012/nelis2012.pdf). Dit platform draait
typisch op een gateway en integreert allerlei technologieën (EnOcean, UPnP, Z-Wave,
etc.). Er wordt een soort abstractielaag aangeboden zodat ontwikkelaars op een
generieke manier IoT applicaties kunnen bouwen. Deze applicaties worden uitgevoerd
bovenop het DYAMAND platform, op de gateway
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze scriptie is tweeledig. Eerst en vooral is het de bedoeling om de recent
gestandardiseerde IETF stack voor embedded IoT devices te integreren in DYAMAND.
Bovenaan deze stack vinden we CoAP, een soort embedded versie van HTTP. Het
DYAMAND platform moet eenvoudig netwerken van dergelijke devices kunnen
integreren en hun gestandardiseerde resources kunnen abstraheren zodat ze mee
opgenomen kunnen worden in applicaties. Hierbij kan voortgebouwd worden op de
uitgebreide CoAP expertise binnen de onderzoeksgroep.
Vervolgens is het de bedoeling om al de geïntegreerde devices in DYAMAND ook
toegankelijk te maken voor de buitenwereld in de vorm van embedded web services.
Hierbij zal er aandacht geschonken worden aan de wijze waarop de services worden
aangeboden (modellering van URIs en resources) en de controle van de gebruiker over
wat er gedeeld en toegankelijk gemaakt wordt.
Tenslote dient alles gedemonstreerd kunnen worden in één van de bestaande
testopstellingen die momenteel gebruik maken van het DYAMAND platform. Hierbij zal
gebruik gemaakt worden van de grootschalige draadloze testfaciliteiten van IBCN
(http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview, http://ilabt.iminds.be/homelab)
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12981: Integratie van smart wearables binnen Healthcare
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Frank Gielen, Matthias Strobbe
Jelle Nelis, dr. Nicolas Staelens [Televic], dhr. Wim Dereuddre
[Televic]
Jelle Nelis
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Het interAxio-systeem dat door Televic Healthcare aangeboden wordt is een compleet
IP-gebaseerd verpleegoproepsysteem. Het systeem bevat verschillende geavanceerde
functies waaronder toegangscontrole, zorgregistratie, interfonie, en multimedia
(audo/video). Een belangrijk aspect in het kader van het blijven aanbieden van een
goede zorg, is het continu opvolgen/monitoren van de patiënten. De opmars van
(interconnected) smart wearable devices biedt hiervoor een perfecte oplossing aan.
Wearables zoals de Samsung Simband en de Epson Pulsense maken het mogelijk
maken om fysieke fitheid te meten door middel van verschillende sensoren (hartslag,
bloeddruk en allerhande bijkomende lichaamsfuncties).
Het DYAMAND-platform, ontwikkeld binnen IBCN, vereenvoudigt het gebruik van
slimme toestellen zoals deze hierboven besproken. Het platform laat toe de toestellen
te gebruiken zonder dat de ontwikkelaar van een product of dienst op de hoogte moet
zijn van alle technische details om informatie uit het toestel te krijgen of het aan te
sturen.
Doelstelling:
Het is duidelijk dat smart wearable devices data van vitaal belang kunnen genereren
binnen een zorginstelling (bv. het opvolgen van hartritmestoornissen) en zelfs levens
kunnen redden (bv. detectie van een hartstilstand). Het is dus erg belangrijk om deze
data te kunnen integreren in een verpleegoproepsysteem zoals interAxio, te filteren, te
analyseren, en indien nodig het verpleegoproepsysteem de gepaste acties te laten
ondernemen. De doelstellingen van deze thesis zijn enerzijds om voor een naadloze
samenwerking te zorgen tussen het interAxio-systeem van Televic Healthcare en het
DYAMAND-platform om zo te kunnen communiceren met de smart wearable devices.
Zodra de data van de wearables kan aangeboden worden aan het interAxio-platform
door DYAMAND, dient er onderzocht te worden hoe deze datapunten op een eenvoudige
manier te filteren, te verwerken, en gemakkelijk toegankelijk te maken voor de
zorgverstrekkers. Dit kan verder uitgebreid worden met functionaliteit om automatisch
en autonoom bepaalde acties binnen het systeem uit te voeren op basis van de
metingen.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Locatie: Zuiderpoort, Televic
13648: Intelligent data collection for a semantic alerting system
in a medical environment
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Filip De Turck, Johan Decruyenaere
Bram Gadeyne, Femke Ongenae, Femke De Backere
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Bram Gadeyne
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Do you know Dr. Gregory House? He and his staff are medical experts. Together they
can tackle almost any medical problem. At the Intensive Care department of the
University Hospital of Ghent together with IBCN, we’ve developed a digital Dr. House.
In the Intensive Care department there is a lot of data. Per patient more than 20,000
values are generated each day. Studies show that people can interpret at most 7
parameters at once. As many doctors have different expertises they look at different
parameters. Still, they can’t interpret them all together. A computer however does not
really (besides memory constraints) have
any
constraints on how many data it can process.
Our digital Dr. House gathers information from a so called ontology. The ontology
describes knowledge in a semantic way. A reasoner, which acts like a human brain, can
process data against the ontology and can infer new facts from this data. If it finds
interesting facts, it can trigger an alert that is send to a doctor.
There is still one challenge to tackle so that digital Dr. House can truly work
independent. The data that digital Dr. House should look at, must be converted and
pushed to a special kind of database. If new data is present, the reasoning process
must be triggered as well (or e.g. periodically). It would be better if digital Dr. House
has knowledge of the origin of the data and if it would be able to collect (parts of) the
data by itself when it seems appropriate.
Doelstelling:
The goal of the thesis is twofold.
1. Make digital Dr. House aware of the origin of the data so that it can build queries
to collect data.
2. Make digital Dr. House able to trigger (partial) data collection intelligently. E.g.
an infection has some fields that might change like the infection focus or the
antibiotics that are used to thread the infection. Its start time will never change
so once loaded this should not be updated.
Locatie:
zuiderpoort, UZ Gent, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to contact me at
rein.houthooft@ugent.be, especially when you are considering different topics!
13461: Intelligent data placement in mobile cloud environments
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Bart Dhoedt, Pieter Simoens
Steven Bohez, Tim Verbelen
Contactpersoon:
Steven Bohez
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Recent years have seen the convergence of mobile and cloud technologies into mobile
cloud computing in order to cope with the limited processing capabilities of mobile
devices. This has led to the introduction of edge clouds or cloudlets, infrastructure close
to the edge of the network that provides low-latency computing resources to nearby
users. As mobile and wearable devices continue to expand on their range of available
sensors, they also produce increasing amounts of data that need to be processed, both
on a per-user and inter-user basis (such as multi-player games or crowdsourcing
applications).
While a lot of research has been done on dynamically off-loading computation from the
mobile device to the (edge) cloud, not much thought has been given on the placement
of the (persistent) data required for that processing. As processor performance
continues to improve, data transfer delay may become a bigger hurdle in enabling
interactive & scalable mobile cloud applications. While in batch-processing, one would
typically move the processing closer to the stored data, in a mobile cloud environment
the reverse is required: as the location of processing is typically (autonomously)
determined depending on the user requesting it, the stored data will have to move
closer to the location where it is being processed.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this MSc thesis is twofold. First, an established platform for mobile cloud
computing will have to be extended with distributed data storage capabilities. Following
problems will have to be tackled: how do we represent and store data efficiently? How
do we make this data accessible for the application? How can we effectively hide data
location? How do we allow migrating data at runtime while not impeding application
performance?
In a second stage, research will be done on intelligent algorithms that are able to
decide where to place which data and when migration should take place. These
algorithms should exploit the “locality” of data, placing the data close to where it will be
processed. This in turn requires facilities to monitor which data is requested from which
location and so on. Variations using, for example, data replication can be investigated
as well.
In order to evaluate the system, a use case application will have to be developed. While
the exact type of application is up to the student’s interests, the figure above shows an
example of a collaborative 3D scanning application using mobile devices equiped with
depth cameras.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13489: Intelligent enrichment of raw data streams for the
Internet of Things
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Pieter Bonte
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Pieter Bonte
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, numerous things and objects are connected to
the internet and are able to interact with each other to reach common goals. Data
originates from numerous heterogeneous sources, each describing a different
abstraction of the environment. Combining data from different sources allows
applications to support context and situation awareness and offering more personalized
services to the users. For example, vehicles are nowadays equipped with various
sensors. By combining the position of the driver, the destination and the current
amount traffic, traffic jams could be minimized by routing each individual driver over a
specific route to optimally utilize the transportation infrastructure.
The semantic web, or Web 3.0, is the successor of the current web (Web 2.0). It
provides metadata to add meaning to data. This enables intelligent processing since the
machine is able to interpret the data. Semantics can aid in the integration of the
generated heterogeneous IoT data by enabling interoperability between different
sources and providing a uniform model. Utilizing semantic reasoning enables
transforming the integrated low-level data into high-level knowledge, allowing accurate
and intelligent decisions. However, to enable this reasoning, the raw IoT data has to be
analyzed and mapped to the semantic model. Currently, this is a tedious task as an
adapter has to be implemented for each individual source. Moreover, the source has to
add annotations to the data to indicate how it should be mapped.
Doelstelling:
This thesis will focus on the automatic detection and enrichment of raw data to the
semantic model. Multiple sources transmit their raw data, possible in different formats,
to a semantic framework for further processing. To be able to retrieve any knowledge,
that raw data first needs to be semantically enriched. This currently requires some
indication from the IoT sources, hinting how this mapping should happen, for example
by adding a tag to the data indicating its semantic meaning. In a realistic scenario,
sources should transmit their observations independent of the expected enrichment.
Intelligent algorithms and techniques need to be researched to learn how the raw IoT
data should be enriched automatically by analyzing the content data of the data itself
and not relying on additional metadata added by the sources. To realize this intelligent
matcher, existing machine learning techniques can be leveraged and extended such as
pattern matching, decision trees, etc.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Existing knowledge about semantics or machine learning is not required. At the start of
the thesis enough time will be provided to get acquainted with these techniques and
technologies.
13644: Introducing Deep Learning into Conditional Random
Fields
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Rein Houthooft
Contactpersoon: Rein Houthooft
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The research team studies knowledge management systems. A promising technique is
deep learning, which aims at extracting high-level representations from data, e.g., via
deep convolutional neural networks, reminiscent of the human brain. They allow the
extraction of hierarchical representations from input, capturing increasingly abstract
features via layers of neurons. An illustration is shown in Figure 1 (left) in which
features are extracted from handwritten characters, allowing machines to read actual
text.
Conditional random fields (CRFs) are probabilistic graphical models that can be used for
structured prediction (for example the model in Figure 1 (right)). Contrary to traditional
machine learning, these models do not predict a single output but a whole vector of
values. Their advantage is the ability to reason about various output elements
simultaneously, taking into account contextual relations. An example is recognizing
handwritten words: Recognizing each character independently is suboptimal as this
does not use contextual relations between characters. For example, we rarely have
three subsequent equal characters. A CRF is able to encode these relations by means of
a conditional probability distribution, formulated as a network structure.
Figure: (left) Deep learning model for handwriting recognition; (right) conditional
random field with deep relations (in this case a neural networks, possibly similar to the
one on the left).
A limitation of these CRFs is that their connections (relations) depend linearly on the
input features, which prevents them from making strong generalizations and
predictions. By integrating deep learning models into CRF relations, we can effectively
combine reasoning with learning, allowing for more advanced machine learning and
prediction
Doelstelling:
In this thesis, we want to depart from 'shallow' relations in conditional random fields
(CRFs). In particular, we will explore the use of deep learning models as a replacement.
First, we will first start with the implementation of basic CRFs or deep learning models,
to gain familiarity with the subject. Next, we will explore the integration of traditional
predictive models (e.g., SVMs) to predict CRF relations, after which we move on to
more advanced techniques.
This thesis allows for different use cases, one in particular being the recognition of
handwritten words, for which various datasets exist. Another possibility is image
segmentation in which we label every pixel in an image, allowing computer to
understand an image in terms of objects. This thesis allows for both a theoretical as a
practical hands-on angle.
It is not necessary to have prior knowledge of reasoning, graphical models or machine
learning, but you should of course be very interested in these concepts
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to contact me at
rein.houthooft@ugent.be, especially when you are considering different topics!
13094: Learning data representations using deep learning
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Yvan Saeys
Begeleider(s):
Leen De Baets
Contactpersoon: Leen De Baets
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Deep learning is a machine learning technique that attempts to model high-level
abstractions in data by using multiple non-linear transformations. After each non-linear
transformation, the technique has learned an intermediate representation of the data.
In the end, it has thus multiple intermediate and one final representation. Very often,
classification is performed on this final representation.
One of the things that make deep learning interesting is that these intermediate
representations are meaningful and quite logic. For example, if the data would
represent pictures of “buildings” and we would like to detect the different kinds, then a
first possible intermediate representation would divide the “small buildings” from the
“big ones” and a second representation would possibly look at the “window size”.
Another thing that makes deep learning interesting is that the final representation of
the data is quite often a very good representation, leading to a very good performance
of the classification method that follows.
Deep learning only gained importance in 2006 making it a very recent technique. Due
to this, still a lot can be explored and applied on different application domains.
Doelstelling:
In this thesis, the student will study the generated intermediate representations while
using deep learning. This is of great importance because the better the representation
of the data, the better the performance of the classification afterwards. This will be
done on a specific application. Deep learning is already successfully applied on pictures.
The key reason for this success is related to the natural present hierarchical
representation of pictures that starts as pixels and ends as objects (like for example a
“building”). Other data having a hierarchical representation is biological data, where, for
example, the first representation is the “size of a cell” and the final one is the “cell
type”. Suspicions exist, that these methods will also perform well on biological data but
this isn’t yet investigated.
IBCN collaborates with the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) making a huge
amount of biological data available on which tests can be executed. Prior knowledge in
bio-informatics, and biology is not needed, an interest in these topics is.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13528: Learning-Based Management of Virtual Network
Functions
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Filip De Turck
Jeroen van der Hooft, Niels Bouten
Jeroen van der Hooft
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal studenten: 1
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Network function virtualization (NFV) is a recent paradigm that focuses on the
virtualization of software-based network functions, instead of providing these through
the use of dedicated hardware. Using similar principles as in cloud computing, a virtual
network functions (VNF) can be deployed on demand and its assigned resources can be
scaled dynamically. While network functions are typically grouped on one device in
today’s networks – think of a dedicated firewall or even a set-top-box by Telenet or
Belgacom – NFV allows a fully distributed approach.
There is a strong interest in the paradigm, as it allows faster deployment of new
network services, offers a cheaper alternative for both the service provider and its
customers and allows providing a minimal Quality of Service. In order to deploy NFV,
the requirements for a service function chain (SFC) – a chain of interconnected VNF
building blocks – need to be mapped on available datacenter and network resources, as
shown in Figure 1. A number of techniques exist today, typically focusing on solving a
static resource allocation problem through the use of Linear Programming. Resource
requirements generally change over time however, and resource failures need to be
dealt with in order to provide the required reliability of network services. As static
solutions cannot cope with a changing environment, a dynamic approach is required.
Doelstelling:
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, this thesis will focus on developing
learning-based algorithms to efficiently manage one or multiple SFCs. In a first
iteration, the student will investigate how existing cloud-computing techniques can be
used to perform an initial allocation of the required resources. Achieved results can
then be compared with benchmark LPs. In a second iteration, an algorithm will be
developed that monitors the status of the SFCs and reallocates the assigned resources
whenever necessary. Machine learning techniques (e.g. neural networks or
reinforcement learning) will be used to handle dynamic changes in the environment,
both in a proactive and a reactive way. Preferably, the applicability of multi-agent
learning techniques such as WoLF-PHC and AWESOME will be investigated. The student
can use existing algorithms (like those developed and implemented in our research
group) as a starting point. Innovative solutions will be encouraged providing the
necessary guidance and support.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12958: Leveraging SDN Techniques to Improve Wireless
Communication
Promotor(en):
Jeroen Hoebeke, Eli De Poorter
Begeleider(s):
Enri Dalipi, Elnaz Alizadeh Jarchlo
Contactpersoon: Jeroen Hoebeke
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
3
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Wireless networks – in particular Wi-Fi – are very popular since they are relatively easy
to deploy, require no cabling and are affordable. However, this popularity also has a
downside. As more and more Wi-Fi networks are being deployed and very
heterogeneous data is being transmitted over these networks, its management and
diagnosis become very challenging. On top of that, multiple co-located Wi-Fi networks
are competing for the same spectrum without coordination, leading to suboptimal
performance.
In addition, more and more less visible devices such as intrusion sensors, thermostats,
light switches,… are being deployed. These are either connected to existing Wi-Fi
networks or make use of their own wireless communication technology. They also
produce very different traffic streams with varying requirements, may sleep often and
as such, challenge existing wireless communication.
Current Wi-Fi networks fail to tackle these challenges. They lack fine-grained control
and customization capabilities, both at the lower and higher layer, for optimization and
diagnosis.
Doelstelling:
The goal of the thesis is to study how software-defined networking (SDN) techniques,
either at the radio level or networking level, can be exploited to tackle some key
wireless challenges. Depending on the interests of the student(s) there are four
possible, related, topics within this theses:
1. SDN for diagnostics: the goal is to extend wireless devices with additional
capabilities for diagnosis (probing, topology discovery, traffic analytics, etc.),
which can be remotely activated and controlled. This way, it should become
possible to monitor up to a fine-grained level (i.e. track individual streams).
2. SDN for converged Wi-Fi networks: currently, neighbouring Wi-Fi networks
compete for the same spectrum. The goal is to come to a virtualized Wi-Fi
network, where resources are shared, traffic fully separated and every virtual
network obtains the same or better performance.
3. SDN for traffic separation: considering the large amount of sensor data that will
travel over future Wi-Fi networks, the goal is to extend wireless devices with
capabilities for logically separating various traffic streams and offering them the
required QoS guarantees.
4. Virtual multi-radio: the goal is to investigate whether a Wi-Fi radio can be
converted into a combined Wi-Fi device and sensor gateway for neighbouring
ZigBee sensor devices and to evaluate which performance gain can be achieved
by doing so.
For each of these topics, the student will have to design a specific solution for
the chosen problem. Once the student has finished the implementation of their
design, this will have to be tested and evaluated via simulation or via an actual
deployment on real hardware in the IBCN testbed (http://ilabt.iminds.be/imindswilabt-overview).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13064: Linear algebra solver for combined sparse/dense system
equations
Promotor(en):
Jan Fostier, Bernard De Baets
Begeleider(s):
Jan Fostier
Contactpersoon: Jan Fostier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
A system of linear equations is best represented by using the matrix notation Ax = b
where A is the matrix coefficient, x is a vector representing the unknowns and b is the
vector representing the right hand side of the system of equations. Efficient software
for solving a dense (i.e., most of the elements of A are non-zero), linear set of
equations has existed for decades. LAPACK is arguably the most widely used software
package for literally thousands of applications in engineering and science. Similarly,
software exists for sparse systems of equations (i.e., where very few elements of A are
non-zero) such as MUMPS and PARDISO.
Using parallel, distributed-memory implementations of such software, systems of
equations with up hundreds of thousands (dense) or millions (sparse) unknowns can be
solved. To date, no efficient implementations exist that can handle a coefficient matrix
A that is largely sparse, but contains one or more dense kernels. Such systems of
equations are encountered in the domain of genomic prediction. For large datasets,
combined sparse/dense sets of equations can easily contain millions of unknowns.
Currently, no existing software can handle this.
Doelstelling:
The aim of this thesis is to develop a (sequential) prototype implementation of a
combined sparse/dense solver, using the LU decomposition for the basic case where the
matrix A contains a single sparse block (upper left block of A) and is otherwise dense.
First, a literature study is warranted to get familiar with (a) the different sparse matrix
storage formats and (b) algorithms to solve sparse systems of equations. Additionally,
interested students should familiarize themselves with fast techniques to solve a dense
system of equations based on the LAPACK/BLAS libraries. Using this information, it
should be fairly straightforward to design an algorithm that can handle the combined
dense/sparse case. A prototype implementation should be realized in C/C. Finally, this
prototype implementation should be benchmarked against state-of-the art software
that can handle dense-only and sparse-only systems of equations to investigate the
validity of the prototype implementation. This thesis represents the first basic step
towards a long-term research goal of developing a distributed-memory sparse/dense
solver with applications in genomic prediction as such solver is urgently needed.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
The thesis involves programming in C/C++. Students should express interest in
numerical methods. In collaboration with the company Progeno.
12972: Lokaliseren van personen en objecten op basis van
Bluetooth Low Energyf
Promotor(en):
Jeroen Hoebeke, Eli De Poorter
Tom Van Haute, Jen Rossey, Elnaz Alizadeh Jarchlo, dhr. Jason
Begeleider(s):
Scrivens [Aucxis]
Contactpersoon: Jeroen Hoebeke
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is de meest recente versie van de Bluetooth
communicatietechnologie. Voornamelijk op vlak van energieverbruik is de technologie
sterk verbeterd in vergelijking met eerdere Bluetooth standaarden, wat integratie van
BLE radio’s mogelijk maakt in kleine, batterij-gevoede toestellen. De lage kost, kleine
vormfactor en het laag energieverbruik maakt de technologie erg geschikt voor
integratie in producten voor het lokaliseren van goederen en personen.
Typisch zal een lokalisatiesysteem bestaan uit enerzijds vaste knopen (BLE tags die
worden gebruikt als referentiepunt) met gekende locaties, en anderzijds mobiele
knopen die moeten worden gelokaliseerd (BLE tags voor personen en goederen,
smartphones met BLE chips). De vaste knopen kunnen eventueel onderling
communiceren gebruik makend van een mesh netwerk.
Op BLE gebaseerde lokalisatie is geschikt voor een breed gamma aan toepassingen.
Informatie over de locatie van goederen en personen kan gebruikt worden voor de
identificatie van objecten of personen, voor toegangscontrole, voor procesoptimalisatie,
en kan –indien ook sensoren worden aangekoppeld– gebruikt worden voor het
monitoren van omgevingen.
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze masterproef is het ontwikkelen van een indoor lokalisatiesysteem
gebaseerd op BLE. Hiertoe zijn verschillende ontwikkelingen noodzakelijk.

Het communicatienetwerk tussen de vaste knopen kan gebruik maken van zowel
draadloze en bedrade technologieën. Een multi-hop mesh oplossing moet worden
ontwikkeld die overweg kan met deze verschillende technologieën.





De installatieopties moeten worden geanalyseerd: hoe eenvoudig is het om
dergelijk netwerk uit te rollen en hoeveel infrastructuur hebben we nodig om
bvb. nauwkeurigheid op kamerniveau te garanderen?
Welk algoritme kunnen we gebruiken voor de positiebepaling? Welke
nauwkeurigheid kunnen we bekomen en welke belasting kan dit systeem aan?
Kunnen delen van het netwerk gevoed worden met energy harvesters (e.g.
zonnecellen, ...), bijvoorbeeld om een langere levensduur te garanderen of het
installeren van kabels te vermijden?
Weke omgevingsinformatie kan bekomen worden door sensoren te koppelen aan
dit netwerk?
Tot slot is een webgebaseerde applicatie noodzakelijk om integratie in bestaande
systemen toe te laten. Het ontwerp hiervan moet rekening houden met
verschillende aspecten zoals reactiesnelheid en geschiktheid voor smartphones.
Afhankelijk van de interesses van de student worden één of meerdere van
bovenstaande onderzoeksvragen verder uitgewerkt. Binnen de onderwerpen kan
gekozen worden voor eerder software gebaseerde ontwikkelingen, of kan worden
geopteerd voor de combinatie van hardware ontwerp en software ontwerp.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Locatie:Aucxis (stekene), Zuiderpoort (Gent), thuis Er bestaat een mogelijkheid om aan
deze thesis een stage bij Aucxis te koppelen
12912: Machine learning for cost-efficient renewable energy:
Accurate prediction of lost wind power production
Promotor(en):
Chris Develder
Begeleider(s):
Matthias Strobbe, dhr. Patrick Hoebeke [3E]
Contactpersoon: Matthias Strobbe
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Today, when connecting a wind power plant, the power grid operator is forced to design
his grid to cater for the nominal output it could generate. Yet, in reality this maximal
power level is only rarely reached. Thus, there is a substantial opportunity for cheaper
connections that would only support the “typical” output power, and then apply
curtailment when necessary by limiting the output power of the turbines if it would go
beyond the capacity of the grid. This idea is currently demonstrated for the wind farm
“Wind aan de stroom” in the port of Antwerp, with research from the ICON project
SWiFT, in collaboration with Eandis, 3E and several other partners
(http://www.iminds.be/nl/projecten/2014/03/06/swift).
Such curtailment however introduces the problem of accurately estimating the amount
of wind energy lost (e.g., for financial compensation of the power plant owner). This
amounts to comparing the measured wind power over time to the so-called reference
wind power generation that the wind turbines would have produced without
curtailment.
A solution to the problem of correctly estimating that reference wind power can be
based on:




The wind-farm specific wind power forecast from ELIA (calculated the day
before),
Turbine-specific wind power forecast for the given site (calculated the day before
or some hours before),
Comparison with neighboring wind turbines, always depending on wind direction,
Wind speed and direction measurement on the turbine itself.
3E has implemented these baselines and will test them from summer 2015 onwards for
the “Wind aan de stroom” wind power plant. However, these methods need to be
thoroughly evaluated and possibly improved to reach maximal accuracy
Doelstelling:
The objective of this thesis is to develop, test and evaluate advanced methods for
estimating the reference wind power generation. The thesis will start from the methods
listed above, which will help you to hit the ground fast. You will work through the
following steps:





Study and understand the available methods based on documentation and
source code,
Evaluate the methods based on the first few months of operation: statistical
evaluation (RMSE and bias) as well as a detailed study of their particular
strengths and weaknesses,
Literature study of machine learning methods applied to similar problems in
order to improve the specific weaknesses,
Selection of one or two promising machine learning methods and
implementation,
Test and evaluation of the resulting methods.
The programming work will be done with Python. For starting with Python you
will have support from your supervisor at 3E’s R&D team.
This thesis will be performed in cooperation with the company 3E
(http://www.3e.eu/), a technology and consultancy company in sustainable
energy based in Brussels. You will closely collaborate with the wind power
experts in 3E’s R&D unit iLab.
The interaction with 3E will be mainly in English. Your thesis should be written in
English.
You will have access to 3E’s internal code. Therefore, 3E will ask you to sign a
confidentiality agreement.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Interaction with the company 3E (Brussels) on a regular basis. Possibility for an
internship at 3E during the summer.
13055: Machine learning for smart energy applications:
identifying and exploiting flexibility
Promotor(en):
Chris Develder, Tom Dhaene
Matthias Strobbe, Dirk Deschrijver, dhr. Stefan Lodeweyckx
[Enervalis]
Contactpersoon: Matthias Strobbe
Begeleider(s):
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
3
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Enervalis is a young company (founded in 2013) with the mission to provide value
added services for energy applications. To support this mission a cloud based platform
has been developed which can run various services in a decentralized, light and robust
agent based sub-framework.
A core problem in applying that framework is to identify and exploit available flexibility
in power consumption, to cost-efficiently support the integration of renewable energy
sources. Indeed, wind turbines and solar panels have an intermittent production profile
due to their dependence on weather conditions: flexibility in consumption patterns is
needed to balance that fluctuating supply. The alternative of adding extra peak
production plants (e.g., based on gas) is very costly.
The search for sources of such electrical flexibility now is a high priority challenge. In
the USA rudimentary forms of exploiting some flexibility have been used the past 10-15
years, by various commercial aggregators. Many of them rely on centralistic and
sometimes very rudimentary approaches (e.g., calling a facility manager of a big
building to shut down his HVAC system). Some are more advanced, using recent
protocols like OpenADR, but none are actually taking a true distributed approach into
account in which automatic, dynamic, local and specific constraints are taken into
account. This thesis will contribute to filling that gap with fully automated, self-learning
(sub)systems.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to investigate the usage of the algorithms and capabilities of
Enervalis on a residential level. In a first step an algorithm needs to be developed to
model a controllable HVAC system and the dynamic flexibility range this HVAC system
has. This flexibility changes over time based on different constraints (e.g., preferences
of the user, (predicted) outside temperature, heat capacity model of the home, etc.).
Subsequent steps will involve the extension towards multiple HVAC/environmental
system dynamics. The final goal is to come to a HVAC independent self-learning energy
agent.
The thesis will start with a literature study and study of the Enervalis framework. Next,
a proof of concept algorithm will be implemented and integrated within the Enervalis
agent based model to show real results on a real setup of Enervalis customer(s).
Depending on the interests of the student(s) the research could also be oriented on
other aspects of innovative energy services, including algorithms for energy wholesale
markets taking location dynamics into account and algorithms to support microgrids.
If interested in a thesis in collaboration with Enervalis, please schedule a personal
appointment to discuss (matthias.strobbe@intec.ugent.be).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Possibility for an internship at Enervalis during the summer. Interaction with the
company Enervalis (Houthalen-Helchteren) on a regular basis.
12949: Management of constrained devices in the Internet of
Things
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Floris Van den Abeele, Jen Rossey
Floris Van den Abeele
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
3
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In the coming years more and more everyday objects are expected to be
interconnected to the Internet, which will lead to a vast expansion of the Internet as we
know it today. The OECD and Cisco estimate that the Internet will grow tenfold in the
near future, with up to 50 billion connected devices by 2020. A lot of these new
Internet citizens will be so called embedded devices, these are small and low cost
devices equipped with sensors and actuators that often communicate wirelessly. Using
IETF network protocols that are adapted to these constraints (e.g. 6LoWPAN and CoAP,
the “embedded” HTTP), these devices can be easily integrated into the IPv6 Internet
and into web services. Due to their low cost, these devices are expected to be
omnipresent and will allow us to digitalize our environment (e.g. temperature, lock
status, energy expenditure, etc.) and perform actions based on this information (e.g.
control heating, close a lock, send a notification, etc.). This will enable a whole new
range of applications, which will generate significant efficient gains as well as increase
our standard of living.
The Internet of Things will consist of a large number of devices, from different vendors,
with widely different characteristics. Offering users the appropriate tools to manage and
visualize the interactions that are performed between their different devices can be
challenging due to this heterogeneity. It can also lead to incompatible data formats that
hinder interoperability between devices, e.g. your thermometer can’t talk to your
heating system because the heating system expects degrees Centigrade while your
thermometer supplies a raw ADC reading. Here, a challenge is how to describe these
different data formats in a way that can be understood by constrained devices and
provide appropriate transformations between incompatible data formats. Finally,
reading, configuring, validating and activating configuration changes on thousands of
constrained devices in a robust way is a challenging problem. Situations where a small
number of nodes with invalid configurations remain undetected can be very detrimental
for the overall performance of the constrained node network.
Doelstelling:
The goal of the thesis is to study how large constrained wireless networks and their
devices can be managed by a technical user. Apart from managing the operational state
of the network and its devices, the student can also look at how interactions between
devices can be modelled and – using this model - managed. The student can rely on the
expertise of our researchers active in this field and can build on existing tools that are
available at our IoT research group.
Depending on the interests of the student(s) there are three different topics within this
theses:
1. Design a visualization and orchestration method for large-scale constrained node
networks, their devices and the interactions between devices. Potentially, this
can be combined with near real-time traffic information, to visualize live network
activity. Starting point will be some existing IoT CoAP directory services.
2. Design a formal data description language suitable for embedded web services
hosted on constrained devices. Use this language to identify and solve data
interoperability issues inside constrained node networks employing the CoAP
protocol. Transformations between different data description instances can also
be considered. If deemed interesting, a CRUD-like user interface generator can
be developed as a proof of concept.
3. Design a CoAP-based distributed transaction system that conforms to the ACID
principles for constrained devices employing embedded web services. Employ the
designed solution to facilitate configuration changes for large-scale live
deployments in a robust way. Deploying new security settings can be
demonstrated as a proof of concept.
For each of these topics, the student will have to design a specific solution for
the chosen problem. Once the student has finished the implementation of their
design, then this will have to tested and evaluated via simulation or via a
deployment on our IoT testbed (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabtoverview).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12919: Master your radio: creating solutions for future Internet
of Things networks
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman
Begeleider(s):
Bart Jooris, Peter De Valck
Contactpersoon: Peter De Valck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Although we have witnessed a great evolution in the field of wireless communication in
the past decades, people still want their battery to last longer and their downloads to
be faster. This means that we cannot waste any energy or bandwidth, and hence we
want communication to be as efficient as possible.
However, because wireless use cases can be very diverse (from watching movies on
your smartphone to a wireless thermostat that has to operate for several years without
battery replacement) it is impossible to implement a single solution that is optimal for
each of these scenarios.
To deal with such heterogeneous communication demands, IBCN has developed flexible
solutions on all layers of the communication stack. On the MAC layer we have created a
virtual radio computer that can easily control a radio, change MAC protocols at runtime,
or perform other radio related services (such as spectrum scanning…)
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to extend the functionality of the virtual radio computer
developed by IBCN, also known as TAISC (Time Annotated Instruction Set Computer).
This is a groundbreaking software architecture, that adds time annotation for achieving
tight control on the exact execution time of instructions, a feature that is not possible
with standard computer environments today.
The first extension is the addition of simulation capabilities to the TAISC toolchain.
When designing a program for the virtual radio computer, today the result can only be
verified on actual hardware. By adding a simulator of the virtual computer to the
toolchain, debugging can be simplified significantly and verification of the protocol can
be done in a more rigorous fashion.
The second extension is extending TAISC to support additional technologies. The
current implementation is limited to a commercial embedded platform using ZigBee
(IEEE 802.15.4) but we aim to also support other wireless technologies, as the TAISC
virtual radio computer is devised to be (as much as poshardware platform indpendent.
One option is the new SDR platform being developed by IBCN. The implementation on
new platforms can then be compared with legacy implementation to evaluate the
performance and demonstrate the flexibility
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12838: Measuring software: Quality, effort and cost
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Jonathan Spruytte, Koen Casier
Koen Casier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Software is becoming more and more important a crucial part of a new market offering
with the increase in intelligence, flexibility and adaptability the customers expect from a
new product and service.
Software complements dedicated hardware and business logic, it functions as the
binding glue in many complex business models.
On the other hand, software development adapted to a new product and/or service in a
complex business model, is often hard to estimate in terms of development time and
costs. In order to make a well-considered decision on how, when and what to develop,
managers would need better information on the software development cycle in terms of
time and cost consumption.
Also in a broader context of business development and construction of novel
cooperation between various companies, a clear and fast estimation of the software
development costs will be a crucial tool in finding out whether the new business model
has a good chance of being profitable.
Doelstelling:
Research in this thesis will focus on exploring available information on existing software
for meaningful correlations to costs, quality and effort.




The thesis will start with a close analysis of existing open source and proprietary
software code bases and their evolution, by means of the data available in their
versioning system.
This data will be enriched with data from secondary sources, such as time
sheets, feature sets, bug tracking information, issue tracking, design and
architecture documents, etc.
The total set of primary and secondary data will be enriched with an automated
calculation of a broad set of software and project metrics.
Statistical analysis and approaches from data mining will be used to find
meaningful correlations for these (and potentially more general) software
projects.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12965: Module voor geavanceerde detectie van interferentie
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Ingrid Moerman, Christophe Van Praet
Wei Liu
Christophe Van Praet
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Confidea is een bijzonder betrouwbaar draadloos conferentiesysteem ontwikkeld door
Televic, dat gebruik maakt van vooruitstrevende Quandband draadloze technologie,
fouttolerante foutcodering en geavanceerde encryptie-algoritmes. Het systeem omvat
een specifieke module voor detectie van interferentie, welke toelaat een overzicht te
bieden van de RF activeit op de verschillende beschikbare frequenties. Met deze is
informatie is het mogelijk de optimale frequentieband te selecteren en een eerste orde
frequentieplanning uit te voeren.
Een geanvanceerde interferentie detectiemodule zou een rijker beeld scheppen van die
RF activeit en de bezetting van het spectrum. Hiertoe registreert men niet louter de
signaalsterkte, maar tracht men een beeld te scheppen van de gebruikte bandbreedte,
protocollen, duty cycle, zendpatroon en zelfs stralingspatronen. Dit zou tot betere
frequentieselectie leiden en uiteindelijk de betrouwbaarheid verder verhogen en
bijdragen tot een haalbare frequentieplanning.
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze thesis bestaat erin volgende uitdagingen op vlak van draadloze
communicatie aan te gaan:
Optie 1: Verbeteren van huidige spectrum sensing, een onontbeerlijk onderdeel van
cognitieve radio oplossingen, om de interferentie beter te kunnen inschatten. Zowel in
het frequentiedomein als in het tijdsdomein is een hogere resolutie wenselijk, teneinde
interessante informatie over gebruik van bandbreedte en duty cycle van storing beter
te kunnen registreren.
Optie 2: Detectie van het protocol, tranmissie patroon en stralingspatroon van storing
bouwt voort op de gegevens die geregistreerd worden door de interferentie detectie
module. De student kan data opmeten via een bestaande opstelling en nodige
algoritmes en tools ontwikkelen om er de vereiste data uit te distilleren.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
De thesis biedt de mogelijkheid tot een stage bij Televic Conference
13890: Monitoring for Robust and Scalable Big Data Applications
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Tim Wauters
Begeleider(s):
Gregory Van Seghbroeck, Thomas Vanhove
Contactpersoon: Gregory Van Seghbroeck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
Goedgekeurd
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
voor:
de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen, Master of
Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The entertainment industry is from its start involved in lots of technological
advancements, e.g. the development of 3D cameras for the Avatar movie, Massive
Multiplayer Online games and streaming services such as Youtube pushed innovations
in new network and streaming protocols. Festival organizers are no exception to this.
The days of only providing the best musical experience possible, are long gone. For
example the organizers behind Tomorrowland try to create an otherworldly experience
for their audience, not only via the music or the decors, but the experience starts way
before the people even enter the festival terrain. In the 2014 edition
festivalgoers received bracelets with integrated LED lights so the audience became part
of DJ’s lightshow on the main stage. Festivalgoers could also use these bracelets to
exchange friend requests on Facebook.
Tomorrowland’s imagination does not stop there, but in order to be able to offer these
kind of enhanced experiences, we need to make sure the platforms driving these
applications can cope with the many events and data entering the system (over 80000
people continuously transmitting information), especially in such a harsh festival
environment.
Doelstelling:
In IBCN, a big data analysis platform, called Tengu, has been developed. The platform
is based on the lambda architecture (created by Nathan Marz, former employee of
Twitter) and is capable of performing both real-time analysis of big data streams and
offline analysis on enormous amounts of data. Tengu is thus well-suited to handle the
many requirements of the Tomorrowland applications.
The student will investigate different strategies to monitor the platform and the
applications running within Tengu. By far the most important requirement of monitoring
in this context is that it may not intervene with the running applications. A second part
of the research topic is creating an architecture that can be scaled up and down and
that can cope with failing infrastructure resources. This to fulfill the robustness and
scalable requirements of the Tomorrowland’s platform. It is for example not unlikely
that during the festival servers will go down or parts of the terrain will become
inaccessible due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. It is important to
ensure that the running applications can keep on working.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13626: Network-based dynamic server selection for adaptive
video streaming services
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Filip De Turck, Tim Wauters
Tim Wauters, Stefano Petrangeli, Niels Bouten, Jeroen van der Hooft
Contactpersoon: Filip De Turck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Video streaming is responsible for more than half of the total global bandwidth
consumption on the Internet. Each month over 6 billion hours of video are watched on
YouTube, of which 40% is accessed through mobile devices. Particularly, HTTP Adaptive
Streaming (HAS) protocols have become very popular and can therefore be considered
as the de facto standard for video streaming services over the Internet. Microsoft’s
Smooth Streaming, Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming, Adobe’s HTTP Dynamic Streaming
and the Netflix player are examples of available HAS technologies.
Recently, a standardized solution has been proposed by MPEG, called Dynamic Adaptive
Streaming over HTTP (DASH). In a HAS architecture, video content is stored on a
server as segments at different quality levels. Each client is equipped with a decision
algorithm, which requests the segments at the most appropriate quality level on the
basis of the local perceived bandwidth and video player buffer status (Figure 1a). In
this way, video playback dynamically adapts to the available resources, resulting in a
smooth video streaming experience.
Doelstelling:
Content delivery networks (CDN) represent a mature technology for the delivery of HAS
video. In a CDN infrastructure, multiple servers host the same set of video contents.
Furthermore, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets typically dispose of
multiple access technologies (WiFi, 4G, etc.). Currently, HAS-based adaptation
heuristics use the available servers and access technologies in a sub-optimal way, as (i)
each client is only assigned to one server and uses a single access technology, and (ii)
clients are not capable to dynamically switch from one server/access technology to
another. A client can decide from which server the video content should be downloaded
and over which access technology, based on several inputs, such as the available
bandwidth, the load of the server, channel quality, geographical location etc. (Figure
1b). The goal of this thesis is to investigate the possibility to dynamically switch from
one server/access technology to another and simultaneously download video segments
from multiple servers and access technologies. Particular focus will be given to clientbased and/or network-based heuristics in charge of deciding which video quality to
request, to which server and over which channel, based on the network and servers'
conditions. The use of the new standard for HTTP, called HTTP/2, as an enabler of this
framework will also be investigated during this thesis. Existing simulation tools
developed at the IBCN group (Mininet, ns-3) will serve as a starting point for the thesis
work
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12992: Ontwerp en realisatie van een energiemeter
integreerbaar in een draadloos sensornetwerk
Promotor(en):
Didier Colle, Bart Lannoo
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Ludwig Stroobant
Ludwig Stroobant
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Informatie- en communicatietechnologie (ICT) wordt vaak gezien als een instrument
om energie te besparen (bijvoorbeeld door intelligente verwarmingssystemen of
telewerken mogelijk te maken). Hierbij mag het verbruik van ICT zelf niet uit het oog
verloren worden. Naar schatting is zo’n 7 procent van het globale elektriciteitsverbruik
toe te schrijven aan ICT.
De laatste jaren is er weliswaar een trend merkbaar waarbij producenten meer
aandacht schenken aan energie-efficiëntie. Ook worden er talrijke initiatieven gestart
om gebruikersgedrag te beïnvloeden en zo o.a. ICT energie vriendelijker te maken. Om
de resultaten van deze trends in kaart te brengen, dient een gedetailleerde
meetcampagne opgezet te worden die een continue beeld geeft van het evoluerende
energieverbruik in de tijd, en dit op grotere schaal. De focus ligt op een zakelijke en/of
residentiële omgeving
Doelstelling:
Deze master thesis omvat volgende deeltaken:





Ontwerp en realisatie van een geïntegreerde energiemeter die zal gebruikt
worden in een zakelijke of residentiële omgeving. Deze energiemeter moet
voldoen aan volgende eisen:
o Inzetbaar en naadloos te integreren in een zakelijke omgeving;
o Beschikken over tenminste 4 geïntegreerde stopcontacten, welke elk
afzonderlijk uitgemeten kunnen worden;
o Beschikken over de nodige sensoren om metadata te verzamelen:
temperatuur, relatieve luchtvochtigheid, illuminatie.
Deze energiemeters dienen draadloos met elkaar in contact te staan om zo een
‘mesh’ netwerk te vormen.Gegevens kunnen via dit netwerk naar een centraal
punt gebracht worden.In toekomstig onderzoek zal dit netwerk uitgebreid
worden met andere sensoren;
Het schrijven van software om de datagegevens te collecteren en te visualiseren;
Het opzetten van een meetcampagne in een zakelijke of residentiële omgeving;
<>
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12993: Ontwerp van een energiezuinige geïntegreerde home
gateway
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Didier Colle, Bart Lannoo
Sofie Lambert, Ludwig Stroobant
Sofie Lambert
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
voor:
Aantal studenten: 1
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Om het energieverbruik in een thuisomgeving te verminderen, kan gebruik gemaakt
worden van sensoren en actuatoren en “slimme” toestellen die vanop afstand
gecontroleerd kunnen worden, denk maar aan op afstand gecontroleerde
temperatuursensoren, thermostaten en stopcontacten, wasmachines die geactiveerd
worden wanneer er een energie-overschot is op het netwerk, enzovoorts.
Informatie- en communicatietechnologie (ICT) wordt hierbij gebruikt als een instrument
om energie te besparen. Hierbij mag het verbruik van ICT zelf echter niet uit het oog
verloren worden, met name van de ondersteunende netwerkapparatuur voor nieuwe
toepassingen. Het meerverbruik van deze toestellen is immers niet altijd
verwaarloosbaar. Uit een Amerikaanse studie in 2011 bleek bijvoorbeeld dat het
energieverbruik van een nieuwe HD-digicorder overeenkomt met meer dan de helft van
het energieverbruik van een nieuwe koelkast.
Doelstelling:
De huidige commerciële oplossingen voor “home automation” of “smart homes” maken
vaak gebruik van een losstaande Internet of Things (IoT)-gateway die op zijn beurt
verbonden is met de klassieke modem. Dit is echter niet energie-optimaal, aangezien
veel functionaliteit zo dubbel aanwezig is in de twee aparte toestellen
Het doel van deze thesis is de uitbreiding van een bestaande commerciële modem met
een geïntegreerde module voor ondersteuning van diensten die alternatieve
connectiviteit vereisen, zoals IoT, Smart meters, en eHealth services. De voornaamste
deeltaken van de thesis zijn:



Minimale hardware-uitbreidingen voor optimale energie-efficiëntie. De keuze van
de juiste componenten, bv. extra wireless interfaces (Zigbee, 433MHz…), zal
deel uitmaken van het onderzoek.
Daarnaast zal een groot stuk van het werk bestaan uit programmeren van de
modem en een server voor data-opslag, zodat signalen van verschillende
diensten correct verwerkt en doorgestuurd worden, eventueel met encryptie voor
privacy.
De evaluatie van energie-efficiëntie zal gebeuren door het (gemeten) verbruik
van de door de student ontworpen oplossing te vergelijken met het (opgezochte)
verbruik van op zich staande gateways met gelijkaardige functionaliteit. Hierbij
zal ook een uitgebreide literatuurstudie over bestaande oplossingen en hun
verbruik vereist zijn.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12601: Ontwikkeling van een snelle implementatie van een
Clifford algebra module voor computer vision
Promotor(en):
Hendrik De Bie, Jan Fostier
Begeleider(s):
Lander Cnudde
Contactpersoon: Hendrik De Bie
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen, Master of Science in de
ingenieurswetenschappen: toegepaste natuurkunde, Master of
Science in Engineering Physics
Aantal
studenten:
1
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Clifford algebra's (soms ook geometric algebra genoemd in de toegepaste literatuur)
vormen een wiskundig systeem dat een interessant alternatief vormt voor het
meetkundig model van vectoren in bijvoorbeeld 3D. In het bijzonder laat het model van
`Conformal Geometric Algebra' (CGA) toe om op een intuïtieve manier meetkundige
manipulaties zoals rotaties uit te voeren, of meetkundige objecten zoals rechten,
vlakken en sferen op gelijke voet te behandelen. Dit biedt duidelijke voordelen voor de
ingenieurswetenschappen, in het bijzonder voor computer graphics, computer vision en
robotics.
Initieel lagen de voordelen van het gebruik van Clifford algebra's vooral bij de eenvoud
waarmee nieuwe robuuste algoritmes konden uitgedacht worden en het vermijden van
foute meetkundige redeneringen (denk bijvoorbeeld aan Gimbal lock).
Echter, in een recent boek (2013) van D. Hildenbrand worden twee implementaties van
CGA besproken die - zo beweert de auteur - efficiënter zijn dan hun klassieke lineaire
algebra tegenhangers, namelijk CLUCalc en Gaalop.
Doel van deze masterproef is dan ook tweeërlei: enerzijds een grondige analyse te
maken van deze bestaande implementaties (met eventueel ontwikkeling van betere inhouse code), en anderzijds verifiëren van de claim dat CGA efficiënter zou zijn dan een
klassieke lineaire algebra aanpak.
Doelstelling:
Deze masterproef beoogt volgende zaken:
1. bestudering van het boek van D. Hildenbrand
2. bestudering van de belangrijke implementaties CLUCalc en Gaalop
3. ontwerp van een nieuwe, in-house implementatie
4. numerieke vergelijking van de verschillende implementaties aan de hand van een
toepassing uit de robotica
Afhankelijk van de afstudeerrichting kan de toepassing uit de robotica ook vervangen
worden door een simulatie van moleculaire dynamica.
Locatie:
thuis, Sterre
Opmerkingen:
Interesse om nieuwe wiskundige technieken te bestuderen strekt tot de aanbeveling.
Grondige programmeerkennis noodzakelijk. Samenwerking met andere thesisstudenten
(onderwerp over symbolische Maple implementatie) is mogelijk.
12823: Operational processes in healthcare: the impact of
introducing multiple actors in a multi-objective analysis
Promotor(en):
Sofie Verbrugge
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Jan Van Ooteghem, Koen Casier, Gregory Casier
Jan Van Ooteghem
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Operational optimization needs to be run while closely monitoring the performance of
operational processes. The performance of an operational process, especially in
healthcare, is not simply equal to the cost of executing the process. As such different
KPIs of the operational process should be kept in mind while running an optimization,
which is possible by using an operational simulation tool. Introducing different actors to
these processes does not only make the simulation and analysis a lot closer to reality, it
also brings new challenges to the table. A first consideration is that a change in the
value network might result in actors taking up new roles in the process which will
obviously impact the predefined KPIs deeply. Secondly, the introduction of actors over
processes also creates the need to deal with the new difficulties concerning cost
allocation over the actors involved.
A possible application domain for this research would be operational processes within a
hospital environment. Hospitals have complex processes in which not only cost
considerations are taken into account. Furthermore, hospitals are typically lacking
behind concerning process optimization compared to other (manufacturing for instance)
industries.
Doelstelling:
A simulation and KPI-monitoring tool have already been developed to analyze current
operational processes. The objective for the student would be to examine possibilities of
expanding the current model in terms of Multi-Actors. Involving different key actors in
the processes under consideration changes the multi-KPI optimization problem both in
terms of a changing value network and cost allocation. A changing value network
structure might cause an actor to take up several roles in the process that used to be
controlled by a different actor. This might affect the predefined KPIs severely, for
example this could lower the global cost of the process both at the same time degrade
the quality of service. A changing value network structure might also change the
underlying cost allocation structure of the process. In a hospital environment, there
might be budget constraints for each of the actors (for example the different
departments) which will affect the process execution. This way, allocating the resources
being used over the different actors involved and tracking these costs might impact the
stated KPIs as well.
Research questions include:


How does the introduction of different actors changes resource allocation in a
multi-KPI analysis?
How does a change in the value network impacts the multi-KPI analysis on
operational processes?
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12969: Optimaliseren en combineren van binnenshuis
lokalisatiesystemen
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Tom Van Haute, Jen Rossey
Tom Van Haute
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Indoor lokalisatie is belangrijk voor verschillende industriële toepassingen. Enkele
voorbeelden: navigatie van personen in drukke luchthavens/overheidsgebouwen voor
het vinden van de juiste gate/loket. Het navigeren en helpen evacueren van
ondergrondse mijnwerkers. Het snel terugvinden van voertuigen in grote multi-level
parkings. Ook in de medische sector kunnen bijvoorbeeld patiënten met Alzheimer
kunnen getraceerd worden waarbij bepaalde deuren automatisch worden afgesloten.
GPS is de meest traditionele manier om objecten, wagens of personen te traceren.
Maar bij GPS is LOS (Line of Sight) een vereiste. Hierdoor is het gebruik van een GPS in
gebouwen onmogelijk. Een alternatief voor indoor lokalisatie is het gebruik van
draadloze sensornetwerken (WSN of wireless sensor networks). In de literatuur zijn
reeds tal van indoor lokalisatie-oplossingen voorgesteld, maar al snel blijkt dat elke
oplossing zwakheden vertoont op sommige momenten / plaatsen (bvb door bepaalde
propagatie-eigenschappen of interferentie van andere draadloze toestellen). Hierdoor
bestaat tot op heden geen optimale lokalizatieoplossing die geschikt is voor een breed
scala aan toepassingen.
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze masterproef is het ontwikkelen van een indoor lokalisatiesysteem dat
de lokatieschattingen van verschillende oplossingen combineert. De masterproef begint
in eerste instantie met het onderzoeken van de state-of-the-art omtrent indoor
lokalisatie-oplossingen. Welke oplossingen bestaan reeds en wat zijn hun resultaten
en/of beperkingen? Op basis van dit onderzoek worden vervolgens enkele algoritmes
geïmplementeerd, getest en vergeleken gebruik makende van het grootschalig
draadloze testbed bij IBCN (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview). Tot slot
wordt een intelligent algoritme ontwikkeld dat automatisch leert welke algoritmes best
geschikt zijn voor verschillende omstandigheden.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Stage bij Televic Health Care is mogelijk
12983: Optimization of a BitTorrent file transfer protocol
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Didier Colle, Mario Pickavet
Dimitri Staessens, Sander Vrijders
Contactpersoon: Dimitri Staessens
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
BitTorrent is a well-known application that is used to distribute files, such as Linux
distributions, in a distributed decentralized fashion, often referred to as peer-to-peer
file sharing. Peer-to-peer networks have been estimated to collectively account for
approximately 43% to 70% of all Internet traffic (depending on geographical location).
The main drawback of BitTorrent is that it is unaware of the physical location of other
peers.
A peer uses IP addresses to connect to other peers which use a flat addressing space.
This means that no hints are provided on the physical location by looking at the
address. Topological addressing spaces on the other hand, do provide hints on the
physical location. Furthermore, only unicast traffic is possible, e.g. only one-to-one
traffic is supported. This results in high bandwidth consumption and thus very
inefficient behaviour.
Doelstelling:
The Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) is a novel network architecture that is
an alternative to TCP/IP, and it offers several benefits such as the choice of the
addressing scheme. IRATI is an open-source implementation of RINA. First, BitTorrent
has to be ported to use the IPC API, which is used to request services from the IRATI
stack, instead of the sockets API which requests services from the TCP/IP stack. Next,
to cope with the physical location of the nodes, so called Distributed IPC Facilities
(DIFs) that RINA uses should be configured appropriately to use topological addressing
instead of flat addressing. Different topological addressing schemes and corresponding
routing strategies within this DIF will be explored in order to find an optimal solution to
the problem. Whatevercast is a concept in RINA that tries to unify unicast, multicast,
broadcast and anycast. A first implementation of this concept is not yet provided in the
IRATI prototype (http://irati.github.io/stack/), but could optionally also be used to
make BitTorrent more efficient.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13624: Optimization of content migration for large scale
multimedia delivery
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck
Begeleider(s):
Maxim Claeys, Niels Bouten, Stefano Petrangeli
Contactpersoon: Maxim Claeys
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In recent years, multimedia delivery and video streaming in particular, are becoming
more and more important. By 2018, video over IP is predicted to represent 79% of all
Internet traffic. Furthermore, the end users requirements are becoming more and more
stringent (HD, 3D, 4K …). To meet these requirements, the market of Content
Distribution Networks (CDNs) has experienced an enormous growth.
By 2018, 67% of all Internet video will cross a CDN. Multimedia service providers are
establishing new business models to bring the content as close as possible to the end
users in order to improve their quality of experience and reduce incurred data traffic
costs. For example, Netflix launched the Open Connect initiative in which they partner
with hundreds of ISPs, allowing them to push their content inside the ISP networks to
get as close as possible to the end users. Popularity prediction techniques are applied to
decide how to distribute the content over the different locations. As popularity is
subject to changes over time, redistribution occurs at regular time intervals. This
involves the migration of a huge amount of data, putting a significant strain on the
network resources, possibly impacting the end-user experience
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to optimize the migration of video content between different
storage locations by developing intelligent transfer strategies. Efficient migration
scheduling and server selection can significantly reduce the network load, lowering the
need for overprovisioning and reducing the impact on the quality of experience, while
still satisfying the timing constraints. This can be achieved by examining how the
content catalogue is currently distributed across the network. Using this information,
together with the projected future popularity distribution, allows to intelligently
schedule the migration of the required data, subject to imposed deadlines and
minimizing the data transfer costs. CDN nodes should cooperate in finding the best
strategies to achieve this. The developed techniques could also be applied to cope with
mobile end-users to allow their data to migrate to the closest locations as they travel
from one location to another. The approach can be implemented in a network
simulation framework to evaluate its performance in a wide variety of scenarios
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12942: Optimizing and combining indoor localization solutions
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Begeleider(s):
Tom Van Haute, Jen Rossey
Contactpersoon: Tom Van Haute
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Indoor localization solutions are used in many different application domains. Use cases
range from navigation for persons in busy airports / government buildings to find the
right gate / location, navigation and evacuation in underground mines, the efficient
retrieval of vehicles in large multi-level car parks, or keeping track of elderly patients
with Alzheimer's disease.
For outside environments, GPS is traditionally used to trace objects, vehicles or
persons. But since for GPS line of sight is required, using a GPS inside buildings is
impossible. As such, alternative approaches for indoor localization often utilize wireless
sensor networks (WSN). In literature, numerous WSN based indoor localization
solutions have been proposed, but each of these solutions show weaknesses at certain
moments / locations (e.g. due to complex propagation characteristics in realistic
buildings, due to interference from other wireless devices...). As a result, no single
optimal indoor localization solution currently exists.
Doelstelling:
The purpose of this thesis is to design an indoor localization solution that combines the
output of multiple indoor localization techniques to obtain better results than any of the
existing ones would have individually. The thesis initially begins by examining the stateof-the-art of indoor localization solutions. Which solutions already exist and what are
their results and / or limitations? Afterwards, several algorithms will be implemented,
evaluated and compared using a large-scale wireless testbed at IBCN
(http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview). The next and most crucial step is to
combine multiple algorithms in order to make the indoor localization solution as robust
and stable as possible in multiple situations and multiple environments. To this end, an
artificial intelligence algorithm will be designed that intelligently learns in which
conditions the different solutions perform optimally.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
This master thesis offers the possibility for an internship at Televic Health Care
12978: Overschakelen op draadloze technologie: vloek of zegen?
Promotor(en):
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Jeroen Hoebeke, Enri Dalipi, Elnaz Alizadeh Jarchlo
Jeroen Hoebeke
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Draadloze communicatie, in het bijzonder Wi-Fi, is bijzonder populair. Deze netwerken
kunnen gemakkelijk uitgerold worden, vereisen veel minder bekabeling en zijn
betaalbaar. Dit heeft een aantal gevolgen. Zo komt er voor meer en meer bedrade
systemen een alternatief draadloos systeem op de markt (bv. multi-room streaming
audio systemen). Ook worden er, in de context van het Internet of Things, meer en
meer toestellen draadloos met het Internet verbonden zoals sensoren.
Er worden dus meer en meer Wi-Fi netwerken uitgerold en de data die over deze
netwerken verstuurd wordt, wordt steeds heterogener. Dit brengt problemen met zich
mee in termen van robuustheid van de netwerken, diagnose van de netwerken in geval
van problemen, etc.
In sommige gevallen wil men zelfs overgaan van een draadloos netwerk met
infrastructuur (access points verbonden via een bekabeld netwerk) naar een volledig
zelf-organiserend netwerk (mesh of ad hoc netwerk), waarbij sommige toestellen
mobiel kunnen zijn. In dat laatste geval zijn bijvoorbeeld tijdelijke onderbrekingen in de
netwerkconnectiviteit mogelijk
Doelstelling:
Het doel van deze thesis is om, vertrekkend van een zeer concrete use case, de
mogelijke problemen en beperkingen van draadloze communicatie te gaan
onderzoeken. Hiertoe zullen er experimenten opgezet worden. Deze experimenten
kunnen gebeuren in een simulator, maar sowieso dient er een evaluatie op echte
hardware te gebeuren. Hierbij kan gebruik gemaakt worden van het uitgebreide
draadloze testbed van IBCN (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview) of van een
kleinschaligere draagbare versie ervan. Bedoeling van deze studie is om conclusies te
kunnen trekken inzake betrouwbaarheid, throughput en latency. In een volgende fase
zullen oplossingen bestudeerd worden om ofwel de prestaties in te schatten, ze te
verbeteren of om problemen te detecteren.
Afhankelijk van de interesses van de student behoren volgende twee use cases alvast
tot de mogelijkheden:
1. Multi-room draadloze luidsprekers (zie figuur): een netwerk van draadloze
luidsprekers verspreid over meerdere kamers en met meerdere luidsprekers per
kamer leidt tot complexe draadloze technologieën. Bovendien legt het streamen
van audio strike requirements op inzake latency.
Automated Guided Vehicles: AGVs worden ingezet in magazijnen om automatisch
goederen op te halen. Het doorgeven en verwerken van de orders gebeurt door middel
van draadloze communicatie. Het is de bedoeling te onderzoeken in welke mate
overgeschakeld kan worden naar een ad hoc netwerk in plaats van een uitgebreid
backbone netwerk met access points.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13697: Parametric Macromodeling of Lossy Delayed Multiport
Systems
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Dries Vande Ginste
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Dirk Deschrijver, Niels Lambrecht
Tom Dhaene
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Master of Science in
Engineering Physics
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: toegepaste
natuurkunde
1 of 2
AJ:
2015-2016
2
Probleemstelling:
Parametric macromodels are used to model and simulate the complex frequency
behavior of passive electronic components and systems (e.g. microwave components,
antennas, broadband interconnects, electronic packages,...) in terms of several design
or layout variables that describe physical properties of the structure. Such macromodels
are frequently used for efficient design space exploration, design optimization,
sensitivity analysis.
With increasing bandwidth and decreasing size of microelectronic systems, highfrequency effects such as delay, attenuation, dispersion, reflection, and crosstalk
become dominant factors that can limit the overall systems’ performance. Hence,
accurate modeling is paramount to successful design of high-speed electronic systems.
The macromodeling of such systems is a complicated task, especially when the system
is electrically large.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this master thesis is to build physics-based passive parameterized
macromodels of structures with large delays, such as encountered in the
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)-testing of novel devices.
First, a study of several state-of-the-art algorithms available in literature will be
performed. The most promising algorithms will be implemented a) to estimate the delay
from tabulated S-parameter data using time-frequency decompositions, b) to build
delayed-rational macromodels using so-called “vector fitting” algorithms, c) to make
the model scalable such that it includes also the effects of changes in material
properties, sizes and lengths, geometry, etc. while preserving important physical
properties such as causality, stability and passivity.
The algorithms will be benchmarked and validated on a set of analytical examples and
the limitations of each method will be identified (in terms of accuracy, computational
complexity, scalability with number of parameters). In a later step, the algorithms will
also be applied to real-life (noisy) data that was obtained from measurements, in
collaboration with our industrial partner, i.e. Melexis Technologies N.V.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, Technicum, at home
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13085: Predicting Customer Churn in Telecommunication
Providers Networks
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Dirk Van den Poel
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Joachim van der Herten, Ivo Couckuyt, Dirk Deschrijver
Joachim van der Herten
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Telecommunication providers worldwide mainly log their network activity for billing
nowadays, however these massive amounts of data hold a potential to predict the
behavior of customers on the network based on their history. The company ASPIDERNGI (situated in Groot-Bijgaarden) receives several gigabytes on a daily basis from
multiple providers worldwide for analysis and has run several successful personalized
stimulation campaigns in the past.
A key issue is the prediction of customers cancelling their subscription with the provider
(customer churn). This information can be derived from pattern changes, expensive
billings, network quality, social influence etc.
ASPIDER-NGI provides a clean dataset, and offers the opportunity for internship.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is prediction of customer churn using Machine Learning methods.
During the first weeks of the project, existing literature on customer churn is studied to
get in touch with the problem, and the relevant parameters influencing the churnprediction. Furthermore, some standard Machine Learning algorithms (classification)
are reviewed. After an introduction by ASPIDER-NGI on the data and the cluster
technology used for storage and querying (Hadoop), possible approaches based on the
existing literature are discussed, and complemented with new ideas to work out new
approaches. These approaches are then tested and validated.
Since many parameters influence the choice of customers, there is no strict approach:
several ideas already exist (based on the expertise of ASPIDER-NGI), but can be
complemented by own ideas and insights
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis, Groot-Bijgaarden
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Information on ASPIDER-NGI: http://www.nextgeninno.com/ Opportunity for an
internship is offered, but not obliged. http://hadoop.apache.org
13456: Predicting subjective image quality using Flickr
Promotor(en):
Bart Dhoedt, Thomas Demeester
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Cedric De Boom, Steven Van Canneyt, Sam Leroux
Cedric De Boom
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal studenten: 1
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
One image can have diverse appeals to different persons, as it is often a matter of taste
whether you like an image or not. Some people very much like black and white
photography, other people prefer a well-considered composition, yet others look for a
balance between sharpness and unsharpness in a picture.
On Flickr, one of the best known social media for image sharing, people can express
their opinions about a picture by viewing, liking, following, commenting, presenting
awards... and photographers can boost the popularity of their pictures by posting them
in groups, gaining followers and joining in competitions. As a social media platform,
Flickr can thus be seen as a greatest common divisor of the public opinion on your
pictures, their appeal and their quality. For people who do not have a Flickr profile or do
not want to interact in groups and contests on this platform, we still want to be able to
provide feedback on the visual, subjective quality of their images. The question is then
if we can build such a prediction system solely based on visual information.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this master’s dissertation is to develop a prediction system that can give an
indication of the subjective image quality – or visual appeal – of a picture, based on
visual information extracted from this picture. To develop such a system, different
sources of information on Flickr will need to be combined and leveraged to display this
image quality in a quantitative way. With this information extracted, a supervised
model will be trained to learn how to predict subjective image quality based on visual
input only. For this purpose mainly deep learning techniques will be used, such as
convolutional neural networks. Research will be conducted into these deep learning
techniques and appropriate neural architectures will be built to fit the task at hand.
Since training procedures of deep architectures can be computationally demanding, the
training will be accelerated using GPU hardware. Finally the performance of these deep
architectures will need to be compared to traditional learning techniques. All
experiments will be executed using semi-automatically crawled Flickr data.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13474: Predicting tweet popularity using neural network
architectures
Promotor(en):
Bart Dhoedt, Thomas Demeester
Begeleider(s):
Steven Van Canneyt, Cedric De Boom
Contactpersoon: Steven Van Canneyt
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The popularity of a Twitter post is often measured in terms of its retweet count, that is,
the number of times someone copied this tweet and posted it onto his own Twitter feed.
The number of retweets depends on a lot of parameters, and is a monotonically
increasing function of time. And often, when a Twitter post gets retweeted by a certain
user, it will be picked up by other users who will then in turn retweet this post.
In existing and recent literature several systems have been developed that take into
account various time-related features to predict the popularity of a tweet at a certain
point in time. Most systems rely on linear regression or time series prediction
techniques, other systems are built on top of carefully crafted Bayesian models. Since
recently, neural networks have proven to be very succesful in a number of prediction
tasks, so the question is if we can improve existing popularity prediction systems by
leveraging the strengths of these neural networks.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this master’s dissertation is to develop a system based on neural network
architectures that is capable of predicting the popularity of a Twitter post in terms of its
retweet count. Several scenarios will be investigated, such as predicting the retweet
count at an hourly basis, predicting the total final retweet count... For this purpose we
will mainly look at the time aspects of the retweet behaviour (e.g. 112 retweets in the
past 15 minutes) and features from the social retweet graph. In a first step, simple
feed-forward networks will be used, and at a later stage the influence of so-called
recurrent neural networks can be investigated. Since processing deep neural
architectures is computationally demanding, the algorithms will be developed in a
framework of choice allowing for GPU acceleration. The developed algorithms will be
trained on a semi-manually constructed dataset of retweets.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12979: Prestatie-evaluatie van mesh protocollen
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Dries Naudts, Enri Dalipi, Elnaz Alizadeh Jarchlo
Contactpersoon:
Jeroen Hoebeke
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Een draadloos mesh-netwerk bestaat uit een verzameling van knopen met een
draadloze communicatiemodule. De knopen kunnen draadloze verbindingen met elkaar
opzetten. Op die manier kan data van de ene knoop naar de andere knoop gestuurd
worden, waarbij tussenliggende knopen optreden als router. Het aantal paden tussen
elke mogelijk bron en bestemming is zeker niet beperkt tot 1 pad. Door de
beschikbaarheid van meerdere paden kan de betrouwbaarheid verbeterd worden. Het is
echter moeilijk in te schatten wat de uiteindelijke netwerkprestaties zullen zijn in
termen van minimale, gemiddelde en maximale vertraging, throughput, etc.
Om multimediaverkeer op een betrouwbare door te sturen en de limieten van het
netwerk in functie van het aantal gelijktijdige audio- en multimediastromen te bepalen,
wil Televic mesh protocollen onderzoeken.
Doelstelling:
Bij de start van de thesis zal er een studie gebeuren van bestaande meshnetwerktechnologieën en -protocollen. Op die manier zal er inzicht verworven worden in
de werking van deze technologieën. In een volgende stap zal er een aanzet gegeven
worden tot een aantal mogelijke implementaties van een mesh-netwerk voor audio- en
multimediadistributie in een conferentieruimte.
In een tweede fase zal een dergelijke mesh-implementatie geëvalueerd worden. De
realisatie hiervan kan gebeuren in een netwerksimulator zoals bv. NS-3. Dit heeft als
voordeel dat er geen grote hoeveelheden hardware nodig zijn. Aan de andere kant kan
er een bijkomende evaluatie op echte hardware gebeuren door gebruik te maken van
het uitgebreide draadloze testbed van IBCN (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabtoverview) of van een kleinschaligere draagbare versie ervan. Bedoeling van deze studie
is om conclusies te kunnen trekken inzake betrouwbaarheid, throughput en latency.
Een bijkomende uitdaging is om het dynamische gedrag van mesh-knopen te
bestuderen, i.e. knopen die bewegen.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
De thesis biedt de mogelijkheid tot een stage bij Televic Conference
13486: Profilering en optimalisatie van semantische Reasoners
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Femke De Backere, Pieter Bonte, Stijn Verstichel, dhr. Wim
Dereuddre [Televic]
Femke Ongenae
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
voor:
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Het Semantisch Web, ook wel Web 3.0 genoemd, wordt beschouwd als de volgende
fase van het internet waarbij alle informatie/data op het web voorzien is van metadata
die de betekenis van deze data beschrijft. Op deze manier kan alle data op het web
intelligent en geautomatiseerd verwerkt en gecombineerd worden met elkaar. Dit
betekent een grote stap vooruit voor tal van applicaties op het web. Zo zouden de
verschillende eShops zoals Ebay en Amazon hun productcategorieën kunnen voorzien
van metadata die bijhoudt hoe sterk producten gerelateerd zijn met elkaar, hoe
populair ze zijn enz. Op basis hiervan kunnen intelligente aanbevelingsalgoritmes
geschreven worden die gericht producten voorstellen aan klanten met een bepaald
profiel. Andere voorbeelden zijn intelligentere zoekmachines, meer gerichte reclame,
personalisatie van websites enz.
Het beschrijven van de metadata gebeurt aan de hand van ontologieën. Een ontologie
beschrijft de entiteiten binnen een bepaald domein (bv. Man, Vrouw, Auto), hun relaties
(bv. heeft_broer) en hun eigenschappen (bv. Naam). Het mag duidelijk zijn dat voor
dergelijke Web 3.0 toepassingen deze ontologieën vaak enorm groot zijn. De
grootschaligheid van deze modellen leidt tot tal van problemen op vlak van
performantie en schaalbaarheid van de intelligente applicaties die werken met deze
ontologieën. Om intelligent te redeneren over ontologieën maken deze intelligente
applicaties gebruik van herbruikbare software modules die Reasoners genoemd worden.
Enkele voorbeelden van Reasoners zijn Pellet (http://clarkparsia.com/pellet/), Racer
(http://www.racer-systems.com/), Hermit (http://hermit-reasoner.com/), Fact++
(http://owl.man.ac.uk/factplusplus/) en de Eye Reasoner
(http://eulersharp.sourceforge.net/).
Doelstelling:
Het eerste doel van deze thesis is dus om de performantie en de schaalbaarheid van de
bestaande Reasoners te profileren en te vergelijken met elkaar. Hiervoor zal onderzocht
worden welke benchmarks kunnen gebruikt worden om de prestaties van de Reasoners
te profileren, bv. LUBM (http://swat.cse.lehigh.edu/projects/lubm/), Berlin SPARQL
(http://www4.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de/bizer/berlinsparqlbenchmark/) en OTAGen
(http://users.atlantis.ugent.be/svrstich/otagen/). Eén of meerdere benchmarks kunnen
daarna gebruikt worden voor de profilering van de Reasoners. Vervolgens kan de
student conclusies trekken over welke Reasoner het best gebruikt wordt voor welk soort
use cases/data. Daarnaast kan ook in kaart gebracht worden of er specifieke
statements/constructies zijn in ontologieën waar bepaalde Reasoners slecht mee om
kunnen.
In een tweede fase zal deze kennis aangewend worden voor het ontwerp en
ontwikkeling van een generiek en performant reasoning platform die de verschillende
reasoners op een intelligente manier combineert en aanwendt afhankelijk van de
specifieke use case. Dit betekent dat het platform detecteert over welk type van use
case/data het gaat en automatisch de correcte (combinatie van) Reasoners aanwendt.
Daarnaast kunnen ook automatisch statements gedetecteerd worden in de ontologie die
de oorzaak zijn van de slechte performantie van de Reasoners. Een mogelijke extra
requirement is dat de statements voorgelegd worden aan de gebruikers ter correctie of
(indien mogelijk) automatisch worden aangepast of verwijderd.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Het is mogelijk om in kader van deze thesis een stage te doen bij het bedrijf Televic
(http://www.televic.com/nl/). Dit is niet verplicht. Voorkennis over ontologieën en
semantische Reasoners is niet vereist. In de eerste fase van de thesis wordt ruim de
tijd gelaten aan om zich in te werken in deze technieken en technologieën.
13891: Real-time Analysis of Festival Data
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Tim Wauters
Begeleider(s):
Thomas Vanhove, Gregory Van Seghbroeck
Contactpersoon: Gregory Van Seghbroeck
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
Goedgekeurd
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
voor:
de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen, Master of
Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
3
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In the summer of 2013 there was a crash at NASDAQ. Experts claimed only a third of
the normal stock exchanges happened. They did not dare to put the estimated loss into
real figures. Everybody pointed at the direction of big data as the cause of this failure.
The companies lost control over their gigantic data volumes, the experts stated. Even
some leading software and technology giants (Microsoft, Apple, Google and Amazon)
suffered failures in the weeks prior to the NASDAQ crash. Research on big data is
roughly divided into three categories: exchanging data, analyzing data and data
storage. They all have one thing in common: we speak about Petabytes of data.
There already exist platforms capable of solving one of these categories, but a lot more
needs to be done to be able to serve all three topics simultaneously. Nathan Marz and
James Warren developed the lambda architecture to solve at least two problems:
analyzing and exchanging the data. This type of architecture is capable of processing at
real-time large amounts of data, storing the data and processed information and
provide real-time querying. At IBCN we have implemented this promising idea and
named it Tengu
Doelstelling:
Four aspects of IBCN’s Tengu has to be investigated:




Correctness: is the outcome of the system correct?
Robustness: is the system capable of dealing with failing (infrastructure)
resources?
Scalability: What is the maximum amount of data that can be analyzed without
losing the real-time querying?
User-friendliness: how easy is it to maintain and manage Tengu, and how easy is
it to deploy big data applications?
The first three aspects can be investigated using the use cases IBCN has created during
previous research projects. Implementing these use cases is currently still an ad hoc
process; as is managing Tengu. To improve this, we will ask the students also to
implement several management modules (e.g. monitoring, configuration, user
management, application deployment, …)
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12837: Robust aggregation network planning for migration
scenarios
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Koen Casier
Koen Casier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Aggregation networks make the link between the access networks to the core of the
telecom network. The fast pace of advances in the access networks force evolutions on
the aggregation networks, typically demanding higher bandwidth and more robustness
in the network.
Evolutions in the aggregation network require a well-considered planning, in which the
expected evolution of the bandwidth requirements is combined with a novel structure
and robustness for all possible failures over the aggregation network. Quickly
constructing a viable planning for an aggregation network upgrade is essential in
strategic planning for comparing various alternative long term migration plans.
This thesis will build upon an existing dimensioning toolkit, capable of dimensioning a
network for a given traffic and failure scenarios. The thesis will adapt this toolkit to
typical aggregation network structures, to large scale networks and long term
evolutionary scenarios. Challenges will be on the realism of the network dimensioning
as well as on the maintainability and scalability of the existing toolkit. As there will a
close cooperation with Proximus during the development of this thesis, a very realistic
case within the Proximus network will be used in the thesis.
Doelstelling:
Research in this thesis will focus on adapting the existing Java-based network
dimensioning toolkit to be quickly able to model and dimension various realistic
scenarios of aggregation network upgrades and constraints. The following challenges
can be part of this research:




Mapping the existing topology and traffic in a logical manner to the dimensioning
toolkit.
Investigation of the evolutions in the aggregation network. Considering the
traffic, research can focus on constructing reliable predictive models for future
network traffic streams. Considering the topology, evolutionary network
topologies can be mapped in a logical model.
Dimensioning with a strong focus on survivability and robustness of the network
for multiple simultaneous failures.
Software structure and methods for increasing scalability in terms of calculation
speed, memory usage and matching reality.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12961: Robust and Reliable Industrial Communication
Promotor(en):
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Begeleider(s):
Enri Dalipi, Elnaz Alizadeh Jarchlo
Contactpersoon: Jeroen Hoebeke
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Industrial automation deals primarily with the automation of manufacturing, quality
control and material handling processes. It requires robust communication between a
variety of actors such as programmable logic controllers and computers.
Currently, a number of research trends can be observed. First of all, there is a trend to
move from very dedicated industrial protocols to more open Internet oriented protocols
and from rigid systems to more service oriented architectures, as this offer advantages
in terms of integration into ICT systems and the realization of novel services. Next to
this, industrial wireless sensors and sensing devices are expected to have a high
adoption as they have advantages regarding cost, installation time, ability to cover
hard-to-reach areas, etc. Currently, 2 industrial WSN protocols for sensors exist,
WirelessHart and ISA100. At this moment in time, the choice of protocol is a one-to-one
relation with the purchased hardware, which limits flexibility to shift to open protocols
and data formats as is the case in the realization of the Internet of Things (IoT). Next
to this, opportunities offered by wearable sensing devices are being explored.
These trends poses research challenges related to the applicability of IoT on top of
existing wired systems and the applicability of wireless solutions to replace wired
systems.
Doelstelling:
The initial goal of this thesis is to study the dominant industrial communication
standards and data formats that are currently being used. Next, depending on the
interests of the student(s) one of the following 2 paths can be further explored:
1. IoT protocols: the goal is to investigate the applicability of IoT protocols that are
currently being used to collect sensor data or control actuators (e.g. CoAP,
MQTT) to existing industrial communication systems (e.g. Ethercat). The
performance will be evaluated and modifications to the protocols will be
proposed and implemented. Finally, it will be investigated how the use of IoT
protocols may facilitate the integration with other systems or devices.
2. Wireless: the goal is to explore the feasibility of adopting wireless
communication solutions in an industrial automation setting. Starting point will
be a currently used industrial wireless communication solution. Next,
mechanisms to improve the robustness and performance will be explored,
implemented and evaluated.
For each of these topics, the student will have to survey existing state-of-the-art
solutions and evaluate an existing solution. Next, an alternative architecture
using IoT technologies or wireless technology will be designed, evaluated and
compared.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12967: Saaie labo’s zijn verleden tijd! Bouw verder het
toekomstige 4G en Wi-Fi lab voor online educatie
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, Daan Pareit
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Dries Naudts, Vasileios Maglogiannis, Jono Vanhie-Van Gerwen
Daan Pareit
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In informatica en draadloze telecommunicatie volgen nieuwe technologieën zich in
sneltempo op. Zo is men voor Wi-Fi geëvolueerd van 54 Mbit/s naar 1450 Mbit/s in
verschillende standaarden en is men voor gsm-netwerken van 2G naar 3G, 4G en 5G
gegaan. Universiteiten en industrie willen alle nieuwe ontwikkelingen op de voet kunnen
volgen, zelf leren en zelf testen.
Veelal kan men boeken vinden of cursussen volgen om de nieuwe technologieën op
theoretisch vlak te leren kennen. Echter, het is een dure aangelegenheid om telkens
alle nieuwe apparatuur aan te kopen om er zelf mee te leren werken of om zelf enkele
specifieke testen uit te voeren. Slechts enkele gespecialiseerde onderzoeksinstellingen
beschikken over de juiste state-of-the-art apparatuur.
Wanneer deze onderzoeksinstellingen hun apparatuur nu publiek beschikbaar stellen,
samen met enkele testen die online kunnen worden uitgevoerd, kunnen studenten van
universiteiten en experten uit de industrie nu overal ter wereld toch zelf
experimenteren met de laatste technologieën, zoals bijvoorbeeld met LTE (4G).
Doelstelling:
iMinds is een onderzoeksinstelling waarvan IBCN een onderzoekspartner is, die over
state-of-the-art apparatuur beschikt voor Wi-Fi en LTE (4G) in hun experimenteel
testbed “iLab.t”. Zij hebben een volledig 4G netwerk (SIM-kaartjes, bewegende robots,
zendmastjes, een core network etc.) dat voor onderzoek en onderwijs kan gebruikt
worden. Dit is vrij uniek omdat je dus volledig zelf je eigen netwerkoperator kunt
spelen (je bent zelf een soort ‘Proximus’ of andere) !
Je zult binnen je masterproef deze complexe apparatuur gebruiken en een aantal
testscenario’s bedenken en opzetten met Wi-Fi en LTE die interessante aspecten
blootleggen voor studenten uit universiteiten en experts uit industrie. Bijvoorbeeld: wat
gebeurt er wanneer meerdere gebruikers verschillende soorten data downloaden, wat is
de kwaliteit van een Skype-gesprek op LTE, etc.
Daarna zul je al deze testen integreren in een online systeem zodat deze testen
gemakkelijk kunnen worden uitgevoerd door studenten en experts overal ter wereld om
hun kennis over deze technologieën bij te schaven. Een voorbeeld van enkele Wi-Fi
oefeningen is te vinden op http://forge.test.iminds.be/wlan/
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13556: Sandboxing of application modules on embedded devices
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Bruno Volckaert
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Thomas Dupont, Wannes Kerckhove
Bruno Volckaert
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Modular programming is a software design technique that separates the functionality of
a program into independent, interchangeable modules, each with their own
responsibilities. Some of the modules of such a program can be developed by external
companies, and as such can form an issue if their execution comes with unforeseen
side-effects (e.g. memory leak causing the overall system to fail after a period of time).
A way of dealing with this can be through the use of sandboxing techniques.
Sandboxing is a security mechanism for separating running programs, and can be used
to execute untested code or untrusted programs from third partners / suppliers
minimizing any potential implications for the host system.
When deploying modular applications on resource-constrained embedded devices, some
of the current sandboxing techniques can potentially strain these devices, and therefore
cannot be used in a resource-constrained context. The goal of this thesis is to
investigate which sandbox techniques (or proposed extensions) can be used for
modular applications running on embedded devices.
Doelstelling:
Televic Rail builds train applications (e.g. digital signage TFT displays giving passengers
valuable information about their journey on the train) which are kept up-to-date by a
modular OSGi / Java – based software management system. Within this management
system, there are internal software components (see figure: M1 – M4) but also external
untrusted software components of 3rd party vendors (see figure: EX. M1 – EX. M2).
The goal of this thesis is to provide sandboxing functionality between the external and
internal modules. This sandboxing could for instance be based on limitations in terms of
API access to the internal modules or restrictions on (memory / CPU / storage) resource
usage of the embedded device on which the modules are deployed.
The first part of the thesis will consist of researching different potential solutions to this
problem (solutions can consist for instance of injection of sandbox techniques in the
modular OSGi software or a complete virtualization of the OS by using for example
Linux Containers LXC). The second part of the thesis will be the implementation and
integration of the identified solutions in the OSGi-based software management system.
During this phase, the different solutions will be evaluated and compared in terms of
functionality and performance.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Stage mogelijk bij Televic Rail
13623: Secure Querying for Big Data Analysis on Festival Sites
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Bruno Volckaert
Begeleider(s):
Gregory Van Seghbroeck, Thomas Vanhove
Contactpersoon: Gregory Van Seghbroeck
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: bedrijfskundige
systeemtechnieken en operationeel onderzoek, Master of Science in
de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen, Master of
Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Sensors, actuators, mobile devices, wireless hotspots and many more are becoming
part of everyday life. All serving a common goal, to simplify or enhance whatever we
are doing, e.g. calendar apps combined with GPS to notify us when we need to travel to
get ahead of traffic, heartrate monitors combined with XBoX Kinect create a nice
workout app, etc. This trend of using all kinds of technology is also gaining importance,
even at a more rapid tempo, in the entertainment industry. A great example is the
festival Tomorrowland where they integrated the partying mass in the lightshows at the
main stage. Every festivalgoer had a bracelet with integrated LED lights. The DJs could
incorporate the people’s wristbands in the lightshow and so coloring the entire terrain.
That’s not all, the bracelets were connected to Facebook as well. When two
festivalgoers “paired” with their bracelets, a Facebook friend request was send.
It is easy to understand that in such a connected environment and in such a large scale
(Tomorrowland has over 80000 people attending) security and performance are
critical.
Doelstelling:
In this research we will specifically focus on querying for NoSQL data stores (e.g.
Cassandra, MongoDB, ElasticSearch, etc.) There exist a wide variety of NoSQL data
stores, all with their specific set of features and with a specific usage in mind. In a first
phase we need to decide which NoSQL systems will be investigated.
The type of security we want to study is not about encryption or securing access to a
specific data store. It is about securing the access to specific data and information. Let’s
go back to Tomorrowland, the DJ controlling the lights of the festivalgoers bracelets do
not need access to the different Facebook accounts. They only need the current location
information. Tomorrowland’s security team may have a need for both current and
historical information of particular individuals. We thus need a system that can isolate
parts of the overall data, depending on the use-case, on the requestor’s role, the time
and the location. To make such a system as real-time as possible, we have to prepare
the different queries, so caching strategies have to be investigated.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12985: Self-organizing Virtualized Network Services
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Didier Colle, Mario Pickavet
Wouter Tavernier, Seyedeh Sahel Sahhaf, Steven Van Rossem
Wouter Tavernier
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Current network services such as Netflix, Spotify, or others are usually hosted (at least
partially) in datacenters. Well-designed network applications use elastic data structures
such as Hadoop or Google’s BigTable or algorithmic techniques such as MapReduce, to
benefit from the scaling possibilities offered by these datacenters. Recently, datacenters
are also considered for hosting network functions and associated services which focus
particularly on high-speed packet processing such as firewalling, routing, Deep Packet
Inspection, etc. Whereas these functions used to be implemented by dedicated,
hardware-optimized devices, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) enables to run these
functions as software on datacenter servers.
However, it is unclear how these functions need to be designed in order to optimally
benefit from the scaling opportunities available in datacenters: which components of
these network functions might be executed on separate data center servers, where to
allocate them, how to add additional components in order to scale-up or increase the
reliability of the service, etc. In addition, the particular decomposition of network
functions and services might highly depend on the considered functions, on the load of
the network and data centers, or on the load of the service itself. For example (see
figure), when considering an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) consisting of 6
components to inspect network packets with respect to malicious traffic for an
Enterprise with 3 sites, the optimal allocation of these components to servers in
datacenters might heavily depend on the network load of the individual Enterprise sites,
as well as on the load of the interconnecting network infrastructure.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to investigate the trade-offs in the design and deployment of
network functions and network services when distributing functionality over multiple
servers in potentially remote datacenters. For this purpose, the thesis will target the
design of a framework which is able to explore the decomposition space of a selected
set of network functions and adaptively learn and converge towards a better
decomposition/allocation by relying on learning and optimization algorithms (e.g.,
reinforcement learning) with respect to some elementary performance parameters such
as delay, throughput or service-specific parameters. The validation of the designed
framework might be done in either a simulation environment enabling a certain scale of
scenarios, or might focus on a realistic small-scale setup in emulation, for example on
the virtual wall facilities of the research group.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13098: Semi-supervised clustering on flow cytometry data
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Yvan Saeys
Begeleider(s):
Leen De Baets
Contactpersoon: Leen De Baets
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Clustering is one of the oldest and best investigated machine learning methods. The
main advantage of this method is that there is no need of supervision (no labeled data
points must be delivered). The main disadvantage however is that each clustering
method will give a different solution based on the assumptions made on the data (e.g.
K-Means will return spherical clusters whereas DBSCAN will return randomly shaped
clusters). What the “correct” solution is depends on the user who thus will have to
carefully select the clustering method.
A possible solution is to develop semi-supervised clustering methods which are
clustering methods that use extra known information (concerning the labels, or cluster
shape, or …). By incorporating this extra information the cluster method itself will know
which assumptions it has to make on the data and will produce the correct result.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis would be to create a semi-supervised clustering method. This will
be done on a specific application, namely on flow cytometry data. In this domain,
clustering is important but existing methods have their limitations due to the difficulties
inherent to the data (e.g. different clusters can have different densities and different
clusters can have different shapes). We would like to solve this by creating a semisupervised clustering method, as we have extra knowledge that can be incorporated.
An extra challenge is the big size of data (about millions of data points per data set).
This must certainly be taken into account.
IBCN collaborates with the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) making a huge
amount of biological data available on which tests can be executed. Prior knowledge in
bio-informatics, and biology is not needed, an interest in these topics is.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13074: Sensitivity analysis approaches for designing complex
products
Promotor(en):
Tom Dhaene, Ivo Couckuyt
Begeleider(s):
Dirk Deschrijver
Contactpersoon: Tom Dhaene
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Computer experiments and simulations have become standard when designing complex
products such as engines, cellular phones, spacecraft, etc. This kind of virtual
prototyping allows for rapid iteration and refinement of the desired design. A common
problem is the large number of parameters – lengths, widths, material types, etc. - that
can be tweaked, requiring a large number of simulations to try out various designs
(curse of dimensionality).
Hence it is crucial to have a good understanding of the influence of the many
parameters on the performance of the design without using too many simulations.
Sensitivity analysis, screening, dimension reduction, feature selection, etc. are
examples of such methods that, while closely related, have different goals and different
properties:
- Does a parameter have any (significant) effect on the performance at all? (=
screening)
- If yes, how large of an influence? (= sensitivity analysis)
- Does the parameter affect the performance in a linear way? Or a quadratic way? (=
feature selection)
- Are two parameters correlated?
Doelstelling:
The student will start with a theoretical study of the different sensitivity analysis
methods (Analysis of Variance [ANOVA], Sobol indices, Fourier amplitude sensitivity
testing [FAST], etc.), screening methods (one-factor-at-a-time) and other dimension
reduction methods (supervised principal component analysis). The various advantages
and disadvantages of each approach will be investigated and evaluated using various
simulators and data sets such as:
- the Langley Glide-Back Booster data set (NASA)
- Aneurysm’s stiffness of an artery
- Predicting cracking or thinning inside a car door (BMW)
- pylon structure of satellites
In a second step, the student will try to make some variations or develop his own
technique to improve results. In particular, the focus is on reducing the required
number of simulations to allow for the rapid design of complex products (minimize the
time-to-market).
LINKS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_analysis
http://www.sumo.intec.ugent.be
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Matlab or python expertise will be helpful.
13087: Service oriented architecture (SOA) for surrogate
modeling in a cloud environment
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Tom Dhaene, Dirk Deschrijver
Joachim van der Herten, Ivo Couckuyt
Joachim van der Herten
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The SUMO-Lab (SUrrogate MOdeling Lab) of the IBCN group investigates adaptive
algorithms for construction of surrogate models of diverse complex systems. The
research group developed the SUMO-Toolbox (MATLAB) to automate several aspects
and processes of the model building and sampling. The Toolbox is intensively used in
research by the SUMO group, as well as by several other research groups and
companies.
Often, the usage of surrogate models is a small part of a large scale design project and
the engineers involved do not want to devote a lot of time to installation of the toolbox,
creation of the configuration files etc., especially if only one or two surrogate models
are required. Because applications of the SUMO-Toolbox are part of a larger process, it
is useful to consider surrogate model construction as a service.
In computer science, this is referred to as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), and the
cloud paradigm can help to construct a scalable SUMO-Service.
Doelstelling:
The aim of this project is integration of the SUMO-Toolbox in a cloud environment. This
implies a single SUMO-Toolbox installation by an administrator, which then offers a
service available for the users (designers). The users can communicate with the service
by means of a web interface to create surrogate models. The entire surrogate modeling
process can then be monitored (model performance, plots, simulation results…). Users
must also be able to interact with the process (e.g. halt the process).
Due to the time-intensive nature of the SUMO-Toolbox, several research questions
must be answered. How can the SUMO Toolbox be scaled when the number of requests
rises? Is live migration available or must the processes be halted? Can aspects of the
SUMO Toolbox be distributed to allow further scaling?
In a first phase all possibilities for a Service Oriented Architecture must be identified,
alongside with all advantages (and disadvantages). The best approach in terms of
scalability and usability is then chosen (in cooperation with the SUMO-Lab team) and
implemented.
LINK
- http://www.sumo.intec.ugent.be/
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Kennis van machine learning en surrogaatmodellen is niet vereist, maar interesse voor
deze materie wel. Ervaring met matlab zal zeker van pas komen.
13582: Smart wearables for enhancing healthcare services
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Begeleider(s):
Femke De Backere, Jelle Nelis, dr. Nicolas Staelens [Televic]
Contactpersoon: Femke De Backere
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
AJ:
2015-2016
1 of 2
3
Probleemstelling:
An important aspect of providing high quality healthcare services is continuously
monitoring the physical health of the patients. Smart wearables are attracting more and
more attention. These wearables, such as the Samsung Simband (2) and the Epson
Pulsense (3), seamlessly integrate sensors for measuring, amongst others, heart rate,
blood pressure, etc. in smart watches.
Data from these devices could be used to enhance healthcare services. An important
use case within the eHealth domain is automatically alerting nurses upon detection of
worsening conditions of patients (e.g. heart failure). Televic Healthcare (1) is an
important international player that offers various services and solutions for nurse call.
Robustness, reliability and user friendliness (both for the care takers and the patients)
are key within their systems.
http://www.televic-healthcare.com/en/
http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-simband/
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/pulsense-fitness-sensingwatches.do?ref=van_pulsense
Doelstelling:
During their regular daytime activities, formal caregivers must be very flexible as their
work is highly event-driven. For example, patients can call for help with different
degrees of urgency. Currently, these calls are dispatched to all the nurses within the
ward. However, this dispatching could be made more intelligent by considering
contextual information (e.g. nurse’s occupation, location, …). IBCN has developed the
MASSIF platform (ModulAr, Service-based, SemantIc & Flexible Platform), which offers
modular components capable of analyzing large amounts of data.
The goal of this thesis is to explore the integration of smart wearables within healthcare
and how these can be employed to further enhance the offered healthcare services.
This includes modeling these wearables as part of an ontology and enabling reasoning
on the monitored data to automatically detect/predict (physical) failures and generate
alarms in the system, using the MASSIF cloud platform. In the last part, intelligent
reasoning algorithms should be investigated to automatically dispatch nurse calls to the
proper care taker(s). The wearables will be made available to the student to work with.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Stage mogelijk (Televic)
13579: Smart wearables voor het optimaliseren van zorgdiensten
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
Filip De Turck, Femke Ongenae
Femke De Backere, Jelle Nelis, dr. Nicolas Staelens [Televic]
Femke De Backere
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT -
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
3
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Een belangrijk aspect om hogekwaliteitdiensten aan te bieden is het continu monitoren
van de fysieke gezondheid van de patiënten. Draagbare toestellen (wearables) zoals de
Samsung Simband (2) en de Epson Pulsense (3) bevatten geïntegreerde sensoren voor
het meten van bijvoorbeeld hartslag, bloeddruk, … Data van deze toestellen kan de
kwaliteit van de zorg verbeteren. Een belangrijke toepassing is het geven van alarm
wanneer de wearables ontdekken dat de toestand van een patiënt plots slechter wordt,
bv. door een onregelmatige hartslag. Televic (1) is een belangrijke internationale speler
die oproepsystemen ontwikkelt voor de gezondheidszorg. Deze systemen genereren
alarmen naar het nodige verzorgend personeel. De werking van hun systemen zou
geoptimaliseerd kunnen worden door het gebruik van slimme wearables. Robuustheid,
betrouwbaarheid en gebruiksvriendelijkheid (zowel voor de zorgverstrekkers als voor de
patiënten) zijn belangrijke focuspunten voor dit systeem.
http://www.televic-healthcare.com/en/
http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-simband/
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/pulsense-fitness-sensingwatches.do?ref=van_pulsense
Doelstelling:
Tijdens hun dagdagelijke taken moeten verpleegkundigen heel flexibel zijn aangezien
hun taken heel gebeurtenisafhankelijk zijn. Bijvoorbeeld, patiënten kunnen het
verpleegoproepsysteem gebruiken voor hulp in verschillende mate van dringendheid.
Momenteel worden deze oproepen doorgestuurd naar iedere verpleegkundige op de
afdeling. Het is zou echter mogelijk moeten zijn om deze beslissing meer intelligent te
nemen op basis van contextinformatie die aanwezig is, zoals bijvoorbeeld informatie
over de locatie van een bepaalde verpleegkundige of hun huidige activiteit. IBCN heeft
het MASSIF platform (ModulAr, Service-based, SemantIc & Flexible Platform)
ontwikkeld waarbij modulaire componenten aangeboden worden die in staat zijn om
grote hoeveelheden data te verwerken.
Het doel van deze thesis is het onderzoeken van de mogelijke integratie van slimme
toestellen, zoals smart watches en andere smart wearables in het huidige
verpleegoproepsysteem. Op deze manier kunnen de aangeboden zorgdiensten
geoptimaliseerd worden. Dit houdt in dat deze wearables moeten gemodelleerd worden
in een ontologie en dat het mogelijk moet zijn om te redeneren op de gemonitorde
data. Op deze manier wordt het mogelijk om automatisch problemen te detecteren en
zelfs te voorspellen en ook alarmen te verzenden binnen het systeem, door gebruik te
maken van MASSIF. Als laatste kunnen intelligente redeneeralgoritmen ontwikkeld
worden om de oproep naar de verpleegkundige automatisch uit te voeren op basis van
de gegeven context. De wearables zullen beschikbaar worden gesteld aan de student
voor het uitwerken van deze thesis.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Er is een mogelijkheid om stage te doen bij Televic (http://www.televic.com/en/). Deze
stage is niet verplicht.
12951: Smarter service provisioning for the Internet of Things
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Jeroen Hoebeke, Ingrid Moerman
Floris Van den Abeele, Jen Rossey
Floris Van den Abeele
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
4
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
In the coming years more and more everyday objects are expected to be
interconnected to the Internet, which will lead to a vast expansion of the Internet as we
know it today. The OECD and Cisco estimate that the Internet will grow tenfold in the
near future, with up to 50 billion connected devices by 2020. A lot of these new
Internet citizens will be so called embedded devices, these are small and low cost
devices equipped with sensors and actuators that often communicate wirelessly. Using
IETF network protocols that are adapted to these constraints (e.g. 6LoWPAN and CoAP,
the “embedded” HTTP), these devices can be easily integrated into the IPv6 Internet
and into web services. Due to their low cost, these devices are expected to be
omnipresent and will allow us to digitalize our environment (e.g. temperature, lock
status, energy expenditure, etc.) and perform actions based on this information (e.g.
control heating, close a lock, send a notification, etc.). This will enable a whole new
range of applications which will generate significant efficient gains as well as increase
our standard of living.
Due to its large scale, the Internet of Things will be much more decentralized than
today’s Internet. This brings a number of challenges when having to develop and
deploy services for such distributed systems. How can future networks support the tens
of billions of data streams of so many new devices? Are there better alternatives for
today’s “send, store, process in the Cloud“ model? Are there ways we can optimize the
(wireless) network to support specific patterns of data and control traffic? Furthermore,
due to the expected pervasiveness of this technology, how can we ensure privacy and
authorized data access for these low-cost devices in a world where pervasive
monitoring by large organizations has become the norm? Can we make users more
aware of the data they are collecting and are sharing with external parties?
Doelstelling:
The goal of the thesis is to study how services for the Internet of Things can be better
supported in the future Internet. Both communication network and service aspects can
be studied by the student. The focus will be on distributed, reliable, mobile and low cost
(possibly embedded) systems. The student can rely on the expertise of our researchers
active in this field and can build on existing tools that are available at our IoT research
group.
Depending on the interests of the student(s) there are four possible topics within this
theses:
1. Distributed intelligence: based on the needs of users and CoAP-based
applications, it is the goal to optimally and automatically reconfigure an
operational wireless constrained node network and their protocols
2. Data broker: design of an IoT data broker (initially focussing on CoAP) that gives
people insights in and control over which devices share data share with whom,
who has access to which devices, etc.
3. Fog computing: How can Cloud and Fog computing, i.e. computing closer to the
IoT devices, be combined to support some of the unique characteristics of
Internet of Things services?
4. Security provisioning for the IoT:
Design an authentication and authorization solution for constrained IoT devices,
with its many independent parties co-exist and where sensor data should only be
shared with specific trusted parties.
For each of these topics, the student will have to design a specific solution for the
chosen problem. Once the student has finished the implementation of their design, then
this will have to tested and evaluated via simulation or via a deployment on our
Internet of Things testbed (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12844: Software-cyclusoptimalisatie: een gestroomlijnd pad van
codeontwikkeling naar oplevering en onderhoud
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Sofie Verbrugge, Koen Casier
Jonathan Spruytte
Jonathan Spruytte
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
1
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Software engineering focust zich op het opvolgen en optimaliseren van het softwareontwikkelingsproces. Er bestaat een groot aanbod van zowel methoden als tools om dit
proces te vergemakkelijken en te verbeteren. Het blijft echter nog steeds een grote
uitdaging om te achterhalen welke tools en methoden nu het best samenwerken en
best passen voor een specifieke ontwikkelomgeving. Geen enkele tool beslaat het
volledige ontwikkelingsproces, zo bestaat er tools om de code optimaal te gaan testen
en analyseren, terwijl andere tools focussen op het configureren en opleveren en
installeren van de software, terwijl nog andere optimale dataconversie verzekeren
tussen verschillende versies van het project.
Algemeen kan een software development life cycle (SDLC) sterk verbeterd worden door
het het monitoren van zowel de code als het ontwikkelingsproces zelf; dit kan bv door
het modelleren van het ontwikkelingsproces als een flowcart: zo kan BPMN dienen voor
zowel het modeleren, het opvolgen als het verbeteren van het ontwikkelinsproces.
Doelstelling:
Onderzoek in deze thesis zal zich focussen op het stapsgewijs modeleren van het
software-ontwikkelingsproces om zo mogelijke problemen, fouten en bottlenecks beter
te kunnen detecteren, maar vooral ook beter te begrijpen.




De mast erproef zal starten met een analyse van bestaande tools die momenteel
gebruikt worden in een typisch ontwikkelingsproces om deze dan te gaan
mappen op de verschillende stappen van het SDLC.
Startende van deze analyse is het de bedoeling om mogelijke aanpassingen in
het ontwikkelingsproces voor te stellen, om de eerder gedetecteerde problemen
te voorkomen of op te lossen.
o De volledige code base moet volledig automatisch getest worden (unit
tests), er moet getest worden of de code nog gedeployed kan worden
(pre-deployment testing), databronnen moeten getest worden op
consistentie en integriteit, en moeten automatisch gemigreerd kunnen
worden.
o Bij elk probleem dat opduikt moet de gebruiker gedetailleerd
geïnformeerd worden.
o Bij elk probleem dat opduikt moeten de nodige stappen genomen worden
om het probleem te verhelpen, dit ofwel automatisch ofwel begeleid door
de gebruiker.
Het is de bedoeling dat de student een volledige operationele
ontwikkelingsomgeving (inclusief tools) opzet, samen met enkele nieuwere
prototype tools, als voorbereiding op het einddoel.
Het einddoel van deze thesis is de voorstelling van een softwareontwikkelingsproces dat volledig automatisch opgeleverd en geinstalleerd kan
worden met bepaalde kwaliteitsgaranties (geen crashes, bepaalde performance
ratio’s, bepaalde test coverage) binnen bepaalde tijdsconstraints (maandelijks,
wekelijks, onmiddellijk).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Samenwerking met het bedrijf Amaron. Er is mogelijkheid om aan de thesis een stage
te koppelen binnen Amaron.
12841: Softwarepatronen voor optimale schaalbaarheid en
uitvoeringssnelheid toegepast op een bestaande
netwerkdimensioneringscode
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Koen Casier, Sofie Verbrugge
Jonathan Spruytte
Contactpersoon:
Koen Casier
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: informatica
voor:
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Aggregatienetwerken maken de link tussen toegangsnetwerken en de kernnetwerken.
De snelle evoluties in toegangsnetwerken eisen aanpassingen aan het
aggregatienetwerk, typisch in termen van bandbreedte en betrouwbaarheid.
Evoluties in het aggregatienetwerk vereisen een weloverwogen planning, waarbij een
nieuwe netwerkstructuur afgetoetst wordt voor de verwachte evolutie in bandbreedte,
betrouwbaarheid en aanvullende vereisten.
De IBCN-onderzoeksgroep heeft hiervoor flexibele netwerkdimensioneringscode
geschreven. Die tool laat onderzoekers toe om de impact van netwerktrafiek, routes en
falingen te zien op de dimensies van de verschillende onderdelen van het netwerk.
Hierbij wordt die meestal gebruikt op kleinere netwerken en op meer conceptuele
vraagstukken. Bij bestaande aggregatienetwerken is de schaal van het probleem
typisch veel groter. Een hoge rekensnelheid is bij het nemen van strategische lange
termijn beslissingen voor de planners en managers ook heel belangrijk, omdat dit hen
toelaat om intuïtief over het netwerk te redeneren.
Om dit te bereiken moet de bestaande code aangepast en uitgebreid worden met
verschillende mogelijke strategieën om de snelheid te verhogen, zoals caching,
geoptimaliseerde datastructuren, parallellisatie, …
Het onderzoek binnen deze thesis zal uitgevoerd worden in samenwerking met
Proximus, er zal dan ook gewerkt worden met realistische netwerken en netwerktrafiek
en de uitkomst kan gebruikt worden door Proximus.
Doelstelling:
Het onderzoek binnen deze thesis heeft als doel de bestaande
netwerkdimensioneringscode uit te breiden en aan te passen met als doel het verhogen
van de schaalbaarheid, grootte van de scenario’s die kunnen onderzocht worden,
rekensnelheid en flexibiliteit van de code. De volgende uitdagingen worden daarbij
aangepakt:



Structurele wijzigingen in de rekenstappen om de berekeningen te versnellen.
Hierbij kan gedacht worden aan knippen van nutteloze rekenstappen, bewaren
van dubbel berekende tussenresultaten, opsplitsen van de berekening in
parallelle uitvoeringsstappen.
Structurele wijzigingen in de manier waarop geheugen wordt aangesproken met
als doel de snelheid te verhogen - geoptimaliseerde datastructuren, verlagen van
het geheugengebruik, en vermijden van geheugengebrek bij lange berekeningen
(file/memory mapping).
Bij alle wijzigingen in de code voor schaalbaarheid en uitvoeringssnelheid, moet
speciale aandacht besteed worden aan de bestaande flexibiliteit,
onderhoudbaarheid en uitbreidbaarheid van de code.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Samenwerking met Proximus met mogelijkheid tot stage bij Proximus. Een deel van het
werk kan eventueel bij Proximus worden uitgewerkt.
13620: Structured Storage Of Vibration Measurements For
Railway Applications
Promotor(en):
Filip De Turck, dhr. Frederik Vermeulen [I-Moss]
Begeleider(s):
Stijn Verstichel, Bruno Volckaert
Contactpersoon: Stijn Verstichel
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
1
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Sensors are being integrated in our daily life at an ever increasing pace. Important
examples include applications using accelerometers in a Smartphone. In this Master
Thesis the specific application domain is the railways. However, this in itself already
encompasses a wide spectrum: individual measurements as well as long-term 24-hour
measurements are performed to capture the vibrations and environmental influence,
permanent installations use signal processing to detect vehicle defects, validation of
hindrance models, etc.
Today, this is not a trivial task. It requires domain knowledge as well as sufficient
expertise of existing measurement datasets. Possible queries to be answered are: “all
measurements of this type of vehicle”, “all measurements of vehicle equipped with this
type of brake system”, “measurements of one specific vehicle over a duration of two
years”, “measurements on a specific surface”, “measurements with a specific vibration
pattern”, etc.
Doelstelling:
In this master thesis, a pragmatic persistence/storage method is researched for this
type of measurements. On the one hand, one has the meta-information about the
measurement (for reference: between 1 and 10 mln of measurements), on the other
hand one has the measurement data itself such as data-samples, accelerometers, etc.
(for reference: between 100K and 1 mln samples per measurement). The domain
knowledge is captured in a railway ontology and will need to be combined with a
persistence mechanism to enable the integration of the meta-data on the vibration
measurements with the measurement data itself. In collaboration with the supervisors,
one or more technologies will be elaborated. The chosen solution will be evaluated and
demonstrated thoroughly through the development of a user-friendly application.
References: http://www.vibrationanalysts.com/services_management.asp,
http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/Accelconf/p07/PAPERS/WEPMN007.PDF,
http://vibration.desy.de, http://research.microsoft.com/enus/collaboration/fourthparadigm/4th_paradigm_book_part3_fox_hendler.pdf .
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Locatie: Zuiderpoort, Izegem, Thuis Stage mogelijk bij I-Moss
12948: Supporting device mobility using an app-like store for
Internet-Of-Things communication protocols
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Peter Ruckebusch
Peter Ruckebusch
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The Internet-Of-Things (IoT) is a hot topic because it promises the third wave of
computerization and therefore attracts a lot of attention in academic and industry
communities. In the Internet-Of-Things vision, all devices can be interconnected,
however current IoT solutions are still very far from that reality and can be described
better as Intranet-Of-Things solutions.
The problem with using the Intranet-Of-Things approach is that for each wireless
application, a new wireless network is created that is a separate entity. Since the nodes
in each network have uncontrolled access of the shared wireless medium, the different
networks compete with and interfere each other. In addition, each network is also
managed by a different entity without any form of policy regulation. This results in
wireless solutions with degraded performance and unpredictable wireless
communication, making it very hard to build more advanced applications like indoor
positioning, ambient assisted living and factory of the future.
Doelstelling:
In order to create a solution that truly adopts the IoT vision, many technology
enhancements (software and hardware), covering research from different domains
(distributed computing, M2M communication, ubiquitous sensor networks, cognitive
networking etc.), needs to be integrated. Within the context of this master thesis, one
aspect of the solution will be investigated, namely the capability for mobile nodes to
integrate seamlessly in new networks.
For this to work, an app-like repository is required that allows the mobile node to
retrieve and install new communication protocols enabling it to communicate in each of
the different networks. The main open research challenges are: a) enabling discovery of
the required communication protocols in each network; b) seamless hand-over from
one network to the other; c) establishing a trust-based system in which third-party
network software can be installed on the mobile node.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12819: Techno-economic evaluation of applying Network
Function Virtualization in Telecom Access Networks
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd voor:
Niet behouden voor:
Nog onbeslist voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Marlies Van der Wee
Marlies Van der Wee
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
elektrotechniek
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Nowadays, telecom access services, such as IPTV, require user-specific hardware,
installed at each subscriber’s home (Customer Premises Equipment – CPE). This
installation of user-specific CPE entails high costs, both upfront and in the operational
expenditures. The upfront costs are mostly investment in the hardware, while the
operational costs lie with major updates requiring the subscriber to visit a service
center to update or exchange its hardware.
This CPE hardware can be virtualized and moved further up the network hierarchy
(grouped in several, distributed data centers). As such, the expensive, user-specific
hardware can be substituted by a simpler, more user-friendly and cheaper
interface. The computing intelligence, on the other hand, is moved to the distributed
data centers, which may lead to significant cost savings. Furthermore, the elasticity
provided by the virtualization allows efficient scaling of resources as a function of active
users, reducing the overall energy costs, and opens up opportunities to install more and
advanced network functionalities.
Doelstelling:
This thesis aims at performing a techno-economic evaluation of the virtualization of the
CPE, in which the additional costs for introducing such virtualized service are compared
to potential savings that can be achieved. The work in this thesis will require a multidisciplinary approach, as a good understanding of the technological opportunities
should be matched to the economic possibilities in terms of required costs and potential
revenues.
Potential research questions for the thesis could be:


Which functions can be migrated to the distributed data centers and which
functions need to stay at the consumer’s premises?
How will the service be maintained in the deployment period (as deployment will
occur gradually, both virtualized and non-virtualized devices will co-exist)?

Which new applications will benefit from or require this approach and what are
the dedicated requirements the customers might ask for?
Depending on the research questions that are targeted, the background of the student
and the focus on the technological/economic side, a cost-benefit trade-off model can be
developed in Java or Excel
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Topic in collaboration with the Belgian telecom regulator BIPT
13416: The application of learning analytics in classroom and lab
sessions
Promotor(en):
Frank Gielen
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Jolien Coenraets, Sebastiaan Koole
Jolien Coenraets
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
The growth of the internet quickly changes the way we teach and learn. Learning
analytics is one of the emerging digital innovation areas in education and applies data
science to learning while the growth of mobile technology and the internet of things
with sensors and wearable’s allows to capture learning data anywhere at anytime.
Learning analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about
learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and
the environments in which it occurs. Learning data provides teachers and students realtime insight about all course activities. Learning analytics allow to measure student
progress and combined with dashboards, they provide a useful tool to compare
students with peers or to identify quality problems with the course material.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to research and design the application of learning analytics to
off-line activities such as classroom activities, practical work sessions and (remote) lab
exercises. The thesis will start with a state-of-the-art analysis of learning analytics
including the usage of mobile devices and sensors to capture learning data. Next, a
software architecture and design will be proposed and a proof of concept will be build.
The proof of concept will be developed for the use case of clinical internships for
dentistry students. The application will be tested in a real lab environment to collect
user feedback from students and teachers.
The research should also include a section about the legal aspects of capturing and
using student data. The research questions include: Who owns the learning data? What
privacy rules apply to learning data?
Finally the thesis will identify future research and applications of the Internet of Things
in the context of digital learning environments and learning analytics.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
In samenwerking met de vakgroep Tandheelkunde van de Faculteit Geneeskunde en
Gezondheidswetenschappen
12932: The battle between LTE and Wi-Fi
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman
Begeleider(s):
Dries Naudts, Vasileios Maglogiannis
Contactpersoon: Dries Naudts
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Over the past few years, mobile devices such as smartphones, wearable technology,
tablets and laptops have tremendously proliferated and changed the way people
communicate, exchange information and more generally access the Internet anywhere
and anytime.
Unlicensed spectrum is a very important part of the wireless communications as it gives
the opportunity to be used by everyone. It is a publicly owned spectrum and people do
not have to apply and pay for a license to use it. Hence, many widespread technologies
have already been designed to operate in unlicensed spectrum such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee,
etc. On the other hand, initiatives have already been started so that other technologies
that are designed to operate in licensed spectrum such as LTE could penetrate in the
unlicensed spectrum.
It is agreed that LTE, due to the way it was designed, would blow away Wi-Fi networks
when operating in unlicensed spectrum. The main challenge is how LTE and Wi-Fi could
coexist in a harmonious and optimal way respecting each other characteristics.
Doelstelling:
To achieve the desirable coexistence between LTE and Wi-Fi in the unlicensed
spectrum, the student will need to thoroughly investigate how LTE and Wi-Fi are
designed and how they make use of the wireless spectrum to establish a wireless
communication network. The goal of this thesis is to design mechanism and protocols to
achieve harmonious cooperation between the two technologies.
To this end, the student will make use of the OpenAirInterface platform
(http://www.openairinterface.org) available in the testbed of IBCN
((http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview). The OpenAirInterface platform is a
combination of open source software and a hardware platform, to implement the
aforementioned mechanisms and protocols. The platform allows for real
experimentation with LTE and enables low-level implementation of wireless protocols.
By performing extensive experiments, the developed algorithms will then be evaluated
and analyzed in order to validate the achieved results.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13022: Tijd maken in een draadloze wereld: hoe kunnen
heterogene toestellen gesynchroniseerd worden in een draadloze
omgeving
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Peter De Valck
Peter De Valck
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Hoewel draadloze communicatie de laatste jaren al veel vooruitgang geboekt heeft, wil
iedereen nog steeds dat zijn batterij langer mee gaat en hun downloads sneller gaan.
Het is dus van groot belang het draadloze medium zo efficiënt mogelijk te gebruiken en
een belangrijke factor daarbij is synchronisatie. Twee zenders die niet gesynchroniseerd
zijn lopen het risico dat hun transmissies overlappen en dus verloren gaan tenzij ze
voldoende tijd laten tussen transmissies.
Dit zorgt voor zowel een lagere energie-efficiëntie als een beperking van de snelheid
aangezien de radio aan moet staan terwijl er niets verzonden wordt en er tijdens de
marge tussen transmissies geen data verstuurd kan worden.
iMinds heeft een testbed met meer dan 60 knopen die verschillende draadloze
technologieën ondersteunen. In deze thesis willen we evalueren hoe zo een dicht
netwerk met verschillende technologieën gesynchroniseerd kan worden wat het effect
hiervan is op de draadloze communicatie.
Doelstelling:
Deze thesis bestaat uit twee onderzoekspaden die afzonderlijk gekozen kunnen worden
of gecombineerd worden tot 1 thesis.
Het eerste onderzoekspad is het karakteriseren van de tijdseigenschappen van alle
knopen en technologieën die geïnstalleerd zijn in het iMinds testbed en het bepalen van
de factoren die hier een invloed op hebben. Op basis van deze resultaten kunnen
bestaande of nieuwe modellen verfijnd worden om de invloed van synchronisatie op de
draadloze communicatie te voorspellen.
De tweede optie is het bestuderen van bestaande synchonisatieoplossingen en het
evalueren van hun prestaties in het IBCN testbed (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabtoverview). Deze oplossingen zullen geïmplementeerd moeten worden op de aanwezige
hardware (van applicatielaag tot de datalinklaag) in het IBCN testbed. Op basis van
deze evaluatie kunnen de bestaande oplossingen verbeterd worden of kunnen nieuwe
oplossingen voorgesteld en geïmplementeerd worden.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12917: Towards automatic interpretation of song lyrics: Can
computers learn deeper meaning from human annotations?
Promotor(en):
Chris Develder, Thomas Demeester
Begeleider(s):
Lucas Sterckx, Laurent Mertens
Contactpersoon: Thomas Demeester
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Music information retrieval (MIR) is the interdisciplinary science of retrieving
information from music. MIR is a small but growing field of research with many realworld applications like music recommendation and mood detection. Current techniques
mainly focus on analysis of the audio-signal or community data. Although lyrics are an
important aspect of the identity of a song, artist or genre, they are often disregarded.
A major difficulty that hampers exploiting the information embedded in song lyrics, is
that they often adopt poetic devices, such as metaphors and descriptive imagery, which
make them hard to interpret by machine algorithms.
Recently, websites like ‘genius.com’ and ‘songmeanings.com’, that allow users to
annotate lyrics with their interpretation, have garnered a lot of popularity. Yet, because
these rely on time-consuming (voluntary) human annotation, this is not a scalable
approach.
This thesis will tackle two problems. First, the potential value of social annotations for
several MIR problems, including the task of topic categorization and detection in lyrics,
will be quantitatively analysed. Second, machine learning and Natural Language
Processing will be applied to try and generate such annotations automatically, by
learning from a large collection of social annotations and ultimately describe the deeper
meaning of lyrics.
By working on this thesis in close collaboration with the IBCN Information Retrieval
team, the student will acquire a number of data scientist skills that are highly valuable
in present-day industries.
At the same time, the scientific approach will form a suitable preparation for students
who would like to start their career in research.
Please contact us by e-mail (thomas.demeester@intec.ugent.be) to arrange a short
meeting (on skype or in person) in case you are interested or would like to get more
specific information.
Doelstelling:
In this thesis we propose the use of social annotations in MIR: free-text keyphrases
produced by novice users. These free-text annotations are inherently noisy: there is no
fixed vocabulary, no explicit relationship between lyrics and the annotations and no
guarantee that all relevant semantic properties of the lyrics are annotated. This thesis
would be the first application of such social annotations for lyrics, and hence will be a
valuable result for the MIR-research community, with great potential for presentation at
one of the MIR-conferences.
Specifically, the thesis will start from previous work, which gathered a large collection
of lyrics, categorized in terms of thematic topics they cover, and uncovered the
problems for automatic interpretation based on the pure, non-annotated lyrics. The
thesis will address two major research challenges:
• Does it help to have descriptive text, in addition to the plain (cryptic) lyrics? A large
collection of social annotations will be mined matching the existing collection of
categorized lyrics, and performance for automatic text classification will be studied.
• Can the annotation of lyrics be automated? Machine learning techniques will be
explored for generating annotations for unannotated pieces of lyrics: the thesis will
study techniques for Topic Modeling, which are statistical models for the generation of
text.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort, thuis
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
12783: Towards faster techno-economic evaluation of network
scenarios via a modular network equipment database
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle
Bram Naudts
Bram Naudts
Goedgekeurd
voor:
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
2
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Techno-economic modeling is used to evaluate technological solutions in different
business environments via simulation. Four typical steps can be observed in technoeconomic analysis: definition of scope, modeling the costs and revenues, technoeconomic evaluation and finally refinement of the analysis.
Building a techno-economic model for a certain service is challenging without a good
view on the different components that are involved with the offering of a service. The
initial scope set is constituted of collecting the required input, subdividing the problem
and an initial processing of the input. The collection of input includes the process of
getting familiar with the technical design and the collection of component costs.
Across many techno-economic models the same set of generic components is used.
These are at the moment modeled specifically designed for each case which is time
intensive and prone to errors. It also makes comparison between cases impossible.
Components that are used across several cases are those needed to deploy a data
center and those needed to deploy a multi-layer network.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to research the possibility of designing configurable block
models of the major components of a multi-layer telecom network that is connected
with caching locations. Examples of such block models are a core router, an
aggregation router, a (D)WDM node, a fiber link or a caching location.
The following challenges are part of this research:




Analysis of critical factors that determine the dimensioning of each of the
building blocks (e.g. number of request, bandwidth, etc.) as well as the outputs
of each block model.
The design of the different building blocks and the description in equipment cost
modeling notation (ECMN)
The analysis of the links between the building blocks to create a real network
scenario.
Analysis of how the building blocks can be chained: the output of the first block
model can be an input to the next block model, etc.
Once the building blocks are developed and chained together, they can be used in
practice to evaluate a network scenario such as the deployment of caching locations in
the network of the service provider.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13466: Tracing back your steps: fingerprinting first-person video
using neural networks
Promotor(en):
Bart Dhoedt, Pieter Simoens
Begeleider(s):
Steven Bohez, Tim Verbelen
Contactpersoon: Steven Bohez
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
AJ:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
1 of 2
1
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
As our lives get ever busier in our digital age, we have ever more information to keep
track of and faces to remember. No one likes the embarassment of not recalling the
name of the person you’re talking to, or the hassle of searching all over the house for
the smartphone or keys you had in your hands five minutes ago.
New emerging technologies such as wearable devices, however, might help us out.
Especially head-mounted devices such as smart glasses are equiped with an extensive
set of sensors (such as GPS, accelerometer, but more importantly: cameras) that
provide a wealth of information about our suroundings, more than we can register
consciously. If we could continously “record” and index all this information, we would be
able to trace back our steps and find our missing keys quickly.
Simply recording all this data is not feasible, however, not only from a dataprocessing/-storage point of view but also because of privacy concerns. A way around
this is to use some form of fingerprinting, which allows us to compress streams of video
and sensor data into a compact representation. This fingerprint should be rich enough
to allow queries for previously unseen data (e.g. new acquaintances) without the
fingerprinting scheme needing to change
Doelstelling:
The goal of this MSc thesis is to create a fingerprinting scheme for sensor data, mainly
first-person video, collected from wearable devices. These fingerprints should be
continuously recorded and indexed alongside basic metadata such as time and location,
and be stored to allow future querying. As the exact nature of the queries is unknown
beforehand, techniques from machine learning that can be trained unsupervised seem
promising for creating the fingerprint. Especially (convolutional) auto-encoding neural
networks have shown to be able to significantly compress their input without much loss
of information.
Besides fingerprinting itself, an interface should be available that allows users to makes
queries, such as “Where have I parked my car?”, which the system should then be able
to answer with sufficient confidence. This requires a fingerprint of the object or person
that is the subject of the query, and matching this fingerprint with the recorded trace.
As performing all these processing tasks on the wearable device itself would be
detrimental for energy consumption, aspects of cloud computing will have to be
investigated as well in order to trade off localized processing with data transmission.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
13928: Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure
communication using mobile networks
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, dr. Wim Vandenberghe [Be-Mobile]
Begeleider(s):
Dries Naudts
Contactpersoon: Dries Naudts
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
voor:
computerwetenschappen
Aantal
1 of 2
studenten:
Aantal
2
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Novel applications become possible when vehicles can exchange information with other
vehicles or roadside infrastructure in their immediate environment. Drivers could be
warned when approaching dangerous situations such as the tail of a traffic jam, an
obstacle or slippery spot on the road, a ghost driver, etc. For almost a decade, research
and standardisation activities in this domain have focused on the adoption of a local
communication technology derived from WiFi.
However, adoption of this technology remains low. An important obstacle is the chicken
and egg problem: the required roadside equipment is not deployed because cars are
not equipped with this technology, and car manufacturers are waiting to adopt the
technology until there is available roadside infrastructure. A possible solution would be
to adopt mobile networks to realize this type of applications. It is however unclear if the
corresponding state-of-the-art mobile technology can meet the application’s stringent
requirements regarding delay and throughput.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the feasibility of adopting mobile networks to
provide vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Two different
technologies should be investigated: broadcast technology and cellular networks. In
terms of broadcasting, technologies need to be identified that combine the availability
of RDS/TMC with higher throughputs as can be found in DAB and DVB. A second step
will be to demonstrate the usability of the identified technology through real-life
experiments.
In terms of cellular networks, the first step will be to quantify the connectivity
characteristics of today’s cellular deployments. For this real-world experiments should
be performed that combine connectivity measurements with information about the
traffic state in the probe’s immediate environment. The second step will be to design,
implement and empirically validate solutions that could improve the connectivity, e.g.
through selective in-cell broadcasting of data, or adoption of mobile edge computing
techniques.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
De mogelijkheid bestaat om stage te lopen bij Be-Mobile, in de kantoren te Melle
(vlakbij station Merelbeke).
12970: Waarom is mijn Wi-Fi verbinding zo onvoorspelbaar?
Promotor(en):
Begeleider(s):
Contactpersoon:
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Michael Mehari, Wei Liu
Eli De Poorter
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektronica-ICT Goedgekeurd
Campus Kortrijk, Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen:
voor:
elektronica-ICT - Campus Schoonmeersen
Niet behouden
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek voor:
Campus Kortrijk
Master of Science in de industriële wetenschappen: elektrotechniek Nog onbeslist
Campus Schoonmeersen, Master of Science in de industriële
voor:
wetenschappen: informatica
Aantal studenten: 1 of 2
Aantal
4
masterproeven:
AJ:
2015-2016
Probleemstelling:
Dat draadloze communicatie niet steeds betrouwbaar werkt, is reeds lang geweten.
Verbindingen vallen weg zonder duidelijk aanwijsbare reden en de throughput varieert
van dag tot dag en van locatie tot locatie. Voor niet technisch onderlegde gebruikers
zijn de oorzaken van dit onvoorspelbaar gedrag is moeilijk te achterhalen. Heeft je
smartphone geen verbinding omdat hij te ver verwijderd is van het access point,
omwille van interferentie van andere draadloze technologieën, omwille van fysieke
obstakels of omwille van verkeerde instellingen?
Om dit
te achterhalen moet een eindgebruiker beschikken over domeinspecifieke kennis en
toegang hebben tot gedetailleerde en complexe low-level informatie (error logs, packet
sniffing, spectrum informatie, etc.). Bijvoorbeeld: de aanwezigheid en het type
interferentie (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,…) kan worden afgeleid uit de distributie van de bitfouten
van een ontvangen pakket. Spijtig genoeg is het identificeren van mogelijke problemen
een complexe taak die handmatig moet worden uitgevoerd. Om dit te verhelpen is het
doel van deze thesis het ontwerp van software algoritmes en/of hardware oplossingen
die in staat zijn om (i) automatisch de oorzaak van falende links te identificeren en (ii)
automatisch het netwerk te herconfigureren om deze problemen op te lossen nog voor
de gebruiker hiervan iets merkt.
Doelstelling:
Binnen dit onderwerp zijn de volgende onderzoeken mogelijk.
Optie 1: artificiële intelligentie. Het doel van dit onderwerp is om een artificieel
intelligentie algoritme te ontwikkelen dat low-level informatie (error logs, sniffed
packets, …) kan gebruik om verschillende types netwerkproblemen (i.e. interferentie, te
grote transmissieafstand, handover probleem, etc.) te identificeren. Bovendien moet
het algoritme in staat zijn mogelijke oplossingen voor de problemen te suggereren.
Optie 2: identificatie van interferentie. Wi-Fi kaarten kunnen niet alle types interferentie
(Bluetooth, DECT, etc.) identificeren. In onze testbedden beschikken we over softwaredefined radios die in staat zijn hun fysische laag parameters te herconfigureren
(modulatie, frequentie, etc.). Het doel van dit onderwerp is om deze herconfigureerbare
radio’s te gebruiken om te identificeren welke draadloze technologieën interfereren met
de Wi-Fi transmissies.
Optie 3: spectrum analyse. Spectrum analyse geeft informatie over de soorten
interferentie die aanwezig zijn, maar vereist het gebruik van dure herconfigureerbare
radios. Dit onderwerp onderzoekt welke goedkope radios kunnen gebruikt worden voor
het identificeren van spectrum problemen en/of het design van een goedkoop custom
radio bord dat hiertoe in staat is.
Voor deze studies zal gebruik gemaakt worden van de grootschalige draadloze
testfaciliteiten van IBCN (http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview).
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
Stage bij Televic Conference is mogelijk!
12947: Why does my Wi-Fi behave strangely?
Promotor(en):
Ingrid Moerman, Eli De Poorter
Begeleider(s):
Michael Mehari, Wei Liu
Contactpersoon: Eli De Poorter
Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering, Master of
Goedgekeurd
Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: computerwetenschappen,
voor:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen: elektrotechniek,
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Niet behouden
voor:
Nog onbeslist
voor:
Aantal
studenten:
Aantal
masterproeven:
Master of Science in de ingenieurswetenschappen:
computerwetenschappen
AJ:
2015-2016
1 of 2
3
Probleemstelling:
Wireless communications are not always flawless, leading to a lot of frustrations and
complaints from the end users. Disconnections happen seemingly at random and the
actual throughput can vary strongly from time to time and from location to location. For
non-technical users, it is difficult to find out the underlying cause for this unpredictable
Wi-Fi behavior.
For example, does your smartphone fail to connect because it is out of range with the
access point, due to external interference from other wireless technologies, due to
physical obstacles that are blocking the communication path, or due to badly configured
settings? Identifying the causes of these problems is not feasible for end users, since it
requires domain specific knowledge and access to low level information. This
information can be found by investigating error logs, by sniffing wireless packets and by
analyzing the wireless spectrum. For example: the presence and type of interference
(Bluetooth, other Wi-Fi packets, etc.) can be identified by analyzing the distribution of
bit errors in a packet, thereby allowing the end users to take action to mitigate these
conditions (turn their Bluetooth headset off, switch to a different channel…).
Unfortunately, identifying possible causes for malfunctioning is currently still a manual
process. To remedy this, the goal of this thesis is the design of software algorithms
and/or hardware solutions capable of (i) automatically identifying the causes of link
failures and (ii) automatically remedying Wi-Fi failures before actual performance loss
occurs.
Doelstelling:
The goal of this thesis is to solve one of the following wireless communication
challenges:
Option 1: artificial intelligence. Wireless systems contain a significant amount of
information (in the form of error logs, spectrum information, packet sniffing…) that is
not accessible to typical end users. The goal if this investigation is to automatically
collect this low level information and design artificial intelligence algorithms that can
identify which typical Wi-Fi problems (i.e. interference, too long distance, faulty
handover…) can be predicted using the collected information. In addition, for a number
of these situations, the algorithm should be capable of suggesting solutions to remedy
the problems.
Option 2: interference identification. Many wireless problems are caused by the
coexistence of heterogeneous wireless technologies, e.g. Wi-Fi chips cannot detect
technologies that use different modulations. However, in our testbed facilities
(http://ilabt.iminds.be/iminds-wilabt-overview), we have a number of software-defined
radio devices with a possibility to implement a reconfigurable physical layer, allowing
them to switch to different modulation types and frequencies. The goal of this topic is to
design algorithms capable of using these reconfigurable radios to identify which other
technologies are currently causing interference for the Wi-Fi system.
Option 3: spectrum sensing. Finally, spectrum sensing is currently an option that is too
expensive to use in typical households. This topic investigates which existing cheap,
affordable hardware radios can be used for the purpose of identifying spectrum
problems in typical homes, or alternatively, will design an affordable, custom hardware
board capable of doing so.
Locatie:
Zuiderpoort
Website:
Meer informatie op: www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be/content/masters-thesis-academic-year2015-2016
Opmerkingen:
This master thesis offers the possibility for an internship at Televic Conference