Speaker: Dr Michael Bruenig (CSIRO)

Title: Nano Scale Sensor Networks

Abstract: The research area of sensor networks was initiated through a broad vision that Smart Dust could be spread into the environment collecting useful information and communicating it back to base. The computer science community soon adopted this topic and real world approximations of Smart Dust were created: Electronic circuits with micro-controllers and radio communication that can form ad hoc networks and do not require additional infrastructure. These motes have been researched extensively to date and tremendous progress has been made over the last decade. However, current motes fall short of the original Smart Dust vision in terms of size and price point. But researching sensor networks in their entirety has introduced a new way of thinking about data collection: Instead of collecting only a few high quality data points, measurements at lower quality but increased quantity and spread could be taken. With that focus we explore returning to the original vision. Lessons learned over more than a decade of research and from extensive practical experience through field deployments are taken into account.

Bio: Dr Michael Brünig is a Research Director at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. He leads a strategic program in Sensors and Sensor Networks that brings together more than 40 researchers from diverse science areas and locations across Australia. With uninterrupted experience in research and development in academia, industry, and governmental agencies since 1996, Dr Brünig has worked in high tech areas in Europe, the US, and Australia. Before taking responsibility of the Sensors and Sensor Networks program, he was head of the Autonomous Systems Research Lab and prior to his engagement with CSIRO, Dr Brünig was with Robert Bosch Corporation, USA, where he led a research program with focus on automotive and security technologies. Dr Brünig has published in the areas of image and video processing, human computer interaction, automation and robotics, and sensor networks. He obtained his PhD from RWTH Aachen University, Germany and holds an Adjunct Professor appointment with The University of Queensland. He is a senior member of the IEEE, a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and serves on the board of the German Couplink Group AG.

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Speaker: Dr. Duncan W Craig (DSTO)

Title: Signal and Image Processing Challenges in Defence - Drivers for Change

Abstract:: This talk will discuss the evolving challenges facing Defence, that in turn are driving a need for new approaches to signal and image processing.  Increasing emphasis on detecting and extracting information at a level that enables discrimination of entities and intent, rather than just object detection, is critical in a modern security environment.  This in turn drives high resolution sensing, multi-sensor exploitation and maximum use of any information that helps contextualize the sensor data.  This results in serious challenges in information management (discovery, correlation and dissemination), with analyst overload being a likely result.  These issues will be discussed in this presentation.

Bio: Duncan Craig graduated in Physics from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, in 1982. He then worked for the UK MoD at (what was then known as) the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Malvern from 1982-1990. He was involved in the areas of nonlinear optics and thermal imager performance modelling. During this time he gained a PhD from Heriot-Watt University on the topic of Nonlinear Optical Effects.

In 1990 he commenced work at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation Edinburgh, undertaking work on infrared sensor systems, surveillance capability trials and studies, and later establishing the Synthetic Environment Research Facility within Land Operations Division.

In 2000 he took up the position of Head Surveillance Systems Analysis, leading a range of studies and trials related to surveillance capability effectiveness, culminating in the North West Shelf Unmanned Aerial System Trial conducted in 2006.

e is now Research Leader Information Integration within Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Division and is involved in a range of R&D activites related to ISR system effectiveness and ISR information management. He leads the Integrated ISR Corporate Enabling Research Program within DSTO.

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