Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Radar – Innovation"

Objective of the study: Highlight the innovations achieved in the pandemic period by a transformation industry that supplies products for civil construction.Originality/Relevance: Qualitatively describes how innovations are carried out based on the innovation radar in an industry at an adverse time of a pandemic.Methodology/Approach: It is characterized as a technical, descriptive, qualitative report through content analysis.Main results: The results showed that the industry was directly affected by the lack of raw material during the pandemic period, and found solutions by innovating, mainly in the dimensions supply, solutions, value addition, organization, supply chain, and processes.Contribution: As contributions of the study, information related to the business environment aimed at innovation in times of crisis and in the covid-19 world pandemic was pointed out, and the advance in measuring business innovations in a qualitative way using the innovation radar tool.

Purpose This study aims to propose a new procedure called innovation radar in hospitality (IRH), which was specifically designed to measure the innovations in hotels. Design/methodology/approach Based on a systematic review, a structured questionnaire was developed with 31 questions. The questions covered 12 dimensions related to hospitality: offer, platform, solutions, customer, customer experience, value capture, processes, organization, supply chain, presence, network and brand. The developed IRH instrument allowed to identify five ordered stages of innovation in the hospitality industry: basic operational, advanced operational, basic innovator, intermediate innovator and advanced innovator. The IRH was tested in real environment in Brazilian Hotels. Findings The procedure proved to be stable and able to rank hotels by innovation. The IRH allocated hotels consistently into one of the five stages. By analyzing each survey hotel individually, the procedure showed no discrepancies between the individual rates and the allocated stage by IRH. Practical implications The IRH can be an automated and structured instrument to measure innovation by consumers, platforms, agencies, research studies and governments. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first structured and quantitative procedure to measure innovation in hotels. The radar was able to detect specific actions aimed at innovation that serve as a good prediction mechanism for innovation in the hospitality sector. In this context, the radar emerges as an important tool for innovation metrics in the tourism sector, offering analysis mechanisms and a way to evaluate and monitor companies.

Abstract Large amount of real-time ocean currents measured by HF radar have been included into the ocean observation database in many countries and regions, in support of applications for various marine activities such as marine research, Oil spill detection, tsunami warning, search and rescue. However, due to the performance of inversion algorithms and radar antennas, and other reasons, there are differences in the credibility of ocean current results at different times and locations, which brings on difficulties to applications of ocean currents. This letter proposes a method for developing a credibility model of ocean current results, mainly for all-digital multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) HF radar. By comparing the model with field experimental results, it is confirmed that the method is feasible. It will be very beneficial for radar users to select and use ocean current results, greatly reducing the work of verification of newly installed radars, and will be an innovation in the application technology of over-the-horizon marine radars.

This paper summarizes many years of experience in process design and methodology implementation for sustainable innovation development as carried out by the authors within several innovation projects in different industries (e.g. fixed and mobile telecommunications, high tech, logistics). We have developed a research innovation approach which provide effective innovation intelligence and scouting through the use of technology and innovation radars. These instruments enable the identification and evaluation of emerging business and technology trends, provide an overview of the relative maturity and assess their relevance to the company. A rating mechanism helps companies to decide when to adopt an innovation and to develop new products and services. Furthermore, the technology and innovation radars are good strategic tools for early stage identification and prioritization in order to give an approximate value judgment without detailed return-on-investment justifications. In later stages of the planning process, the radar tools can be used as a high-level summary of an underlying prioritization process.

Alguns fenômenos vêm influenciando de forma marcante as atividades econômicas do estado de Pernambuco, como a globalização e a recente alocação de grandes indústrias. Neste cenário, às Micro e Pequenas Empresas localizadas na região exercem papel fundamental no desenvolvimento local, devido sua representatividade no fomento à economia. Partindo da necessidade de avaliar o cenário inovativo industrial pernambucano, este estudo mensura a evolução do grau de inovação organizacional de indústrias de transformação localizadas em Recife/PE. Para tanto, aplicou-se o diagnóstico Radar da Inovação em 30 Empresas de Pequeno Porte do setor. Os resultados apontaram que o setor apresenta um comportamento inovador ocasional, obtendo um Grau Médio de Inovação (GMI) inferior a 3,0. Dimensões voltadas a relacionamento, processos e ambiência inovadora se destacaram de forma positiva por causa do número de inovações realizadas e da evolução do grau médio de inovação.Abstract: Some phenomena have influenced markedly the economic activities of the state of Pernambuco, as globalization and the recent allocation of large industries. In this scenario, the Micro and Small Enterprises located in the region play a key role in local development, because their representation in stimulating the economy. Starting from the need to evaluate the Pernambuco innovative industrial setting, this study measures the evolution of the degree of organizational innovation in manufacturing industries located in Recife / PE. To this end, we applied the Innovation Radar diagnosis in 30 Small Businesses of the sector. The results showed that the sector presents an innovative casual behavior, providing a Middle Degree of Innovation (GMI) below 3.0. Dimensions focused on relationships, processes and innovative ambience stood out positively because of the number of innovations made and the evolution of the average degree of innovation.Keywords: Innovation; Industrial innovation; Industry of Pernambuco; Innovation Radar.

Abstract This study examines the univariate error covariances of hourly rainfall accumulations using two different NWP models and a mosaic of radar reflectivity over a continental-scale domain. The study focuses on two main areas. The focus of the first part of the paper is on the ensemble-based and the innovation-based error variance and correlation estimations. An ensemble of forecasts and a set of observations provide the basis for estimating the errors in two different ways. The results indicate that both ensemble- and innovation-based methods lead to comparable variance estimations, while the local error correlation estimates have larger differences due to the sensitivity of calculations to the gradient of the variance field. The second part of the paper uses innovations for identifying the errors. The focus of this part is on a prognostic method for estimating the error statistics from the background based on the Bayesian inference technique. The case study shows that the predictive model produces a similar result regarding the magnitude and the dispersion of variance in comparison with the innovation and ensemble-based variances. This study represents a step toward estimating local error variances and local error correlations to construct a nonhomogeneous and precipitation-dependent error covariance matrix of rainfall. These results will be used in a future paper in the design of a 2D-VAR Assimilation Method for Blending Extrapolated Radars (AMBER) with NWP precipitation forecast to form a precipitation nowcasting model.

This paper is a study on corporate communication and the ability to innovate in small businesses. The guiding question seeks to respond whether organizational communication is able to make progress and / or support innovation in micro and small companies, and the main objective is to analyze the relationship between innovation and organizational communication. It was applied the case study method and document research for interpreting a diagnosis instru- ment called “Innovation Radar” in a small business company located in the countryside of São Paulo state. The diagnosis is made based on assessment dimensions aimed at checking the maturity and the degree of innovation in micro and small companies. By evaluating these di- mensions it was possible to build analytical frameworks and highlight the influence of corporate communication in promoting innovation. The results indicate that every dimension of the “In- novation Radar” can improve their performance by means of corporate communication.

Abstract. The development of ground-based cloud radars offers a new capability to continuously monitor fog structure. Retrievals of fog microphysics are key for future process studies, data assimilation, or model evaluation and can be performed using a variational method. Both the one-dimensional variational retrieval method (1D-Var) or direct 3D/4D-Var data assimilation techniques rely on the combination of cloud radar measurements and a background profile weighted by their corresponding uncertainties to obtain the optimal solution for the atmospheric state. In order to prepare for the use of ground-based cloud radar measurements for future applications based on variational approaches, the different sources of uncertainty due to instrumental, background, and forward operator errors need to be properly treated and accounted for. This paper aims at preparing 1D-Var retrievals by analysing the errors associated with a background profile and a forward operator during fog conditions. For this, the background was provided by a high-resolution numerical weather prediction model and the forward operator by a radar simulator. Firstly, an instrumental dataset was taken from the SIRTA observatory near Paris, France, for winter 2018–2019 during which 31 fog events were observed. Statistics were calculated comparing cloud radar observations to those simulated. It was found that the accuracy of simulations could be drastically improved by correcting for significant spatio-temporal background errors. This was achieved by implementing a most resembling profile method in which an optimal model background profile is selected from a domain and time window around the observation location and time. After selecting the background profiles with the best agreement with the observations, the standard deviation of innovations (observations–simulations) was found to decrease significantly. Moreover, innovation statistics were found to satisfy the conditions needed for future 1D-Var retrievals (un-biased and normally distributed).

Abstract Although radar is our most useful tool for monitoring severe weather, the benefits of assimilating its data are often short lived. To understand why, we documented the assimilation requirements, the data characteristics, and the common practices that could hinder optimum data assimilation by traditional approaches. Within storms, radars provide dense measurements of a few highly variable storm outcomes (precipitation and wind) in atmospherically unstable conditions. However, statistical relationships between errors of observed and unobserved quantities often become nonlinear because the errors in these areas tend to become large rapidly. Beyond precipitating areas lie large regions for which radars provide limited new information, yet whose properties will soon shape the outcome of future storms. For those areas, any innovation must consequently be projected from sometimes distant precipitating areas. Thus, radar data assimilation must contend with a double need at odds with many traditional assimilation implementations: correcting in-storm properties with complex errors while projecting information at unusually far distances outside precipitating areas. To further complicate the issue, other data properties and practices, such as assimilating reflectivity in logarithmic units, are not optimal to correct all state variables. Therefore, many characteristics of radar measurements and common practices of their assimilation are incompatible with necessary conditions for successful data assimilation. Facing these dataset-specific challenges may force us to consider new approaches that use the available information differently.

Services have a dominant role in the world economy, with an increasing number of organisations adopting business models that incorporate product and service provision, in an effort to offer holistic customer experiences. Service innovation, as an avenue for growth, is becoming a major strategic focus in organisations worldwide. Service innovation research however, does not reflect the high level of interest in innovation shown by practitioners. There is a long tradition of product-related research that describes the conditions underlying service development in relation to products. However, evidence in the literature suggests that services are different from products and their features uniquely shape the innovation process. A significant research gap exists in the ways innovation projects are implemented in services. Existing studies fail to provide complete models of implementation that go beyond prescriptive step-by-step process manuals and to cover a variety of service industries that are as heterogeneous as products and services. This study attempts to fill these gaps by focussing on the implementation process in the under-studied service context of hotels, an industry that provides unique insights into the way interpersonal interactions shape implementation. Findings in this study derive from qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews with managers and employees involved in two service innovation projects rolled out to European countries in 2011. Guided by a critical realist philosophy that perceives the world as mind-independent but accessible only through our subjective interpretations, the role of the researcher in this study was to approach innovation implementation by searching for valid explanations behind the participants’ experience. The study has found that the implementation process is an iterative process of planning, training, launch, review and routinisation, and follow-up periods. These are repeated as the implementation cascades through large organisations from the regional level to local organisational units. Secondary adoption and adaptation processes permeate implementation, whereby choices made at higher levels are evaluated at lower ones in a continuous cycle of decision-making. A variety of factors relating to the individuals involved, the firm where the innovation is implemented, the innovation concept, and the execution of the process have been linked to the realisation of the projects. Among these factors, knowledge, organisation of informal activities and the innovation-market fit have been shown to have the most significant positive influence on implementation. The events in the process have been explained by a combination of four mechanisms as diverse as sensemaking, organisational learning, organisational politics and emotional reactions to the implementation process. Thus, this research sheds new light on the theory and practice of service innovation implementation and paves the way for further research into the field.

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Public investments in the development of innovation in the country, either through the rigging of public universities, either through public announcements of the promotion, increased dramatically in recent years. To analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of public resources is especially in times of austerity, essential for the development of a country. In this context, this research aims to identify the influence of public investments to promote innovation in the degree of maturity of innovative companies in the state of the RN. Another goal is to identify the regional influence from the installation site - capital or countryside, in the performance of the companies studied in the degree of innovation. The theoretical basis of the understanding of the scope of the concept of innovation and its determination for the purposes of this study. Typology, degree of innovation, evaluation methodologies and mechanisms to support innovation : Still on the theme of innovation additional concepts that help the reader to a greater understanding, such as are presented. Following is approached conceptualization of the triple helix, highlighting the concepts advocated by Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff, Salomon and Silva and Ipiranga, Freitas and Paiva, among others. With regard to methodological aspects, we propose a descriptive, exploratory and explanatory research quantitative and qualitative approach with the target audience group of companies served by INOVA PRO- NAGI design - multi-institutional action from a public resource called FINEP promotes the development of innovative companies in the State of Rio Grande do Norte - in 2013. The research should provide reflection and understanding of the influence of public investment in innovation, which by means of qualitative predictive variables associated with quantitative method to explain which variables are significant variations in the degree of maturity of enterprises studied
Os investimentos p?blicos no desenvolvimento da inova??o no pa?s, quer por meio do aparelhamento das universidades publicas, quer por meio de editais de fomento, cresceram vertiginosamente nos ?ltimos anos. Analisar a efici?ncia e efic?cia da aplica??o dos recursos p?blicos ?, sobretudo em tempos de austeridade, primordial para o desenvolvimento de um pa?s. Neste contexto, a presente pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar a influ?ncia dos investimentos p?blicos de fomento ? inova??o no grau de maturidade de inova??o de empresas instaladas no Estado do RN. Objetiva-se ainda identificar a influ?ncia regional, a partir do local de instala??o capital ou interior, no desempenho das empresas estudadas no grau de inova??o. A fundamenta??o te?rica parte da compreens?o da dimens?o do conceito sobre a inova??o e a sua defini??o para efeitos deste trabalho. Ainda sobre a tem?tica da inova??o s?o apresentadas conceitua??es adicionais que auxiliam o leitor a uma maior compreens?o, tais como: tipologia, graus de inova??o, metodologias de avalia??o e mecanismos de apoio ? inova??o. Na sequ?ncia ? abordada a conceitua??o sobre a tr?plice h?lice, ressaltando os conceitos preconizados por Etzkowitz e Leydesdorff, Salomon e Silva e Ipiranga, Freitas e Paiva, entre outros. No tocante aos aspectos metodol?gicos, prop?e-se uma pesquisa descritiva, explorat?ria e explicativa de abordagem quanti-qualitativa, tendo como p?blico-alvo o grupo de empresas atendidas pelo projeto PR?-INOVA NAGI a??o multiinstitucional que a partir de recursos de uma chamada p?blica da FINEP promove o desenvolvimento da inova??o em empresas do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte no ano de 2013. A pesquisa dever? proporcionar reflex?es e compreens?o da influ?ncia dos investimentos p?blicos em inova??o, que por meio de vari?veis qualitativas preditivas, associada ao m?todo quantitativo explicar quais vari?veis s?o significativas na varia??o do grau de maturidade em inova??o das empresas estudadas

Ces travaux portent sur la combinaison de dispositifs à diversité fréquentielle avec une architecture FMCW pour l’imagerie corporelle courte portée, dans le but de réduire la complexité et le coût liés à l’architecture et à la redondance des chaînes d’émission-réception. Une première étude a été menée pour comparer deux approches de multiplexage analogique : la cavité réverbérante à fuite et l’antenne à balayage fréquentiel. Cette comparaison a conclu que la première solution était la mieux adaptée au contexte de ces travaux. Un prototype a donc été développé et intégré dans un démonstrateur d’imagerie en champ proche en bande W, basé sur l’utilisation de chaînes d’émission-réception FMCW. Une preuve de concept est présentée, démontrant la capacité à reconstruire des images en bande W en utilisant une seule chaîne d’émission-réception, à partir d’un signal ayant des fréquences de l’ordre du MHz, grâce à un algorithme novateur permettant d’atteindre des taux de rafraîchissement d’image considéré comme temps réel
This research is part of a CIFRE thesis aimed at developing technologies to simplify and reduce costs associated with a body scanners dedicated to security applications, while improving the refresh rate of reconstructed images. The fundamental objective is to devise an affordable real-time imaging system. Research efforts are focused on leveraging analog multiplexing techniques based on frequency diversity, integrated into an FMCW architecture, to overcome temporal limitations inherent in existing approaches. To this end, a prototype of a leaky reverberation cavity has been conceptualized, subjected to laboratory testing, and subsequently integrated into an industrial measurement bench. This accomplishment represents a significant advancement in the evolution of a real-time imaging system utilizing an analog multiplexing device

A presente investigação científica discorre acerca da economia da inovação tendo como pano de fundo a moderna economia da empresa, explorando aspectos empíricos da Europa e um estudo de caso sobre a inovação nas micro e pequenas empresas de calçados dos vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. As bases deste estudo estão calcadas na teroria da inovação sob a ótica da teoria da firma. Para alcance dos objetivos foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica buscando identificar o atual estágio das empresas europeias em comparação com as empresas brasileiras. Já o estudo de campo buscou identificar como se dá o processo de inovação nas micro e pequenas indústrias calçadistas dos Vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. Como instrumento de análise se utilizou a ferramenta do radar da inovação, objetivando identificar diferenças e similaridades entre a realidade europeia e a realidade das micro e pequenas empresas. A base deste estudo de campo surgiu da oportunidade de utilizar a pesquisa desenvolvida pela FAPERGS em conjunto com o SEBRAE, em que o autor autou como pesquisador. As evidências mostram que, para se destacar, em inovação seria necessário um equilíbrio entre todos os indicadores e que este seria um dos pontos fracos dos líderes em inovação do Cluster formado pelos Vales do Sinos e do Paranhana.
This scientific research discusses about the innovation economics, having as background the company’s modern economy, exploring empirical aspects of Europe and a case study about the innovation in micro and small footwear enterprises of Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana. The basis of this study is grounded on the theory of innovation from the perspective of the theory of the firm. In order to reach the objectives, a bibliographical research was conducted, seeking to identify the current stage of European companies in comparison to Brazilian companies. On the other hand, the field work sought to identify how the process of innovation takes place in micro and small enterprises footwear of Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana. As an analysis tool, the innovation radar was used, aiming at identifying similarities and differences between the European reality and the reality of micro and small enterprises. The basis of this field work arose from de opportunity to use the research developed by FAPERGS together with SEBRAE, in which the author acted as a researcher. The evidences show that, in order to excel in innovation, it would be necessary to have a balance between all indicators and that this would be one of the weaknesses of the leaders in innovation cluster formed by Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana.

This thesis is dedicated to the study of innovative forward scatter radar (FSR) configurations and techniques. FSR is a specific kind of bistatic radar having bistatic angle equal or close to 180 ̊. The goal of this PhD project is to investigate techniques and configurations which would improve FSR performance, making it a more appealing system. This thesis proposes an initial radar overview with deep focus on forward scatter capabilities. FSR principles, radar cross section and target signature are widely discussed. Thus, numerous innovative studies done during this PhD project are presented. FSR passive mode, MIMO geometry and moving transmitter/ moving receiver configurations are here investigated for the first time. Numerous experimental campaigns have been undertaken and a big quantity of data has been collected. Comprehensive analyses on measured and simulated results are presented. Moreover, various novel techniques to estimate target motion parameters have been developed and tested on real and simulated data. Results show a good match between measured and estimated kinematic information. Finally, clutter in moving ends FSR is discussed. In fact, the innovative moving ends configuration is affected by Doppler shift and clutter Doppler spread. Thus, it is important to understand how this issue limits the system performance.

In the framework of the synthesis of monopulse array antennas for search-and-track applications, the thesis focuses on the development and the analysis of a method based on the sub-arraying technique aimed at generating an optimal sum and compromise difference patterns through an excitation matching procedure. By exploiting some properties of the solution space, the synthesis problem is reformulated as a combinatorial one to allow a considerable saving of computational resources. Thanks to a graph-based representation of the solution space, the use of an efficient path-searching algorithm to speed-up the convergence of the procedure for the synthesis of large array antennas as well as the use of the Ant Colony Optimizer (ACO) to benefit of its hill-climbing properties in dealing with the non-convexity of the sub-arraying problem are considered. Moreover, a hybrid approach is developed to individually control the level of the secondary lobes. In particular, the sub-array configuration is determined at the first step by exploiting the knowledge of the optimum difference mode coefficients and in the second step, the sub-array weights are computed by means of a quadratic programming procedure. In the numerical validation, a set of representative examples concerned with both pattern matching problems and pattern-feature optimization are reported in order to assess the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed approach. Comparisons with previously published results are reported and discussed, as well.

In the framework of the synthesis of monopulse array antennas for search-and-track applications, the thesis focuses on the development and the analysis of a method based on the sub-arraying technique aimed at generating an optimal sum and compromise difference patterns through an excitation matching procedure. By exploiting some properties of the solution space, the synthesis problem is reformulated as a combinatorial one to allow a considerable saving of computational resources. Thanks to a graph-based representation of the solution space, the use of an efficient path-searching algorithm to speed-up the convergence of the procedure for the synthesis of large array antennas as well as the use of the Ant Colony Optimizer (ACO) to benefit of its hill-climbing properties in dealing with the non-convexity of the sub-arraying problem are considered. Moreover, a hybrid approach is developed to individually control the level of the secondary lobes. In particular, the sub-array configuration is determined at the first step by exploiting the knowledge of the optimum difference mode coefficients and in the second step, the sub-array weights are computed by means of a quadratic programming procedure. In the numerical validation, a set of representative examples concerned with both pattern matching problems and pattern-feature optimization are reported in order to assess the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed approach. Comparisons with previously published results are reported and discussed, as well.

In 1400, Perugia had little home-grown artistic talent and relied upon foreign painters to provide its major altarpieces. A century later, this situation had been reversed with Perugino, Pintoricchio and Raphael all active in the city. By investigating commissioning patterns III Franciscan establishments in Perugia from 1390 to c.1527, this thesis identifies the circumstances leading to this change. It argues that artistic innovation in such peripheral places is often undervalued or automatically attributed to external factors. Focusing upon five Minorite establishments, the importance of local religious, familial and notarial networks on patronal decisions is newly evaluated. Geography-based models of the introduction and spread of ideas, particularly theories of centre-periphery and cultural exchange, are considered as a means of explaining Perugia's changing artistic status. The introduction analyses theories regarding the autonomy of peripheral patrons, the innovative potential of the periphery and the repetition of paradigms. It finds that existing models fail fully to acknowledge the periphery's contribution to artistic development which should be reappraised. Chapters 1 and 2 chart Perugian patrons' shifting preference from foreign to local painters and attribute this to changes in training, political stability, increased civic identity, and an aspirational humanist court. Chapters 3 and 4 assess the dominance of the Peruginesque style. They propose that Raphael's early success lay in his perfection of this aesthetic, along with female Baglioni/Oddi and Franciscan patronal support. This occurred in a temporary competitive vacuum, characteristic of places beyond the centre. In conclusion, some current theories undervalue the contribution of local patrons and fail to accommodate the innovative potential of peripheral places like Perugia. Ideas are generated in both places and influences flow between them through processes of exchange involving painters and patrons. Local patronal networks provide a matrix within which valid tastes are promoted independently of external pressures.

Snow is a very important environmental variable and a primary water resource in many areas of the world. Monitoring seasonal snowpack properties is crucial for properly managing snow-related hazards such as snow avalanches and snowmelt-floods. Microwave radars have been proposed as a means to non-destructively monitor snowpacks, but they have invariably employed external aids or a-priori assumptions to calculate key physical parameters of snow, such as total snow depth, snow density, snow water equivalent, and so on. This main contribution of this thesis is the proposal, design, implementation and experimental validation of an innovative radar architecture intended for snowpack monitoring, based on the use of two receivers. The proposed device can deliver estimates of total depth and wave speed in the snowpack, for both dry and wet snow conditions, without being supplemented by any additional hypothesis or device. The radar can also provides a rough estimation of the internal stratigraphy of the snowpack in terms of layer thickness, layer density and (in a preliminary form) layer wetness. The device was verified in the field with either dry or wet snowpacks in experimental sites. Another contribution of this thesis is the proposal of a novel radar technique for self-standing calculation of the Snow Water Equivalent that can be applied to bi-static radars. This technique, based on the multipath propagation of the radar signal into the snowpack, only requires a radar with two fixed antennas without any other device, movement of the antennas, or a-priori empirical assumptions. Finally, in order to improve the performance of the radar architectures proposed, a novel antenna realized by three-dimensional printing methods has been developed and experimentally tested. The antenna is based on a double-ridge waveguide configuration and is realized with different infill percentage dielectric material. The dielectric material presents low losses and a relatively high dielectric constant, reducing the encumbrance of the radar system.
Snow is a very important environmental variable and a primary water resource in many areas of the world. Monitoring seasonal snowpack properties is crucial for properly managing snow-related hazards such as snow avalanches and snowmelt-floods. Microwave radars have been proposed as a means to non-destructively monitor snowpacks, but they have invariably employed external aids or a-priori assumptions to calculate key physical parameters of snow, such as total snow depth, snow density, snow water equivalent, and so on. This main contribution of this thesis is the proposal, design, implementation and experimental validation of an innovative radar architecture intended for snowpack monitoring, based on the use of two receivers. The proposed device can deliver estimates of total depth and wave speed in the snowpack, for both dry and wet snow conditions, without being supplemented by any additional hypothesis or device. The radar can also provides a rough estimation of the internal stratigraphy of the snowpack in terms of layer thickness, layer density and (in a preliminary form) layer wetness. The device was verified in the field with either dry or wet snowpacks in experimental sites. Another contribution of this thesis is the proposal of a novel radar technique for self-standing calculation of the Snow Water Equivalent that can be applied to bi-static radars. This technique, based on the multipath propagation of the radar signal into the snowpack, only requires a radar with two fixed antennas without any other device, movement of the antennas, or a-priori empirical assumptions. Finally, in order to improve the performance of the radar architectures proposed, a novel antenna realized by three-dimensional printing methods has been developed and experimentally tested. The antenna is based on a double-ridge waveguide configuration and is realized with different infill percentage dielectric material. The dielectric material presents low losses and a relatively high dielectric constant, reducing the encumbrance of the radar system.

Le tecniche Multi-temporali SAR interferometriche (Mt-InSAR) rappresentano oggigiorno strumenti consolidati per mappare l’evoluzione temporale dei fenomeni di deformazione del suolo Terrestre. Queste tecniche utilizzano congiuntamente sets di interferogrammi SAR differenziali al fine di estrarre la componente legata alla deformazione e produrre così serie storiche di deformazione dei bersagli osservati dal sensore. L'affidabilità delle misure prodotte utilizzando algoritmi Mt-InSAR è strettamente legata alla capacità degli stessi algoritmi nell’isolare esclusivamente i segnali legati alla deformazione dal segnale complessivo interferometrico, e questa operazione diventa sempre più complessa all’aumentare dei livelli di rumore in ciascun interferogramma SAR coinvolto. Le tecniche Mt-InSAR canoniche sono altamente affidabili nel monitorare l'evoluzione dello spostamento dei target che risultano essere ampiamente stabili o coerenti per tutto il periodo di analisi. Diversamente, quando i bersagli sono particolarmente affetti da problemi di decorrelazione, le stime di deformazione ottenute risultano corrotte e inaffidabili. Questo pone le basi per lo sviluppo di processori Mt-InSAR avanzati che possano fornire stime accurate della deformazione del suolo anche in scenari con problemi di decorrelazione più o meno severi. In questo lavoro di tesi affronta dapprima lo studio dello stato dell’arte delle tecniche Mt-InSAR canoniche applicabili sia nel caso di piattaforme satellitare che terrestri, e dopodiché si propongono delle nuove tecniche Mt-InSAR per superare alcune delle criticità riscontrante. In particolare si studiano le tecniche convenzionali Mt-InSAR multigriglia per l'analisi dei target alla griglia di risoluzione spaziale più risoluta, evidenziandone le loro criticità in aree a media e bassa coerenza, e proprio in questo ambito è proposta una tecnica innovativa per meglio operare in ambienti decorrelati. Il metodo proposto si basa su efficienti operazioni con cui viene srotolata la fase (PhU) interferometrica eseguite alle scale spaziali native, ed in particolare, si srotolano dapprima gli interferogrammi alla scala di soluzione mediata (ML) attraverso algoritmi di PhU convenzionali (o avanzati). Successivamente, gli interferogrammi ML srotolati vengono utilizzati per facilitare le operazioni di PhU eseguite alla scala più fine (single-look). In dettaglio, gli interferogrammi multi-look srotolati vengono ricampionati alla griglia single-look e sottratti a modulo modulo-2π agli interferogrammi single-look. Gli interferogrammi epurati dai contributi a bassa frequenza vengono poi srotolati e aggiunti nuovamente agli interferogrammi multilook ricampionati alla griglia di risoluzione più fine. Per realizzare queste operazioni, a differenza dei metodi multigriglia canonici, non si utilizza alcun modello (lineare/non lineare) per recuperare le componenti di deformazione in alta frequenza. Infine, gli interferogrammi single-look srotolati sono opportunamente invertiti al fine di calcolare le serie storiche di deformazione del suolo attraverso un qualsiasi algoritmo a piccola baseline (SB) InSAR multi-temporale. I risultati sperimentali sono stati ottenuti elaborando una serie di dati SAR acquisiti dal sensore COSMO-SkyMed (banda X) sulla zona costiera di Shanghai, in Cina. La tesi prosegue analizzando le tecniche ai minimi quadrati pesate (WLS) e su come sono sfruttate nell’ambito InSAR al fine di migliorare l’operazione con cui si srotola la fase interferometrica e la generazione di serie storiche di deformazione. Proprio in questo contesto, utilizzando gli approcci WLS, si estende l'utilizzabilità dell'algoritmo Mt-InSAR Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) in aree caratterizzate da una coerenza spaziale medio-bassa. In particolare, pixel per pixel, si invertono esclusivamente le fasi interferometriche coerenti utilizzando una metrica a minimi quadrati pesati. Per cui attraverso una selezione adattiva, per ogni pixel si utilizzano ed invertono soltanto le fasi interferometriche coerenti, e tale caratterista può portare a diversi sottoinsiemi disgiunti di dati SAR, che sono poi invertiti sfruttando la Decomposizione a Valori Singolari Pesata (WSVD). Tuttavia, per taluni pixel, l’utilizzo esclusivo delle fasi interferometriche coerenti può portare in alcuni casi allo scarto di acquisizioni SAR particolarmente rumorose, il che si traduce in serie storiche di deformazione affidabili ma con campionamento temporale variabile. I risultati sperimentali sono stati condotti applicando la tecnica sviluppata ad un set di dati SAR acquisiti dai sensori COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) sulla regione Basilicata, nel sud Italia. Il lavoro di tesi continua analizzando le proprietà che ledono alla irrotazionalità delle triplette di fase di interferogrammi SAR multi-look. In particolare, si studiano le conseguenze delle incongruenze temporali di fase dei multi-look sulla generazione delle serie storiche di deformazione del suolo attraverso metodi SB Mt-InSAR. La ricerca condotta mostra come queste incongruenze di fase si possono propagare attraverso una rete temporale ridondante di interferogrammi SB, ed insieme agli errori di PhU, pregiudicano la qualità dei prodotti InSAR generati. In letteratura questo effetto va sotto il nome di bias di fase, il quale può pregiudicare l’affidabilità dei metodi SB quando si impostano delle soglie sulla massima baseline temporale troppo stringenti (nell’ordine di 30 giorni o meno). Proponiamo così, due nuovi metodi per la compensazione di tali fenomeni di bias, i quali metodi sono stati testati utilizzando dati SAR simulati e reali. I dati reali sono stati acquisiti dai sensori Sentinel-1A/B (banda C) sulle aree del Nevada (U.S.), e sulla zona del monte Etna in Sicilia, nel sud Italia. Dopo lo sviluppo di algoritmi per la parte satellitare, il lavoro si sposta sui sensori SAR terrestri (GB-SAR). In questo ambito proponiamo un metodo per stimare e compensare i disturbi introdotti dallo strato atmosferico (APS) in interferogrammi GB-SAR. Un’ambia analisi fisica, statistica e matematica dell'approccio presentato è fornita, discutendo inoltre le potenzialità e i limiti del metodo che a differenza di altri algoritmi, che stimano l'APS dai segnali di fase srotolati, nella metodologia proposta la compensazione avviene direttamente sul dato arrotolato, in modo tale che la stima non è affetta da nessun potenziale errore di PhU. Gli esperimenti eseguiti su dati InSAR GB-SAR simulati e reali confermano la validità della tecnica proposta, confermando inoltre che il metodo è vantaggioso nelle zone caratterizzate da una forte escursione di quota (come ad esempio nelle regioni Alpine e montuose). Infine, viene presentata un'applicazione SAR interferometrica per la stima delle deformazioni della superficie investigata in tre dimensioni (3-D) attraverso l'uso congiunto ed integrato di dati SAR acquisiti da piattaforme satellitari e terrestri. Più precisamente, la catena di combinazione interferometrica sviluppata si compone anche degli innovativi algoritmi Mt-InSAR sviluppati in questo lavoro di tesi, al fine di ottenere mappe di velocità media di deformazione 3-D direttamente alla griglia spaziale più risoluta possibile. Inoltre, in conclusione, vengono menzionate anche alcune interessanti applicazioni SAR satellitari in ambito di prevenzione ed analisi di particolari fenomeni naturali e indotti dall'uomo.
Multi-temporal SAR interferometric (Mt-InSAR) techniques are nowadays mature tools to measure the temporal evolution of the Earth’s surface with millimetric accuracy. The reliability of crustal measurements is closely related to the goodness of the used Mt-InSAR algorithms in isolating the deformation-related signal from the overall signal, and this becomes increasingly complex as the noise levels of each interferogram increase. Canonical techniques are highly reliable in monitoring the displacement evolution of targets that are found to be largely stable or coherent over the entire period of analysis. Otherwise, when the scatterers are particularly affected by decorrelation problems, the obtained deformation estimates turn out to be corrupted and unreliable. Thus, there is a strong demand for new advanced Mt-InSAR processors that can provide accurate estimates of crustal deformation even in scenarios with more or less severe decorrelation problems. This thesis work focuses on the study of multi-temporal InSAR techniques applicable in both satellite and terrestrial case. Specifically, the canonical Mt-InSAR multigrid techniques for analyzing targets at the finest resolution grid will be discussed extensively highlighting their criticality in medium to low coherence areas, and in this context an innovative technique is proposed to better operate in decorrelated environments. The new method relies on efficient phase-unwrapping (PhU) operations performed at the native spatial scales. In particular, a set of multi-look (ML) interferograms is first unwrapped using conventional (or advanced) PhU algorithms at the regional scale. Subsequently, ML unwrapped interferograms are used to facilitate the PhU operations performed at the local scale (single-look). Specifically, the unwrapped multi-look interferograms are resampled to the single-look grid and modulo-2π subtracted to the single-look interferograms. These phase residuals are then unwrapped and added back to the multi-look resampled interferograms. To accomplish these operations, at variance with alternative multiscale methods, no (linear/nonlinear) models are used to fit the spatial high-pass phase residuals. Finally, the unwrapped single-look interferograms are properly inverted to retrieve the ground displacement time series using any small baseline (SB)-oriented multitemporal InSAR tool. Experimental results are performed by processing a set of SAR data acquired by the X-band COSMO-SkyMed sensor over the coastal area of Shanghai, China. Then, the focusing moves on the Weighted Least-squares (WLS) techniques applied within the InSAR framework for improving the performance of the phase unwrapping operations as well as for better conveying the inversion of sequences of unwrapped interferograms to generate ground displacement maps. In both cases, the identification of low-coherent areas, where the standard deviation of the phase is high, is requested. Therefore, a WLS method that extends the usability of the Mt-InSAR Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm in regions with medium-to-low coherence is presented. In particular, the proposed method relies on the adaptive selection and exploitation, pixel-by-pixel, of the medium-to-high coherent interferograms, only, so as to discard the noisy phase measurements. The selected interferometric phase values are then inverted by solving a WLS optimization problem. Noteworthy, the adopted, pixel-dependent selection of the “good” interferograms to be inverted may lead the available SAR data to be grouped into several disjointed subsets, which are then connected, exploiting the Weighted Singular Value Decomposition (WSVD) method. However, in some critical noisy regions, it may also happen that discarding of the incoherent interferograms may lead to rejecting some SAR acquisitions from the generated ground displacement time-series, at the cost of the reduced temporal sampling of the data measurements. Thus, variable-length ground displacement time-series are generated. The presented experiments have been carried out by applying the developed technique to a SAR dataset acquired by the COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) sensors over the Basilicata region, Southern Italy. In the continuation of the thesis work, the properties characterizing the phase non-closure of multi-look SAR interferograms are explored. Precisely, we study the implications of multi-look phase time incongruences on the generation of ground displacement time-series through SB Mt-InSAR methods. Our research clarifies how these phase inconsistencies can propagate through a time-redundant network of SB interferograms and contribute, along with PhU errors, to the quality of the generated ground displacement products. Moreover, we analyze the effects of short-lived phase bias signals that could happen in sequences of short baseline interferograms and propose a strategy for their mitigation. The developed methods have been tested using both simulated and real SAR data. The latter were collected by the Sentinel-1A/B (C-band) sensors over the study areas of Nevada state, U.S., and Sicily Island, Italy. After the development of algorithms for the satellite part, the work veers to ground-based SAR (GB-SAR) sensors. In this field, we propose a method for estimating and compensating the atmospheric phase screen (APS) in sets of SAR interferograms generated with a GB-SAR instrument. We address the presented approach’s physical, statistical, and mathematical framework by discussing its potential and limitations. In contrast with other existing algorithms that estimate the APS from the unwrapped phase signals, our methodology is based on the straightforward analysis of the wrapped phases, directly. Therefore, the method is not affected by any potential phase unwrapping mistake, and it is suitable for Mt-InSAR applications. The effects of the local topography, the decorrelation noise, and the ground deformation on the APS estimates are deeply studied. Experiments performed on simulated and real GB-SAR InSAR data corroborate the validity of the theory. In particular, the simulated results show that the method is beneficial in zones with medium-to-high topographic slopes (e.g., for Alpine and mountainous regions). Further, an interferometric SAR application for the study of three-dimensional (3-D) deformation through the joint and integrated use of satellite and ground SAR data is presented. More precisely, the interferometric data-combining technique exploits the innovative Mt-InSAR algorithms mentioned above, and allows obtaining 3-D mean displacement velocity maps at the finest spatial grid among the available data. In conclusion, also some interested satellite SAR applications in prevention and analysis of particular natural and human-induced disasters are given.

This work seeks to measure the impact of technology companies in Latin America have on the regional economy, as well as the global reach of their innovation. After a thorough process of survey and detailed analysis, we could identify and map on the Radar we created as a result, 123 Tecnolatinas that are already worth over US$25M and that have a collective worth of over US$37,7B. The Radar is the result of an extensive research over the past years.

Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat fast jeden Aspekt des Lebens verändert, vom privaten, also wie Menschen leben und arbeiten bis zum beruflichen, wie beispielsweise Unternehmen mit ihren Kund*innen interagieren oder wie Kund*innen Produkte und Dienstleistungen auswählen und schlussendlich kaufen. Und genau diese Veränderungen bieten Chancen, um mit neuen Anwendungen von Technologien die eigenen Produkte oder Geschäftsmodelle zu innovieren. Aus diesem Grund stellt der letzte Tech Report (Stand Dezember 2020) des Kompetenzzentrums IT-Wirtschaft nicht nur aktuelle und aufkommende Technologien vor, sondern gibt auch einen kurzen Einblick, welche konkreten Innovationen aufgrund der Covid-19 Pandemie entstanden sind. Vielleicht setzt die ein oder andere Anwendung, die in dem Artikel vorgestellt werden, Impulse für eigenen unternehmerische Innovationsideen. Die Basis des Artikels ist das interaktive Tech Radar des Kompetenzzentrums IT-Wirtschaft. Daher gibt der vorliegende Artikel nicht nur einen Einblick in den Aufbau des Radars, sondern fasst auch die zentralen Inhalte zusammen und gibt konkrete Beispiele zur Technologieanwendung.

The work described herein is to show the engineering requirements for long term, continuous monitoring of ground movement with satellite radar over a region with natural growth and large variations in ground water. The project provided monitoring of the British Petroleum America Inc. (BP) Olympic pipeline localized to an area of known ground movement in Washington State. This project was part of several projects (ROW-6G, ROW-6D, ROW-3J) that partnered with California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (CalPoly SLO) and Electricore to prepare a white paper that was submitted in response to a solicitation issued by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) for research ideas that focused on the Commercial Remote Sensing and Spatial Information (CRS and SI) technologies program for transportation infrastructure development and construction.