The understanding of visitor images is an important subject for tourism destination marketers. Although an increasing number of empirical studies explore images of several tourism destinations worldwide, limited research has been focussed on the tourism destination image of conflict areas. This study examines the image of Bethlehem by analysing Bethlehem's visitors' online publishing. Data was collected from popular travel blog sites, which include online posts about Bethlehem and its visitors' beliefs and evaluations. The results revealed that destination specific attributes in addition to primary image attributes are essential to understand the visitors' image of a conflict area. This study suggests that destination marketers of conflict areas should first accept their unique destination attributes, which do not change rapidly. The visitors' perceptions of Bethlehem and its people are based on more functional and psychological attributes than on holistic impressions. Destination marketers of conflict areas should craft a unique branding strategy that fits their destination best.
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Virtual Reality Image Recognition platform for use by MMI students
In contemporary image databases one finds many images with the same image content but perturbed by zooming, scaling, rotation etc. For the purpose of image recognition in such databases we employ features based on statistics stemming from fractal transforms gray-scale images. We show how the features derived from these statistical aspects can be made invariant to zooming or rescaling. A feature invariance measure is defined and described. The method is especially suitable for images of textures. We produce numerical results which validate the approach.
Many lithographically created optical components, such as photonic crystals, require the creation of periodically repeated structures [1]. The optical properties depend critically on the consistency of the shape and periodicity of the repeated structure. At the same time, the structure and its period may be similar to, or substantially below that of the optical diffraction limit, making inspection with optical microscopy difficult. Inspection tools must be able to scan an entire wafer (300 mm diameter), and identify wafers that fail to meet specifications rapidly. However, high resolution, and high throughput are often difficult to achieve simultaneously, and a compromise must be made. TeraNova is developing an optical inspection tool that can rapidly image features on wafers. Their product relies on (a) knowledge of what the features should be, and (b) a detailed and accurate model of light diffraction from the wafer surface. This combination allows deviations from features to be identified by modifying the model of the surface features until the calculated diffraction pattern matches the observed pattern. This form of microscopy—known as Fourier microscopy—has the potential to be very rapid and highly accurate. However, the solver, which calculates the wafer features from the diffraction pattern, must be very rapid and precise. To achieve this, a hardware solver will be implemented. The hardware solver must be combined with mechatronic tracking of the absolute wafer position, requiring the automatic identification of fiduciary markers. Finally, the problem of computer obsolescence in instrumentation (resulting in security weaknesses) will also be addressed by combining the digital hardware and software into a system-on-a-chip (SoC) to provide a powerful, yet secure operating environment for the microscope software.
Developing and realizing an innovative concept for the Active Aging campus in two years, where students, teachers, companies, residents of surrounding Campus neighborhoods will be invited to do exercise, sports, play, meet and participate. This includes, on the one hand, providing input with regard to a mobility-friendly design from an infrastructural perspective and, on the other hand, organizing activities that contribute to Healthy Aeging of the Zernike site and the city of Groningen. It is not only about having an Active Aging campus with an iconic image, but also about the process. In the process of realization, students, teachers, researchers, companies and residents from surrounding districts will be explicitly involved. This includes hardware (physical environment / infrastructure), software (social environment) and orgware (interaction between the two).
National forestry Commission (SBB) and National Park De Biesbosch. Subcontractor through NRITNational parks with large flows of visitors have to manage these flows carefully. Methods of data collection and analysis can be of help to support decision making. The case of the Biesbosch National Park is used to find innovative ways to figure flows of yachts, being the most important component of water traffic, and to create a model that allows the estimation of changes in yachting patterns resulting from policy measures. Recent policies oriented at building additional waterways, nature development areas and recreational concentrations in the park to manage the demands of recreation and nature conservation offer a good opportunity to apply this model. With a geographical information system (GIS), data obtained from aerial photographs and satellite images can be analyzed. The method of space syntax is used to determine and visualize characteristics of the network of leisure routes in the park and to evaluate impacts resulting from expected changes in the network that accompany the restructuring of waterways.
