Applied Computing – serie

Machine translation (MT) is the area of computer science and applied linguistics dealing with the translation of human languages such as English and German. MT on the Internet has become an important tool by providing fast, economical and useful translations. With globalisation and expanding trade, demand for translation is set to grow.Translation Engines covers theoretical and practical aspects of MT, both classic and new, including: - Character sets and formatting languages - Translation memory - Linguistic and computational foundations - Basic computational linguistic techniques - Transfer and interlingua MT - Evaluation Software accompanies the text, providing readers with hands on experience of the main algorithms.

If you are interested in understanding how the systematic use of task models in the design, development, and usability evaluation of interactive software applications can open new opportunities and possibilities then this book will help you do just that. Fabio Paternò also discusses related issues relevant to designing user interfaces and provides a state-of-the-art review of the field, including recently developed methods, current results and problems and trends. Details of the notation and analysis discussed, including case studies of industrial interest, are available for those who want to use them for applied projects and in industrial contexts. While the book is designed to suit a range of academic and industrial courses on task models and methods for user interface design and evaluation, it will also be useful as supplementary reading for any course on human-computer interaction and software engineering.

What are Multimedia Systems? This book is intended to expose you to multimedia in its widest sense. The popular understanding of this subject is that it is the integration and delivery of text, images and sound, usually on a desktop Pc. We are all familiar with examples from the extensive range of multimedia titles available on CD-ROM. These give us a rich set of sensory experiences, and, perhaps more important, we are free to navigate our way through the information as we choose. However, this is only half of the story since these titles can only deliver information. A recent IEEE publication (Chen, 1997) suggested that multimedia should include all systems that integrate diverse media, in standalone or networked applications, either for presentation or communication. Diverse media implies visual and aural information (text, static and moving pictures and sound). Networking could be realised using intranet or telephone links. Presentation systems would imply the multimedia delivery systems with which we are all familiar. Communication implies a two-way interaction with the computer. So as well as transmitting infor­ mation, multimedia systems should also be able to understand and react to information presented to them using the same set of diverse media (such as typed text, pictures and sound).

Evolutionary Web Development examines the evolution of Web information systems, paying particular attention to the emergent attributes of electronic markets. It identifies four categories of architecture and demonstrates their virtues and limitations: static, interactive, adaptive, and agent-mediated systems.Advanced systems require the developer to truly understand the needs and preferences of customers. As well as such personal attributes, the availability of empirical data about the structure and content of Web information systems is a precondition for their effective assessment. Arno Scharl presents an automated and scalable approach to Web assessment. He emphasizes the role of feedback in an iterative cycle of design, implementation, usage, and analysis.

This text provides in-depth coverage of the ergonomics of computer pointing devices using psychomotor models to analyze human performance, and experimental data for evaluation. The full spectrum of pointing devices are discussed including mice, joysticks and trackballs. Human motor performance and its effect on the design of pointing devices is comprehensively covered with issues such as vision, touch, cognition and limb control addressed. A chapter is devoted to design and includes discussion of task-device compatibility, range of motion, adaptive software control and device operation, and user interface semantics. The final chapter, as well as addressing international standards (including ISO 9247 and the American National Standards Institute) also looks at future issues in the development of pointing devices including pointing and speech, distributed environments and virtual reality.

This book has two audiences: the practising Requirements Engineer and the advanced student of software engineering or computer science. The book is unique because it introduces latest research results and, at the same time, presents highly practical and useful techniques. This book is complementary to texts on software requirements and system Requirements Engineering because of its focus on the problems caused by the fact that Requirements Engineering involves people. Throughout this book the author has sought to introduce the reader to a number of techniques which have not previously been included within mainstream computer science literature. The techniques chosen have been shown to work in practice in both commercial and research pro­ jects. The appendices contain step-by-step guides to particular tech­ niques; sufficient detail is provided for readers to try the techniques for themselves. The problem faced by the Requirements Engineer is complex, it con­ cerns meeting the needs of the customer and at the same time meeting the needs of the designer.

System design has conventionally been the province of engineers, and the approaches taken to the design of systems have conventionally led to formal specification of the system. The past decade or two has seen the rise of another approach, that of human-computer interaction (HCI). Given the number of incidents and accidents which are attributed to 'human error', it is sensible to develop an approach to system design which views humans as an essential element in the system. Thus, an important aspect of designing systems is the study of the interaction between humans and the technology that they use. In terms of bringing computers and computing to a wide audience, the 1980s were the boom years. The first personal computer (PC) was launched onto the market in February 1978, and since then, PCs have become a common-place feature of our homes, offices, schools, retail outlets, hospitals, banks, etc. Within Western society today, there are very few organisations that have not been infiltrated by computer technology, and few individuals who have not had experience of computers. However, the increase in use of computers has not been matched with a corresponding spread of training of users; much of the human-computer interaction research has sought to design systems which do not require special training, i. e. which people can simply walk up to and use. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a number of difficulties; some of which have yet to be satisfactorily resolved.

This book addresses issues concerning the engineering of system prod­ ucts that make use of computing technology. These systems may be prod­ ucts in their own right, for example a computer, or they may be the computerised control systems inside larger products, such as factory automation systems, transportation systems and vehicles, and personal appliances such as portable telephones. In using the term engineering the authors have in mind a development process that operates in an integrated sequence of steps, employing defined techniques that have some scientific basis. Furthermore we expect the operation of the stages to be subject to controls and standards that result in a product fit for its intended purpose, both in the hands of its users and as a business venture. Thus the process must take account of a wide range of requirements relating to function, cost, size, reliabili­ ty and so on. It is more difficult to define the meaning of computing technology. These days this involves much more than computers and software. For example, many tasks that might be performed by software running in a general purpose computer can also be performed directly by the basic technology used to construct a computer, namely digital hardware. However, hardware need not always be digital; we live in an analogue world, hence analogue signals appear on the boundaries of our systems and it can sometimes be advantageous to allow them to penetrate further.

Knowledge-based (or expert systems) and image processing have been applied to many domains but, although both fields frequently address common application areas, they are rarely applied together. Often a combined knowledge-based system and image processing approach can be highly appropriate and this book provides an insight into both areas and show students how a judicious mix of the two can result in a more effective system. The authors include detailed case studies to illustrate the two approaches as well as worked examples and solutions to problems throughout the text. Third and fourth year undergraduates and MSc students with some computer science background will find this book invaluable. Postgraduates and researchers looking for an introduction to either area - or ways to combine the two - will also welcome this clearly written and comprehensive text.

but when we state that A 'equals' B , as well having to know what we mean by A and B we also have know what we mean by 'equals'. This section explores the role of observers; how different types of observ­ er see different things as being equal, and how we can produce algo­ rithms to decide on such equalities. It also explores how we go about writing specifications to which we may compare our SCCS designs. • The final section is the one which the students like best. Once enough of SCCS is grasped to decide upon the component parts of a design, the 'turning the handle' steps of composition and check­ ing that the design meets its specification are both error-prone and tedious. This section introduces the concurrency work bench, which shoulders most of the burden. How you use the book is up to you; I'm not even going to suggest path­ ways. Individual readers know what knowledge they seek, and course leaders know which concepts they are trying to impart and in what order.