Research Directions in Network Service Chaining

Network Service Chaining (NSC) is a service deployment concept that promises increased flexibility and cost efficiency for future carrier networks. NSC has received considerable attention in the standardization and research communities lately. However, NSC is largely undefined in the peer-reviewed literature. In fact, a literature review reveals that the role of NSC enabling technologies is up for discussion, and so are the key research challenges lying ahead. This paper addresses these topics by motivating our research interest towards advanced dynamic NSC and detailing the main aspects to be considered in the context of carrier-grade telecommunication networks. We present design considerations and system requirements alongside use cases that illustrate the advantages of adopting NSC. We detail prominent research challenges during the typical lifecycle of a network service chain in an operational telecommunications network, including service chain description, programming, deployment, and debugging, and summarize our security considerations. We conclude this paper with an outlook on future work in this are

The Use of GIS for Supporting the Experimental Representation of the Selected Supply Network in Pafos Municipality — \u27The Hydrogis Lab\u27

The HydroGIS Lab project (http://cyprusremotesensing.com/hydrogis/) aims to satisfy the dire need for authorities to solve the extremely serious problem of water supply as a result of continued water shortage. The chronic problems of water losses in the water supply network pipes, the uncontrolled and non-optimum operation of pumping stations, the incorrect design of the networks because of various interventions such as town planning and erroneous mapping of existing networks, are some of the most important problems which need to be resolved in order to optimize the performance of the networks and, consequent‐ ly, save water and energy. The innovative aspect of the Project is that state-of-the-art technologies are combined for the mapping of water networks through the Global Position‐ ing System (GPS), Radar Scanners and Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS). The data is entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS), with the aim of developing a digital imprint and the mapping of the network. The study of an existing selected water supply network and the collection of the necessary information by the Cyprus University of Technology and the Water Development for the network and its systems will lead to an imaging of water pipes and their design using a radar scanner and special software and GIS. Satellite im‐ ages, which have been transformed into the local reference system using specialized software, will be coupled with the digital imaging of the existing maps. This information will then be organized in such a way allowing the development of maps and their analysis at different levels (e.g. water supply network, buildings, water supply elements, geographic informa‐ tion, features of the network’s systems, etc.)

Hierarchical Bayesian level set inversion

The level set approach has proven widely successful in the study of inverse problems for inter- faces, since its systematic development in the 1990s. Re- cently it has been employed in the context of Bayesian inversion, allowing for the quantification of uncertainty within the reconstruction of interfaces. However the Bayesian approach is very sensitive to the length and amplitude scales in the prior probabilistic model. This paper demonstrates how the scale-sensitivity can be cir- cumvented by means of a hierarchical approach, using a single scalar parameter. Together with careful con- sideration of the development of algorithms which en- code probability measure equivalences as the hierar- chical parameter is varied, this leads to well-defined Gibbs based MCMC methods found by alternating Metropolis-Hastings updates of the level set function and the hierarchical parameter. These methods demon- strably outperform non-hierarchical Bayesian level set methods

Natural and human hazard assessment of the archaeological sites of Paphos area (Cyprus) with the use of remote sensing and GIS.

Η συγκεκριμένη εργασία εστιάζει στη χρήση σύγχρονων τεχνολογιών όπως είναι η Δορυφορική  Τηλεπισκόπηση  και  τα  Γεωγραφικά  Συστήματα  Πληροφοριών  για  τη δημιουργία   ενός   ολοκληρωμένου   συστήματος   εκτίμησης   επικινδυνότητας αρχαιολογικών θέσεων και κατάλοιπων στη Κύπρο και συγκεκριμένα στην επαρχία Πάφου.  Τέτοιου  είδους  αναλύσεις  οι  οποίες  περιλαμβάνουν  συλλογή  δεδομένων, συνεχείς  παρατηρήσεις  και  πολυπαραμετρικές  αναλύσεις  εκτίμησης  κινδύνου  είναι δύσκολο να πραγματοποιηθούν με τις παραδοσιακές τεχνικές και μεθόδους, οι οποίες κοστίζουν  και  είναι  χρονοβόρες.  Οι  σύγχρονες  τεχνολογίες  δίνουν  τη  δυνατότητα στους επιστήμονες για την συνολική επόπτευση της περιοχής μελέτης καθώς επίσης και το μοναδικό πλεονέκτημα της ταυτόχρονης αποθήκευσης κα διαχείρισης μεγάλου όγκου χωρικών και περιγραφικών δεδομένων που σχετίζονται με την διαχείριση και προστασία  της  πολιτιστικής  κληρονομιάς.  Αυτό  το  στόχο  εξυπηρετεί  και  η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη που φιλοδοξεί να αναδείξει τις δυνατότητες που προσφέρει η χρήση  δεδομένων  δορυφορικής  Τηλεπισκόπησης  και  ΓΣΠ  για  την  προστασία  της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς της ευρύτερης περιοχής της επαρχίας Πάφου στη Κύπρο από ανθρωπογενείς και φυσικούς κινδύνους.   The study focuses on the creation of an innovative methodology for the development of a risk assessment model for the archaeological sites of western Cyprus (Paphos district). On site observation is the most common way for monitoring cultural heritage sites and monuments in Cyprus. However, this procedure which includes data collection,  periodical  observations,  and  multivariate  risk  assessment  analysis,  is practically difficult to be accomplished with the traditional practices and methods since it is time consuming and cost insufficient. Thus, the use of modern technologies such as Remote Sensing and GIS is anticipated to provide a tool of directives for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage sites from anthropogenic and environmental threats. These technologies provide  to scientists integrated monitoring capabilities and have the unique advantage to store and manipulate a large amount of spatial and attribute data simultaneously. This study aims to integrate both satellite remote sensing techniques and GIS in a multidisciplinary approach, for monitoring natural and anthropogenic hazards with the use of archived and up-to-dated multi-temporal remotely sensed images in the study area, namely in areas nearby cultural heritage sites and monuments in Paphos area (Cyprus).According to the results, extensive construction and building development has taken placein the broader area. It was also proved that vast number of sites is established on areas prone to erosion and landslide phenomena