This paper describes a method for finding areas of interest on a two-dimensional grid map used in the real-time strategy engine Stratagus. The method involves discovering chokepoints where through all simulation agents must pass. Using a set of tunable parameters, a full set of chokepoints are located. The redundant and...
Desktop widget engines have emerged as an alternative for completing simple tasks without the need for a full-blown application or constant user interaction. Widgets can simply display data in a compact and visually appealing manner (such as stock tickers, weather forecasts, and news notifications), or go so far as to...
The increasing need to share and synchronize personal information, such as schedules, tasks and events, amongst users has lead to the development of inter-personal information management software like ChandlerTM. Chandler is being developed in Python at the Open Source Applications Foundation, San Francisco. Before I started working on the project...
WebGen is a software tool for generating Web scripts automatically for a Web-based database application. In this project, access control, AJAX support, and editable-and-insertable table mechanisms were added to WebGen. With our access control mechanism, an access-control level can be specified for each table. In access control level 1, for...
Efficient routing of information packets in dynamically changing communication networks requires routing policies that adapt to changes in load levels, traffic patterns and network topologies. Reinforcement Learning (RL) is an area of artificial intelligence that studies algorithms that dynamically optimize their performance based on experience in an environment. RL, thus,...
Sauvie Island lies at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Willamette River near Portland, Oregon. Flooding, erosion, and deposition of sediments have been part of the natural evolution of the island. However, with the construction of multiple dams in the Columbia River Basin, levees, and hardening of upstream...
Satellite imagery has been a useful tool in monitoring land cover changes, including changes within protected areas. In the 1980’s and 1990’s Honduras created over 100 protected areas, yet few resources have been dedicated to their management. This study used Landsat satellite imagery to evaluate deforestation in the Río Plátano...
Recent observational programs to understand the coastal ocean, like the Oregon Coastal Ocean Observing System (OrCOOS) are under development (www.orcoos.org). A challenge in facing observing systems is achieving spatial and temporal coverage at scales that are useful for ocean modeling. Observational buoys are relatively few and towed arrays and gliders...
This project examined a watershed council sponsored volunteer estuary water quality monitoring program, from initial implementation to program status five years later. In addition, literature research and interviews with estuarine experts were conducted in an attempt to devise strategies to strengthen estuary water quality monitoring programs within the state of...
Loss of wetlands within Oregon has led to strong interest in restoring wetlands that once existed. Restoration practitioners are currently using knowledge they have gained from many years of working with wetlands to design and carry out restoration projects. There is much variability between tidal wetlands within coastal
Oregon and...