COMPLEX NETWORKS: DYNAMICS, OPTIMIZATION AND CONTROL. Complex networks such large power grids, the Internet, transportation networks and co-operation networks of all kinds provide challenges for frontier technologies particularly computing, communication and control. In particular, advanced societies have become dependent on large infrastructure networks to an extent beyond our capability to plan and control them. The recent spate of collapses in power grids and virus attacks on the Internet i ....COMPLEX NETWORKS: DYNAMICS, OPTIMIZATION AND CONTROL. Complex networks such large power grids, the Internet, transportation networks and co-operation networks of all kinds provide challenges for frontier technologies particularly computing, communication and control. In particular, advanced societies have become dependent on large infrastructure networks to an extent beyond our capability to plan and control them. The recent spate of collapses in power grids and virus attacks on the Internet illustrate the need for research on modelling, analysis of behaviour, planning and control in such networks. This project aims to establish research in this area for Australia's benefit.Read moreRead less
Dynamics and Security Control of Complex Networks. The research will yield basic techniques to analyse, design and operate complex networks so that security, as well as performance, is achieved. These techniques will be further developed towards particular applications including power grids and telecommunication networks. However, the emphasis is on providing basic ideas and techniques.
A study of consumers' competence when choosing between complex mobile phone contracts and the regulatory implications of their coping strategies. The main outcome of this project will be a better understanding of which kinds of mobile phone contracts and methods of displaying them to potential users are the biggest sources of decision making errors, and which techniques for coping with a plethora of such contracts are the most reliable ones. This knowledge will be used to derive recommendations ....A study of consumers' competence when choosing between complex mobile phone contracts and the regulatory implications of their coping strategies. The main outcome of this project will be a better understanding of which kinds of mobile phone contracts and methods of displaying them to potential users are the biggest sources of decision making errors, and which techniques for coping with a plethora of such contracts are the most reliable ones. This knowledge will be used to derive recommendations for consumer policy agencies and advice for consumers that will increase financial welfare and reduce mental stress for consumers. Some of the findings may have implications for regulators seeking to design consumer protection policies in other area where firms deliberately offer customers opaque contracts.Read moreRead less
Distributed Estimation and Control under Communication Constraints. Sensor networks will be an important technology for Australia's future. Applications range from monitoring water quality to controlling complex defence systems. This project will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental limits of wireless sensor networks. Above and beyond the creation of new theory and algorithms, the national and community benefits will include: (i) enhancement of Australia's reputation for innovative ....Distributed Estimation and Control under Communication Constraints. Sensor networks will be an important technology for Australia's future. Applications range from monitoring water quality to controlling complex defence systems. This project will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental limits of wireless sensor networks. Above and beyond the creation of new theory and algorithms, the national and community benefits will include: (i) enhancement of Australia's reputation for innovative Engineering research through quality publications and international collaborations; and (ii) improvement of the research and development capability in the information and communications technology sector through high level training of postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows in this important technology.Read moreRead less
Performance Evaluation Methodologies for the Optical Internet. It will be important to Australia to be an early adopter of a next-generation Internet technology not only to ensure that the country retains its place in the world economic community of but also to ensure that its industries and citizens have access to new technologies. Techniques and methodologies emerging from this project will enable the design of Australia's future optical Internet.
The project will enable strategic decisions ....Performance Evaluation Methodologies for the Optical Internet. It will be important to Australia to be an early adopter of a next-generation Internet technology not only to ensure that the country retains its place in the world economic community of but also to ensure that its industries and citizens have access to new technologies. Techniques and methodologies emerging from this project will enable the design of Australia's future optical Internet.
The project will enable strategic decisions on the viability of new technologies, and as a result Australian service providers will have better and cheaper networks, and Australian users will enjoy better services at a lower cost.
The project will enhance the Australian knowledge base, skills base in the area of teletraffic and optical networking.
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Specifications, Proofs and Animations for Cryptographic Protocols. Cryptographic protocols are fundamental security tools for electronic communications. Despite years of intensive research it remains difficult to obtain high confidence in the security of almost any new protocol. Research in the computer security community has emphasised formal specifications and state based searching, while the cryptographic community has concentrated instead on complexity theoretic proofs. This project will un ....Specifications, Proofs and Animations for Cryptographic Protocols. Cryptographic protocols are fundamental security tools for electronic communications. Despite years of intensive research it remains difficult to obtain high confidence in the security of almost any new protocol. Research in the computer security community has emphasised formal specifications and state based searching, while the cryptographic community has concentrated instead on complexity theoretic proofs. This project will unify these two approaches for the first time by formally specifying and animating the very models used in cryptographic proofs. The result will be proofs that are uniquely accessible to practioners combined with increased confidence that the proofs are both correct and relevant.Read moreRead less
Innovative Decoding Methods for Increased Error Correction of Reed-Solomon Codes and Related Ring Codes. The project addresses the holy grail in the area of Reed-Solomon/BCH decoding, namely the derivation of algebraic soft-decision decoding algorithms. These codes are the most frequently used error-correcting block codes and their performance does not fulfill its full potential due to the lack of algebraic soft-decision decoding methods. In the project the system-theoretic behavioural view is e ....Innovative Decoding Methods for Increased Error Correction of Reed-Solomon Codes and Related Ring Codes. The project addresses the holy grail in the area of Reed-Solomon/BCH decoding, namely the derivation of algebraic soft-decision decoding algorithms. These codes are the most frequently used error-correcting block codes and their performance does not fulfill its full potential due to the lack of algebraic soft-decision decoding methods. In the project the system-theoretic behavioural view is employed, which has proved itself successful in this area in recent years. The project aims to connect soft-decision decoding methods with the decoding of ring codes. Outcomes are decoding methods and algorithms for the australian telecommunications industry that enable increased error correction for Reed-Solomon/BCH codes and related ring codes.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems & Control. Complex dynamic systems are an inescapable feature of the world we live in. Modelling, analysing and optimizing complex behaviour is crucial for environment, process industry, biomedical, energy distribution, transportation and other applications. The Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control will become an international authority in the analysis, design and optimization of complex dynamic systems, pursuing both outstanding fundamental and c ....ARC Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems & Control. Complex dynamic systems are an inescapable feature of the world we live in. Modelling, analysing and optimizing complex behaviour is crucial for environment, process industry, biomedical, energy distribution, transportation and other applications. The Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control will become an international authority in the analysis, design and optimization of complex dynamic systems, pursuing both outstanding fundamental and cutting edge applied research outcomes. These outcomes will be of specific benefit to partner organizations including minerals, process, metal forming, and automotive industries.Read moreRead less
High-performance real-time OS framework for low-power applications. Wireless network adapters, as they are being developed by Cisco, will find widespread use in the near future, as they are the basis of all mobile or otherwise disconnected intelligent devices. These devices must process data very rapidly, yet operate with minimal power consumption. We will develop operating system kernels that will support the secure, efficient and protected execution of the core processing firmware, and provide ....High-performance real-time OS framework for low-power applications. Wireless network adapters, as they are being developed by Cisco, will find widespread use in the near future, as they are the basis of all mobile or otherwise disconnected intelligent devices. These devices must process data very rapidly, yet operate with minimal power consumption. We will develop operating system kernels that will support the secure, efficient and protected execution of the core processing firmware, and provide application frameworks for the controlling higher software layers. We will also investigate and design hardware mechanisms that support the software while keeping power consumption minimal.Read moreRead less
Idea Sources for Product Innovation in Australian Frontier Technology: The Case of the Australian IT Industry. The source of new product ideas, and how new ideas are generated, is a research area that is not well understood in the management literature and frontier industries such as information technology. The aim of the proposed study is to identify and compare what idea sources (e.g., competitor sources or customer sources) are most useful for Australian firms to generate breakthrough product ....Idea Sources for Product Innovation in Australian Frontier Technology: The Case of the Australian IT Industry. The source of new product ideas, and how new ideas are generated, is a research area that is not well understood in the management literature and frontier industries such as information technology. The aim of the proposed study is to identify and compare what idea sources (e.g., competitor sources or customer sources) are most useful for Australian firms to generate breakthrough product innovations in frontier industries (in this case the IT industry). It also aims to improve our theoretical understanding of the link between market orientation and innovation sources.Read moreRead less