Assessment of distortion in watermarked geospatial vector data using different wavelets

With the rapid growth of the Internet, the copyright protection problem occurs frequently, and unauthorized copying and distributing of geospatial data threaten the investments of data producers. Digital watermarking is a possible solution to solve this issue. However, watermarking causes modifications in the original data resulting in distortion and affects accuracy, which is very important to geospatial vector data. This article provides distortion assessment of watermarked geospatial data using wavelet-based invisible watermarking. Eight wavelets at different wavelet decomposition levels are used for accuracy evaluation with the help of error measures such as maximum error and mean square error. Normalized correlation is used as a similarity index between original and extracted watermark. It is observed that the increase in the strength of embedding increases visual degradation. Haar wavelet outperforms the other wavelets, and the third wavelet decomposition level is proved to be optimal level for watermarking.     

Estimation of potential energy curves, dissociation energies, franck-condon factors and r-centroids of comet interesting molecules

The experimental potential energy curves for the different electronic states of molecules like CN, CO and CS observed in comets are constructed by using the Rydberg-Klein-Rees method as modified by Vanderslice et al. The ground state dissociation energies are determined by curve fitting technique using the five parameter Hulburt-Hirschfelder (H-H)function. The estimated dissociation energies are 7.63 ± 0.187, 10.95 ±0.224 and 7.27 ± 0.152 eV for CN, CO and CS respectively. These values are in good agreement with the literature values. Estimated dissociation energies of CN, CO and CS are used in the relation given by Gaydon and ionization potentials are evaluated for CO and CS molecules. The estimated ionization potentials are 13.92and 12.15 eV for CO and CS molecules respectively. The r-centroids and Franck-Condon factors (FC Factors) for the band system of a ³Π_r – X¹Σ⁺ (a – X) and A¹Π – X ¹Σ⁺ (A -X) of CN, A ²Π_i – X²Σ⁺ (A – X) and B²Σ⁺-X²Σ⁺ (B – X) of CO and a ³Π_r – X¹Σ⁺ (a – X) of CS molecules have been calculated employing an approximate analytical methods of Jarmain and Fraser and Nicholls and Jarmain. The absence of the bands in these systems are explained. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Generation and Validation of two Day Composite Wind Fields from Oceansat-2 Scatterometer

The Oceansat-2 scatterometer (OSCAT) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), provides surface wind speed and direction with a spatial resolution of 50 km × 50 km. With a revisit time of 2 days it had provided ocean surface wind vectors over the global oceans. In the present work, an attempt has been made to generate two day composite of OSCAT wind vectors using Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) and compare them with daily composite winds to check how better is the two day composites in comparison to daily composites. The daily and two days composite wind vectors of zonal (U) and meridional (V) components have been validated with wind measurements from in situ buoys and Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) for the year 2012 over the tropical Indian Ocean region. The statistical comparison with the in situ measurements and ASCAT has shown that the two-day OSCAT wind composites are slightly better than the daily composite winds. The improvement in the statistics can be attributed to the use of ascending and descending passes pertaining to two days which results in fewer gaps between passes, thereby reducing the interpolation errors.     

Modified Dual Winner Takes All Approach for Tri-Stereo Image Matching Using Disparity Space Images

In this research paper, a new framework is proposed to increase the total number of correct matches for stereo correspondence using tri-stereo images. The research work investigates some of the less explored properties of Disparity Space Image (DSI), and considers the local maxima in addition to the global maximum of the cost function and propose a new tri-stereo matching method as Modified Dual Winner Takes All (MDWTA) using edges of disparity space image. Conventionally using a single DSI from a stereo pair optimization techniques are applied to get the disparity, whereas the proposed approach uses Winner Takes All (WTA) approach using two DSIs from a triplet. The dual property of DSI that is the manner in which it stores cost for rows and columns for forward and reverse matching is introduced. This property is applied to check consistency for forward and reverse matching in a single pass, which gives initial correct matches. Next a left-centre-right consistency check is applied to discard inconsistent disparities obtained from these three views. Subsequently to obtain disparity for gaps thus generated a rule is formulated using local maxima, edges and adjacent global maximum to find correct disparity. Evaluation of the results obtained is carried by comparing them with block matching WTA method and other recent methods such as, Dynamic Programming (DP) and Semi-Global Matching (SGM) applied on images from Terrain Mapping Camera of Chandrayaan-1 and PRISM sensor of the ALOS mission. Methodology proposed is also verified using standard Middlebury stereo dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed method gives an increased number of correct matches by 10–15 % as compared to basic WTA and DP. However the results obtained are better to SGM for certain regions and features.     

Efficacy of Cement-stabilized Fly Ash Cushion in Arresting Heave of Expansive Soils

Expansive clays swell and shrink seasonally when subjected to changes in the moisture regime causing substantial distress to the structures built in them. Techniques like sand cushion and cohesive non-swelling soil (CNS) layer have been tried to arrest heave and consequent damages to structures. Sand cushion has been proved to be counter-productive. Studies have indicated that even though CNS layer was effective initially, it became less effective after the first cycle of swelling and shrinkage. Research carried out by the authors, using cement-stabilized fly ash as a cushioning material, has shown that it was quite effective in arresting heave. Fly ash cushion, stabilized with 10% cement with thickness equal to that of the expansive soil bed reduces heave by about 75% in the first instance. With subsequent swell-shrink cycles, the performance further improves, unlike in the case of a black cotton soil provided with a CNS cushion. At the end of fourth cycle of swelling, the reduction in the amount of heave is as high as 99.1%.     

Influence of circulation parameters on the AOD variations over the Bay of Bengal during ICARB

MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) level-3 aerosol data, NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis winds and QuikSCAT ocean surface winds were made use of to examine the role of atmospheric circulation in governing aerosol variations over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) during the first phase of the ICARB (Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget) campaign (March 18–April 12, 2006). An inter-comparison between MODIS level-3 aerosol optical depth (AOD) data and ship-borne MICROTOPS measurements showed good agreement with correlation 0.92 (p < 0.0001) and a mean MODIS underestimation by 0.01. During the study period, the AOD over BoB showed high values in the northern/north western regions, which reduced towards the central and southern BoB. The wind patterns in lower atmospheric layers (> 850 hPa) indicated that direct transport of aerosols from central India was inhibited by the presence of a high pressure and a divergence over BoB in the lower altitudes. On the other hand, in the upper atmospheric levels, winds from central and northern India stretched south eastwards and converged over BoB with a negative vorticity indicative of a downdraft. These wind patterns pointed to the possibility of aerosol transport from central India to BoB by upper level winds. This mechanism was further confirmed by the significant correlations that AOD variations over BoB showed with aerosol flux convergence and flux vorticity at upper atmospheric levels (600–500 hPa). AOD in central and southern BoB away from continental influences displayed an exponential dependence on the QuikSCAT measured ocean surface wind speed. This study shows that particles transported from central and northern India by upper atmospheric circulations as well as the marine aerosols generated by ocean surface winds contributed to the AOD over the BoB during the first phase of ICARB.     

Physical and optical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols during ICARB at Manora Peak,Nainital: A sparsely inhabited,high-altitude location in the Himalayas

Collocated measurements of the optical and physical properties of columnar and near-surface aerosols were carried out from Manora Peak, Nainital (a sparsely inhabited, high altitude location, ～2 km above mean sea level, in the Himalayas), during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB) under the Geosphere Biosphere Programme of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO-GBP). Under this, observational data of spectral aerosol optical depths (AOD), mass concentration of aerosol black carbon (M _B ), mass concentration (M _T ) and number concentration (N _t ) of composite (total) aerosols near the surface and meteorological parameters were collected during the period February 15 to April 30, 2006. Though very low (<0.1 at 500 nm) AODs were observed during clear days, as much as a four-fold increase was seen on hazy days. The Ångström exponent (α), deduced from the spectral AODs, revealed high values during clear days, while on hazy days α was low; with an overall mean value of 0.69 ± 0.06 for the campaign period. BC mass concentration varied between 0.36 and 2.87 μg m^?3 and contributed in the range 0.7 to 1.8% to the total aerosol mass. Total aerosol number concentration and BC mass concentration showed diurnal variation with a midnight and early morning minimum and a late afternoon maximum; a pattern quite opposite to that seen in low altitude stations. These are attributed to the dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer.     

Aircraft measurements of aerosol black carbon from a coastal location in the north-east part of peninsular India during ICARB

During the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB) over India, high-resolution airborne measurements of the altitude profiles of the mass concentrations (M_B) of aerosol black carbon (BC) were made off Bhubaneswar (BBR, 85.82°E, 20.25°N), over northwest Bay of Bengal, in the altitude region upto 3 km. Such high-resolution measurements of altitude profiles of aerosols are done for the first time over India. The profiles showed a near-steady vertical distribution of MB modulated with two small peaks, one at 800m and the other at ～2000m. High resolution GPS (Global Positioning System) sonde (Vaisala) measurements around the same region onboard the research vessel Sagar Kanya (around the same time of the aircraft sortie) revealed two convectively well mixed layers, one from ground to ～700m with an inversion at the top and the other extends from 1200m to ～2000m with a second inversion at ～2200m and a convectively stable region in the altitude range 700–1200m. The observed peaks in the M_B profile are found to be associated with these temperature inversions. In addition, long-range transport from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and deserts lying further to the west also influence the vertical profile of BC. Latitudinal variation of MB showed a remarkable land ocean contrast at the 500m altitude (within the well mixed region) with remarkably lower values over oceans, suggesting the impact of strong sources over the mainland. However, above the ABL (at 1500m), the latitudinal variations were quite weak, and this appears to be resulting from the impact of long-range transport. Comparison of the altitude profiles of M_B over BoB off BBR with those obtained during the earlier occasion over the inland stations of Hyderabad and Kanpur showed similarities above ～500m, with M_B remaining around a steady value of ～1 μg m^?3. However, large differences are seen within the ABL. Even though the observed M_B values are not unusually high, their near constancy in the vertical column will have important implications to radiative forcing.     

Gravity anomalies over the Central Indian Ridge between 3<Superscript>∘</Superscript>S and 11<Superscript>∘</Superscript>S,Indian Ocean: Segmentation and crustal structure

High-resolution shipboard geophysical investigations along the Indian Ocean ridge system are sparse especially over the Carlsberg and Central Indian ridges. In the present study, the shipboard gravity and multibeam bathymetry data acquired over a 750 km long section of the Central Indian Ridge between 3 ^°S and 11 ^°S have been analysed to understand the crustal structure and the ridge segmentation pattern. The mantle Bouguer anomalies (MBA) and the residual mantle Bouguer anomalies (RMBA) computed in the study area have shown significant variations along the ridge segments that are separated by transform and non-transform discontinuities. The MBA lows observed over the linear ridge segments bounded by well-defined transform faults are attributed to the thickening of the crust at the middle portions of the ridge segments. The estimates of crustal thickness from the RMBA shows an average of 5.2 km thick crust in the axial part of the ridge segments. The MBA and relative RMBA highs along the two non-transform discontinuities suggests a thinner crust of up to 4.0 km. The most significant MBA and RMBA highs were observed over the Vema transform fault suggesting thin crust of 4 km in the deepest part of the transform fault where bathymetry is more than 6000 m. The identified megamullion structures have relative MBA highs suggesting thinner crust. Besides MBA lows along the ridge axis, significant off-axis MBA lows have been noticed, suggesting off-axis mantle upwelling zones indicative of thickening of the crust. The rift valley morphology varies from the typical V-shaped valley to the shallow valley floor with undulations on the inner valley floor. Segments with shallow rift valley floor have depicted well-defined circular MBA lows with persistent RMBA low, suggesting modulation of the valley floor morphology due to the variations in crustal thickness and the mantle temperature. These are supported by thicker crust and weaker lithospheric mantle.