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Here are a few thoughts in response to the questions posed: 1. If we took seriously the opportunities for learning in the digital era, our research and technology design would focus more on interactive, collaborative, and experiential modes of learning. We would leverage the connectivity of digital networks to foster open-ended exploration and knowledge-building across traditional boundaries. Assessment would emphasize real-world problem-solving and creation over rote memorization. 2. Moving beyond traditional academic structures could encourage more cross-disciplinary, project-based learning. Students would have more flexibility to follow their interests and passions, pursuing learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Communities may form around shared challenges rather than departments. Evaluation would focus on competencies developed
![CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 2
COMMUNITY TALK
“Man is a game playing animal and a computer is
another way to play games”
- Scott Adams
A few years after Desmond Morris laid bare our
animal nature in The Naked Ape, Alvin Toffler’s 1970
book Future Shock questioned our species’ ability to
adapt to rapidly changing technology. Forty years
later, the question remains. In What Technology
Wants, Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine,
considers it from the viewpoint that technology
accelerates human evolution, creating order and
complexity in the face of entropy’s rule.
According to Kelly, we have accumulated
technology since the dawn of humanity because it
increases the opportunities for each of us individually.
We have a moral duty to further increase the amount
of technology in the world because as we do we
increase the options and opportunities for others. An
innovative and optimistic guide to how technology
can give our lives greater meaning.
It is time that we ask ourselves the following critical
questions.
1. What would our research, technology design,
and thinking look like if we took seriously the
momentous opportunities and challenges for
learning posed by our digital era?
2. What happens when we stop privileging
traditional ways of organizing knowledge (by
fields, disciplines, and majors or minors) and turn
attention instead to alternative modes of creating,
innovating, and critiquing that better address
the interconnected, interactive global nature
of knowledge today, both in the classroom and
beyond?
HASTAC /”haystack”/ [http://www.hastac.
org/about-hastac] is a consortium of humanists,
artists, social scientists, scientists and engineers
committed to new forms of collaboration across
communities and disciplines fostered by creative
uses of technology. HASTAC identifies “Computer
Games” as one of the domains that attempt to answer
the question, “What Technology Wants” to celebrate
the immense power of technology as a very positive
force in the world.
Once the late-night amusement of nerds and
hackers, “Computer Games” and Interactive Media
have emerged as one of the most vibrant elements
of today’s entertainment and military industries.
Massively multiplayer games bring into contact
players from many countries, cultures, and age groups,
challenging players to individually and collaboratively
contemplate and manipulate the history and future of
virtual worlds.
Militaries are using similar platforms to develop
strategy and train troops and ultimately create change
in the real world. Despite the growing popularity and
legitimacy of these games, the importance of the
medium has all but eluded notice by most scholars.
This project explores and documents the development
and impact of such networked, interactive, massively
multiplayer virtual worlds.
Gaming both video and computer has become
more than a fad, it is a part of life. Griffiths a professor
at Nottingham University wrote in a medical journal
that playing games could help children with attention
deficit disorders. Research indicates that the children
could gain social skills. Many medical departments
are using computer games as a form of physiotherapy.
The current focus is on the following three
research and development frontiers related to
“Computer Games”.
1. To expand the technology frontier in terms of
both hardware and software for games
2. To validate innovative procedures including
algorithms and architectures for games
3. To explore novel applications of games
technology both for entertainment and serious
games.
In a relatively short span of time, “Computer
Games” have caught the imagination of one and
all and there many National and International
Conferences and Journals in this area. NASSCOM
says that India’s gaming industry (computer games
and mobile games) is expected to generate $424
million by the 2010.
NASSCOM has also projected a creation of an
additional 300,000 jobs in this sector in next few
years. Indian animation industry though a late starter
is on the threshold of a boom period and so has a
great career potential. India has great mythological
stories and characters, good artists and technicians.
“The future masters of technology will have to be
lighthearted and intelligent. The machine easily masters
the grim and the dumb.”
- Marshall McLuhan, 1969
Mr. Alok Kejriwal is the CEO and Co-Founder
of Games2Win which is in the Top 20 of the global
online games businesses. On behalf of CSIC, I thank
Mr. Alok Kejriwal for readily agreeing to compile the
theme section of this issue.
Dr. Ajith Abraham, has been the Guest
Editor for the theme issue on “Nature Inspired
Computing” published in December 2010. Special
thanks are due to him for sending three more
articles on this innovative topic for inclusion in the
“Special Feature Section” of this issue.
Dr. Gopal T V
Hon. Chief Editor
gopal@annauniv.edu
Please read inside:
IT Market Predictions 2011
- India by Springboard India
Analyst Team, India
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![CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 3
From : president@csi-india.org
Subject : President’s Desk
Date : 1st February, 2011
Over the past 16 years, I have been fortunate
to interact with many eminent academicians and
professionals from the Industry both from India
and Abroad. Interacting with enthusiastic young IT
professionals has been a source of motivation for me
all these years. There is plenty of talent in the IT sector
but there is a perceived gap in the way the skill sets
map to the workplace. This problem of “Employability”
has been deliberated upon by many policy making
bodies and I had the pleasure of participating in many
deliberations at this level.
I am convinced that an integrated approach that
blends the Computer Science related competencies
with those of Arts and Management is necessary to
improve the employability.
CSI has embarked on an ambitious plan to
provide continuing education programmes for
working professionals, industry-oriented professional
development for new college graduates and entry-
level engineers, faculty development programmes,
technology appreciation workshops and finishing
school programmes for students.
The CSI Research Mentors Network consisting
of more than 700 Ph. D qualified members help in
promoting research on a continuous basis. CSI is also
exploring the possibility of forming a virtual university.
This Virtual University is expected to:
Expand Access to IT Knowledge Repositories
Serve Underserved Populations
Increase Communication / Collaboration
Tailor the IT Education to suit the needs of a
Given State
Provide a single – window for IT Skills
Decentralization is the goal of the Virtual
University being envisaged by the team at CSI.
I invite all the members to send their ideas and
suggestions on strengthening the Education activities
of CSI.
Prof. P Thrimurthy
President, Computer Society of India
PRESIDENT’S DESK
About Prof. P Thrimurthy
[Profile Compiled by the Honorary Chief Editor]
“Dr. P Thrimurthy was the founding father of computer education in this University. By his sincere efforts, he
instituted courses like MCA, MSc (Computer Science), PhD (Computer Science) and conducted various Teachers
Training Programmes for MCA and PGDCA with the financial assistance from the Department of Electronics (DoE),
Government of India and the UGC. He established the University Computer Centre and raised it to the Highest “C”
level centre by acquiring infrastructure from the Government of India, state government and also major donation
from an International philanthropist. Dr. P. Thrimurthy produced the first seven PhDs in Computer Science in the
state of Gujarat during his tenure at the Department. He has been the pioneer in initiating computer courses and inter-
disciplinary courses in various colleges and schools in this part of the country.”
Prof. V S Patel
Former Vice-chancellor, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat
As Research Director, Dr. Thrimurthy has produced a dozen PhDs in Computer Science & Engineering.
Author of FOUR books and over 50 Research papers. Member of Editorial boards of FIVE International
Journals .Contributed for promotion of research as Chairman of Programme Committee for over 30 National
& 10 International Seminars . Coordinated several Teacher Training Programmes. Prof. Thrimurthy has been
the President of Computer Section of the Indian Science Congress Association for 1996-97. He has been
associated with UGC, NAAC, AICTE & DOEACC and Several Universities in the country on different technical
and academic committees. Prof. Thrimurthy has developed original software which obtained patent rights
for him. He had served Armed Forces Head Quarters (Indian Army) Delhi, Gujarat University, Sardar Patel
University and Acharya Nagarjuna University.
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![4CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
GUEST EDITORIAL
Brands and the Blindfolds they wear
Alok Kejriwal
CEO and Co-Founder, Games2win - a global top 20 online games biz, Personal Social Network -
Therodinhoods.com 42, Film Center, 4th Floor, 68, Tardeo, Mumbai – 400034, India
E-mail: alok@games2win.com
[Twitter @rodinhood ; Facebook - facebook.com/rodinhood ; Company - c2wgroup.com
Blog - rodinhood.com]
The four women in my life – my mom, my two
girls and my wife are all crazy about this application
called Café World on facebook. They play incessantly
and ‘virtually’ invite each other to their cafes and help
out in serving dishes. Also, they are not alone - approx
2 crore women play Café Mom a month. These
women are loaded - my mom and my wife control the
family household spends at home, and my kids have
digital wallets linked to my wife’s credit card. All four
of them buy (yes buy) virtual goods each month to
decorate their cafes and then boast about it on their
facebook profiles. Just so that you know, the most
popular game on the planet today – Farmville rakes
in approx 100 crores a month from sales from items
like seeds, decorations and ‘pink tractors’. And you
guessed right, the majority of players are housewives
and women.
My question is – why aren’t the real brands in the
real world that women buy everyday present in these
virtual apps? And it’s not only women! Men spend
another 100 crores a month on apps like Mafia Wars
and Texas Poker – buying gifts for their friends on the
poker table. This is serious money exchanging hands
in the virtual world.
This is why brands must immediately rip off their
blindfolds and get their cash registers clinking:
2 crore Indians are playing these kind of apps
each month (comScore) and the number is
galloping. These are the most influential and fat
walleted consumers in India – since they have
computers and broadband to play these apps. So
numbers and spending power is established.
Consumers buy brands they ‘know’ as their first
choice. Since the regular brands are not available
in these apps, consumers are settling for vanilla
branded goods. For example, in café world, you
can buy 14 kinds of floorings or 14 kinds of stoves.
Women buy stoves and floors in their homes.
Just let them buy the same brands here!
A lot of my ‘nostalgic’ brands aren’t available
anymore. I would do anything to buy a real
Campa Cola or Binaca toothpase – if not in the
real world, sell it me virtually. Now, even brands
that have recollection but no physical products
can resurrect and monetize themselves. There
can be no better way of earning an ROI on legacy
branding.
Pricing of these virtual products can be very
interesting. Since brands aren’t selling ‘real’
goods, they can price vitual goods with complete
flexibility! My wife just bough a ‘Kent’ water
purifier for the house for Rs 16000. But in café
world it could cost 16 Rupees!! The killer? Profit
margins on virtual goods are massive - since it’s
a one time cost of creating a ‘picture’ and nothing
more.
Like retail malls sell brands on a % commission,
so will the game publishers. Zynga which runs
Farmville and Café world would have no problems
riding on a local brand’s popularity to earn some
extra bucks! So distributors with millions of ‘click
thru’s (a la walk in’s) will come!
This is a serious and literally new ‘world’ that has
opened up for brands. I used to joke that the only way
established brands can either grow exponentially or
beat a 100-year-old competitor is to go out in space,
discover a new planet and then start selling there. The
virtual world of Internet apps is just that, and on planet
earth itself!
Fast Moving Consumer GAMES - The New FMCGs
are here!
They sell millions of units every day. They are
priced at a few bucks and are impulsively bought. They
are consumed voraciously & repeatedly. They come in
lots of sizes, variations and flavors. Consumers - both
old and young love them. If you were thinking Chips
or Cola, think again. I am talking about Fast Moving
Consumer Games - the ‘new’ FMCG.
Digital consumer entertainment: be it games or
apps, are here to stay and there is synergy amongst
the new and old FMCG brands to leverage each other.
Consider:
Who?
India has a demographic of over 700 million
consumers who are under 30 years old. The Indian
youth adapts to technology like fish to water (or rather
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![6CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
you listen to the fat men with the cheques
books early on. Also, as investors, partners,
and potential acquirers start noticing
your business, they look your Generating
Revenue Experience (GRE) scores. If you
didn’t apply for the exam, you wont get in.
Truth – Get that begging bowl out. Try and
test (if you want to maintain Facebook like
early start up Virginity) what people will pay
for – but make sure that you know where the
light switches are when the darkness arrives.
Myth 5 – I’m a techie – I don’t know
anything about business. I am a business
guy, I don’t know anything about
technology!
Then learn!!
The demons of the mind that say that
you don’t know how ‘business’ works need
to be exterminated on day zero of starting
up. Look all around you – the greatest
geeks in the world – Steve Jobs, Bill Gates,
The Google Twins, Marc Z – all have
understood the science of business better
than anybody else.
Also, for a M.Com dud like myself,
today, technology and self -serve platforms
have become so easy to understand
and implement, they are like those do it
yourself Lego Puzzles. All you need is the
patience to sit down and assemble the
rocket you are trying to build step by step.
Read the instructions carefully and you will
be set.
Truth – No entrepreneur can be in-complete.
This is actually also the first step in becoming
an entrepreneur – understanding a domain
that you otherwise had no clue of.
Note – I am not suggesting mastering all
domains, but rather just understanding them.
Get Out there and Figure it out!
Myth 6 – Professionals whom I want are
too expensive to hire.
Did you ask them? Did you look into
their eyes and explain your invention and
what can happen with it?
So many of the ‘been there, done
that’ types are so bored and stuck en-
cashing salary cheques every month.
They are waiting for folks like you to go
up to them and redeem them! I meet
so many professionals (earning much
more than me) ever so often who say
‘Wow Alok, I wish I could be doing the
exciting and innovative things you and
your Company do’!
Truth – Professionals with big compensation
packages may not quit their job in a hurry for
your Love Songs, but they can certainly begin
associating with you. Start meeting them
and burrow into their experiences. Shed a
few shares and get them on your board. You
may even realize that you never needed them
full time!
Myth 7 – I HAVE TO make this work.
(Stomping of feet on the floor heard).
Once in a while, when you sample
a new restaurant or cuisine, you do risk
getting in there, and ordering a meal you
have never tasted before. In the first few
bites, you know if it is a ‘disastrous’, a ‘will
do, let’s get this done with’ or a ‘wow’
meal.
In a start up land, while your dreams
may have taken you to heaven in a first
class seat, when you actually implement
the idea and hit execution, you may land
up in rubble, deep under the ground.
Do not deny the ‘badness’ of the idea
or the common sensical fact that ‘this was
a bet that should not have been played’.
Enterprises are built on hypothesis. If even
a couple of assumptions or facts (which
are crucial to business) don’t turn out
the way as per your expectations, ditch
the business, kill all engines, sit back and
revise the learnings earned.
Truth – Get out, as soon as you see smoke.
Don’t put on a mask and enter the fire
pretending to be a firefighter. You will not
come out alive and your soul will be too
charred to boot up again.
Origin of Video Games
[Excerpted from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games]
The origin of video games lies in early cathode ray tube-based missile defense systems in the late 1940s. These programs were later
adapted into other simple games during the 1950s. By the late 1950s and through the 1960s, more computer games were developed
(mostly on mainframe computers), gradually increasing in sophistication and complexity.arcade, mainframe, console, personal computer
and later handheld games. Following this period, video games diverged into different platforms:
The first commercially viable video game was Computer Space in 1971, which laid the foundation for a new entertainment industry in
the late 1970s within the United States, Japan, and Europe. The first major crash in 1977 occurred when companies were forced to sell
their older obsolete systems flooding the market. Six years later a second, greater crashNorth America to Japan. occurred. This crash—
brought on largely by a flood of poor quality video games coming to the market—resulted in a total collapse of the console gaming
industry in the United States, ultimately shifting dominance of the market from
Editor’s Choice
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![8CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
About the Guest Editor
ALOK KEJRIWAL is a serial digital entrepreneur and is currently the CEO and co-founder of Games2win –
his fourth company. His previous ventures include contests2win.com – one of India’s best recognized Internet
brands, Mobile2win – acquired by Walt Disney in China and Norwest ventures in India and Media2win – one
of the top 3 Interactive agencies in India. Alok is a child of the Internet and has built companies in India,
China and the US. He has vast fund raising experiences, having raised VC money from the likes of Softbank,
Siemens, Clearstone Venture, and Silicon Valley Bank. Alok collaborates with like-minded partners to start up
companies and pavement pounds himself to create rapid business traction. His signature is the ability to create
companies that capture tremendous value with minimal capital investment. Outside of work, Alok is an avid
yoga practitioner and attempts to write haiku poetry. He also blogs passionately at rodinhood.comand operates
a social network called therodinhood.com.
revenues in virtual goods and how they believe that their games
can generate almost hundreds of crores of revenues in India just
by launching them here!!
Again, these folks are trying to ‘cut paste’ a business from one
market to another. It just doesn’t work.
I patiently explain to them the uniqueness of the Indian market
– we release almost 3-4 new movies every week, so entertainment
is more prolific ‘wide screen’ than ‘narrow screen’ as viewed on a
PC or a mobile. India’s climate is temperate – so we don’t have to
get cooped up inside our homes for many months (Europe, China)
– hence entertainment is outside (friends, malls, etc), not inside
(gaming). Indian parents, who determine Computer time at home,
‘over police’ their kids. We play and watch lots of Cricket and yet
don’t play too many online Cricket games! We are just uniquely
Indians!!
Sigh…
To all these aliens who drop in from the Sky, I reveal to them
that Rice and Curry Sambhar is neither eaten with Chopsticks nor
with a fork and a knife, but with the humble hands – coz that’s
when it actually enters your mouth and also tastes the best!!
Description UK India
Population 60 million 1100 million
Internet users 40 million 40 million
Non Internet Users 20 million 1060 million
Internet penetration amongst users 66% 4%
Major Languages spoken 2 18
Major Newspapers Brands sold 20 120
Youth under 15 9 million 225 million
Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the
social sciences, most notably in economics, as well as in biology
(particularly evolutionary biology and ecology), engineering,
political science, international relations, computer science, social
psychology, philosophy and management. Game theory attempts
to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations,
or games, in which an individual’s success in making choices
depends on the choices of others . While initially developed to
analyze competitions in which one individual does better at
another’s expense (zero sum games), it has been expanded to
treat a wide class of interactions, which are classified according
to several criteria. Today, “game theory is a sort of umbrella or
‘unified field’ theory for the rational side of social science, where
‘social’ is interpreted broadly, to include human as well as non-
human players (computers, animals, plants)” .
Traditional applications of game theory attempt to find equilibria
in these games. In an equilibrium, each player of the game has
adopted a strategy that they are unlikely to change. Many
equilibrium concepts have been developed (most famously
the Nash equilibrium) in an attempt to capture this idea. These
equilibrium concepts are motivated differently depending on
the field of application, although they often overlap or coincide.
This methodology is not without criticism, and debates continue
over the appropriateness of particular equilibrium concepts, the
appropriateness of equilibria altogether, and the usefulness of
mathematical models more generally.
Although some developments occurred before it, the field of game
theory came into being with Émile Borel’s researches in his 1938
book Applications aux Jeux de Hasard, and was followed by the
1944 book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John von
Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. This theory was developed
extensively in the 1950s by many scholars. Game theory was
later explicitly applied to biology in the 1970s, although similar
developments go back at least as far as the 1930s. Game theory
has been widely recognized as an important tool in many fields.
Eight game theorists have won the Nobel Memorial Prize in
Economic Sciences, and John Maynard Smith was awarded the
Crafoord Prize for his application of game theory to biology.
Game theory
[Excerpted from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory]
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![11CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
Games are nothing more than a vividly
recreated environments or systems in which
the user has a meaningful objective; be it
‘how to kill 100 aliens as fast as possible
without dying yourself’ or ‘how to settle a
contractual dispute with a fictional client’.
It is these meaningful goals that derive
satisfaction for the learner. And ultimately
if the application enables the learner to
solve that same problem effectively back in
the real world then doubtless the learner’s
employer will also derive satisfaction!
The ability to assess progress and the
ability to track real understanding is an
area where most people doubt the power
of Serious Games. During a well designed
serious game learners should be making
decisions frequently, and receiving feedback
directly linked to their decisions. We are not
referring to a decision such as turn left of
right, go forward, shoot, etc, but meaningful
and consequential decisions; decisions that
will effect the outcome of the simulation;
what strategy did the learner adopt, how
well did he/she analyse the information
and how well did he/she explain and justify
their decisions. Serious Games provide the
opportunity to see into a learner’s decision
making process and understand a learner’s
strengths and weaknesses in context of
a real world example. Serious Games
applications have the potential to track all of
this data in often staggering levels of detail
and, if they are designed properly, provide
this data to those that need to see it in an
appropriate manner.
4. Gamer demographics
There exists a powerful ‘gamer
stereotype’ that paints a typical gamer
as being spotty, white, teenage male, in a
darkened room, who is lacking basic social
skills.
If you subscribe to the same
aforementioned stereotype then consider
the following:
Microsoft’s XBOX and Sony’s
PlayStation 2 games consoles, whilst
aimed at a ‘hard core’ gamer audience,
were none-the-less marketed to people
in the 18 to 35 age range i.e. adults.
Nintendo’s Wii console is the fastest
selling console of all time and in mainly
targeted to the casual gaming audience;
including women and younger children.
The Wii brought gaming into the living
room and now Microsoft and Sony are
looking for a piece of this action with
Kinect and Move respectively.
According to Nielsen NetRatings,
41 percent of people who frequent
online game sites such as GameSpot,
Candystand and Pogo are women, and
43 percent are ages 25 to 49.
ScoreNetworks, an American firm
which measures online game use,
confirms players are beginning to
resemble the general (American)
population. On average, 8.9 percent
of players at the Top 10 gaming sites
are African American, 4.2 percent
are Asian and 79.3 percent are white.
More significantly, about 35 percent of
players on those sites earn US$50,000
to US$100,000 annually, while
16.2 percent take home more than
US$100,000.
There have been many studies into
the gamer demographic. The entertainment
games industry has funded much of this
because they want to know their customers
better. Lately, the rise in interest in Serious
Games has lead to studies for the purposes
of understanding what sections of the
population it can be applied to.
A pertinent quote, from USA Today in
2004 is:
“…[I]f you’re over 35, chances are you
view video games as, at best, an occasional
distraction….If you’re under 35, games are a
major entertainment and a part of life. In that
sense, they are similar to what rock ‘n’ roll
meant to [baby] boomers.”
To conclude, gamers span both sexes,
all ages and all income brackets. If senior
training decision-makers believe the ‘gamer
stereotype’ and dismiss Serious Games
on this basis then they are failing to fully
understand that their personnel are rapidly
becoming what Marc Prensky1
called ‘Digital
Natives’ and that their appetite for a diet of
traditional eLearning approaches is rapidly
diminishing.
If you want to learn more about the
‘average gamer’ the ESA’s excellent report
can be found at the following web site:
2010 Essential Facts about Computer
and Video Games
http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/
ESA_Essential_Facts_2010.PDF
5. Why should you be interested?
Some of the key potential benefits are
outlined below.
Performance improvement: If Serious
Games are used appropriately they can
directly act to improve employee skills
and knowledge and thus lead to a more
productive workforce.
Increase awareness of the importance
of employee roles: Because games
vividly bring to life the interrelated and
interdependence of different company
roles (e.g. sales and engineering) it helps
employees to understand the affect of their
decisions and behaviour on other important
business areas that otherwise seem
unconnected.
Competency testing: Serious Games
can be a very powerful tool for competency
testing. Realistic scenarios can be played
out in a risk-free environment.
Assessment/ROI: Games capture a
staggering degree of information – both
quantitative and qualitative - whilst being
used by a learner. This can be used to create
detailed reports for assessment.
Recruitment processes: Applications
can be used to test potential new hires by
evaluating how well they perform in roles/
situations that the job role will demand.
Customer & partner education: Serious
Games can be used to help your customers
and channel partners gain a comprehensive
understanding of your product and service
portfolio.
Promotional tool: Serious Games
can be used as the basis for pushing out
informational messages e.g. to highlight the
importance of good customer service.
Induction: Introduce new hires to your
company, your products and services and
the market characteristics that you operate
within.
Motivational tools: Using the
compelling power of games to engage
peopleservesasapowerfultooltoovercome
any initial reluctance to engage in training
and keeps users actively engaged for longer.
Aspirational tools: Allow employees
to try something new, to see whether they
like it and to open new avenues for both
employee and employer.
Best practice: Virtual experts or
mentors can be embedded within scenario-
driven GBL to guide learners through a
situation and to serve as a trusted source of
advice.
And finally;
It is important to remember that
games need not be a solitary, i.e. ‘single-
player’, experience! Some of the world’s
most popular entertainment games are
multiplayer games where players team
up to working together. This brings about
interesting opportunities such as, for
example, around team dynamics.
Multiplayer serious games can also
draw upon the competitive nature of games
with users being ‘dropped’ into virtual
situations with other real people with whom
they need to perfect their negotiation,
communication and conflict resolution
skills. PIXELearning recently developed an
application for a large US defence contractor
for leadership training. In this innovative
application 4 individuals, each with their
own mission, must decide how to work
together, how to lead, and how to escape
‘The Island’. The Leadership game puts
the leaders against one another to retrieve
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![16CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
THEME ARTICLE
Casual Games : Security and Cheating -
A Technology Overview
[Excerpted from: Casual Games SIG/Whitepaper/Technology
http://wiki.igda.org/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Technology]
As casual games have become a more serious
business, security and measures to counter cheating
have become more important. Where once a cheater
simply boosted his high score, hacked his games with
“friends”, or disrupted game play and made a nuisance
of himself, now these activities can cost a developer
potential customers and revenue. Security is a large
discipline that spans the entire lifecycle of a product
or project and includes both technical and non-
technical aspects. This discussion will briefly review
the standard IT security technologies that are relevant
to networked games, and will focus on those that are
unique to this field.
Security is intimately tied to the operational
integrity of the game. While computer games were
once products, in many cases, casual games today
are services. This changes the essential nature of the
business - games are not just “published”, they are
“run”. Customer service, retention, and acquisition
depend more on persistent quality than on flashy
packaging and cool graphics. Development and
delivery of a game is not the end, it is just the beginning.
The security threat for traditional computer
games used to be copy protection. Various proprietary
schemes have been created with each one a balance
of protecting sales versus annoying customers.
Typically, not annoying customers has won out over
security techniques - just as with other traditional
software, the belief was that a satisfied “thief” today
may be a good, paying customer tomorrow. The
effectiveness of the available anti-copying techniques
also was (and is) an issue.
It is always important to remember - the bad guy
does not need to break the security system, they just
needs to beat the game.
The following represents a partial list of the
types of attacks and common exploits; new attacks
are devised against every new game and security
technique.
There is unfortunately a dearth of products
focused on networked game security. Rather it
falls to the developer to defend against the exploits
described below when implementing with any of the
previously mentioned toolsets. This is unfortunate,
and can significantly impact development time and
technological implementation. Some known software
solutions to these types of attacks are listed in sections
below, although each of these will require careful
integration with your game and its development
process.
Common Exploits
In the following sections, we will review the most
common methods used in Web cheating, and the
protections against them. This section is based on the
observations compiled from the sources listed in the
footnotes.
Network Game Security Issues
With the rise of casual games, security has
become a much more serious challenge. While the
game industry has always been concerned about
piracy, new platforms, new business models, and
the power and speed of networks have created new
security problems for game developers, publishers
and operators. These problems rapidly become more
serious for networked games since word-of-mouth
and long term relationships drive sales and revenue
more than just slick packaging and marketing. Network
game operators also face costs associated with
customer support and charge-backs that traditional
computer game publishers and developers have not
had to confront. The discussion that follows will try to
establish clearer definitions of game security issues.
Piracy
Piracy continues to be a problem for network
games. Digital Rights Management tools have joined
older physical media protection and various licensing
tactics to protect against unauthorized duplication.
Unfortunately,oncethesesystemshavebeendefeated,
there is no way to restore the game to a secure state.
Web game services do not have this problem as the
operation of the service provides some measure of
protection against piracy. Web game services do not
protect against duplication of legitimate copies of a
game - at best they typically prevent concurrent use
of a game account. In addition, it is also necessary to
protect not only the game itself, but all copyrighted
materials contained within the game, any and all
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![19CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
International Game Developers Association
[http://www.igda.org/]
[Excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Game_Developers_Association]
International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is the professional society for over 10,000 video and
computer game developers worldwide. It is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit organization. Its
stated mission is “To advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers.”[1] In recognition of the
wide-ranging, multidisciplinary nature of interactive entertainment, there are no barriers to entry. Any person
who considers him- or herself to be a game developer may join.
This article is licensed under the [GNU Free Documentation License] (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ).
It uses material from the Wikipedia articles
Casual Games SIG (http://wiki.igda.org/Casual_Games_SIG)
Casual Games SIG/Whitepaper/Technology(http://wiki.igda.org/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Technology)
For more information please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights
Video game genres are used to categorize video games based
on their gameplay interaction rather than visual or narrative
differences. A video game genre is defined by a set of gameplay
challenges. They are classified independent of their setting or
game-world content, unlike other works of fiction such as films
or books. For example, an action game is still an action game,
regardless of whether it takes place in a fantasy world or outer
space. Within game studies there is a lack of consensus in
reaching accepted formal definitions for game genres, some being
more observed than others. Like any typical taxonomy, a video
game genre requires certain constants. Most video games feature
obstacles to overcome, so video game genres can be defined
where obstacles are completed in substantially similar ways.
Chris Crawford notes that “the state of computer game design
is changing quickly. We would therefore expect the taxonomy
presented here to become obsolete or inadequate in a short time.”.
Following is a listing of commonly used video game genres with
brief descriptions.
Action An action game requires players to use quick reflexes,
accuracy, and timing to overcome obstacles. It is perhaps the most
basic of gaming genres, and certainly one of the broadest. Action
games tend to have gameplay with emphasis on combat. There
are many subgenres of action games, such as fighting games and
first-person shooters.
Shooter
A shooter game focuses primarily on combat involving projectile
weapons, such as guns and missiles. They can be divided into
first-person and third-person shooters, depending on the camera
perspective. Some first-person shooters use light gun technology.
Action-adventure
Action-adventure games combine elements of their two
component genres, typically featuring long-term obstacles
that must be overcome using a tool or item as leverage (which
is collected earlier), as well as many smaller obstacles almost
constantly in the way, that require elements of action games to
overcome. Action-adventure games tend to focus on exploration
and usually involve item gathering, simple puzzle solving,
and combat. “Action-adventure” has become a label which is
sometimes attached to games which do not fit neatly into another
well known genre.
Adventure
Adventure games were some of the earliest games created,
beginning with the text adventure Colossal Cave Adventure in
the 1970s. That game was originally titled simply “Adventure,”
and is the namesake of the genre. Over time, graphics have been
introduced to the genre and the interface has evolved.
Role-playing
Role-playing video games draw their gameplay from traditional
role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Most cast the player
in the role of one or more “adventurers” who specialize in specific
skill sets (such as melee combat or casting magic spells) while
progressing through a predetermined storyline. Many involve
maneuvering these character(s) through an overworld, usually
populated with monsters, that allows access to more important
game locations, such as towns, dungeons, and castles.
Simulation
Simulation video games is a diverse super-category of games,
generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional
reality.
Strategy
Strategy video games focus on gameplay requiring careful and
skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory.
Vehicle simulation
Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which
attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of
operating various kinds of vehicles.
Video game genres
[Excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_genres]
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![22CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
an effective strategy for the design and
implementation of parallel bioinspired
algorithms. Indeed, sequential architectures
are reaching physical limitation (speed of
light, thermodynamics). Nowadays, even
laptops and workstations are equipped with
multi-core processors which represent a
givenclassofparallelarchitecture.Moreover,
the ratio cost/performance is constantly
decreasing. The proliferation of powerful
workstations and fast communication
networks have shown the emergence of
clusters of processors (COWs), networks
of workstations (NOWs), and large-scale
network of machines (Grids) as platforms
for high performance computing. Parallel
and distributed computing can be used in the
design and implementation of bioinspired
algorithms for the following reasons:
Speedup the search: one of the
main goals in parallelizing a bioinspired
algorithm is to reduce the search time. This
helps designing real-time and interactive
optimization methods. This is a very
important aspect for some class of problems
where there is hard requirements on the
search time such as in dynamic optimization
problems and time critical control problems
such as “real-time” planning.
Improve the quality of the obtained
solutions: some parallel models for
bioinspired algorithms allow to improve the
quality of the search. Indeed, exchanging
information between cooperative
algorithms will alter their behavior in terms
of searching in the landscape associated
to the problem. The main goal in a parallel
cooperation between algorithms is to
improve the quality of solutions. Both better
convergence and reduced search time may
happen. Let us notice that a parallel model
for bioinspired algorithms may be more
effective than a sequential algorithm even
on a single processor.
Improve the robustness: a parallel
bioinspired algorithm may be more robust
in terms of solving in an effective manner
different optimization problems and
different instances of a given problem.
Robustness may be also measured in terms
of the sensitivity of the algorithm to its
parameters.
Solve large scale problems: parallel
bioinspired algorithms allow to solve large
scale instances of complex optimization
problems. A challenge here is to solve
very large instances which cannot be
solved on a sequential machine. Another
similar challenge is to solve more accurate
mathematical models associated to
different optimization problems. Improving
the accuracy of the mathematical
models increases in general the size of
the associated problems to be solved.
Moreover, some optimization problems
need the manipulation of huge databases
such as data mining problems.
2. Parallel design
In terms of designing parallel
bioinspired algorithms, three major parallel
models are identified [1]. They follow the
three following hierarchical levels (Tab. 1):
Algorithmic-level: in this parallel
model, independent or cooperating
self-contained bioinspired algorithms
are used. It is a problem-independent
inter-algorithm parallelization. If the
different algorithms are independent,
the search will be equivalent to the
sequential execution in terms of
the quality of solutions. However,
the cooperative model will alter the
behavior of the algorithms and enables
the improvement of the quality of
solutions.
Iteration-level: in this model, each
iteration of a bioinspired algorithm
is parallelized. It is a problem-
independent intra-algorithm
parallelization. The behavior of the
metaheuristic is not altered. The main
objective is to speedup the algorithm
by reducing the search time. Indeed,
the iteration cycle of bioinspired
algorithms on large neighborhoods
or large populations requires a large
amount of computational resources
especially for real-world problems.
Solution-level: in this model, the
parallelization process handles a single
solution of the search space. It is a
problem-dependent intra-algorithm
parallelization. In general, evaluating
the objective function(s) or constraints
for a generated solution is frequently
the most costly operation in bioinspired
algorithms. In this model, the behavior
of the algorithm is not altered. The
objective is mainly the speedup of the
search.
3. Parallel implementation
The implementation point of view
deals with the efficiency of a parallel
bioinspired algorithm on a target parallel
architecture using a given parallel language,
programming environment or middleware.
Different architectural criteria which affect
the efficiency of the implementation can
be considered: shared memory versus
distributed memory, homogeneous versus
heterogeneous, shared versus non shared
by multiple users, local network versus
large network. Indeed, those criteria have a
strong impact on the deployment technique
employed such as load balancing and
fault-tolerance. Depending on the type of
parallel architecture used, different parallel
and distributed languages, programming
environments and middlewares may be
used such as message passing (e.g. PVM,
MPI), shared memory (e.g. multi-threading,
OpenMP), remote procedural call (e.g. Java
RMI, RPC), high-throughput computing
(e.g. Condor), GPU computing (e.g. CUDA),
and grid computing (e.g. Globus).
The following table 2 recapitulates
the characteristics of the main parallel
architectures according to the most
important criteria. Those criteria must be
used to analyze the efficient implementation
of the different parallel models of
metaheuristics.
The performance of a parallel
bioinspired algorithm on a given parallel
architecture depends mainly on its
granularity. The granularity of a parallel
program is the amount of computation
performed between two communications.
It computes the ratio between the
computation time and the communication
time. Larger is the granularity better is the
obtained speedup.
The degree of concurrency of a parallel
bioinspired algorithm is represented by the
maximum number of parallel processes
at any time. This measure is independent
from the target parallel architecture. It is
an indication of the number of processors
that can employed usefully by the parallel
bioinspired algorithm.
Asynchronous communications and
the recovery between computation and
communication is also an important issue
for a parallel efficient implementation.
Indeed, most of the actual processors
integrate different parallel elements such
as ALU, FPU, GPU, DMA, etc. Most of the
computing part takes part in cache. Hence,
the RAM bus is often free and can be used
by other elements such as the DMA. Hence,
input/output operations can be recovered
by computation tasks.
Few software frameworks available on
the Web are devoted to parallel bioinspired
algorithms and their hybridization to solve
mono and multi-objective optimization
problems. The use of the ParadisEO-PEO
software framework allows the parallel
design of the different parallel models
of metaheuristics. It allows also their
transparent and efficient implementation
on different parallel and distributed
architectures (e.g. clusters and networks
of workstations, multi-cores, high-
performance computing and desktop
grids, GPUs) using suitable programming
environments (e.g. MPI, Threads, Globus,
Condor, CUDA).
One of the perspective in the coming
years is to achieve Petascale performance.
The emergence of multi-core chips and
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![23CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
many-core chips (i.e. GPU) technologies
will speedup the achievement of this
goal. In terms of programming models,
cloud computing and peer-to-peer (P2P)
computing will become an important
alternative to traditional high performance
computing for the development of large-
scale metaheuristics that harness massive
computational resources. This is a great
challenge as nowadays cloud and P2P-
enabled frameworks for parallel bioinspired
algorithms are just emerging. A pure peer-
to-peer computing system does not have
the notion of clients or servers but only equal
peer nodes that simultaneously function as
both clients and servers to the other nodes
on the network. Cloud computing is made
generally available on the Internet (i.e. IP
availability). Users of the cloud have access
to the resources which are owned and
operated by a third-party on a consolidated
basis. They are concerned with services
it can perform rather than the underlying
technologies used to perform the requested
function.
References
[1] E-G. Talbi. Metaheuristics: from design
to implementation. Wiley, 2009.
Table 1: Parallel models of metaheuristics
Parallel model Problem
dependency
Behavior Granularity Goal
Algorithmic-level Independent Altered Metaheuristic Effectiveness
Iteration-level Independent Non altered Iteration Efficiency
Solution-level Non altered Solution Efficiency
Table 2: Characteristics of the main parallel architectures. Hom: Homogeneous, Het:
Heterogeneous
Criteria Memory Homogeneity Sharing Network Volatility
SMP Multi-core Shared Hom Yes or No Local No
COW Distributed Hom or Het No Local No
NOW Distributed Het Yes Local Yes
HPC Grid Distributed Het No Large No
Desktop Grid Distributed Het Yes Large Yes
Computer Games and Windows 98
This customer comes into the computer store. “I’m looking for
a mystery Adventure Game with lots of graphics. You know,
something really challenging.”
“Well,” replied the clerk, “Have you tried Windows 98?”
Programmer cries for help...
Once a programmer drowned in the sea. Many Marines were there
at that time on the beach, but the programmer was shouting “F1
F1” and nobody understood it.
Explaning why my program doesn’t
work...
I’ve never heard about that.
It did work yesterday.
Well, the program needs some fixing.
How is this possible?
The machine seems to be broken.
Has the operating system been updated?
The user has made an error again.
There is something wrong in your test data.
I have not touched that module!
Yes, yes, it will be ready in time.
You must have the wrong executable.
Oh, it’s just a feature.
I’m almost ready.
Of course, I just have to do these small fixes.
It will be done in no time at all.
It’s just some unlucky coincidence.
I can’t test everything!
THIS can’t do THAT.
Didn’t I fix it already?
It’s already there, but it has not been tested.
It works, but it’s not been tested.
Somebody must have changed my code.
There must be a virus in the application software.
Even though it does not work, how does it feel?
10. It doesn’t take minutes to build the picture when you change
TV channels.
9. When was the last time you tuned in to “Melrose Place” and
got a “Error 404” message?
8. There are fewer grating color schemes on TV--even on MTV.
7. The family never argues over which Web site to visit this
evening.
6. A remote control has fewer buttons than a keyboard.
5. Even the worst TV shows never excuse themselves with an
“Under Construction” sign.
4. Seinfeld never slows down when a
lot of people tune in.
3. You just can’t find those cool Health
Rider infomercials on the Web.
2. Set-top boxes don’t beep and whine
when you hook up to HBO.
1. You can’t surf the Web from a couch with a beer in one hand
and Doritos in the other.
Laugh IT OFF
The top 10 reasons Why the television is
better than the World Wide Web
February 2011.indd 23February 2011.indd 23 2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/95e90a76-e44f-4c54-8481-a08473c2264d-150625130732-lva1-app6892/85/CSI-25-320.jpg)
![24CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
ARTICLE
1. Introduction and Background
Significant progress had been made about how
the brain works, from the molecular to the functional
level,inthepastfewdecades.Buthowcanresearchers,
often get trained in a particular neuroscience discipline
to understand and use all that data to develop the
right kind of hypotheses to test? We have to develop
novel computational models to tackle this challenge.
It might be possible to develop software programs to
mimic the behavior of the brain based on the results
of proven scientific studies. Computational modeling
is the only inherently dynamic way to help us to
specify that function precisely. It not only provides
some new explanations for the nerve physiology
processes occurring in our brain, but also provides
new ideas for the artificial cognitive systems [1,2].
What is needed is a formal way to systematically
relate multiple data sets, thus bridging the function of
brain and computational models. Functional Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (fMRI) provides a high resolution
volumetric mapping of the haemodynamic response of
the brain, which can be correlated with neural activity,
thereby allowing the spatially localized characteristics
of brain activity to be observed. It is a new trend to
use fMRI studies to confirm and improve cognitive
computational models.
Hickok and Poeppel [4] provided a dual-stream
model of speech processing. The approximate
anatomical locations of the dual-stream model
components are illustrated in Figure 1. Regions
shaded green depicted areas on the dorsal surface
of the superior temporal gyrus that are proposed to
be involved in spectrotemporal analysis. Regions
shaded yellow in the posterior half of the STS are
implicated in phonological-level processes. Regions
shaded pink represent the ventral stream, which is
bilaterally organized with a weak left-hemisphere
bias. The more posterior regions of the ventral stream,
posterior middle and inferior portions of the temporal
lobes correspond to the lexical interface, which links
phonological and semantic information, whereas the
more anterior locations correspond to the proposed
combinatorial network. Regions shaded blue represent
the dorsal stream, which is strongly left dominant. The
posterior region of the dorsal stream corresponds to
an area in the Sylvian fissure at the parietotemporal
boundary, which is proposed to be a sensorimotor
interface, whereas the more anterior locations in the
frontal lobe, probably involving Broca’s region and a
more dorsal premotor site, correspond to portions of
the articulatory network.
Fig. 1 : Approximate anatomical locations of the dual-stream
model components (adapted from[4])
Fig. 2 : the brain activations during two tasks
Our research deals with the comparison between
Chinese character and Arabic numerals cognition.
During the brain activations during two tasks, we
observed activations in the premotor area (PMA), the
prefrontal cortex (PFC), the left Inferior frontal cortex
(Broca area, Br), the left angular gyrus (AG) and the
area of left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) during the two
tasks. More over, the activation volumes of brain areas
A Biologically Inspired Computational
Model of Language Cognition
Hongbo Liu1,2
, Ajith Abraham2
, Wei Wang3
1
School of Information, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
2
Machine Intelligence Research Labs -MIR Labs, Seattle, WA, USA
3
Physical science and technical college, Dalian University. lhb@dlut.edu.cn,
ajith.abraham@ieee.org, weiwang@dlu.edu.cn
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![25CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
during Chinese character cognition were
larger than during Arabic numeral cognition.
The within-condition interregional
covariance analysis (WICA) is a novel
method for ROI-based functional
connectivity analyses [5]. We exposed
human subjects to two cognition tasks in
one functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI; n=30) experiment and applied
WICA to analyze the connectivity between
the brain activation areas during two tasks.
We observed a profound activation area in
PMA and the high functional connections
between it and other activation areas
during the two tasks. Further, the analysis
of functional connectivity indicates the
functional connection between Broca area
(Br) and angular gyrus (AG) during Chinese
character cognition task was enhanced in
comparison to Arabic numeral cognition
task.
2. Experimental Observations and
Future Trends
Observed from the brain regions, there
is an important pathway to process the
language cognitive tasks. Auditory inputs of
language information is transmitted by the
auditory cortex angular gyrus, and then to
Wernickearea,thenspreadtotheBrocaarea.
The visual inputs from visual association
cortex information were directly transmitted
to the Broca area. Visual perception and
semantics of language are dealt separately
by the different sensory pathways. These
separate channels to reach the Broca area,
and the meaning, and language related to
the more high-level cortex regions. Based
on the connectivity of the brain and the
neural language processing in human
brains, there are two dynamic hierarchies.
In the top level, six coarse-grained modules
construct a large-scale distributed network,
which provides its ongoing organization and
topological properties of the connection
of brain networks. In the bottom level,
each module is implemented in a smaller
scale within the distributed multi-agent
system, which achieve short-time working
memory and remodeling features within
each cognitive module. Figure 4 illustrates
the two-hierarchical computational
model. The two-level subsystems apply
symbolic representation and distributed
representation respectively to adapt to
the explicit and implicit processing in the
dynamic hierarchies. The implicit learning
in the bottom level can obtain the explicit
knowledge from the top-level network, while
the explicit learning in the top level acquired
in the underlying implicit knowledge from
the bottom level subsystems. The system is
implemented with the top-down guidance
learning and the bottom-up selective
learning. The computational model has
emergent and self-learning features.
Fig. 4 : A Biologically-Based Computational Model
Our model model sheds light on how
the cognitive processing is completed in
human brain. It could enlighten us to achieve
advanced artificial intelligence. fMRI cannot
only provide principal approaches for
computational models, but also the rigorous
and unique tests of computational models.
We hope that this article encourages
researchers to expand their useful fMRI
datasets into computational modeling.
3. Conclusion
In this article, we investigated language
cognitive computational modeling from
fMRI experiments. Considering the
connectivity of the brain, a two-hierarchical
model is designed by larger-scale network
and smaller-scale multi-agent system. The
computational model has emergent and
self-learning features. Our ongoing research
aims to provide new approaches to carry on
human cognitive research and novel ideas
to implement new generation intelligent
systems to solve some of the complex real
world problems.
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the NSFC
(60873054,61073056,10947174) and the
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central
Universities (Grant No.2009QN043).
References
1. Sukel, K., Computational Models
Reveal New Insights in Neuroscience,
2008.
2. Lefèvre J., Mangin J-F., A reaction-
diffusion model of human brain
development, PLoS Computational
Biology, 2010, 6(4): e1000749.
3. A. Ekstrom. How and when the fMRI
BOLD signal relates to underlying
neural activity: the danger in
dissociation. Brain Research Reviews,
2010, 62(2):233-244
4. Hickok, G. and Poeppel, D., The cortical
organization of speech processing,
Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2007,
8(5), 393-402
5. Tang YY, Zhang WT, Chen KW, et
al. Arithmetic processing in the brain
shaped by cultures. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences USA.
2006, 103(28):10775-10780.
Fig. 3 : Brain Deactivations in Mathematic Stress
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![26CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
ARTICLE
1. Introduction
Computational Grids (CGs) are a natural
extension of classical distributed systems. CGs are
expected to leverage unprecedented larger computing
capacities by virtually joining together geographically
distributed resources at large scale. To achieve this
objective, the design of ecient Grid schedulers that
map and allocate tasks and applications onto Grid
resources is a key issue. In fact, CGs introduce new
complexities to the scheduling problem making it even
more challenging for the design of ecient schedulers.
In this article, we illustrate how various nature inspired
heuristic and meta-heuristic methods can be used to
design ecient schedulers in CGs. Such heuristic and
meta-heuristics include ad hoc methods, local search,
population-based and hybrid approaches. In using
these methods for designing ecient Grid schedulers
we take into account the new characteristics of CGs
and tackle the Grid scheduling as a family of problems.
2. Background
Scheduling in distributed systems is one of the
most studied problems in the optimization theory. The
intrinsics characteristics of CGs add new complexities
to the problem as compared to its traditional version
in conventional distributed systems.
Main Characteristics of Computational Grids.
CGs distinguish for their dynamic structure (resources
in a Grid system can join or leave the Grid in an
unpredictable way), the high heterogeneity of resources
(the computational resources could be very disparate
in their computing capacities), the high heterogeneity
of tasks (tasks arriving to any Grid system are diverse
and heterogenous in terms of their computational
needs), the high heterogeneity of interconnection
networks (resources are connected through different
interconnection networks). On the other hand, CGs
are cross-administrative infrastructures and thus
there are Grid schedulers which should co-exists
with local schedulers and also local policies on access
and usage of resources. Scalability and efficiency are
as well essential features to Grid schedulers as CGs
are expected to be large scale. Finally, beyond the
efficiency, Grid schedulers should also take into
account security and trust requirements.
An Example: Grid Batch Scheduling. Scheduling
problem in Computational Grids, in its general form,
can be stated as in the case of scheduling problem for
distributed systems: compute a mapping of a given
set of tasks onto a set of available machines. However,
behind this general denition, there are many concrete
versions of the problem. The Grid batch scheduling
is an important version of the problem in which the
processing of independent tasks in batches (see Fig.
1). The problem is formalized using the Expected Time
To Compute matrix (ETC model) in which ETC[j][m]
indicates an estimation of time to complete task j in
resource m. Several objectives, including makespan,
flowtime, resource utilization and matching proximity
Nature Inspired Schedulers in
Computational Grids
Fatos Xhafa* & Ajith Abraham**
* Technical University of Catalonia, Spain, fatos@lsi.upc.edu
** Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIRLabs), USA, ajith.abraham@ieee.org
Job
Pool Planning of a
Batch of jobsGrid Scheduler
Internet
Job Launching &
Monitoring
Grid
Applications
Grid Information
Service
Failed jobs
(re-schedule)
Machine Pool
Fig. 1 : Batch Scheduler View
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![27CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
can be formulated. In fact, these objectives
could contradict each other especially close
to optimality (see fluctuations in Fig. 2).
3. Heuristic Methods for Scheduling in
Grid Systems
At a higher level, the heuristic methods
are usually classified as calculus based,
random or enumerative. In the first group
we can find greedy algorithms and ad
hoc methods, which implement a direct
strategy for computing the solution. In the
second group, which is the largest one, we
have guided and non-guided methods. The
former includes Simulated Annealing, Tabu
Search, and the large family of evolutionary
algorithms. The final group comprises of
dynamic programming and branch-and-
bound algorithms.
In the case of Grid scheduling problem,
many methods from the aforementioned
groups, must be applied to the problem in
order to design the most efficient scheduler
depending on the Grid scenario. We list
below the most used methods for the
problem for the two groups, namely, ad hoc,
local search-based and population-based
methods.
Ad hoc methods Ad hoc methods
comprise both immediate and batch
scheduling and are usually used for single-
objective optimization case. The group
of immediate mode methods includes
Opportunistic Load Balancing, Minimum
Completion Time, Minimum Execution
Time, Switching Algorithm and k-Percent
Best. An example of their efficacy for a set
of three tasks and three machines is given in
Figure 3. The group of batch mode methods
comprises Min-Min, Max-Min, Suerage,
Relative Cost and Longest Job to Fastest
Resource - Shortest Job to Fastest Resource.
Local search methods Local search
is a family of methods that explore the
solution space starting from an initial
solution and constructing a path in solution
space. Methods in this family comprise of
Hill Climbing, Simulated Annealing (SA)
and Tabu Search (TS), among others. SA is
more powerful than simple local search by
accepting also worse solutions with certain
probability[1].TSisamoresophisticatedbut
also more computationally expensive due
to its mechanisms of tabu lists, aspiration
criteria, intensification and diversification.
Abraham et. al. [1] considered TS as
candidate solution method for the problem.
Xhafa et. al. [5] presented a full featured
TS for the scheduling problem under ETC
model.
Population-based methods Population-
based heuristics use populations of
individuals to explore the solution space.
This family comprises Genetic Algorithms
(GAs), Memetic Algorithms (MAs), Ant
Colony Optimization (ACO) and Particle
Swarm Optimization (PSO). GAs for
Grid scheduling have been addressed by
Abraham et al. [1] and Xhafa et al. [6, 7].
MAs is class of population-based methods,
which combine the concepts of evolutionary
search and local search. Xhafa [3] applied
unstructured MAs and Xhafa et al. [4]
proposed Cellular MAs (structured MAs)
for the independent scheduling problem
under ETC model. ACO and PSO have also
been considered for the scheduling problem.
Abraham et al. [2] proposed an approach
using fuzzy PSO algorithm.
Hybrid approaches Although, meta-
heuristics are in nature hybrid, higher
level approaches combining stand alone
heuristics are also being reported in the
literature for the problem. Recently, Xhafa
et al. [8] proposed a GA(TS) algorithm for
the scheduling of independent tasks under
ETC model.
4. Conclusions
This article addressed the use of
heuristic and meta-heuristic methods for
designing efficient Grid schedulers. We
have brie y reviewed different families of
heuristic methods used for the resolution
of the problem, including ad hoc methods,
local search methods and population-based
methods. The use of different heuristic
methods is very useful to design efficient
schedulers according to different Grid
scenarios and Grid-enabled application
types.
Future trends in this research will be
considering the integration of security and
trust requirements into Grid schedulers.
References
1. A. Abraham, R. Buyya, and B. Nath.
Figure 2: The fluctuations of makespan and flowtime – simultaneous optimization.
Fig. 3 : An example of scheduling computed by ad hoc methods.
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![28CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011
`Nature’s heuristics for scheduling jobs
on computational grids`, In The 8th IEEE
Int. Conf. on Advanced Computing and
Communications (ADCOM 2000) India,
2000.
2. A. Abraham, H. Liu, W. Zhang,
and T. Chang. Scheduling jobs on
computational grids using fuzzy
particle swarm algorithm. In 10th Int.
Conf. on Knowledge-Based & Intelligent
Information & Engineering Systems,
LNCS, Springer, 2006.
3. F. Xhafa, A Hybrid Evolutionary
Heuristic for Job Scheduling in
Computational Grids. Springer Verlag
Series: Studies in Computational
Intelligence , Vol. 75 2007, Chapter
10, ISBN: 978-3-540-73296-9.
September 2007.
4. F. Xhafa, E. Alba, B. Dorronsoro, and B.
Duran. Efficient Batch Job Scheduling
in Grids using Cellular Memetic
Algorithms, Journal of Mathematical
Modelling and Algorithms, 7(2):217-
236, 2008.
5. F. Xhafa, J. Carretero, E. Alba, B.
Dorronsoro. Tabu Search Algorithm
for Scheduling Independent Jobs in
Computational Grids, Computer And
Informatics Journal, Vol. 28, No 2,
2009, pp 237-249.
6. F. Xhafa, J. Carretero, A. Abraham.
Genetic Algorithm Based Schedulers
for Grid Computing Systems.
International Journal of Innovative
Computing, Information and Control,
Vol. 3, No.5, pp. 1-19, 2007.
7. F. Xhafa, B. Duran, A. Abraham and K.
P. Dahal. Tuning Struggle Strategy in
Genetic Algorithms for Scheduling in
Computational Grids. Neural Network
World. Vol. 18, No. 3, 209-225, Jul,
2008.
8. F. Xhafa, J.A. Gonzalez, K. P. Dahal, A.
Abraham: A GA(TS) Hybrid Algorithm
for Scheduling in Computational Grids.
HAIS 2009: 285-292, LNCS, Springer
Statewise Membership Statistics Report - January 2011
State Life Individual Nominees
(Non-Acad)
Nominees
(Acad)
Total Voting
Members
Student
Members
Total
Members
Andhra Pradesh 925 279 32 268 1504 8544 10048
Assam 31 7 13 12 63 1 64
Bihar 25 20 0 0 45 1 46
Chattisgarh 30 4 1 6 41 86 127
Delhi 782 71 27 92 972 773 1745
Goa 57 5 12 7 81 1 82
Gujarat 474 166 23 99 762 1660 2422
Jharkhand 341 11 9 7 368 57 425
Karnataka 805 89 32 85 1011 1878 2889
Kerala 279 41 16 81 417 2139 2556
Madhya Pradesh 382 101 6 114 603 2881 3484
Maharashtra 1881 383 216 337 2817 8805 11622
Orissa 212 28 12 17 269 1 270
Pondicherry 89 4 0 0 93 415 508
Punjab 179 31 1 44 255 489 744
Rajasthan 138 41 0 36 215 1160 1375
Tamilnadu 1541 297 72 439 2349 18723 21072
Uttar Pradesh 448 190 29 87 754 1760 2514
Uttaranchal 181 42 12 33 268 531 799
West Bengal 547 89 43 18 697 4 701
Total 9347 1899 556 1782 13584 49909 63493
Prof. H R Vishwakarma
Hon. Secretary, Computer Society of India
“A cell is regarded as the true biological atom.”
— George Henry Lewes, The Physiology of Common Life (1860), 297
[Science] is the literature of God written on the stars–the trees–the rocks–and more important because [of] its
marked utilitarian character.
— James Abram Garfield, Quoted in Allan Peskin, Garfield: A Biography (1978), 57.
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![CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 43
Usability Engineering
[Excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_engineering]
Design Practice
Usability engineering is a field that is concerned generally
with human-computer interaction and specifically with making
human-computer interfaces that have high usability or user
friendliness. In effect, a user-friendly interface is one that allows
users to effectively and efficiently accomplish the tasks for which
it was designed and one that users rate positively on opinion
or emotional scales. Assessing the usability of an interface and
recommending ways to improve it is the purview of the Usability
Engineer. The largest subsets of Usability Engineers work to
improve usability of software graphical user interfaces (GUIs),
web-based user interfaces, and voice user interfaces (VUIs).
Several broad disciplines including Psychology, Human Factors
and Cognitive Science subsume usability engineering, but the
theoretical foundations of the field come from more specific
domains: human perception and action; human cognition;
behavioral research methodologies; and, to a lesser extent,
quantitative and statistical analysis techniques.
When usability engineering began to emerge as a distinct area
of professional practice in the mid- to late 1980s, many usability
engineers had a background in Computer Science or in a sub-
field of Psychology such as Perception, Cognition or Human
Factors. Today, these academic areas still serve as springboards
for the professional practitioner of usability engineering, but
Cognitive Science departments and academic programs in
Human-Computer Interaction now also produce their share of
practitioners in the field.
The term usability engineering (in contrast to interaction
design and user experience design) implies more of a focus on
assessing and making recommendations to improve usability
than it does on design, though Usability Engineers may still
engage in design to some extent, particularly design of wire-
frames or other prototypes.
Standards and Guidelines
Usability engineers sometimes work to shape an interface
such that it adheres to accepted operational definitions of user
requirements. For example, the International Organisation
for Standardisation-approved definitions (see e.g., IS0 9241
part 11) usability are held by some to be a context-dependent
yardstick for the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with
which specific users should be able to perform tasks. Advocates
of this approach engage in task analysis, then prototype
interface design, and usability testing on those designs. On the
basis of such tests, the technology is (ideally) re-designed or
(occasionally) the operational targets for user performance are
revised.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has
collaborated with industry to develop the Common Industry
Specification for Usability - Requirements which serves as
a guide for many industry professionals. The specifications
for successful usability in biometrics were also developed by
the NIST. Usability.Gov provides a tutorial and wide general
reference for the design of usable websites.
Methods and Tools
Usability Engineers conduct usability evaluations of existing
or proposed interfaces and their findings are fed back to the
Designer for use in design or redesign. Common usability
evaluation methods include:
• usability testing (Gold standard of Usability Engineering, but
the most involved and expensive method)
• interviews
• focus groups
• questionnaires
• cognitive walkthroughs
• heuristic evaluations
• RITE method
• cognitive task analysis
• contextual inquiry
• Think aloud protocol
Usability testing, the gold standard, is when participants are
recruited and asked to use the actual or prototype interface and
their reactions, behaviors, errors, and self-reports in interviews
are carefully observed and recorded by the Usability Engineer.
On the basis of this data, the Usability Engineer recommends
interface changes to improve usability.
“Inadequate use of usability engineering methods in
software development projects have been estimated to
cost the US economy about $30 billion per year in lost
productivity.”
- Jakob Nielsen
“It’s better to design the user experience than rectify it. It’s
the difference between a cathedral and the Winchester
House.”
- Jon Meads
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CSI
- 2. February 2011 Region-VII Student Convention Date : 17 February, 2011 Organized by : CSI Coimbatore Chapter and CSI Amrita Student Branch For details contact : Amirta Vidya Peetam, Coimbatore CONSEG-2011 : International Conference on Software Engineering Date : 17-19 February, 2011 Organized by: CSI Div. II (Software) and Bangalore Chapter For details contact: Dr. Anirban Basu, anirbanbasu@qualityplusindia.com EAIT 2011: The 2nd International Conference on Emerging Applications of Information Technology Date : 18-20 February, 2011 Organized by: CSI Kolkata Chapter For details contact: Mr. D P Sinha, csieait2011@gmail.com National Conference on Emerging Trends in Information Technology Date : 24-25 February, 2011 Organized by : CSI Indore Chapter Host by : IPS Academy, Indore For details contact : Anita Mahajan, omuma18@gmail.com; Dr. Durgesh Kumar Mishra mishra_research@rediffmail.com Region-II Student Convention Date : 25 February, 2011 Host by : Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata For details contact : Dipti Prasad Mukherjee, dipti@isical.ac.in; Dr. Sib Daspal sibdaspal@gmail.com, Dr. Phalguni Mukherjee CSI Kolkata, csical@gmail.com Two day workshop on “Data Mining with Case study” Date : 25-26 February, 2011 Host by : Mumbai Chapter, CSI For details contact : csimumbai@vsnl.com The 1st CSI Madhya Pradesh State IT Convention Date : 26-27, February 2011 Organized by : CSI Bhopal Chapter Host by : MANIT Bhopal For details contact : Dr. R P Singh, info@csibhopal.org, Website: http:// csibhopal.org/ March 2011 The 1st CSI National Science and ICT Quiz (Finals) Theme: Discover Thinking Date : 4th March 2011 Organized by: CSI Coimbatore Chapter and other Host Chapters For details contact: Mr. Ranga Rajagopal (E-mail: ranga_gopal1@ rediffmail.com). www.csidiscoverthinking.com The 1st CSI Pondichery Student Convention Date : 5th March 2011 Organized by: CSI Coimbatore Chapter and other Host Chapters Hosted by: Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering & Technology For details contact: Mr. S Ramasamy E-mail: srsamy@hotmail.com 27th CSI National Student Convention Date : 9-12, March 2011 Hosted by: ITM Gwalior Organized by: CSI ITM Universe Student Branch and CSI Gwalior Chapter For details contact: pallavikhatri.csit@itmuniverse.in Region-V Student Convention Date : 17-19, March 2011 Hosted by: Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad Organized by: CSI Hyderabad Chapter and CSI Guru Nanak Engg. College Student Branch For details contact: Prof. D D Sarma, E-mail: csignis@gmail.com, Prof. K Rajasekhara Rao, krr_it@yahoo.co.in The 2nd CSI National Student Symposium Date : 18-19, March 2011 Hosted by: KLEF University,Vaddeswaram Organized by: CSI Koneru Chapter and CSI KLEF Univeristy Student Branch For details contact: Prof. Praveen Krishna, praveenkrishnacsi@gmail.com, Prof. K Rajasekhara Rao, krr_it@yahoo.co.in Region-III Student Convention Date : 26-27 March 2011 Hosted by: Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur Organized by: CSI Jaipur and Udaipur Chapters For details contact: Naveen Hemrajani (naven_h@yahoo.com), Dr. Dharm Singh, dharm@mpuat.ac.in, Dr. M Chandwani, rsc3@csi-india.org April 2011 NCVESCOM - 11 : 4th National Conference on VLSI, Embedded Systems, Signal Processing and Communication Technologies Date : 8-9, Apr 2011 at Chennai Organized by : Department of Electronics & Comunications Engg., Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Missions University and supported by CSI Div. IV (Communication), IEEE madras Section, IEEE COMSOC, IEEE CS, IETE, BES(I). For details contact: D Vijendra Babu, Conference Co-Chair, NCVESCOM-11, HOD & Associate Professor/ECE, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Paiyanoor-603104. Email: ncvescom2011@gmail.com Tel. : +91 9443538245 or Mr. H R Mohan, Chair, Div II at hrmohan@gmail. com Website: www.avit.ac.in International Conference on Emerging Trends in Networks and Computer Communications Date : 22-24, April 2011 Organized by : CSI Udaipur Chapter and IE-I Computer Engg Division and Udaipur Local Centre For details contact: Dr. Dharm Singh, dharm@mpuat.ac.in May 2011 Seminar on Advances in Information Systems Date : 17th May 2011 Organized by : CSI Vellore Chapter Hosted by: Academic Staff College, VIT University For details contact : pkalyanaraman@vit.ac.in; gjagadeesh@vit.ac.in; mrajasekharababu@vit.ac.in June 2011 Research Symposium on Information and Communications Technologies Date : 3-4 June 2011 Organized by : CSI Vellore Chapter Hosted by: School of Information Technology & Engineering For details contact: : pkalyanaraman@vit.ac.in; gjagadeesh@vit.ac.in; mrajasekharababu@vit.ac.in July 2011 ACC-2011: International Conference on Advances in Computing and Communications Date : 22-24, Jul 2011 at Kochi, India Organized by: Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology (RSET) in association with Computer Society of India (CSI), Div. IV & Cochin Chapter, The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE),The Institution of Engineers (India) and Project Management Institute (PMI),Trivandrum, Kerala Chapter. For details contact: Dr. Sabu M Thampi, Conference Chair - ACC2011, Professor, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, Rajagiri Valley, Kakkanad, Kochi 682 039, Kerala, INDIA. Email: acc2011.rset@gmail.com Website: http://www.acc-rajagiri.org M D Agrawal Vice President & Chair, Conference Committee, CSI February 2011.indd 51February 2011.indd 51 2/7/2011 4:30:24 PM2/7/2011 4:30:24 PM
- 3. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 1 Volume No. 34 Issue No. 11 February 2011 President Prof. P Thrimurthy president@csi-india.org Vice-President Mr. M D Agrawal vp@csi-india.org Hon. Secretary Prof. H R Vishwakarma secretary@csi-india.org Hon. Treasurer Mr. Saurabh H Sonawala treasurer@csi-india.org Immd. Past President Mr. S Mahalingam s.maha@tcs.com Regional Vice-Presidents Mr. M P Goel (Region I) rvp1@csi-india.org Dr. D P Mukherjee (Region II) rvp2@csi-india.org Prof. S G Shah (Region III) rvp3@csi-india.org Mr. Sanjay Mohapatra (Region IV) rvp4@csi-india.org Dr. D B V Sarma (Region V) rvp5@csi-india.org Mr. C G Sahasrabuddhe (Region VI) rvp6@csi-india.org Mr. S Ramanathan (Region VII) rvp7@csi-india.org Mr. Jayant Krishna (Region VIII) rvp8@csi-india.org Division Chairpersons Dr. Deepak Shikarpur Division-I div1@csi-india.org (Hardware) Dr. T V Gopal Division-II div2@csi-india.org (Software) Dr. S Subramanian Division-III div3@csi-india.org (Applications) Mr. H R Mohan Division-IV div4@csi-india.org (Communications) Prof. Swarnalatha Rao Division-V div5@csi-india.org (Edu. & Research) Nominations Committee Dr. Shyam Sunder Agrawal Prof. (Dr.) U K Singh Dr. Suresh Chandra Bhatia Publications Committee Chairman Prof. S V Raghavan svr@cs.iitm.ernet.in Chief Editor Dr. T V Gopal gopal@annauniv.edu Director (Education) Wg. Cdr. M Murugesan (Retd.) director.edu@csi-india.org Resident Editor Mrs. Jayshree Dhere jayshree.dhere@gmail.com Executive Secretary Mr. Suchit Gogwekar hq@csi-india.org Published by Mr. Suchit Gogwekar For Computer Society of India Executive Committee 2010-11/12 CONTENTS Theme Section : Computer Games 04 Brands and the Blindfolds they wear Alok Kejriwal 09 Games-based Learning – a serious business proposition Helen Routledge & Helen Axe 1 6 Casual Games : Security and Cheating - A Technology Overview Ideas & Opinions 20 Gigabits and Gandhi – A Realistic Model S V Raghavan Special Feature Section 21 Preamble : Nature Inspired Machine Intelligence Ajith Abraham 21 Parallel Bioinspired Optimization Algorithms E-G Talbi 24 A Biologically Inspired Computational Model of Language Cognition Hongbo Liu, Ajith Abraham & Wei Wang 26 Nature Inspired Schedulers in Computational Grids Fatos Xhafa & Ajith Abraham Article 29 IT Market Predictions 2011 - India Springboard India Analyst Team Departments 02 Community Talk 03 President’s Desk 31 ExecCom Transacts CSI Topics 32 CSI BIG-2011 – A Report Dr. Dharm Singh 34 Div III (Applications), SIG on e-Governance and Allahabad Chapter D K Dwivedi 35 Science & Technology EXPO-2010: Dr. Dharm Singh 36 CSI-45th Annual Convention 2010 at Mumbai – A Report Jayshree A Dhere 44 From CSI Chapters CSI Calendar 2010-11 (2nd Cover) CSI Election 2011-2012 /2013 (Back Cover) February 2011.indd 1February 2011.indd 1 2/7/2011 4:30:26 PM2/7/2011 4:30:26 PM
- 4. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 2 COMMUNITY TALK “Man is a game playing animal and a computer is another way to play games” - Scott Adams A few years after Desmond Morris laid bare our animal nature in The Naked Ape, Alvin Toffler’s 1970 book Future Shock questioned our species’ ability to adapt to rapidly changing technology. Forty years later, the question remains. In What Technology Wants, Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine, considers it from the viewpoint that technology accelerates human evolution, creating order and complexity in the face of entropy’s rule. According to Kelly, we have accumulated technology since the dawn of humanity because it increases the opportunities for each of us individually. We have a moral duty to further increase the amount of technology in the world because as we do we increase the options and opportunities for others. An innovative and optimistic guide to how technology can give our lives greater meaning. It is time that we ask ourselves the following critical questions. 1. What would our research, technology design, and thinking look like if we took seriously the momentous opportunities and challenges for learning posed by our digital era? 2. What happens when we stop privileging traditional ways of organizing knowledge (by fields, disciplines, and majors or minors) and turn attention instead to alternative modes of creating, innovating, and critiquing that better address the interconnected, interactive global nature of knowledge today, both in the classroom and beyond? HASTAC /”haystack”/ [http://www.hastac. org/about-hastac] is a consortium of humanists, artists, social scientists, scientists and engineers committed to new forms of collaboration across communities and disciplines fostered by creative uses of technology. HASTAC identifies “Computer Games” as one of the domains that attempt to answer the question, “What Technology Wants” to celebrate the immense power of technology as a very positive force in the world. Once the late-night amusement of nerds and hackers, “Computer Games” and Interactive Media have emerged as one of the most vibrant elements of today’s entertainment and military industries. Massively multiplayer games bring into contact players from many countries, cultures, and age groups, challenging players to individually and collaboratively contemplate and manipulate the history and future of virtual worlds. Militaries are using similar platforms to develop strategy and train troops and ultimately create change in the real world. Despite the growing popularity and legitimacy of these games, the importance of the medium has all but eluded notice by most scholars. This project explores and documents the development and impact of such networked, interactive, massively multiplayer virtual worlds. Gaming both video and computer has become more than a fad, it is a part of life. Griffiths a professor at Nottingham University wrote in a medical journal that playing games could help children with attention deficit disorders. Research indicates that the children could gain social skills. Many medical departments are using computer games as a form of physiotherapy. The current focus is on the following three research and development frontiers related to “Computer Games”. 1. To expand the technology frontier in terms of both hardware and software for games 2. To validate innovative procedures including algorithms and architectures for games 3. To explore novel applications of games technology both for entertainment and serious games. In a relatively short span of time, “Computer Games” have caught the imagination of one and all and there many National and International Conferences and Journals in this area. NASSCOM says that India’s gaming industry (computer games and mobile games) is expected to generate $424 million by the 2010. NASSCOM has also projected a creation of an additional 300,000 jobs in this sector in next few years. Indian animation industry though a late starter is on the threshold of a boom period and so has a great career potential. India has great mythological stories and characters, good artists and technicians. “The future masters of technology will have to be lighthearted and intelligent. The machine easily masters the grim and the dumb.” - Marshall McLuhan, 1969 Mr. Alok Kejriwal is the CEO and Co-Founder of Games2Win which is in the Top 20 of the global online games businesses. On behalf of CSIC, I thank Mr. Alok Kejriwal for readily agreeing to compile the theme section of this issue. Dr. Ajith Abraham, has been the Guest Editor for the theme issue on “Nature Inspired Computing” published in December 2010. Special thanks are due to him for sending three more articles on this innovative topic for inclusion in the “Special Feature Section” of this issue. Dr. Gopal T V Hon. Chief Editor gopal@annauniv.edu Please read inside: IT Market Predictions 2011 - India by Springboard India Analyst Team, India February 2011.indd 2February 2011.indd 2 2/7/2011 4:30:26 PM2/7/2011 4:30:26 PM
- 5. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 3 From : president@csi-india.org Subject : President’s Desk Date : 1st February, 2011 Over the past 16 years, I have been fortunate to interact with many eminent academicians and professionals from the Industry both from India and Abroad. Interacting with enthusiastic young IT professionals has been a source of motivation for me all these years. There is plenty of talent in the IT sector but there is a perceived gap in the way the skill sets map to the workplace. This problem of “Employability” has been deliberated upon by many policy making bodies and I had the pleasure of participating in many deliberations at this level. I am convinced that an integrated approach that blends the Computer Science related competencies with those of Arts and Management is necessary to improve the employability. CSI has embarked on an ambitious plan to provide continuing education programmes for working professionals, industry-oriented professional development for new college graduates and entry- level engineers, faculty development programmes, technology appreciation workshops and finishing school programmes for students. The CSI Research Mentors Network consisting of more than 700 Ph. D qualified members help in promoting research on a continuous basis. CSI is also exploring the possibility of forming a virtual university. This Virtual University is expected to: Expand Access to IT Knowledge Repositories Serve Underserved Populations Increase Communication / Collaboration Tailor the IT Education to suit the needs of a Given State Provide a single – window for IT Skills Decentralization is the goal of the Virtual University being envisaged by the team at CSI. I invite all the members to send their ideas and suggestions on strengthening the Education activities of CSI. Prof. P Thrimurthy President, Computer Society of India PRESIDENT’S DESK About Prof. P Thrimurthy [Profile Compiled by the Honorary Chief Editor] “Dr. P Thrimurthy was the founding father of computer education in this University. By his sincere efforts, he instituted courses like MCA, MSc (Computer Science), PhD (Computer Science) and conducted various Teachers Training Programmes for MCA and PGDCA with the financial assistance from the Department of Electronics (DoE), Government of India and the UGC. He established the University Computer Centre and raised it to the Highest “C” level centre by acquiring infrastructure from the Government of India, state government and also major donation from an International philanthropist. Dr. P. Thrimurthy produced the first seven PhDs in Computer Science in the state of Gujarat during his tenure at the Department. He has been the pioneer in initiating computer courses and inter- disciplinary courses in various colleges and schools in this part of the country.” Prof. V S Patel Former Vice-chancellor, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat As Research Director, Dr. Thrimurthy has produced a dozen PhDs in Computer Science & Engineering. Author of FOUR books and over 50 Research papers. Member of Editorial boards of FIVE International Journals .Contributed for promotion of research as Chairman of Programme Committee for over 30 National & 10 International Seminars . Coordinated several Teacher Training Programmes. Prof. Thrimurthy has been the President of Computer Section of the Indian Science Congress Association for 1996-97. He has been associated with UGC, NAAC, AICTE & DOEACC and Several Universities in the country on different technical and academic committees. Prof. Thrimurthy has developed original software which obtained patent rights for him. He had served Armed Forces Head Quarters (Indian Army) Delhi, Gujarat University, Sardar Patel University and Acharya Nagarjuna University. February 2011.indd 3February 2011.indd 3 2/7/2011 4:30:27 PM2/7/2011 4:30:27 PM
- 6. 4CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 GUEST EDITORIAL Brands and the Blindfolds they wear Alok Kejriwal CEO and Co-Founder, Games2win - a global top 20 online games biz, Personal Social Network - Therodinhoods.com 42, Film Center, 4th Floor, 68, Tardeo, Mumbai – 400034, India E-mail: alok@games2win.com [Twitter @rodinhood ; Facebook - facebook.com/rodinhood ; Company - c2wgroup.com Blog - rodinhood.com] The four women in my life – my mom, my two girls and my wife are all crazy about this application called Café World on facebook. They play incessantly and ‘virtually’ invite each other to their cafes and help out in serving dishes. Also, they are not alone - approx 2 crore women play Café Mom a month. These women are loaded - my mom and my wife control the family household spends at home, and my kids have digital wallets linked to my wife’s credit card. All four of them buy (yes buy) virtual goods each month to decorate their cafes and then boast about it on their facebook profiles. Just so that you know, the most popular game on the planet today – Farmville rakes in approx 100 crores a month from sales from items like seeds, decorations and ‘pink tractors’. And you guessed right, the majority of players are housewives and women. My question is – why aren’t the real brands in the real world that women buy everyday present in these virtual apps? And it’s not only women! Men spend another 100 crores a month on apps like Mafia Wars and Texas Poker – buying gifts for their friends on the poker table. This is serious money exchanging hands in the virtual world. This is why brands must immediately rip off their blindfolds and get their cash registers clinking: 2 crore Indians are playing these kind of apps each month (comScore) and the number is galloping. These are the most influential and fat walleted consumers in India – since they have computers and broadband to play these apps. So numbers and spending power is established. Consumers buy brands they ‘know’ as their first choice. Since the regular brands are not available in these apps, consumers are settling for vanilla branded goods. For example, in café world, you can buy 14 kinds of floorings or 14 kinds of stoves. Women buy stoves and floors in their homes. Just let them buy the same brands here! A lot of my ‘nostalgic’ brands aren’t available anymore. I would do anything to buy a real Campa Cola or Binaca toothpase – if not in the real world, sell it me virtually. Now, even brands that have recollection but no physical products can resurrect and monetize themselves. There can be no better way of earning an ROI on legacy branding. Pricing of these virtual products can be very interesting. Since brands aren’t selling ‘real’ goods, they can price vitual goods with complete flexibility! My wife just bough a ‘Kent’ water purifier for the house for Rs 16000. But in café world it could cost 16 Rupees!! The killer? Profit margins on virtual goods are massive - since it’s a one time cost of creating a ‘picture’ and nothing more. Like retail malls sell brands on a % commission, so will the game publishers. Zynga which runs Farmville and Café world would have no problems riding on a local brand’s popularity to earn some extra bucks! So distributors with millions of ‘click thru’s (a la walk in’s) will come! This is a serious and literally new ‘world’ that has opened up for brands. I used to joke that the only way established brands can either grow exponentially or beat a 100-year-old competitor is to go out in space, discover a new planet and then start selling there. The virtual world of Internet apps is just that, and on planet earth itself! Fast Moving Consumer GAMES - The New FMCGs are here! They sell millions of units every day. They are priced at a few bucks and are impulsively bought. They are consumed voraciously & repeatedly. They come in lots of sizes, variations and flavors. Consumers - both old and young love them. If you were thinking Chips or Cola, think again. I am talking about Fast Moving Consumer Games - the ‘new’ FMCG. Digital consumer entertainment: be it games or apps, are here to stay and there is synergy amongst the new and old FMCG brands to leverage each other. Consider: Who? India has a demographic of over 700 million consumers who are under 30 years old. The Indian youth adapts to technology like fish to water (or rather February 2011.indd 4February 2011.indd 4 2/7/2011 4:30:28 PM2/7/2011 4:30:28 PM
- 7. 5CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 like friends to facebook). Hence consuming tech entertainment is native to them. Armed with a phone and the ‘Indian’ version of the iPad (think of Micromax attacking this category and selling a Rs 5000 ‘carry anywhere’ screen with a sim card inside), the prime target audience of FMC(G)ames is a very large. Remember Indian Idol & KBC when they first launched? Their SMS versions were mobile games and raked in big moolahs. Where? Digital FMCG are being created in the mobile and online realm. With over 500 million mobile handsets and 50 million PCs, the ‘mid and small’ screens are now ubiquitous. These screens are the new ‘POS’ or point of sale for the digital FMCG brands. Consumers are carrying distribution outlets in their pockets or sitting smack in front of them and staring at them all day long. So the digital screen is the new influencer and point of communication. No longer is a ‘pull’ required to get the consumer to a store to buy. The store lives with the consumer all day long! Why? Games are entertaining and social. That’s the time-tested formulae of creating impulsive consumption. What can beat sitting down in a College canteen and sipping Chai with Chips and playing mobile Teen Patti with 5 friends? The large pack of chips can come bundled with a mobile game. Today in India, if you pop open a Coke bottle, unpeel the crown and sms the code inside, you can win instant mobile airtime top ups. This gratification happens before you can even finish the bottle. Both FMCG brands are in full play synergistic play here! How? The mobile phone is the new wallet. You can pay via the operator or instantly by debiting your pre-paid sim card. This is the foundation of instant consumption. The ability to pay with least ‘friction’ (as easy as taking money from your wallet and paying) allows easy and micro payments. This is the digital translation of the sachet economy – pay a tiny amount for a tiny piece of entertainment just like you would pay a tiny amount to enjoy a single hair wash! From a career and professional perspective, for the first time, rather than working for an FMCG Company – you can create one!! 7 Myths of Starting Up – Busted here! Posted on December 2, 2010 by Rodinhood Myth 1 – I have a great idea but I can’t share it coz someone will steal it. Oh man, if that were the case, then dreams would be the most expensive commodity on the planet. Salvador Dali- the father of Surrealism slept on a couch with a spoon in his mouth. He would start dreaming up crazy ideas and as he would drift into his sleep, the spoon would slip out of his mouth, fall on the floor and wake him up. He would immediately get up, rush to his canvas to paint what he had just dreamt. The million $$ Dalis that exist today are paintings, not dreams. Truth – An idea is worth nothing. Execute. Execute. Execute to make it valuable. Myth 2 – When do I approach the investors? Hmmmm… What’s the best ‘timing’? Huh?? Were you Sleep Walking? If only investors were like the Black and Yellow Mumbai cabs that you can hail and get into any time you want! No VC or Investor is waiting with bated breath biting her fingernails for you to call! It’s quite the opposite scene actually. In a booming Economy (like India), investors are deluged with lots of high quality and established business investment options, so you have to fight hard to get into the VC’s visitor’s area to begin with! Truth – Capital Chases Entrepreneurs, not the other way around. Invest all your energies in building a GREAT business. Everyone will be ringing your doorbell. Myth 3 – I have no money to start. (Sniff Sniff). Most new business ideas today really need very little capital. If you are thinking of starting an Internet enabled business, the cloud takes away all the pain of investments. Domains cost less than 20 US$, and the rest of it is almost free. Sites like WordPress and their plugins can get you a fully loaded website up and running in a few thousand rupees spent. Sure, if you have a more Capital Intensive business idea, then think really hard. Start Ups don’t survive on Love and Fresh Air. They need real hard cash. If you are on the Poverty Line, don’t attempt to start up. There will be better times to be more adventurous. Truth – Be ready to sacrifice a good couple of years’ earnings into starting up and not looking like someone who lost all her baggage after a 24 hour flight. Once you have the cushion of 2 years’ savings, a lot more confidence will seep into your decision-making and improve your risk taking capabilities. Also Budget your Burn to say last for a year or whatever be your test horizon. That discipline will go a long way even after you get funded. Myth 4 – Let me Grow First. Revenues can come Later. Oops. That’s the spine breaker. Unless you have a massive, massive overnight hit like a Twitter or Facebook, tread the ‘growth first, revenue last’ road with caution. You may be suffering from a deep-seated insecurity to generate revenues and conveniently shoving that fear under the carpet by postponing revenue generation. It’s like hiding a body in the deep freezer and hoping that it will never be found. Generating revenues is a real PAIN. And it’s best confronted in parallel to building your business. In fact, so many extra features of your service or enterprise may never be needed if From “Rodinhood.com” - Alok Kejriwal’s personal blog February 2011.indd 5February 2011.indd 5 2/7/2011 4:30:28 PM2/7/2011 4:30:28 PM
- 8. 6CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 you listen to the fat men with the cheques books early on. Also, as investors, partners, and potential acquirers start noticing your business, they look your Generating Revenue Experience (GRE) scores. If you didn’t apply for the exam, you wont get in. Truth – Get that begging bowl out. Try and test (if you want to maintain Facebook like early start up Virginity) what people will pay for – but make sure that you know where the light switches are when the darkness arrives. Myth 5 – I’m a techie – I don’t know anything about business. I am a business guy, I don’t know anything about technology! Then learn!! The demons of the mind that say that you don’t know how ‘business’ works need to be exterminated on day zero of starting up. Look all around you – the greatest geeks in the world – Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, The Google Twins, Marc Z – all have understood the science of business better than anybody else. Also, for a M.Com dud like myself, today, technology and self -serve platforms have become so easy to understand and implement, they are like those do it yourself Lego Puzzles. All you need is the patience to sit down and assemble the rocket you are trying to build step by step. Read the instructions carefully and you will be set. Truth – No entrepreneur can be in-complete. This is actually also the first step in becoming an entrepreneur – understanding a domain that you otherwise had no clue of. Note – I am not suggesting mastering all domains, but rather just understanding them. Get Out there and Figure it out! Myth 6 – Professionals whom I want are too expensive to hire. Did you ask them? Did you look into their eyes and explain your invention and what can happen with it? So many of the ‘been there, done that’ types are so bored and stuck en- cashing salary cheques every month. They are waiting for folks like you to go up to them and redeem them! I meet so many professionals (earning much more than me) ever so often who say ‘Wow Alok, I wish I could be doing the exciting and innovative things you and your Company do’! Truth – Professionals with big compensation packages may not quit their job in a hurry for your Love Songs, but they can certainly begin associating with you. Start meeting them and burrow into their experiences. Shed a few shares and get them on your board. You may even realize that you never needed them full time! Myth 7 – I HAVE TO make this work. (Stomping of feet on the floor heard). Once in a while, when you sample a new restaurant or cuisine, you do risk getting in there, and ordering a meal you have never tasted before. In the first few bites, you know if it is a ‘disastrous’, a ‘will do, let’s get this done with’ or a ‘wow’ meal. In a start up land, while your dreams may have taken you to heaven in a first class seat, when you actually implement the idea and hit execution, you may land up in rubble, deep under the ground. Do not deny the ‘badness’ of the idea or the common sensical fact that ‘this was a bet that should not have been played’. Enterprises are built on hypothesis. If even a couple of assumptions or facts (which are crucial to business) don’t turn out the way as per your expectations, ditch the business, kill all engines, sit back and revise the learnings earned. Truth – Get out, as soon as you see smoke. Don’t put on a mask and enter the fire pretending to be a firefighter. You will not come out alive and your soul will be too charred to boot up again. Origin of Video Games [Excerpted from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games] The origin of video games lies in early cathode ray tube-based missile defense systems in the late 1940s. These programs were later adapted into other simple games during the 1950s. By the late 1950s and through the 1960s, more computer games were developed (mostly on mainframe computers), gradually increasing in sophistication and complexity.arcade, mainframe, console, personal computer and later handheld games. Following this period, video games diverged into different platforms: The first commercially viable video game was Computer Space in 1971, which laid the foundation for a new entertainment industry in the late 1970s within the United States, Japan, and Europe. The first major crash in 1977 occurred when companies were forced to sell their older obsolete systems flooding the market. Six years later a second, greater crashNorth America to Japan. occurred. This crash— brought on largely by a flood of poor quality video games coming to the market—resulted in a total collapse of the console gaming industry in the United States, ultimately shifting dominance of the market from Editor’s Choice February 2011.indd 6February 2011.indd 6 2/7/2011 4:30:43 PM2/7/2011 4:30:43 PM
- 9. 7CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 Do you eat Rice and Curry Sambhar with Chopsticks? Do you eat Rice and Curry Sambhar with Chopsticks? First examine the rice. A few months ago, two very senior professionals from a leading digital agency came over to Media2win (digital agency) to meet KK (CEO of media2win) and me. They were examining the possibilities of a Joint Venture, given that they were keen to start up in India and had no local partners here. Within a few minutes of speaking about Mumbai’s traffic and Indian food, the older gentleman (in his 50s), looked and me and said ‘Alok, I am really disappointed that you don’t do any offline (print, TV, radio) advertising business in Media2win. The new age digital agency in the UK does everything and that allows them to retain clients who like to deal with only one advertising agency. You better get that business started up or you will perish very soon’. Hearing this, I was first shocked (at the suggestion), then dismayed (there went the JV) and then humored (on how ignorance was bliss). I went up to the white board and drew this grid box: There was such a startling difference between the UK and India in each additional row that I kept adding on and on… I bluntly told the visitors that they had no clue of what India was. Reading news headlines and watching snippets of India meant nothing. Especially, if they were flying into India for the first time and then telling local folks like me and KK how to run an advertising agency! I patiently further explained that India had many Indias within it; rural marketing was another animal – it was not akin to ‘countryside marketing’ in the UK; millions of people here could not read or write and in villages fairs, Bollywood songs were the route of marketing – not multimedia, Internet and Mobile Barcodes. Hence 360-degree marketing campaign (involving all mediums with one message) that made so much sense in the UK had little mass applicability in India. In short, a digital agency in India was supposed to do only one thing – Digital – and not just to survive (a problem in the UK) but to actually thrive (the opportunity in India)! This meeting was a classic case of trying to eat Rice and Sambhar Curry with Chopsticks. Barely anything would enter your mouth. Are you eating rice and curry Sambhar with Chopsticks? Curry is hot. Don’t eat it fast. A couple of years ago, my Co-Founders in Games2win – MK, Dinesh and I were at the Games Developers Conference in San Francisco. The city was buzzing, we were having lots of fun and were in that dreamy, ‘let’s change the world’ frame of mind. Dinesh and MK decided that we should change the Mumbai office timing from the regular 10 am – 7 pm routine to a new 8 am – 5 pm one. The inspiration, of course, was the glorious USA that we were in at that time but also because we wanted our colleagues to come in early so that they could also leave early and ‘get a life’. Once back in Mumbai, we implemented the change. For me, it was quite an experience. It meant sacrificing my morning yoga and meditation and also hurrying through breakfast. I guess for the rest of the Company also, there was a bit of adjustment required. A few weeks later, we observed a rather strange phenomenon. Most of the folks were managing to tumble in by 830 am, but were still hanging on till 7 pm!! No one actually left at 5 pm. May be it was very odd to just get up and leave given the earlier routine or just because work was not finished. The idea of ‘importing’ the American office timetable had backfired badly – we were now on the verge of burning out our people. A few weeks later we reverted back to the ‘Mumbai’ routine. What went wrong? I think, this time we were trying to eat Rice and Curry Sambhar with a knife and fork. Example – unlike the US where folks typically hop out of the office for lunch, our people who brought lunch from home had to now wake up at 4 and 5 am to make their food and bring it along. That was wrecking their family time. And despite the sacrifice, they were still reaching home at almost the same time they used to reach home when the office had regular hours! Sometimes Rice doesn’t need Curry. Almost every week I get questioned by investors and International players about the opportunity of the online gaming market and why hasn’t there been an explosion in India yet… like China! Large Gaming Companies officials fly down wearing suits and jackets and present their massive multiplayer games on their micro-mini laptops to me. Others speak about billion dollar From “Rodinhood.com” - Alok Kejriwal’s personal blog February 2011.indd 7February 2011.indd 7 2/7/2011 4:30:55 PM2/7/2011 4:30:55 PM
- 10. 8CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 About the Guest Editor ALOK KEJRIWAL is a serial digital entrepreneur and is currently the CEO and co-founder of Games2win – his fourth company. His previous ventures include contests2win.com – one of India’s best recognized Internet brands, Mobile2win – acquired by Walt Disney in China and Norwest ventures in India and Media2win – one of the top 3 Interactive agencies in India. Alok is a child of the Internet and has built companies in India, China and the US. He has vast fund raising experiences, having raised VC money from the likes of Softbank, Siemens, Clearstone Venture, and Silicon Valley Bank. Alok collaborates with like-minded partners to start up companies and pavement pounds himself to create rapid business traction. His signature is the ability to create companies that capture tremendous value with minimal capital investment. Outside of work, Alok is an avid yoga practitioner and attempts to write haiku poetry. He also blogs passionately at rodinhood.comand operates a social network called therodinhood.com. revenues in virtual goods and how they believe that their games can generate almost hundreds of crores of revenues in India just by launching them here!! Again, these folks are trying to ‘cut paste’ a business from one market to another. It just doesn’t work. I patiently explain to them the uniqueness of the Indian market – we release almost 3-4 new movies every week, so entertainment is more prolific ‘wide screen’ than ‘narrow screen’ as viewed on a PC or a mobile. India’s climate is temperate – so we don’t have to get cooped up inside our homes for many months (Europe, China) – hence entertainment is outside (friends, malls, etc), not inside (gaming). Indian parents, who determine Computer time at home, ‘over police’ their kids. We play and watch lots of Cricket and yet don’t play too many online Cricket games! We are just uniquely Indians!! Sigh… To all these aliens who drop in from the Sky, I reveal to them that Rice and Curry Sambhar is neither eaten with Chopsticks nor with a fork and a knife, but with the humble hands – coz that’s when it actually enters your mouth and also tastes the best!! Description UK India Population 60 million 1100 million Internet users 40 million 40 million Non Internet Users 20 million 1060 million Internet penetration amongst users 66% 4% Major Languages spoken 2 18 Major Newspapers Brands sold 20 120 Youth under 15 9 million 225 million Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the social sciences, most notably in economics, as well as in biology (particularly evolutionary biology and ecology), engineering, political science, international relations, computer science, social psychology, philosophy and management. Game theory attempts to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations, or games, in which an individual’s success in making choices depends on the choices of others . While initially developed to analyze competitions in which one individual does better at another’s expense (zero sum games), it has been expanded to treat a wide class of interactions, which are classified according to several criteria. Today, “game theory is a sort of umbrella or ‘unified field’ theory for the rational side of social science, where ‘social’ is interpreted broadly, to include human as well as non- human players (computers, animals, plants)” . Traditional applications of game theory attempt to find equilibria in these games. In an equilibrium, each player of the game has adopted a strategy that they are unlikely to change. Many equilibrium concepts have been developed (most famously the Nash equilibrium) in an attempt to capture this idea. These equilibrium concepts are motivated differently depending on the field of application, although they often overlap or coincide. This methodology is not without criticism, and debates continue over the appropriateness of particular equilibrium concepts, the appropriateness of equilibria altogether, and the usefulness of mathematical models more generally. Although some developments occurred before it, the field of game theory came into being with Émile Borel’s researches in his 1938 book Applications aux Jeux de Hasard, and was followed by the 1944 book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. This theory was developed extensively in the 1950s by many scholars. Game theory was later explicitly applied to biology in the 1970s, although similar developments go back at least as far as the 1930s. Game theory has been widely recognized as an important tool in many fields. Eight game theorists have won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, and John Maynard Smith was awarded the Crafoord Prize for his application of game theory to biology. Game theory [Excerpted from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory] February 2011.indd 8February 2011.indd 8 2/7/2011 4:31:09 PM2/7/2011 4:31:09 PM
- 11. 9CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 THEME ARTICLE 1. Introduction Serious Games are not about using simplistic ‘Pong’ or ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ type applicationsasameanstoteachpeoplerawfacts.They are not about using games as a reward mechanism for correct answers. That was the approach adopted by edutainment in the 1990’s and which, by and large, failed for all except, perhaps, primary school level. Serious Games are designed to realistically represent a complex environment, system or process that is intrinsically relevant to the learner because it is what they recognise as being relevant to their personal, vocational or career aspirations. The intention of this paper is to show that the application of Serious Games should not be dismissed as being a gimmick or frivolity, but rather they are a serious business application for solving problems and unlocking opportunities for organisations of all shapes and sizes. 2. The difference between computer games and traditional e-Learning & multimedia learning experiences Typical e-Learning content involves heaping reams of mainly text-based information upon learners, dropping in some small multimedia elements and/or simplistic Flash movies and then bolting on a simplistic drag ‘n’ drop quiz or Multiple Choice Quiz assessment whereupon the user receives some notional feedback along the lines of: “Congratulations user, you scored 64.7%...we suggest that you revisit chapters 3,5,6,9 & 11 (which you have just read) and then retake the (same) test.” The majority reaction would be to answer that with a resounding; “No thanks!” The content is not going to react differently to using it the second time around. The ‘experience’ will be exactly the same each and every time it is ‘replayed’. This is not an engaging experience, it is not interactive and why should a busy individual feel compelled to commit their time and effort to it. This is a classic (automated) “Tell, Test” approach to instruction. The „gamer generation’ – which we will expand on further down – are increasingly frustrated by this. HTML files (web pages) use hyperlinks to allow the user to jump from one page to another. Hyperlinks are frequently referred as being ‘interactive’ when in essence clicking on a hyperlink is nothing other than an electronic version of turning a page in a book. Modern PCs, even bog-standard £299 bargain examples, possess the processing power and multimedia capabilities to deliver so much more than this. If we don’t utilise this existing resource to its potential then it may be a valid argument that you would be better off simply giving learners a good book! Whilst this is a somewhat over simplified caricatureofe-Learningitisnotinaccurate.E-Learning, in the majority, does not provide a truly interactive, experiential level of learning. It is characterised as Games-based Learning – a serious business proposition Revised by Helen Routledge, Instructional Design Manager and Helen Axe, Project Manager PIXELearning Limited, The Serious Games Institute, Unit 6, Coventry Innovation Village, Coventry University Technology Park, Cheetah Road, Coventry, CV1 2TL. E-mail: helen.routledge@pixelearning.com Original Text By Kevin Corti, Founder, PIXELearning Limited, CEO Soshi Games. Games-based Learning or ‘Serious Games’ leverage the power of computer games design techniques and mechanics to captivate and engage end-users for purposes beyond pure entertainment. While ensuring learners are challenged and motivated the main purpose of a Serious Game is to develop new knowledge, skills and to ultimately produce a behaviour change. Serious Games enable learners to undertake tasks and experience situations which would otherwise be impossible and/or undesirable to practice in the real world for reasons of cost, time, logistics and safety. This paper serves to introduce Serous Games, to review their potential benefits as well as provide advice on common implementation issues. This white paper is reprinted with special permissions granted by Richard Smith, CEO, PIXELearning Limited, UK. February 2011.indd 9February 2011.indd 9 2/7/2011 4:31:20 PM2/7/2011 4:31:20 PM
- 12. 10CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 offering rapidly developed, low budget content (as opposed to powerful software applications) which deliver fundamentally shallow learning experiences. Now compare that with a game (which is a powerful software application), Games: Have realistic and relevant environments and systems which users can ‘explore’. Have clearly defined (overt) rules: “If your wings break you will crash”, “If you step on a landmine it will blow up”, or “if you run out of cash you will go bust”. Have clear objectives – “save the princess from the big scary monkey”, “double turnover in 3 years”. Are truly interactive; every thing that the learner does, or does not do, has an effect and are thus highly experiential. Have clear outcomes; “You were shot… you are dead”, “You have run out of cash and have been closed down”. They provide meaningful and relevant feedback (e.g. because of your actions or lack of actions, the plane crashed, the cash ran out, the employees quit) to show the learner the consequences of their decisions and actions. This is important because the user knows explicitly why a particular outcome happened and allows them to assess different approaches to the problem in an informed manner. Are adaptive; they automatically track the user’s progress and performance to maintain a careful balance between boredom (because it is too easy) and frustration (because it is too hard). Static content (e-Learning) cannot be easily designed to achieve this and is therefore customised to a specific audience and of very limited use elsewhere. Require (and foster) a level of cognitive application from the user that far exceeds reading text and then regurgitating facts. Gamers analyse huge quantities of information from a variety of sources. Games encourage, for example, problem solving, creative thinking, lateral thinking, investigation and trial and error all of which are valuable in the workplace. Are genuinely enjoyable. This leads to longer attention spans, improved attentiveness and positive feelings. If you want to explore these themes further (or if you remain sceptical) we strongly suggest that you beg, borrow or steal “A Theory of Fun” (Koster) and/or “Digital Games-based Learning” (Prensky). 3. Serious Games as a Serious Option Serous Gaming has the potential to significantly improve the quality of training activities and initiatives in relation to digital training. One of the main factors e-learning is currently facing is very high drop out rates, up to 70% in some organisations. If you look atthefiguressurroundingthegamesindustry alone one can see the significant appeal of this medium. The computer & videogame industry has more or less mastered the art of using computer technology to not only captivate its audience but to also persuade it to spend approximately $10bn a year (2009) in the US alone. If we compare a typical entertainment games technology-based experience with a typical learning technology-based experience the contrast is glaringly obvious. When was the last time you had to drag a learner from their PC at 11 o’clock at night whilst they pleaded; “Please…just another hour…I really want to finish this level”? Entertainmentgamesaredemonstrably ‘engaging’. In comparison when the training industry uses the word ‘engaging’, there is an all too obvious incongruity. The motivational virtues of videogames are what initially entice Learning and Development professionals to look to games-based approaches. At first glance, the users appear to be having fun, enjoying themselves, why else would someone dedicate 40+ hours of ‘grind’ to defeat the evil villain and rescue a fantasy world from certain doom? It is a common misconception to say that if you were to make training fun, people will engage with the medium and therefore learn more; but there is a lot more going on in a game than fun. There is a complex blend of game mechanics, narrative, and challenge which keeps the learner coming back for more. The same is true for Serious Games; there is a lot more to a Serious Game than simply using fun as a means to engage learners, especially busy time pressured individuals who in some cases have not chosen this course of training. The following section outlines several genres and design elements typical to entertainment games that can also be applied in Serious Games. Simulation and Role Play are two key genres of entertainment-orientated games that many people deem to be particularly appropriate for adoption as training tools. A simulated environment (e.g. the user support desk), a simulated system (e.g. a production line) or a realistically recreated role play scenario (e.g. a sales meeting) can allow learners to experience something that is too costly, too risky or even physically impossible to achieve in the real world. You would not let your new trainee managers run your business but you would like them to fully understand every facet of your business as early as possible. Replayability is a key advantage of Serious Games. Learners play out a particular strategy or adopt a certain approach, they may fail or not quite deliver the desired outcome; however they just need to press the reset button and try a different approach, no harm done, only positive reinforcement of best practice. ‘Learning by doing’ and ‘experiential learning’ are possibly overused terms in this industry, but the practice of repetition with varying inputs and outputs is very pertinent to building a deep understanding of scenarios, concepts, processes and systems. Games engage people psychologically- they can be very emotional experiences- and they also engage people physiologically. What is going on beyond the peripheries of the TV screen or computer monitor ceases to register to the user. Their heart rate increases, the hair on the back of the neck stands up and they may well end up laughing out loud at (or furiously cursing at or crying over) a virtual character who is actually nothing more than a collection of pixels and programming code. Games are very good at using drama, storyline, humour and deep characterisation to create a compelling experience. We know that when other forms of media, such as movies, books, or plays have a similar mix, they stay with us, they hold a special place in our memories and we remember far more of the experience, this is due to our personal emotion engagement with the subject and personal investment. From a training point of view, these same techniques, when used well, can develop memory hooks and mean that learners not only remember what happened but also why it happened and the impact of the event. Combining these activities with rewards and achievements also provides learners with a personal investment in the training, something which can then ‘be their own’; in recent years virtual items have been shown to be incredibly powerful mechanisms for ensuring repeat play. Games such as Farmville and World of Warcraft, use virtual objects, which are earned by the players. These objects provide players with a sense of status to which they can compare themselves to other players, but they have also been used by designers to build a sense of personal improvement amongst players. Ifyoustripawayallthetechno-wizardry ofthediscussionandmovetoapsychological perspective, games are essentially highly experiential software applications which foster deep levels of cognitive activity, e.g. higher-level thinking skills such as conflict resolution or negotiation, emotional and physical responses. February 2011.indd 10February 2011.indd 10 2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM
- 13. 11CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 Games are nothing more than a vividly recreated environments or systems in which the user has a meaningful objective; be it ‘how to kill 100 aliens as fast as possible without dying yourself’ or ‘how to settle a contractual dispute with a fictional client’. It is these meaningful goals that derive satisfaction for the learner. And ultimately if the application enables the learner to solve that same problem effectively back in the real world then doubtless the learner’s employer will also derive satisfaction! The ability to assess progress and the ability to track real understanding is an area where most people doubt the power of Serious Games. During a well designed serious game learners should be making decisions frequently, and receiving feedback directly linked to their decisions. We are not referring to a decision such as turn left of right, go forward, shoot, etc, but meaningful and consequential decisions; decisions that will effect the outcome of the simulation; what strategy did the learner adopt, how well did he/she analyse the information and how well did he/she explain and justify their decisions. Serious Games provide the opportunity to see into a learner’s decision making process and understand a learner’s strengths and weaknesses in context of a real world example. Serious Games applications have the potential to track all of this data in often staggering levels of detail and, if they are designed properly, provide this data to those that need to see it in an appropriate manner. 4. Gamer demographics There exists a powerful ‘gamer stereotype’ that paints a typical gamer as being spotty, white, teenage male, in a darkened room, who is lacking basic social skills. If you subscribe to the same aforementioned stereotype then consider the following: Microsoft’s XBOX and Sony’s PlayStation 2 games consoles, whilst aimed at a ‘hard core’ gamer audience, were none-the-less marketed to people in the 18 to 35 age range i.e. adults. Nintendo’s Wii console is the fastest selling console of all time and in mainly targeted to the casual gaming audience; including women and younger children. The Wii brought gaming into the living room and now Microsoft and Sony are looking for a piece of this action with Kinect and Move respectively. According to Nielsen NetRatings, 41 percent of people who frequent online game sites such as GameSpot, Candystand and Pogo are women, and 43 percent are ages 25 to 49. ScoreNetworks, an American firm which measures online game use, confirms players are beginning to resemble the general (American) population. On average, 8.9 percent of players at the Top 10 gaming sites are African American, 4.2 percent are Asian and 79.3 percent are white. More significantly, about 35 percent of players on those sites earn US$50,000 to US$100,000 annually, while 16.2 percent take home more than US$100,000. There have been many studies into the gamer demographic. The entertainment games industry has funded much of this because they want to know their customers better. Lately, the rise in interest in Serious Games has lead to studies for the purposes of understanding what sections of the population it can be applied to. A pertinent quote, from USA Today in 2004 is: “…[I]f you’re over 35, chances are you view video games as, at best, an occasional distraction….If you’re under 35, games are a major entertainment and a part of life. In that sense, they are similar to what rock ‘n’ roll meant to [baby] boomers.” To conclude, gamers span both sexes, all ages and all income brackets. If senior training decision-makers believe the ‘gamer stereotype’ and dismiss Serious Games on this basis then they are failing to fully understand that their personnel are rapidly becoming what Marc Prensky1 called ‘Digital Natives’ and that their appetite for a diet of traditional eLearning approaches is rapidly diminishing. If you want to learn more about the ‘average gamer’ the ESA’s excellent report can be found at the following web site: 2010 Essential Facts about Computer and Video Games http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ ESA_Essential_Facts_2010.PDF 5. Why should you be interested? Some of the key potential benefits are outlined below. Performance improvement: If Serious Games are used appropriately they can directly act to improve employee skills and knowledge and thus lead to a more productive workforce. Increase awareness of the importance of employee roles: Because games vividly bring to life the interrelated and interdependence of different company roles (e.g. sales and engineering) it helps employees to understand the affect of their decisions and behaviour on other important business areas that otherwise seem unconnected. Competency testing: Serious Games can be a very powerful tool for competency testing. Realistic scenarios can be played out in a risk-free environment. Assessment/ROI: Games capture a staggering degree of information – both quantitative and qualitative - whilst being used by a learner. This can be used to create detailed reports for assessment. Recruitment processes: Applications can be used to test potential new hires by evaluating how well they perform in roles/ situations that the job role will demand. Customer & partner education: Serious Games can be used to help your customers and channel partners gain a comprehensive understanding of your product and service portfolio. Promotional tool: Serious Games can be used as the basis for pushing out informational messages e.g. to highlight the importance of good customer service. Induction: Introduce new hires to your company, your products and services and the market characteristics that you operate within. Motivational tools: Using the compelling power of games to engage peopleservesasapowerfultooltoovercome any initial reluctance to engage in training and keeps users actively engaged for longer. Aspirational tools: Allow employees to try something new, to see whether they like it and to open new avenues for both employee and employer. Best practice: Virtual experts or mentors can be embedded within scenario- driven GBL to guide learners through a situation and to serve as a trusted source of advice. And finally; It is important to remember that games need not be a solitary, i.e. ‘single- player’, experience! Some of the world’s most popular entertainment games are multiplayer games where players team up to working together. This brings about interesting opportunities such as, for example, around team dynamics. Multiplayer serious games can also draw upon the competitive nature of games with users being ‘dropped’ into virtual situations with other real people with whom they need to perfect their negotiation, communication and conflict resolution skills. PIXELearning recently developed an application for a large US defence contractor for leadership training. In this innovative application 4 individuals, each with their own mission, must decide how to work together, how to lead, and how to escape ‘The Island’. The Leadership game puts the leaders against one another to retrieve February 2011.indd 11February 2011.indd 11 2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM
- 14. 12CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 a mysterious device; however along the way all is not what it seems. By combining leadership training exercises and a sandbox style environment, leaders are challenged to perform, compete, collaborate and achieve their personal mission. A multiplayer game was a challenging step forward for all involved however many lessons have been learned and the value speaks for itself. 6. Serious Games really is a hot topic! In Section 1 of this paper we described this area as being a ‘hot topic’ in training and education. The proof of this is in the myriad of publications, academic research, white papers, books, conferences, exhibitions, TV & radio coverage and governmental/ public sector support. This interest is also demonstrated by the demonstrable uptake of Serious Games applications by large well known and global organisations which will be illustrated in Section 6. Some of the examples of coverage, interest and activity are described below: 1 Prensky, M (2000), Digital Games-based Learning, McGraw-Hill General media publications Serious Games have been covered in many training and education articles in recent years including The Times Higher Education Supplement, The Guardian, eLearning Age, The Financial Times and The New York Times to name just a few. Once considered a novelty by the media, serious games are slowly but surely gaining media trust and attention. Academic research The efficacy, design, assessment etc of Serious Games is the subject of a huge amount of academic research. In the US, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Southern California, Stanford University, The IT University of Copenhagen and the Naval MOVES Institute have undertaken significant research programmes. EA Games have funded NESTA in the UK to research the educational benefits of commercial off-the-shelf games. BECTa have carried out several similar studies and continued research projects entitled “Computer Games in Education Project”. Some of the key names in the research space around games-based learning are Henry Jenkins (MIT), Kurt Squire, John Kirriemuir, Angela McFarlane and Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen. Blogs Along with academic papers, journals, research groups and media publications there are a number many of well written blog’s on the subject of serious games both from a research and industry perspective. A sample of these are shown blow. PIXELearnings very own blog www.pixelearning.wordpress.com I’m Serious.net imserious.typepad.com Serious Games Market seriousgamesmarket.blogspot.com Serious games Blog http://seriousgamesblog.blogspot.com/ Games in schools http://games.eun.org/ Future Making Serious Games http://futuremakingseriousgames.blogspot.com/ Ian Bogost http://www.bogost.com/ White papers The Internet is teeming with white papers a sample of articles is shown below: Becker Bob, (2011) Interactive Games for Business Training Derryberry, Anne (2007) Serious games: online games for learning Kolb, Alison, (2008) This Is Not A Game: Using Alternate Reality Games in Corporate Training Michael DeMarco, Eric Lesser and Tony O’Driscoll (2007) Leadership in a Distributed Virtual World: lessons from online gaming. Stitzmann, and Ely (2010) Meta-Analytic Examination of the Effectiveness of Computer-Based Simulation Games Seriosity Inc and IBM Virtual Worlds Real Leaders: Online games put the future of business leadership on display (2007) Watte, Jon, (2006) Technical Challenges of Distributed Multiplayer Virtual Environments Ahdell, Rolf and Andresen, Guttorm Games and Simulations in Workplace eLearning Masters Thesis, 2002 Amory, Alan, Kevin Naicker, Jackie Vincent and Claudia Adams. Computer Games as a Learning Resource (South Africa) BBC. Learning Games Do Not Boost Results – BBC News 11-26-01 BECTA. Computer Games to Support Learning – Information Sheet, BECTA (UK) Jan 2002 Chao, Dennis. Doom as an Interface for Process Management, U of New Mexico 2001 Deutsch, David. Taking Children Seriously: Video Games: Harmfully Addictive or a Unique Educational Environment?. 1992 Gardner, Patrick. Games With A Day Job: Putting the Power of Games to Work (Sweden) Grenade, Stephen. Teaching With Interactive Fiction: ESL Grenade, Stephen. Teaching With Interactive Fiction: Critical Thinking Skills Jenkins, Henry. A Game Theory On How To Teach Kids, MIT Technology Review April 1, 2002 Kawashima, Ryuta. Computer Games Stunt Student Brains – Description of Ryuta Kawashima’s Research, The Observer, 8-8-01 Kafai, Yasmin. The Educational Potential of Electronic Games: From Games-To-Teach to Games- To-Learn UCLA K•I•D•S Keighly, Geoff. Millenium Gaming GameSpot, December 2000 Kirriemuir, John. Video gaming, education and digital learning technologies: relevance and opportunities, lib magazine, February 2002. Kirriemuir, John. The relevance of gaming and gaming consoles to the Higher and Further Education learning experience, –JISC Techwatch commissioned report, April 2002 Koster, Ralph, Game Design papers Lewis, David. Video Games ‘Valid learning Tools’ – BBC report of Sony Research by David Lewis Maloof, Christine and Gabriel, Deborah. Bridging Schools and Homes: the Lightspan Project, 9-1-98 MacFarlane, Angela Video Games ‘Stimulate Learning’ – TEEM. BBC News 3-18-02 MacFarlane, Angela. Games in Education (TEEM Report) Prensky, Marc. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, On the Horizon, 9:5, Sept-Oct 2001 Prensky, Marc. Do They REALLY Think Differently? On the Horizon, 9:6, Nov-Dec 2001 Prensky, Marc. The Motivation of Gameplay On the Horizon, Vol 10, No 1 Prensky, Marc. Not Only The Lonely: implications of “social” online activities for higher education On the Horizon, Vol 10, No 4 Prensky, Marc. Open Collaboration On the Horizon, Vol 10, No 3 Prensky, Marc. Simulations : Are They Games? From Digital Game-Based Learning Prensky, Marc. Types of Learning and Possible Game Styles Digital Game-Based Learning Prensky, Marc. Why Games Engage Us from Digital Game-Based Learning Prensky, Marc. Why NOT Simulation Robson, Robby. ‘No Significant Difference’ Phenomenon – Online and offline learning have same results Sawyer, Ben. Serious Games: Improving Public Policy through Game-Based Learning and Simulation, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Smith, Richard, Curtin, Pamela and Newman, Linda. The educational implications of computer and computer games use by young children (Australia) Squire, Kurt. Games in Instructional Technology Travis, Alan. Zap! Go to the Top of the Class – Alan Travis, The Guardian 3-24-2001 Books Handbook of Research on Improving Learning and Motivation through Educational Games, ed. P. Felecia (Information Science Publishing, PA 2011) Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal (Penguin Press HC, 2011) Fun Inc.: Why Gaming Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century, Tom Chatfield (Pegasus, 2010) “Developing Serious Games”, by Bryan Bergeron (Charles River Media, 2006) “Learning by Doing” by Clark Aldrich, (John Wiley & Sons, 2005) “Theory of Fun for Game Design”, by Raph Koster (Paraglyph Press, 2005) “Serious Games: Games That Educate, Train,and Inform” by David Michael, Sande Chen (Thompson Course Technology, 2005) “Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games” by Clark N. Quinn (John Wiley & Sons, 2005) “Simulations and the Future of Learning : An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to e-Learning” by Clark Aldrich (2003) “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy”, by James Paul Gee (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) “The Nature of Computer Games: Play as Semiosis”, by David Myers (Peter Lang, 2003) “Digital Game-Based Learning”, by Marc Prensky (McGraw-Hill, 2000) “Changing Minds: Computers, Learning, and Literacy”, by Andrea A. diSessa (MIT Press, 2000) “Joystick Nation: How Videogames Ate Our Quarters, Won Our Hearts, and Rewired Our Minds”, by J.C. Herz (Little, Brown, 1997) Conferences & Exhibitions There are many conferences and exhibitions globally, both large scale and local. Below is a list of the 3 major conferences. Serious Games Summit, March, San Jose - www.seriousgamessummit.com Serious Games Expo Europe, October, Lyon. - www.sgexpo.fr Serious Games Conference, Asia ¬ http://www.asiaevents.com.sg/seriousgames2010/index.htm Industry Associations Serious Games Initiative – (www.seriousgames.org) The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington D.C. launched the Serious Games Initiative to encourage the development of games that address policy and management issues. ANGILS – (www.angils.org) - a new UK networking organisation tasked with bringing innovative organisations and groups together with industry from across the interactive entertainment, CGI, online games, learning, scenario-planning and simulation industries. NASAGA – (www.nasaga.org) – The North American Simulation and Gaming Association is a growing network of professionals working on the design, implementation, and evaluation of games and simulations to improve learning results in all types of organizations. Started in North America, NASAGA has members from more than 50 countries from around the globe. Membership is open to all. Govt support/backing Governmental support for serious games is becoming increasingly prevalent at local, regional and national levels across the USA and Europe. In the West Midlands companies such as ours are obtaining increasing levels of interest and support from the regional development agencies, Learning Skills Councils, UKT&I, universities and colleges which is manifesting itself as fully- funded projects. These include Coventry University’s “Diversification of Game Industry” project and the Serious Games Institute in Coventry (incubation, development funding and research projects). Sources of related information can be found at the following web sites: PIXELearning’s resource mini-site http://www.pixelearning.com/serious_games-resources.htm The Serious Games Initiative www.seriousgames.org Social Impact Games (entertain games with non-entertainment goals) www.socialimpactgames.com Watercooler Games (videogames with an agenda) www.watercoolergames.org February 2011.indd 12February 2011.indd 12 2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM
- 15. 13CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 Manufacturing LearningBeans® as developed by PIXELearning. Allows the learner to play through an extremely detailed scenario based upon high volume manufacturing and includes sales, marketing, HR, finance, production, distribution and export planning environments. Learners implicitly understand the interdependencies between all aspects of the business. h t t p : / / w w w . p i x e l e a r n i n g . c o m / authoringtools.htm Energy Awareness Enercities Enercities which is about managing a virtual city and making choices on how to power your city was funded by the Energy Agency of the European Commission, specifically the Intelligent Energy Program of 2007. The game is run through popular social networking site Facebook. http://www.enercities.eu/ Energy Awareness 2 The objective of Energy Wise is to correctly and effectively recommend sufficient energy saving devices and techniquesforthevirtualcompaniesthrough conversations and tasks. This serious game is to work alongside the course to help reinforce key areas of energy efficiency for Small Medium Enterprises (SME’s) such as café or restaurant owners and is funded by the EU’s Life Long Learning Programme, Leonardo da vinci transfer of innovation. www.energy-wise.eu Technology 1 CISCO developed a Learning Game Trilogy, a combination of three online technology games: Rockin’ Retailer, Network Defenders and SAN Rover. As part of the Cisco Career Certifications Program, these free games are offered as a challenge to individuals who are interested in learning while engaging in competitive game play. Technology 2: IT Security HP’s entrepreneurial arm MEI-A, commissioned an online game that blends business and technology training to give small enterprises in an appreciation of how technology tools can help them to increase productivity and to grow with a particular emphasis on IT security. http://www.knowledge-city.net/ FE/HE Virtual-U Designedtofosterbetterunderstanding of management practices in American colleges and universities. Originally designed for 1,000 users it has had well over 100,000 downloads. http://www.virtual-u.org/ February 2011.indd 13February 2011.indd 13 2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM2/7/2011 4:31:27 PM
- 16. 14CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 Diversity and Inclusion Makrini™ is the first-ever gaming simulation on the topic of diversity and inclusion. The simulation assigns the Learner to a position on a commercial space station where they must learn and apply diversity and inclusion skills to interact productively with intergalactic associates, and to attain better business results than competitors. http://www.globalnovations.com/ solutions/Makrini Telecommunications Comcast Putting Communication skills to Work is a A performance improvement solution that can be deployed at the seat avoiding costly time away from the front line. Call agents are immersed in a role play scenario where they navigate through the call ensuring customer satisfaction remains high, whilst maximising call impact whether that be sales or efficient service for example. Medical Re-Mission™isavideogamedeveloped specifically for adolescents and young adults with cancer. Players pilot a nanobot named Roxxi as she travels through the bodies of fictional cancer patients destroying cancer cells, battling bacterial infections, and managing side effects associated with cancer and cancer treatment. Research shows that Re-Mission is an effective tool for young cancer patients, and HopeLab is now developing a new version of the game that builds on these positive results. www.re-mission.net Hospitality & catering Hilton Garden Inn The game was developed as an internal training product called Ultimate Team Play. The player is placed in various positions at a hotel such as front desk, housekeeping, maintenance or food service. A “unique scoring system” that is also utilized in real Hilton hotels to assess employees is present to keep track of players progress. Computer Software “The Monkey Wrench Conspiracy” A first-person shooter game designed to teach mechanical design engineers to use 3-D CAD software. A player must complete 30 CAD tasks, including cutting through solids and constructing new parts for their weapon, on their way to save a valuable space station from the evil Dr. Monkey Wrench. NGO/public departments UN/WFP – Foodforce This game was commissioned by the U.N. World Food Programme to raise awareness of the issues around world hunger. It is available as a free internet download and has been used by 3 million people world wide since it was released in 2004. http://www.wfp.org/how-to-help/ individuals/food-force 7. The cross-sector adoption of GBL The examples that have been shown on the previous pages are but a handful of the many hundreds of examples of GBL across the world. The Social Impact Games web site (http://www.socialimpactgames.com) and the Serious Games Classification (http:// serious.gameclassification.com/is) are both excellent repositories of other examples spanning many different industries/needs. 8. Implementation Issues A word (or 7) of caution! The potential benefits may make a very compelling business case however the design, development and implementation of Serious Games requires very thorough planning, piloting, testing and evaluation. Adopters need to be aware of several issues which are discussed below. Technology: The creation of complex software applications is significantly more demanding than traditional eLearning or multimedia content. Tip! Don’t do it in-house unless you have a dedicated resource and all the necessary skill sets in place. If you decide to outsource a solution that meets your organisational needs, look for a specialist provider that can demonstrate a proven track record (with available client testimonials) and place a high degree of emphasis upon those that have pre- existing platforms. You do not want to pay to reinvent the wheel. Time: A typical entertainment- orientated game can take up to three years to bring to market. If you have a problem that needs solving now you need a solution now. Tip! Bespoke development = long project. Ask yourself how quickly you need to solve the problem at hand and, if possible, seek a specialist that has prior technology it can bring to bear quickly. Assessment: The whole point of even considering this approach is to improve the effectiveness of a training and development programme. If you cannot evaluate, for example, skills development and knowledge acquisition, then you cannot build a business case for, calculate ROI of or rationalise, in any way, the outcomes from a serious game (or any other) training solution. February 2011.indd 14February 2011.indd 14 2/7/2011 4:31:33 PM2/7/2011 4:31:33 PM
- 17. 15CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 Games can generate a huge amount of metrics but an entertainment-orientated games technology platform is unlikely to be adequate for the task. Tip! Know what performance indicators (metrics) you need to evaluate learner progress and performance and ensure that the specialist can capture, track and report these to you in a format that is appropriate. Cost: Entertainment games cost between £500k and £5m to develop. Serious Games need not be as ‘hi fidelity’ as the latest XBOX 360 game but none-the-less development can be expensive especially if it is a 100% bespoke development. Tip! Work with a Serious Games specialist to fully define the business case (for both parties) before committing to a full-blown project especially if this is your first foray into Serious Games. If you have several potential solutions then choose the easiest one first and then break the project down into an initial proof-of-concept (mock up), small scale pilot and then, subject to satisfactory evaluation, a full-blown application. Delivery: Your choices for deployment are to run it from a CD/DVD, to install a PC ‘.exe’ file or to opt for a browser-based solution. Optical media (CDs and DVDs) incurduplicationcosts,cangetlostand,ifthe application is updated frequently, need to be tracked carefully to ensure that all learners have the up-to-date version. An ‘.exe’ file requires for a higher level of IT literacy, can have security issues and, for a large implementation, can result in significant IT administration costs. Browser-based solutions can tend to be less ‘high fidelity’ but the quid pro quo is instantaneous version control and maintenance/installation costs are minimised. Tip! Always go for the most simple technology approach that you can; minimise the IT burden. Skill sets: Serious Games projects can require a bewildering range of people and skills including: Instructional Designers, concept artists; voice actors; 3D modellers; simulation logic designers; subject matter experts; texture artists; audio engineers; GUI designers; physics programmers; game programmers; database designers; game designers; level designers; script writers; testers……and more! Tip! Just because your in-house eLearning or web designer thinks it would be ‘cool’ and is convinced he/she can ‘give it a go’, consider carefully whether your organisation really does have the skills and experience required and even if you do, is that resource going to be readily available? SCORM/LMS interoperability: It is fair to say that some vendors in this space may lack experience in, and awareness of, the issues around interoperability. This is especially true if the specialist has come from an entertainment games background as it is simply something that they will never have encountered before. To be even- handed it is somewhat more challenging to make a highly interactive game application SCORM-compliant than it is to give simplistic web content the same treatment. There are two main factors involved in interoperability: ‘content’ identification (so that the LMS can recognise the application); and data exchange (so that the learner’s assessment data can be accessed via an LMS). Tip! Check whether the vendor can implement eLearning standards themselves and if they cannot then seek to bring in an interoperability expert into the project to work with them. Accessibility/usability issues: These are some of the most challenging issues that specialists will encounter. Static eLearning content is easily modified ‘on the fly’ to make it suitable for the hearing, mobility or visually impaired and when it is not organisations tend to offer specially designed alternative content. The very nature of a game makes it very difficult for vendors to achieve true accessibility/usability compliance. Tip! Know your legal compliance requirements(e.g.Bobby,W3CAccessibility, Section 508). Work with the specialist to ensure that the solution is as compliant as can be but be prepared to offer alternative approaches where full compliance is too expensive or time-consuming or where (as is likely) compliance waters down the solution to such an extent that it no longer offers the benefits you required in the first place. 9. Serious Games are part of the blend If a specialist claims that games are the panacea for all your training needs and that you can convert all aspects of your training to games….thank them for their time and walk away! Games can be an excellent means for letting learners put the theory into practise, they can be a powerful means of testing competencies, but, they are not ideal at delivering content. Information can be delivered ‘in game’ but only in small doses. If there is a lot of theory to absorb (e.g. case studies, introductions to complex concepts, legal transcripts) then deliver that to the learners by the most appropriate alternative means. 10. The ‘sales pitch’; PIXELearning – what we do and what we can do for our clients Our goal is to use the medium of computer games and simulation design techniques to create highly effective learning experiences, which deliver measurable real world organisational results. As experts in this rapidly growing field, PIXELearning deliver highly-effective: subject, sector and organisationally-specific, learning experiences that generic products simply cannot match. Our technology platforms have been designed to enable us to do this quickly, with a minimum of fuss, and on a cost-effective basis. Our focus is upon two core areas: business and management skills development; and, business and enterprise education. We provide solutions which are primarily aimed at organisations who want to ‘up skill’ their workforce at all levels, and at educational institutions who teach business-related subjects. We also provide bespoke solutions to organisations that have particular requirements for which our underlying technology platforms are not best suited. We do believe that it is ‘cool’ to create powerful learning solutions. We do not think that it is ‘cool’ to use technology for technology’s sake. “You can learn more about a man in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato, from The Republic February 2011.indd 15February 2011.indd 15 2/7/2011 4:31:37 PM2/7/2011 4:31:37 PM
- 18. 16CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 THEME ARTICLE Casual Games : Security and Cheating - A Technology Overview [Excerpted from: Casual Games SIG/Whitepaper/Technology http://wiki.igda.org/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Technology] As casual games have become a more serious business, security and measures to counter cheating have become more important. Where once a cheater simply boosted his high score, hacked his games with “friends”, or disrupted game play and made a nuisance of himself, now these activities can cost a developer potential customers and revenue. Security is a large discipline that spans the entire lifecycle of a product or project and includes both technical and non- technical aspects. This discussion will briefly review the standard IT security technologies that are relevant to networked games, and will focus on those that are unique to this field. Security is intimately tied to the operational integrity of the game. While computer games were once products, in many cases, casual games today are services. This changes the essential nature of the business - games are not just “published”, they are “run”. Customer service, retention, and acquisition depend more on persistent quality than on flashy packaging and cool graphics. Development and delivery of a game is not the end, it is just the beginning. The security threat for traditional computer games used to be copy protection. Various proprietary schemes have been created with each one a balance of protecting sales versus annoying customers. Typically, not annoying customers has won out over security techniques - just as with other traditional software, the belief was that a satisfied “thief” today may be a good, paying customer tomorrow. The effectiveness of the available anti-copying techniques also was (and is) an issue. It is always important to remember - the bad guy does not need to break the security system, they just needs to beat the game. The following represents a partial list of the types of attacks and common exploits; new attacks are devised against every new game and security technique. There is unfortunately a dearth of products focused on networked game security. Rather it falls to the developer to defend against the exploits described below when implementing with any of the previously mentioned toolsets. This is unfortunate, and can significantly impact development time and technological implementation. Some known software solutions to these types of attacks are listed in sections below, although each of these will require careful integration with your game and its development process. Common Exploits In the following sections, we will review the most common methods used in Web cheating, and the protections against them. This section is based on the observations compiled from the sources listed in the footnotes. Network Game Security Issues With the rise of casual games, security has become a much more serious challenge. While the game industry has always been concerned about piracy, new platforms, new business models, and the power and speed of networks have created new security problems for game developers, publishers and operators. These problems rapidly become more serious for networked games since word-of-mouth and long term relationships drive sales and revenue more than just slick packaging and marketing. Network game operators also face costs associated with customer support and charge-backs that traditional computer game publishers and developers have not had to confront. The discussion that follows will try to establish clearer definitions of game security issues. Piracy Piracy continues to be a problem for network games. Digital Rights Management tools have joined older physical media protection and various licensing tactics to protect against unauthorized duplication. Unfortunately,oncethesesystemshavebeendefeated, there is no way to restore the game to a secure state. Web game services do not have this problem as the operation of the service provides some measure of protection against piracy. Web game services do not protect against duplication of legitimate copies of a game - at best they typically prevent concurrent use of a game account. In addition, it is also necessary to protect not only the game itself, but all copyrighted materials contained within the game, any and all February 2011.indd 16February 2011.indd 16 2/7/2011 4:31:40 PM2/7/2011 4:31:40 PM
- 19. 17CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 music, sounds, artwork, storylines, etc. that are created or derived from copyrighted work. A detailed discussion of these issues as they relate to piracy can be found in our discussion on DRM. Ghost Servers & Doppelganger Services Web games have given rise to a new problem - creating pirate servers and services, not just pirating games. Though this problem is new, it is in some sense worse than traditional piracy. The game server or service operator has often invested substantial resources in the game infrastructure. Whether the game service provider is trying to operate a subscription service or simply providing a quality Web service with marketing and license registration features, the game service is an important business asset. In the US, the BnetD application that emulated Battle. Net is an example. In Asia, the problem has been more serious. Due to widespread software piracy problems, subscriptions and virtual goods are virtually the only viable business strategies for game developers. Unfortunately, pirates have set up alternate game servers and hosting services threatening the subscription revenues of legitimate game developers and operators. Data Spoofing One of the simplest means to attack games is to spoof the data passed between participants. This is distinguished from “State Spoofing” described below as altering the local game state. Data spoofing may consist of altering player actions, updates to game state, or any other information exchanged between game players. This can occur at two levels: “on the wire”, after the data has been sent; or internally, before the data has been packaged and sent to the remote location. Traditional security tools such as encryption and digital signatures are powerful methods to protect against “wire” based or third party attacks. Unfortunately for game developers, these attacks are the least likely - game players themselves are the most serious threats to networked games. The malicious alteration of data by a game player can only really be stopped by effective verification of the incoming data itself. This does have serious design implications for networked game programmers. If a game sends raw game state updates to remote players, the ability of the receiving game instance to validate the changed state may be difficult. Data exchanges that map to “player actions” may be easier to validate as they correspond to inputs to the game rules. Chess provides a straightforward example: it is easier to validate whether a Knight can move from one position to another than to compare the game board before and after the move to determine if the new board could have resulted from the old one. State Spoofing & Disclosure The local game state is inherently vulnerable to attack. It sits on the computer of the potential hacker and, if the game is going to work, the game code has to operate. The reverse engineering of the game state and rules is virtually inevitable. While there are tools to obfuscate code and data, they can only delay the problem. They may also introduce performance and testing issues for the game developer. The best approach is to design game software so that the known game state does not damage the security of the game. This may not be practical for games with rigorous performance requirements and low bandwidth. As discussed above with data spoofing, the alteration or manipulation of the local game state should not permit an advantage against other players. The worst-case scenario should be the cheater simply falling out of synch with the rest of the players. Net Time Manipulation “TimeHacks”havebeenoneofthemost persistent problems for network games. By manipulating the apparent lag between players’ computers, cheaters can give themselves a performance edge. A hybrid between time hacks and data manipulation hacks is to overload a receiving system with more actions than should be allowed within a given time interval (more moves or shots than should be permitted). Part of the rules validation discussed above should be temporal rules, not just state-based rules. Maintaining time synchronization is a problem for computer games, but actually Web Chess faces a worse problem - trying to control the game clock in a manner that is fair to all players. Score Spoofing One of the simplest ways to encourage participation in Web games is through a shared high score board. Unfortunately, some players will spoof their score to get on the high score board. If there is no interaction between the game application and the game provider, it is very difficult to detect such spoofs. Hackers will reverse engineer the game application to determine what they need to do to submit a high score. If the game is implemented so that it is completely interactive with the game host, such spoofs can be stopped; the problem with this approach is the bandwidth and processing requirements to support this approach. Tournament Collusion & “Playing with Yourself” One of the fastest growing portions of the network game business is offering tournaments. As usual, hackers follow the market. For tournaments, players can collude with other players or create fake player accounts to boost their ranking. This problem is worst for free tournament systems (the cost of registration and play tends to naturally deter this tactic), but could be a concern in games with substantial prizes or other incentives. Though various means can be used to monitor who plays with whom, the best method for official tournament games is probably to randomly assign opponents and change them regularly. This is well proven in the traditional games world for card rooms. Optimal Play The problem of a “perfect player” or “aimbot” is not exclusive to computer games. In some sense, a card counter in Blackjack is exactly the same - a player following the rules of the game who is using all of the information available to him to his best advantage. This problem is more of a game “system” or design issue than a security problem - it would be much better to remove optimal strategies from computer games. It is more fun, after all if there are meaningful strategic choices. A good “aimbot” will be nearly indistinguishable from a good player (barring other cheats, of course). Griefing The in-game abuse of other players has been a problem as long as network games have. These players are carrying out activities that are legal under the rules of the game, but detrimental to the fun and game experience of the other players. This is no less important an issue than cheating or hacking, but it does need to be countered differently. Spawn killing (killing characters where they enter or re-enter a game) and camping (waiting in a location where a high value creature or item will appear) are both examples of the problem. Once again, good game design practices are probably the best mechanism to counter these issues. For example, instead of having monsters created at a fixed location, they could be created through a probability model in an area where an individual or party is roaming. By eliminating the fixed location, the incentive and advantage to camping goes away. Outsourcing Play Recent news reports have discussed MMOG players outsourcing the “operation” of their characters while they work or sleep to other players in Russia and other February 2011.indd 17February 2011.indd 17 2/7/2011 4:31:40 PM2/7/2011 4:31:40 PM
- 20. 18CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 countries. Players hiring other players to play on their behalf may or may not be a security issue for Web game services today, but it could become a problem if it distorts the experience of the game for other players. Since most Web game services are protected solely by user name/passwords, they do not have a good method to protect against this problem. Also, game service providers must balance the convenience of allowing players to use multiple computers (such as a home PC as well as a laptop) with security requirements. It is interesting to note that the older model of metering gameplay by time would naturally address this issue. Denial of Service The problem of denial of service attacks against games and game servers is shared with all other Web transactions. There is no way to completely stop an attempt to bring down a network service. However, game software should be designed robustly to only accept “good” data from valid sources and generally resist buffer overflow and other traditional attack methods. Centralized commercial game services can use rate filters, intrusion protection systems, and other tools to harden themselves against these attacks. Game Software Security Tools There are a number of game software security tools. These products attempt to detect and counter cheating software by various strategies. Typically, they are built for client/server games where the server is assumed to be trustworthy. Some current products in this area include HLGuard, Cheating-Death, nProtect’s Game Guard, and Even Balance’s Punkbuster. Each of these products must be tailored for a specific game and must be updated as new attacks are found. Since they are a separate software package, these tools can be added in to an existing game. The server portions of such solutions look for anomalous network traffic that corresponds to varies cheating packages. This is very similar to conventional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) that have a catalog of signatures that they continuously search for. This catalog is continually updated with new “cheat signatures”. The server may also use heuristics to attempt to detect new forms of cheating. Some of these server tools probe the client-side player platforms to determine if the corresponding client security software is in-place and operating properly. The server may also support a registry service for good and bad players. Theclientportionofthesesolutionsalso is looking for cheating software (sometimes referred to as “warez”). The security client software faces a particularly daunting task as the player typically willingly, if not eagerly, has installed the malicious code. These solutions work similarly to anti-virus software - looking for “warez” signatures. They may also work in a more intimate fashion with the game to make certain types of cheats impossible (Cheating-Death relocates the local position of illegitimate targets to a point where they cannot be attacked). Makers of these security tools are in a continual “arms race” with the cheating community. Cheaters will reverse engineer and circumvent each version of security code and the toolmakers must continually work to keep up. Game Protocol Security Tools By their nature, Web games can be attacked both within the local software and on the network connection between players or between a player client and the game server. Encryption and digital signatures can prevent manipulation of game data and against disclosure. This can be very effective against third parties but, as noted above, may be less effective against a malicious player client. A different approach is to secure the game transaction between the players. The SecurePlay library does this by implementing game transactions in a manner that is mutually suspicious. This approach means that the participants in the game do not need to trust the other players’ software - as long as the transaction is valid, the game is valid. These basic transactions can be combined together to implement the various game rules and provide overall game integrity. The advantage of this approach is that the Web game can be assessed secured entirely through the network transactions between the players (or a player and the game server) without requiring any trust in the remote party. The challenge comes from building these transactions into the game, rather than adding an after-release security tool. Piracy & Digital Rights Management (DRM) Game developers need to be concerned both with the protection of media assets as well as the game itself. Art, music, and other third-party copyrighted assets may be used under license in a game. This discussion covers both general DRM and addresses issues specific to games. The Digital Media Life-Cycle To understand the role of digital security, one must begin with the lifecycle of digital media from creator to consumer. The process described below highlights the major stages of this lifecycle and they vary from music to video to films to games, but the essential steps are the same: 1. Creation - the creation of the media in its original format. Content may come from other sources. There is no real means today to provide or mandate appropriate copyright citations or pay royalties. 2. Mastering - the conversion of the original work into a format suitable for distribution. 3. Production - the printing, stamping, and reproduction of master onto physical media. 4. Vendor Distribution - the distribution of media to retailers or end users. 5. End-User Distribution - this stage moves copies of the media to the end consumer or audience members. 6. Conversion to User Acceptable Format - the delivered media is read by a device or application and converted into a format that the user may see, hear or otherwise comprehend. 7. User Experience - the user is able to experience a replica of the original material. The critical challenge that security systems for digital media face is that an adversary attempting to circumvent the security system must deliver a comparable or identical User Experience. Thus, security measures must only be separated from a “User Acceptable Format” (UAF) as opposed to actually being defeated (Why break down a locked door when there is an open window nearby?). The existence of common, non-proprietary or non-royalty bearing encoding systems such as MP3, JPEG, etc. gives an adversary a means of distributing media in a (UAF) at low or non- existent cost. The adversary’s objective, therefore, is reduced to migrating from a secured format to a UAF. This is not true for many games where the game engine itself prevents creation of a UAF version of the game itself, but not art, sound, or other assets. Current Security Solutions Some of the solutions for securing digital media are: Proprietary Encoding Post-Processing Physics & Engineering Watermarking Fingerprinting Covert Fingerprinting Security Labels or Tags Signatures Digital Rights Management and Anti-Piracy Solutions Editor’s Choice February 2011.indd 18February 2011.indd 18 2/7/2011 4:31:41 PM2/7/2011 4:31:41 PM
- 21. 19CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 International Game Developers Association [http://www.igda.org/] [Excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Game_Developers_Association] International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is the professional society for over 10,000 video and computer game developers worldwide. It is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit organization. Its stated mission is “To advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers.”[1] In recognition of the wide-ranging, multidisciplinary nature of interactive entertainment, there are no barriers to entry. Any person who considers him- or herself to be a game developer may join. This article is licensed under the [GNU Free Documentation License] (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ). It uses material from the Wikipedia articles Casual Games SIG (http://wiki.igda.org/Casual_Games_SIG) Casual Games SIG/Whitepaper/Technology(http://wiki.igda.org/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Technology) For more information please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights Video game genres are used to categorize video games based on their gameplay interaction rather than visual or narrative differences. A video game genre is defined by a set of gameplay challenges. They are classified independent of their setting or game-world content, unlike other works of fiction such as films or books. For example, an action game is still an action game, regardless of whether it takes place in a fantasy world or outer space. Within game studies there is a lack of consensus in reaching accepted formal definitions for game genres, some being more observed than others. Like any typical taxonomy, a video game genre requires certain constants. Most video games feature obstacles to overcome, so video game genres can be defined where obstacles are completed in substantially similar ways. Chris Crawford notes that “the state of computer game design is changing quickly. We would therefore expect the taxonomy presented here to become obsolete or inadequate in a short time.”. Following is a listing of commonly used video game genres with brief descriptions. Action An action game requires players to use quick reflexes, accuracy, and timing to overcome obstacles. It is perhaps the most basic of gaming genres, and certainly one of the broadest. Action games tend to have gameplay with emphasis on combat. There are many subgenres of action games, such as fighting games and first-person shooters. Shooter A shooter game focuses primarily on combat involving projectile weapons, such as guns and missiles. They can be divided into first-person and third-person shooters, depending on the camera perspective. Some first-person shooters use light gun technology. Action-adventure Action-adventure games combine elements of their two component genres, typically featuring long-term obstacles that must be overcome using a tool or item as leverage (which is collected earlier), as well as many smaller obstacles almost constantly in the way, that require elements of action games to overcome. Action-adventure games tend to focus on exploration and usually involve item gathering, simple puzzle solving, and combat. “Action-adventure” has become a label which is sometimes attached to games which do not fit neatly into another well known genre. Adventure Adventure games were some of the earliest games created, beginning with the text adventure Colossal Cave Adventure in the 1970s. That game was originally titled simply “Adventure,” and is the namesake of the genre. Over time, graphics have been introduced to the genre and the interface has evolved. Role-playing Role-playing video games draw their gameplay from traditional role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Most cast the player in the role of one or more “adventurers” who specialize in specific skill sets (such as melee combat or casting magic spells) while progressing through a predetermined storyline. Many involve maneuvering these character(s) through an overworld, usually populated with monsters, that allows access to more important game locations, such as towns, dungeons, and castles. Simulation Simulation video games is a diverse super-category of games, generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality. Strategy Strategy video games focus on gameplay requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory. Vehicle simulation Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles. Video game genres [Excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_genres] February 2011.indd 19February 2011.indd 19 2/7/2011 4:31:41 PM2/7/2011 4:31:41 PM
- 22. 20CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 IDEAS & OPINIONS WHAT CAN advanced technology do for rural India? Can rural folk be provided the same technology that works in urban areas? Can they afford it and learn to use it? These are common questions. Now let us see whether we can find credible answers and pragmatic solutions that make economic sense. Two important properties make Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interesting for human welfare and development. These are “annihilation of distance” and “death of time.” With ICT one can instantaneously be everywhere. For a village it means the entire world will be at its doorstep. ICT bestows upon humanity the ability to defy distance and time. How can it be used for human development? Human development is quantified in the annual World Human Development Report of the United Nations as progress in health and education. A healthy nation means more productive labour and an educated nation means more creative labour. ICT has many facets. The most visible part is the bandwidth used for communication. Modern technology delivers gigabits through a fibre optic medium and several megabits through the wireless medium. A combination of the two technologies along with specialised devices often called routers and switches (equivalent to post offices and beat constables) can enable flow of gigabits of information from one village to another. What does it mean to villages? The villagers can have access to high quality medical help, quality education, and relevant information pertaining to crops, fertilizers, entertainment, and access to the Internet as is enjoyed by their urban counterparts. Cooperative effort How can we make this happen? This is where Gandhi and his economic thought play a crucial role. The entire exercise has to be seen as a cooperative effort of the people, by the people, and for the people. The Indian administrative system divides the nation into States, districts, blocks, and villages. A typical district has 20 blocks and about 400 villages with a population of 40 lakh. The physical size of a village can be set at about 10 kmindiameter.Therearefour-fivehamletsineachvillage with an average population of 2000 spread across 500 families. The average fibre optic cable length required per village will be about 15 km. Each village will require a few modern telephones, videophone equipment along with active networking components such as routers and switches. Each village will require a standard wireless technology that can transfer at 54 megabits per second in order to reach each hamlet in a concentrated manner. All these are available commercially off-the-shelf from across the world. No development time is required. The cost would work out to ` 500 crore a district — which translates to ` 1,250 per capita investment. The technology is such that fibre is useful for 20 years. The rest of the technology is useful for five years based on a very conservative estimate. The ratio of investment between 20- year use and five-year use is about 3:2; that is ` 300 crore for fibre and Rs.200 crore for equipment, including end-user equipment. One can therefore amortise the ` 300 crore over a 20-year period and ` 200 crore over a five-year period. The per capita per annum turns out to be ` 137.50 or a mere 37 paise per person a day. This is an amount that can be handled as a hundi collection using micro transactions in the modern e-commerce world by a progressive bank. It is feasible and makes economic sense. At the end, every Indian village gets a gigabit delivered on fibre. Fibre technology has something very interesting for economists. The concept of marginal cost deals with increased production with incremental investment, once the basic system is in place. In fibre technology, a mere two per cent incremental investment creates more than 100 per cent production capacity. This is mainly because when the fibre is laid, it has 6/12/24/48 cores inside and only one pair is put to use. The rest can be lit as and when necessary to increase bandwidth or carrying capacity. That is the incremental cost. India has fantastic facilities to produce fibre optic cables in bundles up to 96 cores and beyond. Besides, they can be packaged for use indoors, outdoors, overhead, underground, under water, under sea, and to operate under very hostile conditions. What we discussed so far creates a fantastic multi-purpose infrastructure for the villages of India. The natural question that arises is: if it is so simple, why has it not been done so far? The answer is simple. Fibre optic technology research and development requires such a sophisticated and expensive environment, the simplicity of use in the field is easily missed. Perhaps, the fear of “large scale obsolescence of earlier models of infrastructure creation” prevents one from venturing into this extremely powerful yet simple infrastructure. To practise what is said here requires a paradigm shift in thinking — in terms of technology, economics, investment, and welfare measures. (The writer is Professor of Computer Sciences, IIT-Madras.) © Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu Gigabits and Gandhi – A Realistic Model S V Raghavan Fibre optic cables may hold the key to a rural revolution. They can create a multi-purpose infrastructure for the villages of India. This article is published Courtesy to The Hindu and with the permission of the author February 2011.indd 20February 2011.indd 20 2/7/2011 4:31:45 PM2/7/2011 4:31:45 PM
- 23. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 21 SPECIAL FEATURE SECTION Preamble Nature Inspired Machine Intelligence Ajith Abraham Director - Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIR Labs), Scientific Network for Innovation and Research Excellence (SNIRE) P.O. Box 2259, Auburn, Washington 98071, USA. WWW: http://www.softcomputing.net, http://www.mirlabs.org Email: ajith.abraham@ mirlabs.org, ajith.abraham@ieee.org Nature inspired computation is an emerging interdisciplinary area in the information technology field. The idea is to mimic (concepts, principles and mechanisms) the complex phenomena occurring in the nature as computational processes in order to enhance the way computation is performed mainly from a problem solving point of view. This Section is a continuation of the December 2010 theme issue on Nature Inspired Computing. Real-life optimization problems are often NP-hard, and CPU time and/or memory consuming. In the first article, Talbi discusses about the usage of parallel bioinspired algorithms to significantly reduce the computational complexity of the search process. Liu et al. in the second article illustrate the need for a biologically inspired computational model of language cognition. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) provides a high resolution volumetric mapping of the haemodynamic response of the brain, which can be correlated with neural activity, thereby allowing the spatially localized characteristics of brain activity to be observed. Authors illustrate Chinese character and Arabic numerals cognition during the brain activations. Computational grids are expected to leverage unprecedented larger computing capacities by virtually joining together geographically distributed resources at large scale. To achieve this objective, the design of efficient Grid schedulers that map and allocate tasks and applications onto Grid resources is a key issue. Xhafa and Abraham in the third article illustrate how various nature inspired heuristic and meta-heuristic methods can be used to design efficient schedulers in computational grids. Ajith Abraham ARTICLE 1. Motivation On one hand, optimization problems are more and more complex and their resource requirements are ever increasing. Real-life optimization problems are often NP-hard, and CPU time and/or memory consuming. Although the use of bioinspired algorithms allows to significantly reduce the computational complexity of the search process, the latter remains time-consuming for many problems in diverse domains of application, where the objective function and the constraints associated to the problem are resource (e.g. CPU, memory) intensive and the size of the search space is huge. Moreover, more and more complex and resource intensive bioinspired algorithms are developed (e.g. hybrid, multi-objective). On the other hand, the rapid development of technology in designing processors (e.g. multi-core processors, dedicated architectures), networks (e.g. local networks -LAN- such as Myrinet and Infiniband, wide area networks -WAN- such as optical networks), and data storage make the use of parallel computing more and more popular. Such architectures represent Parallel Bioinspired Optimization Algorithms E-G Talbi University of Lille, CNRS and INRIA, Bˆat. M3 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France, Email: talbi@lifl.fr February 2011.indd 21February 2011.indd 21 2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM
- 24. 22CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 an effective strategy for the design and implementation of parallel bioinspired algorithms. Indeed, sequential architectures are reaching physical limitation (speed of light, thermodynamics). Nowadays, even laptops and workstations are equipped with multi-core processors which represent a givenclassofparallelarchitecture.Moreover, the ratio cost/performance is constantly decreasing. The proliferation of powerful workstations and fast communication networks have shown the emergence of clusters of processors (COWs), networks of workstations (NOWs), and large-scale network of machines (Grids) as platforms for high performance computing. Parallel and distributed computing can be used in the design and implementation of bioinspired algorithms for the following reasons: Speedup the search: one of the main goals in parallelizing a bioinspired algorithm is to reduce the search time. This helps designing real-time and interactive optimization methods. This is a very important aspect for some class of problems where there is hard requirements on the search time such as in dynamic optimization problems and time critical control problems such as “real-time” planning. Improve the quality of the obtained solutions: some parallel models for bioinspired algorithms allow to improve the quality of the search. Indeed, exchanging information between cooperative algorithms will alter their behavior in terms of searching in the landscape associated to the problem. The main goal in a parallel cooperation between algorithms is to improve the quality of solutions. Both better convergence and reduced search time may happen. Let us notice that a parallel model for bioinspired algorithms may be more effective than a sequential algorithm even on a single processor. Improve the robustness: a parallel bioinspired algorithm may be more robust in terms of solving in an effective manner different optimization problems and different instances of a given problem. Robustness may be also measured in terms of the sensitivity of the algorithm to its parameters. Solve large scale problems: parallel bioinspired algorithms allow to solve large scale instances of complex optimization problems. A challenge here is to solve very large instances which cannot be solved on a sequential machine. Another similar challenge is to solve more accurate mathematical models associated to different optimization problems. Improving the accuracy of the mathematical models increases in general the size of the associated problems to be solved. Moreover, some optimization problems need the manipulation of huge databases such as data mining problems. 2. Parallel design In terms of designing parallel bioinspired algorithms, three major parallel models are identified [1]. They follow the three following hierarchical levels (Tab. 1): Algorithmic-level: in this parallel model, independent or cooperating self-contained bioinspired algorithms are used. It is a problem-independent inter-algorithm parallelization. If the different algorithms are independent, the search will be equivalent to the sequential execution in terms of the quality of solutions. However, the cooperative model will alter the behavior of the algorithms and enables the improvement of the quality of solutions. Iteration-level: in this model, each iteration of a bioinspired algorithm is parallelized. It is a problem- independent intra-algorithm parallelization. The behavior of the metaheuristic is not altered. The main objective is to speedup the algorithm by reducing the search time. Indeed, the iteration cycle of bioinspired algorithms on large neighborhoods or large populations requires a large amount of computational resources especially for real-world problems. Solution-level: in this model, the parallelization process handles a single solution of the search space. It is a problem-dependent intra-algorithm parallelization. In general, evaluating the objective function(s) or constraints for a generated solution is frequently the most costly operation in bioinspired algorithms. In this model, the behavior of the algorithm is not altered. The objective is mainly the speedup of the search. 3. Parallel implementation The implementation point of view deals with the efficiency of a parallel bioinspired algorithm on a target parallel architecture using a given parallel language, programming environment or middleware. Different architectural criteria which affect the efficiency of the implementation can be considered: shared memory versus distributed memory, homogeneous versus heterogeneous, shared versus non shared by multiple users, local network versus large network. Indeed, those criteria have a strong impact on the deployment technique employed such as load balancing and fault-tolerance. Depending on the type of parallel architecture used, different parallel and distributed languages, programming environments and middlewares may be used such as message passing (e.g. PVM, MPI), shared memory (e.g. multi-threading, OpenMP), remote procedural call (e.g. Java RMI, RPC), high-throughput computing (e.g. Condor), GPU computing (e.g. CUDA), and grid computing (e.g. Globus). The following table 2 recapitulates the characteristics of the main parallel architectures according to the most important criteria. Those criteria must be used to analyze the efficient implementation of the different parallel models of metaheuristics. The performance of a parallel bioinspired algorithm on a given parallel architecture depends mainly on its granularity. The granularity of a parallel program is the amount of computation performed between two communications. It computes the ratio between the computation time and the communication time. Larger is the granularity better is the obtained speedup. The degree of concurrency of a parallel bioinspired algorithm is represented by the maximum number of parallel processes at any time. This measure is independent from the target parallel architecture. It is an indication of the number of processors that can employed usefully by the parallel bioinspired algorithm. Asynchronous communications and the recovery between computation and communication is also an important issue for a parallel efficient implementation. Indeed, most of the actual processors integrate different parallel elements such as ALU, FPU, GPU, DMA, etc. Most of the computing part takes part in cache. Hence, the RAM bus is often free and can be used by other elements such as the DMA. Hence, input/output operations can be recovered by computation tasks. Few software frameworks available on the Web are devoted to parallel bioinspired algorithms and their hybridization to solve mono and multi-objective optimization problems. The use of the ParadisEO-PEO software framework allows the parallel design of the different parallel models of metaheuristics. It allows also their transparent and efficient implementation on different parallel and distributed architectures (e.g. clusters and networks of workstations, multi-cores, high- performance computing and desktop grids, GPUs) using suitable programming environments (e.g. MPI, Threads, Globus, Condor, CUDA). One of the perspective in the coming years is to achieve Petascale performance. The emergence of multi-core chips and February 2011.indd 22February 2011.indd 22 2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM
- 25. 23CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 many-core chips (i.e. GPU) technologies will speedup the achievement of this goal. In terms of programming models, cloud computing and peer-to-peer (P2P) computing will become an important alternative to traditional high performance computing for the development of large- scale metaheuristics that harness massive computational resources. This is a great challenge as nowadays cloud and P2P- enabled frameworks for parallel bioinspired algorithms are just emerging. A pure peer- to-peer computing system does not have the notion of clients or servers but only equal peer nodes that simultaneously function as both clients and servers to the other nodes on the network. Cloud computing is made generally available on the Internet (i.e. IP availability). Users of the cloud have access to the resources which are owned and operated by a third-party on a consolidated basis. They are concerned with services it can perform rather than the underlying technologies used to perform the requested function. References [1] E-G. Talbi. Metaheuristics: from design to implementation. Wiley, 2009. Table 1: Parallel models of metaheuristics Parallel model Problem dependency Behavior Granularity Goal Algorithmic-level Independent Altered Metaheuristic Effectiveness Iteration-level Independent Non altered Iteration Efficiency Solution-level Non altered Solution Efficiency Table 2: Characteristics of the main parallel architectures. Hom: Homogeneous, Het: Heterogeneous Criteria Memory Homogeneity Sharing Network Volatility SMP Multi-core Shared Hom Yes or No Local No COW Distributed Hom or Het No Local No NOW Distributed Het Yes Local Yes HPC Grid Distributed Het No Large No Desktop Grid Distributed Het Yes Large Yes Computer Games and Windows 98 This customer comes into the computer store. “I’m looking for a mystery Adventure Game with lots of graphics. You know, something really challenging.” “Well,” replied the clerk, “Have you tried Windows 98?” Programmer cries for help... Once a programmer drowned in the sea. Many Marines were there at that time on the beach, but the programmer was shouting “F1 F1” and nobody understood it. Explaning why my program doesn’t work... I’ve never heard about that. It did work yesterday. Well, the program needs some fixing. How is this possible? The machine seems to be broken. Has the operating system been updated? The user has made an error again. There is something wrong in your test data. I have not touched that module! Yes, yes, it will be ready in time. You must have the wrong executable. Oh, it’s just a feature. I’m almost ready. Of course, I just have to do these small fixes. It will be done in no time at all. It’s just some unlucky coincidence. I can’t test everything! THIS can’t do THAT. Didn’t I fix it already? It’s already there, but it has not been tested. It works, but it’s not been tested. Somebody must have changed my code. There must be a virus in the application software. Even though it does not work, how does it feel? 10. It doesn’t take minutes to build the picture when you change TV channels. 9. When was the last time you tuned in to “Melrose Place” and got a “Error 404” message? 8. There are fewer grating color schemes on TV--even on MTV. 7. The family never argues over which Web site to visit this evening. 6. A remote control has fewer buttons than a keyboard. 5. Even the worst TV shows never excuse themselves with an “Under Construction” sign. 4. Seinfeld never slows down when a lot of people tune in. 3. You just can’t find those cool Health Rider infomercials on the Web. 2. Set-top boxes don’t beep and whine when you hook up to HBO. 1. You can’t surf the Web from a couch with a beer in one hand and Doritos in the other. Laugh IT OFF The top 10 reasons Why the television is better than the World Wide Web February 2011.indd 23February 2011.indd 23 2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM2/7/2011 4:31:51 PM
- 26. 24CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 ARTICLE 1. Introduction and Background Significant progress had been made about how the brain works, from the molecular to the functional level,inthepastfewdecades.Buthowcanresearchers, often get trained in a particular neuroscience discipline to understand and use all that data to develop the right kind of hypotheses to test? We have to develop novel computational models to tackle this challenge. It might be possible to develop software programs to mimic the behavior of the brain based on the results of proven scientific studies. Computational modeling is the only inherently dynamic way to help us to specify that function precisely. It not only provides some new explanations for the nerve physiology processes occurring in our brain, but also provides new ideas for the artificial cognitive systems [1,2]. What is needed is a formal way to systematically relate multiple data sets, thus bridging the function of brain and computational models. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) provides a high resolution volumetric mapping of the haemodynamic response of the brain, which can be correlated with neural activity, thereby allowing the spatially localized characteristics of brain activity to be observed. It is a new trend to use fMRI studies to confirm and improve cognitive computational models. Hickok and Poeppel [4] provided a dual-stream model of speech processing. The approximate anatomical locations of the dual-stream model components are illustrated in Figure 1. Regions shaded green depicted areas on the dorsal surface of the superior temporal gyrus that are proposed to be involved in spectrotemporal analysis. Regions shaded yellow in the posterior half of the STS are implicated in phonological-level processes. Regions shaded pink represent the ventral stream, which is bilaterally organized with a weak left-hemisphere bias. The more posterior regions of the ventral stream, posterior middle and inferior portions of the temporal lobes correspond to the lexical interface, which links phonological and semantic information, whereas the more anterior locations correspond to the proposed combinatorial network. Regions shaded blue represent the dorsal stream, which is strongly left dominant. The posterior region of the dorsal stream corresponds to an area in the Sylvian fissure at the parietotemporal boundary, which is proposed to be a sensorimotor interface, whereas the more anterior locations in the frontal lobe, probably involving Broca’s region and a more dorsal premotor site, correspond to portions of the articulatory network. Fig. 1 : Approximate anatomical locations of the dual-stream model components (adapted from[4]) Fig. 2 : the brain activations during two tasks Our research deals with the comparison between Chinese character and Arabic numerals cognition. During the brain activations during two tasks, we observed activations in the premotor area (PMA), the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the left Inferior frontal cortex (Broca area, Br), the left angular gyrus (AG) and the area of left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) during the two tasks. More over, the activation volumes of brain areas A Biologically Inspired Computational Model of Language Cognition Hongbo Liu1,2 , Ajith Abraham2 , Wei Wang3 1 School of Information, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China 2 Machine Intelligence Research Labs -MIR Labs, Seattle, WA, USA 3 Physical science and technical college, Dalian University. lhb@dlut.edu.cn, ajith.abraham@ieee.org, weiwang@dlu.edu.cn February 2011.indd 24February 2011.indd 24 2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM
- 27. 25CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 during Chinese character cognition were larger than during Arabic numeral cognition. The within-condition interregional covariance analysis (WICA) is a novel method for ROI-based functional connectivity analyses [5]. We exposed human subjects to two cognition tasks in one functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; n=30) experiment and applied WICA to analyze the connectivity between the brain activation areas during two tasks. We observed a profound activation area in PMA and the high functional connections between it and other activation areas during the two tasks. Further, the analysis of functional connectivity indicates the functional connection between Broca area (Br) and angular gyrus (AG) during Chinese character cognition task was enhanced in comparison to Arabic numeral cognition task. 2. Experimental Observations and Future Trends Observed from the brain regions, there is an important pathway to process the language cognitive tasks. Auditory inputs of language information is transmitted by the auditory cortex angular gyrus, and then to Wernickearea,thenspreadtotheBrocaarea. The visual inputs from visual association cortex information were directly transmitted to the Broca area. Visual perception and semantics of language are dealt separately by the different sensory pathways. These separate channels to reach the Broca area, and the meaning, and language related to the more high-level cortex regions. Based on the connectivity of the brain and the neural language processing in human brains, there are two dynamic hierarchies. In the top level, six coarse-grained modules construct a large-scale distributed network, which provides its ongoing organization and topological properties of the connection of brain networks. In the bottom level, each module is implemented in a smaller scale within the distributed multi-agent system, which achieve short-time working memory and remodeling features within each cognitive module. Figure 4 illustrates the two-hierarchical computational model. The two-level subsystems apply symbolic representation and distributed representation respectively to adapt to the explicit and implicit processing in the dynamic hierarchies. The implicit learning in the bottom level can obtain the explicit knowledge from the top-level network, while the explicit learning in the top level acquired in the underlying implicit knowledge from the bottom level subsystems. The system is implemented with the top-down guidance learning and the bottom-up selective learning. The computational model has emergent and self-learning features. Fig. 4 : A Biologically-Based Computational Model Our model model sheds light on how the cognitive processing is completed in human brain. It could enlighten us to achieve advanced artificial intelligence. fMRI cannot only provide principal approaches for computational models, but also the rigorous and unique tests of computational models. We hope that this article encourages researchers to expand their useful fMRI datasets into computational modeling. 3. Conclusion In this article, we investigated language cognitive computational modeling from fMRI experiments. Considering the connectivity of the brain, a two-hierarchical model is designed by larger-scale network and smaller-scale multi-agent system. The computational model has emergent and self-learning features. Our ongoing research aims to provide new approaches to carry on human cognitive research and novel ideas to implement new generation intelligent systems to solve some of the complex real world problems. Acknowledgements This work is supported by the NSFC (60873054,61073056,10947174) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No.2009QN043). References 1. Sukel, K., Computational Models Reveal New Insights in Neuroscience, 2008. 2. Lefèvre J., Mangin J-F., A reaction- diffusion model of human brain development, PLoS Computational Biology, 2010, 6(4): e1000749. 3. A. Ekstrom. How and when the fMRI BOLD signal relates to underlying neural activity: the danger in dissociation. Brain Research Reviews, 2010, 62(2):233-244 4. Hickok, G. and Poeppel, D., The cortical organization of speech processing, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2007, 8(5), 393-402 5. Tang YY, Zhang WT, Chen KW, et al. Arithmetic processing in the brain shaped by cultures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 2006, 103(28):10775-10780. Fig. 3 : Brain Deactivations in Mathematic Stress February 2011.indd 25February 2011.indd 25 2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM
- 28. 26CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 ARTICLE 1. Introduction Computational Grids (CGs) are a natural extension of classical distributed systems. CGs are expected to leverage unprecedented larger computing capacities by virtually joining together geographically distributed resources at large scale. To achieve this objective, the design of ecient Grid schedulers that map and allocate tasks and applications onto Grid resources is a key issue. In fact, CGs introduce new complexities to the scheduling problem making it even more challenging for the design of ecient schedulers. In this article, we illustrate how various nature inspired heuristic and meta-heuristic methods can be used to design ecient schedulers in CGs. Such heuristic and meta-heuristics include ad hoc methods, local search, population-based and hybrid approaches. In using these methods for designing ecient Grid schedulers we take into account the new characteristics of CGs and tackle the Grid scheduling as a family of problems. 2. Background Scheduling in distributed systems is one of the most studied problems in the optimization theory. The intrinsics characteristics of CGs add new complexities to the problem as compared to its traditional version in conventional distributed systems. Main Characteristics of Computational Grids. CGs distinguish for their dynamic structure (resources in a Grid system can join or leave the Grid in an unpredictable way), the high heterogeneity of resources (the computational resources could be very disparate in their computing capacities), the high heterogeneity of tasks (tasks arriving to any Grid system are diverse and heterogenous in terms of their computational needs), the high heterogeneity of interconnection networks (resources are connected through different interconnection networks). On the other hand, CGs are cross-administrative infrastructures and thus there are Grid schedulers which should co-exists with local schedulers and also local policies on access and usage of resources. Scalability and efficiency are as well essential features to Grid schedulers as CGs are expected to be large scale. Finally, beyond the efficiency, Grid schedulers should also take into account security and trust requirements. An Example: Grid Batch Scheduling. Scheduling problem in Computational Grids, in its general form, can be stated as in the case of scheduling problem for distributed systems: compute a mapping of a given set of tasks onto a set of available machines. However, behind this general denition, there are many concrete versions of the problem. The Grid batch scheduling is an important version of the problem in which the processing of independent tasks in batches (see Fig. 1). The problem is formalized using the Expected Time To Compute matrix (ETC model) in which ETC[j][m] indicates an estimation of time to complete task j in resource m. Several objectives, including makespan, flowtime, resource utilization and matching proximity Nature Inspired Schedulers in Computational Grids Fatos Xhafa* & Ajith Abraham** * Technical University of Catalonia, Spain, fatos@lsi.upc.edu ** Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIRLabs), USA, ajith.abraham@ieee.org Job Pool Planning of a Batch of jobsGrid Scheduler Internet Job Launching & Monitoring Grid Applications Grid Information Service Failed jobs (re-schedule) Machine Pool Fig. 1 : Batch Scheduler View February 2011.indd 26February 2011.indd 26 2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM
- 29. 27CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 can be formulated. In fact, these objectives could contradict each other especially close to optimality (see fluctuations in Fig. 2). 3. Heuristic Methods for Scheduling in Grid Systems At a higher level, the heuristic methods are usually classified as calculus based, random or enumerative. In the first group we can find greedy algorithms and ad hoc methods, which implement a direct strategy for computing the solution. In the second group, which is the largest one, we have guided and non-guided methods. The former includes Simulated Annealing, Tabu Search, and the large family of evolutionary algorithms. The final group comprises of dynamic programming and branch-and- bound algorithms. In the case of Grid scheduling problem, many methods from the aforementioned groups, must be applied to the problem in order to design the most efficient scheduler depending on the Grid scenario. We list below the most used methods for the problem for the two groups, namely, ad hoc, local search-based and population-based methods. Ad hoc methods Ad hoc methods comprise both immediate and batch scheduling and are usually used for single- objective optimization case. The group of immediate mode methods includes Opportunistic Load Balancing, Minimum Completion Time, Minimum Execution Time, Switching Algorithm and k-Percent Best. An example of their efficacy for a set of three tasks and three machines is given in Figure 3. The group of batch mode methods comprises Min-Min, Max-Min, Suerage, Relative Cost and Longest Job to Fastest Resource - Shortest Job to Fastest Resource. Local search methods Local search is a family of methods that explore the solution space starting from an initial solution and constructing a path in solution space. Methods in this family comprise of Hill Climbing, Simulated Annealing (SA) and Tabu Search (TS), among others. SA is more powerful than simple local search by accepting also worse solutions with certain probability[1].TSisamoresophisticatedbut also more computationally expensive due to its mechanisms of tabu lists, aspiration criteria, intensification and diversification. Abraham et. al. [1] considered TS as candidate solution method for the problem. Xhafa et. al. [5] presented a full featured TS for the scheduling problem under ETC model. Population-based methods Population- based heuristics use populations of individuals to explore the solution space. This family comprises Genetic Algorithms (GAs), Memetic Algorithms (MAs), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). GAs for Grid scheduling have been addressed by Abraham et al. [1] and Xhafa et al. [6, 7]. MAs is class of population-based methods, which combine the concepts of evolutionary search and local search. Xhafa [3] applied unstructured MAs and Xhafa et al. [4] proposed Cellular MAs (structured MAs) for the independent scheduling problem under ETC model. ACO and PSO have also been considered for the scheduling problem. Abraham et al. [2] proposed an approach using fuzzy PSO algorithm. Hybrid approaches Although, meta- heuristics are in nature hybrid, higher level approaches combining stand alone heuristics are also being reported in the literature for the problem. Recently, Xhafa et al. [8] proposed a GA(TS) algorithm for the scheduling of independent tasks under ETC model. 4. Conclusions This article addressed the use of heuristic and meta-heuristic methods for designing efficient Grid schedulers. We have brie y reviewed different families of heuristic methods used for the resolution of the problem, including ad hoc methods, local search methods and population-based methods. The use of different heuristic methods is very useful to design efficient schedulers according to different Grid scenarios and Grid-enabled application types. Future trends in this research will be considering the integration of security and trust requirements into Grid schedulers. References 1. A. Abraham, R. Buyya, and B. Nath. Figure 2: The fluctuations of makespan and flowtime – simultaneous optimization. Fig. 3 : An example of scheduling computed by ad hoc methods. February 2011.indd 27February 2011.indd 27 2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM2/7/2011 4:31:52 PM
- 30. 28CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 `Nature’s heuristics for scheduling jobs on computational grids`, In The 8th IEEE Int. Conf. on Advanced Computing and Communications (ADCOM 2000) India, 2000. 2. A. Abraham, H. Liu, W. Zhang, and T. Chang. Scheduling jobs on computational grids using fuzzy particle swarm algorithm. In 10th Int. Conf. on Knowledge-Based & Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems, LNCS, Springer, 2006. 3. F. Xhafa, A Hybrid Evolutionary Heuristic for Job Scheduling in Computational Grids. Springer Verlag Series: Studies in Computational Intelligence , Vol. 75 2007, Chapter 10, ISBN: 978-3-540-73296-9. September 2007. 4. F. Xhafa, E. Alba, B. Dorronsoro, and B. Duran. Efficient Batch Job Scheduling in Grids using Cellular Memetic Algorithms, Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Algorithms, 7(2):217- 236, 2008. 5. F. Xhafa, J. Carretero, E. Alba, B. Dorronsoro. Tabu Search Algorithm for Scheduling Independent Jobs in Computational Grids, Computer And Informatics Journal, Vol. 28, No 2, 2009, pp 237-249. 6. F. Xhafa, J. Carretero, A. Abraham. Genetic Algorithm Based Schedulers for Grid Computing Systems. International Journal of Innovative Computing, Information and Control, Vol. 3, No.5, pp. 1-19, 2007. 7. F. Xhafa, B. Duran, A. Abraham and K. P. Dahal. Tuning Struggle Strategy in Genetic Algorithms for Scheduling in Computational Grids. Neural Network World. Vol. 18, No. 3, 209-225, Jul, 2008. 8. F. Xhafa, J.A. Gonzalez, K. P. Dahal, A. Abraham: A GA(TS) Hybrid Algorithm for Scheduling in Computational Grids. HAIS 2009: 285-292, LNCS, Springer Statewise Membership Statistics Report - January 2011 State Life Individual Nominees (Non-Acad) Nominees (Acad) Total Voting Members Student Members Total Members Andhra Pradesh 925 279 32 268 1504 8544 10048 Assam 31 7 13 12 63 1 64 Bihar 25 20 0 0 45 1 46 Chattisgarh 30 4 1 6 41 86 127 Delhi 782 71 27 92 972 773 1745 Goa 57 5 12 7 81 1 82 Gujarat 474 166 23 99 762 1660 2422 Jharkhand 341 11 9 7 368 57 425 Karnataka 805 89 32 85 1011 1878 2889 Kerala 279 41 16 81 417 2139 2556 Madhya Pradesh 382 101 6 114 603 2881 3484 Maharashtra 1881 383 216 337 2817 8805 11622 Orissa 212 28 12 17 269 1 270 Pondicherry 89 4 0 0 93 415 508 Punjab 179 31 1 44 255 489 744 Rajasthan 138 41 0 36 215 1160 1375 Tamilnadu 1541 297 72 439 2349 18723 21072 Uttar Pradesh 448 190 29 87 754 1760 2514 Uttaranchal 181 42 12 33 268 531 799 West Bengal 547 89 43 18 697 4 701 Total 9347 1899 556 1782 13584 49909 63493 Prof. H R Vishwakarma Hon. Secretary, Computer Society of India “A cell is regarded as the true biological atom.” — George Henry Lewes, The Physiology of Common Life (1860), 297 [Science] is the literature of God written on the stars–the trees–the rocks–and more important because [of] its marked utilitarian character. — James Abram Garfield, Quoted in Allan Peskin, Garfield: A Biography (1978), 57. February 2011.indd 28February 2011.indd 28 2/7/2011 4:31:54 PM2/7/2011 4:31:54 PM
- 31. 29CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 ARTICLE Domestic demand will be the key driver for healthy medium-term prospects in India. The infrastructure building thrust by the government will also attract large investments in IT. According to Springboard Research, a number of fundamental changes are expected in the not-too- distant future. Perhaps the clearest sign of the changes to come can be found in a recent Springboard survey, where end-users pointed toward the cloud, software- as-a-service and managed services as major shifts they expect to see within their organizations. The top 10 trends that we believe will shape enterprise IT in India in 2011 are outlined below. 1) Mobile Reporting Services Transforms “Business Intelligence” Previously bundled as “business intelligence” (BI), reporting and analytics will begin to diverge in 2011, largely as a result of increased demand from end-users for mobile reporting services. With a strong initial focus on role-based report delivery, easy navigation, simple drilldown and basic user-driven interactivity, mobility will begin to move BI out of IT and into the hands (literally) of business decision makers. BI vendors will initially differentiate their offerings through “pre-packaged” mobile reporting solutions. However, organizations will quickly discover that users require more contextually relevant reporting and analytics, including more social, collaborative and geo-location driven reporting. This will provide vendors an opportunity to separate BI functionality into various “layers,” including specific products optimized for particular mobile platforms. Customizable report generation at the mobile device level for example, will be a key feature or end-user requirement. 2) Cloud Computing – From Silver Bullet to Just Another Sourcing Option Throughout 2011, the cloud-related hype of 2009 and most of 2010 will steadily give way to a more sober, and realistic understanding of the relevance and applicability of cloud computing among CIOs and other senior IT decision makers. Springboard Research has long argued that at its core, cloud computing is nothing more than a sourcing option. More to the point, it is one of many valid sourcing options IT organizations must consider alongside traditional approaches, including both on-premise deployments and hosted solutions. Far from expecting cloud computing to replace all other approaches to application deployment/service delivery, IT decision makers must determine the optimal sourcing option for various services based on criteria including usage scenario, scalability requirements, IT skills availability, and types of workloads being enabled. 3) Managed Services Providers Innovate to Drive Added Value The managed services market has transformed from body shopping contracts or facility management services to a process-oriented delivery model. One of the most important milestones in 2011 will be the expansion of managed services beyond basic infrastructure management to include more application-related services. As more organizations seek to reap the benefits of a better integrated approach to managed services, there will be a clear move toward application outsourcing that combines infrastructure and application management to yield better application performance at a lower cost. As this trend continues to gain strength, the lines between SaaS and managed services will increasingly blur. 4) Mobile Banking Triggers Technology Innovation in the Banking Sector The key driver for technology innovation in the banking sector in the next few years will be modernizing payment systems to connect every part of society through mobile banking. With mobile and smart phones quickly becoming feature-rich for an increased number of users, mobile banking is fast becoming an essential part of the Indian economy. Realizing this, almost all major banks are adding more features to their mobile banking services to facilitate banking transactions at the touch of a button. They are also providing various utility services through mobile devices and are increasingly tying up with the mobile companies to enable service delivery. 5) IT Distribution Channel Partners Accelerate the Evolution of their Business Models Distribution channel partners are in a particularly vulnerable position as the IT market moves quickly IT Market Predictions 2011 - India [Excerpted with special permissions from “INDIA IT MARKET PREDICTIONS 2011 - A Changing Vision, Springboard India Analyst Team, January 05, 2011; To access the full document and a wide range of IT analysis & research, register for free at http://www.springboardresearch.com/Register.aspx?mode=register Springboard Research, NSCI Bhawan, STP Extension, 2nd Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi 110020, India. e-mail: jdhani@springboardresearch.com These excerpts are included with special permissions from Shobhit Yadav, Business Development Manager Springboard Research, New Delhi. Email:syadav@springboardresearch.com February 2011.indd 29February 2011.indd 29 2/7/2011 4:31:56 PM2/7/2011 4:31:56 PM
- 32. 30CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 toward cloud computing. The days of surviving on business models dependent on distributing generalized IT products with razor-thin margins and living day-to-day on cash turns supported by vendor-provided credit are quickly coming to a close. To make matters worse, the traditional large-scale SI deals that supported channel partners for years are increasingly disappearing or are being won and delivered by vendors directly. In 2011, regional system integrators (SIs), value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors will be forced to better develop specialties by vertical industry and business solution to deliver the customer value required to survive in a cloud-enabled market. Already being pushed by their vendor suppliers to invest in skills around high growth solutions, channel partners will need to elevate their customer intimacy and ability to deliver clear business value. 6) “Single Window System for Integrated Services Delivery” to Gain Greater Attention from State Governments The single window concept for government-related services is not new as the central government initiated the ”State Service Delivery Gateway” project few years ago. However, due to poor coordination between state-level departments and lack of vision, the concept gained only limited attention across a few states. 7) Telcos Embrace the Cloud but Are Forced to Prove Their Customer Orientation In 2011, telecommunications companies (telcos) of all sizes will formally embrace cloud computing. However, Springboard Research believes that not all telcos will be as equally committed to – or capable of – delivering the full range of cloud services demanded by customers. Infrastructure hosting will be targeted at larger enterprise clients, with SaaS offerings targeted at small-to-medium sized business (SMB) customers during 2011. However, cloud “pure-play” vendors will also continue to grow, often by partnering with telcos to provide more complete and packaged solutions (e.g., offsite backup and more flexible capacity and performance options). Also, telcos plan to roll out location-based services and real-time solutions in India. 8) New Market Opportunities to Drive IT Investments from Enterprises As the Indian economy continues to grow, enterprises will use technology to further strengthen their presence in tier 2 and 3 cities in a bid to target new market opportunities in the country. This will lead to greater technology consumption. The increased enterprise focus on expanding their presence in smaller cities is due to a number of reasons, including lower cost of operation, and increased competition in metrosandtier1cities.Inaddition,increasing mobile and broadband penetration in tier 2 and 3 cities will lead to greater consumption of technology through real-time access and mobility solution development. 9) Information Security Becomes a Key Priority for Government and Enterprises and Sparks Client Virtualization WikiLeaks most recently demonstrated the damage that can be caused when information assets are not properly protected. When rumors surfaced in late November that WikiLeaks would release confidential information about Bank of America, the company’s shares dropped 3%. The risks to organizations when unprotected information is released can include reputation damage, competitive losses and even criminal charges, which is coming into greater focus with every new leaked document. In addition, sophisticated and targeted attacks on government systems have added significant security concerns. As such, government spending on Internet security will get a boost in India. In 2011, governments and large enterprises will invest far more in technologies, services and business processes to protect sensitive information assets. 10) The Consumerization of IT Drives Major Changes in Usage Patterns and Expectations Rapid growth in the usage of mobile devices, (e.g., smart phones, iPads, etc.) combined with an explosion in social computing (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) has already impacted the way end-users view IT. Over the next 12 months, this ongoing consumerization of IT will have increasingly dramatic impact on the ways in which end-users access enterprise applications and data. While employees continue to access sensitive applications and data from secured, corporate networks, they are increasingly using web-based offerings and mobility devices for both work and personal reasons. This represents growing complexity for IT teams that are already wrestling with the need to embrace new technologies – but struggling to maintain management and control over older ones. CIOs will face ever-increasing pressure to allow more consumer/personal devices into corporate networks, manage the influx of social computing habits of their employees and handle the increasing mobile security issues they present. Conclusion Although business confidence is high in India, financing costs and inflation rates are soaring. Nonetheless, the government has indicated its commitment to help ease inflationary pressures and lower import duties on non-food commodities. Higher economic growth and enhanced corporate spending will provide an impetus to IT expenditures.Apotentialforoverheatinghas become an increasing concern for emerging countries, but our outlook assumes that the economy will remain generally stable in 2011. Enhanching EmployabilityThe2ndCSINationalStudentSymposiumisbeinghostedbyKLEFUniversity,Vaddeswaram,AndhraPradeshduring18-19March 2011. The event will have focussed discussions and deliberations towards “Enhanching Employability” which has become a major concern for the industry and academia alike. The 1st CSI National Student Symposium, held during 8-10 March 2007 at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai was a huge susccess. This innovative initiative of CSI was appreciated by the participants and other stakeholders. The 2nd Symposium will take up from the previous thread and will have dedicated sesstions and tracks covering a wide sprectrum of topics in the domain of Information and Communications Technologysuch including their management and innovative applicationsas. There will a few pre-symposium tutorials and workshops for the benefit of students and budding professionals. The event will be organized by Organized: CSI Koneru Chapter and CSI KLEF Univeristy Student Branch. For further details contact: Prof. Praveen Krishna (E-mail:praveenkrishnacsi@gmail.com) S R Karode Mini Ulanat Prof. K Rajasekhar Rao National Student Coordinator Regional Student Coordinator Andhra Prasesh State Student Coordinator E-mail: nsc@csi-india.org rsc7@csi-india.org krr_it@yahoo.co.in February 2011.indd 30February 2011.indd 30 2/7/2011 4:31:56 PM2/7/2011 4:31:56 PM
- 33. 31CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 31 ExecCom Transacts 1. Successful Conduct of CSI Elections: At the outset, the nomination committee deserves all our members and ExecCom appreciation for conducting CSI national elections successfully. Our heartiest congratulations are to all winners and best wishes to them for carrying the roles and responsibilities ahead of them. For those who could not make this time, there are enough opportunities for all in pluralistic professional societies like ours. 2. New Editorial Team for Journal of CSI: The President has nominated new editorial team for the Journal of CSI with Prof. M. Chandwani, Prof. H R Vishwakarma and Dr. Achuth Sankar Nair as the Editor-in- Chief, Hon. Editor and Associate Editor respectively. The team has been given a target-oriented set of deliverables including clearing the back-log of journal and bringing out new issues. Any contributions and suggestions for the journal may please be sent to csi.journal@ csi-india.org 3. CSI Certified Information Systems Courses: As an initial step toward realizing the ultimate goal of CSI Virtual University has been taken by constituting the CSI National Curriculum Committee with Prof. V. Rajaraman, Fellow CSI and Professor Emeritus, IISc as Chairman and Prof. H.R. Vishwakarma as Member-Secretary. The committee comprising of more than 10 members including senior professors and domain experts from industry will meet for a brainstorming session at Bangalore in early March 2011. The members are requested to send their views and suggestions on the above to the Hon. Secretary and Director (Edu) who have been nominated by the President to coordinate the above initiative. 4. Summer Faculty Development Programmes: There is a proposal to host Govt funded Summer Faculty Development programs by CSI Education at four locations (one FDP each in Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Regions at premier institutes). The members from academia are requested to come forward to actively involve in planning, execution and participation – in this new initiative of our CSI Education Directorate with support from a few of ExecCom colleagues. The suggestions and views can be sent to the Director (Edu.). 5. Appreciation of Who’s who Book and Proposal for Members Directory: There have been wide-spread appreciations by the members across India for bringing out the CSI who’s who book after a long gap. Several of senior and fellow members have also suggested reviving the practice of publishing The CSI Members Directory which was discontinued some years ago. As such, it is proposed to publish the CSI Members Directory containing all the members’ contact details. The members across are requested to update their contact details at the earliest by logging in the CSI KM portal. They may write by e-mail to member-services@csi-india,org in case of any difficulty in updating their contact details. 6. Complimentary 1-year CSI Membership for Sponsors and Participants of Events: There are several suggestions for vigorously putting into practice the previous guidelines about complimentary 1-year CSI institutional membership and individual membership for CSI event sponsors and participants respectively. The senior members and event organizers who have prior experience or new ideas about the above practices may please write to the Hon. Secretary with cc member-services@csi-india,org. All the suggestions will be compiled and put before the ExecCom for decision making and formulating the guidelines in this regards. 7. CSI SIGs and IFIP TC Calendar for 2011-12: All the SIG Chairpersons and IFIP TC Representatives functioning at different locations across India are requested to ensure that the CSI SIG and IFIP Events are announced through CSI Communication in addition to their other regular media. This is essential so as to encourage a wider participation by the CSI members, optimize resources utilization and avoiding any overlap of themes and dates with the CSI events and programmes. The SIG and IFIP event reports may also be appropriately published in the CSI Communications. The potential event organizers of SIG and IFIP may write on the above to csic@csi-india.org. 8. CSI Research Mentors Network: The formation of this research mentors network has been approved with an objective to helping out the ICT researchers across India. The need of such a network was felt in view of acute shortage of PhD qualified faculty members in ICT domain. There are about 800 Ph.D. qualified CSI members with rich experience who can be potential mentors to our young researchers. The expertise of all our SIGs and IFIP TC Representatives will also available through this network. Any suggestions and queries on this initiative can be sent by email to csi.research@csi-india.org. The CSI members with PhD qualification may send their latest profiles to above address to join the network. 9. State IT Conventions and Summits: It is noteworthy that every Indian state and territory occupies a unique position in terms of its vision and mission, roadmap, growth potential, infrastructural and human resources, grass-root level ICT needs, frameworks and policies for governance of public and private sector. In view of the above, there have been several suggestions and proposals for hosting State IT Conventions, HR Summits, Developers Summits and Entrepreneurs Summits. A few of these events have already announced and planned by the respective states. The leading chapters in each state may please come forward to send their proposals (vp@csi-india.org with cc to conference-services@csi-india,org for hosting such events in 2011-12. 10. Consultancy and Career Counselling: Several of our senior members have shown their keen interest to offer consultancy and career counselling services to organizations and individual members respectively. These services are already being provided by several leading professional societies. In view of the above, there is need to formulate policies and guidelines in CSI with ExecCom approval. In this context, the members with experience in such domains are requested to send their views and suggestions to the Hon. Secretary with cc hq@ csi-india.org 11. Summer ICT Research Symposia: There have been suggestions from our young researchers and postgraduate scholars to host ICT research symposia towards nurturing research in different emerging technological fields and innovative applications. A few of CSI senior members and institutional members have come forward to host these symposia in the coming summer. These symposia will deal with the ICT research methodologies, work-in-progress presentations, technical paper writing/reviewing, thesis writing, future directions in ICT research and development. The potential participants will be the research guides and scholars apart from eminent professors and researchers. These symposia will held in association with CSI partner societies and organizations at different locations. The members desirous of to participate as resource persons or potential researchers may submit their profiles to csi.research@csi-india.org. The short- listed candidates will be intimated giving further details on these symposia. 12. Criteria and Early Preparation for Awards and Recognition: The Chapters, Student Branches and members at large are requested to gear up themselves wrt to annual awards and recognitions given by the CSI to the best contributors and achievers in different categories. It is noteworthy that all the potential institutional and individual nominees (except in the category of Honorary Fellows) are required to be active CSI members of good standing prior to their nomination. As such, the all concerned are requested to ensure the potential nominees are CSI members in good standing (say for 3 years or so including the year of awards and preceding/succeeding years) and their contributions/achievements are tangible and visible for the CSI stakeholders. Prof. H R Vishwakarma Hon. Secretary, Computer Society of India February 2011.indd 31February 2011.indd 31 2/7/2011 4:31:59 PM2/7/2011 4:31:59 PM
- 34. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 32 CSI BIG-2011: Business Industry & Govt. Summit and National Workshop on Research Methodologies for Meeting Design Challenges in 21st Century Report prepared by Dr. Dharm Singh, Hon. Secretary CSI, Udaipur Chapter, Convenor SIG-WNs CSI A REPORT Inaugural Session: (L to R) Dr. Dharm Singh, Dr. AK Jetawat, Er. RS Vyas, Prof. B.P. Bhatnagar, Prof. Karunesh Saxena, Prof. ML Kalra, Mr. Azimuddin Khan, Mr. Harish Rajani Two days CSI BIG-2011: Business Industry & Govt. Summit and National Workshop on Research Methodologies for meeting design challenges in 21st Century was organized by CSI, Udaipur Chapter & Special Interest Group Wireless Network, Sunrise Group of Institutions (SGI), Udaipur, College of Technology and Engineering, Udaipur during 17-18th January, 2010 at FEMS Sunrise Campus, Umarda, Udaipur. Inaugural Session At the inaugural session, Prof. B.P. Bhatnagar, former vice chancellor, Rajasthan Vidhyapeeth University and chief guest highlighted the need of research in today’s scenario. Guest of honour Prof. R.C Purohit shared his views about his research experiences and the importance of punctuality. Dr. Dharm Singh, Secretary CSI Udaipur, Convenor SIG-WNs, CSI and Organising Secretary spelt out in brief the objectives of the workshop. He said that research is equally important in the field of Industry as well as business. Organizations have been conducting various applied research projects such as market research, agricultural research, etc. There is dearth of practical and applied knowledge in the field of research methodology, due to which, the qualitative research is not taking place. Mr. Azimuddin Khan, Manager Systems, RSMM Ltd and vice-chairman, CSI, Udaipur gave brief information about the CSI research activities and discussed the importance and the role of technology in the field of research. Prof. RS Vyas, Director, Techno India NJR Institute of Technology, emphasized on the February 2011.indd 32February 2011.indd 32 2/7/2011 4:32:03 PM2/7/2011 4:32:03 PM
- 35. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 33 quality of education with reference to the upcoming colleges in the field of engineering. The key-note speaker of the inaugural session Prof. Karunesh Saxena elaborated the approach towards attempting an effective research by highlighting the correct usage of the questionnaire and observations. Chief Guest Prof. B.P. Bhatnagar also released a book on event theme titled “Research Methodology: Design Challenges” compiled and edited by Dr. Dharm Singh, Mr. Azimuddin Khan and Dr. Poonam Dhaka. Technical Sessions The workshop was held in four technical sessions, which included various expert lectures and hand-on exercises from Industries and Academics. Research ch allenge with government: A technical talk was delivered by Forest Conservator, Dr. G.P. Saxena, IFS, on the research challenge with government in relation to Medicinal plants. He said that lots of herbal medicines were wasted due to lack of knowledge. Experimental Designs: An invited talk on Experimental Designs was delivered by Prof. B.R.Ranwah, MPUAT, Udaipur. He told that in most of the experiments for normal variant and replicated observations, main objective is identification of treatments having higher/lover means. Means are more reliable if there is low standard deviation/ error. The magnitude of SD can be judged by student ‘t’ test. If t is significant the magnitude of SE is low and mean is reliable. The design of experiment and type of statistical tool depends upon the objective of experiment and number of treatment. Characteristics of Research Hands on exercise and Overview and Characteristics of Research, Role of Research in Decision Making, Levels of Investigation and Criteria of Good Research were covered by Management Guru Prof. Karunesh Saxena. Research Design: Prof. Karunesh Saxena presented the design of Research and said the design is a plan for selecting the sources and types of information relevant to the research questions. It is a framework for specifying the relationship among the variables of the study. It is a blueprint for outlining all of the procedures from the hypotheses to the analysis of data. The design provides for answers to questions such as: “What techniques will be used to gather data? What kind of sampling will be used? How will time and cost constraints be dealt with?” Research and Development in Industry: In the 4th technical session, the discussions were held on Research and Development in Industry. Dr. Rajveer S Shekhawat, Secure Meters Ltd, Udaipur spoke about Innovation, Time to Market (TTM), and Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and Return on Investment (ROI). He told in nutshell, it is seen that the R&D in industry can not afford the flexibilities that a federal institute can in terms of time and money spent on innovations or new product development. The key issues can differ quite a bit due to their basic foundation principles. Software tools for analysis Mr. Azimuddin Khan in his presentation spoke on “Internet Searching for Literature Review and Software tools for analysis”. He talked about the different techniques to retrieve the literature from internet, and gave many tips specially with reference to Google to refine the search by giving Google keywords along with searching strings, Blog searching and Book searching. Mr. Khan also talked about the various software tools, the kind of analysis features available in software, category of software and gave an exhaustive list of freeware and open source software. He discussed various features available in EXCEL, SPSS and SAS software regarding analysis. Valedictory Session The valedictory function began with the welcome address by Prof. Venu Gopalan, Dean Research, Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur and Chief Guest expressed his satisfaction over the excellent conduct and successful closure of the workshop. National Conference on “Innovations and Trends in Computer and Communication Engineering” ITCCE – 2011 February 25-27, 2011 This conference intends to bring researchers of various streams in a common platform to present their innovations and contributions to engineering and technology. This would give the participants an opportunity to appreciate the latest technological developments in an interdisciplinary perspective. Theoretical and experimental contributions which can have way for innovation will be subjected to review and panel discussions. Organizers : MET’s Bhujbal Knowledge City, Dept. of Computer Engg., Electronics, Electronics & Telecommunication & MCA. Date : Last date of paper submission is January 25, 2011. Email ID : info.itcce@gmail.com Conference Website : http://met.edu/Institutes/Nasik/C_ITCCE/Default.asp Venue : MET’s Institute of Engineering, Bhujbal Knowledge City, Adgaon, Nashik 422003, Maharashtra, India. February 2011.indd 33February 2011.indd 33 2/7/2011 4:32:05 PM2/7/2011 4:32:05 PM
- 36. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 34 A REPORT Div III (Applications), SIG on e-Governance and Allahabad Chapter 11 - 12 December 2010: National Conference on E-Government & E-Society Report prepared by D K Dwivedi, Chairman, Organising Committee, NCEGOVS & Past Chairman, CSI Allahabad Chapter & I/c Incharge Computer Centre, High Court, Allahabad. The National Conference on E-Government & E-Society (NCEGOVS) witnessed presence and participation of leading experts from Judiciary, Government, Govt. Agencies and reputed academic institutions. In his inaugural address, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajesh Tandon elaborated about Cyber related frauds, Cyber Crimes, Banking frauds, E-mail phishing, hacking of Computers, Web-Sites, networks and damage caused to Government & Society due to these crimes, which are increasing day by day and how these crimes are impacting country’s economy and businesses. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Yatindra Singh, Judge Allahabad High Court delivered Presidential Address and emphasized on the use of Open Source Software & Open Format for better e-Governance due to various inherent reasons. He explained concepts of Copy lefted, Free and Gpled software, OSS & Open Format & its advantages over the proprietary Software, and Open standards. Prof. B D Chaudhary shared his knowledge on use of ICT tools in Research, e-Learning, e-Teaching, Admission Process, allocation of seats in Admission Process & other routine business in Academic institutions. Mr. M D Agrawal delivered Keynote Address on empowerment of citizens through the use of Information and Communication Technology and informed how CSI through CSI eGov SIG activities is taking a leading role in recognition & promotion of various E-Governance initiatives for Citizen Centric Services and effective management of the Government’s own activities. National Conference on E-Government and E-Society Mr. S B Singh, Dy. Director General & State Informatics Officer, NIC, UP gave complete overview of the E-Governance initiatives in the State of Uttar Pradesh specifically for Rural masses. He discussed in detail about some selected Projects such as Land Records (Bhulekh) Project, e-District Project, Food & Civil Supplies Project, E-Scholarship Project which were successfully implemented in the State and received many awards in recognition of their importance for the citizen centric services. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sunil Ambwani, Judge, Allahabad High Court, who is chairman of Computerization Committee of Allahabad High Court and Chairman, Steering Committee of the E-Court Project of Uttar Pradesh discussed in detail about the use ICT Applications in Judiciary and its impact in Justice Delivery System. He also talked about the success stories of the judicial applications implemented at Allahabad High Court and status of the implementation of the E-Court Project in Uttar Pradesh. Other speakers in this Session included Mr. D.K. Dwivedi, Mr. Ashwani Kumar, Mr. Arindam Lahiri, Mr. Gyanuji Mr.vastava from Allahabad High Court who gave presentation about the Allahabad High Court Web portal– eGov initiative for Integrated Service Delivery to all stakeholders and Allahabad High Court eLegalix – Judgment Information Management System. Mr. VSR Krishnaih, Senior Technical Director, NIC, New Delhi talked about Knowledge Management for effective E-Governance. Mr. Praveen Dwivedi, Assistant Director, STPI, Banglore talked about E-Governance initiatives of STPI. Mr. Siddhrath Sen & Mr.pati Mukhopadhyay from Burdwan University presented a Paper on Application of Cryptography in a Transaction System in E-Governance Environment. Contributory Papers were presented thereafter. Lamp being lighted at National Conference on E-Government and E-Society With the inspiration of Mr. M D Agrawal and with the generosity of Prof. K K Bhutani, Fellow, CSI & Director, UPTEC, CSI Allahabad Chapter could find a permanent space for holding its meetings and Chapter activities. Chapter premises inside the UPTEC located in 3rd floor of Sangam Palace Bldg. was formally inaugurated by Mr. M D Agrawal in presence of Maj. Gen. R K Bagga and Prof. K K Bhutani. At the end of day, Annual General Meeting of the members of CSI Allahabad Chapter was also organized which was followed by musical programme and Lucky draws in which families of CSI members of the Chapter also participated. OnthesecondDay,presentationsstartedwithJhansiJanSuvidhaKendra (JJSK) initiatives by Mr. Avneesh Kumar Saxena, City Magistrate, Jhansi, Mr. Deepak Saxena, Technical Director & Mr. Mohd.Asif Khan, Principal Systems Analyst, NIC, Jhansi. Er. S. Bharadwaj, I.E.S. & Dy. Director, DG&SD, Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India gave presentation about E-Procurement. Smt. Anita Mittal, Senior Consultant, National E-Governance Plan (NeGP), DIT, New Delhi delivered talk on “E-Governance Standards in India”. Prof. Sanjeev D. Vaidya from MIS Group of Indian Institute of Management, Kolkatta delivered talk on E-Governance: An Agenda for Management Education. Presentation on E-Crowd by Mr. Harshit Mr.vastava, 14 yr student of class –IX of ECPSSS, Allahabad was very interesting. A Panel Discussion on Success Stories, Issues & Challenges in the implementation of E-Governance Projects was held in post Lunch Session. Dr. G.P. Sahu, MNNIT presented an overview of the significant E-Government initiatives of the Country, which were short listed for the CSI Nihilent Awards of CSI during the CSI Annual Convention. Mr. Avneesh Kumar Saxena talked about how difficult it was to convince people about making complaints through telephone for redressal of their grievances through JJSK and also the resistance amongst the Govt. officials to adopt the new initiative. Er. S Bhardwaj Dy. Director, DG&SD informed about various challenges during the E-Procurement process. D K Dwivedi expressed that long-term perspective plans are required for Projects to sustain. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dilip Gupta, Judge, Allahabad High Court, Chief Guest on the occasion of Valedictory Session presided over the panel discussion and deliberated on the issues & challenges in the implementation of the E-Governance Projects. However, he said that E-Governance Projects have been launched with a vision to facilitate every citizen to get basic services & facilities at their doorstep with the use of ICT tools & gadgets and one must be optimistic enough to accept the fact that in coming years, more and more facilities may be added which will help citizens to live better life. JJSK Project was given the Best Project Presentation award during the valedictory session. February 2011.indd 34February 2011.indd 34 2/7/2011 4:32:14 PM2/7/2011 4:32:14 PM
- 37. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 35 Science & Technology EXPO-2010: National Exhibition & Business Summit Report prepared by Dr. Dharm Singh, Hon. Secretary CSI, Udaipur Chapter A REPORT Inaugural Session: (L to R) Dr. Dharm Singh, Dr. AK Jetawat, Er. RS Vyas, Prof. B.P. Bhatnagar, Prof. Karunesh Saxena, Prof. ML Kalra, Mr. Azimuddin Khan, Mr. Harish Rajani CSIUdaipurChapter,SpecialInterestGroupWireless Networks (SIG-WNs) and CSI student branch Techno India NJR Institute participated in a high profile National Exhibition & Business Summit, Science & Technology EXPO-2010, 3rd Destination, Rajasthan 2010, organized at the Udaipur during 14-16.12.2010. Inaugural Session Mr. Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Minister of Technical, Public Grievance & Engineering Education and Tribal Area Development Rajasthan Government, inaugurated the Exhibition on January 14.12.2010. Anarrayofwell-organizedstallswasputupbyvarious government departments, CSI and academic institutions. These included Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Bangalore, Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Jaipur, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP) Outreach Centre (TUC), College of Technology and Engineering (CTAE), Udaipur, National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), Ministry of Earth Science, SIG-WNs CSI, CSI Udaipur Chapter and CTAE - CSI student branch, Techno India NJR and others. Dr. S.K. Jain, Joint Director, Defense Laboratory, Jodhpur, A.K. Badola, Additional Director, Directorate of PublicInterface,DRDO,ShriSSatish,Director,Publications & Public Relations (ISRO), Rajendra Gondane, Scientific Officer NRDC and Dr. Dharm Singh, Honorary Secretary Udaipur Chapter participated in the exhibition. Networked Mobile Wireless Robotics for Agriculture The ever-increasing popularity of IP networks, transmitting video, voice, and data simultaneously over Ethernet/Internet is becoming a standard feature at locations the world over. Traveling to offsite locations, such as remote equipment depots, requires time and money. Remote video streaming provides instant access into offsite locations anytime, anywhere by accessing a standard Web browser. Multiple users, regardless of where they are located, can access the video streams simultaneously and discuss the video in real-time. With remote video streaming, stakeholders can visually look at rural agriculture and instantly see the situation for themselves. This results in more informed decisions and quicker problem resolution. The service based on Communication media between Networked Mobile Wireless Robotics for Agriculture in rural areas, enables clients and their customers to visually see into critical offsite operations without ever leaving their offices. Dr. Dharm Singh demonstrated the audio and video navigationusingroboticssystemthroughwirelessnetwork along with mobile phone and digital camera used for video capturing. The developed Robot can be controlled from anywhere in the world by making simply a call to specific number for full control of the Robot. The robot is controlled by the use of a self-designed controller board. The controller board is used to control the movement of the robot. Besides the movement control, the data is received from the robot by the use of a micro-controller, which displays the sensor readings from digital camera. The remote navigation of the robot can be done through the use of PC. The images captured by the robot are sent on the PC through a serial port. The developed application software can be used as interface between the micro-controller and the PC. Mr. S Satish, Director, Publications & Public Relations ISRO, demonstrated the prototype component models that were used in Chandrayaan-I. Several models of the Chandrayaan-I were displayed, which were open to the public till 16 December 2010. Low-Cost Rescue Robot for Disaster Management The CSI students members of Techno India NJR Institute, Udaipur, demonstrated a low-cost “Prototype Robot” for pro-disaster management, which can not only overcome the budget-constraints but also is fully capable of rescue purposes for incident management. Disaster may strike anytime, any place and can also end up in many casualties. Disaster can be natural (floods, earthquake, storms etc) or man made (terrorist attack, sabotage, minefields blowing up, chemical or nuclear leaks etc.). The thing that baffles is that when a disaster strikes, it seems that we are not prepared for it. The disaster-struck places are often not easily accessible and hazardous even to the disaster relief forces. In the process of disaster response, the response force personnel themselves are exposed to many dangers. February 2011.indd 35February 2011.indd 35 2/7/2011 4:32:17 PM2/7/2011 4:32:17 PM
- 38. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 36 CSI-45th Annual Convention 2010 at Mumbai iGen Technologies for the next decade Report - Part III prepared by Jayshree A Dhere, Resident Editor A REPORT Dr. Atanu Rakshit, Program Chair, speaking at CSI Annual Convention 2010 in Mumbai. From 25th to 27th November 2010, Mumbai witnessed the grand CSI event, Annual Convention 2010, and the theme was ‘iGen – Technologies for the next decade…’ We have already brought the news to you and as promised the content is being reported in phases. In the December 2010 issue of CSI-C, abstract of various technology tracks was brought to you, while in the January 2010 issue, we provided the brief about two of the four pre-convention workshops, which were conducted in parallel on 25th November 2010, viz. Setting up of a cloud computing facility and Android and Web Technologies In this issue, we provide a brief of the two other workshops, viz. Predictive Business - The Business Imperative and 3G/4G - The Emerging Trends “Predictive Business - The Business Imperative” Mr. Venkat Swaminathan, Competency Center Manager, TIBCO The workshop, conducted by Mr. Venkat Swaminathan, provided an exhaustive understanding about modern day enterprise applications, their evolution through past and what shape they are taking upinfuture.Mr.Venkatgaveanoverviewoftechnology trends underlying the business applications evolution and spoke in depth about various TIBCO products that are available for building these state-of-art solutions falling in the category of Enterprise 3.0. The workshop started with the quote of Vivek Ranadive, CEO, TIBCO, about the 2-second advantage, which says, “A little bit of the right information, just a little bit beforehand – whether it is couple of seconds, minutes or hours – is more valuable than all of the information in the world six months later … this is the two minute advantage”. Mr. Venkat Swaminathan conducting a workshop on ‘Predictive Business - The Business Imperative’ Until recently, most companies relied on their customers to tell them when something went wrong. Although their systems had the data to identify these situations, they simply weren’t doing anything with it. Delta’s computers knew where the bags were, but they did not use that information till the customer complained about lost baggage. Similarly, Xcel’s power management systems knew that customer smart meters had gone silent, and the credit card companies had the unusual transactions data with them, but they did not take action before customer complained. Visibility into just a small amount of information just a few seconds/minutes/hours before the customer sees the issue, makes a huge difference in many businesses. The workshop started with the message that those, who apply the Two Second Advantage will be the winners in the 21st century and thus the speaker underlined the importance of Predictive Business. Mr. Venkat then spoke about nature of computing in the past 10 years, and explained the changes that are expected to take place in the next 10 years. He spoke about how static computing is changing to dynamic, core importance of database is now being taken up by the ESB i.e. Enterprise Service Bus, ERP is changing to BPM & SOA i.e. Business Process Management and February 2011.indd 36February 2011.indd 36 2/7/2011 4:32:18 PM2/7/2011 4:32:18 PM
- 39. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 37 Service Oriented Architecture and place of BI is being taken up by Predictive Business. Today the opportunity for the Enterprise is to access the data the moment an event occurs – an ATM card is swiped, a credit card gets used – and instantly decide whether this is a fertile moment to up-sell or cross-sell. Or does it look like fraud? The opportunity rests in looking at each discrete event against the millions of other seemingly unrelated events and determining the best thing to do at that moment in time. These solutions seem so elegant. Why haven’t they always worked this way? The problem, at the heart of it all, is that business operates in real-time, based on events taking place second to second. IT systems operate based on transactions and queries against databases. These systems have evolved this way for good reason, but the time has come to change the way we do things. The current impedance mismatch is counterproductive and so the need to move from Enterprise 2.0 to Enterprise 3.0. With Enterprise 2.0, you use an app server for development. With Enterprise 3.0, it’ll be an event server, because you’ll be dealing in the world of events. When all you stored were transactions and the view into your“old”datawasviareports,itmadesense to store that data in two dimensions: simple name and value pairs. In the Enterprise 3.0 world you need more than that. You need three dimensions: name, value, and context. Only with context can you use your data in a rapid and meaningful way. With Enterprise 2.0, you have to continuously seek the information. You’re continuously looking for that information. With Enterprise 3.0, the information seeks and follows you. There are several different components needed to move to Enterprise 3.0. Each of these building blocks has enormous value by itself, but used together the impact is truly game changing. TIBCO invented the information bus and are helping enterprises tie their systems together in an event-based way. Using TIBCO technology, you can quickly deploy an information bus in your environment. Their innovative zero-coding approach will allow you to quickly plug your systems into that bus. This allows you to take all of the packaged and custom applications in your environment and connect them together. This frees your data from the silos, the stovepipes where it was locked down. Now building connected, event- enabled applications requires new application development technologies. TIBCO provides a wide variety of different development technologies for this purpose. Spotting opportunities only gets you so far unless you can act on those opportunities in an efficient and scalable manner. That’s where TIBCO’s automation technology comes in. TIBCO’s BPM technology allows you to actively manage your key business processes to eliminate waste and dramatically shorten cycle times. From insurance claims to customer service to provisioning of services, any process that involves people can be improved by monitoring, managing, and adjusting that process.Inaddition,thistechnologyprovides dynamic work management allowing you to adjust priorities and work assignment in real time. Those work items are delivered to your employees using a single integrated task list, acting as a single inbox they can use to manage what they are doing. In addition to connecting various systems and actively managing business processes, two other key activities that can be handled by using TIBCO technology are – Visual Analytics and Event Processing. The workshop provided detailed understanding of both these activities. With Visual Analytics, one gets insight into what is happening in the business and Event Processing technology just allows you to take advantage of that. What is it that enables TIBCO technology to achieve this? High speed messaging is key here. Connecting systems, automating business processes, processing events, and scaling applications – these things all require high speed messaging as a communications backbone. TIBCO has been investing in this area since day one, and this translates into unmatched scalability, performance, and reliability in everything in their technology. Their newly announced messaging product takes advantages of some of the latest hardware innovations and reduces messages latency to the point where it’s measured in nanoseconds. As the amount of data increases, the amount of time you have to respond to that data is constantly decreasing. TIBCO has customers doing amazing things that push the boundaries of what’s possible: grocery stores that want to track where you are in the store and send special offers for the aisle you’re in based on what you’ve bought in the past. Online merchants want to combine your buying history and recent browsing history to recommend products before you leave their website. These solutions require a level of speed and performance that you simply can’t get from a database-based architecture. TIBCO is pioneering in-memory solutions to these problems and has the first comprehensive elastic in-memory computing platform that supports pattern matching and transactions in addition to shared data in-memory. TIBCO iProcess Spotfire uses next generation business intelligence software to deliver process reporting and analytics that enables business users to report on, analyze and evaluate business processes, providing deep insight into the performance of key processes and the knowledge needed to continuously improve them. An easy- to-use reporting and analytics dashboard provides an intuitive user interface with rich visualization options to enable business users to visually interact with the data, allowing them to quickly view and comprehend process data and high-level business metrics, and then delve deeper with ease to analyze trends and perform root cause analysis. The longer the delay between an event of interest (or a condition change) occurred, and when we diagnose and take corrective action, the lower is the value of that decision to the business. Reducing that latency between those two is the goal of real-time BI. To respond effectively, businesses need to be agile and need to make on-the-fly decisions immediately when such changes occur. Usually, these on the fly decisions are at points of trading/ transactions/ service/ sale/ distribution/ delivery/ mfg implying that these decisions have to be made by operational users like traders than back- room analysts. These needs are seen commonly across many industries. E.g. Financial Services, Buy and Sell side trading (conditions change requiring dynamic adjustment of trading strategies,) Retail Credit approval, Public safetyandsecurity(terroristactivitytracking and correlation, weather related events/ conditions), Online advertising, retail (just- in-time inventory management, online merchandising, just-in-time QA/mfg.) All these processes are targets for on- the-fly decision-making and Real-time BI. Event processing strategies in this model can be processed not just by rules but by other algorithms. For CEP i.e. Complex Event Processing after filtering rules, TIBCO technology runs rules to classify the event, assess or reassess the event and related concepts (situation assessment) and then update associated states to track status (track n trace), and then infer new issues that invoke decision rules (sense and respond); at the same time the event history is updated for any state change and inferred data change, as per the design of the underlying object model. February 2011.indd 37February 2011.indd 37 2/7/2011 4:32:21 PM2/7/2011 4:32:21 PM
- 40. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 38 “3G/4G - The Emerging Trends” Mr. Ranganathan Panchapakesan, Principal Domain Consultant SDP & VAS, Wipro Mr. Ranganathan Panchapakesan conducting a workshop on ‘3G/4G – The Emerging Trends’ Mr. Ranganathan of Wipro conducted this workshop to provide an overview about Application Rollouts and Customer Delight over 3G. He set the context for the workshop by describing customer behaviour and what 3G means to subscribers of these services. Based on McKinsey report07, he showed that over next 5 years i.e. by 2015, communication consumption in India is expected to triple just like the healthcare consumption. He spoke about what delight 3G provides to different communities such as Education Community, Rural Community, Urban Community, Daily Wage Community and Small & Medium Enterprises. He also described frameworks for consumer behaviour and technology upgrades and talked about various business models that can be adopted for providing services, He showed statistical charts to explain the facts about Service and Telco Consumer such as Preferred Information to learn more about 3G mobile phones, Most Important Features of a 3G Mobile Phone, Preferred Applications and Preferred Operating System. With these charts he showed that Information about 3G Mobile Phone Features is the most preferred information looked for by consumer and information about 3G service fee cost, 3G services, 3G mobile phone prices, 3G service providers etc. are next in the line in that sequence. Internet Connection/ Speed and Smart Operating System are more important features as compared to Screen, Wi-Fi, Control Interface, Camera & Video Playback and GPS. While most preferred application is High-speed Internet connection, other applications such as Video phone calls, High-speed MMS sending (audio/video information), Business applications (such as Office,Word,Exceletc.),High-speedmusic/ ring-tone/ video downloading, Watching television, GPS related applications, Playing games etc. are having preference in the decreasing order. Although Window mobile has been the most preferred operating system, the comparison of 3 consecutive quarters shows that preference of Window mobile OS and Apple iPhone OS has decreased over these quarters, the popularity of Android OS has increased over the three quarters. He also showed some statistics related to smartphone subscribers in the US and explained how the usage pattern is changing. Then he went on to explain what customer actually wants. Several facts about NxG (Next Generation) services were deliberated and it was explained how NxG can be looked upon as a world of opportunities. Mr. Ranganathan further spoke about what it takes to roll out NxG services. While describing what a customer actually wants, he explained that so far as service is concerned, customer looks for simple to buy/sell /use option, elegant device with which she is comfortable, benefits in the form of features and attractive cost. So far as support is concerned, customer looks for support such as self-care wherever possible, comfortable customer care, value for money features and minimal time for problem resolution. Customer is concerned about questions such as – “How Organized my Mobile Desktop services can be? Do I get to do everything under One Device? What about Post Service Sale Support?” While describing the opportunities that the 3G shift is providing to different segments, he elaborated the impact of 3G on NEPs, enterprises, system integrators etc. While enterprise service, consumer to home service, m2m service, high-speed data access and digital channels are key aspects of 3G services, the framework for service rollout is required to provide actions to manage and optimize bandwidth, to mitigate malicious traffic, to enable high value application tiers and to maintain a captive portal for subscriber interaction. This requires service provider to have infrastructure to handle network load, operating complications, ecosystem management, device consolidation and IT management. With NxG services, consumers can expect technology features such as TV Widgets, Near Telepresence, Virtual Worlds, Mobile Sports and Fitness, OTA Payments, Context Enriched Services and Rich Communication Services. There are huge expectations related to Health Monitoring Service, Mobile Payment, Social Networks, Voice over IP, Barcode Service, Advertisement, Movie Ticketing and Mobile Learning. Enlightenment services would be like Mobile Banking, Mobile Search, IM (Instant Messaging) and presence, Mobile TV, Online Broadcast, Email, and Music Online Download. Mr. Ranganathan described various M2M (machine to machine) services in the context of various machines such as utility meters, household appliances, vending machines, security systems, elevators, medical equipments etc. Services could be like monitoring and maintaining these machines etc. The kind of ecosystem required for providing such m2m services includes agencies such as Business Provider, Networking Vendor, Application Provider, Service Provider, System Integrator, OEM and finally Consumer. There are various business models for rolling out NxG services. Revenue models could be either subscription based or advertising based. Question is which revenue model telco intends to adopt. If the revenue model is subscription based, it would be driven by Services. It could be either media driven or SME driven. In media drive subscription based revenue model, time-based pricing can be adopted. In case of telco driven subscription based model, flat fee pricing or micro transaction based pricing can be adopted. Advertising based revenue models could be either ad driven or subscriber driven. Again there could be In Game Placement advertising or Onsite advertising. So while deciding the business model, it is necessary for the telco to determine what exact revenue model is to be adopted. In future, there is a need to address issues related to Application Framework and Cross-industry Framework. Mobile applications can be considered as of four categories viz. – Consumer Apps (3rd Party App Dev & SDP Paradigm), Large Enterprise Apps (Mobile Enablement of Existing Apps), SME Apps (Boxed Solutions – price sensitive) and Vertical Market Apps (such as Healthcare, Insurance, Micro-finance etc.). The apps could be offnet, nearnet or onnet. Rapid innovation frameworks are necessary for service enablers. There is also a need to address maximization / optimization factor for service usage. The important aspects here are – Complex systems must be hidden from the user, Intuitive and simple user interfaces (requires personalization, few hierarchical levels and good human interaction design) Very good stability and availability (’always works’, high QoS requirements) Seamless access to content and user- profile independent of channel/device February 2011.indd 38February 2011.indd 38 2/7/2011 4:32:21 PM2/7/2011 4:32:21 PM
- 41. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 39 Organized By: Computer Society of India Coimbatore Chapter & School of Computer Science and Technology, Karunya University Submission of Full Paper : 1st March, 2011 Intimation of Acceptance : 5th March, 2011 Submission of Project Details : 5th March, 2011 Intimation of Acceptance : 10th March, 2011 Submission of Product specifications : 5th March, 2011 Intimation of Acceptance : 10th March, 2011 Registration Fees: CSI Members Non-CSI Members Industrial Delegates ` 1000 ` 1250 Students ` 300 ` 500 Faculty & Research Scholars ` 500 ` 750 On spot Registration Mr. S Ramanathan CSI Regional Vice-President (RVP) Region 7 Dr. R Elijah Blessing Organizing Secretary Director CST, Karunya University, Coimbatore Dr. S Subramanian Principal, SKCET & Chairman, CSI Div. III Mr. Mahendra Kumar Chairman, CSI Coimbatore Chapter Mr. Prashant R Nair Secretary, CSI Coimbatore Chapter For Registration and form downloads please visit: www.karunya.edu/cse/csi/downloads (Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences) Declared as a Deemed to be University under Sec. 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 Day 1 : 22nd March 2011 Keynote Addresses: Listen to the prolific personnel who will throw light on recent advancementsinthesphereofcomputingsuchascloudcomputing, grid computing, quantum computing mobile computing, pervasive computing, wireless sensor networks and business intelligence. Paper Presentation: Papers highlighting recent trends pertaining to Advanced Computing Techniques can be submitted. Papers should be in IEEE format. (Refer Website Papers are invited in (but not limited to) areassuchasHighPerformanceComputing,Pervasive Computing, Green Computing , Grid Computing, Soft Computing. Day 2 : 23rd March 2011 Xtreme Programming: The event pushes the extremes of the programming horizon. A battle of sheer brilliance. This is to hit upon the best of programming solutions to a given problem and to uncover the person behind. Skillful minds clash to prove their excellence. Project Expo: Project Competition and Exhibition An excellent platform for budding engineers to showcase their ideas taking form. It unearths the innovation that is deep seated within oneself. Team Event- (maximum of 4 members) Projects are invited in areas of computing and Information Technology domain. Contact: Mrs. K Ramalakshmi, Asst. Prof. CSE - 9940972810 src2011@karunya.edu Industrial Product Demo: The event provides various industries with an opportunity to highlight their innovations to an audience comprising of students researchers and teachers. Computer Society of India CSI Sothern Regional Conference on Advanced Computing TechnologiesAdvanced Computing Technologies March 22nd & 23rd 2011 CC and technology Full flexibility in choosing/separating payment methods and delivery channels There is also a need to address consumer behavior and service offering bundles. There is a huge untapped Internet market in India. There is also a need to defocus in the app market, which is spread across various segments such as students, rural, urban and enterprise. For gearing up for NxG services, a marriage among Telcos, ISVs, NEPs, OEMs, SIs and Marketing is necessary. Mr. Ranganathan described salient features of 5 business models as 5 different use cases viz. – retail, wholesale, hybrid, telco as a distributed control centre and enterprise on demand model. While Customer End State in case of retail and wholesale models is Average Service Experience, in case of hybrid model and enterprise on demand model, Customer End State is Better Service Experience and in case of telco as a distributed control center Customer End State is Enhanced Service Experience. Finally, the speaker also talked about 3G+ services wave and described how adoption is likely to vary as against cost/ price showing graphically the likely situation and where exactly various different applications fall. February 2011.indd 39February 2011.indd 39 2/7/2011 4:32:23 PM2/7/2011 4:32:23 PM
- 42. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 40 Logo and Web Site for National Knowledge Network Launched The Logo and Web Site for National Knowledge Network (www.nkn.in) known popularly as NKN, was formally launched by Shri Kapil Sibal, Honorable Minister for Communications and Information Technology (and Human Resources Development) on 05th February, 2011 at Vigyan Bhawan at 4 p.m. in the presence of Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India and Chairman of the High Level Committee for NKN. During the occasion, Honorable Minister of State Shri Sachin Pilot released the NKN brochure. Professor S V Raghavan, Chief Architect of NKN, Chairman, Technical Advisory Committee for NKN, and Scientific Secretary to Government, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Dr B K Gairola, Director General, National Informatics Center, the Implementation agency identified for NKN, and Shri Sashikant Sarma, Secretary Department of Information Technology were present. NKN connects 1500 knowledge institutions across India spanning education, health, and agriculture. The logo of NKN has a special significance that it focuses on blue sky research leading to knowledge creation resulting in Indian innovation that produces green and sustainable technologies for human development. For further details please contact: Project Implementation Unit National Knowledge Network, iNOC, National Informatics Centre (NIC) A - Block, C.G.O. Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110 003 • Website: www.nkn.in • E-mail: piu@nkn.in The CSI Day Celebration, 6th March The Chapters, Student Branches and members at large are requested to create awareness about CSI objectives/programmes and its achievements/contributions in promoting ICT industry and academia. They may also discuss and deliberate on a generic theme on “Rennaissance and Empowerment through Adaptation/Localization of Information Technology (REAL IT)”. The brief reports of the CSI Day Celebrations may be sent to the HQ. Prof. H R Vishwakarma Hon. Secretary, Computer Society of India The Software Quality Challenge Producing quality software is a very difficult and a severe challenge. When you consider the quality of software itself and what it takes to make a high quality product, defects per 1,000 lines of code is one rather simple measure. It’s simplistic but quite useful and five defects in 1,000 lines of code is considered poor quality, at least by me and most quality people. You want to talk about defects per million. However, when you look at software quality in human terms, five defects per 1,000 lines of code is extremely high quality. A thousand lines of code, at least my C++ code, was 30 to 40 pages of listings and five defects in 30 to 40 pages of listings, when you consider it, that’s tough. And if we want to get not just 5 per 1,000 but 5 or 10 per million, we’ve got to talk about 5 defects in 30,000 to 40,000 pages of listings. The problem is that the whole software community is treating this as if today’s products are high quality work. I mean, they’re really, kind of, looking it over and saying, “Yeah, it looks okay.” The real focus on producing extremely high quality isn’t there. We’re not going to get very few defects per million lines of code by just having people try hard and hope they’re doing it well. The lack of a really serious attack on this problem by the entire community, the academics, the theoretical types, industry is I think, totally irresponsible. People need to understand that poor quality software work is responsible for just about all of the problems in the software business. - Watts Humphrey February 2011.indd 40February 2011.indd 40 2/7/2011 4:32:24 PM2/7/2011 4:32:24 PM
- 43. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 41 Applications are invited from creative and dynamic volunteers for the positions of State and Regional Student Co-ordinators, who will be responsible for leading, coordinating and managing student activities in states and regions (7 regions as shown below) in the country. Responsibilities would include but are not limited to: 1. Providing guidance and support for the management of student branches and promoting new student branches 2. Overseeing the functioning of student branches and ensuring they send annual reports inclusive of financial statements to Education Directorate 3. Promoting inter-institutional collaboration within the geographical unit 4. Serving the student community in terms of knowledge-sharing and mentoring 5. Assisting Student branches in organizing and conducting technically and socially relevant events such as conferences, seminars, workshops, symposia, guest lectures, contests and projects inclusive of assistance in getting suitable resource persons and speakers leveraging CSI MoU partners as applicable 6. Conducting State/Regional/ National student conventions annually 7. Assistance in conducting CSI sponsored Faculty development programs 8. Enabling Institution-Industry collaboration in their region / state 9. Integrating the student branches with their respective CSI chapter to facilitate each party to associate with the events and meetings organized by the others. Initiating and promoting any other event that is in tune with CSI’s objectives Volunteer candidates should: a. Have at least 3 year of continuous and valid membership in CSI b. Have been an office bearer in the chapter level or a student branch coordinator c. Be exposed to interaction with academia, industry , CSI chapters and CSI HQ d. Have organized Institutional/ state level/regional/national events e. Should be ready to commit sufficient time to carry out the tasks as above Exact number of vacancies region/state wise will be published on CSI portal by February 10th. Interested candidates are requested to send a detailed CV and a statement of intent to hq@csi-india.org on or before 07 March 2011. Final selection will be by CSI Executive Council and as per CSI byelaws. List of regions is given herewith - Call for Volunteers for Regional / State Student Coordinators Regions Territory Region-I Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and other areas in Northern India Region- II Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, North Eastern States and other areas in East and North-East India Region-III Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other areas in Western India Region-IV Jharkhand, Chattisgarth, Orissa and other areas in Central & South Eastern India Region-V Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Region-VI Maharashtra and Goa Region-VII Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andaman and Nicobar, Kerala, Lakshadweep Wg. Cdr. M Murugesan M D Agrawal Director - Education Vice President SIGAI Workshop on Emerging Research Trends in Artificial Intelligence (ERTAI-2011) 19-21st June, 2011, C-DAC, Electronics City, Bangalore Supported by Computer Society of India (CSI) CSI-SIGAI announces ERTAI -2011, a forum to encourage quality research in AI. The workshop would include invited talks covering current trends, specific challenges, etc. in AI, talks on mentoring research scholars on publication, research methodology, etc. and presentations by those currently pursuing research in AI area. A panel of experienced researchers will evaluate and mentor the research presentations. Call for Papers For the research presentations, we invite brief research papers of 5 to 6 pages each, outlining the problem being addressed, approach followed vis a vis existing approaches, current status /results, and future plans. A subset of papers will be short-listed for presentation, based on a formal review process. Papers must have significant AI content to be considered for presentation. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to): Knowledge Representation Model-Based Learning Expert Systems Reactive AI Cognitive Systems Intelligent User Interfaces Ambient Intelligence Evolutionary Computing Constraint Satisfaction Natural Language Processing Planning & Scheduling Reasoning State Space Search Uncertainty in AI Data Mining Artificial Life Fuzzy Systems Machine Learning Ontologies Intelligent Agents Pattern Recognition Soft Computing Neural Networks Web Intelligence Semantic Web Vision & Perception Target audience The workshop is aimed at the faculty members pursuing research in AI or interested in pursuing research and exploring areas, research scholars working for a postgraduate degree and students seriously interested in research, specifically on AI. Last date for paper submission: 30thApril, 2011 For more details: Email: csi.sigai@gmail.com or visit the website Web: http://sigai.cdacmumbai.in February 2011.indd 41February 2011.indd 41 2/7/2011 4:32:30 PM2/7/2011 4:32:30 PM
- 44. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 42 Regional Student Convention Region V Organized by Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ibrahimpatnam, R R Dist - 501 506. Dates 17-18th March 2011 Theme “Cloud Computing – An Emerging Technology” CALL FOR PAPERS About the Convention: Cloud Computing is an emerging technology. It is location-independent computing, whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand, as in the case of electricity grid. Cloud computing is a natural evolution of the widespread adoption of virtualiztion, service-oriented architecture and utility computing. Details are drawn from consumers, who no longer have need for expertise in, or control over, the technology infrastructure “in the cloud” that supports them. Cloud computing describes a new supplement, consumpion, and delivery model for IT services based on the internet and it typically involves over- the-Internet provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources. It is a byproduct and consequence of the ease-of-access to remote computing sites provided by the Internet. This frequently takes the form of web-based tools or applications that users can access and use through a web browser as if it were a program installed locally on their own computer. The term “cloud”is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on the cloud drawing used in the past to represent the telehone network, and later to depict the Internet in • Large Scale data challenges • Social networks • Artificial Intelligence • Open source, Software Engineering & Software architecture. • Mobile, Wireless & satellite techno-logies. • High performance & Distributed computing • Next generation networks. • Information security • e-Services for the disability • e-learning etc. computer network diagrams as an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it represents. In this context it is high time that our students are kept abreast of the development in this related areas. Features of the Regional Convention: 1. Paper presentation contest 2. Guest Lectures 3. Panel discussions . 4. Computer programming contests: Events include capability tests Abilities in operating Systems, Programming languages, Data structures, Design & Analysis of algorithms, Networks debugging, etc. 5. Web Design 6. C /C++ Programming Contests. For further details: Look into the website: www. gniindia.org The main theme of the convention comprises the following sub- themes: Call for Papers: Sub themes: • Human computer interaction • Human Language Technology The Papers will be passed through a review process to ensure quality & authenticity of work. The above sub -themes are only suggestive and authors may submit papers in any of the related areas. Accepted papers would be presented in the convention and would be part of the proceedings. The event comprises pre-confrence tutorials, Paper presentations, Poster presen-tations, pleanary sessions, panel discussions and invited lectures by renowned speakers of national and international repute. Important dates: Last date for submission of papers abstract 28th February, 2011 Notification of Acceptance of Papers 7th March, 2011 Registration Latest by 10.3.2011. Register online at www.gniindia.org For further details please contact Dr.DDSarma,Director,GuruNanakInstituteofPG.Studies, Ibrahimpatnam,R.R.Dist.,A.P,INDIA,PH.08414202120/21 Fax :08414 223344 • E-mail: csignis@gmail.com Mr. Srikanth R Karode National Student Coordinator,CSI E-mail:nsc@csi-india.org Prof. Sharada Udaya Shenoy Redional Student Coordinator,CSI E-mail:sharudivardhan@gmail.com February 2011.indd 42February 2011.indd 42 2/7/2011 4:32:31 PM2/7/2011 4:32:31 PM
- 45. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 43 Usability Engineering [Excerpted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_engineering] Design Practice Usability engineering is a field that is concerned generally with human-computer interaction and specifically with making human-computer interfaces that have high usability or user friendliness. In effect, a user-friendly interface is one that allows users to effectively and efficiently accomplish the tasks for which it was designed and one that users rate positively on opinion or emotional scales. Assessing the usability of an interface and recommending ways to improve it is the purview of the Usability Engineer. The largest subsets of Usability Engineers work to improve usability of software graphical user interfaces (GUIs), web-based user interfaces, and voice user interfaces (VUIs). Several broad disciplines including Psychology, Human Factors and Cognitive Science subsume usability engineering, but the theoretical foundations of the field come from more specific domains: human perception and action; human cognition; behavioral research methodologies; and, to a lesser extent, quantitative and statistical analysis techniques. When usability engineering began to emerge as a distinct area of professional practice in the mid- to late 1980s, many usability engineers had a background in Computer Science or in a sub- field of Psychology such as Perception, Cognition or Human Factors. Today, these academic areas still serve as springboards for the professional practitioner of usability engineering, but Cognitive Science departments and academic programs in Human-Computer Interaction now also produce their share of practitioners in the field. The term usability engineering (in contrast to interaction design and user experience design) implies more of a focus on assessing and making recommendations to improve usability than it does on design, though Usability Engineers may still engage in design to some extent, particularly design of wire- frames or other prototypes. Standards and Guidelines Usability engineers sometimes work to shape an interface such that it adheres to accepted operational definitions of user requirements. For example, the International Organisation for Standardisation-approved definitions (see e.g., IS0 9241 part 11) usability are held by some to be a context-dependent yardstick for the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specific users should be able to perform tasks. Advocates of this approach engage in task analysis, then prototype interface design, and usability testing on those designs. On the basis of such tests, the technology is (ideally) re-designed or (occasionally) the operational targets for user performance are revised. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has collaborated with industry to develop the Common Industry Specification for Usability - Requirements which serves as a guide for many industry professionals. The specifications for successful usability in biometrics were also developed by the NIST. Usability.Gov provides a tutorial and wide general reference for the design of usable websites. Methods and Tools Usability Engineers conduct usability evaluations of existing or proposed interfaces and their findings are fed back to the Designer for use in design or redesign. Common usability evaluation methods include: • usability testing (Gold standard of Usability Engineering, but the most involved and expensive method) • interviews • focus groups • questionnaires • cognitive walkthroughs • heuristic evaluations • RITE method • cognitive task analysis • contextual inquiry • Think aloud protocol Usability testing, the gold standard, is when participants are recruited and asked to use the actual or prototype interface and their reactions, behaviors, errors, and self-reports in interviews are carefully observed and recorded by the Usability Engineer. On the basis of this data, the Usability Engineer recommends interface changes to improve usability. “Inadequate use of usability engineering methods in software development projects have been estimated to cost the US economy about $30 billion per year in lost productivity.” - Jakob Nielsen “It’s better to design the user experience than rectify it. It’s the difference between a cathedral and the Winchester House.” - Jon Meads February 2011.indd 43February 2011.indd 43 2/7/2011 4:32:31 PM2/7/2011 4:32:31 PM
- 46. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 44 CCooiimmbatorree Chapter News Please check detailed news at: http://www.csi-india.org/web/csi/chapternews-february2011 SPEAKER(S) TOPIC AND GIST BHOPAL Dr. V D Garde, Retired GM, IFX, BHEL, (Founder Member of the Chapter), Dr. V K Sethi, Director UIT, RGTU, Dr. T V Gopal, Honorary Editor CSI Communication and Professor of Computer Sc. and Engg., Anna University, Chennai 14 - 15 January 2010 : International Conference on “Advances in Communication, Embedded Systems and Computing” Lighting of Lamp Dr. Gopal spoke on Convergence of Computing & Communications with “Context Based Reality Checks”. The essence of talk is: Even though Computers and Communications are founded on common principles it took a long time for them to converge. For more than 50 years after Claude E Shannon integrate Computing and Communications, the Computing remained focused on miniaturization. Communications protocols catering to Heterogeneity, Scalability and Interoperability came in gradually and the era of Computer Networks began. The last decade witnessed the emergence of new economic models leveraging the WWW. Editor’s Choice : “We are now in the early stages of a profound revolution in which we are indeed shrinking our technology down to the molecular level.” - Isaac Asimov Dr Raj Kamal, Professor and Head, School of Electronics, DAVV., Indore, Dr. N S Chaudhari, Sr. Professor of Computer Science and Engg. & Dean (R&D), IIT, Indore. Dr Raj Kamal spoke on Embedded Systems and Real Time Operating Systems. He explained that an embedded system is a system that has software embedded into computer-hardware, which makes a system dedicated for an application(s) or specific part of an application or product or part of a larger system or it is any device that includes a programmable computer but is not itself intended to be a general purpose computer. He pointed out some important characteristics of embedded systems such as: 1) Dedicated functions 2) Dedicated complex algorithms 3) Dedicated (GUIs) and other user interfaces for the application 4) Real time operations and 5) Multi-rate operations. He also told the audience different areas of application of embedded systems. February 2011.indd 44February 2011.indd 44 2/7/2011 4:32:31 PM2/7/2011 4:32:31 PM
- 47. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 45 (LtoR) Dr. S C Bhageri, Dr. S H Agrawal, Dr. V K Sethi, Er. Sanjeev Agrawal, Dr. V D Garde, Dr. T V Gopal, Dr. M Kumar. Dr N S Chaudhari spoke on “Polynomial Solvability of 3-SAT”. It is an attempt for 3-SAT satisfiability problem, which is one of the first NP-Complete problems. His approach for tackling 3-SAT involves - first study a few salient features of 2-SAT satisfiability problem that is well-known to be solvable in polynomial (in fact, linear) time. We identify (i) contrapositivity, and (ii) transitivity, as important properties that allow us to solve 2-SAT in polynomial time. To develop polynomial algorithm for 3-SAT, we first use a formulation based on Modus Ponens (MP), a well-known inference rule in propositional logic. To exploit the use of MP, we introduce the notion of “context” and “context extension”. Context extension generates 2-SAT problems. To characterize the solvability of such problems, we need (i) contrapositivity, and (ii) transitivity, as two useful properties. We give algorithmic formulation to ensure that these properties are guaranteed. COCHIN Ms. Lithew Mol Mathew, M.Tech. Student, Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology Ms. Lithew Mol Mathew delivering a talk 24 January 2011 : A talk on “Context-awareness in Ubiquitous Computing” The talk provided an overview of Ubiquitous Computing, its applications and challenges or problems. A flexible and reusable middleware framework CAMUS that provides a solution for the present problems in Ubiquitous Computing was also discussed. Editor’s Choice : “Ubiquitous computing is roughly the opposite of virtual reality. Where virtual reality puts people inside a computer-generated world, ubiquitous computing forces the computer to live out here in the world with people. Virtual reality is primarily a horse power problem; ubiquitous computing is a very difficult integration of human factors, computer science, engineering, and social sciences.” Ref: http://sandbox.parc.com/ubicomp/ INDORE Venue was TRUBA College of Engineering & Technology, Indore FDP under TRUBA – Indore Chapter 6 December, 2010 : “Technical Model Competition” All the students of First Year participated in the competition. There were three levels. In First level all the models were displayed, and in the second level only nine models were selected from that. In the final level, three models were selected from those nine models of second level. Editor’s Choice : Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards. – Aldous Huxley Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. – C.P. Snow, New York Times, 15 March 1971 Dr. Kevin Z. Truman, Dean, UMKC, USA, Prof. Vijay Kumar, UMKC, USA, Dr. P K Chande, Group Director, TRUBAIndore,Dr.AKRamani,Head,SCS,DAVV,Indore, Mr. Shailendra Sharma. 11 December, 2010 : “Faculty Development Program (FDP)” Dr. Kevin Z Truman (Dean - UMKC, USA) & Prof. Vijay Kumar (Professor - UMKC, USA) spoke about New Research Directions: Challenges and Opportunities in CS/ IT/ EC. Editor’s Choice : The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think-rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men. – John Dewey Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. - Plato Session on ‘Global Opportunities & Challenges for Collaborative Education’ in progress February 2011.indd 45February 2011.indd 45 2/7/2011 4:32:47 PM2/7/2011 4:32:47 PM
- 48. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 46 JAIPUR Dr. Dharam Singh, Honorary Secretary, Udaipur Chapter and Convenor SIG-WNs, CSI (L to R) Prof. Shiv Kumar, D Dharm Singh and Prof. Dhananjay Gupta 23 October 2010 : “Expert talk on “Emerging Trends in Wireless Networks” Wi-Fi technology plays an important role in making our life more dynamic, convenient and enjoyable. Wi-Fi uses radio waves - just like cellular phones, TV and radio, to create reliable high-speed connections between computers, printers, gaming devices, cameras phones and home entertainment systems. We can use Wi-Fi in our home, at work or on-the-go at hotspots worldwide. Today Wi- Fi devices can do everything from sending email to streaming video and linking international video conference calls - even linking us to the Internet from a plane, 10,000 feet up in the air or just down the hallway. To get where we are today, it has taken a great cooperation among thousands of companies, researchers, and engineers to develop technologies and devices that work together seamlessly. TRIVANDRUM Mr. P Abraham Paul, Ex: Vice President (TS) SPCNL, SIEMENS ICN / G.M & SMT TBG BPL Mobile, TES (I) DOT, Trivandrum 3 October 2011 : A talk on “Money through Mobile (MTM) For Financial Inclusion of Lower Strata” Mr. A. Kasthurirangan, Former Chief Town Planner, Government of Kerala, Trivandrum. 6 October 2011 : Lecture on the theme “Better City, Better Life” to celebrate World Habitat Day 2010” Mr. P.G.K. Pillai, Trivandrum 13 October 2011 : A talk on “Social Responsiblities of Engineers” Prof. K C Raveendranathan, Dept. of Electronics & Communication Engineering, Govt. Engineering College Bartonhill, Trivandrum. 27 October 2011 : A technical talk on “Wireless Home Automation Networks” Dr. Venugopal Reddy MD, MRCP, Physician & Life Skills Expert, New York, USA 10 November 2011 : A technical talk on “The Art & Craft of Public Speaking” Mr. N T Nair, Chief Editor, Executive Knowledge Lines – monthly, Trivandrum. 17 November 2011 : A talk on “Information Technology (IT)- Energy Scenario” Mr. VSS Nair, Hospital Engg. Consultant, Trivandrum. 24 November 2011 : A technical talk on “Air Pollution” Dr. Ajit Prabhu V., Joint Director & Head, SPMD, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Trivandrum. 1 December 2011 : A technical talk on “Knowledge Engineering” Mr. P M C Nair, DGM (Safety, Environment and Security), HLL Lifecare Limited, Trivandrum. 8 December 2011 : A technical talk on “Lean Tools Management” Mr. N Hariharan, HOD, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, Lourdes Matha College of Science & Technology, Kuttichal, Trivandrum. 15 December 2011 : A technical talk on “Rediscovering Creativity” Mr. E M George, Former Scientist/Engineer, VSSC, ISRO, Trivandrum 22 December 2011 : A technical talk on “How I Cured My Diabetes” Dr. S. Sivasankaran, Professor of Cardiology, Sri Chithra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science & Technology, Trivandrum. 29 December 2011 : A technical talk on “Diabetes: Preventing the Wild Fire in Kerala” The following link http://www.csi-india.org/web/csi/chapternews-december2010 on page 46 of January 2011 issue of CSI Communications should read as below - http://www.csi-india.org/web/csi/chapternews-january2011 The following link http://www.csi-india.org/web/csi/chapternews-november2010 on page 48 of December 2010 issue of CSI Communications should read as below - http://www.csi-india.org/web/csi/chapternews-december2010 Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted. – Honorary Chief Editor ERRATA February 2011.indd 46February 2011.indd 46 2/7/2011 4:32:49 PM2/7/2011 4:32:49 PM
- 49. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 47 Student Branches Please check detailed news at: http://www.csi-india.org/web/csi/chapternews-february2010 SPEAKER(S) TOPIC AND GIST AITR (ACROPOLIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH), INDORE Mrs. Deepti Gupta, Senior Quality Analyst, Daispark, Indore Software Testing Workshop Discussion Session 26 November 2010 : Workshop on “Software Testing” The workshop was organized to educate students about software testing, which is an integral part of SDLC. The concepts of software testing are very helpful both while pursuing engineering and while working in a company. Software Testing is of immense importance in IT industry. No software is ready to be executed before it is tested. All the software companies have a department dedicated to testing of the software that they develop. Mr. Sanjay Vays, Director, Hardware Technology Park, Indore and Mr. Sachin Mudgil, Network Administrator, AITR, Indore Mr. Sanjay Vyas delivering a talk on SMPS 28 - 30 December 2010 : 3-days Workshop on “Computer Assembling” On the first day, Mr. Sanjay Vyas presented an overview of computer and gave information about parts like SMPS, BIOS, Input and output units. On the second day, Mr. Sachin Mudgil gave information regarding motherboard, computer network, and various ports. On the third day, practical session of installation of OS and demo of computer assembling was organized. 5 January 2011 : Poster Making Competition on “Earth Forgotten” The competition was held for 1st and 2nd year students of BE (all branches) and MCA students. ANURAG GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS (FORMERLY CVSR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING), HYDERABAD Dr. K Raju, Chairman, CSI-Hyderabad Chapter From left: Dr. K Raju, Mr. I L Narsimha Rao, Prof. M Mutha Reddy, Prof. K Rama Reddy, Mr. G Vishnu Murthy, and Prof. M Bhagvanth Rao is speaking. 22 December 2010 : “Inauguration of CSI Student Branch - Anurag Group of Institutions” “The speaker emphasized that youth should come up and think in innovative way to build a bright career and contribute to the development of nation. On this occasion, students organized INFOQUEST-2K10, a national level technical fest. Two technical sessions were organized as part of INFOQUEST-2K10. Session 1 : “Software Development Life Cycle” Mr. Niranjan Hanasoge, an independent software consultant, in his presentation, explained various Software Development Life Cycle methodologies in software engineering. Session 2 : “Building a successful career in Software” Mr. Sanjay Singh, Vice President Engineering at Rofous, in his presentation, explained how to be successful choosing software as a career. He explained about various steps to follow in order to be successful in interviews. He focused on the importance of soft skills and domain knowledge. He suggested that various technical books should be read for gaining practical and industry oriented practical knowledge on various technologies. Other events like, Paper Presentation, Provega, Image Editing, Robotics, Draftrix, Sudoku, Debate, Short Film Making, Quiz, Lan Gaming and T3 Cricket were also organized for 2 days as part of INFOQUEST-2K10.” February 2011.indd 47February 2011.indd 47 2/7/2011 4:32:51 PM2/7/2011 4:32:51 PM
- 50. CSI COMMUNICATIONS | FEBRUARY 2011 48 G. PULLA REDDY ENGINEERING COLLEGE, KURNOOL Prof. M.L. Sai Kumar, Head, IT Division & Coordinator, PGDBM, IPE OU Campus, Hyderabad L to R : Dr. B Sreenivasa Reddy, Prof. M L Sai Kumar, Dr. P Jayarami Reddy, Dr. N Kasiviswanath 21 December 2010 : One-day National Level Technical Symposium “Avishkar - 2010” “Prof. Sai Kumar spoke on ‘Importance of Time Management’. Total of 70 Technical papers were received from the students of various Engineering Colleges for Paper Presentation Contest on the topics such as Wireless Networks, Data Warehousing, Network Security and Software Project Management. From these, 21 papers were selected for presentation. In addition to this, Technical Quiz, Software Contest and Poster Presentation were also conducted. Awards were given to the winners by Mr. K Dinesh, Managing Director, Quadrivium Pvt. Ltd. Hyderbad. “ GURU NANAK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, HYDERABAD Prof. V Anandam 27 November 2010 : A Guest Lecture on “Computer Applications in Industry” This speech was organized on the day when CSI Student branch was formally established. Mr. I Govardhan Rao, Osmania University, Prof. B Anuradha, Marconi Institute of Technology Lamp being lighted during the inauguration 18 December 2010 : One-day National workshop on “Recent Trends in Computer Graphics - RTCG 2010” Mr. Rao gave demo sessions on Open GL Software. His presentation threw light on all the technical aspects of the Open GL software, which is essentially an open source platform used for creating graphics based applications. Prof. B Anuradha explained the different methods of creating animations and computer graphics. JAWAHARLAL DARDA INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (JDIET), YAVATMAL Prof. P. M. Jawandhiya , JDIET 15 January 2011 : An expert lecture on “Writing Scientific & Engineering Papers” The speaker talked about how to write technical papers for research work. L & T INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, POWAI, MUMBAI Mr. R Shankar Raman, Senior Vice President (Finance & Legal) Larsen & Toubro, Mr. Shantanu Godbole, Analytics Architect, IBM Research, New Delhi Mr. Anantha Sayana, Head, Corporate IT, Larsen & Toubro, Mr. C Kajwadkar, Chief Architect & Vice President, Netmagic Solutions MINEWARE – 2011 7 - 8 January 2011 : Two-days National Conference MINEWARE – 2011 on “Data Warehousing and Data Mining” Mr. R. Shankar Raman spoke about how companies like L & T depend on data analysis to deal with the uncertainties in a certain way. Mr. Shantanu Godbole outlined the methods to handle structured and unstructured data and also explained how the conclusions in one area can be used in another. Mr. R. Shankar Raman spoke about how companies like L & T depend on data analysis to deal with the uncertainties in a certain way. Mr. Shantanu Godbole outlined the methods to handle structured and unstructured data and also explained how the conclusions in one area can be used in another. Mr. Anantha Sayana spoke about how proper data analysis will show the underlying patterns which can be used to predict the opportunities or give alerts in business activities. Mr. Suresh Swamy and Mr. Sanjay Jadhav spoke about the importance of securing data from criminals. MUTHAYAMMAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE, RASIPURAM Mr. Jude Xavier, Assistant Vice President – HR, Polaris Software Lab Ltd., Chennai 19 January 2011 : Innovative talk on “Industrial Expectation” The speaker talked about : 1. Activities to be followed in College, while studying. 2. Preparation for Campus interview and the guidelines for attending the interview. 3. How he/she should be in Job. FebruaryFebruary 2011.indd 48February 2011.indd 48 2/7/2011 4:32:52 PM2/7/2011 4:32:52 PM
- 51. POONA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES & ENTREPRENEURSHIP (PIMSE), PUNE Mrs. Mrinalini Kulkarni, Director of EDSS (Engineering Design Software & Services Pvt. Ltd) and Dr. Haridasa Acharya Dr. Haridasa Acharya addressing the audience. 30 October 2010 : “Intercollegiate IT Quiz Competition” Mrs. Kulkarni spoke on the topic “Getting ready to work as a Software Professsional”. Dr. Acharya shared his views on “Should a faculty be using Open Source”. Dr. Aftab Anwar Shaikh, Director of PIMSE motivated the students to keep themselves updated by reading the IT magazines and related journals on a regular basis. SARADA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE (SITS), KHAMMAN Dr. Jayadev Gyani, Professor & HOD, Dept. of CSE, Jayamukhi Institute of Technological Sciences, Narsampet, Warnagal 31 December 2010 : Inauguration of CSI Student Branch and lectures on “Cloud Computing” and “Wireless Sensor Networks” “In conventional desktop computing, users run copies of software programs on their own computers. The documents they create are stored on their own pcs. Although documents can be accessed from other computers on the network, they can’t be accessed by computers outside the network. This is PC-centric. With cloud computing, the software programs one use are not run from one’s personal computer, but are rather stored on servers accessed via the Internet. If a computer crashes, the software is still available for others to use. Same goes for the documents one create. They are stored on a collection of servers accessed via the Internet. Anyone with permission can not only access the documents, but can also edit and collaborate on those documents in real time. Unlike traditional computing, this cloud computing model isn’t PC-centric, it’s document-centric. In Cloud computing the key term is the “cloud” itself. Here, the cloud is a large group of interconnected computers. These computers can be personal computers or network servers; they can be public or private. This cloud of computers extends beyond a single company or enterprise.” Inauguration of Student Branch In WSN i.e. Wireless Sensor Networks, devices are interacting with environment. The key aspects of WSN are - • Network is embedded in environment • Nodes in the network are equipped with sensing and actuation to measure/ influence environment. • Nodes process information and communicate it wirelessly February 2011.indd 49 2/5/2011 2:31:54 PMFebruary 2011.indd 49February 2011.indd 49 2/7/2011 4:32:55 PM2/7/2011 4:32:55 PM
- 52. Published by Suchit Gogwekar for Computer Society of India at 122, TV Indl. Estate, S K Ahire Marg, Worli, Mumbai-400 030 • Tel.: 022-2493 4776 and Website : www.csi-india.org • Email : hq@csi-india.org and printed by him at GP Offset Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai 400 059. Licenced to Registered with Registrar of News Papers If undelivered return to : Post Without Prepayment for India - RNI 31668/78 CSI, 122, TV Indl. Estate, MR/TECH/WPP 241/WEST/09-11 Regd. No. MH/MR/WEST-76-2009-11 Mumbai - 400 030 As authorised by the Constitution section 5.7 and section 5 .8, we present herewith the results of the elections conducted for the year 2011-2012/2013. The closing date for the receipt of the ballots was 22nd January 2011. The results of the elections are given below: The following are declared elected: Note : Chapter Elections are being pursued and the further extension in the date is granted upto 20th Feb. 2011. Nominations Committee 2010-2011 Dr. S S Agrawal (Chairman, NC) Prof. (Dr.) U K Singh (Member, NC) Dr. Suresh Chandra Bhatia (Member, NC) CSI Elections 2011-2012/2013 (April 1, 2011 – March 31, 2012) (April 1, 2011 – March 31, 2013) For the Term 2011-2012 For the Term 2011-2013 1. Vice President cum President Elect (2011-12) Mr. Satish Babu 2. Hon. Treasurer (2011-13) Mr. V L Mehta 3. Regional Vice President (Region 1) (2011-13) Mr. R K Vyas 4. Regional Vice President (Region III) (2011-13) Mr. Anil Srivastava 5. Regional Vice President (Region V) (2011-13) Prof. D B V Sarma 6. Regional Vice President (Region VII) (2011-13) Mr. S Ramasamy 7. Divisional Chair Person (Division I) (2011-13) Dr. C R Chakravarthy 8. Divisional Chair Person (Division III) (2011-13) Dr. S Subramanian 9. Divisional Chair Person (Division V) (2011-13) Dr. Manohar Chandwani 10. Nomination Committee (2011-12) Prof. (Dr.) A K Nayak Mr. P R Rangaswami Mr. Sanjay K Mohanty 11. Amendment to CSI Byelaws Accepted. February 2011.indd 50February 2011.indd 50 2/7/2011 4:32:55 PM2/7/2011 4:32:55 PM