- Table View
- List View
The Routledge International Handbook of Automated Essay Evaluation (Routledge International Handbooks)
by Joshua Wilson Mark D. ShermisThe Routledge International Handbook of Automated Essay Evaluation (AEE) is a definitive guide at the intersection of automation, artificial intelligence, and education. This volume encapsulates the ongoing advancement of AEE, reflecting its application in both large-scale and classroom-based assessments to support teaching and learning endeavors.It presents a comprehensive overview of AEE's current applications, including its extension into reading, speech, mathematics, and writing research; modern automated feedback systems; critical issues in automated evaluation such as psychometrics, fairness, bias, transparency, and validity; and the technological innovations that fuel current and future developments in this field. As AEE approaches a tipping point of global implementation, this Handbook stands as an essential resource, advocating for the conscientious adoption of AEE tools to enhance educational practices ethically. The Handbook will benefit readers by equipping them with the knowledge to thoughtfully integrate AEE, thereby enriching educational assessment, teaching, and learning worldwide.Aimed at researchers, educators, AEE developers, and policymakers, the Handbook is poised not only to chart the current landscape but also to stimulate scholarly discourse, define and inform best practices, and propel and guide future innovations.
Joomla! Accessibility
by Joshue O ConnorThis is a practical book that contains many step-by-step examples for the reader to get their teeth into. Primarily, the book is designed to help the reader gain a deeper understanding of Joomla! and accessibility, but it can also be read as an introduction to assistive technology, disability, and the diversity of user requirements. The book also attempts to de-mystify accessibility and take it off the theoretical platform and firmly root it in the real world with tangible benefits for users of Joomla!. This book is a guide to any Joomla! user who wants to make their sites more accessible and the author does assume that you have a basic working knowledge of Joomla!. You don't need to know anything about accessibility -- the author tells you all that you need to know to make your Joomla! sites accessible to the widest audience. While some design skills and technical knowledge of HTML, CSS and PHP will be very useful you will still benefit from reading this book if you wish to understand more about assistive technology and the needs of people with disabilities. The book is distilled from years of hands on experience that the author has as a web developer and also working with people with disabilities.
Redis in Action
by Josiah CarlsonSummaryRedis in Action introduces Redis and walks you through examples that demonstrate how to use it effectively. You'll begin by getting Redis set up properly and then exploring the key-value model. Then, you'll dive into real use cases including simple caching, distributed ad targeting, and more. You'll learn how to scale Redis from small jobs to massive datasets. Experienced developers will appreciate chapters on clustering and internal scripting to make Redis easier to use.About the TechnologyWhen you need near-real-time access to a fast-moving data stream, key-value stores like Redis are the way to go. Redis expands on the key-value pattern by accepting a wide variety of data types, including hashes, strings, lists, and other structures. It provides lightning-fast operations on in-memory datasets, and also makes it easy to persist to disk on the fly. Plus, it's free and open source.About this bookRedis in Action introduces Redis and the key-value model. You'll quickly dive into real use cases including simple caching, distributed ad targeting, and more. You'll learn how to scale Redis from small jobs to massive datasets and discover how to integrate with traditional RDBMS or other NoSQL stores. Experienced developers will appreciate the in-depth chapters on clustering and internal scripting.Written for developers familiar with database concepts. No prior exposure to NoSQL database concepts nor to Redis itself is required. Appropriate for systems administrators comfortable with programming.Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.What's InsideRedis from the ground upPreprocessing real-time dataManaging in-memory datasetsPub/sub and configurationPersisting to diskAbout the AuthorDr. Josiah L. Carlson is a seasoned database professional and an active contributor to the Redis community.Table of ContentsPART 1 GETTING STARTEDGetting to know RedisAnatomy of a Redis web applicationPART 2 CORE CONCEPTSCommands in RedisKeeping data safe and ensuring performanceUsing Redis for application supportApplication components in RedisSearch-based applicationsBuilding a simple social networkPART 3 NEXT STEPSReducing memory useScaling RedisScripting Redis with Lua
Essential Cybersecurity Science: Build, Test, and Evaluate Secure Systems
by Josiah DykstraIf you’re involved in cybersecurity as a software developer, forensic investigator, or network administrator, this practical guide shows you how to apply the scientific method when assessing techniques for protecting your information systems. You’ll learn how to conduct scientific experiments on everyday tools and procedures, whether you’re evaluating corporate security systems, testing your own security product, or looking for bugs in a mobile game.Once author Josiah Dykstra gets you up to speed on the scientific method, he helps you focus on standalone, domain-specific topics, such as cryptography, malware analysis, and system security engineering. The latter chapters include practical case studies that demonstrate how to use available tools to conduct domain-specific scientific experiments.Learn the steps necessary to conduct scientific experiments in cybersecurityExplore fuzzing to test how your software handles various inputsMeasure the performance of the Snort intrusion detection systemLocate malicious “needles in a haystack” in your network and IT environmentEvaluate cryptography design and application in IoT productsConduct an experiment to identify relationships between similar malware binariesUnderstand system-level security requirements for enterprise networks and web services
Data Analytics for Traditional Chinese Medicine Research
by Josiah Poon Simon K. PoonThis contributed volume explores how data mining, machine learning, and similar statistical techniques can analyze the types of problems arising from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) research. The book focuses on the study of clinical data and the analysis of herbal data. Challenges addressed include diagnosis, prescription analysis, ingredient discoveries, network based mechanism deciphering, pattern-activity relationships, and medical informatics. Each author demonstrates how they made use of machine learning, data mining, statistics and other analytic techniques to resolve their research challenges, how successful if these techniques were applied, any insight noted and how these insights define the most appropriate future work to be carried out. Readers are given an opportunity to understand the complexity of diagnosis and treatment decision, the difficulty of modeling of efficacy in terms of herbs, the identification of constituent compounds in an herb, the relationship between these compounds and biological outcome so that evidence-based predictions can be made. Drawing on a wide range of experienced contributors, Data Analytics for Traditional Chinese Medicine Research is a valuable reference for professionals and researchers working in health informatics and data mining. The techniques are also useful for biostatisticians and health practitioners interested in traditional medicine and data analytics.
Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
by Josip MarasSummaryMore than ever, the web is a universal platform for all types of applications, and JavaScript is the language of the web. If you're serious about web development, it's not enough to be a decent JavaScript coder. You need to be ninja-stealthy, efficient, and ready for anything. This book shows you how.Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.About the TechnologyJavaScript is rapidly becoming a universal language for every type of application, whether on the web, on the desktop, in the cloud, or on mobile devices. When you become a JavaScript pro, you have a powerful skill set that’s usable across all these domains.About the BookSecrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition uses practical examples to clearly illustrate each core concept and technique. This completely revised edition shows you how to master key JavaScript concepts such as functions, closures, objects, prototypes, and promises. It covers APIs such as the DOM, events, and timers. You’ll discover best practice techniques such as testing, and cross-browser development, all taught from the perspective of skilled JavaScript practitioners.What’s InsideWriting more effective code with functions, objects, and closuresLearning to avoid JavaScript application pitfallsUsing regular expressions to write succinct text-processing codeManaging asynchronous code with promisesFully revised to cover concepts from ES6 and ES7About the ReaderYou don’t have to be a ninja to read this book—just be willing to become one. Are you ready?About the AuthorsJohn Resig is an acknowledged JavaScript authority and the creator of the jQuery library. Bear Bibeault is a web developer and author of the first edition, as well as coauthor of Ajax in Practice, Prototype and Scriptaculous in Action, and jQuery in Action from Manning. Josip Maras is a post-doctoral researcher and teacher.Table of ContentsPART 1 - WARMING UPJavaScript is everywhereBuilding the page at runtimePART 2 - UNDERSTANDING FUNCTIONSFirst-class functions for the novice: definitions and arguments Functions for the journeyman: understanding function invocation Functions for the master: closures and scopesFunctions for the future: generators and promisesPART 3 - DIGGING INTO OBJECTS AND FORTIFYING YOUR CODEObject orientation with prototypesControlling access to objectsDealing with collectionsWrangling regular expressionsCode modularization techniquesPART 4 - BROWSER RECONNAISSANCEWorking the DOMSurviving eventsDeveloping cross-browser strategies
Introduction to Natural Language Processing: Exploring Techniques, Applications, and Challenges (River Publishers Series in Rapids in Computing and Information Science and Technology)
by Xiaochun Cheng Preethi Nanjundan Jossy P GeorgeThis book provides a thorough and comprehensive introduction to natural language processing (NLP), a critical field at the intersection of artificial intelligence and computational linguistics. It explores key techniques such as sentiment analysis, which enables the detection of emotional tone in text, machine translation, facilitating the conversion of text between languages, and named entity recognition (NER), which identifies and classifies entities like names, dates, and locations within text data.The book delves into deep learning advancements, particularly the use of neural networks such as transformers and recurrent models, which have revolutionized NLP applications. Readers will gain insights into how these models drive innovations in areas such as text classification, language generation, and speech recognition.In addition to technical concepts, the book also addresses the ethical considerations surrounding NLP, emphasizing the responsible use of AI technologies to mitigate issues like bias, misinformation, and privacy concerns. Practical case studies and real-world examples are included to illustrate how NLP is applied in various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and customer service.This book is an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and industry professionals seeking to understand the foundational concepts, cutting-edge advancements, and broader implications of NLP, equipping them with the knowledge to innovate and apply these technologies effectively in their respective fields.
Technology and Innovation in Learning, Teaching and Education: First International Conference, TECH-EDU 2018, Thessaloniki, Greece, June 20–22, 2018, Revised Selected Papers (Communications in Computer and Information Science #993)
by José A. Diniz Meni Tsitouridou Tassos A. MikropoulosThis book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the First International Conference on Technology and Innovation in Learning, Teaching and Education, TECH-EDU 2018, held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on June 20-22, 2018. The 30 revised full papers along with 18 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 80 submissions.The papers are organized in topical sections on new technologies and teaching approaches to promote the strategies of self and co-regulation learning (new-TECH to SCRL); eLearning 2.0: trends, challenges and innovative perspectives; building critical thinking in higher education: meeting the challenge; digital tools in S and T learning; exploratory potentialities of emerging technologies in education; learning technologies; digital technologies and instructional design; big data in education and learning analytics.
Towards an Intelligent Learning Management System Under Blended Learning
by Sofia B. Dias José A. Diniz Leontios J. HadjileontiadisWhat are the key channels to change in blended instructional practice as they relate to the use of a learning management system (LMS)? What role LMS users' profiles play in facilitating change in practice? Can we model users' quality of interaction (QoI) with LMS? How inclusiveness and affectiveness could lead to a personalized intelligent LMS (iLMS)? If these questions sound intrinsic to you and to your own experience and circumstance, then this book fits absolutely to you. Here, the term Blended - viewed as a fuzzy concept - is understood as a stepping-stone on the way to the future, to explain the multiple ways human beings think/act/feel of society in the 21st century and to embrace the opportunity of humans to re/co-construct new knowledge through the intermediation role of the technology. Initially, based on an online learning environment' theoretical framework, some current issues of the educational processes in the digital age of Web 2. 0 are analyzed. Then, after exploring the main methodological procedures, characteristic examples of research case studies follow, including LMS users' trends and profiles and modeling of their QoI using fuzzy logic. This book offers useful information that evokes initiatives towards rethinking of the value, efficiency, inclusiveness, affectiveness and personalization of the iLMS-based b-learning environment, both by the educators, the LMS designers and educational policy decision makers.
Distributed User Interfaces
by José A. Gallud Victor M.R. Penichet Ricardo TesorieroThe recent advances in display technologies and mobile devices is having an important effect on the way users interact with all kinds of devices (computers, mobile devices, laptops, tablets, and so on). These are opening up new possibilities for interaction, including the distribution of the UI (User Interface) amongst different devices, and implies that the UI can be split and composed, moved, copied or cloned among devices running the same or different operating systems. These new ways of manipulating the UI are considered under the emerging topic of Distributed User Interfaces (DUIs). DUIs are concerned with the repartition of one of many elements from one or many user interfaces in order to support one or many users to carry out one or many tasks on one or many domains in one or many contexts of use - each context of use consisting of users, platforms, and environments. The 20 chapters in the book cover between them the state-of-the-art, the foundations, and original applications of DUIs. Case studies are also included, and the book culminates with a review of interesting and novel applications that implement DUIs in different scenarios.
Distributed User Interfaces: Usability and Collaboration
by José A. Gallud Ricardo Tesoriero María D. Lozano Víctor M. R. PenichetWritten by international researchers in the field of Distributed User Interfaces (DUIs), this book brings together important contributions regarding collaboration and usability in Distributed User Interface settings. Throughout the thirteen chapters authors address key questions concerning how collaboration can be improved by using DUIs, including: in which situations a DUI is suitable to ease the collaboration among users; how usability standards can be used to evaluate the usability of systems based on DUIs; and accurately describe case studies and prototypes implementing these concerns. Under a collaborative scenario, users sharing common goals may take advantage of DUI environments to carry out their tasks more successfully because DUIs provide a shared environment where the users are allowed to manipulate information in the same space and at the same time. Under this hypothesis, collaborative DUI scenarios open new challenges to usability evaluation techniques and methods. Distributed User Interfaces: Collaboration and Usability presents an integrated view of different approaches related to Collaboration and Usability in Distributed User Interface settings, which demonstrate the state of the art, as well as future directions in this novel and rapidly evolving subject area.
Beyond Smart Cities: Creating the Most Attractive Cities for Talented Citizens
by José A. OndivielaCities are experiencing unprecedented times. In addition of managing the best possible post-pandemic recovery, Cities are at the beginning of the 4th industrial revolution, and all want to play a relevant role in it. To achieve this, they must retain and attract the necessary talent. There is a fierce competition where cities transform to become as attractive as possible. But what makes a city attractive (from emotional and rational sides) to talented citizens? For mayors and city directors: how can I prepare my city for this goal? What kind of transformations in the medium-long term should I develop? And in the short term, what processes and technologies (SmartCity) should I put in place? And from the point of view of citizens: how do I choose the best city to develop my full potential? Which one offers me the best citizenship contract? Where am I going to enjoy the best services with the highest quality of life and lower taxes/cost of life? In addition, the city must be attractive, with a strong identity and dynamism and promising future. Can I find the cities that best suit my aesthetic and emotional preferences, and that also offer me the services that I consider a priority at the lowest cost to my pocket? Find all the answers in this book.
Los herederos de Fujimori: El legado de El último dictador
by José Alejandro GodoyEl periodista José Alejandro Godoy regresa con un nuevo libro despúes de El último dictador. En Los herederos de Fujimori, nos presenta una exhaustiva investigación bibliográfica y periodística sobre la vida política de sus dos descendientes y otros personajes de la política peruana. En el contundente El último dictador, José Alejandro Godoy elaboró un relato pormenorizado de la larga década de autoritarismo, violencia y corrupción que tuvo como protagonista a Alberto Fujimori. En esta ocasión, la tarea emprendida en Los herederos de Fujimori es todavía más ambiciosa: abarcar más de veinte años de historia política que, inevitablemente, han estado marcados a sangre y fuego por el linaje de nuestro último dictador. Mediante un exhaustivo trabajo de investigación bibliográfica y periodística, Godoy recorre un vertiginoso período de la historia peruana en el que la herencia fujimorista no solo se ha manifestado en la omnipresencia de dos de sus descendientes en la vida política del país, sino también en los modales (poco) democráticos, las fórmulas populistas y la propensión a los escándalos —de toda índole— que caracterizaron los mandatos de prácticamente todos sus sucesores en Palacio de Gobierno. Alejandro Toledo, Alan García, Ollanta Humala, Martín Vizcarra, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski y Keiko Fujimori son algunos de los personajes recurrentes en esta historia, pero no los únicos. Entre desastres naturales (y de los otros), presidencias truncas, sobornos millonarios, asilos, indultos y carcelerías de alto vuelo, queda claro que el Perú es un territorio signado por la incombustible flama de un tambaleante quehacer político. Este libro recupera la memoria de los últimos años, y revela un país que aún lucha por encontrar un mejor destino.
The Art of Software Innovation: Eight Practice Areas to Inspire your Business
by Nick Boucart Wim Codenie Minna Pikkarainen José Antonio Heredia AlvaroImagine that you are the CEO of a software company. You know you compete in an environment that does not permit you to treat innovation as a secondary issue. But how should you manage your software innovation to get the most out of it? This book will provide you with the answer. Software innovation is multifaceted and the approaches used by companies can be very different. The team of authors that wrote this book took the assumption that there is no such thing as a universal software engineering process or innovation process. Some things work well for a certain company, others do not. The book is organized around what the authors call eight fundamental practice areas for innovation with software. Each practice area contains a number of activities that can help companies to master that practice area. It also contains industrial experience reports that illustrate the applicability of these practice areas in software companies and is structured in such a way that you can select and read only those practice areas that are relevant to your company. The book is written with an industrial target audience in mind. Its most important goal is to challenge companies by offering them a framework to become more innovation-driven, rather than engineering-driven. Intrigued? Here you will find details of what you and your company can do to understand, implement, and sustain continuous innovation.
Advances in Information and Communication Technologies for Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change II: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of ICT for Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change (AACC'18), November 21-23, 2018, Cali, Colombia (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing #893)
by Plamen Angelov Juan Carlos Corrales José Antonio IglesiasThis book presents novel communication technology solutions to address the effects of climate change and climate variability on agriculture, with a particular focus on those that increase agricultural production. It discusses decision support and early warning systems for agriculture; information technology (IT) supporting sustainable water management and land cover dynamics; predictive of crop production models; and software applications for reducing the effects of diseases and pests on crops. Further topics include the real-time monitoring of weather conditions and water quality, as well as food security issues. Featuring the proceedings of the International Conference of ICT for Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change (AACC’18), held on November 21–23, 2018, in Cali, Colombia, the book represents a timely report and a source of new ideas and solutions for both researchers and practitioners active in the agricultural sector around the globe.
Marketing and Smart Technologies: Proceedings of ICMarkTech 2022, Volume 2 (Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies #337)
by José Luís Reis Marc K. Peter Zorica Bogdanović José Antonio Varela GonzálezThis book includes selected papers presented at the International Conference on Marketing and Technologies (ICMarkTech 2022), held at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain, during December 1–3, 2022. It covers up-to-date cutting-edge research on artificial intelligence applied in marketing, virtual and augmented reality in marketing, business intelligence databases and marketing, data mining and big data, marketing data science, web marketing, e-commerce and v-commerce, social media and networking, geomarketing and IoT, marketing automation and inbound marketing, machine learning applied to marketing, customer data management and CRM, and neuromarketing technologies.
Hidden Markov Models: Theory and Implementation using MATLAB®
by José Boaventura-Cunha João Coelho Tatiana PinhoThis book presents, in an integrated form, both the analysis and synthesis of three different types of hidden Markov models. Unlike other books on the subject, it is generic and does not focus on a specific theme, e.g. speech processing. Moreover, it presents the translation of hidden Markov models’ concepts from the domain of formal mathematics into computer codes using MATLAB®. The unique feature of this book is that the theoretical concepts are first presented using an intuition-based approach followed by the description of the fundamental algorithms behind hidden Markov models using MATLAB®. This approach, by means of analysis followed by synthesis, is suitable for those who want to study the subject using a more empirical approach. <p><P>Key Selling Points: <li>Presents a broad range of concepts related to Hidden Markov Models (HMM), from simple problems to advanced theory <li>Covers the analysis of both continuous and discrete Markov chains <li>Discusses the translation of HMM concepts from the realm of formal mathematics into computer code <li>Offers many examples to supplement mathematical notation when explaining new concepts
Ambient Intelligence for Health: First International Conference, AmIHEALTH 2015, Puerto Varas, Chile, December 1-4, 2015, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #9456)
by Ramón Hervás José Bravo Vladimir VillarrealThis book constitutes the refereed conference proceedingsof the First International Conference on Ambient Intelligence for Health,AmIHEALTH 2015, held in Puerto Varas, Chile, in December 2015. The 20 revised full papers and 9 short papers werereviewed and selected from 32 submissions and cover topics on technologies forimplementing AmIHealth environments; frameworks related with AmIHealthenvironments; applied algorithms in e-Health systems; interactions within theAmIHealth environments; applications and case studies of AmIHealthenvironments; and metrics for health environments.
Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence
by Pritpal Singh José Bravo Sergio F. OchoaThis book constitutes the refereed conference proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence, UCAmI 2017, held in Philadelphia, PA, USA in November 2017. The 60 revised full papers and 22 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 100 submissions. The papers are presented in six tracks and two special sessions. These are Ambient Assisted Living, Human-Computer Interaction, Ambient Intelligence for Health, Internet of Things and Smart Cities, Ad-hoc and Sensor Networks, Sustainability, Socio-Cognitive and Affective Computing, AmI-Systems and Machine Learning.
Architectural Graphics: Volume 1 - Graphics for Analysis (Springer Series in Design and Innovation #21)
by José Calvo-López Manuel A. Ródenas-López Macarena Salcedo-GaleraThis book reports on several advances in architectural graphics, with a special emphasis on education, training, and research. It gathers a selection of contributions to the 19th International Conference on Graphic Design in Architecture, EGA 2022, held on June 2–4, 2022, in Cartagena, Spain, with the motto: "Beyond drawings. The use of architectural graphics".
Architectural Graphics: Volume 2 - Graphics for Knowledge and Production (Springer Series in Design and Innovation #22)
by José Calvo-López Manuel A. Ródenas-López Macarena Salcedo-GaleraThis book reports on several advances in architectural graphics, with a special emphasis on education, training and research. It gathers a selection of contributions to the 19th International Conference on Graphic Design in Architecture, EGA 2022, held on June 2–4, 2022, in Cartagena, Spain, with the motto: "Beyond drawings. The use of architectural graphics".
Architectural Graphics: Volume 3 - Graphics for Education and Thought (Springer Series in Design and Innovation #23)
by José Calvo-López Manuel A. Ródenas-López Macarena Salcedo-GaleraThis book reports on several advances in architectural graphics, with a special emphasis on education, training and research. It gathers a selection of contributions to the 19th International Conference on Graphic Design in Architecture, EGA 2022, held on June 2–4, 2022, in Cartagena, Spain, with the motto: "Beyond drawings. The use of architectural graphics".
Euro-Par 2022: 28th International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing, Glasgow, UK, August 22–26, 2022, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #13440)
by Phil Trinder José CanoThis book constitutes the proceedings of the 33rd International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing, Euro-Par 2022, held in Vienna, Austria, in August 2022.The 25 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 102 submissions. The conference Euro-Par 2022 covers all aspects of parallel and distributed computing, ranging from theory to practice, scaling from the smallest to the largest parallel and distributed systems, from fundamental computational problems and models to full-fledged applications, from architecture and interface design and implementation to tools, infrastructures and applications.
Marketing and Smart Technologies: Proceedings of ICMarkTech 2024, Volume 2 (Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies #439)
by Luís Paulo Reis José Luís Reis Marc K. Peter José Cascalho Maria Teresa TiagoThis book includes selected papers presented at the International Conference on Marketing and Technologies (ICMarkTech 2024), held at University of Azores, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, between December 5 and 7, 2024. It covers up-to-date cutting-edge research on artificial intelligence applied in marketing, virtual and augmented reality in marketing, business intelligence databases and marketing, data mining and big data, marketing data science, web marketing, e-commerce and v-commerce, social media and networking, geomarketing and IoT, marketing automation and inbound marketing, machine learning applied to marketing, customer data management and CRM, and neuromarketing technologies.
Wireless Sensors in Heterogeneous Networked Systems
by José Cecílio Pedro FurtadoThis book presents an examination of the middleware that can be used to configure and operate heterogeneous node platforms and sensor networks. The middleware requirements for a range of application scenarios are compared and analysed. The text then defines middleware architecture that has been integrated in an approach demonstrated live in a refinery. Features: presents a thorough introduction to the major concepts behind wireless sensor networks (WSNs); reviews the various application scenarios and existing middleware solutions for WSNs; discusses the middleware mechanisms necessary for heterogeneous WSNs; provides a detailed examination of platform-agnostic middleware architecture, including important implementation details; investigates the programming paradigms for WSNs, and for heterogeneous sensor networks in general; describes the results of extensive experimentation and testing, demonstrating that the generic architecture is viable for implementation on multiple platforms.