@phdthesis{Azari,
  author    = {Azari, Banafsheh},
  title     = {Bidirectional Texture Functions: Acquisition, Rendering and Quality Evaluation},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.3779},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20180820-37790},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  abstract  = {As one of its primary objectives, Computer Graphics aims at the simulation of fabrics' complex reflection behaviour. Characteristic surface reflectance of fabrics, such as highlights, anisotropy or retro-reflection arise the difficulty of synthesizing. This problem can be solved by using Bidirectional Texture Functions (BTFs), a 2D-texture under various light and view direction. But the acquisition of Bidirectional Texture Functions requires an expensive setup and the measurement process is very time-consuming. Moreover, the size of BTF data can range from hundreds of megabytes to several gigabytes, as a large number of high resolution pictures have to be used in any ideal cases. Furthermore, the three-dimensional textured models rendered through BTF rendering method are subject to various types of distortion during acquisition, synthesis, compression, and processing. An appropriate image quality assessment scheme is a useful tool for evaluating image processing algorithms, especially algorithms designed to leave the image visually unchanged. In this contribution, we present and conduct an investigation aimed at locating a robust threshold for downsampling BTF images without loosing perceptual quality. To this end, an experimental study on how decreasing the texture resolution influences perceived quality of the rendered images has been presented and discussed. Next, two basic improvements to the use of BTFs for rendering are presented: firstly, the study addresses the cost of BTF acquisition by introducing a flexible low-cost step motor setup for BTF acquisition allowing to generate a high quality BTF database taken at user-defined arbitrary angles. Secondly, the number of acquired textures to the perceptual quality of renderings is adapted so that the database size is not overloaded and can fit better in memory when rendered. Although visual attention is one of the essential attributes of HVS, it is neglected in most existing quality metrics. In this thesis an appropriate objective quality metric based on extracting visual attention regions from images and adequate investigation of the influence of visual attention on perceived image quality assessment, called Visual Attention Based Image Quality Metric (VABIQM), has been proposed. The novel metric indicates that considering visual saliency can offer significant benefits with regard to constructing objective quality metrics to predict the visible quality differences in images rendered by compressed and non-compressed BTFs and also outperforms straightforward existing image quality metrics at detecting perceivable differences.},
  subject      = {Wahrnehmung},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Kaltenbrunner,
  author    = {Kaltenbrunner, Martin},
  title     = {An Abstraction Framework for Tangible Interactive Surfaces},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.3717},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20180205-37178},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {138},
  abstract  = {This cumulative dissertation discusses - by the example of four subsequent publications - the various layers of a tangible interaction framework, which has been developed in conjunction with an electronic musical instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface. Based on the experiences that have been collected during the design and implementation of that particular musical application, this research mainly concentrates on the definition of a general-purpose abstraction model for the encapsulation of physical interface components that are commonly employed in the context of an interactive surface environment. Along with a detailed description of the underlying abstraction model, this dissertation also describes an actual implementation in the form of a detailed protocol syntax, which constitutes the common element of a distributed architecture for the construction of surface-based tangible user interfaces. The initial implementation of the presented abstraction model within an actual application toolkit is comprised of the TUIO protocol and the related computer-vision based object and multi-touch tracking software reacTIVision, along with its principal application within the Reactable synthesizer. The dissertation concludes with an evaluation and extension of the initial TUIO model, by presenting TUIO2 - a next generation abstraction model designed for a more comprehensive range of tangible interaction platforms and related application scenarios.},
  subject      = {Informatik},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{CarvajalBermudez,
  author    = {Carvajal Berm{\´u}dez, Juan Carlos},
  title     = {New methods of citizen participation based on digital technologies},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4712},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20220906-47124},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  abstract  = {The current thesis presents research about new methods of citizen participation based on digital technologies. The focus on the research lies on decentralized methods of participation where citizens take the role of co-creators. The research project first conducted a review of the literature on citizen participation, its origins and the different paradigms that have emerged over the years. The literature review also looked at the influence of technologies on participation processes and the theoretical frameworks that have emerged to understand the introduction of technologies in the context of urban development. The literature review generated the conceptual basis for the further development of the thesis. The research begins with a survey of technology enabled participation applications that examined the roles and structures emerging due to the introduction of technology. The results showed that cities use technology mostly to control and monitor urban infrastructure and are rather reluctant to give citizens the role of co-creators. Based on these findings, three case studies were developed. Digital tools for citizen participation were conceived and introduced for each case study. The adoption and reaction of the citizens were observed using three data collection methods. The results of the case studies showed consistently that previous participation and engagement with informal citizen participation are a determinining factor in the potential adoption of digital tools for decentralized engagement. Based on these results, the case studies proposed methods and frameworks that can be used for the conception and introduction of technologies for decentralized citizen participation.},
  subject      = {Partizipation},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Vogler,
  author    = {Vogler, Verena},
  title     = {A framework for artificial coral reef design: Integrating computational modelling and high precision monitoring strategies for artificial coral reefs - an Ecosystem-aware design approach in times of climate change},
  isbn      = {978-3-00-074495-2},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4611},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20220322-46115},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {243},
  abstract  = {Tropical coral reefs, one of the world's oldest ecosystems which support some of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet, are currently facing an unprecedented ecological crisis during this massive human-activity-induced period of extinction. Hence, tropical reefs symbolically stand for the destructive effects of human activities on nature [4], [5]. Artificial reefs are excellent examples of how architectural design can be combined with ecosystem regeneration [6], [7], [8]. However, to work at the interface between the artificial and the complex and temporal nature of natural systems presents a challenge, i.a. in respect to the B-rep modelling legacy of computational modelling. The presented doctorate investigates strategies on how to apply digital practice to realise what is an essential bulwark to retain reefs in impossibly challenging times. Beyond the main question of integrating computational modelling and high precision monitoring strategies in artificial coral reef design, this doctorate explores techniques, methods, and linking frameworks to support future research and practice in ecology led design contexts. Considering the many existing approaches for artificial coral reefs design, one finds they often fall short in precisely understanding the relationships between architectural and ecological aspects (e.g. how a surface design and material composition can foster coral larvae settlement, or structural three-dimensionality enhance biodiversity) and lack an integrated underwater (UW) monitoring process. Such a process is necessary in order to gather knowledge about the ecosystem and make it available for design, and to learn whether artificial structures contribute to reef regeneration or rather harm the coral reef ecosystem. For the research, empirical experimental methods were applied: Algorithmic coral reef design, high precision UW monitoring, computational modelling and simulation, and validated through parallel real-world physical experimentation - two Artificial Reef Prototypes (ARPs) in Gili Trawangan, Indonesia (2012-today). Multiple discrete methods and sub techniques were developed in seventeen computational experiments and applied in a way in which many are cross valid and integrated in an overall framework that is offered as a significant contribution to the field. Other main contributions include the Ecosystem-aware design approach, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for coral reef design, algorithmic design and fabrication of Biorock cathodes, new high precision UW monitoring strategies, long-term real-world constructed experiments, new digital analysis methods and two new front-end web-based tools for reef design and monitoring reefs. The methodological framework is a finding of the research that has many technical components that were tested and combined in this way for the very first time. In summary, the thesis responds to the urgency and relevance in preserving marine species in tropical reefs during this massive extinction period by offering a differentiated approach towards artificial coral reefs - demonstrating the feasibility of digitally designing such 'living architecture' according to multiple context and performance parameters. It also provides an in-depth critical discussion of computational design and architecture in the context of ecosystem regeneration and Planetary Thinking. In that respect, the thesis functions as both theoretical and practical background for computational design, ecology and marine conservation - not only to foster the design of artificial coral reefs technically but also to provide essential criteria and techniques for conceiving them. Keywords: Artificial coral reefs, computational modelling, high precision underwater monitoring, ecology in design.},
  subject      = {Korallenriff},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Kulik,
  author    = {Kulik, Alexander},
  title     = {User Interfaces for Cooperation},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.2720},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20161202-27207},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {261},
  abstract  = {This thesis suggests cooperation as a design paradigm for human-computer interaction. The basic idea is that the synergistic co-operation of interfaces through concurrent user activities enables increased interaction fluency and expressiveness. This applies to bimanual interaction and multi-finger input, e.g., touch typing, as well as the collaboration of multiple users. Cooperative user interfaces offer more interaction flexibility and expressivity for single and multiple users. Part I of this thesis analyzes the state of the art in user interface design. It explores limitations of common approaches and reveals the crucial role of cooperative action in several established user interfaces and research prototypes. A review of related research in psychology and human-computer interaction offers insights to the cognitive, behavioral, and ergonomic foundations of cooperative user interfaces. Moreover, this thesis suggests a broad applicability of generic cooperation patterns and contributes three high-level design principles. Part II presents three experiments towards cooperative user interfaces in detail. A study on desktop-based 3D input devices, explores fundamental benefits of cooperative bimanual input and the impact of interface design on bimanual cooperative behavior. A novel interaction technique for multitouch devices is presented that follows the paradigm of cooperative user interfaces and demonstrates advantages over the status quo. Finally, this thesis introduces a fundamentally new display technology that provides up to six users with their individual perspectives of a shared 3D environment. The system creates new possibilities for the cooperative interaction of multiple users. Part III of this thesis builds on the research results described in Part II, in particular, the multi-user 3D display system. A series of case studies in the field of collaborative virtual reality provides exemplary evidence for the relevance and applicability of the suggested design principles.},
  subject      = {Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Gollub,
  author    = {Gollub, Tim},
  title     = {Information Retrieval for the Digital Humanities},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4673},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20220801-46738},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {177},
  abstract  = {In ten chapters, this thesis presents information retrieval technology which is tailored to the research activities that arise in the context of corpus-based digital humanities projects. The presentation is structured by a conceptual research process that is introduced in Chapter 1. The process distinguishes a set of five research activities: research question generation, corpus acquisition, research question modeling, corpus annotation, and result dissemination. Each of these research activities elicits different information retrieval tasks with special challenges, for which algorithmic approaches are presented after an introduction of the core information retrieval concepts in Chapter 2. A vital concept in many of the presented approaches is the keyquery paradigm introduced in Chapter 3, which represents an operation that returns relevant search queries in response to a given set of input documents. Keyqueries are proposed in Chapter 4 for the recommendation of related work, and in Chapter 5 for improving access to aspects hidden in the long tail of search result lists. With pseudo-descriptions, a document expansion approach is presented in Chapter 6. The approach improves the retrieval performance for corpora where only bibliographic meta-data is originally available. In Chapter 7, the keyquery paradigm is employed to generate dynamic taxonomies for corpora in an unsupervised fashion. Chapter 8 turns to the exploration of annotated corpora, and presents scoped facets as a conceptual extension to faceted search systems, which is particularly useful in exploratory search settings. For the purpose of highlighting the major topical differences in a sequence of sub-corpora, an algorithm called topical sequence profiling is presented in Chapter 9. The thesis concludes with two pilot studies regarding the visualization of (re)search results for the means of successful result dissemination: a metaphoric interpretation of the information nutrition label, as well as the philosophical bodies, which are 3D-printed search results.},
  subject      = {Information Retrieval},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Anderka,
  author    = {Anderka, Maik},
  title     = {Analyzing and Predicting Quality Flaws in User-generated Content: The Case of Wikipedia},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.1977},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20130709-19778},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  abstract  = {Web applications that are based on user-generated content are often criticized for containing low-quality information; a popular example is the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The major points of criticism pertain to the accuracy, neutrality, and reliability of information. The identification of low-quality information is an important task since for a huge number of people around the world it has become a habit to first visit Wikipedia in case of an information need. Existing research on quality assessment in Wikipedia either investigates only small samples of articles, or else deals with the classification of content into high-quality or low-quality. This thesis goes further, it targets the investigation of quality flaws, thus providing specific indications of the respects in which low-quality content needs improvement. The original contributions of this thesis, which relate to the fields of user-generated content analysis, data mining, and machine learning, can be summarized as follows: (1) We propose the investigation of quality flaws in Wikipedia based on user-defined cleanup tags. Cleanup tags are commonly used in the Wikipedia community to tag content that has some shortcomings. Our approach is based on the hypothesis that each cleanup tag defines a particular quality flaw. (2) We provide the first comprehensive breakdown of Wikipedia's quality flaw structure. We present a flaw organization schema, and we conduct an extensive exploratory data analysis which reveals (a) the flaws that actually exist, (b) the distribution of flaws in Wikipedia, and, (c) the extent of flawed content. (3) We present the first breakdown of Wikipedia's quality flaw evolution. We consider the entire history of the English Wikipedia from 2001 to 2012, which comprises more than 508 million page revisions, summing up to 7.9 TB. Our analysis reveals (a) how the incidence and the extent of flaws have evolved, and, (b) how the handling and the perception of flaws have changed over time. (4) We are the first who operationalize an algorithmic prediction of quality flaws in Wikipedia. We cast quality flaw prediction as a one-class classification problem, develop a tailored quality flaw model, and employ a dedicated one-class machine learning approach. A comprehensive evaluation based on human-labeled Wikipedia articles underlines the practical applicability of our approach.},
  subject      = {Data Mining},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Potthast,
  author    = {Potthast, Martin},
  title     = {Technologies for Reusing Text from the Web},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.1566},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20120217-15663},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {237},
  abstract  = {Texts from the web can be reused individually or in large quantities. The former is called text reuse and the latter language reuse. We first present a comprehensive overview of the different ways in which text and language is reused today, and how exactly information retrieval technologies can be applied in this respect. The remainder of the thesis then deals with specific retrieval tasks. In general, our contributions consist of models and algorithms, their evaluation, and for that purpose, large-scale corpus construction. The thesis divides into two parts. The first part introduces technologies for text reuse detection, and our contributions are as follows: (1) A unified view of projecting-based and embedding-based fingerprinting for near-duplicate detection and the first time evaluation of fingerprint algorithms on Wikipedia revision histories as a new, large-scale corpus of near-duplicates. (2) A new retrieval model for the quantification of cross-language text similarity, which gets by without parallel corpora. We have evaluated the model in comparison to other models on many different pairs of languages. (3) An evaluation framework for text reuse and particularly plagiarism detectors, which consists of tailored detection performance measures and a large-scale corpus of automatically generated and manually written plagiarism cases. The latter have been obtained via crowdsourcing. This framework has been successfully applied to evaluate many different state-of-the-art plagiarism detection approaches within three international evaluation competitions. The second part introduces technologies that solve three retrieval tasks based on language reuse, and our contributions are as follows: (4) A new model for the comparison of textual and non-textual web items across media, which exploits web comments as a source of information about the topic of an item. In this connection, we identify web comments as a largely neglected information source and introduce the rationale of comment retrieval. (5) Two new algorithms for query segmentation, which exploit web n-grams and Wikipedia as a means of discerning the user intent of a keyword query. Moreover, we crowdsource a new corpus for the evaluation of query segmentation which surpasses existing corpora by two orders of magnitude. (6) A new writing assistance tool called Netspeak, which is a search engine for commonly used language. Netspeak indexes the web in the form of web n-grams as a source of writing examples and implements a wildcard query processor on top of it.},
  subject      = {Information Retrieval},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Lipka,
  author    = {Lipka, Nedim},
  title     = {Modeling Non-Standard Text Classification Tasks},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.1862},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20130307-18626},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  abstract  = {Text classification deals with discovering knowledge in texts and is used for extracting, filtering, or retrieving information in streams and collections. The discovery of knowledge is operationalized by modeling text classification tasks, which is mainly a human-driven engineering process. The outcome of this process, a text classification model, is used to inductively learn a text classification solution from a priori classified examples. The building blocks of modeling text classification tasks cover four aspects: (1) the way examples are represented, (2) the way examples are selected, (3) the way classifiers learn from examples, and (4) the way models are selected. This thesis proposes methods that improve the prediction quality of text classification solutions for unseen examples, especially for non-standard tasks where standard models do not fit. The original contributions are related to the aforementioned building blocks: (1) Several topic-orthogonal text representations are studied in the context of non-standard tasks and a new representation, namely co-stems, is introduced. (2) A new active learning strategy that goes beyond standard sampling is examined. (3) A new one-class ensemble for improving the effectiveness of one-class classification is proposed. (4) A new model selection framework to cope with subclass distribution shifts that occur in dynamic environments is introduced.},
  subject      = {Text Classification},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schollmeyer,
  author    = {Schollmeyer, Andre},
  title     = {Efficient and High-Quality Rendering of Higher-Order Geometric Data Representations},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.3823},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20181120-38234},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {143},
  abstract  = {Computer-Aided Design (CAD) bezeichnet den Entwurf industrieller Produkte mit Hilfe von virtuellen 3D Modellen. Ein CAD-Modell besteht aus parametrischen Kurven und Fl{\"a}chen, in den meisten F{\"a}llen non-uniform rational B-Splines (NURBS). Diese mathematische Beschreibung wird ebenfalls zur Analyse, Optimierung und Pr{\"a}sentation des Modells verwendet. In jeder dieser Entwicklungsphasen wird eine unterschiedliche visuelle Darstellung ben{\"o}tigt, um den entsprechenden Nutzern ein geeignetes Feedback zu geben. Designer bevorzugen beispielsweise illustrative oder realistische Darstellungen, Ingenieure ben{\"o}tigen eine verst{\"a}ndliche Visualisierung der Simulationsergebnisse, w{\"a}hrend eine immersive 3D Darstellung bei einer Benutzbarkeitsanalyse oder der Designauswahl hilfreich sein kann. Die interaktive Darstellung von NURBS-Modellen und -Simulationsdaten ist jedoch aufgrund des hohen Rechenaufwandes und der eingeschr{\"a}nkten Hardwareunterst{\"u}tzung eine große Herausforderung. Diese Arbeit stellt vier neuartige Verfahren vor, welche sich mit der interaktiven Darstellung von NURBS-Modellen und Simulationensdaten befassen. Die vorgestellten Algorithmen nutzen neue F{\"a}higkeiten aktueller Grafikkarten aus, um den Stand der Technik bez{\"u}glich Qualit{\"a}t, Effizienz und Darstellungsgeschwindigkeit zu verbessern. Zwei dieser Verfahren befassen sich mit der direkten Darstellung der parametrischen Beschreibung ohne Approximationen oder zeitaufw{\"a}ndige Vorberechnungen. Die dabei vorgestellten Datenstrukturen und Algorithmen erm{\"o}glichen die effiziente Unterteilung, Klassifizierung, Tessellierung und Darstellung getrimmter NURBS-Fl{\"a}chen und einen interaktiven Ray-Casting-Algorithmus f{\"u}r die Isofl{\"a}chenvisualisierung von NURBSbasierten isogeometrischen Analysen. Die weiteren zwei Verfahren beschreiben zum einen das vielseitige Konzept der programmierbaren Transparenz f{\"u}r illustrative und verst{\"a}ndliche Visualisierungen tiefenkomplexer CAD-Modelle und zum anderen eine neue hybride Methode zur Reprojektion halbtransparenter und undurchsichtiger Bildinformation f{\"u}r die Beschleunigung der Erzeugung von stereoskopischen Bildpaaren. Die beiden letztgenannten Ans{\"a}tze basieren auf rasterisierter Geometrie und sind somit ebenfalls f{\"u}r normale Dreiecksmodelle anwendbar, wodurch die Arbeiten auch einen wichtigen Beitrag in den Bereichen der Computergrafik und der virtuellen Realit{\"a}t darstellen. Die Auswertung der Arbeit wurde mit großen, realen NURBS-Datens{\"a}tzen durchgef{\"u}hrt. Die Resultate zeigen, dass die direkte Darstellung auf Grundlage der parametrischen Beschreibung mit interaktiven Bildwiederholraten und in subpixelgenauer Qualit{\"a}t m{\"o}glich ist. Die Einf{\"u}hrung programmierbarer Transparenz erm{\"o}glicht zudem die Umsetzung kollaborativer 3D Interaktionstechniken f{\"u}r die Exploration der Modelle in virtuellenUmgebungen sowie illustrative und verst{\"a}ndliche Visualisierungen tiefenkomplexer CAD-Modelle. Die Erzeugung stereoskopischer Bildpaare f{\"u}r die interaktive Visualisierung auf 3D Displays konnte beschleunigt werden. Diese messbare Verbesserung wurde zudem im Rahmen einer Nutzerstudie als wahrnehmbar und vorteilhaft befunden.},
  subject      = {Rendering},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Beck,
  author    = {Beck, Stephan},
  title     = {Immersive Telepresence Systems and Technologies},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.3856},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20190218-38569},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {149},
  abstract  = {Modern immersive telepresence systems enable people at different locations to meet in virtual environments using realistic three-dimensional representations of their bodies. For the realization of such a three-dimensional version of a video conferencing system, each user is continuously recorded in 3D. These 3D recordings are exchanged over the network between remote sites. At each site, the remote recordings of the users, referred to as 3D video avatars, are seamlessly integrated into a shared virtual scenery and displayed in stereoscopic 3D for each user from his or her perspective. This thesis reports on algorithmic and technical contributions to modern immersive telepresence systems and presents the design, implementation and evaluation of the first immersive group-to-group telepresence system in which each user is represented as realistic life-size 3D video avatar. The system enabled two remote user groups to meet and collaborate in a consistent shared virtual environment. The system relied on novel methods for the precise calibration and registration of color- and depth- sensors (RGBD) into the coordinate system of the application as well as an advanced distributed processing pipeline that reconstructs realistic 3D video avatars in real-time. During the course of this thesis, the calibration of 3D capturing systems was greatly improved. While the first development focused on precisely calibrating individual RGBD-sensors, the second stage presents a new method for calibrating and registering multiple color and depth sensors at a very high precision throughout a large 3D capturing volume. This method was further refined by a novel automatic optimization process that significantly speeds up the manual operation and yields similarly high accuracy. A core benefit of the new calibration method is its high runtime efficiency by directly mapping from raw depth sensor measurements into an application coordinate system and to the coordinates of its associated color sensor. As a result, the calibration method is an efficient solution in terms of precision and applicability in virtual reality and immersive telepresence applications. In addition to the core contributions, the results of two case studies which address 3D reconstruction and data streaming lead to the final conclusion of this thesis and to directions of future work in the rapidly advancing field of immersive telepresence research.},
  subject      = {Virtuelle Realit{\"a}t},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Weissker,
  author    = {Weißker, Tim},
  title     = {Group Navigation in Multi-User Virtual Reality},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4530},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20211124-45305},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {148},
  abstract  = {Multi-user virtual reality systems enable collocated as well as distributed users to perform collaborative activities in immersive virtual environments. A common activity in this context is to move from one location to the next as a group to explore the environment together. The simplest solution to realize these multi-user navigation processes is to provide each participant with a technique for individual navigation. However, this approach entails some potentially undesirable consequences such as the execution of a similar navigation sequence by each participant, a regular need for coordination within the group, and, related to this, the risk of losing each other during the navigation process. To overcome these issues, this thesis performs research on group navigation techniques that move group members together through a virtual environment. The presented work was guided by four overarching research questions that address the quality requirements for group navigation techniques, the differences between collocated and distributed settings, the scalability of group navigation, and the suitability of individual and group navigation for various scenarios. This thesis approaches these questions by introducing a general conceptual framework as well as the specification of central requirements for the design of group navigation techniques. The design, implementation, and evaluation of corresponding group navigation techniques demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework. As a first step, this thesis presents ideas for the extension of the short-range teleportation metaphor, also termed jumping, for multiple users. It derives general quality requirements for the comprehensibility of the group jumping process and introduces a corresponding technique for two collocated users. The results of two user studies indicate that sickness symptoms are not affected by user roles during group jumping and confirm improved planning accuracy for the navigator, increased spatial awareness for the passenger, and reduced cognitive load for both user roles. Next, this thesis explores the design space of group navigation techniques in distributed virtual environments. It presents a conceptual framework to systematize the design decisions for group navigation techniques based on Tuckman's model of small-group development and introduces the idea of virtual formation adjustments as part of the navigation process. A quantitative user study demonstrates that the corresponding extension of Multi-Ray Jumping for distributed dyads leads to more efficient travel sequences and reduced workload. The results of a qualitative expert review confirm these findings and provide further insights regarding the complementarity of individual and group navigation in distributed virtual environments. Then, this thesis investigates the navigation of larger groups of distributed users in the context of guided museum tours and establishes three central requirements for (scalable) group navigation techniques. These should foster the awareness of ongoing navigation activities as well as facilitate the predictability of their consequences for all group members (Comprehensibility), assist the group with avoiding collisions in the virtual environment (Obstacle Avoidance), and support placing the group in a meaningful spatial formation for the joint observation and discussion of objects (View Optimization). The work suggests a new technique to address these requirements and reports on its evaluation in an initial usability study with groups of five to ten (partially simulated) users. The results indicate easy learnability for navigators and high comprehensibility for passengers. Moreover, they also provide valuable insights for the development of group navigation techniques for even larger groups. Finally, this thesis embeds the previous contributions in a comprehensive literature overview and emphasizes the need to study larger, more heterogeneous, and more diverse group compositions including the related social factors that affect group dynamics. In summary, the four major research contributions of this thesis are as follows: - the framing of group navigation as a specific instance of Tuckman's model of small-group development - the derivation of central requirements for effective group navigation techniques beyond common quality factors known from single-user navigation - the introduction of virtual formation adjustments during group navigation and their integration into concrete group navigation techniques - evidence that appropriate pre-travel information and virtual formation adjustments lead to more efficient travel sequences for groups and lower workloads for both navigators and passengers Overall, the research of this thesis confirms that group navigation techniques are a valuable addition to the portfolio of interaction techniques in multi-user virtual reality systems. The conceptual framework, the derived quality requirements, and the development of novel group navigation techniques provide effective guidance for application developers and inform future research in this area.},
  subject      = {Virtuelle Realit{\"a}t},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Berhe,
  author    = {Berhe, Asgedom Haile},
  title     = {Mitigating Risks of Corruption in Construction: A theoretical rationale for BIM adoption in Ethiopia},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4517},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20211007-45175},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {336},
  abstract  = {This PhD thesis sets out to investigate the potentials of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to mitigate risks of corruption in the Ethiopian public construction sector. The wide-ranging capabilities and promises of BIM have led to the strong perception among researchers and practitioners that it is an indispensable technology. Consequently, it has become the frequent subject of science and research. Meanwhile, many countries, especially the developed ones, have committed themselves to applying the technology extensively. Increasing productivity is the most common and frequently cited reason for that. However, both technology developers and adopters are oblivious to the potentials of BIM in addressing critical challenges in the construction sector, such as corruption. This particularly would be significant in developing countries like Ethiopia, where its problems and effects are acute. Studies reveal that bribery and corruption have long pervaded the construction industry worldwide. The complex and fragmented nature of the sector provides an environment for corruption. The Ethiopian construction sector is not immune from this epidemic reality. In fact, it is regarded as one of the most vulnerable sectors owing to varying socio-economic and political factors. Since 2015, Ethiopia has started adopting BIM, yet without clear goals and strategies. As a result, the potential of BIM for combating concrete problems of the sector remains untapped. To this end, this dissertation does pioneering work by showing how collaboration and coordination features of the technology contribute to minimizing the opportunities for corruption. Tracing loopholes, otherwise, would remain complex and ineffective in the traditional documentation processes. Proceeding from this anticipation, this thesis brings up two primary questions: what are areas and risks of corruption in case of the Ethiopian public construction projects; and how could BIM be leveraged to mitigate these risks? To tackle these and other secondary questions, the research employs a mixed-method approach. The selected main research strategies are Survey, Grounded Theory (GT) and Archival Study. First, the author disseminates an online questionnaire among Ethiopian construction engineering professionals to pinpoint areas of vulnerability to corruption. 155 responses are compiled and scrutinized quantitatively. Then, a semi-structured in-depth interview is conducted with 20 senior professionals, primarily to comprehend opportunities for and risks of corruption in those identified highly vulnerable project stages and decision points. At the same time, open interviews (consultations) are held with 14 informants to be aware of state of the construction documentation, BIM and loopholes for corruption in the country. Consequently, these qualitative data are analyzed utilizing the principles of GT, heat/risk mapping and Social Network Analysis (SNA). The risk mapping assists the researcher in the course of prioritizing corruption risks; whilst through SNA, methodically, it is feasible to identify key actors/stakeholders in the corruption venture. Based on the generated research data, the author constructs a [substantive] grounded theory around the elements of corruption in the Ethiopian public construction sector. This theory, later, guides the subsequent strategic proposition of BIM. Finally, 85 public construction related cases are also analyzed systematically to substantiate and confirm previous findings. By ways of these multiple research endeavors that is based, first and foremost, on the triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the author conveys a number of key findings. First, estimations, tender document preparation and evaluation, construction material as well as quality control and additional work orders are found to be the most vulnerable stages in the design, tendering and construction phases respectively. Second, middle management personnel of contractors and clients, aided by brokers, play most critical roles in corrupt transactions within the prevalent corruption network. Third, grand corruption persists in the sector, attributed to the fact that top management and higher officials entertain their overriding power, supported by the lack of project audits and accountability. Contrarily, individuals at operation level utilize intentional and unintentional 'errors' as an opportunity for corruption. In light of these findings, two conceptual BIM-based risk mitigation strategies are prescribed: active and passive automation of project audits; and the monitoring of project information throughout projects' value chain. These propositions are made in reliance on BIM's present dimensional capabilities and the promises of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Moreover, BIM's synchronous potentials with other technologies such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Radio Frequency technologies are topics which received a treatment. All these arguments form the basis for the main thesis of this dissertation, that BIM is able to mitigate corruption risks in the Ethiopian public construction sector. The discourse on the skepticisms about BIM that would stem from the complex nature of corruption and strategic as well as technological limitations of BIM is also illuminated and complemented by this work. Thus, the thesis uncovers possible research gaps and lays the foundation for further studies.},
  subject      = {Building Information Modeling},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{PreisDutra,
  author    = {Preis Dutra, Joatan},
  title     = {Cultural Heritage on Mobile Devices: Building Guidelines for UNESCO World Heritage Sites' Apps},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4531},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20211129-45319},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {360},
  abstract  = {Technological improvements and access provide a fertile scenario for creating and developing mobile applications (apps). This scenario results in a myriad of Apps providing information regarding touristic destinations, including those with a cultural profile, such as those dedicated to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS). However, not all of the Apps have the same efficiency. In order to have a successful app, its development must consider usability aspects and features aligned with reliable content. Despite the guidelines for mobile usability being broadly available, they are generic, and none of them concentrates specifically into cultural heritage places, especially on those placed in an open-air scenario. This research aims to fulfil this literature gap and discusses how to adequate and develop specific guidelines for a better outdoor WHS experience. It uses an empirical approach applied to an open-air WHS city: Weimar and its Bauhaus and Classical Weimar sites. In order to build a new set of guidelines applied for open-air WHS, this research used a systematic approach to compare literature-based guidelines to industry-based ones (based on affordances), extracted from the available Apps dedicated to WHS set in Germany. The instructions compiled from both sources have been comparatively tested by using two built prototypes from the distinctive guidelines, creating a set of recommendations collecting the best approach from both sources, plus suggesting new ones the evaluation.},
  subject      = {Benutzerschnittstellenentwurfssystem},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{AlKhatib2021,
  author    = {Al Khatib, Khalid},
  title     = {Computational Analysis of Argumentation Strategies},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4461},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20210719-44612},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {134},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The computational analysis of argumentation strategies is substantial for many downstream applications. It is required for nearly all kinds of text synthesis, writing assistance, and dialogue-management tools. While various tasks have been tackled in the area of computational argumentation, such as argumentation mining and quality assessment, the task of the computational analysis of argumentation strategies in texts has so far been overlooked. This thesis principally approaches the analysis of the strategies manifested in the persuasive argumentative discourses that aim for persuasion as well as in the deliberative argumentative discourses that aim for consensus. To this end, the thesis presents a novel view of argumentation strategies for the above two goals. Based on this view, new models for pragmatic and stylistic argument attributes are proposed, new methods for the identification of the modelled attributes have been developed, and a new set of strategy principles in texts according to the identified attributes is presented and explored. Overall, the thesis contributes to the theory, data, method, and evaluation aspects of the analysis of argumentation strategies. The models, methods, and principles developed and explored in this thesis can be regarded as essential for promoting the applications mentioned above, among others.},
  subject      = {Argumentation},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{RadmardRahmani,
  author    = {Radmard Rahmani, Hamid},
  title     = {Artificial Intelligence Approach for Seismic Control of Structures},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4135},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20200417-41359},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  abstract  = {Abstract In the first part of this research, the utilization of tuned mass dampers in the vibration control of tall buildings during earthquake excitations is studied. The main issues such as optimizing the parameters of the dampers and studying the effects of frequency content of the target earthquakes are addressed. Abstract The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm method is improved by upgrading generic operators, and is utilized to develop a framework for determining the optimum placement and parameters of dampers in tall buildings. A case study is presented in which the optimal placement and properties of dampers are determined for a model of a tall building under different earthquake excitations through computer simulations. Abstract In the second part, a novel framework for the brain learning-based intelligent seismic control of smart structures is developed. In this approach, a deep neural network learns how to improve structural responses during earthquake excitations using feedback control. Abstract Reinforcement learning method is improved and utilized to develop a framework for training the deep neural network as an intelligent controller. The efficiency of the developed framework is examined through two case studies including a single-degree-of-freedom system and a high-rise building under different earthquake excitation records. Abstract The results show that the controller gradually develops an optimum control policy to reduce the vibrations of a structure under an earthquake excitation through a cyclical process of actions and observations. Abstract It is shown that the controller efficiently improves the structural responses under new earthquake excitations for which it was not trained. Moreover, it is shown that the controller has a stable performance under uncertainties.},
  subject      = {Erdbeben},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Kunert,
  author    = {Kunert, Andr{\´e}},
  title     = {3D Interaction Techniques in Multi-User Virtual Reality : towards scalable templates and implementation patterns for cooperative interfaces},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4296},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20201204-42962},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {147},
  abstract  = {Multi-user projection systems provide a coherent 3D interaction space for multiple co-located users that facilitates mutual awareness, full-body interaction, and the coordination of activities. The users perceive the shared scene from their respective viewpoints and can directly interact with the 3D content. This thesis reports on novel interaction patterns for collaborative 3D interaction for local and distributed user groups based on such multi-user projection environments. A particular focus of our developments lies in the provision of multiple independent interaction territories in our workspaces and their tight integration into collaborative workflows. The motivation for such multi-focus workspaces is grounded in research on social cooperation patterns, specifically in the requirement for supporting phases of loose and tight collaboration and the emergence of dedicated orking territories for private usage and public exchange. We realized independent interaction territories in the form of handheld virtual viewing windows and multiple co-located hardware displays in a joint workspace. They provide independent views of a shared virtual environment and serve as access points for the exploration and manipulation of the 3D content. Their tight integration into our workspace supports fluent transitions between individual work and joint user engagement. The different affordances of various displays in an exemplary workspace consisting of a large 3D wall, a 3D tabletop, and handheld virtual viewing windows, promote different usage scenarios, for instance for views from an egocentric perspective, miniature scene representations, close-up views, or storage and transfer areas. This work shows that this versatile workspace can make the cooperation of multiple people in joint tasks more effective, e.g. by parallelizing activities, distributing subtasks, and providing mutual support. In order to create, manage, and share virtual viewing windows, this thesis presents the interaction technique of Photoportals, a tangible interface based on the metaphor of digital photography. They serve as configurable viewing territories and enable the individual examination of scene details as well as the immediate sharing of the prepared views. Photoportals are specifically designed to complement other interface facets and provide extended functionality for scene navigation, object manipulation, and for the creation of temporal recordings of activities in the virtual scene. A further objective of this work is the realization of a coherent interaction space for direct 3D input across the independent interaction territories in multi-display setups. This requires the simultaneous consideration of user input in several potential interaction windows as well as configurable disambiguation schemes for the implicit selection of distinct interaction contexts. We generalized the required implementation structures into a high-level software pattern and demonstrated its versatility by means of various multi-context 3D interaction tools. Additionally, this work tackles specific problems related to group navigation in multiuser projection systems. Joint navigation of a collocated group of users can lead to unintentional collisions when passing narrow scene sections. In this context, we suggest various solutions that prevent individual collisions during group navigation and discuss their effect on the perceived integrity of the travel group and the 3D scene. For collaboration scenarios involving distributed user groups, we furthermore explored different configurations for joint and individual travel. Last but not least, this thesis provides detailed information and implementation templates for the realization of the proposed interaction techniques and collaborative workspaces in scenegraph-based VR systems. These contributions to the abstraction of specific interaction patterns, such as group navigation and multi-window interaction, facilitate their reuse in other virtual reality systems and their adaptation to further collaborative scenarios.},
  subject      = {Virtuelle Realit{\"a}t},
  language  = {en}
}