1999

World Telecommunications Economics

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 01:43:12 GMT

This book bridges the worlds of the economist, the engineer, the regulator and the manager. It outlines the technology of the subject in sufficient detail to provide an understanding of the industry's economics, and presents a comprehensive picture of the markets into which its products and services are sold.

Service supply monopolies are dissolving under the combined pressures of technological change, managerial inventiveness and regulation, leading the industry into uncharted waters. Competition is appearing in the local loop. International telecommunications services have been among the fastest to change, both technologically and in market structure. These developments, along with resale operations and their associated cost structures are analysed, as are the comparative advantages of satellite and cable systems.

There are good economic reasons for optimism about what these changes will bring, not least in more efficient pricing and resource allocation, but important matters of public welfare are at stake, and these too are discussed.

Examples and statistics are drawn across the full range of the world's nations, offering insights which may be missed when concentrating on the rich countries alone. While the book is of most value to industry professionals, the clarity of its analysis makes it useful to anyone with a business or academic interest in telecommunications

Telecommunications Signalling

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 01:37:33 GMT

As the Information Age evolves, customers need communications of high quality, excellent value and widespread mobility. The response is to establish efficient networks carrying a wide range of services. Signalling is at the heart of this revolution, energising networks to meet customer expectations.

This book gives an introduction to the principles of signalling systems along with an in-depth examination of their architecture. Modern signalling systems are described in detail, including Signalling System No.7 and the Digital Subscriber Systems, while older systems are outlined in the appendices. Chapters are devoted to signalling for mobile networks, intelligent networks and private networks. Signalling interworking, the role in network management and meeting broadband requirements are also covered. Internet technologies are coming to the fore and a chapter explains some common Internet Protocols and highlights the striking similarities with telecommunications systems. The glossary and list of abbreviations cut through the maze of jargon.

The book will appeal to a wide range of readership. Reading the chapters in sequence will provide a comprehensive description of signalling. Communications experts will find the chapter summaries useful in selecting appropriate text. Experts in specialised areas of signalling can use the book to expand their range of knowledge.

Satellite Communication Systems, 3rd Edition

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 01:30:12 GMT

This updated and extended new edition has been compiled from the course material of the highly successful IEE Vacation School of the same name. The vacation school was designed to give a broad introduction to the subject of satellite communications and provide the background knowledge and tools of the trade for those entering the field. The 3rd edition of the book continues this theme and up-to-date information on mobile and personal satellite constellations, navigation and positioning, and military and small satellite systems has been added, as well as a look to future Ka-band multimedia systems. We have also included updated ITU information and sections on history, organisation and the satellite business. The book differs from others on the subject in its pragmatic and engineering-oriented approach. The contributors are all current practitioners from industry or academics specialising in the field.

The book is ideal for undergraduate or postgraduate students and practising engineers meeting the subject for the first time. However, it also providers the breadth and detail that make it suitable as a reference text.

Radio Spectrum Management, 2nd Edition

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 01:29:04 GMT

Vast numbers of radio systems are now in use, and with new users and new uses constantly emerging, these systems have the potential to interfere with each other.

National agencies are empowered to control the use of radio to ensure that systems within their jurisdiction do not disrupt each other's services. Interference may also arise between radio systems operating in different countries. An elaborate code of regulations has been agreed, under the aegis of the International Telecommunication Union, to facilitate cooperation between the national agencies to control interference across frontiers. The Union also provides the global forum for the standardisation of radio systems where this has been found to be desirable.

For some kinds of radio system, especially broadcasting and land mobile radio, governments may also find it necessary to determine which of the organisations competing to provide radio facilities for public use should be licensed and which should not. This process is known as regulation.

Intended as a handbook for administrators and engineers, this book reviews the processes of interference management, regulation of competing service providers and system standardisation for the control and use of the radio spectrum. At a time when telecommunication services and broadcasting are being liberalised in many countries, this book will also provide new operators of radio facilities, private and public, with valuable insights into the regulatory process.

The Correspondence of Michael Faraday

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:22:06 GMT

Michael Faraday (1791-1867) was one of the most important men of science in nineteenth century Britain. His discoveries of electromagnetic rotations (1821) and electro-magnetic induction (1831) laid the foundations of the modern electrical industry. His discovery of the magneto-optical effect and diamagnetism (1845) led him to formulate the field theory of electro-magnetism, which forms one of the cornerstones of modern physics, and is one of the subjects covered in this volume.

These and a whole host of other fundamental discoveries in physics and chemistry together with his lecturing for the Royal Institution, his work for the state (including Trinity House), his religious beliefs and his lack of mathematical ability, make Faraday one of the most fascinating scientists ever.

All these aspects of his life and work, and others such as his illnesses, are reflected in his correspondence. This volume, in which nearly two thirds of the letters are previously unpublished, covers 1849 and the first half of the 1850s. Topics covered in this volume include Faraday's extensive work on terrestrial and atmospheric magnetism, the beginning of the electrification of lighthouses, his work on the theory of telegraphic retardation, his advice to various government departments on the prosecution of the war against Russia, his possible second (and thus final) exclusion from the Sandemanian Church and the controversy over his views on table turning.

Major correspondents in this volume include the Astronomer Royal G.B. Airy, the Irish chemist Thomas Andrews, the Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University William Thomson, the Secretary of the Royal Institution John Barlow, the physician Henry Bence Jones, the Genevan savant and politician August De La Rive, the French chemist and politician J.B. Dumas, the mathematician Charles Babbage, the new Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution John Tyndall, the engineer I.K. Brunel, the philanthropist Angela Burdett Coutts, the lawyer and natural philosopher William Robert Grove, the assistant secretary of the Royal Institution and co-religionist Benjamin Vincent, the Secretary of Trinity House Jacob Herbert, the German mathematician Julius Plucker, the director of the 'magnetic crusade' and Royal Society officer Edward Sabine, the Swiss chemist Christian Schoenbein and the Cambridge philosopher William Whewell.

Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS)

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 23:28:03 GMT

The rapid development of power electronics technology provides exciting opportunities to develop new power system equipment for better utilisation of existing systems. Deregulation of the supply industry worlwide, and the resulting competition, is forcing utilities to operate their facilities at ever higher efficiency, driving this trend. During the last decade, a number of control devices under the term flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS) technology have been proposed and implemented. This book provides a comprehensive guide to FACTS, covering all the major aspects in research and development of FACTS technologies. Various real-world applications are also included to demonstrate the issues and benefits of applying FACTS. Written by international experts in the field from both industry and academia, this book will be a useful reference for professional engineers involved in the operation and control of modern power systems. It will also be of value to postgraduate students and researchers.

Understanding Radar Systems

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 23:05:21 GMT

What is radar? What systems are currently in use? How do they work? Understanding Radar Systems provides engineers and scientists with answers to these critical questions, focusing on actual radar systems in use today. It's the perfect resource for those just entering the field or a quick refresher for experienced practitioners. The book leads readers through the specialized language and calculations that comprise the complex world of modern radar engineering as seen in dozens of state-of-the-art radar systems. The authors stress practical concepts that apply to all radar, keeping math to a minimum. Most of the book is based on real radar systems rather than theoretical studies. The result is a valuable, easy-to-use guide that makes the difficult parts of the field easier and helps readers do performance calculations quickly and easily.

Electromagnetic Mixing Formulas and Applications

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:14:23 GMT

The book discusses homogenisation principles and mixing rules for the determination of the macroscopic dielectric and magnetic properties of different types of media. The effects of structure and anisotropy are discussed in detail, as well as mixtures involving chiral and nonlinear materials. High frequency scattering phenomena and dispersive properties are also discussed.

The book includes analysis of special phenomena that the mixing process can cause, such as the difference in character between a mixture and its constituent parts. Mixing results are applied to different materials in geophysics and biology. Reference is also made to the historical perspectives of dielectric modelling. Examples are included throughout the text.

Aimed at students with research interests in electromagnetics or materials science, the book is also useful as a textbook in universities, as a handbook of mixing principles, and as a sourcebook for composite material design.

Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis of Passive and Active Planar Structures

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:00:08 GMT

Historically, electromagnetics and complex circuit modelling existed as separate disciplines, each with their own tools, models and even languages. More recently, however, the emergence of very high-speed digital circuits and pressure on the telecommunications market to move towards microwave and millimetre wave bands are increasing the need to find ways to combine the two fields.

The consumer market demands low cost mass production devices operating at higher frequencies where the finite dimensions of the circuits with respect to wavelength can no longer be ignored. Similarly, integrated planar microwave circuits pose new modelling challenges, as neither conductors nor dielectrics can be considered as ideal at these frequencies and, consequently, most techniques and formulas developed over the past twenty years for dealing with ideal thin conductors no longer model the physical reality.

These challenges are the main subject of this book which investigates analytical techniques encompassing the linear modelling of passive and active - in particular FET - structures. This timely book was primarily conceived as a bridge between the mathematical abilities of the pure EM theorist and those of the FET circuit modeller. However the resulting text will be of equal benefit to researchers in microwave and millimetric components and as a textbook for specialised courses.

Symbolic Methods in Control System Analysis and Design

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 21:39:13 GMT

Symbolic computing has made a significant impact in the field of control engineering. This book, which brings together contributions from leading international experts in the field, provides an up-to-date treatment of various issues in system modelling, analysis, design and synthesis methods.

Coverage includes:

the application of multidimensional Laplace transforms to the modelling of nonlinear elements
a survey of customised computer algebra modelling programs for multibody dynamical systems
central results for the analysis and robust control of single-input single-output linear systems using a new linear programming approach
differential and real algebra for dealing with systems of polynomial equations and inequalities for nonlinear systems, and the computational aspects of algebraic and geometric invariants for both certain and uncertain systems
the dynamic sliding mode approach to the robust control of both linear and nonlinear systems, and robust pole assignment for parametric uncertain linear systems
the development and testing of a new branch-and-bound algorithm for global optimisation, using symbolic algebra techniques
an overview and assessment of the use of symbolic computation programs in the analysis and design of control systems.

The book will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers in control engineering.

Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:56:42 GMT

Modern computing systems of all kinds accumulate various data at an almost unimaginable rate. Alongside the advances in technology that make such storage possible has grown a realisation that buried within this mass of data there may exist some knowledge of considerable value. This could be information critical for a company's business success or something leading to a scientific or medical discovery or breakthrough. Most data is simply stored and never examined, but machine-learning technology has the potential to extract knowledge of value (i.e. data mining).

This book considers knowledge discovery - which has been defined as 'the extraction of implicit, previously unknown and potentially useful information from data' - and data mining. Six chapters examine technical issues of considerable practical importance to the future development of this field; issues such as how to overcome feature interaction problems, analysis of outliers, rule discovery, the use of background knowledge, temporal patterns and online analysis processing. There then follow six chapters which describe applications in fields as diverse as medical and health information, meteorology, organic chemistry and the electricity supply industry.

The book grew from a colloquium held in 1998 by the IEE, co-sponsored by the British Computer Society Specialist Group on Expert Systems (BCS-SGES), the Society for Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB) and the International Society for Artificial Intelligence and Education (AIED). The chapters have been expanded considerably from papers presented, and all have been fully refereed.