@inproceedings{MelzerDuennweberBaumann, author = {Melzer, Matthias and D{\"u}nnweber, Jan and Baumann, Timo}, title = {Towards Smart Home Data Interpretation Using Analogies to Natural Language Processing}, series = {2022 IEEE International Conference on Smart Internet of Things: IEEE SmartIoT 2022, proceedings, 19-21 August 2022, Suzhou, China, hybrid conference (onsite and virtual)}, booktitle = {2022 IEEE International Conference on Smart Internet of Things: IEEE SmartIoT 2022, proceedings, 19-21 August 2022, Suzhou, China, hybrid conference (onsite and virtual)}, publisher = {IEEE}, isbn = {978-1-6654-7952-3}, doi = {10.1109/SmartIoT55134.2022.00020}, pages = {65 -- 71}, abstract = {Recent advances in the development of smart homes have led to the availability of a wide variety of devices providing a high level of convenience via gesture and speech control or fully automated operation. Many smart home appliances also address the aspects of safety and electricity savings by automatically powering themselves off after not being used for a while. However, many devices remain in a typical household that are not themselves "smart", or are not primarily electric (such as heating systems). We address the savings aspect by identifying processes involving the use of multiple devices in the electrical flow data, as captured by a smart meter in a modern household, rather than focusing on a single appliance. Therefore, we introduce a novel approach to usage pattern analysis based on the idea that a pattern of device usages as a result of a resident's 'routine' (such as making breakfast) can be interpreted similarly to a natural language 'sentence'; Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms can then be used for interpreting the residents' behavior. We introduce the notion of bag-of-devices (BoD), derived from the bag-of-words model used in document classification. In an experiment, we show how we use this model to infer predictions about the inhabitants from device usage, such as the resident leaving for the day or just to fetch the newspaper.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ThelenEderMelzeretal., author = {Thelen, Simon and Eder, Friedrich and Melzer, Matthias and Nunes, Danilo Weber and Stadler, Michael and Rechenauer, Christian and Obergrießer, Mathias and Jubeh, Ruben and Volbert, Klaus and D{\"u}nnweber, Jan}, title = {A Slim Digital Twin For A Smart City And Its Residents}, series = {SOICT '23: Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Information and Communication Technology, 2023, Hi Chi Minh, Vietnam}, booktitle = {SOICT '23: Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Information and Communication Technology, 2023, Hi Chi Minh, Vietnam}, publisher = {ACM}, isbn = {979-8-4007-0891-6}, doi = {10.1145/3628797.3628936}, pages = {8 -- 15}, abstract = {In the engineering domain, representing real-world objects using a body of data, called a digital twin, which is frequently updated by "live" measurements, has shown various advantages over tradi- tional modelling and simulation techniques. Consequently, urban planners have a strong interest in digital twin technology, since it provides them with a laboratory for experimenting with data before making far-reaching decisions. Realizing these decisions involves the work of professionals in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) domain who nowadays collaborate via the methodology of building information modeling (BIM). At the same time, the citizen plays an integral role both in the data acquisition phase, while also being a beneficiary of the improved resource management strategies. In this paper, we present a prototype for a "digital energy twin" platform we designed in cooperation with the city of Regensburg. We show how our extensible platform de- sign can satisfy the various requirements of multiple user groups through a series of data processing solutions and visualizations, in- dicating valuable design and implementation guidelines for future projects. In particular, we focus on two example use cases concern- ing building electricity monitoring and BIM. By implementing a flexible data processing architecture we can involve citizens in the data acquisition process, meeting the demands of modern users regarding maximum transparency in the handling of their data.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{VoelklMelzerDuennweberetal., author = {V{\"o}lkl, Jakob and Melzer, Matthias and D{\"u}nnweber, Jan and Sarkar, Amitrajit}, title = {Dynamic Route Planning for a Data Collecting Luggage Transport Service}, series = {18th IEEE International Conference on Control \& Automation, June 18-21, 2024, Reykjav{\´i}k, Iceland}, booktitle = {18th IEEE International Conference on Control \& Automation, June 18-21, 2024, Reykjav{\´i}k, Iceland}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {Control and Automation of services of the urban infrastructure offered to citizens and tourists are elementary parts of a smart city. But both rely on a stable supply of data from sensors spread across the whole city, e. g., the fill level sensors of waste bins needed for a waste management tool which we developed in a collaboration with the Regensburg city council for the on-demand collection of waste bins. Europe has a lot of historic cities like Regensburg with narrow streets and huge building walls, some made from granite and fieldstones, which often represents an insurmountable obstacle to wireless data transmission. The reduction of the road traffic volume poses an additional challenge for city planners. By means of networked planning and simulation software, the situation, state and efficiency of citywide logistic services can be monitored and optimized. In the course of such optimizations, we propose the combination of digital and logistic services. As an example, we show that monitoring state information, such as the waste bin fill levels, can be accomplished using the same vehicles and the same planning software, that is used for luggage transportation. Moreover, we describe how we adapted a solver for a variant of the TSP, namely the prize-collecting traveling salesman, to optimize the route planning dynamically.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{HuangMelzerDuennweber, author = {Huang, Wenfei and Melzer, Matthias and D{\"u}nnweber, Jan}, title = {Optimizing Smart Retail by Experiment Using an Online AI Model Exploration Interface}, series = {2024 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), 15-18 December 2024, Orlando, FL, USA}, booktitle = {2024 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), 15-18 December 2024, Orlando, FL, USA}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/WSC63780.2024.10838897}, pages = {2631 -- 2642}, abstract = {Smart retail technologies save grocery store operators a lot of work. At the same time, these technologies produce valuable data for building sustainable and economical inventory management strategies. AI models can be trained for sales forecasting using the data. The forecasts support the provisioning of fresh food over the whole week and help reducing food waste. In this paper, we present a Web portal which we developed to allow grocery store operators experiments with AI models revealing interrelations between observed and anticipated customer behavior. Clickable diagrams facilitate the exploration of data sets combining historical data and synthetically generated data. Pricing and ordering can be adapted accordingly to the simulated forecasts. By means of a case study, we show that our simulations are not only useful for predicting future sales but for other smart retail tasks as well.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{DuennweberLorenzBraeuetal., author = {D{\"u}nnweber, Jan and Lorenz, Marcel and Br{\"a}u, Fabian and Saito, Hiroshi and Melzer, Matthias}, title = {Driving out the Bears from the Suburbs by Means of Location Theory and Intelligent Agents}, series = {Proceedings of the ACM 12th International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction, ACI 2025: The International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction ; Indiana USA ; 01-04.12.2025}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the ACM 12th International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction, ACI 2025: The International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction ; Indiana USA ; 01-04.12.2025}, publisher = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, isbn = {9798400721236}, doi = {10.1145/3768539.3768546}, pages = {9}, abstract = {Due to the recent surge in bear attacks, affected municipalities have taken various measures to drive out the intruders. Political considerations include, in many places, the expansion of shooting permits. More and more regional governmental authorities invest in technologies for efficient bear hunting, such as IP cameras and computer vision. From an ecological perspective, such procedures, which are all solely aimed at decreasing the bear population, are questionable, since ecosystems can benefit from a peaceful coexistence of bears with humans: Bears remove animal carcasses and thus return vital nutrients to the soil and prevent the spread of diseases. Moreover, the bears keep the deer population in check, which is advantageous for the forest vegetation. Conflicts start, once the bears intrude populated areas, which are often rural villages and suburbs with a low population density. Naturally, bears do not see humans as prey and respect their size. When the animal attacks, this happens rather for territorial or protective reasons, e. g., after an unexpected encounter with humans unsettled it. In this work, we analyze means to eradicate the danger: We dynamically apply Weiszfeld's algorithm for finding the shifting geometric median between time-windowed black bear sightings and use the results for implementing an early warning system. In addition, we weigh the spotted locations and predict the expected migration behavior between bear habitats using a simulation with intelligent agents. As a case study, we apply our software to data from Romania and Fukushima and identify the positions where bear repelling facilities should be placed most effectively.}, language = {en} }