Inverse and related problems in statistics. Modern statistical inverse problems arise in fields from astronomy and biology to engineering and finance. Sometimes the problems involve the analysis of small samples of very high dimensional data, and are central to information aquisition in areas such as genomics and signal analysis. All these topics are of significant national importance, and their solution will bring national and community benefits. In addition, the program to which the proposa ....Inverse and related problems in statistics. Modern statistical inverse problems arise in fields from astronomy and biology to engineering and finance. Sometimes the problems involve the analysis of small samples of very high dimensional data, and are central to information aquisition in areas such as genomics and signal analysis. All these topics are of significant national importance, and their solution will bring national and community benefits. In addition, the program to which the proposal will lead will be used extensively for research training. In Australia, where the demand for research-trained statisticians greatly exceeds supply, this contribution to the nation and the community will be particularly important. Read moreRead less
Theory and application of computer-intensive, nonparametric statistical methods. The availability of increasingly powerful computing equipment continues to have a dramatic impact on statistical methods and thinking. These developments, combined with new technologies for generating data, are driving substantial changes in statistics, ranging from the types of problems being solved to the sorts of methods used to solve them. Both the problems and their solutions are of substantial national and c ....Theory and application of computer-intensive, nonparametric statistical methods. The availability of increasingly powerful computing equipment continues to have a dramatic impact on statistical methods and thinking. These developments, combined with new technologies for generating data, are driving substantial changes in statistics, ranging from the types of problems being solved to the sorts of methods used to solve them. Both the problems and their solutions are of substantial national and community benefit. They will be the subject of high-level research supported by this proposal. Read moreRead less
Nonparametric Statistical Methods -- New Directions, Theory and Applications. The research program will take Australia to the forefront of contemporary work in nonparametric statistics, and assist greatly in the training of a new generation of Australian statistical scientists. It will contribute significantly to restoring the health of this strategically important field, in Australian universities and in the nation more generally. The projects outlined in the proposal address problems arising ....Nonparametric Statistical Methods -- New Directions, Theory and Applications. The research program will take Australia to the forefront of contemporary work in nonparametric statistics, and assist greatly in the training of a new generation of Australian statistical scientists. It will contribute significantly to restoring the health of this strategically important field, in Australian universities and in the nation more generally. The projects outlined in the proposal address problems arising in astronomy, economics, engineering, defence, health and image analysis, but the potential areas of impact are broader even than this. This diversity illustrates the extraordinary potential, and strategic significance, of statistics to Australia. Read moreRead less
Information Geometry and Compressive Sensing for Radar and Communications. Australia's vast distances, thin population and extensive sea approaches force us to place heavy reliance on telecommunications and the remote sensing that radar and other modalities can provide. This project will enchance capabilities in sensing to provide more reliable, robust and cost effective communications and surveillance over a wide area.
Aggregating Generalised Stochastic Petri Nets for improved Performance Analysis. Australia's economy is very dependent on the operation of complex man-made systems. Important examples are telecommunication networks and services (e.g. the Internet), manufacturing plants, organisational processes, military logistics and transport systems (e.g. air traffic control). The performance of these systems is critical to their success. Thus being able to predict performance before systems are implemented i ....Aggregating Generalised Stochastic Petri Nets for improved Performance Analysis. Australia's economy is very dependent on the operation of complex man-made systems. Important examples are telecommunication networks and services (e.g. the Internet), manufacturing plants, organisational processes, military logistics and transport systems (e.g. air traffic control). The performance of these systems is critical to their success. Thus being able to predict performance before systems are implemented is very important in their design. This project will develop leading-edge performance analysis techniques and tools for an important class of practical systems. There is potential to commercialise the resulting tools and methodology and to transfer the expertise to industry.Read moreRead less
Maximizing Dimensional Efficiency With Minimal Cardinality Pattern Combinations. Making optimal use of dimensional capacity is often fundamental to the efficiency of processes in science and industry. Many important applications use combinations of patterns to achieve this. For example, in paper and in steel manufacturing, reels are divided lengthwise into cutting patterns, combined so as to minimize waste. In medicine, radiation patterns are combined to effectively treat cancerous tumours. ....Maximizing Dimensional Efficiency With Minimal Cardinality Pattern Combinations. Making optimal use of dimensional capacity is often fundamental to the efficiency of processes in science and industry. Many important applications use combinations of patterns to achieve this. For example, in paper and in steel manufacturing, reels are divided lengthwise into cutting patterns, combined so as to minimize waste. In medicine, radiation patterns are combined to effectively treat cancerous tumours. By addressing the common mathematical structure underlying pattern combination, this project will account for a hitherto neglected critical factor - the solution cardinality - making fully optimized solutions available for the first time to many applications in science and industry.Read moreRead less
New Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth Optimisation with Application to Integer Programming. Mathematical optimisation plays a key role in a wide variety of applications in business, industry, engineering and science. For example, airlines cannot fly and radiation treatment for cancer cannot be delivered without solving (a series of) optimisation problems. Some classes of optimisation problem are very well solved, with clear mathematical foundations, efficient algorithms, and reliable software ....New Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth Optimisation with Application to Integer Programming. Mathematical optimisation plays a key role in a wide variety of applications in business, industry, engineering and science. For example, airlines cannot fly and radiation treatment for cancer cannot be delivered without solving (a series of) optimisation problems. Some classes of optimisation problem are very well solved, with clear mathematical foundations, efficient algorithms, and reliable software implementations. Both nonsmooth and integer optimisation problems have a good mathematical basis, but there are "gaps"; existing methods cannot always solve real industrial problems. This project will deliver better methods, built on better theory, and so will yield better solutions for important applications.Read moreRead less
Doubly Stochastic Matrices & The Hamiltonian Cycle Problem. The classical hard problem of determining whether a given graph possesses a Hamiltonian cycle contains the essential difficulty of the famous 'Travelling Salesman Problem'. A characterisation of this difficulty in terms of variability of returns (to the initial state) in a controlled stochastic process will be a significant conceptual advance with repercussions in a number of fields including optimisation and theoretical computer scien ....Doubly Stochastic Matrices & The Hamiltonian Cycle Problem. The classical hard problem of determining whether a given graph possesses a Hamiltonian cycle contains the essential difficulty of the famous 'Travelling Salesman Problem'. A characterisation of this difficulty in terms of variability of returns (to the initial state) in a controlled stochastic process will be a significant conceptual advance with repercussions in a number of fields including optimisation and theoretical computer science. Algorithmic advances exploiting such a characterisation will significantly contribute to existing technologies for solving problems in applications ranging from logistics to cryptography. Since TSP describes certain efficient ways of routing its applicability to information networks is clear.Read moreRead less
WaterLog - A mathematical model to implement recommendations of The Wentworth Group. In 2003, The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists released their 'Blueprint for a national water plan' with the primary objective to 'protect river health and the rights of all Australians to clean usable water'. Currently, there are significant water restrictions in all the Australian mainland capital cities. In January 2007, the Prime Minister of Australia, announced a bold plan to rescue the Murray-Darling ....WaterLog - A mathematical model to implement recommendations of The Wentworth Group. In 2003, The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists released their 'Blueprint for a national water plan' with the primary objective to 'protect river health and the rights of all Australians to clean usable water'. Currently, there are significant water restrictions in all the Australian mainland capital cities. In January 2007, the Prime Minister of Australia, announced a bold plan to rescue the Murray-Darling Basin. The plan incorporates political management changes, and an investment of $10Bn. Now is the time to develop improved techniques for management of water storage systems. This project will develop the fundamental mathematical principles required for this improved management.Read moreRead less
A theoretical investigation into the effect of nonlinear wave interactions in promoting transition-to-turbulence. The problem of transition-to-turbulence remains one of the fundamental unanswered questions in fluid dynamics. An understanding of the processes leading to transition is necessary if the active control of turbulence is to be achieved. This project will focus attention on a new class of waves, which have only recently been described the CI, in order to determine how they are triggered ....A theoretical investigation into the effect of nonlinear wave interactions in promoting transition-to-turbulence. The problem of transition-to-turbulence remains one of the fundamental unanswered questions in fluid dynamics. An understanding of the processes leading to transition is necessary if the active control of turbulence is to be achieved. This project will focus attention on a new class of waves, which have only recently been described the CI, in order to determine how they are triggered and how they may serve to actively promote the early development of turbulence in a broad class of fluid flows.Read moreRead less