IEEE Potentials

Seismic exploration instruments and geophysical techniques developed in the 20th century have dramatically expanded our knowledge of the oceanic crust. This article is a review of the history, development and implementation of these tools. View full abstract»

Discusses the spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) method in seismic sounding. The characteristics of the method are described together with the uses that it can be put View full abstract»

Information is a very critical asset in today's organizations. Organizations use database systems and the information within them to automate various functions. Due to its importance, information protection is a critical component of the database management system (DBMS). Information protection is the goal of a secure DBMS. When designing such a system, tradeoffs between operating environment, eco... View full abstract»

Diverse architectural approaches have been taken to support Internet infrastructures within various countries around the world. The different methods are often based on the individual country's circumstances and goals. We review the technical components and the technologies central to all Internet architectures before looking at how, why and what architectures are used in the USA, the Netherlands ... View full abstract»

Visual cryptography is a secret sharing scheme that uses the human visual system to perform computations. In this article, we present some background to traditional secret-sharing schemes, then explain visual schemes, describing some of the basic construction techniques used. topics discussed include: two out of two scheme, two out of n schemes, and graph access structures View full abstract»

The author discusses the history of telecommunication networks and the development of fiber networks. The expansion of capacity is considered as is the introduction of DWDM (dense wave division multiplexing) View full abstract»

Steganography is the art (as well as the science) of communicating in a hidden way. It is referred to as “transmission security”, or TRANSEC in military literature. Its goal is to hide messages inside other “harmless” messages in such a way that an “enemy” would not even know a second secret message was present. The history of steganography is discussed as is th... View full abstract»

Non-violent crime has found a goldmine of opportunity in the computer world. What constitutes a crime and how it impacts people as a society and individually is very slowly being worked out. The next few years will surely bring changes and decisions that will affect everyone. The pace in which the legal system currently moves is slow. This is to try to ensure fairness to all the parties involved: ... View full abstract»

In 1989, university lecturers started planning for the Stellenbosch University Satellite (SUNSAT), South Africa's first microsatellite. Students have designed and tested virtually all the electronics and much of the mechanics. The goals of the project are: enrichment of the graduate training program, promoting international cooperation and recognition for the university and country, and stimulatin... View full abstract»

Turbo codes which represent a breakthrough in coding for wireless transmission are discussed. They can achieve very low error rates (in the range of 10^-5) while operating at less than 1 dB above the Shannon bound. In contrast, most current systems using conventional codes operate at 3 to 6 dB away from this bound. View full abstract»

Engineering education in Spain has a long tradition exceeding 150 years. Its traditional character has always been complemented by an effort to work with the social, industrial and international environment of each era. The last great change has taken place in the last ten years (1986-1996) by: (1) expanding the number of engineering degrees offered; and (2) profoundly changing the various curricu... View full abstract»