SkyVIV takes flight to predict crop yields A forward-thinking startup is using drone imaging to make long-term investment & in agriculture less risky and more profitable, writes William Hicks Mr Vivatvong (left) holds a fixed-wing drone from SenseFly. A young drone imaging startup is looking to unlock the secret of how to predict crop yields solely from a series of multi-spectral aerial images.Sky Visual Imaging Venture (SkyVIV) hopes to expand the agriculture side of its business, and doing this means figuring out the correlation between drone images taken at various wavelengths and crop yields. The startup is working with professors from Thailand and the Netherlands along with outside data scientists to determine the correlation, which if found first could lead to a huge windfall of new customers and profits for SkyVIV. Vivatvong Vichit-Vadakan, chief executive of SkyVIV, said his company has almost three years of data to work with from taking … [Read more...] about SkyVIV takes flight to predict crop yields
Accurate tarot predictions
Researchers develop algorithm for better robot-human synergy
A team of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an algorithm that accurately tells robots where nearby humans are headed - a discovery that may help humans and robots work together in close proximity. Researchers at MIT and the auto manufacturer BMW have been testing ways since last year in which humans and robots might work in close proximity to assemble car parts. Members of that same MIT team applied the new algorithm to the BMW factory floor experiments and found that instead of freezing in place, the robot simply rolled on and was safely out of the way by the time the person walked by again. "This algorithm builds in components that help a robot understand and monitor stops and overlaps in movement -- a core part of human motion," said Julie Shah, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. "This technique is one of the many way we're working on robots better understanding people," she added. Shah and her colleagues, including … [Read more...] about Researchers develop algorithm for better robot-human synergy
In the age of online maps, who needs street directories anymore?
SINGAPORE: During Chinese New Year last year, retiree Kenneth Tang wanted to visit his sister-in-law at her home in Upper Bukit Timah, in a relatively secluded area he was unfamiliar with.Instead of getting driving directions with a few taps of his smartphone, the 64-year-old sat in his living room, put on his reading glasses and studied the route on the pages of his 2018 street directory.“I think GPS is more convenient and better in many ways, but I use road directories because I can have a better idea of how to get to the place I am going to,” he told CNA.Mr Tang said the directory allows for more flexible alternative route planning in the event of congestion, and gives a clearer picture of nearby car parks – crucial for peak times when every lot has been snapped up.“I use road directories also because I have been using it for years, long before GPS was available,” he added. “My friends and I who are from the older generation have been … [Read more...] about In the age of online maps, who needs street directories anymore?
Australia election result stokes mistrust in opinion polls
The failure of opinion polls to tip a conservative win in Australia's elections has raised questions about their credibility just years after similar errors in forecasting Brexit and Donald Trump's victory in the US. Australia's ruling Liberal-National coalition claimed a shock victory in Saturday's election, after two years of trailing the opposition Labor Party in every major national poll. The polls showed a slight tightening between the two main parties with Labor ahead roughly 51-49 just before the election. The tentative result, pending final results from the Australian Electoral Commission, shows the coalition instead ahead 51-49 on Monday. "Why did we have such an amazing sequence of polls in a row that all got the same (results)?" Australian polling analyst Kevin Bonham told AFP of the years of polling that pointed to a Labor victory. Most media routinely rely on polls -- surveys of hundreds, sometimes thousands of voters by phone or online -- to flag political trends and tip … [Read more...] about Australia election result stokes mistrust in opinion polls
‘Great journalism holds the mirror to our souls’
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By Kathy English Public Editor Thu., May 2, 2019 Why does journalism matter? I asked. You answered. In anticipation of today’s World News Day, a time to recognize and celebrate the power of journalism to make a difference in people’s lives, I asked for your perspectives on why journalism matters to you. The responses, as always when I reach out to Star readers for your views were (for the most part) thoughtful and constructive, showing tremendous insight into the value of the public service mission of journalism and deep appreciation both for journalism’s purpose in our democracy and for the work of journalists who aspire to journalism’s highest ideals. Thank you to all who participated. Here is some of why you believe #NewsMatters: Good journalism speaks truth in the face of lies, without fear or prejudice. When the public is confused by those with powerful self-interest, then the duty of the journalist is to lay bare the facts as (s)he … [Read more...] about ‘Great journalism holds the mirror to our souls’