Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Abdollahzadeh, S.; Allili, M. S.; Boulmerka, A.; Lapointe, J. -F.
A Vision-Based Framework for Safe Landing Zone Mapping of UAVs in Dynamic Environments Journal Article
In: IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society, vol. 7, pp. 492–503, 2026, ISSN: 26441268 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Aerial vehicle, Air navigation, Aircraft detection, Aircraft landing, Antennas, automatic UAV navigation, Computer vision, Dynamic environments, Forecasting, Homographies, Landing zones, Learning systems, Motion tracking, Object detection, Object recognition, Object Tracking, object trajectory prediction, Robotics, Safe landing, Safe landing zone, safe landing zones (SLZ), Semantic segmentation, Semantics, Trajectories, Trajectory forecasting, Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned aerial vehicle, Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)
@article{abdollahzadeh_vision-based_2026,
title = {A Vision-Based Framework for Safe Landing Zone Mapping of UAVs in Dynamic Environments},
author = {S. Abdollahzadeh and M. S. Allili and A. Boulmerka and J. -F. Lapointe},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105029942397&doi=10.1109%2FOJCS.2026.3663268&partnerID=40&md5=b11484e035458c84b1d3f6780b92c91c},
doi = {10.1109/OJCS.2026.3663268},
issn = {26441268 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society},
volume = {7},
pages = {492–503},
abstract = {Identification safe landing zones (SLZ) for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is important to ensure reliable and safe navigation, especially when they are operated in complex and safety-critical environments. However, this is a challenging task due to obstacles and UAV motion. This paper proposes a vision-based framework that maps SLZs in dynamic scenes by integrating several functionalities for analyzing visually static and dynamic aspects of a scene. Static analysis is achieved through context-aware segmentation which divides the image into thematic classes enabling to identify suitable landing surfaces (e.g., roads, grass). For dynamic content analysis, we combine object detection, tracking, and trajectory prediction to determine object occupancy and identify regions free of obstacles. Trajectory prediction is performed through a novel encoder–decoder architecture taking past object positions to predict the most likely future locations. To ensure stable and robust trajectory prediction, we introduce an optimized homography computation using multi-scale image analysis and cumulative updates to compensate UAV motion. We tested our framework on different operational scenarios, including urban and natural scenes with moving objects like vehicles and pedestrians. Obtained results demonstrate its strong performance, and its significant potential for enabling autonomous and safe UAV navigation. © 2020 IEEE.},
keywords = {Aerial vehicle, Air navigation, Aircraft detection, Aircraft landing, Antennas, automatic UAV navigation, Computer vision, Dynamic environments, Forecasting, Homographies, Landing zones, Learning systems, Motion tracking, Object detection, Object recognition, Object Tracking, object trajectory prediction, Robotics, Safe landing, Safe landing zone, safe landing zones (SLZ), Semantic segmentation, Semantics, Trajectories, Trajectory forecasting, Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned aerial vehicle, Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Identification safe landing zones (SLZ) for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is important to ensure reliable and safe navigation, especially when they are operated in complex and safety-critical environments. However, this is a challenging task due to obstacles and UAV motion. This paper proposes a vision-based framework that maps SLZs in dynamic scenes by integrating several functionalities for analyzing visually static and dynamic aspects of a scene. Static analysis is achieved through context-aware segmentation which divides the image into thematic classes enabling to identify suitable landing surfaces (e.g., roads, grass). For dynamic content analysis, we combine object detection, tracking, and trajectory prediction to determine object occupancy and identify regions free of obstacles. Trajectory prediction is performed through a novel encoder–decoder architecture taking past object positions to predict the most likely future locations. To ensure stable and robust trajectory prediction, we introduce an optimized homography computation using multi-scale image analysis and cumulative updates to compensate UAV motion. We tested our framework on different operational scenarios, including urban and natural scenes with moving objects like vehicles and pedestrians. Obtained results demonstrate its strong performance, and its significant potential for enabling autonomous and safe UAV navigation. © 2020 IEEE.
2.
Ameyoud, S. Mohamed; Allili, M. Saïd
Multi-modal malware classification with hierarchical consistency and saliency-constrained adversarial training Journal Article
In: Journal of Information Security and Applications, vol. 99, 2026, ISSN: 22142134 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adversarial training, Capability of detection, Classification (of information), Convolution, convolutional neural network, Convolutional neural networks, Detection system, Hierarchical consistency, Hierarchical systems, Malware, Malware classification, Malware classifications, Malware families, Malwares, Multi-modal, Multi-modal learning, Semantics, Vision transformer, Vision transformers
@article{mohamed_ameyoud_multi-modal_2026,
title = {Multi-modal malware classification with hierarchical consistency and saliency-constrained adversarial training},
author = {S. Mohamed Ameyoud and M. Saïd Allili},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105031186108&doi=10.1016%2Fj.jisa.2026.104429&partnerID=40&md5=2425da4ab40f9043ba4e67d223a1bdd9},
doi = {10.1016/j.jisa.2026.104429},
issn = {22142134 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Information Security and Applications},
volume = {99},
abstract = {The increasing complexity of malware, including polymorphic, obfuscated, and adversarial variants, continues to outpace the capabilities of detection systems. Here, we introduce a robust multi-modal hierarchical framework that jointly leverages visual and code-level semantics to enhance malware family and type classification. Our architecture fuses convolutional and transformer-based encoders to extract complementary representations from raw malware binaries and decompiled control-flow functions, enabling a rich, cross-modal understanding of malicious behavior. The classification pipeline follows a two-stage hierarchical protocol, where the predicted malware type informs the family-level classification. This enforces ontological consistency between type and family prediction levels. To further bolster robustness against adversarial and obfuscated malware, we integrate a novel adversarial training strategy that generates plausible perturbations guided by attention distributions. Evaluation on multiple large-scale benchmarks including BODMAS, Malimg, Microsoft BIG 2015, and a curated set of from MalwareBazaar, demonstrate that our framework consistently outperforms state-of-the-art baselines, including ResNet, Swin Transformer, and MalBERTv2, across both malware type and family prediction tasks. Notably, our model exhibits outstanding generalization to unpacked, obfuscated, and previously unseen samples, with minimal performance degradation. It achieves accuracy gains of +3-6% over leading methods and exhibits superior resilience under adversarial threat models. These results highlight the effectiveness of hierarchical conditioning, adversarial robustness, and multi-modal fusion in tackling the evolving landscape of malware. The proposed framework thus offers a scalable and generalizable approach for next-generation malware classification in real-world cybersecurity environments. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd.},
keywords = {Adversarial training, Capability of detection, Classification (of information), Convolution, convolutional neural network, Convolutional neural networks, Detection system, Hierarchical consistency, Hierarchical systems, Malware, Malware classification, Malware classifications, Malware families, Malwares, Multi-modal, Multi-modal learning, Semantics, Vision transformer, Vision transformers},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The increasing complexity of malware, including polymorphic, obfuscated, and adversarial variants, continues to outpace the capabilities of detection systems. Here, we introduce a robust multi-modal hierarchical framework that jointly leverages visual and code-level semantics to enhance malware family and type classification. Our architecture fuses convolutional and transformer-based encoders to extract complementary representations from raw malware binaries and decompiled control-flow functions, enabling a rich, cross-modal understanding of malicious behavior. The classification pipeline follows a two-stage hierarchical protocol, where the predicted malware type informs the family-level classification. This enforces ontological consistency between type and family prediction levels. To further bolster robustness against adversarial and obfuscated malware, we integrate a novel adversarial training strategy that generates plausible perturbations guided by attention distributions. Evaluation on multiple large-scale benchmarks including BODMAS, Malimg, Microsoft BIG 2015, and a curated set of from MalwareBazaar, demonstrate that our framework consistently outperforms state-of-the-art baselines, including ResNet, Swin Transformer, and MalBERTv2, across both malware type and family prediction tasks. Notably, our model exhibits outstanding generalization to unpacked, obfuscated, and previously unseen samples, with minimal performance degradation. It achieves accuracy gains of +3-6% over leading methods and exhibits superior resilience under adversarial threat models. These results highlight the effectiveness of hierarchical conditioning, adversarial robustness, and multi-modal fusion in tackling the evolving landscape of malware. The proposed framework thus offers a scalable and generalizable approach for next-generation malware classification in real-world cybersecurity environments. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd.
3.
Zetout, A.; Allili, M. S.
CSDNet: Context-Aware Segmentation of Disaster Aerial Imagery Using Detection-Guided Features and Lightweight Transformers Journal Article
In: Remote Sensing, vol. 17, no. 14, 2025, ISSN: 20724292 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Aerial imagery, Affected area, Antennas, Class imbalance, Context-Aware, Contextual semantic segmentation, Contextual semantics, Detection, disaster response, Disaster-response, Emergency services, Error detection, Feature extraction, Lightweight model, Semantic segmentation, Semantics
@article{zetout_csdnet_2025,
title = {CSDNet: Context-Aware Segmentation of Disaster Aerial Imagery Using Detection-Guided Features and Lightweight Transformers},
author = {A. Zetout and M. S. Allili},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105011677142&doi=10.3390%2Frs17142337&partnerID=40&md5=a83db334b208d065476e0026ad0ee416},
doi = {10.3390/rs17142337},
issn = {20724292 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Remote Sensing},
volume = {17},
number = {14},
abstract = {Accurate multi-class semantic segmentation of disaster-affected areas is essential for rapid response and effective recovery planning. We present CSDNet, a context-aware segmentation model tailored to disaster scene scenarios, designed to improve segmentation of both large-scale disaster zones and small, underrepresented classes. The architecture combines a lightweight transformer module for global context modeling with depthwise separable convolutions (DWSCs) to enhance efficiency without compromising representational capacity. Additionally, we introduce a detection-guided feature fusion mechanism that integrates outputs from auxiliary detection tasks to mitigate class imbalance and improve discrimination of visually similar categories. Extensive experiments on several public datasets demonstrate that our model significantly improves segmentation of both man-made infrastructure and natural damage-related features, offering a robust and efficient solution for post-disaster analysis. © 2025 by the authors.},
keywords = {Aerial imagery, Affected area, Antennas, Class imbalance, Context-Aware, Contextual semantic segmentation, Contextual semantics, Detection, disaster response, Disaster-response, Emergency services, Error detection, Feature extraction, Lightweight model, Semantic segmentation, Semantics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Accurate multi-class semantic segmentation of disaster-affected areas is essential for rapid response and effective recovery planning. We present CSDNet, a context-aware segmentation model tailored to disaster scene scenarios, designed to improve segmentation of both large-scale disaster zones and small, underrepresented classes. The architecture combines a lightweight transformer module for global context modeling with depthwise separable convolutions (DWSCs) to enhance efficiency without compromising representational capacity. Additionally, we introduce a detection-guided feature fusion mechanism that integrates outputs from auxiliary detection tasks to mitigate class imbalance and improve discrimination of visually similar categories. Extensive experiments on several public datasets demonstrate that our model significantly improves segmentation of both man-made infrastructure and natural damage-related features, offering a robust and efficient solution for post-disaster analysis. © 2025 by the authors.
4.
Fareedi, A. A.; Gagnon, S.; Ghazawneh, A.; Valverde, R.
Semantic Fusion of Health Data: Implementing a Federated Virtualized Knowledge Graph Framework Leveraging Ontop System Journal Article
In: Future Internet, vol. 17, no. 6, 2025, ISSN: 19995903 (ISSN), (Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Data integration, Data interoperability, Federated information systems, Federated ontology, Graph framework, Interoperability, Knowledge graphs, Knowledge management, Medical computing, Ontology, Ontology's, Ontop, Query processing, Semantic interoperability, Semantic Web, Semantics, Virtual knowledge, virtual reality, Virtualization, Virtualized knowledge graph
@article{fareedi_semantic_2025,
title = {Semantic Fusion of Health Data: Implementing a Federated Virtualized Knowledge Graph Framework Leveraging Ontop System},
author = {A. A. Fareedi and S. Gagnon and A. Ghazawneh and R. Valverde},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105009278332&doi=10.3390%2ffi17060245&partnerID=40&md5=72bd14d033887f72e7e0c8a6a1451415},
doi = {10.3390/fi17060245},
issn = {19995903 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Future Internet},
volume = {17},
number = {6},
publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)},
abstract = {Data integration (DI) and semantic interoperability (SI) are critical in healthcare, enabling seamless, patient-centric data sharing across systems to meet the demand for instant, unambiguous access to health information. Federated information systems (FIS) highlight auspicious issues for seamless DI and SI stemming from diverse data sources or models. We present a hybrid ontology-based design science research engineering (ODSRE) methodology that combines design science activities with ontology engineering principles to address the above-mentioned issues. The ODSRE constructs a systematic mechanism leveraging the Ontop virtual paradigm to establish a state-of-the-art federated virtual knowledge graph framework (FVKG) embedded virtualized knowledge graph approach to mitigate the aforementioned challenges effectively. The proposed FVKG helps construct a virtualized data federation leveraging the Ontop semantic query engine that effectively resolves data bottlenecks. Using a virtualized technique, the FVKG helps to reduce data migration, ensures low latency and dynamic freshness, and facilitates real-time access while upholding integrity and coherence throughout the federation system. As a result, we suggest a customized framework for constructing ontological monolithic semantic artifacts, especially in FIS. The proposed FVKG incorporates ontology-based data access (OBDA) to build a monolithic virtualized repository that integrates various ontological-driven artifacts and ensures semantic alignments using schema mapping techniques. © 2025 by the authors.},
note = {Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)},
keywords = {Data integration, Data interoperability, Federated information systems, Federated ontology, Graph framework, Interoperability, Knowledge graphs, Knowledge management, Medical computing, Ontology, Ontology's, Ontop, Query processing, Semantic interoperability, Semantic Web, Semantics, Virtual knowledge, virtual reality, Virtualization, Virtualized knowledge graph},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Data integration (DI) and semantic interoperability (SI) are critical in healthcare, enabling seamless, patient-centric data sharing across systems to meet the demand for instant, unambiguous access to health information. Federated information systems (FIS) highlight auspicious issues for seamless DI and SI stemming from diverse data sources or models. We present a hybrid ontology-based design science research engineering (ODSRE) methodology that combines design science activities with ontology engineering principles to address the above-mentioned issues. The ODSRE constructs a systematic mechanism leveraging the Ontop virtual paradigm to establish a state-of-the-art federated virtual knowledge graph framework (FVKG) embedded virtualized knowledge graph approach to mitigate the aforementioned challenges effectively. The proposed FVKG helps construct a virtualized data federation leveraging the Ontop semantic query engine that effectively resolves data bottlenecks. Using a virtualized technique, the FVKG helps to reduce data migration, ensures low latency and dynamic freshness, and facilitates real-time access while upholding integrity and coherence throughout the federation system. As a result, we suggest a customized framework for constructing ontological monolithic semantic artifacts, especially in FIS. The proposed FVKG incorporates ontology-based data access (OBDA) to build a monolithic virtualized repository that integrates various ontological-driven artifacts and ensures semantic alignments using schema mapping techniques. © 2025 by the authors.
5.
Bogie, B. J. M.; Noël, C.; Gu, F.; Nadeau, S.; Shvetz, C.; Khan, H.; Rivard, M. -C.; Bouchard, S.; Lepage, M.; Guimond, S.
Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial Journal Article
In: Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, vol. 36, 2024, ISSN: 22150013 (ISSN), (Publisher: Elsevier Inc.).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, clinical article, clinical assessment, Cognitive remediation therapy, cybersickness, disease severity, dizziness, Ecological treatment, Episodic memory, exclusion VR criteria questionnaire, feasibility study, female, Hopkins verbal learning test, human, male, mini international neuropsychiatric interview, nausea, outcome assessment, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Proof of concept, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, schizophrenia, scoring system, Semantic encoding, Semantics, task performance, training, Verbal memory, virtual reality, vr experience questionnaire
@article{bogie_using_2024,
title = {Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial},
author = {B. J. M. Bogie and C. Noël and F. Gu and S. Nadeau and C. Shvetz and H. Khan and M. -C. Rivard and S. Bouchard and M. Lepage and S. Guimond},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85186986986&doi=10.1016%2fj.scog.2024.100305&partnerID=40&md5=a15c598b45b8f44a40b25fe5fd078a06},
doi = {10.1016/j.scog.2024.100305},
issn = {22150013 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Schizophrenia Research: Cognition},
volume = {36},
publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},
abstract = {Background: Schizophrenia is associated with impairments in verbal episodic memory. Strategy for Semantic Association Memory (SESAME) training represents a promising cognitive remediation program to improve verbal episodic memory. Virtual reality (VR) may be a novel tool to increase the ecological validity and transfer of learned skills of traditional cognitive remediation programs. The present proof-of-concept study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a VR-based cognitive remediation module inspired by SESAME principles to improve the use of verbal episodic memory strategies in schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder completed this study. Participants were randomized to either a VR-based verbal episodic memory training condition inspired by SESAME principles (intervention group) or an active control condition (control group). In the training condition, a coach taught semantic encoding strategies (active rehearsal and semantic clustering) to help participants remember restaurant orders in VR. In the active control condition, participants completed visuospatial puzzles in VR. Attrition rate, participant experience ratings, and cybersickness questionnaires were used to assess feasibility and acceptability. Trial 1 of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised was administered pre- and post-intervention to assess preliminary efficacy. Results: Feasibility was demonstrated by a low attrition rate (5.88 %), and acceptability was demonstrated by limited cybersickness and high levels of enjoyment. Although the increase in the number of semantic clusters used following the module did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance in the intervention group, it demonstrated a notable trend with a medium effect size (t = 1.48},
note = {Publisher: Elsevier Inc.},
keywords = {adult, article, clinical article, clinical assessment, Cognitive remediation therapy, cybersickness, disease severity, dizziness, Ecological treatment, Episodic memory, exclusion VR criteria questionnaire, feasibility study, female, Hopkins verbal learning test, human, male, mini international neuropsychiatric interview, nausea, outcome assessment, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Proof of concept, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, schizophrenia, scoring system, Semantic encoding, Semantics, task performance, training, Verbal memory, virtual reality, vr experience questionnaire},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Schizophrenia is associated with impairments in verbal episodic memory. Strategy for Semantic Association Memory (SESAME) training represents a promising cognitive remediation program to improve verbal episodic memory. Virtual reality (VR) may be a novel tool to increase the ecological validity and transfer of learned skills of traditional cognitive remediation programs. The present proof-of-concept study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a VR-based cognitive remediation module inspired by SESAME principles to improve the use of verbal episodic memory strategies in schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder completed this study. Participants were randomized to either a VR-based verbal episodic memory training condition inspired by SESAME principles (intervention group) or an active control condition (control group). In the training condition, a coach taught semantic encoding strategies (active rehearsal and semantic clustering) to help participants remember restaurant orders in VR. In the active control condition, participants completed visuospatial puzzles in VR. Attrition rate, participant experience ratings, and cybersickness questionnaires were used to assess feasibility and acceptability. Trial 1 of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised was administered pre- and post-intervention to assess preliminary efficacy. Results: Feasibility was demonstrated by a low attrition rate (5.88 %), and acceptability was demonstrated by limited cybersickness and high levels of enjoyment. Although the increase in the number of semantic clusters used following the module did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance in the intervention group, it demonstrated a notable trend with a medium effect size (t = 1.48
6.
Azzi, S.; Gagnon, S.
Ontology-Driven Parliamentary Analytics: Analysing Political Debates on COVID-19 Impact in Canada Journal Article
In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 14149 LNCS, pp. 89–102, 2023, ISSN: 03029743, (ISBN: 9783031398407).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: COVID-19, End-users, Knowledge graph, Knowledge graphs, Ontology, Ontology graphs, Ontology's, Parliamentary debate, Political debates, Question Answering, Semantic content, Semantic ontology, Semantics, Solid basis
@article{azzi_ontology-driven_2023,
title = {Ontology-Driven Parliamentary Analytics: Analysing Political Debates on COVID-19 Impact in Canada},
author = {S. Azzi and S. Gagnon},
editor = {Asemi A. Francesconi E. Ko A.},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85172088757&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-031-39841-4_7&partnerID=40&md5=5dff3b672c36c66070042a35eed048e0},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-39841-4_7},
issn = {03029743},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
journal = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)},
volume = {14149 LNCS},
pages = {89–102},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH},
abstract = {Parliamentary debates are usually published in Parliament’s websites to allows citizens to be informed on the latest national debates, proposals and decisions. To enhance citizen experience and engagement, functionalities such as debates annotation and question answering are necessary. Annotating text requires semantic content and ontologies are known for their ability to describe a common vocabulary for a domain and can be a solid base for annotation and question answering. We report on an ongoing study to enhance parliamentary analytics using an ontology and knowledge graph to sharpen annotations and facilitate their query by end-users. As a salient case, a sample of debates are collected on the COVID-19 impact in Canada, as its complexity shows the relevance of using advanced knowledge representation techniques. We focused on the development of a new “Impact of COVID-19 in Canada Ontology” (ICCO) that provides contextualized semantic information on impact in numerous policy areas, as this ontology is entirely built from Canadian parliamentary debates. It has been evaluated and validated by experts. Our conclusion underscores the importance of integrating ontology-driven parliamentary analytics within the broader context of digital transformation in legislative institutions, and the need for new platforms supporting free and open Digital Humanities. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.},
note = {ISBN: 9783031398407},
keywords = {COVID-19, End-users, Knowledge graph, Knowledge graphs, Ontology, Ontology graphs, Ontology's, Parliamentary debate, Political debates, Question Answering, Semantic content, Semantic ontology, Semantics, Solid basis},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Parliamentary debates are usually published in Parliament’s websites to allows citizens to be informed on the latest national debates, proposals and decisions. To enhance citizen experience and engagement, functionalities such as debates annotation and question answering are necessary. Annotating text requires semantic content and ontologies are known for their ability to describe a common vocabulary for a domain and can be a solid base for annotation and question answering. We report on an ongoing study to enhance parliamentary analytics using an ontology and knowledge graph to sharpen annotations and facilitate their query by end-users. As a salient case, a sample of debates are collected on the COVID-19 impact in Canada, as its complexity shows the relevance of using advanced knowledge representation techniques. We focused on the development of a new “Impact of COVID-19 in Canada Ontology” (ICCO) that provides contextualized semantic information on impact in numerous policy areas, as this ontology is entirely built from Canadian parliamentary debates. It has been evaluated and validated by experts. Our conclusion underscores the importance of integrating ontology-driven parliamentary analytics within the broader context of digital transformation in legislative institutions, and the need for new platforms supporting free and open Digital Humanities. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
7.
Azzi, S.; Assi, A.; Gagnon, S.
Scoring Ontologies for Reuse: An Approach for Fitting Semantic Requirements Journal Article
In: Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol. 1789 CCIS, pp. 203–208, 2023, ISSN: 18650929, (ISBN: 9783031391408).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Competency question, Fitting semantics, Formalisation, Ontological communities, Ontology, Ontology engineering, Ontology reuse, Ontology's, PNADO, Reuse, Semantic requirement, Semantic Web, Semantics
@article{azzi_scoring_2023,
title = {Scoring Ontologies for Reuse: An Approach for Fitting Semantic Requirements},
author = {S. Azzi and A. Assi and S. Gagnon},
editor = {Vlachidis A. Garoufallou E.},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85172082147&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-031-39141-5_17&partnerID=40&md5=f2d307e9185aca3ae5a69c31e8e4440a},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-39141-5_17},
issn = {18650929},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
journal = {Communications in Computer and Information Science},
volume = {1789 CCIS},
pages = {203–208},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH},
abstract = {The process of reusing ontologies is still challenging for the ontological community. One of the challenging efforts is to select the most relevant ontology from a set of candidates that needs a deep consideration. After the step of finding the candidates, many of them can be more appropriate than others as they fit better to the ontology requirements expressed by competency questions. First, we develop a mathematical formalisation based on Set Theory and we design the problem as an optimization problem to assist the knowledge engineer in selecting ontologies. Then, we provide formal steps to make well-founded comparison across a set of candidate ontologies. At last, we propose metrics to quantify the decision during the selection step. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.},
note = {ISBN: 9783031391408},
keywords = {Competency question, Fitting semantics, Formalisation, Ontological communities, Ontology, Ontology engineering, Ontology reuse, Ontology's, PNADO, Reuse, Semantic requirement, Semantic Web, Semantics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The process of reusing ontologies is still challenging for the ontological community. One of the challenging efforts is to select the most relevant ontology from a set of candidates that needs a deep consideration. After the step of finding the candidates, many of them can be more appropriate than others as they fit better to the ontology requirements expressed by competency questions. First, we develop a mathematical formalisation based on Set Theory and we design the problem as an optimization problem to assist the knowledge engineer in selecting ontologies. Then, we provide formal steps to make well-founded comparison across a set of candidate ontologies. At last, we propose metrics to quantify the decision during the selection step. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
8.
Abdollahzadeh, S.; Proulx, P. -L.; Allili, M. S.; Lapointe, J. -F.
Safe Landing Zones Detection for UAVs Using Deep Regression Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings - 2022 19th Conference on Robots and Vision, CRV 2022, pp. 213–218, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2022, ISBN: 978-1-66549-774-9.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Aerial vehicle, Air navigation, Aircraft detection, Antennas, Automatic unmanned aerial vehicle navigation, Deep learning, Deep regression, Landing, Landing zones, Safe landing, Safe landing zone, Semantic segmentation, Semantics, Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Urban areas, Vehicle navigation, Zone detection
@inproceedings{abdollahzadeh_safe_2022,
title = {Safe Landing Zones Detection for UAVs Using Deep Regression},
author = {S. Abdollahzadeh and P. -L. Proulx and M. S. Allili and J. -F. Lapointe},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85138466098&doi=10.1109%2fCRV55824.2022.00035&partnerID=40&md5=9183f6cd002c8a9068716faf66da72ec},
doi = {10.1109/CRV55824.2022.00035},
isbn = {978-1-66549-774-9},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings - 2022 19th Conference on Robots and Vision, CRV 2022},
pages = {213–218},
publisher = {Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.},
abstract = {Finding safe landing zones (SLZ) in urban areas and natural scenes is one of the many challenges that must be overcome in automating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) navigation. Using passive vision sensors to achieve this objective is a very promising avenue due to their low cost and the potential they provide for performing simultaneous terrain analysis and 3D reconstruction. In this paper, we propose using a deep learning approach on UAV imagery to assess the SLZ. The model is built on a semantic segmentation architecture whereby thematic classes of the terrain are mapped into safety scores for UAV landing. Contrary to past methods, which use hard classification into safe/unsafe landing zones, our approach provides a continuous safety map that is more practical for an emergency landing. Experiments on public datasets have shown promising results. © 2022 IEEE.},
keywords = {Aerial vehicle, Air navigation, Aircraft detection, Antennas, Automatic unmanned aerial vehicle navigation, Deep learning, Deep regression, Landing, Landing zones, Safe landing, Safe landing zone, Semantic segmentation, Semantics, Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Urban areas, Vehicle navigation, Zone detection},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Finding safe landing zones (SLZ) in urban areas and natural scenes is one of the many challenges that must be overcome in automating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) navigation. Using passive vision sensors to achieve this objective is a very promising avenue due to their low cost and the potential they provide for performing simultaneous terrain analysis and 3D reconstruction. In this paper, we propose using a deep learning approach on UAV imagery to assess the SLZ. The model is built on a semantic segmentation architecture whereby thematic classes of the terrain are mapped into safety scores for UAV landing. Contrary to past methods, which use hard classification into safe/unsafe landing zones, our approach provides a continuous safety map that is more practical for an emergency landing. Experiments on public datasets have shown promising results. © 2022 IEEE.
9.
Gagnon, S.; Azzi, S.
Semantic Annotation of Parliamentary Debates and Legislative Intelligence Enhancing Citizen Experience Journal Article
In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 13429 LNCS, pp. 63–76, 2022, ISSN: 03029743, (ISBN: 9783031126727).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Analytic tools, Core functionality, Digital solutions, Knowledge graph, Language processing, Laws and legislation, Legislative intelligence, Natural language processing systems, Natural languages, Parliamentary debate, Parliamentary proceedings, Semantic annotations, Semantic-analytics, Semantics
@article{gagnon_semantic_2022,
title = {Semantic Annotation of Parliamentary Debates and Legislative Intelligence Enhancing Citizen Experience},
author = {S. Gagnon and S. Azzi},
editor = {Kotsis G. Francesconi E. Ko A.},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85135782631&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-031-12673-4_5&partnerID=40&md5=0765bacc7d38f77896bd9adf402268b9},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-12673-4_5},
issn = {03029743},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
journal = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)},
volume = {13429 LNCS},
pages = {63–76},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH},
abstract = {The concept of “Legislative Intelligence” (LegisIntel) refers to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and semantic analytics tools implemented in parliaments to enhance citizen experience in monitoring complex interrelations among various contents of parliamentary proceedings. The integration of a suite of digital solutions can build upon the core functionality of Semantic Annotation of Parliamentary Debates. Using well-established Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, linked to ontologies and Knowledge Graphs (KG), it can help identify the concepts and entities throughout texts, and index sentences and summaries as per a citizen’s customized knowledge base. These annotations can then be leveraged to recommend relevant text excerpts end-users could build upon, within teams if they chose to do so, and possibly compose and customize legislative critiques and recommendations thoroughly tested for coherence, accuracy, and evidence. The present study proposes an international open-source initiative among parliaments to ensure the launch and viability of a suite of LegisIntel solutions. It reports on the completed initial phase of this initiative, aiming to prepare discussions in launching an international consultation among peers. The goals of this phase are to document the core functionality of LegisIntel solutions and formulate a proposed architecture that may serve to generate ideas from various developer communities. The Action Design Research (ADR) methodology is used in this process, with results focused on system artefacts such as an interface mockup, a functional design, and a model of infrastructure components. The conclusion addresses risks and outlines the next steps of this initiative. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.},
note = {ISBN: 9783031126727},
keywords = {Analytic tools, Core functionality, Digital solutions, Knowledge graph, Language processing, Laws and legislation, Legislative intelligence, Natural language processing systems, Natural languages, Parliamentary debate, Parliamentary proceedings, Semantic annotations, Semantic-analytics, Semantics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The concept of “Legislative Intelligence” (LegisIntel) refers to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and semantic analytics tools implemented in parliaments to enhance citizen experience in monitoring complex interrelations among various contents of parliamentary proceedings. The integration of a suite of digital solutions can build upon the core functionality of Semantic Annotation of Parliamentary Debates. Using well-established Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, linked to ontologies and Knowledge Graphs (KG), it can help identify the concepts and entities throughout texts, and index sentences and summaries as per a citizen’s customized knowledge base. These annotations can then be leveraged to recommend relevant text excerpts end-users could build upon, within teams if they chose to do so, and possibly compose and customize legislative critiques and recommendations thoroughly tested for coherence, accuracy, and evidence. The present study proposes an international open-source initiative among parliaments to ensure the launch and viability of a suite of LegisIntel solutions. It reports on the completed initial phase of this initiative, aiming to prepare discussions in launching an international consultation among peers. The goals of this phase are to document the core functionality of LegisIntel solutions and formulate a proposed architecture that may serve to generate ideas from various developer communities. The Action Design Research (ADR) methodology is used in this process, with results focused on system artefacts such as an interface mockup, a functional design, and a model of infrastructure components. The conclusion addresses risks and outlines the next steps of this initiative. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
10.
Messaoudi, H.; Belaid, A.; Allaoui, M. L.; Zetout, A.; Allili, M. S.; Tliba, S.; Salem, D. Ben; Conze, P. -H.
Efficient Embedding Network for 3D Brain Tumor Segmentation Journal Article
In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 12658 LNCS, pp. 252–262, 2021, ISSN: 03029743, (ISBN: 9783030720834).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: 3D medical image processing, Brain, Brain tumor segmentation, Classification networks, Convolutional neural networks, Deep learning, Embedding network, Image segmentation, Large dataset, Large datasets, Medical imaging, Natural images, Net networks, Semantic segmentation, Semantics, Signal encoding, Tumors
@article{messaoudi_efficient_2021,
title = {Efficient Embedding Network for 3D Brain Tumor Segmentation},
author = {H. Messaoudi and A. Belaid and M. L. Allaoui and A. Zetout and M. S. Allili and S. Tliba and D. Ben Salem and P. -H. Conze},
editor = {Bakas S. Crimi A.},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85107387134&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-030-72084-1_23&partnerID=40&md5=b3aa3516b0465a1bf5611db4727d95f1},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-72084-1_23},
issn = {03029743},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)},
volume = {12658 LNCS},
pages = {252–262},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH},
abstract = {3D medical image processing with deep learning greatly suffers from a lack of data. Thus, studies carried out in this field are limited compared to works related to 2D natural image analysis, where very large datasets exist. As a result, powerful and efficient 2D convolutional neural networks have been developed and trained. In this paper, we investigate a way to transfer the performance of a two-dimensional classification network for the purpose of three-dimensional semantic segmentation of brain tumors. We propose an asymmetric U-Net network by incorporating the EfficientNet model as part of the encoding branch. As the input data is in 3D, the first layers of the encoder are devoted to the reduction of the third dimension in order to fit the input of the EfficientNet network. Experimental results on validation and test data from the BraTS 2020 challenge demonstrate that the proposed method achieve promising performance. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.},
note = {ISBN: 9783030720834},
keywords = {3D medical image processing, Brain, Brain tumor segmentation, Classification networks, Convolutional neural networks, Deep learning, Embedding network, Image segmentation, Large dataset, Large datasets, Medical imaging, Natural images, Net networks, Semantic segmentation, Semantics, Signal encoding, Tumors},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
3D medical image processing with deep learning greatly suffers from a lack of data. Thus, studies carried out in this field are limited compared to works related to 2D natural image analysis, where very large datasets exist. As a result, powerful and efficient 2D convolutional neural networks have been developed and trained. In this paper, we investigate a way to transfer the performance of a two-dimensional classification network for the purpose of three-dimensional semantic segmentation of brain tumors. We propose an asymmetric U-Net network by incorporating the EfficientNet model as part of the encoding branch. As the input data is in 3D, the first layers of the encoder are devoted to the reduction of the third dimension in order to fit the input of the EfficientNet network. Experimental results on validation and test data from the BraTS 2020 challenge demonstrate that the proposed method achieve promising performance. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.