Abstract
Image data from Earth Observation Satellites (EDS) were used to analyse mountain landscape changes in Northeast Portugal. Three Landsat images, from April 30th 1979, March 14th 1989 and May 29th 2002 were used. A supervised classification was performed for each image based on the radiometric information and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Eleven classes were selected considering the main land cover types in the region. The classification results showed high overall accuracy (above 92.5%) and kappa coefficient (above 0.91). Broadly, the range of dates of the Landsat images used allowed for the differentiation between classes. Nevertheless, some problems occurred in differentiating between classes of forest and shrub vegetation due to similar characteristics and vegetation conditions in some periods of the year, and also due to the effects of topographic shadows associated to mountain areas. Meadows and annual crops were the classes having greater changes from 1979 to 2002: meadows area increased 60% while annual crops decreased 43.5%. The increase in meadows area was likely due to policies supporting agroenvironmental conservation and autochthon bovine livestock production. Differently, the decrease in annual crops was likely due to the loss of economical competitiveness of main annual crops and to the rural population decrease and ageing, which favoured the replacement of arable lands by permanent meadows. These results may help developing policies and measures for sustainable management of traditional mountain rural landscapes.

Abstract
The availability of temporal satellite image data has increased considerably in recent years. A number of satellite sensors currently observe the Earth with high temporal frequency thus providing a tool for monitoring/understanding the Earth-surface variability more precisely, for several applications such as the analysis of vegetation dynamics. However, the extraction of vegetation phenology information from Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) data is not easy, requiring efficient processing algorithms to properly handle the large amounts of data gathered. The purpose of this work is to present a new, easy-to-use software tool that produces phenology information from EOS vegetation temporal data - PhenoSat. This paper describes PhenoSat, focusing on two new features: the determination of the beginning and maximum of a double growth season, and the selection of a temporal sub-region of interest in order to reduce and control the data evaluated. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract
Recent years have brought an increasing interest on analyzing efficiently the performance of sports players during training sessions and games. The information collected from such analysis is very valuable to educators and coaches since it allows them to better understand the difficulties of a trainee, a player or even an entire team and formulate adequate training and strategic plans accordingly. In order to perform this analysis in a consistent and systematic way, sophisticated sensory systems and data processing techniques are needed. This paper presents a survey on relevant work, current techniques and trends on the area of team tracking systems applied to sports. We propose a classification of these systems by distinguishing them into two main categories: intrusive and nonintrusive. Nonintrusive systems are further refined into outdoor and indoor sports applications. The specific characteristics of each system are itemized, including the identification of the strong points and limitations. Finally, the paper highlights some open issues and research opportunities on this area. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract
This paper presents a case study of an existing web application of inventory management for electronics laboratories, accounting for usability principles and best practices for user interface design. The iLab project efficiently manages the inventory, requests, users (borrowings, purchases, etc.) and associated historic and workflow information. This enables users to queue requests and track their statuses. Usability is critical for for the success of such application. A web based interface is to be designed using usability principles, making sure all end-users use the application in an intuitive and effective way. To achieve these goals the study consisted on four phases: plan, analyze, design and, test and refine. After this study it has been concluded that with this methodology developers are able to create more user-friendly and efficient applications.

Abstract
An innovative software called FEUP Fuzzy Tool was developed by professor and students as a teaching tool to support the control of non-linear systems using the computational resources available. It is based on the theory of Fuzzy Logic control. The tool is currently used for investigation and educational purposes. This document briefly describes and validates through some example applications the current release of the toolbox which makes it one of the most complete and advanced fuzzy logic software available. The present tool now includes Neuro Fuzy optimization, visual debugging and run time control on the PC or in an embeddable platform.

Abstract
This article describes a joint trajectory optimized controller developed in a humanoid robot simulator following the real robot characteristics. As simulation is a powerful tool for speeding up the control software development, the proposed accurate simulator allows to fulfill this goal. The simulator, based on the Open Dynamics Engine and GLScene graphics library, provides instant visual feedback. The proposed simulator, with realistic dynamics, allows to design and test behaviors and control strategies without access to the real hardware in order to carry out research on robot control without damaging the real robot. The low-level joints controller techniques, such as acceleration, speed, and energy consumption minimization, are discussed and experimental results are presented in order to validate the proposed simulator.