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Sensor fusion is a topic central to aerospace engineering and is particularly applicable to unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Evidential Reasoning, also known as Dempster-Shafer theory, is used heavily in sensor fusion for detection classification. High computing requirements typically limit use on small UAS platforms. Valuation networks, the general name given to evidential reasoning networks by Shenoy, provides a means to reduce computing requirements through knowledge structure. However, these networks use conditional probabilities or transition potential matrices to describe the relationships between nodes, which typically require expert information to define and update. This paper proposes and tests a novel method to learn these transition potential matrices based on evidence injected at nodes. Novel refinements to the method are also introduced, demonstrating improvements in capturing the relationships between the node belief distributions. Finally, novel rules are introduced and tested for evidence weighting at nodes during simultaneous evidence injections, correctly balancing the injected evidenced used to learn the transition potential matrices. Together, these methods enable updating a Dempster-Shafer network with significantly less user input, thereby making these networks more useful for scenarios in which sufficient information concerning relationships between nodes is not known a priori.

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Purpose of Review This work provides an overview of avionic systems, which can be used as an entry point to learn about their architecture and components, and as a guide for studying the recent development of unmanned aerial systems avionics. Recent FindingsThe development trend of avionics for unmanned aerial systems tends toward the one used for a large aircraft both in the structure of the architecture and in design and implementation processes. However, due to the differences in the operational environment, challenges remain in specifying the proper requirements, and proving their safety and security. SummaryThe paper reviews the functionalities and importance of avionic systems, especially in unmanned aerial systems. It also provides the historical background and the future trend of system development in terms of safety, security, and certification for the purpose of integrating these unmanned aerial systems into an urban airspace.

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This chapter introduces the research context of three chapters in this volume (Anghelescu et al., Déchaine et al., Gambarage & Pulleyblank), all of which discuss an aspect of the grammar of Nata (Guthrie E45), an under-described Eastern Bantu language spoken in Tanzania. This overview also presents issues that situate the theme of these papers within the larger context of the documentation of endangered languages.