Embedded computing systems play an important and complex role in the functionality of electronic devices. With our daily routines becoming more reliant on electronics for personal and professional use, the understanding of these computing systems is crucial. Embedded Computing Systems: Applications, Optimization, and Advanced Design brings together theoretical and technical concepts of intelligent embedded control systems and their use in hardware and software architectures. By highlighting formal modeling, execution models, and optimal implementations, this reference source is essential for experts, researchers, and technical supporters in the industry and academia.

Until the late 1980s, information processing was associated with large mainframe computers and huge tape drives. During the 1990s, this trend shifted toward information processing with personal computers, or PCs. The trend toward miniaturization continues and in the future the majority of information processing systems will be small mobile computers, many of which will be embedded into larger products and interfaced to the physical environment. Hence, these kinds of systems are called embedded systems. Embedded systems together with their physical environment are called cyber-physical systems. Examples include systems such as transportation and fabrication equipment. It is expected that the total market volume of embedded systems will be significantly larger than that of traditional information processing systems such as PCs and mainframes. Embedded systems share a number of common characteristics. For example, they must be dependable, efficient, meet real-time constraints and require customized user interfaces (instead of generic keyboard and mouse interfaces). Therefore, it makes sense to consider common principles of embedded system design. Embedded System Design starts with an introduction into the area and a survey of specification models and languages for embedded and cyber-physical systems. It provides a brief overview of hardware devices used for such systems and presents the essentials of system software for embedded systems, like real-time operating systems. The book also discusses evaluation and validation techniques for embedded systems. Furthermore, the book presents an overview of techniques for mapping applications to execution platforms. Due to the importance of resource efficiency, the book also contains a selected set of optimization techniques for embedded systems, including special compilation techniques. The book closes with a brief survey on testing. Embedded System Design can be used as a text book for courses on embedded systems and as a source which provides pointers to relevant material in the area for PhD students and teachers. It assumes a basic knowledge of information processing hardware and software. Courseware related to this book is available at http://ls12-www.cs.tu-dortmund.de/~marwedel.

This book focuses on prototyping aspects of concurrent control systems and their further implementation and partial reconfiguration in programmable devices. Further, it lays out a full prototyping flow for concurrent control systems. Based on a given primary specification, a system is described with an interpreted Petri net, which naturally reflects the concurrent and sequential relationships of the design. The book shows that, apart from the traditional option of static configuration of the entire system, the latest programmable devices (especially FPGAs) offer far more sophistication. Partial reconfiguration allows selected parts of the system to be replaced without having to reprogram the entire structure of the device. Approaches to dynamic and static partial reconfiguration of concurrent control systems are presented and described in detail.“/p> The theoretical work is illustrated by examples drawn from various applications, with a milling machine and a traffic-light controller highlighted as representative interpreted Petri nets. Given the ubiquity of concurrent control systems in a huge variety of technological areas including transportation, medicine, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, security and safety and planetary exploration, the innovative software and hardware design methods described here will be of considerable interest to control engineers and systems and circuits researchers in many areas of industry and academia.

In the digital era, information is the most valuable resource, and protecting one’s assets is a constant struggle for both individuals and organizations. Analyzing Security, Trust, and Crime in the Digital World explores techniques and technologies used to secure data and prevent intrusion in virtual environments. Within these pages, computer scientists, programmers, engineers, and practitioners will find meaningful research on intrusion detection and authentication techniques in order to further defend their own systems and protect the information therein.

Modern embedded systems are used for connected, media-rich, and highly integrated handheld devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. This book provides an understanding of the platform architecture of modern embedded computing systems that drive mobile devices.

Privacy protection within large databases can be a challenge. By examining the current problems and challenges this domain is facing, more efficient strategies can be established to safeguard personal information against invasive pressures. HCI Challenges and Privacy Preservation in Big Data Security is an informative scholarly publication that discusses how human-computer interaction impacts privacy and security in almost all sectors of modern life. Featuring relevant topics such as large scale security data, threat detection, big data encryption, and identity management, this reference source is ideal for academicians, researchers, advanced-level students, and engineers that are interested in staying current on the advancements and drawbacks of human-computer interaction within the world of big data.

Technological advances, although beneficial and progressive, can lead to vulnerabilities in system networks and security. While researchers attempt to find solutions, negative uses of technology continue to create new security threats to users. New Threats and Countermeasures in Digital Crime and Cyber Terrorism brings together research-based chapters and case studies on security techniques and current methods being used to identify and overcome technological vulnerabilities with an emphasis on security issues in mobile computing and online activities. This book is an essential reference source for researchers, university academics, computing professionals, and upper-level students interested in the techniques, laws, and training initiatives currently being implemented and adapted for secure computing.