Security

Groups

DACS - Design and Analysis of Communication Systems
DB - Databases Security Group
DIES - Distributed and Embedded System group
CSSTS - Centre for Studies of Science, Technology and Society
IS - Information Systems Research Group
MSCT - Mathematical Systems and Control Theory
PS - Public Safety
SAS - Laboratory Signals & Systems
WIJSB - Philosophy (Wijsbegeerte)

DACS - Design and Analysis of Communication Systems

The research of DACS is centered around the design, evaluation and implementation of communication systems, thereby focussing on the data link, the network and the transport layer, with excursions to the physical layer (optical access networks) and the application layers (web-server design). The incorporation of quantitative evaluation techniques in the design process is a key ingredient in our work. Apart from using known techniques for that, we are also actively working on the development of new techniques and tools for computer and communication system's analysis.

DB - Databases Security Group

The overall mission of the Database research program is to control the complexity of database systems and their applications. The focus is on data management for web and multimedia applications. Emphasis is on efficient and effective retrieval of semi-structured and multimedia data in a distributed environment like the web. The scope ranges from theoretical to system-oriented research. The aim is to verify ideas by building prototypes.

DIES - Distributed and Embedded System group

The mission of the DIES research group is to perform research that leads to improvements in distributed and embedded systems engineering, and to improvements in the quality of embedded and distributed systems. To achieve this mission, we create design methods and tools for distributed and embedded systems, we design, implement and evaluate novel distributed architectures and we focus on real-time and security aspects.

CSSTS - Centre for Studies of Science, Technology and Society

The mission of the Philosophy of Science and Technology research group is to study the fundamental processes of the dynamics of science and technology in the modern society. The research program focuses on governance of science and technology; history of science and technology; and user perspectives, in which users, contexts of use, and design practices of network technologies are analyzed. The aim of the latter is to contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between design and use in order to improve design, policy and social theory.

IS - Information Systems Research Group

The Information Systems Group studies techniques for requirements identification and the design of architectures of business software in relation to its business context. One of the core challenges in realizing information systems (IS) is to align them to the requirements of business processes and business goals. Our mission is: 'To develop methods, concepts and tools for the design of architectures of business software in relation to its business context'. By "business" we mean organizations that exist for profit as well as non-profit reasons. This includes governmental organizations, healthcare organizations, or loosely organized user groups with a shared interest. Examples of business software are enterprise IS and ERP systems, but also mobile IS and ambient intelligence systems. All these systems have in common that their requirements arise from a business context and their architecture cannot be designed independently from the architecture of the business. In this context, numerous challenges arise including requirements identification, business process support, and security of business software.

MSCT - Mathematical Systems and Control Theory

Systems and control theory is an area of research that has roots in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and mathematics, while applications have expanded to, for example, informatics, biology, and process technology. An essential feature of this area forms the study of coupled processes -- the dynamical behavior of the components and their interaction with each other and their environment. Besides the analysis of these, often complex and heterogenous , systems, the problem concerns the design of components in such a way that the interconnected system has desired properties. Problems of this type occur for example when we need to control the position of satellites or want to filter relevant information about the structure of earth layers from a seismic signal.

PS - Public Safety

There are two principal themes to the research programme: (I) the functioning of the public safety maintenance system and (II) insecurity and society. Of these, the former theme is more central, which is why it is differentiated into (1) analytical and in-depth studies, (2) comparative and historical studies and (3) technology and safety.

SAS - Laboratory Signals & Systems

At present, biometrics is receiving world-wide attention as a potential means to secure access to content and locations and to authenticate (internet) transactions. As it uses body (or occasionally behavioural) characteristics, it is the only known method capable of truly verifying or identifying a persons identity. Biometric recognition also has the potential of combining security with user convenience. Although a number of recognition systems based on various types of biometrics such as fingerprint, human face, hand shape, iris pattern and voice are commercially available, biometric recognition is not yet generally accepted as a reliable building block in security systems. Our biometrics research focuses on solving the following issues: lack of robustness, sensor or condition variability, user-generated variability, integration with security systems, integration in ambient systems and user acceptance.

WIJSB - Philosophy (Wijsbegeerte)

The philosophy research group specializes in philosophy of technology, and aims to study the the way in which technological artifacts and practices give shape to, and are themselves shaped by, core aspects of modern culture and society and to provide evaluations and assessments of technological developments and their correlated social and cultural impacts. It has research lines on the way in which technological innovations change society and culture, on the way in which technical artefacts function as social agents and have embedded values, and on the relation between theory and practice in engineering science and medicine. Technologies studied include information technology, biomedical technology and nanotechnology. The research embedded in CTIT focuses on the societal and cultural quality of new media, on privacy and security, and on the user aspects of IT.