Professor Tim Ritchings

Newton Building

E-mail: T.Ritchings (append "@salford.ac.uk")

http://www.cse.salford.ac.uk/profile.php?profile=T.Ritchings

University of Salford
School of Computing, Science & Engineering
Salford
Greater Manchester, M5 4WT
United Kingdom

Tel: +44-(0)161-295 5332

Tim Ritchings is currently Head of the School of Computing, Science and Engineering at the University of Salford.

Research Interests

My research is related to the development and evaluation of novel Intelligent Visualisation Systems. I am interested in those systems that are concerned with processing and displaying the multi-dimensional and media data that is now found in medical and environmental applications, using AI techniques in order to help in their interpretation and understanding of the data. Of particular interest at present are applications involving Augmented Reality and Mobile/Wearable computing. Projects are currently taking place in the following application domains:

• Automated voice quality assessment and monitoring for Differentiating Cancer Therapy, Recovery Patterns and Rehabilitation. This is concerned with analysis and classification of speech waveforms (audio and EGG) taken from patients recovering from cancer of the larynx. Parameters derived from these waveforms are used by an Artificial Neural Network, to provide an objective assessment of the waveform in accordance with the Speech and Language Therapists voice quality ranking scheme. The project aims to use this approach to provide real-time visual feedback about voice quality to the SALTs under clinical conditions. This work is funded by EPSRC and includes collaboration with the Christie Hospital, Manchester. It is planned to extend this work to develop an on-line pre-screening system for GPs.

  Research Assistant: Carl Berry

• Automated registration, assessment and monitoring of retinal images for glaucoma and diabetic patients. Two projects are taking place; one using intelligent techniques to align and then difference retinal images taken from a patient’s 3 or 6 months apart; and the other using advanced techniques to locate and parameterise the optic head and then trace the vessels and determine their characteristics form use in a ‘expert’ diagnostic monitoring system.

  Research student: Rashad Al-Ghafar, Ian Guthrie

• Intelligent Augmented Reality applications for industry, education, the environment and leisure activities using wearable computers. Projects involve guided fault diagnosis and maintenance training for car engine compartments; interactive multimedia aids for education, urban planning aids (with the Centre for Virtual Environments) and in-car information systems using GPS and VRML/GIS.

  Research student: David Garvey , ;Ng Giap Weng, Peter Butterworth, Shin-Yin Ma,
  P/G and U/G project students: Erik Lund, Darren Garsden, Jamie Derbyshire

• Context-aware mobile information system applications for forensic applications (CRIMESPOT), the environment and leisure activities using PDAs. Projects involve intelligent object location and behaviour monitoring and visualisation; automated street sign detection and language translation; intelligent public transport routing information and in-car aids visual information systems using GPS; and interactive museum guides.

  Research student: Ge orge Papoulakis, Modestus Kipilimba, Sertan Y,
  P/G and U/G project students: Jeffray Chung, Zak Paul Stopford

• These represent some of the research activities taking place within the Interactive Systems and Media group in the Computer Science Research Centre (CSRC). The CRIMESPOT project is a joint research activity with the Centre for Networking and Telecommunications Research (CNTR). Both of these Research centres are associated with the 6*-rated Information Systems Research Institute at Salford.

External Interests

I am the Technical Director of IRISOFT Ltd, the leading supplier of gynaecology software in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Publications

Click here for a list.

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