Electrical and Computer Engineering (University of Ottawa)
University of Ottawa

The Department

SITE is one constituent of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Electrical and Computer Engineering. Consult the Institute entry (see p.153) in this calendar for a faculty list, graduate program descriptions and admissions requirements.

Department Facilities

Computing Facilities

a) A VAX 3500 server with 8MB of RAM and a 800MB hard disk
b) Eight VaxStations each with 5MB of RAM, a 200MB hard disks and a 19" monitor

(a) Two RISC DecServer 3100s each with 24 MB of RAM and a 1 GB disk
(b) Four RISC DecStation 3100s each with 16 MB of RAM, a 100 MB disk and a 19" monochrome monitor
(c) Fourteen RISC DecStation 3100s each with 16 MB of RAM, a 100 MB disk and a 19" monochrome monitor
(d) Twelve RISC DecStations 2100, each with 8MB of RAM, a 100MB hard disk and 15" monochrome monitor
(e) A DecServer 5000 with 40 MB of RAM and a 2 GB hard disk

3. Several other Unix-based workstations in various research laboratories (SUN workstations, Compaq 386, HP386, etc.)

In addition to this, SITE operates dozens of IBM compatible and Apple Macintosh family computers. Essentially all the SITE's computers are linked together using Ethernet and LocalTalk networks. SITE's networks connect to the University of Ottawa's IBM mainframe and the Internet network. In addition to these facilities, students in the department have access to a computer-aided design laboratory operated by the Faculty of Engineering (University of Ottawa). This facility includes 24 networked Silicon Graphics workstations; it is, however, intended primarily for the use of undergraduate students.

Digital Communications Research Laboratory

Lightwave Communications Research Laboratory

Multimedia Communications Research Laboratory

Electromagnetic Research Laboratory

Graduate Courses

Engineering 92.505 (ELG5162)

Knowledge-Based Systems: Principles and Design

Introduction to Lisp and Objective C. Knowledge representation using rules, semantic nets, frames. State space representation. Procedural and declarative knowledge. Demons. Production systems. Solution searching algorithms. Expert system components. Inferecne engine principle and representation. Knowledge-based system design. Case study: expert system for process control.

Engineering 92.506 (ELG7132)

Topics in Electronics I

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.507 (ELG7133)

Topics in Electronics II

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.508 (ELG7575)

Sujets choisis en électronique

Sujets d'intérêt courant dans la matière.

Engineering 92.510 (ELG5163)

Machine Vision

Image acquisition. Structured light and stereo ranging. Grey-scale and binary images: geometric and topological properties. Image seg
mentation, preprocessing, edge finding, processing. Image recognition. Mathematical models. Morphology. Representation of 3-D objects, scene understanding, motion detection. Massively parallel computers architectures. Machine vision for manufacturing.

Prerequisite: ELG4153 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.511 (ELG7199)

Directed Studies

Various possibilities exist for pursuing directed studies on topics approved by the Department and which a full-time faculty member has agreed to direct, including any of the courses listed in the Graduate Calendar that are not being offered on a formal basis in the current academic year.

Engineering 92.512 (ELG5197)

Introduction to Embedded Systems

Embedded systems' general characteristics, niche, and design alternatives. Simple embedded systems: sequential event response systems, cyclic executives. Prototype based designs, multitasking and multactivity paradigms. Multitasking system design: elements of real-time operating systems and harmony. Multiactivity system design: PAL and PAL-based design tools.

Prerequisite: ELG4161 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.513 (ELG5198)

Parallel Processing with VLSI

Parallel processing architectures: array, vector, associative, and orthogonal processors. Switch lattice architecture, hypercubes, systolic arrays, wavefront arrays, pyramid structures, data flow architectures. Memory organization, buses, I/O and interconnection networks. Connection machine processing hardware, RISC and VLSI processors. GaAs technology. Examples of parallel processing architectures.

Engineering 92.514 (ELG5199)

Design of Multimedia Distributed Database Systems

Database concepts and architectures. Data modeling, Relational technology and distributed databases. Examples of the new generation of databases for advanced multimedia applications such as multimedia information retrieval, VOS and the limitations of the conventional models for managing multimedia information (graphics, text, image, audio and video).

Engineering 92.515 (ELG5373)

Secure Communications and Data Encryption

Secure communications: encryption and decryption. Entropy, equivocation and unicity distance. Cryptanalysis and computational complexity. Substitution, transposition and 
product ciphers. Data Encryption Standard (DES): block and stream cipher modes. Modular arithmetics, Public key cryptosystems: RSA, knapsack. Factorization methods. Elliptic curve cryptopgraphy. Authentication methods and cryptographic protocols.

Prerequisite: ELG5119 or 94.553 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.516 (ELG5113)

Stochastic Systems

Wiener processes. Poisson random measures. Stochastic Wiener-Ito integrals. Stochastic integrals relative to Poisson measures. Stochastic differentials. Diffusion processes. Ito-stochastic differential equations: existence, uniqueness of solutions, continuous dependence of solutions to parameters. Semigroup theory. Generation of semigroups applied to stochastic differential equations. Applications to engineering systems modelling.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Engineering 92.517 (ELG5121)

Multimedia Communications

Introduction, applications, standards. Networking technologies. Image, video and audio compression. Quality of service and resource management. Scheduling issues for real-time MM transport. Multimedia synchronization. Multimedia and the Internet. Multimedia conferencing. Multimedia to the home. Satellites and multimedia. Multimedia applications.

Engineering 92.518 (ELG5382)

Switching and Traffic Theory for Integrated Broadband Networks

Principles of switching theory. Asynchronous Transfer Mode switching architectures. Principle of teletraffic engineering. Queueing theory and performance evaluation techniques as applied to the study of computer network architectures. Current topics in computer network modelling analysis and traffic control for high-speed multimedia networks.

Prerequisite: ELG5374 (92.567) or ELG 6121 (94.521) or the equivalent. Corequisite: ELG5119 (92.519) or ELG6153 (94.553) or ELG6103 (94.503) or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.519 (ELG5119)

Stochastic Processes

Probability. Random variables. Distribution and density functions. Expectation. Functions of random variables. Moments and characteristic functions. Random vectors. Sequences of random variables and convergence. Limit theorems. Stochastic processes: basic notions. Stationarity. Ergodicity. Poisson and Gaussian processes. Second order processes. Representation theorems. Markov processes and chains.

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.553 (ELG6153).

Engineering 92.520 (ELG5120)

Queuing Systems

Resource sharing issues: delay, through-put and queue length. Basic queuing theory: Markov chains, birth and death processes. M/M/m/k/n queues, bulk arrival/service systems. Little's Rule. Intermediate queuing theory: M/G/1, G/M/m queues. Advanced queuing theory: G/Gm queue, priority queue, network of queues, etc. Queueing applications.

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.517 (ELG6117)

Prerequisite: One of ELG5119, 94.503 or 94.553 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.521 (ELG5121)

Multimedia Communications

Introduction, applications, standards. Networking technologies, Image, video and audio compression. Quality of service and resource management. Scheduling issues for real-time MM transport. Multimedia synchronization. Multimedia and the Internet. Multimedia conferencing. Multimedia to the home. Satellites and multimedia. Multimedia applications.

Engineering 92.522 (ELG5122)

Modelling, Analysis and Performance Evaluation in Computer Communications

Network performance issues and their mathematical analysis techniques.Intermittently available server model, probing and tree search techniques, delay cycle ,switch/network topology and reliability. Analysis of controlled and random access methods, routing allocation/control, topological design. Selected topics from current literature on various network applications

Precludes additional credit for ELG7186 (92.566).

Prerequisites: ELG5120 (92.520), ELG5374 (92.567) or 94.521 (ELG6121); or the equivalents.

Engineering 92.523 (ELG5191)

Design of Distributed System Software

Distributed systems design and programming issues; distributed computing. Basics of object oriented technology for distributed computing. Distributed objects technologies; CORBA and JAVA. Object oriented models for distributed programming. Distributed client server architecture design. Scalability, interoperability, portability and CORBA services. CASE tools for designing distributed applications.

Precludes additional credit for ELG7186 (92.587) (if taken in 1997-98).

Prerequisites: an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering, or Computer Science, or practical experience in system software design. 

Numerical methods considered: FD, MoL, SDA,TLM and BPM. Examples of commonly encountered electromagnetic problems at microwave, millimeter-wave and optical frequencies.

Prerequisite: ELG4103 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.543 (ELG5504)

Ondes électromagnétiques: théorie et applications

Équation homogène d'ondes. Ondes planes uniformes et non uniformes. Équation non homogène d'ondes. Fonctions de Green. Théories des potentiels. Problèmes de diffraction. Méthodes numériques. Problèmes avec conditions aux limites. Méthodes des perturbations et variation.

Prerequisite: ELG4103 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.544 (ELG7100)

Topics in Electromagnetics I

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.545 (ELG7101)

Topics in Electromagnetics II

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.546 (ELG5779)

Méthodes numériques en génie électromagnétique

Revue de l'JlectromagnJtisme et de la thJorie des potentiels. Formulation de problèmes statiques et electrodynamiques. Introduction aux methodes numériques et theoriques. Methodes numeriques considerees: FD, MoL, SDA, TLM et BPM. Exemples de problemes types rencontres en electromagnetisme aux hyperfréquences et en optique.

Prerequisite: ELG4103 and ELG4104, or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.550 (ELG5371)

Digital Communications by Satellite

Propagation and interference considerations. Link budget calculations. GEO, LEO, HEO systems. Transponders. Earth stations; modems (PSK,MSK,etc.), low noise amplifiers, high power amplifiers. Error control. Access techniques; FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, random access. Switching, onboard processing. Networking. ATM over satellites. Mobile satellite communications and IMT2000.

Prerequisite: ELG4171 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.551 (ELG5170)

Information Theory

Measure of information: entropy, relative entropy, mutual information, asymptomatic equipartition property, entropy rates for stochastic processes; Data compression: Huffman code, arithmetic coding; Channel capactiy: random coding bound, reliability function, Blahut-Arimoto alorithm, Gaussian channels, coloured Gaussian noise and «wa
Engineering 92.527 (ELG5161)

Robotics: Control, Sensing and Intelligence

Robotics as the intelligent connection of perception to action. Advanced robotics technologies. Robot arm kinematics and dynamics. Planning of manipulator trajectories. Control of robot manipulators. Robot-level programming. Sensors and sensory perception. Control problems for sensory controlled robotic-based flexible manufacturing systems. Task-level programming. Knowledge-based control for mobile robots.

Prerequisite: ELG4161 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.529 (ELG7113)

Topics in Systems and Control I

Current topics in the field, including linear semigroup theory and optimal feedback control.

Engineering 92.530 (ELG7114)

Topics in Systems and Control II

Current topics in the field, including linear and non-linear filtering and optimal control of stochastic systems.

Engineering 92.531 (ELG7574)

Sujets choisis en systèmes et réglage automatique.

Sujets d'intérêt courant dans le domaine.

Engineering 92.535 (ELG5108)

Electromagnetic Compatibility and Interference

Interference phenomena. Shielding of conductors. Grounding. Other noise reduction techniques. EMI filters. Noise sources: narrowband and broadband. Electromagnetic pulse as an interference source. Modelling EMI/C circuit boards and backplanes.

Prerequisite: ELG4103 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.538 (ELG7500)

Sujets choisis en électromagnétisme.

Sujets d'intérêt courant dans la matière.

Engineering 92.541 (ELG5104)

Electromagnetic Waves: Theory and Applications

The homogeneous wave equation. Uniform and non-uniform plane waves. Inhomogeneous wave equations. Green's functions. Theory of potentials. Scattering problems. Numerical methods. Boundary value problems. Perturbation and variational techniques.

Prerequisite: ELG4101 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.542 (ELG5379)

Numerical Methods in Electromagnetic Engineering

Review of electromagnetic and potential theory. Formulation of static and electrodynamic problems. Introduction to numerical and field-theoretical modelling techniques. 
conversions A/N et N/A, représentation en temps, fréquence et domaine Z, transformées DFT/FFT, design filtres FIR/IIR, effets de quantification. Fonctions de corrélation. Analyse cepstrale. Traitement à taux multiple. Estimation de puissance spectrale. Introduction analyse temps-fréquence. Architectures DSP: réalisations. Applications.

Prerequisite: ELG4172 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.559 (ELG5378)

Image Processing and Image Communications

Image acquisition, display and perception: sampling and reconstruction, quantization, human vision. Discrete image representations.: colour spaces, blick, subband and wavelet representations. Image transformation, enhancement and restoration. Image analysis: edge detection, motion estimation. Image and video compression: loseless coding, predictive and transform coding, motion compensation.

Prerequisite: ELG5376 or 94.562 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.560 (ELG7172)

Topics in Signal Processing I

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.561 (ELG7173)

Topics in Signal Processing II

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.563 (ELG7179)

Topics in Signal Processing III

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.565 (ELG7177)

Topics in Communications I

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.566 (ELG7178)

Topics in Communications II

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.567 (ELG5374)

Computer-Communication Networks

Network applications, structures and their design issues. Resource sharing/access methods. Network transmission and switching techniques. OSI model. Error control, flow control and various isues related to the physical, data link and network layers. Local area networks. Performance issues of delay-throughput in various protocols

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.521.

Prerequisite: An undergraduate course in probability and statistics such as MAT2377.

Engineering 92.572 (ELG7572)

Sujets choisis en télécommunications et en traitement de signaux.

Sujets d'intérêt courant dans le domaine.

ter-filling»; Rate distortion theory; Network information theory.

Prerequisite: ELG5119 (92.519) or 94.553 (ELG5119) or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.553 (ELG5179)

Detection and Estimation

Binary, M-ary, composite hypothesis testing. Bayes risk and Neyman-Pearson criteria. Parameter estimation: Cramer-Rao bounds; maximum-likelihood estimation. Detection in additive white Gaussian noise and coloured noise. Noise in noise problems. Classical estimation problems. Linear filtering problem. Weiner/Kalman filtering. Sequential and non-parametric detection.

Prerequisites: ELG5119 or 94.553; and ELG5375 or 94.554; or the equivalents.

Engineering 92.554 (ELG5372)

Error Control Coding

General introduction Algebraic concepts. Linear block codes. Cyclic codes, BCH and Reed-Solomon codes. Convolutional codes. Maximum likelihood decoding, and sequential decoding of convolutional codes. Burst-error correcting confolutional and block codes. Automatic repeat request. Trellis Coded Modulation. Trubo codes and iterative decoding.

Co-requisite: ELG4171 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.556 (ELG5375)

Principles of Digital Communication

Elements of communication theory and information theory applied to digital communications systems. Characterization of noise and channel models. Analysis of digital data transmission techniques for additive Gaussian noise channels. Efficient modulation and coding for reliable transmission. Spread spectrum and line coding techniques.

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.554.

Prerequisite: 94.553 or ELG5119 or the equivalent (may be taken concurrently).

Engineering 92.557 (ELG5376)

Digital Signal Processing

Review of discrete time signals and systems, A/D and D/A conversions, representation in time, frequency, and Z domain, DFT/FFT transforms, FIR/IIR filter design, quantization effects. Correlation functions. Cepstrum analysis. Multi-rate signal processing. Power spectrum estimation. Introduction to joint time-frequency analysis. DSP architecture: implementation approaches. Applications

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.562 (ELG6162).

Engineering 92.558 (ELG5776)

Traitement numérique des signaux

Revue des signaux/systèmes en temps discret,

Engineering 92.573 (ELG5194)

Design and Testing of Reliable Digital Systems

Introduction. Test generation for combinatorial circuits. Fault detection in sequential circuits. Memory testing. LSI/VLSI circuit testing. Deterministic and random testing of digital circuits. Design for testability. Self-checking circuits. Design of fault-tolerant systems. Case studies.

Prerequisite: ELG5195 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.574 (ELG5180)

Advanced Digital Communication

Techniques and performance of digital signalling and equalization over linear bandlimited channels with additive Gaussian noise. Fading multipath channels; diversity concepts, modelling and error probability performance evaluation. Synchronization in digital communications. Spread spectrum in digital transmission over multipath fading channels.

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.565.

Prerequisite: 94.554 or ELG5375 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.575 (ELG5195)

Digital Logic Design: Principles and Practices

Switching algebra. Combinational circuit design including PLA and MSI techniques. Special properties-symmetric functions, unate functions, threshold functions, functional decomposition. Sequential circuits-state reduction, incompletely specified machines, state assignments and series-parallel decomposition. Fundamental mode sequential circuits-race, hazards, and state assignment. Semicustom and MSI design. Special sequential circuits.

Engineering 92.579 (ELG5196)

Neural Networks and Fuzzy Systems

Neuro-fuzzy and soft computing. Fuzzy set theory: rules, reasoning, and inference systems. Regression and optimization; derivative-based optimization-genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, downhill simplex search. Neural Networks: adaptive networks; bidirectional associative memories; supervised and unsupervised learning; learning from enforcement. Applications.

Precludes additional credit for Engineering 94.561 (ELG6161).

Engineering 92.580 (ELG5377)

Adaptive Signal Processing

Theory and techniques of adaptive filtering, including Wiener filters, gradient and LMS methods; adaptive transversal and lattice filters; recursive and fast recursive least squares; convergence and tracking performance; im
plementation. Applications , such as adaptive prediction; channel equalization; echo cancellation; source coding; antenna beamforming; spectral estimation.

Precludes additional credit for Engineering ELG6160.

Prerequisite: 94.553 or ELG5119 or the equivalent; 94.562 or ELG5376 or the equivalent.

Engineering 92.587 (ELG7186)

Topics in Computers I

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.587 (ELG7187)

Topics in Computers II

Current topics in the field.

Engineering 92.590 (ELG7573)

Sujets choisis sur les ordinateurs.

Sujets d'intérêt courant dans la matière.

Engineering 92.526 (ELG 5123)

Health Care Engineering

Overview of health care system/participants: biophysical measurements for diagnosis/monitoring; biomedical sensors/technology; telemedicine and applications; safety considerations; managing medical technologies/funding models for clinical engineering departments; considerations for developing countries.

Prerequisites: Permission of the Department.

Engineering 92.524 (ELG5124)

Virtual Environments

Basic concepts. Virtual worlds. Hardware and software support. World modeling. Geometric modeling. Light modeling. Kinematic and synmaic models. Other physical modeling modalities. Multi-sensor data fusion. Anthropomorphic avatars. Animation: modeling languages, scripts, real-time computer architectures. VE interfaces. Case studies.

Engineering 92.525 (ELG5125)

Quality of Service Management for Multimedia Applications

Design principles: layering, protocols, interfaces; open distributed processing models; real-time requirement; request-response and stream processing, real-time scheduling, design for performance and scalability; user perspective versus system performance, cost/performance trade-offs, negotiations; adaptive and mobile applications; examples of multimedia applications, protocols.

Prerequisite: Engineering 92.567 (ELG5374) or 94.521 (ELG6121) or equivalent.

Engineering 92.526 (ELG5126)

Source Coding and Data Compression

Discrete and continuous sources. Discrete sources: Huffman coding and run length encoding. Continuous sources: waveform construction coding: PCM, DPMC, delat modulation, speech compression by paramater extraction; predictive encoding; image coding by transformation and block quantization. Fourier and Walsh transform coding. Applications to speech, television, facsimile.

Prerequisite: Engineering 94.553 (ELG6153) or ELG5119 (92.519), or equivalent.

ELG6000

Engineering Report/Rapport technique

For students in the course work master's program working on the Engineering Report. Pour les étudiants et les étudiantes à la maîtrise qui préparent un rapport technique.

ELG7999

M.A.Sc. Thesis/Thèse de M.Sc.A.

For students working towards their master's thesis. Pour les étudiants et les étudiantes qui travaillent à leur thèse de maîtrise.

ELG8000

Co-Op Work Term I/Travail coopératif 1er stage

For students in a cooperative master's program who are on their first work term.

Pour les étudiants et les étudiantes à un programme coopératif de maîtrise qui font leur première session de travail.

ELG8001

Co-Op Work Term II/Travail coopératif 2e stage

For students in a cooperative master's program who are on their second work term.

Pour les étudiants et les étudiantes à un programme coopératif de maîtrise qui font leur deuxième session de travail.

ELG9998

Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam/Examen de synthèse du doctorat

For students undergoing the Ph.D. comprehensive examination.

Pour les étudiants et les étudiantes qui doivent passer l'examen de synthèse du doctorat.

ELG9999

Ph.D. Thesis/Thèse de doctorat

For students working towards their Ph.D. thesis. Pour les étudiants et les étudiantes qui travaillent à leur thèse de doctorat.