Anomaly detection is the problem of finding patterns in data that do not conform to an a priori expected behavior. This is related to the problem in which some samples are distant, in terms of a given metric, from the rest of the dataset, where these anomalous samples are indicated as outliers. Anomaly detection has recently attracted the attention of the research community, because of its relevance in real-world applications, like intrusion detection, fraud detection, fault detection and system health monitoring, among many others. Anomalies themselves can have a positive or negative nature, depending on their context and interpretation. However, in either case, it is important for decision makers to be able to detect them in order to take appropriate actions. The petroleum industry is one of the application contexts where these problems are present. The correct detection of such types of unusual information empowers the decision maker with the capacity to act on the system in order to correctly avoid, correct or react to the situations associated with them. In that application context, heavy extraction machines for pumping and generation operations, like turbomachines, are intensively monitored by hundreds of sensors each that send measurements with a high frequency for damage prevention. In this paper, we propose a combination of yet another segmentation algorithm (YASA), a novel fast and high quality segmentation algorithm, with a one-class support vector machine approach for efficient anomaly detection in turbomachines. The proposal is meant for dealing with the aforementioned task and to cope with the lack of labeled training data. As a result, we perform a series of empirical studies comparing our approach to other methods applied to benchmark problems and a real-life application related to oil platform turbomachinery anomaly detection.

The classic classification scheme for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) was recently challenged by the discovery of the so-called changing-state (changing-look) AGNs. The physical mechanism behind this phenomenon is still a matter of open debate and the samples are too small and of serendipitous nature to provide robust answers. In order to tackle this problem, we need to design methods that are able to detect AGNs right in the act of changing state. Here we present an anomaly-detection technique designed to identify AGN light curves with anomalous behaviors in massive data sets. The main aim of this technique is to identify CSAGN at different stages of the transition, but it can also be used for more general purposes, such as cleaning massive data sets for AGN variability analyses. We used light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility data release 5 (ZTF DR5), containing a sample of 230,451 AGNs of different classes. The ZTF DR5 light curves were modeled with a Variational Recurrent Autoencoder (VRAE) architecture, that allowed us to obtain a set of attributes from the VRAE latent space that describes the general behavior of our sample. These attributes were then used as features for an Isolation Forest (IF) algorithm that is an anomaly detector for a “one class” kind of problem. We used the VRAE reconstruction errors and the IF anomaly score to select a sample of 8809 anomalies. These anomalies are dominated by bogus candidates, but we were able to identify 75 promising CSAGN candidates.

Frost forecast is an important issue in climate research because of its economic impact on several industries. In this study, we propose GRAST-Frost, a graph neural network (GNN) with spatio-temporal architecture, which is used to predict minimum temperatures and the incidence of frost. We developed an IoT platform capable of acquiring weather data from an experimental site, and in addition, data were collected from 10 weather stations in close proximity to the aforementioned site. The model considers spatial and temporal relations while processing multiple time series simultaneously. Performing predictions of 6, 12, 24, and 48 h in advance, this model outperforms classical time series forecasting methods, including linear and nonlinear machine learning methods, simple deep learning architectures, and nongraph deep learning models. In addition, we show that our model significantly improves on the current state of the art of frost forecasting methods.

Ambient assisted living (AAL) technologies can help the elderly maintain their independence while keeping them safer. Sensors monitor their activities to detect situations in which they might need help. Most research in this area has targeted indoor environments, but outdoor activities are just as important; many risky situations might occur outdoors. SafeNeighborhood (SN) is an AAL system that combines data from multiple sources with collective intelligence to tune sensor data. It merges mobile, ambient, and AI technologies with old-fashioned neighborhood ties to create safe outdoor spaces. The initial results indicate SN’s potential use and point toward new opportunities for care of the elderly.