Information Technology

Information Technology

Information technology is considered to be the enabling technology for many current and future technical advances in our everyday life. Be it internet, mobile communication, or autonomous information systems, information technology provides the platform for acquiring, processing, transmitting, and reproducing information as a basis for human-to-human and human-machine communication. This program aims at providing the technical background for contributing to further development of the technology.

What will be taught?

• Digital signal processing: With signals being the carrier of information, the fundamentals of digital signal processing as taught in undergraduate courses are extended to advanced topics including digital filter design, transforms, filter banks, finite wordlength effects, stochastic signal processing, and adaptive systems.
• Applications of digital signal processing for speech, audio, images, and video. This includes source coding techniques for all the above types of signals, plus speech enhancement, sound synthesis and medical image processing
• Information theory describes how many bits are necessary to represent a given message and how it must be protected when transmitted over a noisy channel. Thereby, it provides the theoretical background for source coding, channel coding, and transmission of signals.
• Communications: The basic model consisting of information source, transmitter, channel, receiver, and information sink applies to all point-to-point communication schemes. The techniques for the respective components are discussed for modern communication systems including the internet and mobile networks such as GSM or UMTS. Advanced courses also address network architectures and protocols.
• Practical courses in digital signal processing and communications: The students will deepen their theoretical knowledge in guided experiments and projects using powerful simulation tools (e.g. Matlab) and real-time hardware.

The main goals of this TAF are a thorough understanding of the methodology used for creating new technology and a well-founded knowledge of the state of the art.

What prior knowledge will be expected?

As prerequisites expected from undergraduate studies, a working knowledge in mathematics for engineers (including linear algebra, functions of complex variables, probability theory) and familiarity with the fundamental theoretical concepts for describing signals and systems is expected (see, e.g., A.V. Oppenheim and A.S. Willsky, Signals and Systems, Prentice Hall, 1983; S. Haykin, B. van Veen, Signals and Systems,Wiley, 1999). Moreover, basics in communications (see e.g., Haykin, Communication Systems, Wiley, 4th edition, 2000) and digital signal processing (see e.g., Oppenheim/Schafer/Buck, Discrete-time Signal Processing, Prentice-Hall, 2nd edition, 1998) are expected.

The prospective students should be fluent in programming in C/C++ and should be able to use the computer as a tool for solving numerical problems (e.g. using Matlab) as well as for internet communication and information retrieval.

TAF Adviser