November 2012 Vol. 10 No. 11

View from the Top

• Toshio Iwamoto, President and Chief Executive Officer, NTT DATA

  

  Overview
  To respond to the accelerating globalization of the information and communications technology (ICT) market, NTT DATA is enthusiastically working as a unified enterprise to establish a dominant presence in world markets through its Global One NTT DATA system. Using novel strategies and viewpoints, Toshio Iwamoto, the new President and Chief Executive Officer, has demonstrated outstanding ability as a project manager throughout his years at NTT DATA. After our previous talk with him two and a half years ago, we sat down with him again to discuss the company's new Medium-Term Management Policy.

Feature Articles: Communication Science that Connects Information and Humans

• Communication Science for the Big Data Era

  

  Abstract
  This set of Feature Articles, on the theme of communication science that connects information and humans, introduces the research efforts and achievements of NTT Communication Science Laboratories for the big data era. Around the world, digital data is being created and stored in enormous quantities and the era of big data is now upon us. For research and business applications, it is vital to have some way of extracting new value from these huge and diverse data resources.

• Extracting Essential Structure from Data

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we introduce part of our technique for analyzing and mining data matrices by using statistical machine learning approaches. The analysis of big data is becoming a hot trend in the information and communications technology (ICT) field, and automated computational methods are indispensable because the data volumes exceed manual capabilities. Statistical machine learning provides good solutions for this purpose, as we show in this article.

• Fast Physical Random Number Generation Using Semiconductor Laser Chaos

  

  Abstract
  We review recent developments in research on fast physical random number generation using a random phenomenon in semiconductor lasers. Random numbers are widely used in information security technology, and there is a need for high-quality, i.e., unpredictable and uniformly distributed, random numbers.

• Information Processing of Sensor Networks

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we introduce technologies for collecting information from many sensor nodes deployed in the environment and/or attached to people, interpreting the sensor data as meaningful information, and presenting it to people appropriately.

• MM-Space: Recreating Multiparty Conversation Space by Using Dynamic Displays

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces our system, called MM-Space, which can recreate a multiparty conversation space at a remote place. This system features a novel visualization scheme that represents human head motions by controlling the poses of the screens displaying human facial images. This physical augmentation helps viewers understand more clearly the behaviors of remote conversation participants such as their gaze directions and head gestures. The viewer is expected to experience a more realistic feeling of the presence of the remote people.

• Hearing Sound Alters Seeing Light

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces three audiovisual illusions in which hearing sound alters how light is seen: the audiovisual tau effect, sound-induced visual motion, and attenuation of the sense of agency by sounds. For each of them, we discuss a specific psychophysical mechanism called perceptual grouping that commonly underlies these illusions. Finally, we describe how scientific understanding of the audiovisual mechanism is contributing to future information technologies.

Feature Articles: ICT Infrastructure Technology Underlying System Innovation

• ICT Infrastructure Technology Underlying Business & Service Innovation

  

  Abstract
  This article explains how information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure technology will help corporations overcome the new challenges facing them as the business management environment changes rapidly and how it will support business and service innovation. Examples of actual projects handled by NTT DATA are given and future technological prospects are discussed.

• Latest Trend of OpenStack, Open Source Software for Infrastructure as a Service, and NTT DATA's Activities

  

  Abstract
  NTT DATA is researching and developing cloud infrastructure technology utilizing OpenStack. This article explains how OpenStack works and introduces some of NTT DATA's recent projects including OpenStack component development, OpenFlow collaboration technology development, cloud security component development, and the use of Swift.

• NTT DATA's Efforts for OpenFlow/SDN

  

  Abstract
  This article discusses the recent technological trend of OpenFlow/SDN and NTT DATA's efforts related to it for future business. Software Defined Networking (SDN) is currently in the spotlight for its capability to control networks flexibly without being bound by conventional network technologies. NTT DATA has been researching and developing OpenFlow, which is technology for achieving SDN, and has developed its own OpenFlow controller.

• Strategy and Efforts for Robotics Integration Aiming at Combining Information and Communications Technology with Robots

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces the strategy and research & development for fusing information and communications technology (ICT) with robots in relation to the open source trend. As machine-to-machine (M2M) communication and sensor networks become widespread, we are entering a time when the robots coordinated with clouds can offer new added value.

• Technology Development for Communication Advancement

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces NTT DATA's research and development activities for advancing communications among people and between people and machines and mentions future prospects. High-quality communication is now receiving attention as a key element for improving corporate productivity and creating a better society.

Regular Articles

• 512 × 512 Port 3D MEMS Optical Switch Module with Toroidal Concave Mirror

  

  Abstract
  We present a 512 × 512 MEMS (microelectromechanical system) optical switch module in a W-shaped layout with a toroidal concave mirror. The 512-array optical components are made by assembling four 128-array components. The concave mirror minimizes the tilt angle of the MEMS mirrors. All of the optical path connections were demonstrated in a prototype module.

• On the Security of the Cryptographic Mask Generation Functions Standardized by ANSI, IEEE, ISO/IEC, and NIST

  

  Abstract
  We revisit the security of mask generation functions (MGFs) in light of the indifferentiability framework. MGFs are a kind of hash function having variably long outputs and they are frequently utilized for designing public-key cryptographic schemes such as digital signatures. First, we clarify that there are weak and strong versions of indifferentiability, depending on the order of quantifies in the definition. Next, we prove that the classical, counter-based MGF standardized by ANSI, IEEE, and ISO/IEC satisfies only the weak version of indifferentiability, whereas the Double-Pipeline Iteration Mode specified in SP800-108 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) satisfies the strong version. While our analysis does not necessarily imply that counter-based MGFs are insecure, our results show that MGF constructions have different levels of security (i.e., indifferentiability).

Global Standardization Activities

• Revision of the Common Patent Guidelines for ITU/ISO/IEC

  

  Abstract
  The "Guidelines for Implementation of the Common Patent Policy for ITU-T/ITU-R/ISO/IEC" were revised by a working group in ITU and published through the web pages of the organizations after their approval (ITU-T: International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Standardization Sector; ITU-R: International Telecommunication Union, Radiocommunication Sector; ISO: International Organization for Standardization; IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission). The revised guidelines clarified the following two points.

  (1) The submitted patent declaration form shall be irrevocable and only superseded by another form containing a more favorable licensing commitment from an implementer's perspective.

  (2) The owner of the declared patents shall make reasonable efforts to notify an assignee or transferee of the existence of such a license undertaking if the owner assigns or transfers them. In addition, if the owner specifically identified patents in the declaration, the owner shall have the assignee or transferee agree to be bound by the same licensing commitment.

Information

• Report on NTT Communication Science Laboratories Open House 2012

  

  Abstract
  Open House 2012 was held at NTT Communication Science Laboratories in Keihanna Science City, Kyoto. Over 1000 people visited the facility on June 7 and 8 to enjoy six lectures and twenty-six exhibits of the labs' latest research efforts.

External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings

• External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings