116,296 research outputs found
Systematic evaluation of design choices for software development tools
[Abstract]: Most design and evaluation of software tools
is based on the intuition and experience of the designers.
Software tool designers consider themselves typical users
of the tools that they build and tend to subjectively evaluate their products rather than objectively evaluate them using established usability methods. This subjective approach is inadequate if the quality of software tools is to improve and the use of more systematic methods is advocated. This paper summarises a sequence of studies that
show how user interface design choices for software development tools can be evaluated using established usability engineering techniques. The techniques used included guideline review, predictive modelling and experimental studies with users
Review and Comparison of Intelligent Optimization Modelling Techniques for Energy Forecasting and Condition-Based Maintenance in PV Plants
Within the field of soft computing, intelligent optimization modelling techniques include
various major techniques in artificial intelligence. These techniques pretend to generate new business
knowledge transforming sets of "raw data" into business value. One of the principal applications of
these techniques is related to the design of predictive analytics for the improvement of advanced
CBM (condition-based maintenance) strategies and energy production forecasting. These advanced
techniques can be used to transform control system data, operational data and maintenance event data
to failure diagnostic and prognostic knowledge and, ultimately, to derive expected energy generation.
One of the systems where these techniques can be applied with massive potential impact are the
legacy monitoring systems existing in solar PV energy generation plants. These systems produce a
great amount of data over time, while at the same time they demand an important e ort in order to
increase their performance through the use of more accurate predictive analytics to reduce production
losses having a direct impact on ROI. How to choose the most suitable techniques to apply is one of
the problems to address. This paper presents a review and a comparative analysis of six intelligent
optimization modelling techniques, which have been applied on a PV plant case study, using the
energy production forecast as the decision variable. The methodology proposed not only pretends
to elicit the most accurate solution but also validates the results, in comparison with the di erent
outputs for the di erent techniques
Detailed and large-scale cost/benefit analyses of landslide prevention vs. post-event actions
The main aim of this paper is to
test economic benefits of landslide prevention measures vs. post-event
emergency actions. To this end, detailed- and large-scale analyses were
performed in a training area located in the northeastern Italian pre-Alps
that was hit by an exceptional rainfall event occurred in November 2010. On
the detailed scale, a landslide reactivated after 2010 event was
investigated. Numerical modeling demonstrated that remedial works carried out
after the landslide – water-removal intervention such as a drainage trench
– could have improved slope stability if applied before its occurrence.
Then, a cost/benefit analysis was employed. It defined that prevention would
have been economically convenient compared to a non-preventive and passive
attitude, allowing a 30 % saving relative to total costs. On the large
scale, one of the most affected areas after 2010 event was considered. A
susceptibility analysis was performed using a simple probabilistic model,
which allowed to highlight the main landslide conditioning factors and the
most hazardous and vulnerable sectors. In particular, such low-cost analysis
demonstrated that almost 50 % of landslides occurred after 2010 event
could be foreseen and allowed to roughly quantify benefits from regional
landslide prevention. However, a large-scale approach is insufficient to carry
out a quantitative cost/benefit analysis, for which a detailed case-by-case
risk assessment is needed. The here proposed approaches could be used as a
means of preventive soil protection in not only the investigated case
study but also all those hazardous areas where preventive measures are
needed
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