EXPLOITING KASPAROV'S LAW: ENHANCED INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTEGRATION IN DOD SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING ENVIRONMENTS

Despite recent advances in the representation of logistics considerations in DOD staff training and wargaming simulations, logistics information systems (IS) remain underrepresented. Unlike many command and control (C2) systems, which can be integrated with simulations through common protocols (e.g., OTH-Gold), many logistics ISs require manpower-intensive human-in-the-loop (HitL) processes for simulation-IS (sim-IS) integration. Where automated sim-IS integration has been achieved, it often does not simulate important sociotechnical system (STS) dynamics, such as information latency and human error, presenting decision-makers with an unrealistic representation of logistics C2 capabilities in context. This research seeks to overcome the limitations of conventional sim-IS interoperability approaches by developing and validating a new approach for sim-IS information exchange through robotic process automation (RPA). RPA software supports the automation of IS information exchange through ISs’ existing graphical user interfaces. This “outside-in” approach to IS integration mitigates the need for engineering changes in ISs (or simulations) for automated information exchange. In addition to validating the potential for an RPA-based approach to sim-IS integration, this research presents recommendations for a Distributed Simulation Engineering and Execution Process (DSEEP) overlay to guide the engineering and execution of sim-IS environments.Major, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Knowledge Management System for Railway Supply Chain Perspective

Knowledge Management System (KMS) is a monitoring system that emphasizes the desired and actual performance of an industry. Aligning KMS to viably execute the Railway Industry methodology and supply chain operations utilizing legitimate knowledge management capabilities. Yet KMS controls the planning and priorities through action controls that emphasize on operational control level, result controls toward the strategic planning level, personnel controls on retaining the right operation with the right skills, and transaction control on the accurate and complete legal transactions for ensuring strategic management. Therefore, we have come up with a dynamic KMS for the Railway Supply Chain context that focuses on operational, tactical, and strategic perspectives on the information sources, value, analytics, and requirement for current and future drivers of an industry perspective. Moreover, this KMS aims to redesign the Information System by promoting a reductionist approach to problem-solving and best decision-making practices within an industry context

A Tool for Supporting the Co-Evolution of Enterprise Architecture Meta-models and Models

Enterprise architecture models capture the concepts and relationships that together describe the essentials of the various enterprise domains. This model of the enterprise is tightly coupled to a domain-specific modeling language that defines the formalisms for creating and updating such model. These languages are described as meta-models by the model-driven engineering field. Results from surveys on enterprise architecture tool analysis showed a lack of support concerning the co-evolution of enterprise architecture meta-model and models. This paper presents a tool that automates enterprise architecture models co-evolution according to a set of meta-model changes. A Portuguese governmental organization used and validated the tool using observational, analytical and descriptive evaluation methods

Realizing Change-Driven Consistency for Component Code, Architectural Models, and Contracts in Vitruvius

During the development of component-based software systems, it is often impractical or even impossible to include all development information into the source code. Instead, specialized languages are used to describe components and systems on different levels of abstraction or from different viewpoints: Component-based architecture models and contracts, for example, can be used to describe the system on a high level of abstraction, and to formally specify component constraints. Since models, contracts, and code contain redundant information, inconsistencies can occur if they are modified independently. Keeping this information consistent manually can require considerable effort, and can lead to costly errors, for example, when security-relevant components are verified against inconsistent contracts. In this technical report, we present details on realizing an approach for keeping component-based architecture models and contracts specified in the Java Modeling Language (JML) consistent with Java source code. We use change-driven incremental transformations and the Vitruvius framework to automate the consistency preservation where this is possible. Using two case studies, we demonstrate how to detect and propagate changes and refactoring operations to keep models and contracts consistent with the source code

ADAPTING MODELS IN METAMODELS COMPOSITION PROCESSES

In Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approaches, metamodels can change after the creation of conformant models. Moreover, changes applied on one metamodel can be result of a composition process. When metamodels change, model conformity can be broken. Once the conformity is broken, the model is unuseful and it is not possible to regain the conformity with the composite metamodel.This paper presents a proposal to solve models adaptation through a Domain Speci c Language (DSL). This DSL is used by metamodelers who are the people that know the domains abstracted by several metamodels, and know how to combine those meta-models in order to generate the composite metamodel. In addition, the DSL allows metamodelers to include the solu-tion for conformant models adaptation.

The Economics of Agricultural Development: What Have We Learned? Processes

Agricultural development thinking has gone through several stages of fad and fancy, often without an understanding of previous fallacies. Its current doldrums are unfortunate given the unrivaled importance of agricultural development for poverty reduction in most development countries. After reviewing several policy and program areas, lessons are synthesized, and a forwardlooking research framework suggested, especially regarding role of specialization in the evolution of economic organization. The corresponding role of government is seen to be the facilitation of economic cooperation, rather than social engineering.

A Conceptual Model for Assistant Platforms

Assistant platforms are becoming a key element for the business model of many companies. They have evolved from assistance systems that provide support when using information (or other) systems to platforms in their own. Alexa, Cortana or Siri may be used with literally thousands of services. From this background, this paper develops the notion of assistant platforms and elaborates a conceptual model that supports businesses in developing appropriate strategies. The model consists of three main building blocks, an architecture that depicts the components as well as the possible layers of an assistant platform, the mechanism that determines the value creation on assistant platforms, and the ecosystem with its network effects, which emerge from the multi-sided nature of assistant platforms. The model has been derived from a litera-ture review and is illustrated with examples of existing assistant platforms. Its main purpose is to advance the understanding of assistant platforms and to trigger future research

Seshat: The Global History Databank

The vast amount of knowledge about past human societies has not been systematically organized and, therefore, remains inaccessible for empirically testing theories about cultural evolution and historical dynamics. For example, what evolutionary mechanisms were involved in the transition from the small-scale, uncentralized societies, in which humans lived 10,000 years ago, to the large-scale societies with an extensive division of labor, great differentials in wealth and power, and elaborate governance structures of today? Why do modern states sometimes fail to meet the basic needs of their populations? Why do economies decline, or fail to grow? In this article, we describe the structure and uses of a massive databank of historical and archaeological information, Seshat: The Global History Databank. The data that we are currently entering in Seshat will allow us and others to test theories explaining how modern societies evolved from ancestral ones, and why modern societies vary so much in their capacity to satisfy their members’ basic human needsPeer reviewedFinal Published versio

Study on a conceptual model for campus transformation of classical universities in the digital era

This article presents a conceptual management model of campus space 4.0 (CS4.0), in which CS4.0 is viewed as a condition for the transformation of classical universities in the digital era. To create this model, we used the systems approach as well as complexity theory, focusing on the ontological, spatial, axiological, social, psychological, and management aspects. The model not only defines the systems status of CS4.0 and describes the three types of properties inherent in CS4.0. This model also explains why, in the digital era, CS4.0 can become the agent of change for a classical university that has had a long history. This model of CS4.0 will not destroy the university’s cultural identity and academic values; rather, it will serve the interests of all groups within the university community. This conceptual model can be the key to understanding one of the possible management strategies for the development of the classical university in the digital network society at the beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Digitale Transformation aus unternehmensübergreifender Perspektive: Management der Koevolution von Plattformbesitzern und Komplementoren in Plattformökosystemen

Digital platforms have the potential to transform how organizations are doing business in their respective ecosystems. Motivated by this transformation, the purpose of this thesis is to increase the understanding of digital transformation from an inter-organizational perspective. Therefore, this thesis clarifies the phenomenon of digital transformation, and models and analyzes multiple digital platform ecosystems. Building upon that, this dissertation reflects on multiple case studies on how platform owners can manage the co-evolution of their complementors in digital transformations in digital platform ecosystems.Digitale Plattformen haben das Potential, die Art und Weise, wie Unternehmen in ihren jeweiligen Ökosystemen Geschäfte machen, zu verändern. Motiviert durch diese Transformation, ist das Ziel dieser Arbeit, das Verständnis von digitaler Transformation aus einer inter-organisatorischen Perspektive zu erhöhen. Daher erläutert diese Arbeit das Phänomen der digitalen Transformation, und modelliert und analysiert mehrere digitale Plattformökosysteme. Darauf aufbauend reflektiert diese Dissertation in mehreren Fallstudien darüber, wie Plattformbesitzer die Koevolution ihrer Komplementoren in digitalen Transformationen in digitalen Plattformökosystemen steuern können