National launch strategy vehicle data management system

The national launch strategy vehicle data management system (NLS/VDMS) was developed as part of the 1990 NASA Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. The system was developed under the guidance of the Engineering Systems Branch of the Information Systems Office, and is intended for use within the Program Development Branch PD34. The NLS/VDMS is an on-line database system that permits the tracking of various launch vehicle configurations within the program development office. The system is designed to permit the definition of new launch vehicles, as well as the ability to display and edit existing launch vehicles. Vehicles can be grouped in logical architectures within the system. Reports generated from this package include vehicle data sheets, architecture data sheets, and vehicle flight rate reports. The topics covered include: (1) system overview; (2) initial system development; (3) supercard hypermedia authoring system; (4) the ORACLE database; and (5) system evaluation

Storage management and indexing in object-oriented database management systems

Ankara : The Department of Computer Engineering and Information Sciences and the Institute of Engineering and Sciences of Bilkent Univ., 1990.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1990.Includes bibliographical references leaves 76-77Storage management and indexing methods used in existing conventional database management systems are not appropriate for the object-oriented database management systems due to the distinctive features of the later systems. A model for storage management suitable for object- oriented database management systems is proposed in this thesis. It supports object identity, multiple inheritance, composite objects, a fine degree of granularity and schema evolution. An index provides fast access to data stored in files at the price of using additional storage space and an overhead in update operations. Work has been carried out on indexing and an indexing method for the object-oriented database systems is proposed. Identity and equality indexes are treated. Object identity and information hiding are provided. Schema changes are handled without affecting existing indexes. It is general enough to be applicable to most existing object-oriented database systems. The mapping of the proposed storage and indexing approaches into a relational database scheme is also presented.Al-Hajj, RedaM.S

Modeling impacts of farming management alternatives on CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions: A case study for water management of rice agriculture of China

Since the early 1980s, water management of rice paddies in China has changed substantially, with midseason drainage gradually replacing continuous flooding. This has provided an opportunity to estimate how a management alternative impacts greenhouse gas emissions at a large regional scale. We integrated a process-based model, DNDC, with a GIS database of paddy area, soil properties, and management factors. We simulated soil carbon sequestration (or net CO2 emission) and CH4 and N2O emissions from China\u27s rice paddies (30 million ha), based on 1990 climate and management conditions, with two water management scenarios: continuous flooding and midseason drainage. The results indicated that this change in water management has reduced aggregate CH4 emissions about 40%, or 5 Tg CH4 yr−1, roughly 5–10% of total global methane emissions from rice paddies. The mitigating effect of midseason drainage on CH4 flux was highly uneven across the country; the highest flux reductions (\u3e200 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1) were in Hainan, Sichuan, Hubei, and Guangdong provinces, with warmer weather and multiple-cropping rice systems. The smallest flux reductions (\u3c25 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1) occurred in Tianjin, Hebei, Ningxia, Liaoning, and Gansu Provinces, with relatively cool weather and single cropping systems. Shifting water management from continuous flooding to midseason drainage increased N2O emissions from Chinese rice paddies by 0.15 Tg N yr−1 (∼50% increase). This offset a large fraction of the greenhouse gas radiative forcing benefit gained by the decrease in CH4 emissions. Midseason drainage-induced N2O fluxes were high (\u3e8.0 kg N/ha) in Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang provinces, where the paddy soils contained relatively high organic matter. Shifting water management from continuous flooding to midseason drainage reduced total net CO2emissions by 0.65 Tg CO2-C yr−1, which made a relatively small contribution to the net climate impact due to the low radiative potential of CO2. The change in water management had very different effects on net greenhouse gas mitigation when implemented across climatic zones, soil types, or cropping systems. Maximum CH4 reductions and minimum N2O increases were obtained when the mid-season draining was applied to rice paddies with warm weather, high soil clay content, and low soil organic matter content, for example, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces, which have 60% of China\u27s rice paddies and produce 65% of China\u27s rice harvest

An anomaly in pH data in South Africa’s national water quality monitoring database – implications for future use

The South African national water quality database (Water Management System) houses data records from several environmental monitoring programmes, including the National Chemical Monitoring Programme (NCMP). The NCMP comprises an extensive surface water quality monitoring programme, managed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The purpose of this technical note is to alert users to a systematic anomaly recently observed in the pH dataset of the NCMP, reflected in an abrupt increase between pre- and post-1990 data records. Although the cause of the anomaly in pH could not be confirmed with high confidence, an inappropriate acid rinse procedure in pre-1990 analytical methods was identified as the most likely cause, based on available evidence. This was supported by the variation in relative sensitivity when comparing the effect on waters with different buffering capacities, i.e., water with low buffering capacity (represented by total alkalinity < 10 mg/L, as CaCO3) showing the largest anomaly, compared with waters of higher buffering capacity (represented by total alkalinity > 30 mg/L, as CaCO3) showing the smallest anomaly. Historical pH data records in the NCMP (i.e. pre- 1990), therefore should be used with caution, especially in more weakly buffered systems. The possibility of reconstructing data using a correction factor derived from detailed statistical analyses of the post-1990 pH characteristics at selected sites is a possible solution that could be investigated in future. A key lesson learnt is the need to be diligent in capturing detailed meta-data on sampling procedures and analytical methods in datasets spanning several generations. Availability of such information is critical in order to provide users with a means of evaluating the suitability and comparability of data records in long-term datasets. The DWS includes such meta-data in the current version of the database, dating from about 1995 onwards.Keywords: pH, anomaly, river, Water Management System, National Chemical Monitoring Programm

Pavement Management System Research Output: A Scientometric Assessment

Developing countries are struggling with cost management of pavement construction and rehabilitation. This case is similar to developedcountries butdeveloping countries are suffering issues of inadequate funds. Therefore, most of the countries started usage of Pavement Management Systems (PMS) to manage the decision-making process and alternate/priority assessments for pavement construction and rehabilitation. Hence, the PMS remains the topic of research interest for various researchers. This paper evaluates the scale and effectiveness of articles published by Web of Science (WoS) Group on PMS since 1990. The data has been collected from the WoS database from 1990 till 2020. The datawas processedand analyzed by Microsoft excel. This paper concludes that the trend of publication PMS articles is increasing and researchers are publications in high-quality articles on theWoS. The citation trend is alsoincreasing butit is analyzed that theWoSis not publishing the PMS conference articles as per the collected data. This paper compiles all the high-quality papers on PMS. It will also assist the authors to find a suitable publisher based on previously published work by the publisher

The Design and Implementation of a bespoke Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) for an acoustical engineering company

This paper will describe the tasks completed so far as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Hertfordshire and Acoustical Control Engineers (ACE) a ‘small and medium sized enterprise’ (SME) based in Cambridgeshire, UK. ACE’s 25 personnel design, manufacture and install noise and vibration control systems to solve a wide range of acoustic problems. The projects undertaken include acoustic enclosures for supermarket refrigeration plant and for generators used in many situations, together with other more diverse applications such as controlling noise in the workplace and even on a luxury boat. Before the current KTP project the company used some partially computerised systems consisting of spreadsheets to perform acoustic analyses, pricing and project management functions supplemented with a paper based system to ‘fill the gaps’. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems provide an integrated database for all parts of the organisation allowing decisions to be based on a complete understanding of the organisation’s information, avoiding the problems due to duplication of data and ensuring that the consequences of decisions in one part of the organisation are reflected in the planning and control systems of the rest of the organisation. ERP systems became popular from the 1990’s mainly in relatively large organisations due to the complexity and cost of these systems. This project is unusual in that rather than adapting an off-the-shelf ERP solution to ACE’s very specific and specialised requirements we are taking an ERP development approach in an SME whose legacy systems are made up of spreadsheet and paper based systems. For the software development an Agile approach has been used. Agile involves software development methods based on iterative and incremental development. The initial attempt was to start developing the ERP from an Open Source ERP Source Code; however this effort was futile as a result of the bespoke nature of ACE’s business and product lines. Mapping ACE’s data model to the database which any existing ERP system could be adapted to, proved to be a very difficult problem. Therefore, developing the ERP from first principles was inevitable. Several of the ERP modules have been developed, user training has taken place and the core modules have been signed off. The project is due to complete in September 2014 and by this time we will have further information on how the ERP system has increased the competitiveness of the company, as well as experience of introducing an ERP into an SME. However, as would be expected the work undertaken developing the system so far has had several significant effects on ACE and acted as a catalyst for change in various parts of ACE’s business.Non peer reviewe

Information technology and urban green analysis

It is well recognized that green area plays a pivotal role in improving urban environment, such as preserving water and soil, controlling temperature and humidity of air, preventing pollution, flood prevention, functioning as buffers between incompatible land uses, preserving natural habitat, and providing space for recreation and relaxation. However, due to pressures from new development both in urban fringes and urban centres, urban green and open spaces are seen to be rapidly declining in term of allocated spaces and quality. Without careful urban land use planning, many open spaces will be filled with residential and commercial buildings. Therefore, there is a need for proper planning control to ensure that the provisions of green spaces are adequately being conserved for current and future generations. The need for an urban green information system is particularly important for strategic planning at macro level and local planning at the micro level. The advent of information technology has created an opportunity for the development of new approaches in preserving and monitoring the development of urban green and open spaces. This paper will discuss the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) incorporated with other data sources such as remote sensing images and aerial photographs in providing innovative and alternative solutions in the management and monitoring of urban green. GIS is widely accepted in urban landscape planning as it can provide better understanding on the spatial pattern and changes of land use in an area. This paper will primarily focus on digital database that are developed to assist in monitoring urban green and open spaces at regional and local context. The application of GIS in the Klang Valley region or better known as AGISwlk developed since mid-1990's is currently being used by various organisations in the region. The focus of AGISwlk is not merely in providing relevant database to its stakeholders but more importantly, assist in making specific and relevant decisions with regard to spatial planning. It is also used to monitor the loss of green areas by using several temporal data sets. The method of classifying green and open spaces in the region is also being discussed. This paper demonstrates that GIS can be an effective tool in preserving and monitoring green and open spaces in an urban area. The contribution of urban green digital database in someway may leads toward landscape sustainability as to satisfy the ever changing society

Enterprise Information Systems Integration and Business Process Improvement Initiative: An Empirical Study

Since the mid-and late 80\u27s, business process improvement (BPI) has become one of the leading methodologies to deliver corporations with high quality products and services. Businesses are seeking not simply to automate existing operations, but to improve and redesign business processes and capture customers\u27 expectations for products, and service delivery. Extensive communication and inter-connectivity arising from adoption of standards and integrated services digital networks (ISDN) has become a major force affectingbusinesses in fundamental ways (Madnick, 1990; Boar, 1993). The second avenue through which businesses are identifying new opportunities is the availability of databases (Madnick, 1990). By linking inter-organizational, inter-functional, and inter-personal levels of the processes through IS networks, businesses are not only automating their activities, they are also reshaping and improving their business processes (Hammer and Champy, 1993). By accessing enterprise-wise information from databases, IS integration is providing numerous opportunities to coordinate organizational activities by facilitating communication and information exchange across departments without the need to go up and down the vertical chain of command. The use of information networks to access relevant information from databases has been of enormous importance to eliminate duplicate activities, prevent errors from occurring, cycle time reduction in product development, and customer responsiveness (Davenport, 1993). The need of a well planned database management system is one of the important requirements for BPI. In most organizations, data architecture has evolved as a result of applications databases in various departments rather than as a well planned data management strategy. Therefore, the resolution of data management problems becomes quite difficult (Goodhue, Quillard, and Rockart, 1988). The access to timely, accurate and consistent information is crucial in business process improvement. IS integration, through communication networks and database systems, enables organizations to create and sustain process improvement through timely retrieval of consistent and accurate information. Process improvement can be measured by the extent desired specified results are produced right thefirst time (i.e., outcomes with zero defect), the extent various processes minimize the consumption of the business resources, and the extent business processes are easily modified to meet or exceed customers\u27 expectations for products and service delivery. The current study is aimed at developing and empirically testing the relationships between IS integration and BPI. As presently there are only a handful studies that empirically test the relationship between information systems and BPI, this study is an important step for furthering the scope of present stage of the IS literature

Exploring Factors Causing Disparity between Desired and Experienced Effects of Campus ERP Systems

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been used by organizations and companies the world throughout since 1990. Many universities have recently replaced their legacy systems with ERP systems to improve work efficiency. One solution available for universities by way of management information system is the Campus ERP system. The Campus ERP system helps universities incorporate all departments and functions within a single database system that manages all student information. Campus ERP is used to facilitate the routine work of end users and to achieve a better resource management. Nevertheless, the effects of Campus ERP systems experienced by users do not correspond with their desired effects of these systems. To investigate the reasons for these differences, we conduct a empirical study at the University of Nizwa (UoN) in Oman to identify the difference between the expected and desired effects of Campus ERP system and the reasons for that difference. The target group from UoN were administrator, developer and teachers. We examine the impacts of the Campus ERP system by introducing the TOC model as a catalogue of criteria to investigate the determinants affecting the influence of the ERP system. In our study, we classify these determinants as avoided reasons, identified reasons, and unidentified reasons. We investigate whether there exist any differences between the experienced effects and desired effects at UoN, assuming that the university is aware of the avoided reasons and the identified reasons. Thus, we set out to discover the unidentified reasons for the difference. By doing so, we contribute to a new understanding of unknown influential factors that lead to the difference between the desired and expected effects of ERP systems, which is significant as a yardstick for the successful implementation of Campus ERP projects

ABC Diffusion in the Age of Digital Economy: the UK Experience

Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a call for further research to trace the effects of the speedy changes in business environment on management accounting practices. This study assesses the impact of different information technologies on ABC adoption and implementation. It uses a cross-sectional survey of financial directors and controllers in the UK firms. Postal and electronic questionnaires have been used in order to collect the empirical data. The findings revealed that the rate of ABC adoption has shown a number of changes between 1999 and 2005. The proportions of ABC users and those currently assessing it have dramatically fallen. The percentage of firms rejecting ABC has slightly fallen as well. However, there has been a considerable increase in the number of firms that abandoned ABC implementation and those firms that gave no consideration for its implementation. These results indicate a decrease in the popularity of ABC. ERP systems seem to have a slightly low significant impact on the initial decision of ABC adoption in those firms that do not have any consideration for ABC and firms that have an ERP system before ABC adoption. Furthermore, the results indicate that firms use different information technologies in the ABC assessment and implementation. For ABC assessment, general software applications are the most preferable software packages while a mix of different ABC software packages is the most popular in the case of ABC implementation. Finally, the findings of this study provide an indication on the nature of the possible effect of general IT-related problems on ABC implementation