A study of System Interface Sets (SIS) for the host, target and integration environments of the Space Station Program (SSP)

System interface sets (SIS) for large, complex, non-stop, distributed systems are examined. The SIS of the Space Station Program (SSP) was selected as the focus of this study because an appropriate virtual interface specification of the SIS is believed to have the most potential to free the project from four life cycle tyrannies which are rooted in a dependance on either a proprietary or particular instance of: operating systems, data management systems, communications systems, and instruction set architectures. The static perspective of the common Ada programming support environment interface set (CAIS) and the portable common execution environment (PCEE) activities are discussed. Also, the dynamic perspective of the PCEE is addressed

Tinkering, Tailoring and Bricolage: Implications for Theories of Design

Current structural specifications for design theory and guidelines for Design Science fall short of creating theories that account for user tinkering, secondary design tailoring, and the interactions of supporting kernel theories. This paper offers an expansion of design theory conceptualization by incorporating aspects of design which occur in everyday technology use. Currently, design theory is focused solely on the artifact while obscuring the teleological information processes for which they are designed. We propose the addition of environments which can organize kernel theories and provide insight regarding interaction and influence of kernel theory in different use contexts. In addition, the modification of information artifacts and processes as users tinker with, and tailor systems is a necessary aspect of design theory specifications

A Framework for Understanding, Prioritizing, and Applying Systems Security Engineering Processes, Activities, and Tasks

Current systems security practices lack an effective approach to prioritize and tailor systems security efforts to develop and field secure systems in challenging operational environments, which results in business and mission stakeholders becoming more susceptible to an array of disruptive events. This work informs Systems Engineers on recent developments in the field of system security engineering and provides a framework for more fully understanding the application of Systems Security Engineering (SSE) processes, activities, and tasks as described in the recently released National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-160. This SSE framework uniquely offers a repeatable and tailorable methodology that allows system developers to focus on high Return-on-Investment (RoI) SSE processes, activities, and tasks to more efficiently meet stakeholder protection needs and deliver trustworthy secure systems

Exploiting rules and processes for increasing flexibility in service composition

Recent trends in the use of service oriented architecture for designing, developing, managing, and using distributed applications have resulted in an increasing number of independently developed and physically distributed services. These services can be discovered, selected and composed to develop new applications and to meet emerging user requirements. Service composition is generally defined on the basis of business processes in which the underlying composition logic is guided by specifying control and data flows through Web service interfaces. User demands as well as the services themselves may change over time, which leads to replacing or adjusting the composition logic of previously defined processes. Coping with change is still one of the fundamental problems in current process based composition approaches. In this paper, we exploit declarative and imperative design styles to achieve better flexibility in service composition

Developing living information systems through systems tailorability: Deferred systems design

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.An interpretivist investigation of computer-based business information systems was conducted in two commercial companies and two higher education institutes, by using both quantitative questionnaire survey and qualitative interview research methods. The investigation focused on the social and organisational context of information systems development and usage in these organisations. The utility of structured methodologies is now being questioned by some researchers who are calling for alternative approaches, and this investigation draws on that alternative strand of thinking. The collected data primarily reveals that the development and usage of information systems happens in changing organisations, which suggests that the design and usage of information systems must cater for such a changing or dynamic environment. Therefore the data is interpreted using a philosophical outlook encompassing the notion of "living" information systems and Critical Theory, and this philosophical stance regards information technology as liberating human endeavour in organisations. Five sub-concepts and the concept of deferred system's design are derived from the data, which have been formulated to account and cater for change in information systems environments. The concept of deferred system's design encourages the design of information systems which allow for organisational human behaviour, consisting of organisational change, uncertainty, and learning, to be mediated by information technology. A systems design principle called `deferred system's design decisions' is derived to enable designs of tailorable information systems, which may be regarded as one form of living information systems to facilitate such organisational behaviour. An intersubjective theoretical model called the spiral of change model of tailorable information systems is proposed to explain and understand better the changing organisational environment in which information systems must be developed and in which they must function. To inform practice a computer tool is proposed which enables conceptions of " tailorable information systems that employ the principle of deferred system's design decisions and enables modelling changing or dynamic information systems

A Socio-technical Approach to Designing and Evaluating Industry Oriented Applications

Over the past few years many views have emerged that maximize the utilization of design research in Information Systems (IS) application development. A recent insightful debate in the IS community has suggested two major design views in IS research: a) a pragmatic technical artifact orientation, and b) a theory-grounded user and meta-artifact focus. The first (pragmatic design-based) view focuses on explicit knowledge and on a step-by-step methodology for innovative artifact design and building. The second (theory-grounded) view more broadly emphasizes meta-artifact design in IS development and a more prescriptive guidance approach that is grounded in design research. The debate between these two views leads to the question: which method is more suitable for Decision Support System (DSS) design? In extending the debate on design views in IS research, this paper evaluates a DSS application through both the utility of the pragmatic and the socio-technical design research views. This helps create a methodological foundation for industry-oriented DSS design and evaluation. The findings suggest that both positions have merit, but the latter view of design science is more suitable for industry-oriented DSS design

DIT Teaching Fellowships Reports 2013-2014

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