Process and knowledge management in a collaborative maintenance planning system for high value machine tools

Product manufacturers are extending their responsibilities in the whole life cycle by providing services to their customers. In recent years, product service system has become an important research topic to address the special requirements in the new service driven business model. High value machine tools in modern manufacturing factories are special products: they are regarded as ‘products’ from maintenance point of view, and they also manufacture other products. In the new business model, the quality and behavior of a machine tool not only affect the quality of the parts it manufactures, but also affect the profits of the machine tool’s manufacturer. However, in the research area of product service systems and related computerized maintenance systems, there is a lack of investigation into the special nature, problems and requirements of high value machine tool maintenance, which are very important in modern digitized manufacturing systems. Therefore, this research investigated the various relationships between different stakeholders in the machine tools’ lifecycle, focusing on knowledge management, communication and the decision-making processes. This research also explored the potential application of advanced content management systems, which are widely implemented in the financial, business and government organizations, in the manufacturing engineering domain which has been dominated by traditional engineering information systems. A prototype collaborative maintenance planning system is proposed, developed and evaluated using an example machine tool, which indicated that significant improvement could be achieved and the content management technology has a number of advantages over the traditional engineering information systems, such as computer aided engineering, product data and lifecycle management, and enterprise resource planning systems, in managing machine tool maintenance and service information including dynamic and unstructured knowledge

Information lifecycle management in Structural Engineering BIM, openBIM and Blockchain technology to digitise and re-engineer structural safety information management processes

Over the past decade, the building information modelling (BIM) approach has increasingly been used in both professional practice and research relating to the fields of civil and structural engineering. Indeed, it has been adopted across the globe, with some governments demanding its use in public projects involving bridges, tunnels and railways, as well as for strategic facilities like hospitals and schools. In Europe, most countries comply with Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on public procurements, which allows such clients to demand the use of BIM methodologies. Some countries, meanwhile, have decided to enforce digital delivery; for example, the United Kingdom has required the use of BIM in all government projects since 2016, while the Italian government published a timeline in 2018 mandating the use of BIM methodologies in all construction work by 2025. As a consequence, companies involved in the AEC sector are embracing the BIM approach by employing new tools and workflows, even though they face obstacles in relation to issues like training costs and time or low initial productivity. BIM-based workflows, innovative tools and collaboration platforms can be employed throughout the lifecycle of an asset, and have been the catalyst for innovation in the entire architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. However, the BIM approach does not have its own agenda for research purposes only, but this has one in applied research with the purpose of aiding professional practice. Thus, this thesis will address the use of BIM in structural engineering not for the sake of the research itself, but with the practical intent of summarizing and presenting the current experience of the use of BIM in structural engineering and then contributing to expanding knowledge about the possible uses of BIM in this regard. This thesis proposes innovative processes for the lifecycle information management of information that refers to the discipline of structural engineering. The proposed processes are based on the BIM approach, an information management framework that allows to standardise information flows using processes that implement tools such as BIM-authoring software, BIM tools and collaboration platforms. In detail, the BIM-based processes here proposed are in the number of three and refer, respectively, to the authorization phase, the testing and closeout phase, and the operation and maintenance phase of the lifecycle of a facility. A further novelty of this work is investigating the use of the open format industry foundation classes (IFC) in the processes that refer to the authorization phase and the operation and maintenance phase, and the use of blockchain technology in the testing and closeout phase. The first aim of this thesis, therefore, is to start bridging that gap by 1) providing the first state-of-the-art on the use of BIM in structural engineering. Additionally, this thesis is original in that it addresses the production, management, and storage of information that pertains to structural engineering. Accordingly, this work aims at: 2) Proposing an open BIM-based process for the application for seismic authorization, in Italian 'autorizzazione sismica' (authorization phase). 3) Proposing a proof-of-concept for the integration of blockchain technology and smart contract into information flows among common data environments (CDEs) in the construction process of structural systems (testing and closeout phase). 4) Proposing an open BIM-based process for the operation and maintenance phase of structures

High value information in engineering organizations

The management of information in engineering organizations is facing a particular challenge in the ever-increasing volume of information. It has been recognized that an effective methodology is required to evaluate information in order to avoid information overload and to retain the right information for reuse. By using, as a starting point, a number of the current tools and techniques which attempt to obtain ‘the value’ of information, it is proposed that an assessment or filter mechanism for information is needed to be developed. This paper addresses this issue firstly by briefly reviewing the information overload problem, the definition of value, and related research work on the value of information in various areas. Then a “characteristic” based framework of information evaluation is introduced using the key characteristics identified from related work as an example. A Bayesian Network diagram method is introduced to the framework to build the linkage between the characteristics and information value in order to quantitatively calculate the quality and value of information. The training and verification process for the model is then described using 60 real engineering documents as a sample. The model gives a reasonable accurate result and the differences between the model calculation and training judgments are summarized as the potential causes are discussed. Finally several further the issues including the challenge of the framework and the implementations of this evaluation assessment method are raised

Standards and practices necessary to implement a successful security review program for intrusion management systems

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Computer Engineering, Izmir, 2002Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 84-85)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishviii, 91 leavesIntrusion Management Systems are being used to prevent the information systems from successful intrusions and their consequences. They also have detection features. They try to detect intrusions, which have passed the implemented measures. Also the recovery of the system after a successful intrusion is made by the Intrusion Management Systems. The investigation of the intrusion is made by Intrusion Management Systems also. These functions can be existent in an intrusion management system model, which has a four layers architecture. The layers of the model are avoidance, assurance, detection and recovery. At the avoidance layer necessary policies, standards and practices are implemented to prevent the information system from successful intrusions. At the avoidance layer, the effectiveness of implemented measures are measured by some test and reviews. At the detection layer the identification of an intrusion or intrusion attempt is made in the real time. The recovery layer is responsible from restoring the information system after a successful intrusion. It has also functions to investigate the intrusion. Intrusion Management Systems are used to protect information and computer assets from intrusions. An organization aiming to protect its assets must use such a system. After the implementation of the system, continuous reviews must be conducted in order to ensure the effectiveness of the measures taken. Such a review can achieve its goal by using principles and standards. In this thesis, the principles necessary to implement a successful review program for Intrusion Management Systems have been developed in the guidance of Generally Accepted System Security Principles (GASSP). These example principles are developed for tools of each Intrusion Management System layer. These tools are firewalls for avoidance layer, vulnerability scanners for assurance layer, intrusion detection systems for detection layer and integrity checkers for recovery layer of Intrusion Management Systems

Sustainability and interoperability: An economic study on BIM implementation by a small Civil Engineering firm

[EN] Sustainability and interoperability are two closely related concepts. By analyzing the three fundamental facets of sustainability-economic, ecological and ethical/social-it is easier to address their connection with the concept of interoperability. This paper focuses on the economic aspect, in the field of civil engineering. In this area, due to the local nature of many of the software tools used, interoperability problems are frequent, with few studies addressing the economic impact of this, especially in small engineering firms. The main contribution of this paper is a design methodology for linear works based on the federation of building information modelling (BIM) models created with different software tools, conceived to break the interoperability issues between these applications. As an example, this methodology is applied to a mountain road widening project. A detailed economic analysis of the application of this methodology by an engineering Spanish firm reveals the important cost reductions that the integration of the software tools provides versus the prior practices.The authors wish to acknowledge support from ISTRAM, CivileStudio and the engineering firm for the information provided.Aranda Domingo, JÁ.; Martin-Dorta, N.; Naya Sanchis, F.; Conesa-Pastor, J.; Contero, M. (2020). Sustainability and interoperability: An economic study on BIM implementation by a small Civil Engineering firm. Sustainability. 12(22):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229581S1161222Grilo, A., & Jardim-Goncalves, R. (2010). Value proposition on interoperability of BIM and collaborative working environments. Automation in Construction, 19(5), 522-530. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2009.11.003Bynum, P., Issa, R. R. A., & Olbina, S. (2013). Building Information Modeling in Support of Sustainable Design and Construction. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 139(1), 24-34. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000560BuildingSMART Internationalhttps://www.buildingsmart.org/Modelos digitales del terreno: Introducción y aplicaciones a las ciencias ambientales. Oviedo Univ. Oviedo 1994, 118http://www.etsimo.uniovi.es/~feliBaltsavias, E. P. (1999). A comparison between photogrammetry and laser scanning. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 54(2-3), 83-94. doi:10.1016/s0924-2716(99)00014-3Hirpa, D., Hare, W., Lucet, Y., Pushak, Y., & Tesfamariam, S. (2016). A bi-objective optimization framework for three-dimensional road alignment design. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 65, 61-78. doi:10.1016/j.trc.2016.01.016Yepes, V., Alcala, J., Perea, C., & González-Vidosa, F. (2008). A parametric study of optimum earth-retaining walls by simulated annealing. Engineering Structures, 30(3), 821-830. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2007.05.023Nehate, G., & Rys, M. (2006). 3D Calculation of Stopping-Sight Distance from GPS Data. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 132(9), 691-698. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-947x(2006)132:9(691)Borga, M., Tonelli, F., & Selleroni, J. (2004). A physically based model of the effects of forest roads on slope stability. Water Resources Research, 40(12). doi:10.1029/2004wr003238Vanmarcke, E. H. (1977). Reliability of Earth Slopes. Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, 103(11), 1247-1265. doi:10.1061/ajgeb6.0000518Istram Softwarehttps://www.istram.netCivileStudio Softwarehttps://www.civilestudio.comBates, P. ., & De Roo, A. P. . (2000). A simple raster-based model for flood inundation simulation. Journal of Hydrology, 236(1-2), 54-77. doi:10.1016/s0022-1694(00)00278-xBryde, D., Broquetas, M., & Volm, J. M. (2013). The project benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM). 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Improving and embedding project management practice: generic or context dependent?

Taking into account the contingency theory, this paper explores the extent to which key project management improvement initiatives and key embedding factors, identified in a previously developed conceptual framework, are dependent on organizational context, namely sector of activity, organization size, geographic area and project types. Therefore, aiming to guide professionals on making use of such framework in their organizations. Statistically significant contextual correlations were looked for in a worldwide sample of 793 questionnaire responses from project management professionals, using Principal Component Analysis, ANOVA test and post-hoc Tukey test. Context related differences found were limited, suggesting that the framework for improving and embedding project management practice is substantially generic. Therefore, the paper shows the explanatory power of the framework, which can be used by any organization independent of its sector of activity, dimension, geographic area and project types, however indicating the existence of slight differences. For example, Information Technology companies might give more relevance to initiatives such as corporate standardization and tailoring of project management processes tools and techniques than Engineering and Construction companies

Telemedicine framework using case-based reasoning with evidences

Telemedicine is the medical practice of information exchanged from one location to another through electronic communications to improve the delivery of health care services. This research article describes a telemedicine framework with knowledge engineering using taxonomic reasoning of ontology modeling and semantic similarity. In addition to being a precious support in the procedure of medical decision-making, this framework can be used to strengthen significant collaborations and traceability that are important for the development of official deployment of telemedicine applications. Adequate mechanisms for information management with traceability of the reasoning process are also essential in the fields of epidemiology and public health. In this paper we enrich the case-based reasoning process by taking into account former evidence-based knowledge. We use the regular four steps approach and implement an additional (iii) step: (i) establish diagnosis, (ii) retrieve treatment, (iii) apply evidence, (iv) adaptation, (v) retain. Each step is performed using tools from knowledge engineering and information processing (natural language processing, ontology, indexation, algorithm, etc.). The case representation is done by the taxonomy component of a medical ontology model. The proposed approach is illustrated with an example from the oncology domain. Medical ontology allows a good and efficient modeling of the patient and his treatment. We are pointing up the role of evidences and specialist's opinions in effectiveness and safety of care

Bio-Inspired Paradigms in Network Engineering Games

International audienceNetwork Engineering Games (NEGs) is an emerging branch of game theory developed in Electrical Engineering Departments. It concerns games that arise in all levels of telecommunication networks. There has been a growing interest among researchers in this community in bio-inspired method- ologies in recent years due to two reasons. First, many problems in networking have much in common with problems in biology. Examples are (i) propagation of information in networks, that has similar dynamics as propagation of epi- demics. (ii) energy management issues in wireless networks and competition over resources are often similar to issues by biologists. (iii) both equilibria concepts as well as replicator dynamics that arise in evolutionary games are quite relevant to NEGs. In this paper we present an overview of applications and tools used in network engineering games, we then describe in more depth bio-inspired tools used in or relevant to network engineering. We present - nally an example of a stochastic epidemic game arising in wireless networks that involves competition over the relaying of information

Improving and embedding project management practice: Generic or context dependent?

Taking into account the contingency theory, this paper explores the extent to which key project management improvement initiatives and key embedding factors, identified in a previously developed conceptual framework, are dependent on organizational context, namely sector of activity, organization size, geographic area and project types. Therefore, aiming to guide professionals on making use of such framework in their organizations. Statistically significant contextual correlations were looked for in a worldwide sample of 793 questionnaire responses from project management professionals, using Principal Component Analysis, ANOVA test and post-hoc Tukey test. Context related differences found were limited, suggesting that the framework for improving and embedding project management practice is substantially generic. Therefore, the paper shows the explanatory power of the framework, which can be used by any organization independent of its sector of activity, dimension, geographic area and project types, however indicating the existence of slight differences. For example, Information Technology companies might give more relevance to initiatives such as corporate standardization and tailoring of project management processes tools and techniques than Engineering and Construction companies.INCT-EN - Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Excitotoxicidade e Neuroproteção(SFRH/BPD/111033/2015

Potentially Valuable Overlaps between Work System Theory, DEMO, and Enterprise Engineering

This paper explores how work system theory (WST) and related core ideas in various versions of the work system method (WSM) overlap with enterprise engineering and with the DEMO methodology. Based on the definition of work system, an enterprise can be viewed as a set of interacting work systems. A work system can be summarized at various levels of detail. The simplest level is basically a verb phrase. The next level is a “work system snapshot.” More detailed descriptions are based on a work system metamodel. This paper’s contribution is in two areas, 1) establishing links between WST/WSM and enterprise engineering in general and 2) comparing aspects of WST/WSM and DEMO and demonstrating similarities, thereby implying the possibility of converting DEMO models into work system models that can be developed further using other methods and tools designed around WST. Those synergies might support combining theoretical underpinnings of DEMO with the intuitive simplicity of the work system perspective, which has been applied by many hundreds of employed MBA and Executive MBA students who produced management briefings recommending improvements in work systems in their own organizations. The overlap between WST/WSM and DEMO is demonstrated using a DEMO representation of the OMG’s EU Rent example [1], which illustrated OMG’s Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (SBVR) [2] and Business Motivation Model (BMM) [3]. A tabular summary called a work system snapshot captures much of a DEMO essential model of the EU Rent example. A more extensive summary based on a work system metamodel adds information for going from construction to implementation. The example illustrates how a work system perspective on a sociotechnical system fits with 7 postulates of an enterprise engineering manifesto [4] and with 7 enterprise engineering fundamentals [5], thereby suggesting the potential value of deeper exploration of those relationships