Design and Evaluation of Ballast Water Management Systems using Modified and Hybridised Axiomatic Design Principles

There are two major motivations to this research. The first is based on the concerns raised at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) MEPC 67 and 68 meetings regarding the capacity of some type-approved Ballast Water Management (BWM) Systems to meet the performance standard (D-2) of the BWM Convention at-all-times and in all conditions. The second is based on the reluctance expressed by some ship- owners to install the system onboard their ships as a Lloyd\u27s list survey suggested. In this work, an attempt was made to address these issues and concerns using a set of criteria stipulated in Regulation D-5.2 of the BWM Convention which provides the framework for reviewing and evaluating the practical concepts of managing ballast water, developing a conceptual model for managing ballast water and minimizing the contributions of human-error to BWM System performance by analyzing the associated operational human factors. Firstly, the design of a conceptual model of managing ballast water and the evaluation of some established practical concepts of BWM were achieved by using a suitable technique (Axiomatic Design or AD) which was selected via a robust procedure. The two axioms of Axiomatic Design (information and independence) were used to evaluate four different concepts of managing ballast water as well as develop a BWM Convention-compliant conceptual design matrix model respectively. Based on data collected from ballast water management experts, Post-loading Onshore Ballast Water Management System was shown to be the most appropriate ballast water management concept with respect to the Regulation D-5.2 set of criteria. This presents a paradigm shift in expert preference from traditional shipboard systems to onshore systems with respect to the IMO-criteria. The pathway for improved performance of the Convention-compliant design matrix was subsequently determined and prioritised using Sufield model of Altshuler\u27s theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ). Lastly, a 5-step algorithm was developed to minimise operator errors in the BWM System’s operation. Fatigue and training were found to have the greatest impact on operator performance

Assessment of sensor performance

There is an international commitment to develop a comprehensive, coordinated and sustained ocean observation system. However, a foundation for any observing, monitoring or research effort is effective and reliable in situ sensor technologies that accurately measure key environmental parameters. Ultimately, the data used for modelling efforts, management decisions and rapid responses to ocean hazards are only as good as the instruments that collect them. There is also a compelling need to develop and incorporate new or novel technologies to improve all aspects of existing observing systems and meet various emerging challenges. Assessment of Sensor Performance was a cross-cutting issues session at the international OceanSensors08 workshop in Warnemünde, Germany, which also has penetrated some of the papers published as a result of the workshop (Denuault, 2009; Kröger et al., 2009; Zielinski et al., 2009). The discussions were focused on how best to classify and validate the instruments required for effective and reliable ocean observations and research. The following is a summary of the discussions and conclusions drawn from this workshop, which specifically addresses the characterisation of sensor systems, technology readiness levels, verification of sensor performance and quality management of sensor systems

Apperceptive patterning: Artefaction, extensional beliefs and cognitive scaffolding

In “Psychopower and Ordinary Madness” my ambition, as it relates to Bernard Stiegler’s recent literature, was twofold: 1) critiquing Stiegler’s work on exosomatization and artefactual posthumanism—or, more specifically, nonhumanism—to problematize approaches to media archaeology that rely upon technical exteriorization; 2) challenging how Stiegler engages with Giuseppe Longo and Francis Bailly’s conception of negative entropy. These efforts were directed by a prevalent techno-cultural qualifier: the rise of Synthetic Intelligence (including neural nets, deep learning, predictive processing and Bayesian models of cognition). This paper continues this project but first directs a critical analytic lens at the Derridean practice of the ontologization of grammatization from which Stiegler emerges while also distinguishing how metalanguages operate in relation to object-oriented environmental interaction by way of inferentialism. Stalking continental (Kapp, Simondon, Leroi-Gourhan, etc.) and analytic traditions (e.g., Carnap, Chalmers, Clark, Sutton, Novaes, etc.), we move from artefacts to AI and Predictive Processing so as to link theories related to technicity with philosophy of mind. Simultaneously drawing forth Robert Brandom’s conceptualization of the roles that commitments play in retrospectively reconstructing the social experiences that lead to our endorsement(s) of norms, we compliment this account with Reza Negarestani’s deprivatized account of intelligence while analyzing the equipollent role between language and media (both digital and analog)

Achieving Business Practicability of Model-Driven Cross-Platform Apps

Due to the incompatibility of mobile device platforms such as Android and iOS, apps have to be developed separately for each target platform. Cross-platform development approaches based on Web technology have significantly improved over the last years. However, since they do not lead to native apps, these frameworks are not feasible for all kinds of business apps. Moreover, the way apps are developed is cumbersome. Advanced cross-platform approaches such as MD2, which is based on model-driven development (MDSD) techniques, are a much more powerful yet less mature choice. We discuss business implications of MDSD for apps and introduce MD2 as our proposed solution to fulfill typical requirements. Moreover, we highlight a business-oriented enhancement that further increases MD2's business practicability. We generalize our findings and sketch the path towards more versatile MDSD of apps

Management Objectives and Design Principles for the Cost Allocation of Business Intelligence

Today business intelligence (BI) systems, which provide management with decision-supportive information, are considered to be a prerequisite for organizational success. In contrast to the operation of BI, BI system management is still an emerging topic in information systems (IS) research. Even though the cost management of BI systems is highly relevant for practice, the field is widely unexplored. Cost allocations for BI systems are supposed to enhance transparency, create cost awareness and support the management of resources of the BI system. In our research we have conducted two focus group studies to examine the basis for BI cost allocations. First, we derive management goals and design principles for a BI cost allocation from an exploratory focus group. In a second step, we evaluate the goals and the design principles in a confirmatory focus group. Our research provides valuable insights on the application of BI cost allocations from our focus groups and contributes a basis for the design of BI cost allocation methods

Regulated and merchant interconnectors in Australia: SNI and Murraylink revisited

This paper examines the history of the various actual and proposed interconnectors between New South Wales and Victoria into South Australia. It covers the period from the earliest proposal for a regulated interconnector to the recent Victoria Supreme Court review and the latest ministerial proposals. It finds, inter alia, that the Supreme Court decision is likely to have strengthened, in a beneficial way, the regulatory regime for dealing with merchant interconnectors and the obligations on incumbent transmission companies. It finds that none of the proposals for regulated interconnectors did or would have passed the regulatory tests as formulated in terms of aggregate benefits to all market participants. It finds that neither of the merchant interconnectors (into South Australia and Queensland) are likely to have been profitable. It sees a possible explanation for the construction of regulated interconnectors in terms of the benefits to customers, or in terms of bringing about a single competitive market. Above all, it illustrates the political context in which decisions on interconnectors have been made, and the need to take account of such motivations when comparing the likely effects of regulated interconnectors versus merchant interconnector