A Building Information Modeling (BIM)-centric Digital Ecosystem for Smart Airport Life Cycle Management

An increasing number of new airport infrastructure construction and improvement projects are being delivered in today\u27s modern world. However, value creation is a recurring issue due to inefficiencies in managing capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx), while trying to optimize project constraints of scope, time, cost, quality, and resources. In this new era of smart infrastructure, digitalization transforms the way projects are planned and delivered. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a key digital process technique that has become an imperative for today\u27s Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) sector. This research suggests a BIM-centric digital ecosystem by detailing technical and strategic aspects of Airport BIM implementation and digital technology integration from a life cycle perspective. This research provides a novel approach for consistent and continuous use of digital information between business and functional levels of an airport by developing a digital platform solution that will enable seamless flow of information across functions. Accordingly, this study targets to achieve three objectives: 1- To provide a scalable know-how of BIM-enabled digital transformation; 2- To guide airport owners and major stakeholders towards converging information siloes for airport life cycle data management by an Airport BIM Framework; 3- To develop a BIM-based digital platform architecture towards realization of an airport digital twin for airport infrastructure life cycle management. Airport infrastructures can be considered as a System of Systems (SoS). As such, Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) with Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is selected as the key methodology towards designing a digital ecosystem. Applying MBSE principles leads to forming an integrating framework for managing the digital ecosystem. Furthermore, this research adopts convergent parallel mixed methods to collect and analyze multiple forms of data. Data collection tools include extensive literature and industry review; an online questionnaire; semi-structured interviews with airport owner parties; focus group discussions; first-hand observations; and document reviews. Data analysis stage includes multiple explanatory case study analyses, thematic analysis, project mapping, percent coverage analysis for coded themes to achieve Objective 1; thematic analysis, cluster analysis, framework analysis, and non-parametric statistical analysis for Objective 2; and qualitative content analysis, non-parametric statistical analysis to accomplish Objective 3. This research presents a novel roadmap toward facilitation of smart airports with alignment and integration of disruptive technologies with business and operational aspects of airports. Multiple comprehensive case study analyses on international large-hub airports and triangulation of organization-level and project-level results systematically generate scalable technical and strategic guidelines for BIM implementation. The proposed platform architecture will incentivize major stakeholders for value-creation, data sharing, and control throughout a project life cycle. Introducing scalability and minimizing complexity for end-users through a digital platform approach will lead to a more connected environment. Consequently, a digital ecosystem enables sophisticated interaction between people, places, and assets. Model-driven approach provides an effective strategy for enhanced decision-making that helps optimization of project resources and allows fast adaptation to emerging business and operational demands. Accordingly, airport sustainability measures -economic vitality, operational efficiency, natural resources, and social responsibility- will improve due to higher levels of efficiency in CapEx and OpEx. Changes in business models for large capital investments and introducing sustainability to supply chains are among the anticipated broader impacts of this study

A Reference Architecture for Cubesat Development

Developing a space vehicle is a complex and detailed process, and while CubeSats are smaller and more accessible than traditional satellites the design process is relatively unchanged. Creating a viable space vehicle design requires detailed analysis of a set of mission needs in order to define the mission, with this need set used to then create the specific mission requirements. These requirements are used to formulate a concept of operations, and then move into developing a physical system for executing the mission. The successful production of CubeSats within an organization is contingent upon the accurate execution of the general CubeSat Development Process. This research presents a tool to facilitate more complete, streamlined, and transferable products throughout the course of a general CubeSat Development Process. The reference architecture is capable of displaying both organizational and systems level architectures, both linked together and in support of consistent and repeatable structure to be given to users intending to produce a complete mission and system design. The architecture incorporates a suite of repositories to assist users in hardware integration and requirements traceability, including component, activity, and regulatory libraries; in addition to parametric diagrams to facilitate requirements verification and constraint analysis

The Essence of Software Engineering

Software Engineering; Software Development; Software Processes; Software Architectures; Software Managemen

Comparative analysis of new configurations of aircraft aimed at competitiveness, environmental compatibility and safety

This Ph.D. Thesis aims at suggesting a proper integrated and multidisciplinary design methodology to improve the current conceptual and preliminary design phases of breakthrough innovative aerospace products. The methodology, based on a Systems Engineering approach, is presented together with an envisaged toolchain, consisting of both commercial and ad-hoc developed software, integrated in a Model-Based Systems Engineering perspective. In addition, for the sake of clarity and for validation purposes, a specific case study has been selected and developed all along the document. The reference case-study is inspired to a real pre-feasibility study in which the research group of Politecnico di Torino, which the author of this Thesis belongs to, has been involved. The project aims at developing a suborbital vehicle able to perform parabolic flights for both scientific and touristic purposes. This kind of initiatives paves the way for the future hypersonic vehicles, because it allows to crucial enabling technologies to be tested and validated in relevant environment but with lower performances’ requirements. The Thesis is articulated in seven Chapters with an introduction and conclusion sections and in each Chapter a balanced mix between theoretical investigation, mathematical model development, tool selection or development and application to the selected case study is guaranteed. This document starts reporting the major reasons why an innovative design methodology should be envisaged to deal with the increasing level of complexity in the aerospace domain. In particular, in the first Chapter, a brief overview of existing or underdevelopment initiatives related to hypersonic is reported, together with the description of the different types of mission in which the new hypersonic vehicles will be exploited. Moreover, the major issues related to the infrastructures required to operate these transportation systems are summarized. As far as operations are concerned, a short section makes the readers aware of the current under-development regulatory framework. Then, the integrated multidisciplinary design methodology is presented starting from the very high level analyses up to the sizing of the different components of the transportation system. All along the document, crucial role is played by requirements, whose management can allow a complete traceability of the different design characteristics during the overall product life-cycle. Furthermore, proper algorithms allowing to move from purely qualitative to quantitative trade-offs, are presented, with a noticeable advantage in terms of traceability and reproducibility. Eventually, further improvements of both the tool-chain and the reference case studies are envisaged for future developments

Engenharia de sistemas baseada em modelos: um sistema para o tráfego & ambiente

Doutoramento em Gestão IndustrialThe contemporary world is crowded of large, interdisciplinary, complex systems made of other systems, personnel, hardware, software, information, processes, and facilities. The Systems Engineering (SE) field proposes an integrated holistic approach to tackle these socio-technical systems that is crucial to take proper account of their multifaceted nature and numerous interrelationships, providing the means to enable their successful realization. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is an emerging paradigm in the SE field and can be described as the formalized application of modelling principles, methods, languages, and tools to the entire lifecycle of those systems, enhancing communications and knowledge capture, shared understanding, improved design precision and integrity, better development traceability, and reduced development risks. This thesis is devoted to the application of the novel MBSE paradigm to the Urban Traffic & Environment domain. The proposed system, the GUILTE (Guiding Urban Intelligent Traffic & Environment), deals with a present-day real challenging problem “at the agenda” of world leaders, national governors, local authorities, research agencies, academia, and general public. The main purposes of the system are to provide an integrated development framework for the municipalities, and to support the (short-time and real-time) operations of the urban traffic through Intelligent Transportation Systems, highlighting two fundamental aspects: the evaluation of the related environmental impacts (in particular, the air pollution and the noise), and the dissemination of information to the citizens, endorsing their involvement and participation. These objectives are related with the high-level complex challenge of developing sustainable urban transportation networks. The development process of the GUILTE system is supported by a new methodology, the LITHE (Agile Systems Modelling Engineering), which aims to lightening the complexity and burdensome of the existing methodologies by emphasizing agile principles such as continuous communication, feedback, stakeholders involvement, short iterations and rapid response. These principles are accomplished through a universal and intuitive SE process, the SIMILAR process model (which was redefined at the light of the modern international standards), a lean MBSE method, and a coherent System Model developed through the benchmark graphical modeling languages SysML and OPDs/OPL. The main contributions of the work are, in their essence, models and can be settled as: a revised process model for the SE field, an agile methodology for MBSE development environments, a graphical tool to support the proposed methodology, and a System Model for the GUILTE system. The comprehensive literature reviews provided for the main scientific field of this research (SE/MBSE) and for the application domain (Traffic & Environment) can also be seen as a relevant contribution.O mundo contemporâneo é caracterizado por sistemas de grande dimensão e de natureza marcadamente complexa, sócio-técnica e interdisciplinar. A Engenharia de Sistemas (ES) propõe uma abordagem holística e integrada para desenvolver tais sistemas, tendo em consideração a sua natureza multifacetada e as numerosas inter-relações que advêm de uma quantidade significativa de diferentes pontos de vista, competências, responsabilidades e interesses. A Engenharia de Sistemas Baseada em Modelos (ESBM) é um paradigma emergente na área da ES e pode ser descrito como a aplicação formal de princípios, métodos, linguagens e ferramentas de modelação ao ciclo de vida dos sistemas descritos. Espera-se que, na próxima década, a ESBM desempenhe um papel fundamental na prática da moderna Engenharia de Sistemas. Esta tese é dedicada à aplicação da ESBM a um desafio real que constitui uma preocupação do mundo actual, estando “na agenda” dos líderes mundiais, governantes nacionais, autoridades locais, agências de investigação, universidades e público em geral. O domínio de aplicação, o Tráfego & Ambiente, caracteriza-se por uma considerável complexidade e interdisciplinaridade, sendo representativo das áreas de interesse para a ES. Propõe-se um sistema (GUILTE) que visa dotar os municípios de um quadro de desenvolvimento integrado para adopção de Sistemas de Transporte Inteligentes e apoiar as suas operações de tráfego urbano, destacando dois aspectos fundamentais: a avaliação dos impactos ambientais associados (em especial, a poluição atmosférica e o ruído) e a divulgação de informação aos cidadãos, motivando o seu envolvimento e participação. Estes objectivos relacionam-se com o desafio mais abrangente de desenvolver redes de transporte urbano sustentáveis. O processo de desenvolvimento do sistema apoia-se numa nova metodologia (LITHE), mais ágil, que enfatiza os princípios de comunicação contínua, feedback, participação e envolvimento dos stakeholders, iterações curtas e resposta rápida. Estes princípios são concretizados através de um processo de ES universal e intuitivo (redefinido à luz dos padrões internacionais), de um método simples e de linguagens gráficas de modelação de referência (SysML e OPDs/OPL). As principais contribuições deste trabalho são, na sua essência, modelos: um modelo revisto para o processo da ES, uma metodologia ágil para ambientes de desenvolvimento baseados em modelos, uma ferramenta gráfica para suportar a metodologia proposta e o modelo de um sistema para as operações de tráfego & ambiente num contexto urbano. Contribui-se ainda com uma cuidada revisão bibliográfica para a principal área de investigação (ES/ESBM) e para o domínio de aplicação (Tráfego & Ambiente)

EVALUATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE METHODS FOR USE IN KILL CHAIN FUNCTIONS

Current naval operations require sailors to make time-critical and high-stakes decisions based on uncertain situational knowledge in dynamic operational environments. Recent tragic events have resulted in unnecessary casualties, and they represent the decision complexity involved in naval operations and specifically highlight challenges within the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Assess). Kill chain decisions involving the use of weapon systems are a particularly stressing category within the OODA loop—with unexpected threats that are difficult to identify with certainty, shortened decision reaction times, and lethal consequences. An effective kill chain requires the proper setup and employment of shipboard sensors; the identification and classification of unknown contacts; the analysis of contact intentions based on kinematics and intelligence; an awareness of the environment; and decision analysis and resource selection. This project explored the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve naval kill chain decisions. The team studied naval kill chain functions and developed specific evaluation criteria for each function for determining the efficacy of specific AI methods. The team identified and studied AI methods and applied the evaluation criteria to map specific AI methods to specific kill chain functions.Civilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCaptain, United States Marine CorpsCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Scientific Assessment for Urban Air Mobility (UAM)

Better connecting the international research community and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) enables effective assessments of novel aviation innovations. The International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR) created a group on Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to explore the broad array of aspects relevant to the ICAO mandate. The assessment began with a study of the current industry landscape, including an overview of existing market studies, proposed aircraft designs and concepts, and potential paths of industry evolution. The Industry Assessment is summarized into key takeaways highlighting the need for international assessments on economic and societal factors associated with UAM, common understanding of the extent to which the nascent industry can leverage current infrastructure and regulatory structures, and harmonization of industrywide terminology. The subsequent Scientific Assessment, developed through cooperative efforts between international domain experts, captures 17 focus areas relevant to UAM. All focus areas present opportunities for further research. Key takeaways include: the need for further study of the impact of autonomous systems (AS) on the industry; infrastructure requirements (including vertiports and weather sensing) to support the industry; and data requirements (including domains such as cybersecurity, emissions, and safety) to ensure safe, scalable operations. Finally, a brief overview of the current standards landscape as relevant to the Scientific Assessment is presented, which displays the benefits of applying digital systems engineering techniques to map current research efforts to ongoing standards activities

Managing knowledge for through life capability

In 2005 the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) published a White Paper in which it detailed its Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) (UK MoD, 2005). The strategy involved a rapid transformation of UK defence towards a product-service, business-like paradigm through the adoption of Through Life Capability Management (TLCM). TLCM has since been succeeded by other initiatives. However, for organisations involved in the management of capability through life, the associated principles of operation as well as the challenges remain, including that of the management of knowledge. The confederated capability enterprise is a distributed knowledge system. Knowledge of the systems, for which a particular organisation has through-life management responsibility, may be distributed throughout an enterprise that comprises several commercial organisations as well as the customer. The bringing together of different components of capability and perspectives makes managing knowledge difficult. This is complicated further by the observation that in a decade one can expect a significant proportion of the manpower involved in a capability will have changed. Success in this type of environment requires a clear understanding of the value of particular knowledge within the organisation as well as effective knowledge management in the wider enterprise. Dstl and EPSRC have jointly funded this research which addresses management of knowledge for through life capability through modelling of the capability enterprise, a workshop on TLCM benefits and behaviours, a comparative case study at a commercial service company and the UK MoD including Dstl, and knowledge mapping within a specific exemplar capability. The results of the modelling illustrated the Systems of Systems (SoS) nature of the enterprise and the need to align capability and management processes across the enterprise. How well this can be achieved depends on the extent to which both the UK MoD and industry are willing to share, access and process information and knowledge. This would require trust between the individuals and organisations involved. The need for trust was emphasised in an international workshop where the participants discussed the behaviours that were required for the perceived benefits of TLCM to be realised. The workshop members highlighted trust in long term planning as industry seeks to manage skills and knowledge over time. ServiceCo provides communication and media services to customers globally. It comprises four customer-facing divisions and two operational units. The case which was based on interviews in one customer-facing and one operational unit revealed the following: •Focus on corporate values supports knowledge management behaviours across the organisation. •Succession planning is needed for all skills and knowledge that are critical or essential to the business. •Once the continual renewal of knowledge slows down and/or stops in an organisation, the knowledge is lost. The second case of the study was the Royal Navy Command Head Quarters and Dstl. Dstl is a trading fund that provides UK MoD and the wider UK government specialist Science & Technology services and operates and manages the Chief Scientific Advisor’s research programme. The case study revealed: •Security regulations and considerations impact significantly on effective management of knowledge. •Knowledge retrieval can be “hit and miss” as complicated filing structures and indexing practices are applied inconsistently, leading to individuals adopting a number of strategies to share knowledge. •Succession planning for people with rare skills is an issue that impacts business continuation. Comparison between the two cases showed that the two organisations experienced different problems but that the knowledge behaviours adopted by the individuals involved were essentially the same. This pointed to the need to address the issues associated with the management of knowledge as cultural and organisational in nature. Personal strategies to manage and share knowledge included individuals retaining copies of files on desktop hard drives and keeping paper copies in drawers; documents were emailed to ensure the intended audience would get it or be able to access it; and asking a colleague for advice on where to find out things. An important difference between knowledge management between the two organisations was that the UK MoD relied on processes due to the rapid change of personnel whereas the service company relied on personal relationships as people remained in the roles for longer. The knowledge mapping of “moving personnel and materiel using vehicles” revealed that each Line of Development (LoDs) has its own constituent (LoDs) indicating the requirement to manage organisational capability in order to deliver capability to customers. It also illustrated all the active knowledge that is required in order for the capability to be delivered. The research main contributions are: •Theoretical models for exploring the use of knowledge in acquisition projects over time •Comparing two organisations at separate ends of the organisational spectrum and identifying common organisational factors that influence the management of knowledge for through life capability •Recognising that the enterprise is a capability SoS. In order to successfully delivery capability, knowledge about and within the components needs to be managed. Other findings include: •Management of knowledge for TLCM puts the focus on managing knowledge for future capability requirements rather than on retention of knowledge products, bringing in aspects such as business continuation planning and consequently impacting on the organisation’s future development. •There is a strong relationship between knowledge conservation, human resource management and company policies. •Managing changes in design and/or function requires a good understanding of the different processes used within the various disciplines involved across the capability components and how they contribute to the final product and to each other. •An organisation’s goals and the manner in which it organises itself to achieve them with regard to the management of knowledge does not appear linked. Instead, focus falls on the organisational architecture and the human resource polices that it implies. •‘Knowing’ is an individual capability and also a social one; communities of practice and networking are necessary components of an organisation’s knowledge base. •Knowing whom to ask and where to look is in a knowledge retrieval perspective nearly as important as knowing what to look for. •“Individuals know while documents, processes and tools support knowing”. This emphasises the need for a close connection between humans and IT-based knowledge repositories. •The role of IT in knowledge management can either be to correlate knowledge in people’s heads to relevant projects or to correlate individuals and knowledge in relevant projects depending on the key questions asked in the management of knowledge within the organisation. •The role of IT in determining issues related to the relevance and location of documentation differs depending of the organisation’s reliance on face to face interactions between employees as a means for communicating this information. •The capability end user is in some instances hard to define. How the end user is defined determines where the SoS boundaries are defined. It is probably better to define the boundary as a broad fuzzy border. The indeterminacy implied by this view becomes a complexity issue for management of knowledge. •The impetus to manage knowledge and how is influenced legal requirements and by the organisation’s relationships with its stakeholders including the extent it is subject to external scrutiny. Based on the research, a number of recommendations are made