A virtual environment to support the distributed design of large made-to-order products

An overview of a virtual design environment (virtual platform) developed as part of the European Commission funded VRShips-ROPAX (VRS) project is presented. The main objectives for the development of the virtual platform are described, followed by the discussion of the techniques chosen to address the objectives, and finally a description of a use-case for the platform. Whilst the focus of the VRS virtual platform was to facilitate the design of ROPAX (roll-on passengers and cargo) vessels, the components within the platform are entirely generic and may be applied to the distributed design of any type of vessel, or other complex made-to-order products

An overview of the VRS virtual platform

This paper provides an overview of the development of the virtual platform within the European Commission funded VRShips-ROPAX (VRS) project. This project is a major collaboration of approximately 40 industrial, regulatory, consultancy and academic partners with the objective of producing two novel platforms. A physical platform will be designed and produced representing a scale model of a novel ROPAX vessel with the following criteria: 2000 passengers; 400 cabins; 2000 nautical mile range, and a service speed of 38 knots. The aim of the virtual platform is to demonstrate that vessels may be designed to meet these criteria, which was not previously possible using individual tools and conventional design approaches. To achieve this objective requires the integration of design and simulation tools representing concept, embodiment, detail, production, and operation life-phases into the virtual platform, to enable distributed design activity to be undertaken. The main objectives for the development of the virtual platform are described, followed by the discussion of the techniques chosen to address the objectives, and finally a description of a use-case for the platform. Whilst the focus of the VRS virtual platform was to facilitate the design of ROPAX vessels, the components within the platform are entirely generic and may be applied to the distributed design of any type of vessel, or other complex made-to-order products

Decision support for build-to-order supply chain management through multiobjective optimization

This paper aims to identify the gaps in decision-making support based on multiobjective optimization for build-to-order supply chain management (BTOSCM). To this end, it reviews the literature available on modelling build-to-order supply chains (BTO-SC) with the focus on adopting multiobjective optimization (MOO) techniques as a decision support tool. The literature has been classified based on the nature of the decisions in different part of the supply chain, and the key decision areas across a typical BTO-SC are discussed in detail. Available software packages suitable for supporting decision making in BTO supply chains are also identified and their related solutions are outlined. The gap between the modelling and optimization techniques developed in the literature and the decision support needed in practice are highlighted and future research directions to better exploit the decision support capabilities of MOO are proposed

MODIS information, data and control system (MIDACS) operations concepts

The MODIS Information, Data, and Control System (MIDACS) Operations Concepts Document provides a basis for the mutual understanding between the users and the designers of the MIDACS, including the requirements, operating environment, external interfaces, and development plan. In defining the concepts and scope of the system, how the MIDACS will operate as an element of the Earth Observing System (EOS) within the EosDIS environment is described. This version follows an earlier release of a preliminary draft version. The individual operations concepts for planning and scheduling, control and monitoring, data acquisition and processing, calibration and validation, data archive and distribution, and user access do not yet fully represent the requirements of the data system needed to achieve the scientific objectives of the MODIS instruments and science teams. The teams are not yet formed; however, it is possible to develop the operations concepts based on the present concept of EosDIS, the level 1 and level 2 Functional Requirements Documents, and through interviews and meetings with key members of the scientific community. The operations concepts were exercised through the application of representative scenarios

Replan: Release planning for agile development

Release Planning methodologies have made possible that project managers and users in general can plan project’s releases. These methods try to automatize the human-based planning processes. Currently they are a few web-based and stand-alone tools about release planning, but not all of them offer the same functionalities, like the update of an already planned release or a detailed plan expressed in a timeline. Moreover, these systems are oriented to stakeholders criteria, without taking enough consideration to the available resources. This becomes a limitation, because in many occasions it is vital to have a temporal planning of a release. It also affects key aspects like the planning efficiency or the speed at which it is executed. In this project a web-based release planning tool has been developed. In this tool, users can create a release with different entities in an easy and simple way. The tool is based in a mathematical model that generates an scheduled plan as tight as possible to the available time and resources. On the other hand, the tool also guarantees the priority fulfillment of features, by respecting the temporal criteria that the user could establish. The system is also modular, as it can be integrated with other possible different visualizations. Its development in a cloud server also provides public access and scalability. The tests performed to the system show that the presented mathematical model guarantees the scheduled and efficient planning of a project’s release

Optimal irrigation water allocation using a genetic algorithm under various weather conditions

Growing water scarcity, due to growing populations and varying natural conditions, puts pressure on irrigation systems, which often are the main consumptive water users. Therefore, water resources management to improve the allocation of limited water supplies is essential. In this study, a non-linear programming optimization model with an integrated soil/water balance is developed to determine the optimal reservoir release policies and the optimal cropping pattern around Doroudzan Dam in the South-West of Iran. The proposed model was solved using a genetic algorithm (GA). Four weather conditions were identified by combining the probability levels of rainfall, evapotranspiration and inflow. Moreover, two irrigation strategies, full irrigation and deficit irrigation were modeled under each weather condition. The results indicate that for all weather conditions the total farm income and the total cropped area under deficit irrigation were larger than those under full irrigation. In addition, our results show that when the weather conditions and the availability of water changes the optimal area under corn and sugar beet decreases sharply. In contrast, the change in area cropped with wheat is small. It is concluded that the optimization approach has been successfully applied to Doroudzan Dam region. Thus, decision makers and water authorities can use it as an effective tool for such large and complex irrigation planning problems