131,745 research outputs found
A Coordination Language for Databases
We present a coordination language for the modeling of distributed database
applications. The language, baptized Klaim-DB, borrows the concepts of
localities and nets of the coordination language Klaim but re-incarnates the
tuple spaces of Klaim as databases. It provides high-level abstractions and
primitives for the access and manipulation of structured data, with integrity
and atomicity considerations. We present the formal semantics of Klaim-DB and
develop a type system that avoids potential runtime errors such as certain
evaluation errors and mismatches of data format in tables, which are monitored
in the semantics. The use of the language is illustrated in a scenario where
the sales from different branches of a chain of department stores are
aggregated from their local databases. Raising the abstraction level and
encapsulating integrity checks in the language primitives have benefited the
modeling task considerably
Regional Data Archiving and Management for Northeast Illinois
This project studies the feasibility and implementation options for establishing a regional data archiving system to help monitor
and manage traffic operations and planning for the northeastern Illinois region. It aims to provide a clear guidance to the
regional transportation agencies, from both technical and business perspectives, about building such a comprehensive
transportation information system. Several implementation alternatives are identified and analyzed. This research is carried
out in three phases.
In the first phase, existing documents related to ITS deployments in the broader Chicago area are summarized, and a
thorough review is conducted of similar systems across the country. Various stakeholders are interviewed to collect
information on all data elements that they store, including the format, system, and granularity. Their perception of a data
archive system, such as potential benefits and costs, is also surveyed. In the second phase, a conceptual design of the
database is developed. This conceptual design includes system architecture, functional modules, user interfaces, and
examples of usage. In the last phase, the possible business models for the archive system to sustain itself are reviewed. We
estimate initial capital and recurring operational/maintenance costs for the system based on realistic information on the
hardware, software, labor, and resource requirements. We also identify possible revenue opportunities.
A few implementation options for the archive system are summarized in this report; namely:
1. System hosted by a partnering agency
2. System contracted to a university
3. System contracted to a national laboratory
4. System outsourced to a service provider
The costs, advantages and disadvantages for each of these recommended options are also provided.ICT-R27-22published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe
Coordination and control in project-based work: digital objects and infrastructures for delivery
A major infrastructure project is used to investigate the role of digital objects in the coordination of engineering
design work. From a practice-based perspective, research emphasizes objects as important in enabling
cooperative knowledge work and knowledge sharing. The term ‘boundary object’ has become used in the
analysis of mutual and reciprocal knowledge sharing around physical and digital objects. The aim is to extend
this work by analysing the introduction of an extranet into the public–private partnership project used to
construct a new motorway. Multiple categories of digital objects are mobilized in coordination across
heterogeneous, cross-organizational groups. The main findings are that digital objects provide mechanisms for
accountability and control, as well as for mutual and reciprocal knowledge sharing; and that different types of
objects are nested, forming a digital infrastructure for project delivery. Reconceptualizing boundary objects as
a digital infrastructure for delivery has practical implications for management practices on large projects and
for the use of digital tools, such as building information models, in construction. It provides a starting point
for future research into the changing nature of digitally enabled coordination in project-based work
Blockchain, Leadership And Management: Business AS Usual Or Radical Disruption?
The Internet provided the world with interconnection. However, it did not provide it with trust. Trust is lacking everywhere in our society and is the reason for the existence of powerful intermediaries aggregating power. Trust is what prevents the digital world to take over. This has consequences for organisations: they are inefficient because time, energy, money and passion are wasted on verifying everything happens as decided. Managers play the role of intermediaries in such case: they connect experts with each others and instruct them of what to do. As a result, in our expert society, people's engagement is low because no one is there to inspire and empower them. In other words, our society faces an unprecedented lack of leadership. Provided all those shortcomings, the study imagines the potential repercussions, especially in the context of management, of implementing a blockchain infrastructure in any type of organisation. Indeed, the blockchain technology seems to be able to remedy to those issues, for this distributed and immutable ledger provides security, decentralisation and transparency. In the context of a blockchain economy, the findings show that value creation will be rearranged, with experts directly collaborating with each others, and hierarchy being eliminated. This could, in turn, render managers obsolete, as a blockchain infrastructure will automate most of the tasks. As a result, only a strong, action-oriented, leadership would maintain the organisation together. This leadership-in-action would consist in igniting people to take action; coach members of the organisations so that their contribution makes sense in the greater context of life
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TeamWorker: An agent-based support system for mobile task execution
Traditional workflow management systems are considered insufficiently flexible to support autonomous job management via close team working. This paper proposes a multi-agent system approach to enhancing existing workflow management systems to enable team-based job management in the field of telecommunications service provision and maintenance. This paper adopts a component-based approach and explains how applications can be developed by customising the generic components provided by a multi-agent systems framework
Object-oriented Tools for Distributed Computing
Distributed computing systems are proliferating, owing to the availability of powerful, affordable microcomputers and inexpensive communication networks. A critical problem in developing such systems is getting application programs to interact with one another across a computer network. Remote interprogram connectivity is particularly challenging across heterogeneous environments, where applications run on different kinds of computers and operating systems. NetWorks! (trademark) is an innovative software product that provides an object-oriented messaging solution to these problems. This paper describes the design and functionality of NetWorks! and illustrates how it is being used to build complex distributed applications for NASA and in the commercial sector
Blazes: Coordination Analysis for Distributed Programs
Distributed consistency is perhaps the most discussed topic in distributed
systems today. Coordination protocols can ensure consistency, but in practice
they cause undesirable performance unless used judiciously. Scalable
distributed architectures avoid coordination whenever possible, but
under-coordinated systems can exhibit behavioral anomalies under fault, which
are often extremely difficult to debug. This raises significant challenges for
distributed system architects and developers. In this paper we present Blazes,
a cross-platform program analysis framework that (a) identifies program
locations that require coordination to ensure consistent executions, and (b)
automatically synthesizes application-specific coordination code that can
significantly outperform general-purpose techniques. We present two case
studies, one using annotated programs in the Twitter Storm system, and another
using the Bloom declarative language.Comment: Updated to include additional materials from the original technical
report: derivation rules, output stream label
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