Analysis of existing decision support systems to provide current baseline applications, implementation methodologies, problem areas, hardware and communication complexities

Issued as Monthly report and Final report, Project no. G-36-66

The digital media lab at Bainbridge College

This project describes the development of an audio and video production facility at Bainbridge College, a small community college in Bainbridge, Georgia. The Digital Media Lab provides faculty, staff, and students with the ability to create audio and video resources for classroom use, research, training, and outreach. The principal steps of this project were a literature review, a needs analysis, the equipment selection process, and implementation. The literature review included examples of how video is used in higher education, information about current trends in technology, and faculty development strategies. The needs analysis determined that the facility should support both analog and digital media and that a facility where users could work independently was most practical. A list of equipment, user guidelines, outlines of current workshops, and samples of quick reference materials used in the lab are also included in this report

Offshore marine visualization

In 85 B.C. a Greek philosopher called Posidonius set sail to answer an age-old question: how deep is the ocean? By lowering a large rock tied to a very long length of rope he determined that the ocean was 2km deep. These line and sinker methods were used until the 1920s when oceanographers developed the first echo sounders that could measure the water's depth by reflecting sound waves off the seafloor. The subsequent increase in sonar depth soundings resulted in oceanologists finally being able to view the alien underwater landscape. Paper printouts and records dominated the industry for decades until the mid 1980s when new digital sonar systems enabled computers to process and render the captured data streams.In the last five years, the offshore industry has been particularly slow to take advantage of the significant advancements made in computer and graphics technologies. Contemporary marine visualization systems still use outdated 2D representations of vessels positioned on digital charts and the potential for using 3D computer graphics for interacting with multidimensional marine data has not been fully investigated.This thesis is concerned with the issues surrounding the visualization of offshore activities and data using interactive 3D computer graphics. It describes the development of a novel 3D marine visualization system and subsequent study of marine visualization techniques through a number of offshore case studies that typify the marine industry. The results of this research demonstrate that presenting the offshore engineer or office based manager with a more intuitive and natural 3D computer generated viewing environment enables complex offshore tasks, activities and procedures to be more readily monitored and understood. The marine visualizations presented in this thesis take advantage of recent advancements in computer graphics technology and our extraordinary ability to interpret 3D data. These visual enhancements have improved offshore staffs' spatial and temporal understanding of marine data resulting in improved planning, decision making and real-time situation awareness of complex offshore data and activities

An experiment in remote manufacturing using the advanced communications technology satellite

The goal of the completed project was to develop an experiment in remote manufacturing that would use the capabilities of the ACTS satellite. A set of possible experiments that could be performed using the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), and which would perform remote manufacturing using a laser cutter and an integrated circuit testing machine are described in detail. The proposed design is shown to be a feasible solution to the offered problem and it takes into consideration the constraints that were placed on the experiment. In addition, we have developed two more experiments that are included in this report: backup of rural telecommunication networks, and remote use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data analysis for on-site collection of glacier scattering data in the Antarctic

Ground terminal expert (GTEX). Part 2: Expert system diagnostics for a 30/20 Gigahertz satellite transponder

A research effort was undertaken to investigate how expert system technology could be applied to a satellite communications system. The focus of the expert system is the satellite earth station. A proof of concept expert system called the Ground Terminal Expert (GTEX) was developed at the University of Akron in collaboration with the NASA Lewis Research Center. With the increasing demand for satellite earth stations, maintenance is becoming a vital issue. Vendors of such systems will be looking for cost effective means of maintaining such systems. The objective of GTEX is to aid in diagnosis of faults occurring with the digital earth station. GTEX was developed on a personal computer using the Automated Reasoning Tool for Information Management (ART-IM) developed by the Inference Corporation. Developed for the Phase 2 digital earth station, GTEX is a part of the Systems Integration Test and Evaluation (SITE) facility located at the NASA Lewis Research Center

Evaluating and Selecting a Property Management System

In his study - Evaluating and Selecting a Property Management System - by Galen Collins, Assistant Professor, School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, Northern Arizona University, Assistant Professor Collins states briefly at the outset: “Computerizing a property requires a game plan. Many have selected a Property Management System without much forethought and have been unhappy with the final results. The author discusses the major factors that must be taken into consideration in the selection of a PMS, based on his personal experience.” Although, this article was written in the year 1988 and some information contained may be dated, there are many salient points to consider. “Technological advances have encouraged many hospitality operators to rethink how information should be processed, stored, retrieved, and analyzed,” offers Collins. “Research has led to the implementation of various cost-effective applications addressing almost every phase of operations,” he says in introducing the computer technology germane to many PMS functions. Professor Collins talks about the Request for Proposal, its conditions and its relevance in negotiating a PMS system. The author also wants the system buyer to be aware [not necessarily beware] of vendor recommendations, and not to rely solely on them. Exercising forethought will help in avoiding the drawback of purchasing an inadequate PMS system. Remember, the vendor is there first and foremost to sell you a system. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the adjectives unreliable and unethical are on the table, but do be advised. Professor Collins presents a graphic outline for the Weighted Average Approach to Scoring Vendor Evaluations. Among the elements to be considered in evaluating a PMS system, and there are several analyzed in this essay, Professor Collins advises that a perspective buyer not overlook the service factor when choosing a PMS system. Service is an important element to contemplate. “In a hotel environment, the special emphasis should be on service. System downtime can be costly and aggravating and will happen periodically,” Collins warns. Professor Collins also examines the topic of PMS system environment; of which the importance of such a factor should not be underestimated. “The design of the computer system should be based on the physical layout of the property and the projected workloads. The heart of the system, housed in a protected, isolated area, can support work stations strategically located throughout the property,” Professor Collins provides. A Property Profile Description is outlined in Table 1. The author would also point out that ease-of-operation is another significant factor to think about. “A user-friendly software package allows the user to easily move through the program without encountering frustrating obstacles,” says Collins. “Programs that require users to memorize abstract abbreviations, codes, and information to carry out standard routines should be avoided,” he counsels

Using artificial intelligence to find design errors in the engineering drawings

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming important to businesses because many companies have realized the benefits of applying machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) in their operations. ML and DL have become attractive technologies for organizations looking to automate repetitive tasks to reduce manual work and free up resources for innovation. Unlike rule-based automation, typically used for standardized and predictable processes, machine learning, especially deep learning, can handle more complex tasks and learn over time, leading to greater accuracy and efficiency improvements. One of such promising applications is to use AI to reduce manual engineering work. This paper discusses a particular case within McDermott where the research team developed a DL model to do a quality check of complex blueprints. We describe the development and the final product of this case—AI-based software for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry that helps to find the design mistakes buried inside very complex engineering drawings called piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). We also present a cost-benefit analysis and potential scale-up of the developed software. Our goal is to share the successful experience of AI-based product development that can substantially reduce the engineering hours and, therefore, reduce the project\u27s overall costs. The developed solution can also be potentially applied to other EPC companies doing a similar design for complex installations with high safety standards like oil and gas or petrochemical plants because the design errors it captures are common within this industry. It also could motivate practitioners and researchers to create similar products for the various fields within engineering industry

MicroComputer and Local Government

In 1976, two young Californians named Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started a revolution. It was a quiet revolution... no shots were fired... no demonstrations occurred... there were no casualties, but it was a revolution nevertheless... a revolution that will have long-lasting results. That year these two young men developed the Apple, the first commercially successful microcomputer

Recommendation for an E-Commerce Implementation for a Small Business

Small Business E-Commerce Solution With the prevalence of the Internet it is important for many small businesses to have a Web presence to remain competitive. For this professional project the author has researched and proposed what it would take to put together an end-to-end E-commerce solution for a small local fly-fishing company in Boulder, Colorado and made a recommendation for implementation. This included researching what was available both open source and commercially for each of the E-commerce web site components, studying the business needs, and making a recommendation for implementation. This allowed the author to pull together what has been learned throughout the Regis MSCIT E-commerce program and apply it in a meaningful way. The project will had the following scope: requirement analysis that included a recommendation for a quality E-commerce enabled web site implementation including: domain registration, web site development (prototype), software development tools, hardware, E-Payment system selection, database integration, order fulfillment, Internet Service Provider (ISP) selection criteria, marketing the site, establishing trust, security, and a support & maintenance plan

An Evaluation Instrument for the Selection of an Integrated Learning System

The purchase and integration of integrated learning systems (ILSs) in schools is on the rise. Dissatisfied with stand-alone computers and software, educators are looking for a more sophisticated integration of computer technology throughout the entire curriculum, specifically, an ILS. Current research evaluating such systems is scarce. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument that decision makers in school districts could use to evaluate an ILS at the pre-purchase stage. The instrument was designed expressly for school district personnel who have completed a needs assessment and have determined that an ILS will meet their needs. The instrument was developed to help them assess which ILS will meet their needs. A qualitative approach using case study methodology was used to elicit information from ILS vendors and school district decision makers which would contribute to the development of the ILS assessment instrument. Data collection was completed through interviews, observations, and document review. Data analysis was accomplished using a coding system and matrices. An instrument was developed based upon the data collection and analysis. The final phase of the design process was the preliminary and operational field testing. Preliminary field testing was accomplished by asking representatives from ten school districts to evaluate the instrument for content, format, and usefulness. Based upon their responses the instrument was revised. To complete the operational field testing, personnel from five school districts used the revised instrument to evaluate integrated learning systems during their ILS selection process and validated its content, format, and usefulness to school district decision makers wanting an effective method to assess ILSs. Results of this study suggested that (a) qualitative methodology was an appropriate way to collect and assess data for instrument design, (b) the instrument for the evaluation of ILSs was needed by school district decision makers, (c) within the limitations of small sample size, the developed instrument was proven to be valid, reliable, and useful by school district personnel, and (d) a secondary benefit of the instrument was its comprehensive coverage of ILSs, making it a useful instructional tool as well as evaluation tool