4 research outputs found
The Epistemology of scheduling problems
Scheduling is a knowledge-intensive task spanning over many activities in day-to-day life. It deals with the temporally-bound assignment of jobs to resources. Although scheduling has been extensively researched in the AI community for the past 30 years, efforts have primarily focused on specific applications, algorithms, or 'scheduling shells' and no comprehensive analysis exists on the nature of scheduling problems, which provides a formal account of what scheduling is, independently of the way scheduling problems can be approached. Research on KBS development by reuse makes use of ontologies, to provide knowledge-level specifications of reusable KBS components. In this paper we describe a task ontology, which formally characterises the nature of scheduling problems, independently of particular application domains and in-dependently of how the problems can be solved. Our results provide a comprehensive, domain-independent and formally specified refer-ence model for scheduling applications. This can be used as the ba-sis for further analyses of the class of scheduling problems and also as a concrete reusable resource to support knowledge acquisition and system development in scheduling applications
A Generic library of problem-solving methods for scheduling applications
In this paper we describe a generic library of problem-solving methods (PSMs) for scheduling applications. Although, some attempts have been made in the past at developing libraries of scheduling methods, these only provide limited coverage: in some cases they are specific to a particular scheduling domain; in other cases they simply implement a particular scheduling technique; in other cases they fail to provide the required degree of depth and precision. Our library is based on a structured approach, whereby we first develop a scheduling task ontology, and then construct a task-specific but domain independent model of scheduling problem-solving, which generalises from specific approaches to scheduling problem-solving. Different PSMs are then constructed uniformly by specialising the generic model of scheduling problem-solving. Our library has been evaluated on a number of real-life and benchmark applications to demonstrate its generic and comprehensive nature
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A Generic Library of Problem Solving Methods for Scheduling Applications
In this thesis we propose a generic library of scheduling problem-solving methods. As a first approximation, scheduling can be defined as an assignment of jobs and activities to resources and time ranges in accordance with a number of constraints and requirements. In some cases optimisation criteria may also be included in the problem specification.
Although, several attempts have been made in the past at developing the libraries of scheduling problem-solvers, these only provide limited coverage. Many lack generality, as they subscribe to a particular scheduling domain. Others simply implement a particular problem-solving technique, which may be applicable only to a subset of the space of scheduling problems. In addition, most of these libraries fail to provide the required degree of depth and precision, which is needed both to obtain a formal account of scheduling problem solving and to provide effective support for development of scheduling applications by reuse.
Our library subscribes to the Task-Method-Domain-Application (TMDA) knowledge modelling framework, which provides a structured organisation for the different components of the library. In line with the organisation proposed by TMDA, we first developed a generic scheduling task ontology, which formalises the space of scheduling problems independently of any particular application domain, or problem solving method. Then we constructed a task-specific, but domain independent model of scheduling problem-solving, which generalises from the variety of approaches to scheduling problem-solving, which can be found in literature. The generic nature of this model was demonstrated by constructing seven methods for scheduling, as alternative specialisation of the model. Finally, we validated our library on a number of applications to demonstrate its generic nature and effective support for the analysis and development of scheduling applications
Rationalising Public Service: Scheduling as a Tool of Management in RTÉ Television
Developments in the media industry, notably the increasing commercialisation of broadcasting and deregulation, have combined to create a television system that is now driven primarily by ratings. Public broadcast organisations must adopt novel strategies to survive and compete in this new environment, where they need to combine public service with popularity. In this context, scheduling has emerged as the central management tool, organising production and controlling budgets, and is now the driving force in television. Located within Weber’s theoretical framework of rationalisation, this study analyses the rise of scheduling as part of a wider organisational response to political and economic pressures. It is based on a longitudinal analysis of the RTÉ television schedules and interviews with key personnel involved in scheduling. The analysis tracks changes in programme output between 1990 and 2005, a period of fundamental change in the Irish broadcast landscape. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with producers and senior management from RTÉ Television provide an insight into the constraints, dilemmas and choices at the centre of programme scheduling. The dissertation argues that scheduling has been transformed from a marginal administrative function to a highly rationalised organisational system. It functions as a strategic management tool, enhancing competitiveness, cost efficiency and accountability. This is a practical and reasonable response to the demands of increasing competition and political pressure for efficiency and accountability. However, this dissertation considers whether the ‘means’ adopted in such survival strategies are in fact incompatible with the \u27ends\u27 of public service broadcasting