Case study : an evaluation of the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) at a South African municipal entity.

Master of Commerce in Information Systems and Technology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a computer based software application that is widely implemented in many business organisations. These systems have evolved over the years into component based modules with the ability to easily integrate with other systems, provide real time information and improve information sharing and collaboration. Choosing an ERP system is a complex process and the literature clearly illustrates the failure of organisations to effectively specify, select and implement ERP systems resulting in the inability to effectively harness the associated benefits. This study focuses on a South African water utility and the processes followed in procuring and implementing an ERP system. It is interesting to note, that in this study, despite the utility having experienced a failed ERP implementation decided to replace the same? ERP system. A rigorous process was followed to find a replacement ERP system only to set aside all alternate commercial of-the-shelf systems and re-implement the original failed ERP system. To gain insight of the processes followed, the COTS theoretical framework is presented to bring the reader’s attention to associated theoretical studies. In this study, we will conduct a systematic literature review on ERP systems, its background, implementation processes and associated implementation outcomes. This research, presents a case study that will describe and explore the process of ERP implementation at the water utility. We will document the process the utility followed in acquiring and setting up functional and non-functional evaluation criteria for the ERP system. Further, we have considered the processes of preparation, evaluation, selection and implementation. The analysis of the implementation process has brought to light the importance of defining ERP scopes based on business requirements, specifications based on the business scopes and evaluation criterion. The findings and results from this case study will contribute to the conceptual and contextual understanding of the specification, selection and implementation of ERP systems

A patient agent controlled customized blockchain based framework for internet of things

Although Blockchain implementations have emerged as revolutionary technologies for various industrial applications including cryptocurrencies, they have not been widely deployed to store data streaming from sensors to remote servers in architectures known as Internet of Things. New Blockchain for the Internet of Things models promise secure solutions for eHealth, smart cities, and other applications. These models pave the way for continuous monitoring of patient’s physiological signs with wearable sensors to augment traditional medical practice without recourse to storing data with a trusted authority. However, existing Blockchain algorithms cannot accommodate the huge volumes, security, and privacy requirements of health data. In this thesis, our first contribution is an End-to-End secure eHealth architecture that introduces an intelligent Patient Centric Agent. The Patient Centric Agent executing on dedicated hardware manages the storage and access of streams of sensors generated health data, into a customized Blockchain and other less secure repositories. As IoT devices cannot host Blockchain technology due to their limited memory, power, and computational resources, the Patient Centric Agent coordinates and communicates with a private customized Blockchain on behalf of the wearable devices. While the adoption of a Patient Centric Agent offers solutions for addressing continuous monitoring of patients’ health, dealing with storage, data privacy and network security issues, the architecture is vulnerable to Denial of Services(DoS) and single point of failure attacks. To address this issue, we advance a second contribution; a decentralised eHealth system in which the Patient Centric Agent is replicated at three levels: Sensing Layer, NEAR Processing Layer and FAR Processing Layer. The functionalities of the Patient Centric Agent are customized to manage the tasks of the three levels. Simulations confirm protection of the architecture against DoS attacks. Few patients require all their health data to be stored in Blockchain repositories but instead need to select an appropriate storage medium for each chunk of data by matching their personal needs and preferences with features of candidate storage mediums. Motivated by this context, we advance third contribution; a recommendation model for health data storage that can accommodate patient preferences and make storage decisions rapidly, in real-time, even with streamed data. The mapping between health data features and characteristics of each repository is learned using machine learning. The Blockchain’s capacity to make transactions and store records without central oversight enables its application for IoT networks outside health such as underwater IoT networks where the unattended nature of the nodes threatens their security and privacy. However, underwater IoT differs from ground IoT as acoustics signals are the communication media leading to high propagation delays, high error rates exacerbated by turbulent water currents. Our fourth contribution is a customized Blockchain leveraged framework with the model of Patient-Centric Agent renamed as Smart Agent for securely monitoring underwater IoT. Finally, the smart Agent has been investigated in developing an IoT smart home or cities monitoring framework. The key algorithms underpinning to each contribution have been implemented and analysed using simulators.Doctor of Philosoph

Towards contact-less vital sign monitoring using a cots resource-constrained multi-core system: an experience report

Contact-less vital-sign monitoring is enabling in situations where traditional contact-based vital sign monitoring is prohibitive, such as neonatal and burn care where electrodes and attachments risk patient infection or complications. To make vital-sign monitoring available for the consumer market, these algorithms shall use COTS cameras and run on COTS systems. In this paper, we report upon the results of an experiment to improve the performance of a contact-less respiration algorithm on a resource-constrained COTS multi-core system, in our case a Raspberry Pi 3 running Linux, using a state-of-the-art tool to visualize the behavior of a system. The improvements are an increase of the CPU utilization from 72% to almost 94% and an increase of the throughput of the algorithm by more than 45%

Defense in Depth of Resource-Constrained Devices

The emergent next generation of computing, the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), presents significant challenges to security, privacy, and trust. The devices commonly used in IoT scenarios are often resource-constrained with reduced computational strength, limited power consumption, and stringent availability requirements. Additionally, at least in the consumer arena, time-to-market is often prioritized at the expense of quality assurance and security. An initial lack of standards has compounded the problems arising from this rapid development. However, the explosive growth in the number and types of IoT devices has now created a multitude of competing standards and technology silos resulting in a highly fragmented threat model. Tens of billions of these devices have been deployed in consumers\u27 homes and industrial settings. From smart toasters and personal health monitors to industrial controls in energy delivery networks, these devices wield significant influence on our daily lives. They are privy to highly sensitive, often personal data and responsible for real-world, security-critical, physical processes. As such, these internet-connected things are highly valuable and vulnerable targets for exploitation. Current security measures, such as reactionary policies and ad hoc patching, are not adequate at this scale. This thesis presents a multi-layered, defense in depth, approach to preventing and mitigating a myriad of vulnerabilities associated with the above challenges. To secure the pre-boot environment, we demonstrate a hardware-based secure boot process for devices lacking secure memory. We introduce a novel implementation of remote attestation backed by blockchain technologies to address hardware and software integrity concerns for the long-running, unsupervised, and rarely patched systems found in industrial IoT settings. Moving into the software layer, we present a unique method of intraprocess memory isolation as a barrier to several prevalent classes of software vulnerabilities. Finally, we exhibit work on network analysis and intrusion detection for the low-power, low-latency, and low-bandwidth wireless networks common to IoT applications. By targeting these areas of the hardware-software stack, we seek to establish a trustworthy system that extends from power-on through application runtime

Research & Technology Report Goddard Space Flight Center

The main theme of this edition of the annual Research and Technology Report is Mission Operations and Data Systems. Shifting from centralized to distributed mission operations, and from human interactive operations to highly automated operations is reported. The following aspects are addressed: Mission planning and operations; TDRSS, Positioning Systems, and orbit determination; hardware and software associated with Ground System and Networks; data processing and analysis; and World Wide Web. Flight projects are described along with the achievements in space sciences and earth sciences. Spacecraft subsystems, cryogenic developments, and new tools and capabilities are also discussed

Towards contact-less vital sign monitoring using a cots resource-constrained multi-core system:an experience report

\u3cp\u3eContact-less vital-sign monitoring is enabling in situations where traditional contact-based vital sign monitoring is prohibitive, such as neonatal and burn care where electrodes and attachments risk patient infection or complications. To make vital-sign monitoring available for the consumer market, these algorithms shall use COTS cameras and run on COTS systems. In this paper, we report upon the results of an experiment to improve the performance of a contact-less respiration algorithm on a resource-constrained COTS multi-core system, in our case a Raspberry Pi 3 running Linux, using a state-of-the-art tool to visualize the behavior of a system. The improvements are an increase of the CPU utilization from 72% to almost 94% and an increase of the throughput of the algorithm by more than 45%.\u3c/p\u3

Progress Towards Controlled Re-entry and Recovery of CubeSats

The primary objective of this work was to progress towards performing controlled re-entry and recovery missions using CubeSats to increase the frequency of Solar System exploration missions such as extra-terrestrial sample collection and return and planetary Entry, Descent, and Landing. By developing a novel CubeSat platform and further methods to track CubeSats, the cost of developing technologies for these missions has been reduced, meeting the primary objective and enabling more planetary science research opportunities

Research and Technology Report. Goddard Space Flight Center

This issue of Goddard Space Flight Center's annual report highlights the importance of mission operations and data systems covering mission planning and operations; TDRSS, positioning systems, and orbit determination; ground system and networks, hardware and software; data processing and analysis; and World Wide Web use. The report also includes flight projects, space sciences, Earth system science, and engineering and materials

An Inquiry Regarding the Development of an Effectual Architecture Framework Supporting Next Generation 9-1-1

The emergency 9-1-1 service is a vital part of our nation â„¢s emergency response and disaster preparedness systems. At last count there were 6100 Public Safety Answering Points across the United States, 97 of those reside in the State of Colorado, and the citizens of the United States cannot email, text, or instant message these types of non-traditional communication to those Public Safety Answering Points due to technological limitations. The trends in personal communication technologies are accelerating the obsolescence of the current 9-1-1 systems. The Public Safety Answering Point of today is designed to accept and process voice media only; and proved successful in delivering emergency services in times of personal, regional, and national need. The current circuit-switched infrastructure of the 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point network cannot receive digital data (e.g., text messages, email, photographs, and video) from the communication devices commonly used by the public today. A national movement known as Next Generation 9-1-1 is underway that will support non-traditional communication digital data processing in the Public Safety Answering Point. This case study will attempt to determine if practical service oriented architecture methodology can be used in the development of an effectual architecture framework supporting the Next Generation 9-1-1framework and the nontraditional communication technology within the Public Safety Answering Points of Colorado