Gaming techniques and the product development process : commonalities and cross-applications

The use of computer-based tools is now firmly embedded within the product development process, providing a wide range of uses from visualisation to analysis. However, the specialisation required to make effective use of these tools has led to the compartmentalisation of expertise in design teams, resulting in communication problems between individual members. This paper therefore considers how computer gaming techniques and strategies could be used to enhance communication and group design activities throughout the product design process

Kernel arquitecture for CAD/CAM in shipbuilding enviroments

The capabilities of complex software products such as CAD/CAM systems are strongly supported by basic information technologies related with data management, visualization, communication, geometry modeling and others related with the development process. These basic information technologies are involved in a continuous evolution process, but over recent years this evolution has been dramatic. The main reason for this has been that new hardware capabilities (including graphic cards) are available at very low cost, but also a contributing factor has been the evolution of the prices of basic software. To take advantage of these new features, the existing CAD/CAM systems must undergo a complete and drastic redesign. This process is complicated but strategic for the future evolution of a system. There are several examples in the market of how a bad decision has lead to a cul-de-sac (both technically and commercially). This paper describes what the authors consider are the basic architectural components of a kernel for a CAD/CAM system oriented to shipbuilding. The proposed solution is a combination of in-house developed frameworks together with commercial products that are accepted as standard components. The proportion of in-house frameworks within this combination of products is a key factor, especially when considering CAD/CAM systems oriented to shipbuilding. General-purpose CAD/CAM systems are mainly oriented to the mechanical CAD market. For this reason several basic products exist devoted to geometry modelling in this context. But these basic products are not well suited to deal with the very specific geometry modelling requirements of a CAD/CAM system oriented to shipbuilding. The complexity of the ship model, the different model requirements through its short and changing life cycle and the many different disciplines involved in the process are reasons for this inadequacy. Apart from these basic frameworks, specific shipbuilding frameworks are also required. This second layer is built over the basic technology components mentioned above. This paper describes in detail the technological frameworks which have been used to develop the latest FORAN version.Postprint (published version

The Role of Maintenance and Facility Management in Logistics: A Literature Review

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review on the different ways of carrying out Facility Management and related topics in order to uncover that there is limited research regarding the impact of Facility Management on the logistics and operational performance of warehouses. Design/methodology/approach - Four different focus areas have been identified and for each one different methodologies and streams of research have been studied. Findings - The study underlines the importance of Facility Management for the logistics operations; therefore it supports the notion that investments aiming at preserving the status of the building and service components of warehouses are crucial. Originality/value - This paper aims to suggest to Facility Management managers that they can contribute to enhance business performance by designing effective Facility Management strategie

Digital Image Access & Retrieval

The 33th Annual Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing, held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in March of 1996, addressed the theme of "Digital Image Access & Retrieval." The papers from this conference cover a wide range of topics concerning digital imaging technology for visual resource collections. Papers covered three general areas: (1) systems, planning, and implementation; (2) automatic and semi-automatic indexing; and (3) preservation with the bulk of the conference focusing on indexing and retrieval.published or submitted for publicatio

A Technology Proposal for a Management Information System for the Director’s Office, NAL.

This technology proposal attempts in giving a viable solution for a Management Information System (MIS) for the Director's Office. In today's IT scenario, an Organization's success greatly depends on its ability to get accurate and timely data on its operations of varied nature and to manage this data effectively to guide its activities and meet its goals. To cater to the information needs of an Organization or an Office like the Director's Office, information systems are developed and deployed to gather and process data in ways that produce a variety of information to the end-user. MIS can therefore can be defined as an integrated user-machine system for providing information to support operations, management and decision-making functions in an Organization. The system in a nutshell, utilizes computer hardware and software, manual procedures, models for analysis planning, control and decision-making and a database. Using state-of-the-art front-end and back-end web based tools, this technology proposal attempts to provide a single-point Information Management, Information Storage, Information Querying and Information Retrieval interface to the Director and his office for handling all information traffic flow in and out of the Director's Office