Visual Analytics to Support the Service Design for Sustainable Mobility

Intelligent transport system is a general term for the combined application of communication technologies, control and information processing for transport systems. Intelligent transport system covers all modes of transportation - including public transport - and all elements of the transportation system, such as the vehicle, infrastructure, and the driver. Integrated transport system allows a series of new unconventional solutions to improve the safety of the traffic and to satisfy transport requirements using new technologies. The service design of these systems, however, brings along different challenges.The process of service design requires the designers to engage with user behavior and understand the usage patterns related to the intelligent transport systems. Today, there are no well-developed methods to support this engagement. This paper suggests a data-oriented visual analytics approach to support designers in their decision-making processes, the implementation of successful services for sustainable, shared mobility service systems, and data-oriented approaches. Moreover, this paper discusses visual analytics as a tool to aid service designers by enabling real-time data analytics support.To this end, this paper summarizes the current literature on system innovation, challenges related to the design of these systems for sustainability and presents a shared and connected mobility service case study to illustrate the benefits of having visual analytics platforms for sustainable and intelligent transport systems. The study concludes that intuitive, data-oriented, interactive visual analytics approach has the potential to support service designers to create a coherent picture of the user in the service design process

A systematic review to merge discourses: Interoperability, integration and cyber-physical systems

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are developed through the cooperation of several engineering disciplines. Powerful software tools are utilized by each individual discipline, but it remains challenging to connect these into tool chains for increased efficiency. To support this endeavour, the literature on interoperability assessment was surveyed to identify concepts valuable to transfer from the interoperability to the tool integration research field. Implementation options, types of interoperability and domains described in interoperability assessment models were concepts identified as directly transferable. To avoid the problems with uptake that plague the models identified, visual analytics is suggested as a vehicle for the transfer. Furthermore, based on the use of non-functional properties as an underlying motivation for these models, cost, performance and sustainability are suggested as a common base for future research in both discourses

Visual analytics for cyber-physical systems development: Blending design thinking and systems thinking

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are integrations of computational and physical processes. They represent a new generation of systems that interact with humans and expand the capabilities of the physical world through computation, communication, and control. At the same time, actions and interventions associated with this complex systems can have highly unpredictable and unintended consequences. Furthermore, today's practices of CPS design and implementation are not able to support the level of complexity required to detect these consequences. One methodology to approach this complex problem space is systems thinking (ST). Systems thinking emerges as both a worldview and a process in the sense that it informs one's understanding regarding a system and can be used as a problem-solving approach. Systems thinking is an abstraction-oriented analysis approach, specifically designed for heterogeneous complex systems. At the same time, another methodology, design thinking (DT), has enjoyed significantly increased visibility and importance over the last decade. Design thinking is a creative problem-solving approach, which puts human to the center and focuses first on the needs and experiences of the user. This paper aims to illustrate the possibility to use design thinking and systems thinking methodologies together to better deal with the complexity related problems during CPS design and implementation. The study proposes visual analytics as an integrative tool between these two methodologies, by (1) analyzing and understanding CPS development process through systems thinking, and (2) innovating and transforming the process through design thinking. To this end, an example use case is described and the application of the blended methodology explained step by step in relation to the use case. Visual analytics and data visualization are discussed in several steps and the possible benefits highlighted

Interoperable toolchains in cyber-physical systems with a sustainability perspective

The development of cyber-physical systems (CPS) requires various engineering disciplines, artifacts, and areas of expertise to collaborate. Powerful software tools are used during this development process, but while successful in one individual discipline, it is often challenging to integrate with other tools. Several studies have been done on integration solutions for these toolchains. However, the possibility of including the sustainability concept to the interoperability strategies is rarely studied. This paper discusses an approach to include sustainability aspects while improving the interoperability of toolchains in CPS manufacturing. To this end, an automobile manufacturing process has been studied as a use case, and relevant sustainability metrics for each stage of the process are identified. Life cycle sustainability assessment methodology is used to identify the sustainability metrics, and the use case is employed to exemplify how some of these metrics can be integrated with interoperable toolchains to illustrate the applicability of the approach

Methodology for linked enterprise data quality assessment through information visualizations

Today's development environments in the manufacturing industry require different development tools to work together. These complex environments are highly heterogeneous and constantly changing, and the development tools are producing a huge amount of data. As a result, these development environments must overcome a significant problem related to data integration. In this paper, we examine a case study from the automotive industry using the linked enterprise data approach to integrate data from different development tools. The study explains and applies a data quality assessment methodology as a post-integration phase for linked enterprise data. In this study, important data quality dimensions from the literature are merged with empirical rules that have been defined by Scania CV AB employees. As a result, a comprehensive methodology is developed and introduced to assess these data quality dimensions. This paper presents the methodology, which aims to develop a data quality assessment tool—a dashboard—in addition to policies and protocols to manage data quality. Moreover, the proposed methodology includes systematic guidelines for planning the data quality assessment activity, extracting requirements for the data quality management, setting priorities to expedite the adaptation, identifying dimensions and metrics to ease the understanding, and visualizing these dimensions and metrics to assess the overall data quality

Cyber-physical systems research and education in 2030: Scenarios and strategies

© 2020 Future cyber-physical systems (CPS), such as smart cities, collaborative robots, autonomous vehicles or intelligent transport systems, are expected to be highly intelligent, electrified, and connected. This study explores a focal question about how these new characteristics may affect the education and research related to CPS in 2030, the date identified by the United Nations to achieve the Agenda for Sustainable Development. To this end, first, we have conducted a trend spotting activity, seeking to identify possible influencing factors that may have a great impact on the future of CPS education and research. These factors were clustered in a total of 12 trends – four certainties; namely connectivity, electrification, data and automation – and eight uncertainties; namely intelligence, data ethics, labour market, lifelong learning, higher education, trust in technology, technological development speed, and sustainable development goals. After that, two of the eight uncertainties are identified and used to construct a scenario matrix, which includes four scenarios. These two uncertainties – the so-called strategic uncertainties – are: fulfilment of sustainable development goals and the nature of the technological development, respectively. These two important uncertainties are considered to build the scenarios due to their potential impact on the research and education of CPS. For instance, sustainable development goals are significant targets for many initiatives, organisations and countries. While 2030 is the deadline to achieve these goals, the relationship between the sustainable development goals related to CPS research and education is not studied well. Similarly, the speed of technological development is seen as a driving force behind future CPS. However, the effect of this speed to CPS research and education environment is not known. Different outcomes of the chosen two uncertainties are, then, combined with the remaining trends and uncertainties. Consequently, four scenarios are derived. The Terminator scenario illustrates a dystopian future where profit is the driving force behind technological progress and sustainable development goals are not accomplished. In contrast, The Iron Giant scenario represents the successful implementation of the sustainable development goals where technological development is the force behind the accomplishment of these goals. The scenario called Slow Progress represents a future where gradual technological improvements are present, but sustainability is still not seen as concerning the issue. The Humanist scenario illustrates a future where slow technological development is happening yet sustainable development goals are successfully implemented. Finally, the scenarios are used to initiate discussions by illustrating what the future of research and education could look like and a list of strategies for future CPS research and education environments is proposed. To this end, we invite educators, researchers, institutions and governments to develop the necessary strategies to enable data-orientated, continuous, interdisciplinary, collaborative, ethical, and sustainable research and education by improving digital fluency, advancing digital equality, contributing to new ways of teaching complex thinking, expanding access to learning platforms and preparing next generations to adapt for a rapidly changing future of work conditions

Human-in-Loop Decision-Making and Autonomy: Lessons Learnt from the Aviation Industry Transferred to Cyber-Physical Systems

Peer reviewed: TrueIn this study, we reviewed aircraft accidents in order to understand how autonomy and safety has been managed in the aviation industry, with the aim of transferring our findings to autonomous cyber-physical systems (CPSs) in general. Through the qualitative analysis of 26 reports of aircraft accidents that took place from 2016 to 2022, we identified the most common contributing factors and the actors involved in aircraft accidents. We found that accidents were rarely the result of a single event or actor, with the most common contributing factor being non-adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs). Considering that the aviation industry has had decades to perfect their SOPs, it is important for CPSs not only to consider the actors and causes that may contribute to safety-related issues, but also to consider well-defined reporting practices, as well as the different levels of mechanisms checked by diverse stakeholders, in order to minimise the cascading nature of such events to improve safety. In addition to proposing a new definition of safety, in this study we suggest reviewing high-reliability organisations to offer further insights as part of future research on CPS safety.</jats:p

Data visualization support for complex logistics operations and cyber-physical systems

Today, complex logistics operations include different levels of communication and interactions. This paper explores the requirements of these operations and conceptualizes important key performance indicators, stakeholders, and different data visualizations to support the stakeholders in order to understand interactions between entities easier and faster. Three different levels were identified-supply chain, automated warehouse, and intelligent agent-to define the complex logistics operations. For each level, important stakeholders and performance indicators were determined. A case study was designed and described to exemplify the role of cyber-physical systems in complex logistics operations. Moreover, different data visualizations were developed as part of a dashboard to illustrate key performance indicators of different levels for the purpose of supporting stakeholders. This exploratory study concludes by identifying important data necessity for each performance indicator, suggesting ways to collect these data, and exemplifying how data visualization approach can be used through a dashboard design

Digitalizing Swedish industry: What is next?: Data analytics readiness assessment of Swedish industry, according to survey results

Digitalization refers to enabling, improving, and transforming operations, functions, models, processes, or activities by leveraging digital technologies. Furthermore, digitalization is considered one of the most powerful drivers of innovation with the potential to trigger the next wave of innovation. Today, the importance of digitalization is well-understood in Swedish government agencies and industry. Although there are several initiatives working to actively drive change, one question is key: What is the next step? Data analytics is a promising way to turn information into outcomes, enhance decision-making, make data-driven discoveries, minimize risk, and unearth valuable insights that would otherwise remain hidden. This paper presents survey results on data analytics adoption and usage within Swedish industry, to highlight post-digitalization industry needs. To this end, a questionnaire was designed and distributed. Answers from more than 100 respondents from the manufacturing, technology, engineering, telecommunications, and automotive industries in Sweden were collected and analyzed. The assessment results show that Swedish industry has a high resources readiness score. This suggests that the necessary tools, and human resources are in place. Moreover, its cultural readiness level, which focuses on the acceptance of data-driven decision-making, scores between high and very high. At the same time, the information systems readiness level is in between medium and high, except in the telecommunication domain. However, the organizational readiness level is between medium and low, which shows that the organizations are not structured to enable the adaptation of data analytics and the business impacts of data analytics are not in place yet. These findings suggest that the industry should use the advantages of the current cultural, information systems, and resources readiness capabilities and concentrate efforts on exploring the business impacts of data analytics, ensuring the support from executive managers, and implementing data analytics protocols to improve organizational readiness. Moreover, the industry should consider structural changes in organizations, in addition to systematically initiating proper planning, timing, budgeting, and setting of clear key performance indicators/metrics in order to ameliorate the organizational readiness of data analytics

Making interoperability visible: Data visualization of cyber-physical systems development tool chains

Cyber-physical system (CPS) development cycles include various engineering disciplines, artefacts, and areas of expertise. There are powerful software tools used in these cycles, which can be put to good use by one individual discipline but are challenging to integrate with other tools. This paper discusses a node-link diagram (NLD) visualization technique that can be used to visualize interoperability in CPS development tool chains. The purpose is to help tool chain developers assess the current interoperability status and make decisions on integration scenarios accordingly. To this end, a case study is introduced and explained as an example. Data about the tool chain, which contains different structures relating to the software tools usage and the interactions between them, are provided by ABB Corporate Research Centre. These structures are used in creation of visualizations for making interoperability visible in CPS development tool chains and applicability of each visualization technique is discussed with the interoperability perspective. In this study, we also exercised a clustering algorithm for an extended case study and discussed the use of visualizations to improve interoperability in CPS development environments