Abstract

Inefficient urban freight transport has a negative impact on both livability in cities and profit margins in the supply chain. Urban logistics schemes, consisting of governmental policies and company initiatives, attempt to address these problems. However, successful schemes are difficult to realize due to the divergent objectives of the agents involved in urban logistics. Traditional optimization techniques fall short when evaluating schemes, as they do not capture the required change in behavior of autonomous agents. To properly evaluate schemes, we develop an agent-based simulation framework that assesses the interaction between five types of autonomous agents. Compared to existing studies in this field, we contribute by (i) explicitly including company-driven initiatives, and (ii) adopting a supply chain-wide perspective. We illustrate the working of our framework by testing a number of schemes on a virtual network. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Automation has been introduced more and more into the role of air traffic control (ATC). As with many other areas of human activity, automation has the objective of reducing the complexity of the task so that performance is optimised and safer. However, automation can also have negative effects on cognitive processing and the performance of the controllers. In this paper, we present the progress made at AUTOPACE, a European project in which research is carried out to discover what these negative effects are and to propose measures to mitigate them. The fundamental proposal of the project is to analyse, predict, and mitigate these negative effects by assessing the complexity of ATC in relation to the mental workload experienced by the controller. Hence, a highly complex situation will be one with a high mental workload and a low complex situation will be one in which the mental workload is low. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

In order realistically and cost-effectively to realize the ATM (Air Traffic Management) 2000+ Strategy, systems from different suppliers will be interconnected to form a complete functional and operational environment, covering ground segments and aerospace. Industry will be involved as early as possible in the lifecycle of ATM projects. EUROCONTROL manages the processes that involve the definition and validation of new ATM solutions using Industry capabilities (e.g., SMEs). In practice, safety analyses adapt and reuse system design models (produced by third parties). Technical, organisational and cost-related reasons often determine this choice, although design models are unfit for safety analysis. Design models provide limited support to safety analysis, because they are tailored for system designers. The definition of an adequate model and of an underlying methodology for its construction will be highly beneficial for whom is performing safety analyses. Limited budgets and resources, often, constrain or inhibit the model definition phase as an integral part of safety analysis. This paper is concerned with problems in modeling ATM systems for safety analysis. The main objective is to highlight a model specifically targeted to support evolutionary safety analysis. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

International audience Business continuity of critical infrastructures (CIs) is exposed to various hazards including random failures, malicious threats, natural disasters and human errors, which could generate accidents with serious consequences (fatality, injury, environmental damage, business interruption and company reputation loss). We conceptualize the business continuity management (BCM) process as the integration of four active stages: prevention, mitigation, emergency and recovery. Integrated assessment and management is needed on all stages. On the contrary, the current approaches of BCM have not considered all phases in an integrated man-ner. We propose a new framework, which stands on an extension of the Bow-Tie model, to efficiently and effectively prevent and mitigate the potential consequences of an accident by properly designing and strengthening safety barriers for preventing and mitigating accidents, and making safety decisions for emer-gency and recovery. The proposed framework allows considering safety barriers and decisions in an integrated way. For operationalization, we explore the use of two complementary quantitative methods, Bayesian Network (BN) and Constraint Goal Method. BN takes the “negative” viewpoint of failure to determine the causes which lead to the final damage. CGM employs the positive perspective of the goal achievement process. An oil pipeline system is considered to show the application of the proposed approaches. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Many industries have been transformed by the provision of service solutions characterised by personalisation and customisation - most dramatically the development of the iPhone. Personalisation and customisation stand to make an impact on cars and mobility in comparable ways. The automobile industry has a major role to play in this change, with moves towards electric vehicles, auton-omous cars, and car sharing as a service. These developments are likely to bring disruptive changes to the business of car manufacturers as well as to drivers. However, in the automobile industry, both the user's preferences and demands and also safety issues need to be confronted since the frequent use of different makes and models of cars, implied by car sharing, entails several risks due to variations in car controls depending on the manufacturer. Two constituencies, in particular, are likely to experience even more difficulties than they already do at present, namely older people and those with capability variations. To overcome these challenges, and as a means to empower a wide car user base, the paper here presents a basic concept of an intelligent driver profiling system for cars: the sys-tem would enable various car characteristics to be tailored according to individual driver-dependent profiles. It is intended that wherever possible the system will personalise the characteristics of individual car components; where this is not possible, however, an initial customisation will be performed. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

This chapter raises issues and ideas for exploring resilience, stemming from various research disciplines, projected on the domain of air traffic management and aviation at interconnected system levels. Attempts are made to connect micro, meso, and macro levels in the aviation sector identifying corresponding research challenges. Examples of this ongoing research are given on how theory has already been translated into practical methodological use. Some connections between foci from Resilience Engineering, Disaster Resilience, and other research disciplines are projected on the air traffic management domain to explore how practical benefits can be obtained from these theories and which aspects of operational practice these theories connect to. The chapter shows that the concept of resilience from various research disciplines has a potentially wide application to system levels of air traffic management, and suggests resilience to be addressed from an interconnected systems perspective to provide added value to operations. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

This chapter has sought to explain the context, policy applications, and major design choices in the process of developing an operational urban simulation model, with specific reference to UrbanSim as a case study. It has been argued that careful design at each stage of the process is needed to make the model sensitive to the policies of principal concern, to make the data and computational requirements manageable, to make the model usable by staff and other users with appropriate levels of training, and to fit into the operational practices of the relevant organizations. To be useful (relevant) in the policy process, model design should carefully integrate the elements discussed in the chapter into a design that fits well into a specific institutional and political context, and evolve to adapt to changing conditions. This introduction to the design process sets the stage for more in-depth discussion of specification and operational issues in model use. The UrbanSim system is being further developed to adapt to varying data availability, different factors influencing agent choices in locations ranging from newer and rapidly growing US metropolitan areas in other parts of the world. Considerable effort is now being devoted to developing environmental components of the system such as land cover change, and to developing a robust interface and tools for visualization and evaluation of policy scenarios. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

A survey was conducted to determine operation and maintenance (O and M)-related materials needs in geothermal power plants and to identify future research and development to address these needs. A total of 44 questionnaires was mailed to geothermal plant operators and industry consultants. The response rate was 54%. The participants were asked to describe type and frequency of materials problems, strategies currently used to mitigate such problems, barriers to using new or alternative materials and technologies, sources of information and give their views on research and development priorities. A wide range of opinions was obtained, reflecting each individual respondent`s perspective and the site-specific nature of some problems. However, the consensus is that corrosion and scaling remain major issues and that components requiring performance improvements include pipelines, well casing, turbines, heat exchangers, condensers, valves and cooling towers. It is recommended that appropriate research and development continue to be directed at reducing O and M costs associated with materials failure or inadequate service. There should be a balance between optimizing existing materials through better design and understanding of behavior in geothermal environments and development of new materials. Life extension of existing equipment, service life prediction, education of plant personnel in materials andmore » methods for mitigating corrosion, and improvements in inhibitors and biocides would also be beneficial.« le Document type: Report

Abstract

This report provides an overview of the capabilities and limitations of some current models being applied to the analysis of waste transfers; identifies the modeling capabilities needed to reduce the risk of pipeline plugging during tank waste transfers; and summarizes ongoing, planned, and future work needed to add these capabilities. Development of improved waste transport modeling tools with these capabilities will also help with waste transfer planning and evaluation, process control, and diagnosis of plugging events. Other potential applications include evaluation of waste-mixing scenarios, analysis of waste transfer stability, analysis of waste-unplugging alternatives, minimization of water addition, maximization of system availability, evaluation of risk-reduction strategies, and evaluation of cost-reduction strategies. Document type: Report