Improving System Design Through The Integration Of Human Systems And Systems Engineering Models,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
Improving System Design Through The Integration Of Human Systems And Systems Engineering Models, Michael E. Watson
Theses and Dissertations
The human is a critical aspect of many systems, but frequently there is a failure to properly account for human capabilities and involvement during system design. This inattention results in systems with higher lifecycle costs, decreased user compatibility, and the potential to produce disastrous consequences. This research presents an approach to integrating the human into system models by using two methods: static and dynamic modeling. The static method uses a user-centered design framework to create system- and human-centered models that deconstruct the system and user into their respective components. These models are integrated to create system models that include relevant …
The Efficacy Of Implementing A Small, Low-Cost, Real Time Kinematic Gps System Into A Small Unmanned Aerial System Architecture,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
The Efficacy Of Implementing A Small, Low-Cost, Real Time Kinematic Gps System Into A Small Unmanned Aerial System Architecture, Kevin J. Hendricks
Theses and Dissertations
Along with the growing uses for small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) within the Department of Defense (DoD), is the utility of small UAS within the civilian market is also increasing. This has led to significant research and development on small UAS subsystems by the commercial market. The focus of this research is characterizing and investigating the application considerations of a small, low-cost real time kinematic (RTK) GPS receiver system. Work was also accomplished to characterize the accuracy and precision of the commonly used GPS receiver subsystem in small UAS to show the increased utility of the RTK GPS system. The …
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Operators’ Workload Reduction: The Effect Of 3d Audio On Operators’ Workload And Performance During Multi-Aircraft Control,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Operators’ Workload Reduction: The Effect Of 3d Audio On Operators’ Workload And Performance During Multi-Aircraft Control, Sungbin Kim
Theses and Dissertations
The importance and number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations are rapidly growing in both military and civilian applications. This growth has produced significant manpower issues, producing a desire that multiple aircraft are controlled by a single operator as opposed to the current model where one aircraft may require multiple operators. A potential issue is the need for an operator to monitor radio traffic for the call signs of multi-aircraft. An investigation of the use of 3D sound was undertaken to investigate whether an automatic parser, which preselected the spatial location of relevant versus irrelevant call signs, could aid UAV …
Analysis Of Inpatient Hospital Staff Mental Workload By Means Of Discrete-Event Simulation,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
Analysis Of Inpatient Hospital Staff Mental Workload By Means Of Discrete-Event Simulation, Erich W. Maxheimer
Theses and Dissertations
Many process improvement tools have been applied to the healthcare industry to improve safety and efficiency. However, nearly all of these tools have neglected to explicitly quantify mental workload of healthcare providers despite the consensus that it is related to human performance. This research uses the Improved Performance Research Integration Tool (IMPRINT), a discrete-event simulation (DES), to quantify mental workload. Specifically, this research examines staff members in an inpatient unit at the Wright-Patterson Medical Center to detect workload differences between staff, identify trends which lead to high workload demands, evaluate the influence of patient load on mental workload, and test …
Lifecycle Cost Evaluation Of Flexible Facility Designs,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
Lifecycle Cost Evaluation Of Flexible Facility Designs, Trevor P. Ellis
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research is to ascertain the type of facility design, standard, robust, or flexible, that yields the greatest lower lifecycle costs (LCC) savings to the USAF. To this aim, the researcher constructed a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the LCC for flexible, robust, and standard administrative facility designs for thousands of potential facility lifecycles. The simulation also illustrates the circumstances under which each type of design would result in the lowest LCC. The results of this research will show the USAF the importance of focusing on LCC and designing flexible facilities. Standard and robust designs are the …
Measuring The Effectiveness Of Us Military Humanitarian Construction Projects Through Geospatial Analysis Of Public Opinion In Belize,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
Measuring The Effectiveness Of Us Military Humanitarian Construction Projects Through Geospatial Analysis Of Public Opinion In Belize, Arthur Z. Dietrich
Theses and Dissertations
As part of broader US foreign policy efforts the Department of Defense (DoD) increasingly conducts complex operations which focus on efforts to influence local populations. These \hearts and minds" operations often include humanitarian and development construction projects. The wider impact on US foreign policy effort from the US military's participation in projects traditionally conducted by civilian agencies is not well understood. This research examined the effects on local public opinion from two US Air Force led \Operation New Horizons" Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA) missions conducted in the nation of Belize in 2013 and 2014. The study specifically looked for …
A Time-Variant Value-Focused Methodology For Supporting Pre-Acquisition,
2016
Air Force Institute of Technology
A Time-Variant Value-Focused Methodology For Supporting Pre-Acquisition, Brian K. Scheller
Theses and Dissertations
Military operations are dynamic in nature, as time-dependent requirements or adversary actions can contribute to differing levels of mission performance among systems. Future military operations commonly use multi-criteria decision analysis techniques that rely on value-focused thinking (VFT) to analyze and ultimately rank alternatives during the Analysis of Alternatives phase of the acquisition process. Traditional VFT approaches are not typically employed with the intention of analyzing time-variant performance of alternatives. In this research, a holistic approach towards integrating fundamental practices such as VFT, systems architecture, and modeling and simulation is used to analyze time-dependent data outputs of an alternative’s performance within …
A Recommendation System For Meta-Modeling: A Meta-Learning Based Approach,
2016
Arizona State University
A Recommendation System For Meta-Modeling: A Meta-Learning Based Approach, Can Cui, Mengqi Hu, Jeffery D. Weir, Teresa Wu
Faculty Publications
Various meta-modeling techniques have been developed to replace computationally expensive simulation models. The performance of these meta-modeling techniques on different models is varied which makes existing model selection/recommendation approaches (e.g., trial-and-error, ensemble) problematic. To address these research gaps, we propose a general meta-modeling recommendation system using meta-learning which can automate the meta-modeling recommendation process by intelligently adapting the learning bias to problem characterizations. The proposed intelligent recommendation system includes four modules: (1) problem module, (2) meta-feature module which includes a comprehensive set of meta-features to characterize the geometrical properties of problems, (3) meta-learner module which compares the performance of instance-based …
Development Research And Implications For Cte,
2016
Morehead State University
Development Research And Implications For Cte, Jeff M. Shannon
Morehead State Theses and Dissertations
A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University By Jeff M. Shannon on March 9, 2016.
Enhancing Students Learning And Assessment Through Positive Reinforcement,
2016
University of Dayton
Enhancing Students Learning And Assessment Through Positive Reinforcement, Philip Appiah-Kubi
Engineering Management and Systems Faculty Publications
Students’ understanding of class material, and knowledge retention are assessed through homework, exams, and a host of other methods. None of these forms of assessment is intrinsically paramount to the others; however, the benefits depend on how well they are used. A good assessment depends on the purpose and learning objectives, and one way of maximizing the benefits of assessment is to involve students in the assessment methodology. This paper evaluates the benefits of having students prepare some of the questions for their final exams. Generally, students put in more effort when they understand that they are in charge. Each …
System Safety Modeling Of Alternative Geofencing Configurations For Small Uas,
2016
LCR
System Safety Modeling Of Alternative Geofencing Configurations For Small Uas, James T. Luxhoj
International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace
As is well known, the integration of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) or “drones” into the National Airspace System (NAS) has captured significant industry, academic, regulatory and media attention. For sUAS that typically fly low and slow, the possibility of a mid-air collision with a nearby general aviation aircraft needs to be studied from a system safety perspective to identify possible hazards and to assess mitigations. The Aviation System Risk Model (ASRM) is a first-generation socio-technical model that uses a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) methodology to integrate possible hazards to assess a non-linear safety risk metric. Using inductive logic, the …
Using Casual Loop Diagramming To Explore The Drivers Of The Sustained Functionality Of Rural Water Services In Timor-Leste,
2016
Deakin University
Using Casual Loop Diagramming To Explore The Drivers Of The Sustained Functionality Of Rural Water Services In Timor-Leste, Kate Neely, Jeffrey P. Walters
Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering
It is recognized that international water sector development work has issues with a lack of sustained positive outcomes. A large driver of this outcome is how NGOs work with communities to implement and then manage water services. Many NGOs tend to focus their efforts on improving their reach and organisational growth by continually engaging in new projects. This behaviour is largely driven by short-term donor funding models that reward extended coverage, leaving little focus on sustained outcomes. Similarly, community-based management (CBM) schemes often impede sustained services as a result of the community’s limited capacity to operate and maintain the technology. …
Exploring Agricultural Production Systems And Their Fundamental Components With System Dynamics Modelling,
2016
George Fox University
Exploring Agricultural Production Systems And Their Fundamental Components With System Dynamics Modelling, Jeffrey P. Walters, David W. Archer, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, John R. Hendrickson, Jon D. Hanson, John M. Halloran, Peter Vadas, Vladimir J. Alarcon
Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering
Agricultural production in the United States is undergoing marked changes due to rapid shifts in consumer demands, input costs, and concerns for food safety and environmental impact. Agricultural production systems are comprised of multidimensional components and drivers that interact in complex ways to influence production sustainability. In a mixed-methods approach, we combine qualitative and quantitative data to develop and simulate a system dynamics model that explores the systemic interaction of these drivers on the economic, environmental and social sustainability of agricultural production. We then use this model to evaluate the role of each driver in determining the differences in sustainability …
Risk Attitudes And Global Infrastructure Technology Choices,
2016
University of Washington
Risk Attitudes And Global Infrastructure Technology Choices, Jessica Kaminsky, Jeffrey P. Walters
Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering
Past research shows that Hofstede’s cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance explains variance in nations’ technology choice for sanitation and electricity infrastructure construction. The uncertainty avoidance dimension describes the way that nations deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. This paper is part of a larger project that links that previous national scale research to the project level that is most relevant to the construction practice. As such, this paper reviews methods from the literature that measure individual risk attitudes, including issues of measurement and risk determinants. For example, this paper discusses paid real-stakes lotteries, general risk questions, and context specific risk questions. …
Modeling Social, Economic, Technical & Environmental Components In An Energy System,
2016
Old Dominion University
Modeling Social, Economic, Technical & Environmental Components In An Energy System, Ange-Lionel Toba, Mamadou Seck
Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications
Energy system models have become the main supporting tool for energy policy. Modern challenges in energy policy require energy systems models that integrate technical, environmental and societal aspects of the energy systems. In this paper, we introduce a conceptual model for an energy system model that specifies the relationships between social, technical, environmental, and economic aspects of an energy system. This conceptual model presented in the IDEF0 language will serve as a basis for a computational energy systems model. © 2016 The Authors.
Energy Sustainability Of Turkey In The Case Of Lng,
2016
Old Dominion University
Energy Sustainability Of Turkey In The Case Of Lng, Omer Ilker Poyraz, Omer Keskin, Resit Unal
Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications
Energy is both vital and strategic element for a nation to sustain its fundamental activities like security, logistics, heating, etc. Countries sustain their energy demands through internal or external sources. In the case of not being able to maintain energy demands from their internal sources, they would need to import their requirements. Whenever they need to buy raw materials, they have to build terminals to process the raw material into the required form. The dependency on the imports may cause the importing country to weaken its advantage in international conflicts, unemployment, and welfare. Therefore, countries aim to mitigate dependence to …
Development Of An Instrument To Assess Capacity For Systems Thinking,
2016
Old Dominion University
Development Of An Instrument To Assess Capacity For Systems Thinking, Kaitlynn M. Castelle, Raed M. Jaradat
Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications
With the rapid growth and integration in technology and information, the behavior and structure of complex systems presents escalating challenges. Complex systems are marked by high level of ambiguity, uncertainty, and emergence. These conditions impose challenges and difficulties for practitioners responsible to successfully manage and design complex systems. There is a fundamental need to have a cadre of individuals who are capable of dealing with increasingly complex systems and their problems. One response is Systems Thinking, which can provide a holistic thinking paradigm that opens new channels and opportunities to think differently about complex systems as a whole unit. This …
Systemic Analysis Of Complex System Governance For Acquisition,
2016
Old Dominion University
Systemic Analysis Of Complex System Governance For Acquisition, Charles B. Keating, Joseph M. Bradley, Polinpapilinho F. Katina
Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications
The purpose of this paper is to explore Complex System Governance (CSG) issues related to systemic analysis of acquisition systems. CSG is an emerging field focused on the design, execution, and evolution of the functions necessary to provide continued system performance (stability) in the midst of incessant turbulence and increasing complexity. Integral to this field is the necessity to engage systems to address behavior or performance that is inconsistent with that which is desired. Systemic analysis for CSG serves to examine a system to discover fundamental system issues (e.g. acquisition). Arguably, system acquisition has an unremarkable record of success, ranging …
Complex System Governance For Acquisition,
2016
Leading Charge, LLC
Complex System Governance For Acquisition, Joseph Bradley, Polinpapilinho Katina, Charles Keating
Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications
As acquisition processes have become more complex, they appear to no longer be governable by traditional approaches. Missed budgets, delayed deliveries, and expensive canceled systems appear to becoming more prevalent. Numerous investigations have been conducted attempting to elicit the factors that prevented success. Those systems that succeed in terms of usability, budget, and delivery schedule are the rarity and often become case studies themselves as we try to extract the characteristics that differentiate success from failure. A different viewpoint is to look at the acquisition system from the perspective of Complex Systems Governance (CSG). Recent developments in the field of …
The Role Of 'Metasystem' In Engineering A System Of Systems,
2016
Old Dominion University
The Role Of 'Metasystem' In Engineering A System Of Systems, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Charles B. Keating, Joseph M. Bradley
Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications
Fundamentally, a system of systems is characterized by operational independence, managerial independence, evolutionary development, emergent behavior, and geographical distribution. However, value-wise, a system of systems should provide greater capability beyond that which individual systems can provide. Enabling this greater capability has to be purposely designed for and managed. In this paper, we argue that this is the primary role of the metasystem structure and its execution. A metasystem is a governing structure that provides coordination and integration of multiple systems, brought together to achieve overarching missions and functions beyond those of the constituent systems. This paper articulates the differences between …
