Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Simulation Of National Intelligence Process With Fusion, Joseph S. Lupa

Theses and Dissertations

This work is a follow on effort of two previous Master's theses. The first was Modeling and Simulation of the Military Intelligence Process by Captain Carl Pawling in 2004. The other was A Knowledge Matrix Modeling of the Intelligence Cycle by Captain Kevin Whaley in 2005. Both of these were done to facilitate the study and analysis of the intelligence process for the National Security Space Organization (NSSO). Here, modifications are made the Pawling model to include tasking multiple intelligence sources for data collection to fulfill Requests for Information (RFIs) and fusing the collected data into one new piece of …

Forecasting Instability Indicators In The Horn Of Africa Region, Bryan R. Tannehill

Theses and Dissertations

The forecasting of state failure and the associated indicators has been a topic of great interest to a number of different agencies. USAID, CENTCOM, the World Bank, the Center for Army Analyses, and others have all examined the subject based on their own specific objectives. Whether the goal is denying terrorists space in which to operate, deciding how to pre-position materials in anticipation of unrest, stabilizing foreign markets and trade, or preventing or mitigating humanitarian disasters, man made or otherwise, this topic has been of interest for over a decade. The Horn of Africa has been one of the least …

Developing An Excel Decision Support System Using In-Transit Visibility To Decrease Dod Transportation Delays, Brian B. Stone

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC) is responsible for efficiently transporting military personnel and cargo throughout the world. Organizations throughout the transportation system search for ways to decrease cargo transportation time as part of their ongoing mission to provide timely airlift services to the DoD. As cargo is transported through the transportation system it is in one of two states; waiting at an air base for transportation or in some phase of the loading, transportation, or unloading process. The loading and unloading process has been streamlined throughout the transportation system to a point which leaves little room …

Assessing Capabilities Of The High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System Through Combat Simulations, Ryan S. Ponack

Theses and Dissertations

High Energy Laser (HEL) technology continues to improve and its place in the battlefield is ever evolving. By combining the high energy delivery of solid state laser technology with the efficient thermal management of liquid laser technology, HELLADS has two main advantages over any HEL predecessors. One, the configuration is small and light enough to be carried on more tactical aircraft such as fighters. Two, the thermal management greatly increases HEL fire power by increasing dwell time on target. To assess HELLADS operational capabilities the test community has been challenged with how to effectively examine the advantages and limitations through …

A Simulation Optimization Approach To The Design Of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Emily C. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Military strategy and operations have evolved significantly over the past decade. This evolution has led to a change in the military resources required to carry out missions successfully. In line with these requirements, demand has increased for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with enhanced capability to perform surveillance and to strike targets of interest. This research effort aids in the design of a next generation UAV by employing a simulation optimization approach. The goal of this research is to maximize the number of targets destroyed in a conflict scenario by a newly designed UAV that is subject to size, weight, and …

Discrete Event Simulation Of A Suppression Of Enemy Air Defenses (Sead) Mission, Ahmet Aydin Candir

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary military campaigns increasingly count on the use of air power. Suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) operations have been a crucial element of military air power for 50 years. Several developments and evolution in both air defense and attack systems suggest that SEAD missions will continue to have growing importance to air forces. Since SEAD operations have a significant impact on air campaigns, it is important to examine their efficiency and identify improvement opportunities. This study explores factors that influence SEAD operations through use of a discrete event simulation built in Arena and subsequent statistical analysis of the results.

Simulation Modeling And Analysis Of F-16 Pilot Training Squadron, Adem Okal

Theses and Dissertations

The need for fighter pilots in the Turkish Air Force is expected to increase with the planned acquisition of Joint Strike Fighters, ongoing new F-16 purchases, and other upgrades to the Turkish Air Force fighter inventory. This increased demand will affect the current fighter training squadron curriculum and scheduling. This study focuses on issues related to 143^rd Oncel squadron F-16 Pilot Training with this projected increase in number of student pilots (SP). Completing the training periods on time is an important issue along with maintaining effective training performance. In our study the Total Time of the training period serves …

Determining The Surface-To-Air Missile Requirement For Western And Southern Part Of The Turkish Air Defense System, Omer Alkanat

Theses and Dissertations

An air defense system is vital for countries to protect their homelands. Today, air defense systems consist of integrated systems such as early warning radars, fighter aircraft, airborne early warning aircraft and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. The Turkish air defense system does not have long range SAM systems. Turkey plans to procure SAM systems to protect her borders. This research develops two location optimization models to optimally locate SAM sites to defend specified areas of the nation. One of the models finds the minimum number of SAM sites to cover the specified area; the other finds the maximum coverage for …

Combat Identification Modeling Using Robust Optimization Techniques, Taeho Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this research were: (1) the modeling of a CID situation and (2) the search for robust and controllable input variable settings. The inputs were defined as controllable and noise variables and the confusion matrices in ROC theory were adapted to act as controllable factors. In this research a simple virtual battlespace representation is employed. The experimental results of the CID system are summarized by a posterior confusion matrix and throughout the confusion matrix analysis we can obtain all various types of data such as accuracy, error cost, error rates, and so forth. To find the optimal parameters …

Robust Sensitivity Analysis Of Courses Of Action Using An Additive Value Model, Hunter A. Marks

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) requires the ability to quantifiably measure progress in arenas that are complex and difficult to measure, such as the stability of a region. Therefore, the DoD works diligently to predict the effect of operations and sponsors research to improve prediction and analysis. They desire a repeatable, systematic methodology to aid in the selection of courses of action (COA) that efficiently meet stated objectives and quantitatively measure the degree of accomplishment of these objectives. The author proposes a value-focused thinking (VFT) decision analysis (DA) approach to this problem. This methodology not only aids in selection of …

Cost Of Manufacturing: Experiment To Establish Process-Specific Cost Functions For A Deviation Based Cost Formulation, Parikshit Rajendra Deshmukh

Graduate Research Papers

In the present day global competition, there is incredible pressure on manufacturing unit of a company to reduce the cost of manufacturing, so that company can offer products at low cost. Cost of manufacturing is essential to determine final cost of the product. The cost depends on the type of manufacturing techniques used and the desired level of tolerance, it varies with the tolerance. To formulate the detail cost of manufacturing all the geometric tolerance given has to be evaluated including material, dimensions and machining operations. It is vital to the survival of any business to forecast more effectively the …

Applying Six Sigma Methodology To The Admissions Process In Higher Education, Alok Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Time and quality are two important metrics for improving a company's production and profit performance. Six Sigma is one of the most powerful continuous improvement tools that have been used to improve the quality of products and business processes. Six Sigma methodology provides the techniques and tools to improve the capability and reduce the number of defects in any process. It was originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve processes by eliminating defects. Although, originally developed for manufacturing processes, the tool has been effectively applied to improve business processes also. Evaluation of applications for admission in higher education is often …

Effects Of Leader Relationship Quality (Lmx), Supervisor Support, And Upward Influence In National Science Foundation Industry /University Cooperative Research Centers, Janet L. Bryant

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) is a type of partnership between industries and universities supported by the National Science Foundation. These partnerships enable the transfer of leading-edge technology developed in universities to industrial firms. Leadership plays a powerful role in the success of these research partnerships by creating an environment that is conducive to innovation. Directors of I/UCRCs must be able to successfully lead upward, that is, develop and maintain strong relationships with the university administrators to whom they report, to obtain the necessary support to sustain the center and foster innovation. This study uses leader-member exchange (LMX) theory …

Radical Impact Of Change In Actions And Confidence Index On Reverse Decision Making An Application Based Study, Swatee Trimbak Paithankar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

While making decisions under uncertainty, people are often unaware of the logical approach to form the decision process. It is assumed that collecting details, analyzing and evaluating data is enough to make 'proper' decisions. However, past research in the decision making arena has significantly validated that there exists a class of decision problems which is complex, ill-structured and not defined to the level where decision makers can draw logical conclusions based on existing traditional decision approaches. RDM (reverse decision making), one of the novel approaches of decision making under conditions of uncertainty, has shown potential towards addressing some of these …

Search Techniques For Multi-Objective Optimization Of Mixed Variable Systems Having Stochastic Responses, Jennifer G. Walston

Theses and Dissertations

A research approach is presented for solving stochastic, multi-objective optimization problems. First, the class of mesh adaptive direct search (MADS) algorithms for nonlinearly constrained optimization is extended to mixed variable problems. The resulting algorithm, MV-MADS, is then extended to stochastic problems (MVMADS-RS), via a ranking and selection procedure. Finally, a two-stage method is developed that combines the generalized pattern search/ranking and selection (MGPS-RS) algorithms for single-objective, mixed variable, stochastic problems with a multi-objective approach that makes use of interactive techniques for the specification of aspiration and reservation levels, scalarization functions, and multi-objective ranking and selection. A convergence analysis for the …

Unreliable Retrial Queues In A Random Environment, James D. Cordeiro Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates stability conditions and approximate steady-state performance measures for unreliable, single-server retrial queues operating in a randomly evolving environment. In such systems, arriving customers that find the server busy or failed join a retrial queue from which they attempt to regain access to the server at random intervals. Such models are useful for the performance evaluation of communications and computer networks which are characterized by time-varying arrival, service and failure rates. To model this time-varying behavior, we study systems whose parameters are modulated by a finite Markov process. Two distinct cases are analyzed. The first considers systems with …

Research On Logistics Operation Mode Of Shanghai 2010 Expo, Jiaying Chen

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Choice And Optimization Of Forecasting Models For Container Port Throughput, Qingcheng Xue

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Study On The Empty Container Repositioning Of Container Leasing Company, Yi Zhao

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Study On Inland Container Terminal Logistics System Simulation, Jun Wu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Distribution Sensor Placement For Border Patrol Interdiction Using Microsoft Excel, Adrian C. Patrascu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an electronic sensor placement model for border security. A model was developed using Microsoft Excel, with some add-on capabilities, to optimize the placement of electronic sensors on a border network given a pre-determined budgetary constraint. The model is capable of handling multiple sensor types, which are placed together as packages, and allows for daytime, nighttime, or 24 hour operation of each sensor type. Additionally, each sensor can be assigned a specific range and detection probability curve within the given range. The model is capable of optimizing either average coverage, or minimum coverage, …

Analysis Of Army Transformation And The Effects On Customer Ordering Behavior, Joseph M. Colacicco

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Army began a major force transformation in 2003, which required a significant shift in logistics support constructs. This thesis provides an in-process review of the effects of the current transformation efforts on supply effectiveness and attempts to determine factors that influence customer ordering behavior. Specifically, the thesis sought to answer three subproblems addressing the effect of transformation on supply effectiveness, the correlation of supply effectiveness metrics to customer ordering behavior, and other potential sources of variance in ordering behavior. The subproblems were answered through an examination of the supply document histories of two Brigades, one legacy Brigade …

Comparison Of Simulation-Based Schedule Generation Methodologies For Semiconductor Manufacturing, Wenfeng Li

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although a number of approaches have been developed to schedule tasks or jobs in many different manufacturing environments, increasing manufacturing complexity continues to motivate the need for additional scheduling heuristic research and development. This is particularly true for semiconductor manufacturing operations, arguably the most complex manufacturing environment in existence. Simulation-based scheduling has shown recent promise as a means for developing schedules for dynamic, stochastic manufacturing environments. I investigate the potential advantages and drawbacks of using simulation-based scheduling in a complex job shop as motivated by a semiconductor wafer fab.

A Risk- And Fuzzy Set-Based Methodology For Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration Military Utility Assessment Design, Thomas James Meyers

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) and derivative, rapid acquisition programs offer timely solutions to critical military needs by assessing the utility of technologies mature enough to be fielded without application of traditional, defense system development processes. Military utility assessments (MUA) are ACTDs' most critical features, but the lack of a standard for identifying assessment criteria tailored to specific demonstrations risks poorly informed acquisition decisions and the military operations those decisions are intended to support.

The purpose of this research was to develop and deploy a methodology for identifying measures of effectiveness integral to advanced concept …

Uncertainty Assessment In High-Risk Environments Using Probability, Evidence Theory And Expert Judgment Elicitation, Stella Barberis Bondi

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The level of uncertainty in advanced system design is assessed by comparing the results of expert judgment elicitation to probability and evidence theory. This research shows how one type of monotone measure, namely Dempster-Shafer Theory of Evidence can expand the framework of uncertainty to provide decision makers a more robust solution space. The issues imbedded in this research are focused on how the relevant predictive uncertainty produced by similar action is measured.

This methodology uses the established approach from traditional probability theory and Dempster-Shafer evidence theory to combine two classes of uncertainty, aleatory and epistemic. Probability theory provides the mathematical …

A Multivariate Magnitude Robust Control Chart For Mean Shift Detection And Change Point Estimation, Ryan M. Harrell

Theses and Dissertations

Statistical control charts are often used to detect a change in an otherwise stable process. This process may contain several variables affecting process stability. The goal of any control chart is to detect an out-of-control state quickly and provide insight on when the process actually changed. This reduces the off-line time the quality engineer spends assigning causality. In this research, a multivariate magnitude robust chart (MMRC) was developed using a change point model and a likelihood-ratio approach. Here the process is considered in-control until one or more normally distributed process variables permanently and suddenly shifts to out-of-control, stable value. Using …

A Layered Social And Operational Network Analysis, Jennifer L. Geffre

Theses and Dissertations

To provide maximal disruption to a clandestine/terrorist network's ability to conduct missions, we must develop a means to determine the individuals' importance to the network and operations. In a network centric world, this importance is represented as an additive value of their criticality across the convergence of multiple layers of network connections. The connections layers of the network are comprised of social layers (Acquaintance, Friendship, Nuclear Family, Relatives, Student-Teacher, and Religious Mentors, Reverent Power and others), as well as layers representing interactions involving Resources, Knowledge/Skills and Temporal Local. The social criticality of an individual is measured by centrality. Event Trees …

Improved Hyperspectral Image Testing Using Synthetic Imagery And Factorial Designed Experiments, Joseph P. Bellucci

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of any remote sensing system is to gather data about the geography it is imaging. In order to gain knowledge of the earth's landscape, post-processing algorithms are developed to extract information from the collected data. The algorithms can be intended to classify the various ground covers in a scene, identify specific targets of interest, or detect anomalies in an image. After the design of an algorithm comes the difficult task of testing and evaluating its performance. Traditionally, algorithms are tested using sets of extensively ground truthed test images. However, the lack of well characterized test data sets and …

Approximate Analysis Of An Unreliable M/M/2 Retrial Queue, Brian P. Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers the performance evaluation of an M/M/2 retrial queue for which both servers are subject to active and idle breakdowns. Customers may abandon service requests if they are blocked from service upon arrival, or if their service is interrupted by a server failure. Customers choosing to remain in the system enter a retrial orbit for a random amount of time before attempting to re-access an available server. We assume that each server has its own dedicated repair person, and repairs begin immediately following a failure. Interfailure times, repair times and times between retrials are exponentially distributed, and all …

Mathematical Programming Model For Fighter Training Squadron Pilot Scheduling, Thomas M. Newlon

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force fighter training squadrons build weekly schedules using a long and tedious process. Very little of this process is automated and optimality of any kind is nearly impossible. Schedules are built to a feasible condition only to be changed with consideration of Wing level requirements. Weekly flying schedules are restricted by requirements for crew rest, days since a pilot's last sortie, sorties in the last 30 days, and sorties in the last 90 days. By providing a scheduling model to the pilot charged with creating the schedule, valuable pilot hours could be spent in the cockpit, …