Managing diagrammatic models with different perspectives on product information

In the context of engineering-oriented companies, a basic distinction can be made between the information needed during sales, engineering and manufacturing. When representing such information in diagrammatic models, these models will most often include both individual and shared content. For instance, during the sales phase, information about sales prices may be relevant, while this information is not relevant in the engineering and manufacturing phases, where, on the other hand, more detailed information about components and assembly is needed. However, such information models often share basic component definitions. Having this overlapping information across models means that when maintaining these, redundant work has to be carried out for the overlapping parts of the information. This, obviously, can be both time-consuming and a significant source of errors. In this paper, a modelling method for the management of diagrammatic models with different perspectives on product information is proposed. The aim of this method is to avoid redundant information across models, in order to reduce time needed for ensuring of consistency across models and minimize the chances of errors. The need for information models with different perspectives on the same product information is common in cases that involve design/redesign of complex products and/or the construction of product configurators. Besides a knowledge representation technique, the paper suggests two different solutions for software support, of which the application of one of these in an actual project is described.     

A new process knowledge representation approach using parameter flow chart

Knowledge in various stages of the product development process has become increasingly important for manufacturing companies to improve their performance, especially for those One-of-a-Kind Production (OKP) companies producing highly customized products. Process knowledge is a very special type of knowledge that controls how products are best manufactured. This knowledge can help OKP companies produce high value-added products with better quality at shorter times and at a competitive cost. Process knowledge is normally hard to capture and manage and is even more difficult to represent. This paper proposes a Parameter Flow Chart (PFC) based new knowledge representation method which efficiently combines parameter information, flow chart technology, and visualization technology. The goal of this research is to provide a user-friendly and effective way of representing process knowledge for OKP companies so they can develop and accumulate their own process knowledge repository. The basic definition and principle of the approach will be introduced first and the software system model then proposed. Two related key issues, the modeling of various chart units used in the PFC approach and dealing with expressions containing various parameters, are discussed in detail. The prototype version of the system has been developed and demonstrated with case studies, which has proven the feasibility of the proposed approach.     

A study on security strategy in ICT convergence environment

In the knowledge and information society, the value of utilizing ICT technology in companies is being newly interpreted upon the convergence of business and information technology of companies. Accordingly, companies are ensuring corporate competitiveness by improving product productivity and reducing the consumption of human/physical resources through the change of strategic management environment using ICT technology. On the other hand, companies’ core information is being leaked outside of company from the convergence with ICT technology and its scale is increasing each year. Accordingly, the need for improving the level of security according to companies’ informatization level is increasing. However, studies are lacking on the composition of security strategy in suitable forms according to the scale of company and level of retaining resources. Accordingly, this study examined the security advancement steps to verify the present condition of companies’ security and design security strategy from a macroscopic perspective by improving the level of security according to the scale of company and present condition of resources.     

The ergonomics of decision-making in large scale systems: information displays and expert knowledge elicitation

Despite significant efforts devoted to the development of computer-based system aids, hurnans are still centrally involved in the decision-making associated with large-scale systems. While ergonomists have contributed significantly to the design of information displays and human-computer interactions, emphasis now needs to be placed on techniques for assisting the higher-level cognitive processes associated with decision making. Two topics relating to this area will be considered. Experimental data will be reported showing how sensitive aspects of decisionmaking can be to the exact form of information presentation. Expert systems depend critically on the process of acquiring knowledge from the expert. One candidate technique for assisting this process will be discussed which involves a performance-based assessment of how experts weight and integrate information. Some experimental data collected using this procedure will be related to the issue of what constitutes expertise.     

Computer-aided manufacturing systems: Work-psychological aspects and empirical findings from case studies

In this paper, findings from a research project on work-psychological concepts for the design of computer-aided integrated manufacturing systems are presented. The work-psychological point of view is that concepts which focus not only on technical aspects, but also on the design of work organization and the use and development of skills and qualifications not only contribute to humane work conditions but are also associated with economics efficiency. Results gained from 60 small and medium size Swiss companies in the capital-goods industry show that very few companies have holistic manufacturing structures in terms of decentralization, functional integration, work group autonomy and complete and challenging tasks. Furthermore, skills and qualifications are not made use of to their fullest extent in most companies. Although technical support in terms of implementation of computer-aided manufacturing systems and technical integration is noticeably high, economic efficiency could not be exclusively attributed to the implementation of technical systems. The attainment of efficiency goals associated with the implementation of technical systems turned out to be higher in companies pursuing a holistic approach to the design of computer-aided manufacturing systems encompassing technical aspects, organizational design and use and development of skills and qualifications.

Relevance to industry

In many companies, the implementation and utilization of computer-aided manufacturing systems is considered an appropriate means for meeting increased market demand. Yet, a growing body of empirical findings indicates that computer-aided manufacturing systems per se will not guarantee that companies perform successfully. Data gained from case studies indicate that a comprehensive approach directed at the joint consideration and optimization of technical systems, organizational design and qualifications will contribute to a successful implementation of computer-aided manufacturing systems in terms of humane working conditions and economic efficiency. The data can be used for the work-psychologically founded design of computer-aided integrated manufacturing systems.     

Rough set-based approach to rule generation and rule induction

During the last decade, databases have been growing rapidly in size and number as a result of rapid advances in database capacity and management techniques. This expansive growth in data and databases has caused a pressing need for the development of more powerful techniques to convert the vast pool of data into valuable information. For the purpose of strategic and decision-making, many companies and researchers have recognized mining useful information and knowledge from large databases as a key research topic and as an opportunity for major revenues and improving competitiveness. In this paper, we will explore a new rule generation algorithm (based on rough sets theory) that can generate a minimal set of rule reducts, and a rule generation and rule induction program (RGRIP) which can efficiently induce decision rules from conflicting information systems. All the methods will also be illustrated with numerical examples.     

Supporting management and maintenance of manufacturing knowledge in design automation systems

Many companies base their business strategy on customized products. To enable a high level of product adaptation in an engineer-to-order approach companies invest time and resources to develop design automation systems. Initially, when implementing a design automation system, the focus is on successfully developing a system that generates design variants based on different customer specifications (i.e. the execution of system embedded knowledge and system output). However, in the long run, two important aspects are the management and maintenance of the knowledge that governs the designs. Further, the increasing emphasis on deploying a holistic view of a product’s properties and functions implies an increasing number of life-cycle requirements. The knowledge to adapt the product to fulfil these requirements should also be used and consequently incorporated into the knowledge-base, allowing for correct decisions to be made. In a system for automated variant design, the implications on the product of these life-cycle requirements have to be expressed as algorithms, production rules and/or computational statements to be intertwined with the design calculations. The number of requirements can be significantly large, and the knowledge scattered over different application systems used for the realisation of the design automation system. This makes it difficult to manage and maintain the system as the product life-cycle environment changes and evolves.In this article, the focus is on the requirements related to manufacturing. For that, an approach for the modelling of manufacturing requirements, supporting both knowledge execution and information management, in systems for automated variant design is introduced. The approach has been applied and refined when developing a design automation system in cooperation with a company to demonstrate and verify the approach’s usability.     

Category theory-based collaborative design methodology for mechatronic systems

Recent advances in companies are characterized by highly dynamic, knowledge-intensive and collaborative process. This has become primary concern for mechatronic systems since they involve multiple disciplines and knowledge. This requires a close exchange in order to share knowledge between the different design teams. The first step in knowledge sharing is to identify the most important knowledge that need to be capitalized, which we call “crucial knowledge”. During this exchange, heterogeneous knowledge and modelling languages are involved in the design process, which can lead to conflicts. Hence, the challenge is to continuously capture and handle such conflicts between expert models. Thus, the focus of this paper is to propose a new collaborative design model suitable for mechatronic concurrent design. Our contribution lies in identifying crucial knowledge and resolving conflicts in a formal way in order to ensure efficient collaboration. Our methodology called Category Theory-based Collaborative Design (CaTCoD) is described with its associated meta-model. A demonstrator is also used to validate the proposed methodology using an example from the aeronautic field.     

面向CRM系统的数据仓库的设计与实现

介绍了CRM系统的相关知识,阐述了数据仓库技术在CRM系统中应用的必然性,给出了一个基于数据仓库技术的分析型CRM系统的体系结构图,并且针对某网上书店,以客户购买主题为例,提出了该分析型CRM系统中客户信息数据仓库模型的设计方案,具体阐述了概念模型设计、逻辑模型设计和物理模型设计,并以MS SQL Server 2000平台为基础,给出了具体的实现,在企业引入分析型CRM系统时为构建数据仓库提供了参考依据.     

Automated generation of engineering rationale, knowledge and intent representations during the product life cycle

One of the biggest challenges in engineering design and manufacturing environments is the effective capture of and decoding of tacit knowledge. Fundamental to Life Cycle Engineering is the capture of engineering information and knowledge created at all stages of the product development process, from conceptual design through to product support and disposal. Consider this—the amount of vital information and knowledge lost when key design personnel retire—hence the need to capture meta-cognitive task-related strategies, particularly to support knowledge reuse and training. Many methods have been tried and tested with the successful few found to be very time consuming and expensive to implement and carry out; consequently, there is a need to investigate alternative paradigms for knowledge and information capture. This paper reports on a current industrial case study on knowledge capture methods employed by industrial partners in the design and manufacture of a variety of electro-mechanical products. The results suggest the need for new kinds and forms of knowledge capture methods and representation, particularly those associated with individual design engineering tasks. Following the findings, the paper presents a knowledge capture methodology for automatic real-time logging, capture and post-processing of design data from a virtual reality design system. Task-based design experiments were carried out with industrial partners to demonstrate the effective, unobtrusive and automatic capture and representation of various forms of design knowledge and information. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of knowledge representations were also performed to determine which method was most effective at conveying design knowledge and information for other engineers.     

A methodology for the semi-automatic creation of data-driven detailed business ontologies

In the context of technological expansion and development, companies feel the need to renew and optimize their information systems as they search for the best way to manage knowledge. Business ontologies within the semantic web are an excellent tool for managing knowledge within this space. The proposal in this article consists of a methodology for integrating information in companies. The application of this methodology results in the creation of a specific business ontology capable of semantic interoperability. The resulting ontology, developed from the information system of specific companies, represents the fundamental business concepts, thus making it a highly appropriate information integration tool. Its level of semantic expressivity improves on that of its own sources, and its solidity and consistency are guaranteed by means of checking by current reasoning tools. An ontology created in this way could drive the renewal processes of companies’ information systems. A comparison is also made with a number of well-known business ontologies, and similarities and differences are drawn, highlighting the difficulty in aligning general ontologies to specific ones, such as the one we present.     

Knowledge level modeling for systemic risk management in financial institutions

The current subprime mortgage crisis is a typical case for systemic risk in financial institutions. In order to further our understanding and communication about systemic risk management (SRM) in financial institutions, this paper proposes a knowledge level model (KLM) for systemic risk management in financial institutions. There are two parts considered in the proposed KLM: ontologies and problem solving method (PSM). Ontologies are adopted to represent a knowledge base of KLM, which integrates top level ontology and domain level ontologies. And then the problem solving method is given to show the reasoning process of this knowledge. The symbol level of KLM is also discussed which integrates OWL, SWRL and JESS. Further, the discussion about Lehman Brother’s Minibonds case in 2008 is provided to illustrate how proposed KLM is used in practice. With these, first, they will enhance the interchange of information and knowledge sharing for SRM within a financial institution. Second, they will assist knowledge base development for SRM design, for which a prototype of financial systemic risk management decision support system is given in this study. Third, they will support coordination among different institutions by using standardized vocabularies. And finally, from the design science perspective, the whole proposed framework could be meaningful to models in other domains.     

Design considerations for the development of interactive video in nurse education

Nurse education is one area which combines both a high level of technical skill and knowledge within a working environment in which inter-personal skills are vital. Thus it was considered appropriate to carry out a feasibility study on the use of interactive video in nurse education. The subject chosen was that of intravenous care because of the increasing evidence demonstrating both the hazards to the patient of poor practice and the poor knowledge base of practitioners, medical and nursing, in a climate of increasing technology and pharmacology associated with the intravenous route. The complexity of such a subject required a richness in the educational strategies employed in interacting with the video and the knowledge base within the computer. Furthermore, the need for independant validation of the content was essential in a development area that aimed to provide a high, if not national standard of care for a nursing procedure. Developments in this area highlighted the need for a team approach to the design and development process involving subject experts and designers led by an educational systems analyst. This paper will outline the design methodology employed in a feasibility study for an interactive video program for the training and assessment of nurses in the care required by a patient receiving intravenous therapy and medication.     

Service-Oriented Computing: Bringing Business Systems to the Web

The notion of "service" has spurred major evolutions for both information systems and the Web. A software application is no longer considered a monolithic component; it can be divided into services that are smaller components defined by their function and accessible through well-defined interfaces and protocols. As a result, IT actors are using service-oriented architectures (SOAs) to remodel the information systems of many companies while the Web is increasingly becoming a programmable place. In both domains, developers build composite client applications to consume these services. Even boundaries between enterprise services and Internet services are vanishing. Some companies, such as Strikelron provide enterprise services that were previously always hosted internally - like customer relationship management solutions. As a consequence, companies now have the technologies required to bring their business online. With Web services, private business processes can be exposed to partners through public composite Web applications. When new projects emerge, companies need guidance to properly handle such work. In this context, we aim to provide companies solutions - through a methodology, an architecture, and technical choices - that will help them solve generic problems such as security and application conception     

CIMOSA: enterprise engineering and integration

Enterprises are rather complex systems which have to be managed for their internal affairs, but more importantly for the many relations to the different environments in which they are operating. Today, these environments are changing much more rapidly and the need for relevant information becomes of paramount importance in the decision making processes at all levels of enterprise management. Fluctuations in market demands, technology evolution and changing regulations require very flexible enterprise operations, capable of reacting to those changes. These reactions must be based on relevant and up-to-date information which must be supported by new decision support technology. The challenges in decision support concern the identification of relevant information, easy access and intelligent use of this information. Building and maintaining the enterprise knowledge base and enabling its efficient use for decision support are major tasks of enterprise engineering. Enterprise integration and its subsequent operation in the global environment of customers, suppliers and regulatory bodies will heavily depend on the availability and the continuous extension of this knowledge base. Enterprise modelling will play an important role in creating the knowledge base and in using it for enterprise integration and operational decision support. The paper discusses enterprise engineering as an enterprise life-cycle oriented discipline for identification, design, and implementation of enterprises and their continuous evolution. Current problems in the field are identified and initiatives are presented.     

Determinants of information systems outsourcing: an empirical investigation in Japan

Two typical but different patterns of information system (IS) outsourcing are considered to be the most effective approaches in supply-chain management. These are conventional outsourcing and quasi-outsourcing. The latter is more generally adopted in large-scale organizations in Japan. In order to design an effective strategy, we will identify the factors which will have an important impact on the performance of IS outsourcing. In this article, we review the relevant literature on IS outsourcing, and propose four hypotheses. We test these four hypotheses by logistic regression analysis based on our original questionnaire survey of Japanese companies in order to find the relationship between IS outsourcing and its determinants. Finally, the implications of this study are discussed. Therefore, this article provides an empirical perspective to identify the determinants of conventional outsourcing versus quasi-outsourcing in Japan.     

Social Comparison,Goal Contagion,and Adoption of Innovative Information Technology

When adopting a new, innovative information technology (IT), most institutions tend to lack knowledge about it initially. However, they often adopt new ITs despite their illiteracy. This behavior is difficult to explain using rational IT adoption theories. Focusing on the organizational decision-making process behind adoption of innovative IT, we examine the strategy by which some companies compensate for their lack of knowledge: collection of information from other companies that have successfully adopted IT previously. We develop a new IT adoption model for which goal contagion theory and social comparison theory are combined to interpret the circumstances under which organizations tend to adopt new, innovative IT despite limited knowledge about it. Big data, cloud services, and smart mobile systems are considered as examples of innovative IT in the empirical study.     

Noah?A Bottom-Up Word Hypothesizer for Large-Vocabulary Speech Understanding Systems

Current high-accuracy speech understanding systems achieve their performance at the cost of highly constrained grammars over relatively small vocabularies. Less-constrained systems will need to compensate for their loss of top-down constraint by improving bottom-up performance. To do this, they will need to eliminate from consideration at each place in the utterance most words in their vocabularies solely on the basis of acoustic information and expected pronunciations of the words. Towards this goal, we present the design and performance of Noah, a bottom-up word hypothesizer which is capable of handling large vocabularies?more than 10 000 words. Noah takes (machine) segmented and labeled speech as input and produces word hypotheses. The primary concern of this work is the problem of word hypothesizing from large vocabularies. Particular attention has been paid to accuracy, knowledge representation, knowledge acquisition, and flexibility. In this paper we discuss the problem of word hypothesizing, describe how the design of Noah faces these problems, and present the performance of Noah as a function of the vocabulary size.     

Guest editorial

Attention has recently focused on improving the information and knowledge flow between design and manufacturing. Interfacing Computer Aided Design (CAD) with Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) systems has helped this information flow while also improving both processes. Once CAD and CAM systems were introduced the obvious next step to (1) decrease a product's time-to-market and its costs, while (2) increasing the product's quality, has been to utilize knowledge based system technology during both the design and the manufacturing phases of a product. Unfortunately, the knowledge based systems that we have developed have been designed as stand-alone components. These have been built using a variety of implementation philosophies, styles of reasoning and are deployed over distributed computing environments. The companies with large investments in design and manufacturing automation, as well as in expert system technology have come to realize that achieving the two goals stated above will require the integration of such diverse systems in ways that will allow their coordination and cooperation. This special issue of theJournal of Intelligent Manufacturing has brought together reports of recent research whose goal was this type of integration.