基于区块链的汽车供应链产品追溯系统

区块链作为新兴的分布式数据库技术,具有公开透明、不可篡改和易于追溯等特征,与供应链产品溯源具有良好的契合度。针对汽车供应链面临的缺乏信任、溯源难度大及信息共享效率低等问题,运用区块链技术,设计了基于区块链的汽车供应链产品追溯系统。选用以太坊作为系统的开发平台,设计了授权管理、信息录入、溯源转移和链上查询等功能模块,根据功能需求设计了智能合约,增加了对敏感数据的处理环节。系统中配置了原材料供应商、零部件供应商、整车厂以及分销商4个参与主体,提供了监管部门与消费者的溯源接口。通过实例对溯源系统进行展示。研究表明：区块链溯源系统与传统的溯源方式相比,产品数据的安全性和溯源效率等方面具有明显优势。     

Patterns and technologies for enabling supply chain traceability through collaborative e-business

Industrial traceability systems are designed to operate over complex supply chains, with a large and dynamic group of participants. These systems need to agree on processing and marketing of goods, information management, responsibility, and identification. In addition, they should guarantee context independence, scalability, and interoperability. In this paper, we first discuss the main issues emerging at different abstraction levels in developing traceability systems. Second, we introduce a data model for traceability and a set of suitable patterns to encode generic traceability semantics. Then, we discuss suitable technological standards to define, register, and enable business collaborations. Finally, we show a practical implementation of a traceability system through a real world experience on food supply chains.     

Improving accessibility with user-tailored interfaces

The first stage in the design of a user interface is the quest for its ‘typical user’, an abstract generalization of each user of the application. However, in web systems and other scenarios where the application can be used by dozens of different kinds of users, the identification of this ‘typical user’ is quite difficult, if not impossible. Our proposal is to avoid the construction of interactive dialogs during the design stage, building them dynamically once the specific cognitive, perceptual and motor requirements of the current user are known: that is, during the execution stage. This is the approach used by GADEA, an intelligent user interface management system (UIMS) able to separate the functionality of an application from its interface in real time. The system adapts the components of the interface depending on the information stored in a user model which is continuously updated by a small army of data-gathering agents.     

Implementing interactive applications in C++

This paper presents an object-oriented approach for the implementation of interactive systems. This approach applies the model-view-controller (MVC) paradigm, which is modified for the C++ environment. The modified paradigm is called MVC++. In this approach the design of interactive applications starts by constructing an object model that represents the key concepts of the problem domain. This object model does not contain any user interface elements. According to the MVC++ approach, the object model is called the model part of the application. Only after the model part has been created, is the user interface designed. A collection of user interface classes is called the view. The classes that connect the model and the view form the controller, which is designed to communicate with both the model and the view. The approach presented in this paper provides a number of benefits. Advantages of the original MVC approach are obtained in a standard C++ environment, the structure of applications becomes clear and stable, and reusability as well as readability of the classes increases. Reusability is achieved by employing a mechanism called ‘abstract partners’. The approach presented in this paper is being applied in the development of a large network management system with over one million lines of C++ code running in the XII environment.     

集成工作流与Multi-agents技术的供应链协同管理

提出了集成工作流与软件Agent技术的供应链协同管理框架及方法，通过工作流管理系统及多Agcnt的设计，应用XML描述的工作流过程规范，由软件Agent实时地执行和重置具体的工作流任务，从而达到供应链协调管理的目的。     

基于多Agent的供应链系统的仿真研究

基于Agent的结构提供了一个通过网络进行的分布式工具和合作系统的途径.描述了多Agent系统的结构和使用工具.给出了供应链进行过程,介绍了供应链上的Agent实体的功能及其规则,并详细的描述了供应链上多Agent之间的交互过程.     

User interface design for cooperating agents in industrial process supervision and control applications

Computer systems based on cooperating agent architectures are currently introduced in industrial process supervision and control applications as operator support systems in tasks such as fault diagnosis, system restoration etc. Cooperating agents are relevant to these applications since they involve a high degree of physical distribution, the operators' decisions are often based on multiple conflicting views which can be moderated by the cooperating agents, and the domains are complex with high degree of modularity.In the frame of the research project ARCHON, a multi-agent system architecture has been defined in order to be used in industrial process supervision and control applications. An issue of high importance in this context is the interaction with the human operator and the design of a user interface which supports this interaction. The impact of multi-agent architectures on the user interface design of industrial process supervision and control systems is the subject of this paper. An example of an interface designed for a multi-agent system in the area of electrical network supervision is provided.     

Multi-paradigm query interface to an object-oriented database

The object-oriented paradigm has a number of widely recognised strengths when applied to data management, but the increased complexity of actual systems compared with their relational predecessors often means that such databases are less readily accessible to nonprogrammers than relational systems. A number of proposals have been made for textual, form-based and graph-based query interfaces to object-oriented databases, but it is clear that a single approach cannot be considered to be the best, given the wide range of potential user groups, application domains and tasks. The paper presents a query interface to an object-oriented database which supports alternative user-level query paradigms in a fully integrated environment, thereby enabling different categories of user to select a preferred interface paradigm from a list of options. Furthermore, the interface enables users to examine queries written in one query interface using any of the other interface paradigms, which is useful for sharing queries in the multi-paradigm context, and for helping users familiar with one approach to learn another. The system has been prototyped using the ADAM object-oriented database system, and an experimental comparison of different interaction modes has been conducted.     

CA-PLAN,a service-oriented workflow

Workflow management systems (WfMSs) are accepted worldwide due to their ability to model and control business processes. Previously, we defined an intra-organizational workflow specification model, Process LANguage (PLAN). PLAN, with associated tools, allowed a user to describe a graph specification for processes, artifacts, and participants in an organization. PLAN has been successfully implemented in Agentflow to support workflow (Agentflow) applications. PLAN, and most current WfMSs are designed to adopt a centralized architecture so that they can be applied to a single organization. However, in such a structure, participants in Agentflow applications in different organizations cannot serve each other with workflows. In this paper, a service-oriented cooperative workflow model, Cooperative Agentflow Process LANguage (CA-PLAN) is presented. CA-PLAN proposes a workflow component model to model inter-organizational processes. In CA-PLAN, an inter-organizational process is partitioned into several intra-organizational processes. Each workflow system inside an organization is modeled as an Integrated Workflow Component (IWC). Each IWC contains a process service interface, specifying process services provided by an organization, in conjunction with a remote process interface specifying what remote processes are used to refer to remote process services provided by other organizations, and intra-organizational processes. An IWC is a workflow node and participant. An inter-organizational process is made up of connections among these process services and remote processes with respect to different IWCs. In this paper, the related service techniques and supporting tools provided in Agentflow systems are presented.     

A mechanised 3D scanning method for item-level radio frequency identification of palletised products

The automatic, non-line-of-sight characteristics of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for identifying multiple objects are conducive to full visibility and traceability of individual product items in a supply chain. However, practical implementation of item-level RFID-based applications necessitates solving some critical issues. Among these issues, reading tag data to identify a relatively large number of individual product items, which are usually packed in batches and distributed on pallets, is particularly a bottleneck, because it affects the accuracy and trustworthiness of batch distribution of products and all subsequent logistics operations in the supply chain. Current techniques for batch identification at item-level of palletised products suffer low reading rate and incomplete tag data acquisition, rendering the RFID systems unreliable. We address this issue by proposing a mechanised 3D scanning method for identification of tagged products in large numbers to facilitate supply chain management. The proposed method requires installing RFID readers only in the X-Y plane. The readers scan tagged products in the X and Y directions while the pallet is simultaneously rotated around to be effectively scanned in the Z direction. Different scanning patterns are adopted to alleviate the problems due to randomness of tag orientation and reader collisions. As such, 3D scanning of RFID tags for item-level applications is effectively achieved without incurring much hardware cost. The performance of the proposed method is validated using an RFID-enabled gate-door for identification of palletised apparel products with item-level RFID tagging. Experiment results show that the proposed method can achieve batch reading rates remarkably higher than those reported in literature. Moreover, a correlation between the batch reading rate and the batch density is established. Apparently, the proposed mechanised 3D scanning method for batch identification of item-level tagged product items can substantially enhance the accuracy and reliability of RFID-based supply chain management systems.     

Vehicle Routing and Production Planning Decision Support Systems: Designing Graphical User Interfaces

Given the inherent complexity of vehicle routing and production planning decision support systems, designing user interfaces for them is challenging and can make a big difference in the usability of these systems. Many heuristic and optimization-oriented systems that have been implemented for this type of problem have failed in part due to a poor graphical user interface. This work proposes an approach that can be applied to improve the design of user interfaces for this type of system and make its implementation easier. The approach is based on tools that were adapted from the FW/SM system for Structured Modeling and commercially available tools, such as Powerbuilder and CPLEX. Two systems that were implemented using this approach, in two different firms, are presented. These systems run on standard PCs under MS Windows, follow the Windows applications design guidelines, and interact with relational database management systems.     

RFID together with multi-agent systems to control global value chains

Nowadays, the cooperative intelligent transport systems are part of a largest system. Transportations are modal operations integrated in logistics and, logistics is the main process of the supply chain management. The supply chain strategic management as a simultaneous local and global value chain is a collaborative/cooperative organization of stakeholders, many times in co-opetition, to perform a service to the customers respecting the time, place, price and quality levels. The transportation, like other logistics operations must add value, which is achieved in this case through compression lead times and order fulfillments. The complex supplier's network and the distribution channels must be efficient and the integral visibility (monitoring and tracing) of supply chain is a significant source of competitive advantage. Nowadays, the competition is not discussed between companies but among supply chains. This paper aims to evidence the current and emerging manufacturing and logistics system challenges as a new field of opportunities for the automation and control systems research community. Furthermore, the paper forecasts the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies integrated into an information and communication technologies (ICT) framework based on distributed artificial intelligence (DAI) supported by a multi-agent system (MAS), as the most value advantage of supply chain management (SCM) in a cooperative intelligent logistics systems. Logistical platforms (production or distribution) as nodes of added value of supplying and distribution networks are proposed as critical points of the visibility of the inventory, where these technological needs are more evident.     

Design of cooperative processes in a customer–supplier relationship: An approach based on simulation and decision theory

Performance improvement in supply chains, taking into account a customer demand in the tactical planning process is essential. It is more and more difficult for customers to ensure a certain level of demand over a medium term horizon as their own customers ask them for personalisation and fast adaptation. It is thus necessary to develop methods and decision support systems to reconcile the order and book processes. In this context, this paper intends firstly to relate decision under uncertainty and the industrial point of view based on the notion of risk management. This serves as a basis for the definition of an approach based on simulation and decision theory that is dedicated to the design of cooperative processes in a customer–supplier relationship. This approach includes the evaluation, in terms of risk, of different cooperative processes using a simulation-dedicated tool. The evaluation process is based on an exploitation of decision theory concepts and methods. The implementation of the approach is illustrated on an academic example typical of the aeronautics supply chain.     

User Environments and Individuals: Experience with Adaptive Interface Agents

The traditional style of working with computers generally revolves around the computer being used as a tool, with individual users directly initiating operations and waiting for the results of them. A more recent paradigm of human-computer interaction, based on the indirect management of computing resources, is agent-based interaction. The idea of delegation plays a key part in this approach to computer-based work, which allows individuals to relinquish the routine, mechanistic parts of their everyday tasks, having them performed automatically instead. Adaptive interfaces combine elements of both these approaches, where the goal is to have the interface adapt to its users rather than the reverse. This paper addresses some of the issues arising from a practical software development process which aimed to support individuals using this style of interaction. This paper documents the development of a set of classes which implement an architecture for adaptive interfaces. These classes are intended to be used as part of larger user interface systems which are to exhibit adaptive behaviour. One approach to the implementation of an adaptive interface is to use a set of software “agents”– simple processes which effectively run “in the background”– to decompose the task of implementing the interface. These agents form part of a larger adaptive interface architecture, which in turn forms a component of the adaptive system.     

基于混合模式的农产品质量安全可追溯系统集成方法*

为了提升农产品质量安全管理水平,提出一种基于混合模式的农产品质量安全可追溯系统的集成方法。该方法采用C/S和B/S混合模式来构架系统,采用射频识别（RFID）和条码技术对产品进行标志、信息采集和传输,使用组件技术开发系统关键模块;最后以蔬菜为例,在对某企业实地调研的基础上,应用此方法开发了一套蔬菜质量安全可追溯系统。运行结果表明系统将供应链各部分有机联系,保证了农产品在整个供应链流动时信息流的准确、通畅和实时,实现了农产品的质量安全可追溯功能。     

A case study of an inter-enterprise workflow-supported supply chain management system

Doing business over the Internet is cheap and convenient. This enlarges the view of enterprises and gives them an opportunity to select their partners. To support business-to-business operations, an information system (IS) with an embedded workflow management component is needed. The inherent characteristics of such a system makes it suitable to implement cross-organization management. Nowadays, however, these system additions are not common. When developing a supply chain management (SCM) system for a large motorcycle corporation in China, we had to construct an inter-enterprise architecture using the internet. The main part of this is a workflow-supported inner supply chain system and an integrated interface. In it, the business processes are defined and executed by the supply chain management system. The independent inner systems are connected by the integrated interface into a large, global, supply chain manage system to management business processes across the independent enterprises. This paper presents the system design and implementation and discusses our experiences and lessons learned.     

Cooperative control in production and logistics

Classical applications of control engineering and information and communication technology (ICT) in production and logistics are often done in a rigid, centralized and hierarchical way. These inflexible approaches are typically not able to cope with the complexities of the manufacturing environment, such as the instabilities, uncertainties and abrupt changes caused by internal and external disturbances, or a large number and variety of interacting, interdependent elements. A paradigm shift, e.g., novel organizing principles and methods, is needed for supporting the interoperability of dynamic alliances of agile and networked systems. Several solution proposals argue that the future of manufacturing and logistics lies in network-like, dynamic, open and reconfigurable systems of cooperative autonomous entities.The paper overviews various distributed approaches and technologies of control engineering and ICT that can support the realization of cooperative structures from the resource level to the level of networked enterprises. Standard results as well as recent advances from control theory, through cooperative game theory, distributed machine learning to holonic systems, cooperative enterprise modeling, system integration, and autonomous logistics processes are surveyed. A special emphasis is put on the theoretical developments and industrial applications of Robustly Feasible Model Predictive Control (RFMPC). Two case studies are also discussed: (i) a holonic, PROSA-based approach to generate short-term forecasts for an additive manufacturing system by means of a delegate multi-agent system (D-MAS); and (ii) an application of distributed RFMPC to a drinking water distribution system.     

Supporting Cooperation through Customisation: The Tviews Approach

User interfaces for groupware systems rarely reflectthe different requirements for support of theirend-users. Here we present an approach to designingmulti-user interfaces for cooperative systems whichbuilds on previous work from the HCI community in thearea of end-user customisation. Using this approach wehave developed an approach and a system prototype basedon tailorable views, or Tviews, which allows end-usersengaged in group working to configure theircooperative system interfaces to support theirdifferent tasks, preferences and levels of expertise.Tviews are user interface components which can bedragged and dropped over representations ofapplication objects to customise presentation,interaction and event updating properties, and canthemselves be tailored using high-level, incrementalcustomisation techniques. We discuss the implicationsof this work for CSCW system development by referenceto studies of work carried out by the CSCW communitywhich point to a need for more flexible and tailorablesystem interfaces.     

Challenges in business systems integration

Four main frameworks for intercompany relationships (SCOR, CPFR, ISA95 and OAG) are discussed and compared. The link between the frameworks and different supply chain integration applications such as ERP, CRM and VMI are pictured. Finally the state-of-the-art, future state and challenges of the supply chain integration applications are discussed. It is concluded that the main challenge with respect to frameworks supporting business systems integration is to extend them with implementation functionality to better support business system application development. An example of this is customer requirement fulfillment processes such as product development and order fulfillment. Not only do they cross the borders of the company's departments (sales, logistics, purchasing, etc) but also various companies in the supply chain. In spite of this development, business integration across systems and borders are still not matured and to a large extend based on human interaction.