Integrated safety planning for underground systems

Underground systems are becoming increasingly popular for business activities, transportation systems, and storage purposes. Safety planning for underground systems calls for an integrated approach which considers the interests of many parties, the dynamics of different activities, and the potential threats posed by hazardous materials. A visual interactive modeling approach is presented which helps organizations to derive a safety concept for underground systems. The modeling approach emphasizes procedural aspects of dealing with multiple parties, as well as conceptual and analytic aspects of assessing risks and defining safety goals. The paper summarizes the framework for developing a safety concept for underground systems which was developed for the Dutch Ministry of the Interior. A hypothetical example is discussed to illustrate the theoretical constructs.     

Real-Time Decision Support for Emergency Management: An Integration of Advanced Computer and Communications Technology

Responses to emergencies are typically based on contingency plans. However, unexpected events can occur during the operation that affect safety and/or effectiveness of the activated response plan. Latest advances in communications and information technology can collect and transfer a large amount of data to the on-scene commander in real-time. The commander can then assess the potential impact of such events and decide if and how to revise the planned course of action to maintain safety and efficiency of the operation. This paper proposes a new paradigm for real-time decision support for emergency response - operational risk management. Emergency response is modelled as a large-scale operational system, including a human-machine real-time controller. The decision model is based on a topological graph structure, where the nodes are decisions and the arcs the activities. The attributes of the activities are expressed as ordinal preference values. The optimal course of action is the sequence of activities with the highest preference for resolving the emergency situation. The implementation of the decision model into a prototype decision support system is discussed.     

The effect of reasoning logics on real-time decision making

The advent of satellite tracking and communications technology has motivated organizations to investigate centralized real-time support for remote and mobile units and operations. Transportation companies have begun to use satellite tracking systems, production and energy plants are employing intelligent monitoring systems, and on-site emergency managers are being supported by headquarters in their assessment and decision making process. Although different reasoning logics have been proposed for real-time decision making, little attention has been given to the comparative assessment of these approaches. This paper presents empirical evidence on the impact of alternative reasoning logics on individual decision making in real-time. Following the definition of the decision tasks for hazardous operations, commonly used reasoning logics are discussed. Then, results of an empirical comparison of different reasoning approaches are presented. The data were gathered during an experiment with experienced operators. The conclusions of this research are that the selection of the appropriate reasoning logic in support of real-time decision making is crucial     

Multi-expert operational risk management

Operational risk management is the process of monitoring, evaluating, and changing courses of actions with potential detrimental consequences in real time. In this paper, we extend the decision models proposed in the literature for individual risk managers to account for situations where multiple risk managers are involved. For this purpose, two dynamic and adaptive preference aggregation models for cardinal and ordinal assessments are proposed and discussed. The mechanical aspects of the models are then validated using field data collected from experienced operational risk managers in an individual-expert setting. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the models have enough flexibility to be adapted to account for behavioral considerations. The paper closes with a research agenda     

Secure and Easy Internet Voting

A Swiss e-voting system, operational since December 2004, is based on a service-oriented architecture that lets voters use Internet or mobile phones to cast votes. Two-step encryption and redundant storage systems keep votes authentic and confidential.     

Sustainable Water Management through Flexible Method Management

Water management projects are complex and contain many dimensions, including the nature of the problem, technologicalchallenges, and political relevance. Experts and consultants in water management usually work with a limited set of analysis and project planning methods. This implies that expertsand consultants have a restricted spectrum for bidding on watermanagement projects and that the engagement of a specific expertor consultant introduces a biased approach to water management.To alleviate these limitations, experts and consultants shouldhave a readily accessible collection of analysis and project management methods at their disposal, coupled with guidelinesfor combining these methods to best approach a water managementproject. In this paper we propose a taxonomy for classifying methods used in water management. Using this taxonomy, we derivea Project Management Specification Model (PMSM) to help expertsselect, combine, and operationalize methods to match best therequirements posed by a project. The taxonomy and PMSM were derived and validated by analyzing more than 90 methods togetherwith experts in the field of water management, and by using themwithin two new project proposals made by an engineering company.We could conclude that PMSM's broad view on water managementhelps experts and consultants choose flexible analysis and project management approaches, and that it increases the involvement of, and acceptance by, all parties involved in water management.