Concurrent engineering is a philosophy for improving design communication and aiding the process of recognizing and resolving design conflicts. Design economics is an integrated part of the concurrent engineering process, since cost-effective product design is at the root of many design conflicts. However, the bulk of research on concurrent engineering focuses on deriving better methods for coordinating both product and process designs with respect to functionality and manufacturability issues. The issue of implementing design economics via the concurrent engineering process at the conceptual design stage has not been adequately addressed. This research explores the development of a structural framework for incorporating concurrent engineering and design economics into a prototype decision support system that supports the conceptual phase of the product design process. The dissertation has three major tasks: (1) To formulate a concurrent engineering framework for use during the conceptual design stage, (2) To develop an activity-based cost estimation model for estimating product cost at the conceptual level of product design, and (3) To integrate and demonstrate the concurrent engineering framework and the activity-based cost estimation model together in a prototype decision support system. To accomplish the objective of this research, electronics manufacturing is used as an application setting. The design of printed circuit board assemblies is the domain for establishing a structural framework for incorporating concurrent engineering and activity-based cost estimation. / Ph. D.

Conservation strategies frequently require prioritization of targets due to limited budgets and personnel. Prioritization involves choosing those areas that return the most conservation value for the time and money invested. Hence, the process of prioritization involves evaluating multiple conservation values and the uneven spatial distribution of those values across a landscape of concern. The goal of this study was to help conservation organizations improve decision making for implementation of prioritization-based strategies for land protection using a GIS-based, multi-criteria decision support system (GIS-MCDS). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can assist conservation planners in quantifying the relative desirability of one area over another, therefore enabling better business and ecological decisions. GIS analyses for planning are routinely undertaken over large geographic extents such as ecoregions to identify priority areas. These analyses often summarize priority by pixel values in a raster image. Implementation of conservation strategy often takes place at the much larger parcel level. Therefore, aggregating pixel-based results by parcels is a prerequisite to implementation of a purchase or easement strategy. I developed a spatial decision support system in an attempt to quantify private land holdings in the High Knob area of Virginia for their relative conservation value, as defined by the Clinch Valley Program of The Nature Conservancy. It utilizes a proxy approach for measuring conservation values and an analytical hierarchy process to aggregate the results by privately held real estate parcels. Simple prioritizations are often based on parcel size alone, rather than consideration of the many conservation values that characterize land parcels. Though it is much quicker and easier to prioritize parcels in this manner, such simplicity risks missing important smaller areas for conservation while prioritizing larger parcels with less value. I compared this simple "bigger is better" ranking method to the GIS-based multi-criteria method developed for TNC. There was a 0.57 correlation between the ranked lists produced by the two models, suggesting that parcel size alone does partially explain the complexity modeled by the multi-criteria method. However, the more complex method did produce different top priority parcels, which could significantly change an organization's implementation strategy. I conclude that both methods have their applications, though the multi-criteria method is better for long-term implementations of strategic acquisition and easement. A secondary goal was to identify to what extent land trust organizations are prepared to implement a multi-criteria type analysis like the one considered in this study. I conducted an online survey of conservation professionals on how their organization currently uses GIS and their satisfaction with GIS analyses to meet their organizational mission. Sixty-one responses were collected and analyzed. The overwhelming majority of conservation organizations recognize the benefits that GIS bring and have already developed some level of internal expertise, though many barriers to using GIS were also identified. From these results, I conclude that most land trust conservation organizations are not currently utilizing the insights that multi-criteria GIS prioritization is capable of offering, but that their previous positive experience with GIS makes such analyses an attractive proposition for those on the cutting edge of the land conservation movement. / Master of Science

A pavement investment and management process has a dynamic structure with cause and effect. Better investment decisions for maintenance will increase the condition of the flexible pavement and will end up with a better level of service. Therefore, better investments decisions on pavement maintenance will increase the economic growth and global competition for the area. However, improper allocation of money and resources would end up with further deteriorations of the facilities. So asset management encourages highway maintenance managers to spend their scarce budget for the maintenance that is really needed. A well-developed pavement management simulation model will allow highway maintenance managers to consider the impact of choosing one maintenance policy alternative versus another through what-if analysis and having informed decisions. Discrete event simulation (DES) is an alternative method of analysis that offers numerous benefits in pavement management. Unlike the models currently in use, a decision support model created by utilizing the DES technique would allow fractionalizing the pavement in smaller proportions and simulating the policies on these smaller segments. Thus, users would see how their decisions would affect these specific segments in the highway network over a period of time. Furthermore, DES technique would better model the multiple resource requirements and dynamic complexity of pavement maintenance processes. The purpose for this research is to create a decision support tool utilizing discrete event simulation technique where the highway maintenance managers can foresee the outcomes of their what-if scenarios on the specific segments and whole of the highway network evaluated. Thus, can be used for both project and network level decision support. The simulation can also be used as a guiding tool on when, where and why resources are needed on needs basis. This research relies on the budget allocation results from the linear optimization model (LOM). This model is a tool that creates the optimized budget allocation scheme for a network fitting to a determined scenario. Thus by integrating the LOM and the DES model, the maintenance managers can acquire an optimized budget allocation for their district and evaluate the results in both network and project selection level. Maintenance managers can obtain the best budget allocation plan without performing the repetitive trial and error approach like the previous decision support tools. There is a vast amount data in many varieties gathered as results from the simulation model. This fact alone demonstrates how powerful the discrete event simulation model is. By the nature of this simulation technique, the resources (highway segments, annual budget) can be traced throughout the simulation and this trait allows the design of the project selection level decision support system. By examining these reports, the maintenance managers can better observe how the scenarios evolve. Thus this tool helps the maintenance managers to have better decisions on the project selection level. The discrete event simulation model established in this research carries the project selection level pavement management from a position where maintenance managers should solely depend on their engineering judgment and experience to a position where maintenance managers can have more effective and justified plans since they can foresee the results of these decisions on the segments that are forming the network. This simulation engine is created with the discrete event simulation language called STROBOSCOPE. The model consists of two parts which work like a lock and key mechanism. The first part of the model is the data feeding mechanism where information from any network is loaded. The second part is the generic engine which can evaluate any road network data it is fed. The purpose of segregating these two components of the model is to allow the user to evaluate any network regardless of length, number of segments or the location. / Master of Science

Planning and engineering activities in small-scale power systems are, in most of cases, driven by immediately pressing factors such as short-term demand, system costs, expected revenues, and local development priorities. Often, the decision to go ahead with the investment in such systems is based on the outcomes of single-attribute spreadsheet type analyses and linear optimization runs where key parameters such as demand growth, interest rates, capital costs, and fuel prices are assumed to remain constant throughout the study period. The least-cost plan thus obtained is subject to changes in the above parameters requiring continual re-evaluation and assessment to bring the project up to date. An alternative method is hereby presented in which the uncertain parameters in a seemingly deterministic model were identified ahead of time. The range of values that each of these parameters could assume as well as the respective probabilities were elicited from the experts and incorporated in a decision analysis problem designed to generate the least-cost policy. The decision analysis process resulted in a robust evaluation of generation options under investigation when compared to the results of the deterministic analysis. Moreover, options ranked least in the deterministic analysis became quite competitive when uncertainties were included in the analysis. / Master of Science

The development methodology for today’s computer systems is lacking in the area of preliminary design. Decisions that greatly influence the product’s life-cycle cost are made during this stage of the design with minimal knowledge. One of the key decisions made during preliminary design is the allocation of the system’s functions to hardware, software, or firmware implementations. This research investigates methods to automate the decision making process during preliminary design. These decisions include the hardware, software, and firmware allocation process and the reduction of the preliminary design space by ordering the design space and determining a cut-off point. A general system model is presented based on the top-down design methodology. A decision process is applied to the lowest level functions of the system model to order the allocation design space. The methods explored to perform decisions are the general linear model and fuzzy logic membership functions. A computer based tool is developed that applies the decision methods to a system model. The output of the tool is a set of optimum hardware/software/firmware function allocations. The application of this tool greatly reduces the overall allocation design space which allows the human designer to make improved decisions during preliminary design. / Master of Science

This research was concerned with the collection of empirical data necessary to estimate the effects of decision support tools on the performance of distributed groups. Data was collected in a controlled experimental environment that simulated a geographically-dispersed meeting through the use of videoconferencing and group communication support (GCSS) technology. Results of the use of a Group Decision Support System (GDSS) on group process and outcome variables were mixed. As predicted by the literature the use of a GDSS by distributed groups improved overall group consensus, decision accuracy, and decision effectiveness. The use of a GDSS also increased perceived process structure. Contrary to previous studies, the use of a GDSS increased decision time, and decreased overall satisfaction with the group process. No significant effects were found for perceived consensus, cooperation, amount of information exchange, or confidence in the decision. A strong correlation was found between decision quality and decision time. An even stronger correlation was found between perceived structure of the process and satisfaction with the process. The lack of feedback about the process and its outcomes could explain the lack of a GDSS effect on perceptions of consensus, cooperation, and confidence in the decision. Perception of subjective measures of the process may depend on the presence of the appropriate types of feedback. The results suggest that an increase in structure without a perceived improvement in decision quality (confidence in the decision) tends to reduce group satisfaction. A richer taxonomy for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) systems is proposed whereby three orthogonal dimensions of group support are defined. These three dimensions of group support are: Communication support, decision support, and presence support. This new taxonomy suggests a number of research directions aimed at the empirical identification of contextual and design factors relevant to distributed group performance and decision making performance in general. / Master of Science

Medical records are rapidly being digitized to electronic medical records. Although Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) improve administration, billing, and logistics, an open research problem remains as to how doctors can leverage EMRs to enhance patient care. This thesis describes a system that analyzes a patient's evolving EMR in context with available biomedical knowledge and the accumulated experience recorded in various text sources including the EMRs of other patients. The aim of the Clinician Decision Support (CDS) Dashboard is to provide interactive, automated, actionable EMR text-mining tools that help improve both the patient and clinical care staff experience. The CDS Dashboard, in a secure network, helps physicians find de-identified electronic medical records similar to their patient's medical record thereby aiding them in diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and outcomes. It is of particular value in cases involving complex disorders, and also allows physicians to explore relevant medical literature, recent research findings, clinical trials and medical cases. A pilot study done with medical students at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute (VTC) showed that 89% of them found the CDS Dashboard to be useful in aiding patient care for doctors and 81% of them found it useful for aiding medical students pedagogically. Additionally, over 81% of the medical students found the tool user friendly. The CDS Dashboard is constructed using a multidisciplinary approach including: computer science, medicine, biomedical research, and human-machine interfacing. Our multidisciplinary approach combined with the high usability scores obtained from VTC indicated the CDS Dashboard has a high potential value to clinicians and medical students. / Master of Science

With the advent of information technology, MIS research has tried to understand and describe the impact of this technology on organizations. To date the vast majority of this research has focused on a macro-level of analysis. But the introduction of the microcomputer has significantly altered the focus of computing through the development of a body of managerial computer users. This study looked at the following questions: What factors constitute an information technology user environment? What are the usage and knowledge differences which constitute a concept of user sophistication? Do those differences significantly impact on a user’s level of structured decisions and assessment of information attributes? To answer these questions a study was conducted of 229 middle managers in two academic institutions. The author developed a conceptual model of an information technology user to serve as the basis for the analysis. The study employed a multivariate regression analysis to test hypotheses developed from the user model. The results indicated that a positive relationship exists between managerial computer usage and a high perceived level of structured decisions. Furthermore, there was a strong association between a managerial user’s level of computer understanding and his assessment of information reliability and sufficiency. The study also identified significant differences in a user’s information technology environments and cognitive types. / Ph. D.

Decision Support Systems (DSS) should increase the effectiveness of a decision and the efficiency of the decision making process. The success of DSSs has varied among individual users. One explanation for this variation is that individual’s spatial ability has a moderating effect on performance. Another factor found to impact decision performance is the structure of the task. The purpose of this study is to determine whether spatial ability factors have a moderating effect on decision making performance in a DSS environment under differing task structure. Three of the major factors of spatial ability (spatial scanning, spatial relations, and field independence) and two levels of task structure (moderately complex and complex) are considered in the study. Spatial scanning and field independence were assessed by the Kit Factor-Reference Cognitive Tests, Map Planning Test and Hidden Figures Test, respectively [Ekstrom et al., 1976]. Spatial relations was assessed by the Mental Rotations Test [Vanderberg & Kuse, 1978]. Model formulation and data analysis are two stages of decision making considered in the study. Decision making performance is assessed by time to complete the task, DSS features used, decision confidence, and decision accuracy. Computer experience is treated as a control variable. Fifty Master level students in the School of Business attended three experimental sessions which involved completing several spatial ability tests, participating in a ninety minute lecture on the software package, and completing four practice problems and two experimental cases. The software package employed in the experiment is IFPS, a DSS generator. The results of the study indicate that spatial relations has a moderating effect on decision confidence during the data analysis stage of decision making. Furthermore, there is a significant moderating interaction effect between spatial relations and task complexity when performance is assessed by decision confidence. Spatial relations is found to be more significantly related to performance in the complex case than in the moderately complex case. / Ph. D.

Yes / The concept of smart city is emerging as a key strategy to tackle the problems generated by the urban population growth and rapid development. It is widely recognised that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) play a key role in addressing some of the urban societal challenges such as improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Although there are various ICT tools providing intelligence and services relating to energy consumption and monitoring processes, they mostly tend to work in isolation. Therefore, this paper presents the outcomes and impacts of the concept of DAREED which aims to deliver an integrated ICT service platform to drive energy efficiency and low carbon activities at neighbourhood, city and district levels. Furthermore, the research highlights the need for ICT-driven policy making using platforms such as DAREED in the context of e-Government. This paper contributes to the current understandings of e-Government literature in terms of how ICT can help public authorities and stakeholders such as policy makers to achieve and drive energy efficiency. From a practical stance, the paper offers valuable insights to public administrations on how ICT can be used to address pressing societal challenges such as efficient energy use and facilitate better policy making.