With the passing of the MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century) Act in 2012, the United States bridge industry has had a significant push for the use of innovative technologies to advance the highway transportation system. Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) is emerging as an important trend in the industry, in which various technologies and software are being used in all phases of the bridge lifecycle and have been shown to have a variety of benefits. However, most software are stand alone applications and do not efficiently exchange data among other software. This lack of interoperability creates impediments for the efficient and seamless transfer of information across the bridge lifecycle. In recent years, the building industry developed standards to promote interoperability for Building Information Models (BIM). Unfortunately, these standards lack the ability to incorporate bridges. Therefore, there major need for a standard for Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM). Moreover, as technology and modeling software have been coming more prevalent in other domains (roads, geotechnical, environment systems, etc.) there is an even larger need to expand interoperability standards across multi-disciplinary domains. The purpose of this research is to develop a methodology that would enable the interoperability of multi-disciplinary information models. The scope of the methodology is for Bridge Information Models, but the approach is extendable to other domains. This research is motivated by the fundamental issues of interoperability, such as semantic, logic, and software issues. In this research, the fundamental issues of interoperability are investigated as well as an in-depth review of literature proposing solutions. Additionally, current standards for interoperability of information models are reviewed. Based on the findings of the literature review, this research develops, evaluates, and validates a novel methodology for interoperability of information models. The fundamental issues of interoperability are addressed by the use of a taxonomy and ontology. A new standardization process to capture domain knowledge, called in “Information Exchange Standard” is outlined along with a novel method of developing an ontology based on industry workflows. This methodology has been used and validated by an industry domain case study. A software tool to automate the capturing of domain knowledge and development of a taxonomy is presented.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2008. / Vita: p. 75. Thesis director: Willem Thorbeck. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Aug. 27, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-74). Also issued in print.

Bretton Woods system has never been a main topic of Czech economic literature even though it strongly influenced finance of the most developed countries between 1944 and 1971 (1973). This diploma thesis is an attempt to analyze this important historical phenomena in international finance and the last metal oriented system in the history. The first chapter brings the most important terms and definitions that are necessary for better understanding of this problem. It is followed by chapters analysing international finance development in this area starting with the interwar period, followed by creation of Bretton Woods Monetary System in 1944 and first very successful and hopeful years that finally came to an end with accumulation of more problems that put a strain on the system such as for instance creation of long term dollar deficits by United States. This paper also analyzes the most important problems, finds similarities between Bretton Woods System and European Monetary System and tries to answer a question if this system or any monetary system like that can be successful on a long term basis.

The purpose of this dissertation is to assess digital geo-referenced information and standards for exchanging such information, especially the South African National Exchange Standard (NES). The process of setting up a standard is exacting. On the one hand, the process demands a thorough scrutiny and analysis of the objects to be standardised and of all related concepts. This is a prerequisite for ensuring that there is unanimity about their meaning and inter-relationships. On the other hand, the process requires that the standard itself be enunciated as succinctly, comprehensibly and precisely as possible. This dissertation addresses both these facets of the standards process in the context of standards for exchanging digital geo-referenced information. The dissertation begins with an analysis of geo-referenced information in general, including digital geo-referenced information. In chapters 2 and 3, the various aspects of such information are scrutinised and evaluated in more detail. The examination of concepts is backed up by a comprehensive Glossary of terms in the domain under discussion. Chapter 4 examines the nature of standards. It also proposes a novel way to approach a standard for the exchange of digital geo-referenced information: namely, that it can be viewed as a language and can accordingly be specified by a grammar. To illustrate the proposal, NES is fully specified, using the Extended Backus-Naur Form notation, in an Appendix. Apart from the advantages of being a succinct and precise formal specification, the approach also lends itself to deploying standard tools such as Lex and yacc for conformance testing and for developing interfaces to NES, as illustrated in a second appendix. As a final theme of the dissertation, an evaluation of such standards is provided. Other standards that have been proposed elsewhere for purposes similar to that of NES are surveyed in chapter 5. In chapter 6, features of NES are highlighted, including the fact that it takes a relational approach. Chapter 7 concludes the dissertation, summarising the work to date, and looking ahead to future work. AFRIKAANS : Die doel van hierdie verhandling is om versyferde geo-verwysde inligting en standaarde vir die uitruil van sulke inligting te ondersoek, met spesifieke verwysing na die Suid- Afrikaanse Nasionale Uitruilstandaard (NES). Die proses om ’n standaard op te stel is veeleisend. Aan die een kant vereis die proses ’n volledige bestudering en ontleding van die objekte wat gestandaardiseer gaan word, asook van al die verwante konsepte. Hierdie is ’n voorvereiste om te verseker dat daar oor hul betekenisse en onderlinge verwantskappe eenstemmigheid bestaan. Aan die ander kant vereis die proses dat die standaard so kernagtig, volledig en presies moontlik gestel moet word. Hierdie verhandeling spreek beide hierdie fasette van die standaardiseringsproses aan, en wel in die konteks van standaarde vir die uitruil van versyferde geo-verwysde inligting. Dié verhandling begin met ’n oorhoofse analise van geo-verwysde inligting, insluitend versyferde geo-verwysde inligting. In hoofstukke 2 en 3 word verskeie aspekte van dié inligting in meer detail ondersoek en geëvalueer. Hierdie ondersoek van konsepte word deur ’n omvattende woordelys van terme in die veld onder bespreking gesteun. Hoofstuk 4 ondersoek die aard van standaarde. Dit stel ook ’n nuwe manier voor om ’n standaard vir die uitruil van versyferde geo-verwysde inligting te benader, naamlik dat dit as ’n taal beskou kan word, en dat dit gevolglik deur middel van ’n grammatika gespesifiseer kan word. Om die voorstel te illustreer, word NES volledig in ’n aanhangsel deur middel van die Uitgebreide Backus-Naur Vorm notasie gespesifiseer. Afgesien van die voordeel van ’n kernagtige en presiese formele spesifikasie, ondersteun die benadering ook standaardgereedskap soos Lex en yacc wat vir konformeringstoetsing en vir NES koppelvlakke gebruik kan word, soos in ’n tweede aanhangsel illustreer word. As ’n finale tema van die verhandeling word ’n evaluasie van tersaaklike standaarde voorsien. Standaarde wat elders vir soortgelyke doeleindes aan dié van NES voorgestel is, word oorsigtelik in hoofstuk 5 beskou. In hoofstuk 6 word kenmerkende eienskappe van NES uitgelig, insluitend die feit dat dit op ’n relasionele benadering gebaseer is. Hoofstuk 7 sluit die verhandeling af met ’n opsomming van werk tot op datum en ’n blik op toekomstige werk. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 1993. / Computer Science / unrestricted