ABB s r.o. is one of the most important companies that are concerned with setting of trends in electro-energetic field. One of these trends is digitalization of medium voltage substations that leads to simplified of internal connection and easier connection of substation to the control system. This thesis deals possibilities of connection of communication, methods of controlling logical operations by centralized or distributed system and compares potential of these systems.

This thesis focuses on designing and developing a centralized management and configuration solution for the thin clients offered by the OldanyGroup s.r.o. company. The purpose of this application is to simplify the thin client administration and control for customers as well as to improve the competitiveness of the whole thin client solution offered by the company.

Considering the long term target set by the Swedish government of having an energy system basedexclusively on renewable sources, the potential for different renewable sources need to beinvestigated. When analyzing the sources used for electricity production in Sweden today, solarPV represents a very small share. This relatively small share also mainly consists of grid-connecteddistributed PV systems, and to analyze the possibilities of making solar energy a larger share inthe electricity production in Sweden this study will focus on grid-connected centralized PV farms.The main purpose of the study is to identify the potential for grid-connected centralized PVsystems for large scale production in Sweden. This will include an identification of the mostimportant key factors influencing the profitability, an investment calculation to be aware of theprofitability, a prediction of the future development of the PV industry in Sweden and lastly themain challenges that the PV industry is facing.To conduct this study a collaboration with Vattenfall Vind AB has been made, where a case studybased on three specific locations has been implemented when analyzing both the profitability andthe key factors. These three cases are based on places where Vattenfall has existing wind farms orhas assigned for upcoming ones. These areas could be seen as a potential benefit since the companyalready has started to inspect the land area, and that wind and PV farms might be able to sharenecessities such as infrastructure.The results of the study mainly indicate that the PV industry most likely will continue develop andgrow, but the profitability of investing in grid-connected centralized PV farms does not lookpromising today or in the next coming years. This mainly due to low prices for electricity anduncertainties in the future development of the financial support policy. The location is also veryimportant for this type of installation. There are places in southern Sweden with enough insolation,but these areas can be seen as limited. To make solar energy a larger share of the electricityproduction in Sweden in a profitable way today, more investments should be made in gridconnecteddistributed PV systems rather than grid-connected centralized PV farms. PV farms forlarge scale production might though be more profitable in the future when the prices for modulesand inverters will decrease further and when the spot price increases.

In this thesis a non-centralized algorithm is proposed to locate nearby servers based on their players’ positions in a massive multiplayer online game server cluster. The purpose of this is to enable that players can visually see each other even though they are connected to different servers. By utilizing peer to peer connection between the servers the algorithm is tolerant against possible hardware failures. The algorithm simplifies the data sent over the network with a new concave polygon creation algorithm which works in linear execution time, enabling fast computations for real-time games. The algorithm works by finding colliding polygons from other servers and the closest polygons based on distance to find nearby servers which information should be shared with. Those two algorithms at this time work in quadratic execution time which is a point of improvement, which could require the concave polygon to be converted into one or several convex polygons. The algorithm is designed to give the user good access on the amount of network traffic sent over the cluster which gives better control and understanding on how much network traffic that will be sent in the cluster. It shows that the algorithm is dependent on how players in the world are distributed over the servers. By having players nearby each other on the same server improves the result of the algorithm. It is shown that compared to having a centralized server, the network traffic on every single node have reduced network traffic than compared to a centralized server. / In den här uppsatsen presenteras en icke-centraliserad algoritm som hittar närliggande servrar baserat på deras spelares positioner i ett massivt multi-spelare online spel med flera servrar. Syftet är att möjliggöra att spelare från olika servrar kan se varandra visuellt även fast de är uppkopplade till olika servrar. Genom att använda sig av ”peer-to-peer” kommunikation i klustret blir algoritmen tolerant mot hårdvarufel. Algoritmen simplifierar data som skickas genom en ny typ av konkav polygon algoritm vilken fungerar i linjär exekveringstid, vilket möjliggör snabba beräkningar för realtidsspel. Algoritmen fungerar genom att hitta kolliderande polygoner från andra servrar och även de mest närliggande baserat på distans för att lokalisera närliggande servrar att dela information med. De här två algoritmerna arbetar i kvadratisk tid vilket skulle kunna förbättras. Detta kan kräva att konkava polygonen konverteras till en eller flera konvexa polygoner. Algoritmen är designad för att ge användaren bra tillgång till hur mycket nätverkstrafik som bör skickas inom klustret vilket ger en bättre kontroll och förståelse över hur mycket data som kommer att skickas totalt. Det visas att algoritmen är beroende av hur spelarna är distribuerade över servrarna. Genom att ha närliggande spelare i världen på samma server förbättras resultatet av algoritmen. Det visas även att jämfört med en centraliserad server så förbättras nätverkstrafiken på varje enskild nod jämfört med trafiken som mottogs av den centraliserade servern.

Multiple target tracking (MTT) is the process of localizing targets in an environment using sensors that perceive the environment. MTT has many applications such as wildlife monitoring, air traffic monitoring, and surveillance. These applications motivate further research in the different challenging aspects of MTT. One of these challenges that we will focus on in this dissertation is constructing a high fidelity target model. A common approach to target modeling is to use linear models or other simplified models that do not properly describe the target's pose (position and orientation), motion, and uncertainty. These simplified models are typically used because they are easy to implement and computationally efficient. A more accurate approach that improves tracking performance is to define the target model using a geometric representation of the target's natural configuration manifold. In essence, this geometric approach seeks to define a target model that can express every pose and motion of the target while preserving geometric properties such as distances and angles. We restrict our discussion of MTT to objects that move in physical space and can be modeled as a rigid body. This restriction allows us to construct generic geometric target models defined on Lie groups. Since not every Lie group has additional structure that permits vector space arithmetic like Euclidean space, many components of MTT such as data association, track initialization, track propagation and updating, track association and fusing, etc, must be adapted to work with Lie groups. The main contribution of this dissertation is the presentation of a novel MTT algorithm that implements the different MTT components to work with target models defined on Lie groups. We call this new algorithm, Geometric Multiple Target Tracking (G-MTT). This dissertation also serves as a guide on how other MTT algorithms can be modified to work with geometric target models. As part of the presentation there are various experimental results that strengthen the argument that a geometric approach to target modeling improves tracking performance.

Facing increasingly complex policy issues and diminishing citizen satisfaction with government and service performance, managing the quality of citizen relationship management has become a main challenge for public managers. Solutions to complex policy problems of service performance and low level of citizen participation often must be developed by encouraging citizens to make their voices heard through the various participation mechanisms. Reflecting on this need, the municipal governments in the U.S. have developed centralized customer systems for citizen relationship management. 311 centralized customer system (named 311 in this study) has the functions of citizen-initiated contact, service-coproduction, and transaction, and many local governments launch 311 to maintain or enhance their relationship with the public. Using 311 is an easy and free technically for citizens, but ensuring some degree of citizen engagement and citizens’ 311 use has been challenging for local public managers of municipalities. Despite calls for the importance of 311 in the service and information delivery process, fair treatment and access to use of governmental information, citizen participation, government responsiveness, and citizen satisfaction, to the best of our understanding, no empirical studies explore citizens’ 311 behaviors in the micro and individual level in the field of public administration. This dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of the 311 centralized customer system, helps local public managers know citizens’ perceived perspectives toward the operation of 311, and assists these managers to develop an effective 311 system in municipalities. The dissertation’s main purpose is to clarify the importance of 311 to citizen relationship management and provide insights into citizens’ 311 use behaviors. More specifically, this dissertation tries to answers the following questions: a. Why do citizens use 311? Do the various groups of the population access and use 311 in San Francisco equally? If not, what factors influence the citizens’ 311 citizen-initiated contact behaviors? b. Why do citizens choose the 311 digital channel to contact with local governments? c. Why do citizens use 311 frequently? This dissertation will address these questions and draws on data from the 2011 citizen survey of City of San Francisco to explore citizens’ 311 use behaviors by examining them from citizens’ perspectives. The main arguments of each question listed above are: 1. 311 citizen-initiated contact is different from traditional citizen-initiated contact, and exposure to governmental-ICT environment, gender, income, and race are the factors influencing 311 citizen-initiated contact. 2. The digital divide, including the social side of the digital divide and access-side of the digital divide, influences citizens’ 311 channel choice. 3. Citizens’ technology acceptance, citizen satisfaction, and frequent use of public services influence the frequency of citizens’ 311 use.

In the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), commissioning is the process of securely adding a new device to a network. It covers many different tasks, including the physical deployment of devices and configuration of parameters. It is network installers who need to manually commission each device one by one with the help of commissioning tools. In practice, the first task for a network installer is to identify each device correctly before configuring it with proper parameters. Individually identifying each device, especially in a large network, is a very time-consuming process. This is also known as the identification problem. This project is going to address the problem.A novel device identification approach is presented in the thesis, and there is no human intervention involved in the identification process. Devices are trying to identify themselves based on predefined rules and given information. The approach is therefore called device self-identification, and it is implemented in two different algorithms. One is the centralized device selfidentification, and the other is the distributed device self-identification. In short, only one device participates in the device identification process in the centralized approach, and in the distributed counterpart, every device is part of the identification process.The results of the implementations show the potential of the new way to identify devices in IoT. Devices in both the centralized approach and the distributed approach are able to identify themselves given necessary information about the network. A detailed discussion regarding the two proposed algorithms and the network information is presented in the thesis. / I samband med Internet of Things (IoT) är igångkörning processen att säkert lägga till en ny enhet i ett nätverk. Den täcker många olika uppgifter, inklusive fysisk distribution av enheter och konfigurering av parametrar. Det är nätverksinstallatörer som måste manuellt beställa varje enhet en efter en med hjälp av installationsverktyg. I praktiken är den första uppgiften för en nätverksinstallatör att korrekt identifiera varje enhet innan den konfigureras med lämpliga parametrar. Att identifiera varje enhet speciellt i ett stort nätverk är en mycket tidskrävande process. Detta är också känt som identifieringsproblemet. Detta projekt kommer att ta itu med problemet.En nyhetsidentifieringsmetod presenteras i avhandlingen och det finns ingen mänsklig intervention involverad i identifieringsprocessen. Enheter försöker identifiera sig baserat på fördefinierade regler och information. Tillvägagångssättet kallas därför enhetens självidentifiering och det implementeras i två olika algoritmer, en är centraliserad enhetens självidentifiering och den andra är distribuerad enhetens självidentifiering. Kort sagt, endast en enhet deltar i enhetsidentifieringsprocessen i centraliserat tillvägagångssätt, och i distribuerad motsvarighet är varje enhet en del av identifieringsprocessen.Resultaten av implementationerna visar potentialen för det nya sättet att identifiera enheter i IoT. Enheter i både centraliserat tillvägagångssätt och distribuerat tillvägagångssätt kan identifiera sig med den information som krävs för nätverket. En detaljerad diskussion om de två föreslagna algoritmerna och nätverksinformationen presenteras i avhandlingen.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a new evolving approach within the networking domain. The concept is based on decoupling and abstracting the control and data plane of the traditional network devices. This separation facilitates the network operations with many benefits such as faster delivery, better segmentation, scalability, programmability, enhancing the quality of service and the quality of experience. Despite all the benefits, SDN has its own set of challenges.  The purpose of this study is to explore the main challenges in adopting SDN architecture in Swedish organizations. The focus is on the skills gap as one of the main challenges and how Swedish organizations were able to manage it. A qualitative approach has been chosen to conduct this research using semi-structured interviews to collect the data from seven different organizations, using a mixture of a purposive and snowball sampling selection. A thematic approach was then used to generate categories and themes from the collected data. The results are consistent with previous studies when it comes to technical, financial and security challenges. The technical challenges, however, were fewer in comparison with previous studies. A new way of working was presented as a new challenge when implementing SDN solutions. Furthermore, the knowledge gap was mentioned as a key challenge within Swedish organizations when implementing/operating SDN.  Finally, clear recommendations were made to overcome the knowledge gap challenge, from consulting a third-party expert, having a detailed plan, employing a multiphase process for SDN implementation, to having an online learning platform available to the IT team. / Software-Defined Networking (SDN) är en framväxande teknik inom nätverksdomänen. Konceptet är baserat på att frikoppla och abstrahera kontrollplan och dataplan för de traditionella nätverksenheterna. Separationen underlättar nätverksdrift och ger många fördelar såsom, snabbare leverans, bättre segmentering, skalbarhet, förbättrade kvalitet på tjänsten och kvalitet på upplevelsen. Trots många fördelar har SDN också utmaningar. Syftet med denna studie är att utforska de största utmaningarna med att implementera SDN-arkitektur i svenska organisationer. Fokus ligger på kunskapsklyftan som är en av de tidigare identifierade huvudutmaningarna, och hur svenska organisationer har hanterat dessa. En kvalitativ metod har valts för att genomföra denna studie med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer för att samla in data från sju olika organisationer, med hjälp av en blandning av målinriktat och snöbollsurval. En tematisk metod användes sedan för att generera kategorier och teman från den insamlade datan. Resultaten överensstämmer med tidigare studier när det gäller tekniska, ekonomiska och säkerhetsmässiga utmaningar. De tekniska utmaningarna var dock färre jämfört med tidigare studier. Ett nytt arbetssätt presenterades som en ny utmaning vid implementering av en SDN-lösning. Dessutom, nämndes kunskapsklyftan som en central utmaning inom svenska organisationer vid implementering och drift av SDN. Slutligen presenterades tydliga rekommendationer för att övervinna utmaningen med kunskapsgapet, från att konsultera en tredje part, att ha en tydlig plan, använda en flerfasprocess för SDN-implementering samt att ha en digital utbildningsplattform tillgänglig för IT-teamet.

Solar and wind generation are one of the most rapidly growing renewable energy sources, and is regarded as an appealing alternative to conventional power generated from fossil fuel. This is leading to significant levels of distributed renewable generation being installed on distribution circuits. Although renewable generation brings many advantages, circuit problems are created due to its intermittency, and overcoming these problems is a key challenge to achieving high penetration. It is necessary for utilities to understand the impacts of Photovoltaic (PV) generation on distribution circuits and operations. An impact study is intended to quantify the extent of the issues, discover any problems, and investigate alternative solutions. In this manner, system wide and local impact study are proposed in the dissertation. 1) System wide impact study This study considers system effects due to the addition of Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) and Distributed Energy Resource (DER) generation. The DER and PHEV are considered with energy storage technology applied to the residential distribution system load. Two future year scenarios are considered, 2020 and 2030. The models used are of real distribution circuits located near Detroit, Michigan, and every customer load on the circuit and type of customer are modeled. Monte Carlo simulations are used to randomly select customers that receive PHEV, DER, and/or storage systems. The Monte Carlo simulations provide not only the expected average result, but also its uncertainty. 2) Local impact study Analysis of high PV penetration in distribution circuits using both steady-state and quasi steady-state impact studies are presented. The steady-state analysis evaluates impacts on the distribution circuit by comparing conditions before and after extreme changes in PV generation at three extreme circuit conditions, maximum load, maximum PV generation, and when the difference between the PV generation and the circuit load is a maximum. The quasi steady-state study consists of a series of steady-state impact studies performed at evenly spaced time points for evaluating the spectrum of impacts between the extreme impacts. Results addressing the impacts of cloud cover and various power factor control strategies are presented. PV penetration levels are limited and depend upon PV generation control strategies and the circuit design and loading. There are tradeoffs in PV generation control concerning circuit voltage variations, circuit losses, and the motion of automated utility control devices. The steady state and quasi steady-state impact studies provide information that is helpful in evaluating the effect of PV generation on distribution circuits, including circuit problems that result from the PV generation. In order to fully benefit from wind power, accurate wind power forecasting is an essential tool in addressing this challenge. This has motivated researchers to develop better forecast of the wind resources and the resulting power. As a solution for wind generation, frequency domain approach is proposed to characterize and analyze wind speed patterns in the dissertation. 3) Frequency Domain Approach This study introduces the frequency domain approach to characterize and analyze wind speed patterns. It first presents the technique of and the prerequisite conditions for the frequency domain approach. Three years of wind speed data at 10 different locations have been used. This chapter demonstrates that wind speed patterns during different times and at different locations can be well characterized by using the frequency domain approach with its compact and structured format. We also perform analysis using the characterized dataset. It affirms that the frequency domain approach is a useful indicator for understanding the characteristics of wind speed patterns and can express the information with superior accuracy. Among the various technical challenges under high PV penetration, voltage rise problems caused by reverse power flows are one of the foremost concerns. The voltage rises due to the PV generation. Furthermore, the need to limit the voltage rise problem limits PV generators from injecting more active power into the distribution network. This can be one of the obstacles to high penetration of PVs into circuits. As a solution for solar generation, coordinated control of automated devices and PV is proposed in the dissertation. 4) Coordinated Automated Device and PV Control A coordinating, model-centric control strategy for mitigating voltage rise problems due to PV penetration into power distribution circuits is presented. The coordinating control objective is to maintain an optimum circuit voltage distribution and voltage schedule, where the optimum circuit operation is determined without PV generation on the circuit. In determining the optimum circuit voltage distribution and voltage schedule, the control strategy schedules utility controls, such as switched capacitor banks and voltage regulators, separate from PV inverter controls. Optimization addresses minimizing circuit losses and motion of utility controls. The coordinating control action provides control setpoints to the PV inverters that are a function of the circuit loading or time-of-day and also the location of the PV inverter. Three PV penetration scenarios are considered, 10%, 20%, and 30%. Baselines with and without coordinating controls for circuit performance without PV generation are established, and these baselines are compared against the three PV penetration scenarios with and without coordinating control. Simulation results are compared and differences in voltage variations and circuit losses are considered along with differences in utility control motion. Results show that the coordinating control can solve the voltage rise problem while minimizing circuit losses and reducing utility control motion. The coordinating control will work with existing PV inverter controls that accept control setpoints without having to modify the inverter controls. 5) Coordinated Local and Centralized PV Control Existing distribution systems and their associated controls have been around for decades. Most distribution circuits have capacity to accommodate some level of PV generation, but the question is how much can they handle without creating problems. It proposes a Configurable, Hierarchical, Model-based, Scheduling Control (CHMSC) of automated utility control devices and photovoltaic (PV) generators. In the study here the automated control devices are assumed to be owned by the utility and the PV generators and PV generator controls by another party. The CHMSC, which exists in a hierarchical control architecture that is failure tolerant, strives to maintain the voltage level that existed before introducing the PV into the circuit while minimizing the circuit loss and reducing the motion of the automated control devices. This is accomplished using prioritized objectives. The CHMSC sends control signals to the local controllers of the automated control devices and PV controllers. To evaluate the performance of the CHMSC, increasing PV levels of adoption are analyzed in a model of an actual circuit that has significant existing PV penetration and automated voltage control devices. The CHMSC control performance is compared with that of existing, local control. Simulation results presented demonstrate that the CHMSC algorithm results in better voltage control, lower losses, and reduced automated control device motion, especially as the penetration level of PV increases. / Ph. D.

The Commercial Real Estate (CRE) market has a substantial impact on financial stability, making it one of the global sectors with a strong relationship to economic growth. Because of its stability, CRE remains a viable investment even when market cycles shift for various reasons. Commercial real estate is an excellent method to diversify a portfolio because of its steady nature. Furthermore, direct CRE investment provides properties that can appreciate and provide cash flow. However, the industry is considered to be illiquid due to its difficulty in transacting, inefficiency, and access to capital. Moreover, there are an increased number of intermediaries involved in these processes, both from the seller side and the buyer side, which not only increases transaction cost but also increases the information asymmetries between both sides. This information loss in the communication pathways has complicated the market, leading to a painful documentation process, high intermediary cost, and a lengthy approval process. Based on an examination of the literature on (combinations of) important phrases such as 'Decentralized Finance'. It was found that there are no solid publications combining the ideas of decentralized finance and real estate in the current body of academic knowledge using the terms "decentralized finance", "blockchain", "commercial real estate", and "transaction costs". The aim of the thesis is to explore the expectations related to the implementation of decentralized finance technology in the commercial real estate industry. The study was done in the form of qualitative research with an interpretivist approach to answer the research questions and achieve the research goal. For the research goal, the data was gathered through a literature review and semi-structured interviews with various actors like Academia, Non-profit organizations, Industry Professionals, and New entrants to understand the concept from different perspectives. The results illustrate that Decentralized Finance which leverages blockchain technology can be applied in the commercial real estate transaction process through tokenization and smart contracts with the area of implication in Asset Financing, Asset Management, and Asset Exchange. However, because the technology is still in its early stages, it poses significant dangers in terms of acceptance. Some of the primary challenges include widespread education and the regularization of rules. / Marknaden för kommersiella fastigheter har en betydande inverkan på den finansiella stabiliteten, vilket gör den till en av de globala sektorer som har ett starkt samband med den ekonomiska tillväxten. På grund av sin stabilitet förblir CRE en lönsam investering även när marknadscyklerna skiftar av olika skäl. Kommersiella fastigheter är en utmärkt metod för att diversifiera en portfölj på grund av dess stabila karaktär. Dessutom ger direkta CRE-investeringar fastigheter som kan värderas och ge kassaflöde. Branschen anses dock vara illikvid på grund av dess svårigheter att genomföra transaktioner, ineffektivitet och tillgång till kapital. Dessutom finns det ett ökat antal mellanhänder inblandade i dessa processer, både på säljar- och köparsidan, vilket inte bara ökar transaktionskostnaderna utan också ökar informationsasymmetrin mellan de båda sidorna. Denna informationsförlust i kommunikationsvägarna har försvårat marknaden och lett till en smärtsam dokumentationsprocess, höga förmedlingskostnader och långvariga godkännandeprocesser. Som ett nytt område inom den digitala finansiella arkitekturen ses decentraliserad finansiering som en störande innovation som har potential att omforma strukturen för modern finansiering och skapa ett nytt landskap för kommersiella fastighetstransaktioner genom att sänka transaktionskostnaderna, öka effektiviteten och öka likviditeten genom sin decentraliserade plattform. Baserat på en granskning av litteraturen om (kombinationer av) viktiga fraser som "decentraliserad finansiering". Vi upptäckte att det inte finns några gedigna publikationer som kombinerar idéerna om decentraliserad finansiering och fastigheter i den nuvarande akademiska kunskapsmassan med hjälp av termerna "decentraliserad finansiering", "blockkedja", "kommersiella fastigheter" och "transaktionskostnader". Syftet med avhandlingen är att utforska förväntningarna i samband med implementeringar av decentraliserad finansieringsteknik i den kommersiella fastighetsbranschen. Studien gjordes i form av kvalitativ forskning med en tolkande ansats för att besvara forskningsfrågorna och uppnå forskningsmålet. För forskningsmålet samlades data in genom en litteraturgenomgång och semistrukturerade intervjuer med olika aktörer som akademiker, ideella organisationer, branschfolk och nya aktörer för att förstå konceptet från olika perspektiv. Resultaten illustrerar att decentraliserad finans som utnyttjar blockchain-teknologi kan tillämpas i den kommersiella fastighetstransaktionsprocessen genom tokenisering och smarta kontrakt med implikationsområden inom Tillgångsfinansiering, kapitalförvaltning och byte av tillgångar. Men eftersom tekniken fortfarande är i ett tidigt skede, utgör den betydande faror när det gäller acceptans. Några av de främsta utmaningarna inkluderar omfattande utbildning och reglering av regler.