Consequence Forecasting for uncertain times

By Dr Sean Wilkinson

Infrastructure is so ubiquitous and reliable that most people do not realize that it is even there.  But when we do get a failure in one of our infrastructure systems, well then we really do notice.  Think about the last time there was a power cut, or you were caught in a traffic jam – or worse, you could not access social media.  It is amazing how upset most people get when they don’t have access to the services that our infrastructure usually provides – even for a short time.
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SMART takes steps to advance local Internet of Things networks, devices and knowledge

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Dr Matthew Berryman, IT Architect, SMART Infrastructure Facility, University of Wollongong (right) together with Mr Wienke Giezeman, Initiator, The Things Network, launched the new Internet of Things (IoT) Laboratory at SMART Infrastructure Facility on Wednesday, 31 August 2016.

By Jacqueline Wales

As sensors become smaller and cheaper and networks become more expansive and accessible, more and more things are being created with data capabilities. Continue reading

Closed-loop supply chain decisions using game theoretic particle swarm optimization

kalpit-patneBy Mr. Kalpit Patne

Closed loop supply chain management (CLSCM) is a relatively new field in the area of supply chain management and logistics which involves all the reverse logistics activities in addition to the forward logistics, like product acquisition, remanufacturing, redistribution, disposal etc. Continue reading

A spatial mircosimulation model to forecast health needs of elderlies in 2030 for Belgium (work in progress)

Morgane DumontBy Ms. Morgane Dumont

The forecasting of the population’s health needs is a big challenge in the current society, since the proportion of elderlies within the population is continually increasing. To allow each older person to live in a good health, health services need to be adapted. The project Virtual Belgium in Health (VBIH) aims to develop a platform based on a spatial micro-simulation that will approximate the health needs of elderlies in Belgium for 2030. Continue reading

Assessing the vulnerability of hydrological infrastructure to flood damage in coastal cities

Robert OgieBy Robert Ogie

Hydrological infrastructure such as pumps, floodgates (or sluice gates), dams, embankments, and other flood barriers are invaluable assets used in coastal cities for mitigating flooding. These infrastructure components are often vulnerable to damage or failure due to the impact of floodwaters, thus exacerbating the flood hazards and causing significant loss of life and destruction to property worth billions of dollars. Continue reading

Of trucks, traffic, trees and fair trade

Graham Harris v3By Graham Harris

This blog is continued from Thinking Systems #11.

I have just spent a month in UK and have had time to reflect on the changes I have observed there since I was a child in Devon. This time our stay in England corresponded with the summer holiday period and, while the weather was awful, the traffic was worse. Continue reading

SMART as an eResearch toolmaker: Fuelling the knowledge economy

profile-tim-1strndxBy Tim Davies

Armed with a poster I recently attended the 2015 eResearch conference in sunny Brisbane. The eResearch conference usually brings together the best and brightest eResearchers from across the globe and this year was no exception. The theme of the conference was ‘Fuelling the Knowledge Economy’ the fuel in this case was the stimulating discussions and presentations centring around new information-centric research capabilities. SMART joined in on these discussions with a captivating poster that illustrated many of the eResearch capabilities that the SMART infrastructure Facility has to offer. Continue reading