Business Process

Businesses have to work together to survive/prosper. One of the biggest challenges any business faces is connecting with customers, partners, and practically the supply chain. Traditionally, this was achieved by papers being faxed, signed, and moved around. The practice of physically moving papers around was time consuming, not to mention inefficient, and led to delays. 

Thankfully the advent of computer networks has significantly facilitated routine tasks. Such tasks are automated, and achieved by software integration suites such as IBM Sterling Integration ( formerly known as Gentran). This software suite includes a modeler which is made for creating, managing, and monitoring activities These tasks are achieved by the modeling a series a activities, that when put together, achieve a desired activity. We call that a Business Process.

My next process will look closer into the world of Business Processes. For now, I will leave you with a valuable resource. Visit the www.worldofintegration.com to engage yourself in the community of people who deal with B2B integration.

Airline Command: A Basic Decision Making Model

Airline Command: A Basic Decision Making Model:

'via Blog this'

It's Called a Systemigram

DM2 - The DoDAF Conceptual Data Model:

'via Blog this'

Browsing around, I found somebody drawing a systemigram, and not making any acknowledgements regrarding the name. I think they should be noticed.

An explanation of Multi Criteria Analysis

Making Objective Project Comparisons and Rankings

Test Statistic?

A statistic is calculated from the sample. To begin with we assume that the hypothesis about the population parameter is true. We compare the value of the statistic with the hypothetical value of the parameter. If the difference between them is small, the hypothesis is accepted and if the difference between them is large, the hypothesis is rejected. A statistic on which the decision can be based whether to accept or reject a hypothesis is called test statistic. It is important to remember that a test-statistic does not prove the hypothesis to be correct but if furnishes as evidence against the hypothesis. Some of the test statistics to be discussed later are Z, t and Chi – Square.

The Way Forward: The View from the NASA Chief Technologist

Fuzzy Logic Explained

Today, I was reading a very short tutorial about Fuzzy Logic. It was particularly interesting because it was lecture notes from 1997, and despite the age, it was fresh and crisp and clear. Crisp, huh, what an interesting word to choose.

So the author explained fuzzy systems by a great example: lawn sprinkler system. I'm going to give you my 2 cent, quick summary of the paper.
1- you need two inputs. Example: a) outdoor air temperature b) soil moisture
2- Knowledge Base
a. Create membership function: For example. Cold is 30-47, Cool=40-70, normal=60-84,warm=75-94, hot=90-110
So one temperature membership function, and one moisture membership function. What's interesting here is that both these axis are calibrated to a y axis, called mu.


b. Make if then rules. The rule base needs to be verified by some sort of validated knowledge.

c. Fuzzification Module:
The name itself tells you alot about what is happeneing. Fuzzification of crisp inputs are made to fuzzy inputs. For example, outside temperature of 90 degrees would be transformed to 0.23 of "warm" in fuzzy terms.

d.Now it's time for decision making(rule strength). We use Min Max to make decisions.
example: if temp is hot (0.6) and soil is dry(0.27), then water duration is long. RS=0.27

e.Determine Fuzzy output: So if you have four outputs from D, then you go with majority. So if you have 2 long, and 2 mediums, your fuzzy output is long! The max of the rule strengths!

f. Lastly, it's time for Defuzzification: The purpose is to take the output of step e( fuzzy output), and come up with a crisp value. There are 4-5 methods to come up with a value, but in the lecture note, they use Center OF GRAVITY.

COG takes the area in abcdef, and finds the center of gravity. I'll hopefully have some time to add more ways to find the center of gravity.

The entire process is best captured in this diagram that I found on the internet.

2011, and back up again

After some trouble with the blogger skin that disabled the contents to each post, I went to choose a blogger template that would no longer hassle or hinder the mission of this blog. Please check frequently for updates.

Vitech Core, a new practice to implement the DoDAF Feature

Based on my understanding of how Core Vitech works with DoDAF, I can see that the services are provided in the columbs in the left. This is an intelligent and functional way to approach DoDAF and the information that can be provided and sought after in DoDAF.

In Rational Rhapsody, erveything is captured in the model. So each model represents the activity. It’s more image based, but Core does not work on any images at all. It’s all about relationships and hierarchy. But that might be because that I’m looking in ER diagram. 

This doesn't mean that one is better than other, i just think of it as another approach. Obviously I find Rational Rhapsody's approach more intuitive for the goals of DoDAF, but then Core does it differently. I need to spend more time and do more in analysis.

So Far, this is my candid assessment. 

Definition of System Engieering by John A. Thomas

http://www.youtube.com/v/1QRFk9f7rrU&amp

Challenges of acquiring a PhD

PhD students have to take responsibility managing their own learning and getting a PhD. They are also responsible for determining what is required as well as for carrying it out, and must always keep in touch in regular meetings with the supervisor. The student is the main person responsible for his/her PhD research. Doing a PhD clearly indicates that this is a student’s own research and work. The actual research to be reported used the case study method. Three Malaysian PhD students from three major disciplines of study, arts, science and social science, were interviewed in depth several times within a year. However only one case study which focusing on Science discipline will be presented in this article in order to achieve a better understanding of the story. All three case studies would make the present article too long. The objective of this research is to provide better guidelines for effective roles of a PhD Science student especially the foreign student. As a result, the research had developed the best effective roles in order for students to success in their study.

Geminoid F Robot

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Reading the article about the female Geminoid  F Robot makes me think about their value in the system, especially in an Enterprise where the behavior of the humans are not well understood, but the behavior of the Geminoid could be.

 

The coverage of this news shows that we are not too far from having gynoid and androids living with us. This would be an interesting stir to our social medium and it would be interesting to see how this is going to change the direction of humans.

 

As exciting as this news is, I still can’t stop thinking about the scifi movies where the robots eventually group up against humans and become detrimental to humans. Again, this is another problem System Engineers need to look out for, especially in a System of System, where the whole is greater than the sum of its comprising systems.

 

 

http://www.fastcompany.com/1607031/android-robots-human-robotics-gynoid-augmented-reality-augmented-humans-science

Modeling from a System Engineering viewpoint

Following is a summary from readings of a book that I consider important.

·         A model is any incomplete representation of reality, an abstraction

·         Models could be mathematical(quantitative), physical, mental, or a qualitative. Nonetheless, the essence is the question/s that the model can reliably answer for us.

·         Sample of modeling languages developed as part of the IDEF family

o   IDEF0-Focus is a functional or process model of a system

o   IDEF1- Focus is an informational model of the information needed to support the functions of a system

o   IDEF1X- Focus is a semantic data model using relational theory and an entity-relationship modeling technique

o   IDEF2- Focus is a dynamic model of the system

o   IDEF3- focus  is both process and object state transition model of a system

·         3 types of questions:

o   Descriptive: most commonly used in science and engineering. A descriptive model attempts to predict answers to questions which the truth may or may not be obtained in the future. Descriptive models are measured by the power or richness, understandability to both wide and narrow audiences, and precision with which they can be used to define the relative entity.

o   Normative: can not be tested but are judged on their understandability and appeal across deciplines they can be used. Either it’s logical, or it should be refuted logically.

o   Definitive: how should a concept be defined.

·         Most effective process for developing and using a model is to begin by defining the questions the model should be able to answer.

·         Models should be developed, tested, and refined.

·         System validity addresses whether we have built the right system.

·         IDEF0 Page Hierarchy

o   A-0: Context or system function diagram ( contains A0)

o   A0 : Level 0 diagram with first tier functions specified

Verification vs. Validateion

Verfication: Did I build the right system?

Validation: Did I design the system right?

A good Architecture?

A good system architecture exhibits conceptual integrity; that is, it comes equipped with a set of design rules that aid in reducing complexity and that can be used as guidance in detailed design and in system verification. The rules may be represented as a pattern, such as pipes and filters. In the best case there are verifiable rules, such as “any virtual device of the same type may replace any other virtual device of the same type in the event of device failure,” or “all processes contending for the same resource must have the same scheduling priority.”

A contemporary architect might say that the object or system under construction must have the following characteristics.

·         It has the functionality required by the customer.

·         It is safely buildable on the required schedule.

·         It performs adequately.

·         It is reliable.

·         It is usable and safe to use.

·         It is secure.

·         It is affordable.

·         It conforms to legal standards.

·         It will outlast its predecessors and its competitors.

 

Architecture: General abstract from this world

A building is very different from a symphony, but both have architectures. Further, all architects talk about beauty in their work and its results. A building architect might say that a building should provide an environment suitable for working or living, and that it should be beautiful to behold; a musician that the music should be playable, with a discernible theme, and that it should be beautiful to the ear; a software architect that the system should be friendly and responsive to the user, maintainable, free of critical errors, easy to install, reliable, that it should communicate in standard ways with other systems, and that it, too, should be beautiful.

 

An architecture can help assure that the system satisfies the concerns of its stakeholders, and it can help deal with the complexity of conceiving, planning, building, and maintaining the system.

 

In our discussion we will use “architecture” as a noun to denote a set of artifacts, including documentation such as blueprints and building specifications that describe the object to be built, wherein the object is viewed as a set of structures.

NSF Proposals

Here are a couple of interesting pointers for submitting an NSF proposal. This is not a comprehensive and complete list, but it does touch upon some of the important features that a proposal should contain.

1- The proposal should not be an abstract, but a self-contained description of the activity if the proposal was funded.

2- broader impacts should be described, which show the implications of advancing this research

3- Details should be understandable to people who are not in the field, but technical enough to convey the importance of the research.

CSER Conference- March 17-19

The Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER) is to be held at Stevens from March 17th – 19th, 2010.

 For more information, visit:

http://sse.stevens.edu/research/sponsored-conferences/cser/

 You can read the Conference brochure at: (pdf format)

http://sse.stevens.edu/fileadmin/sse/research/sponsored_conferences/CSER_2010_CFP_FINAL_.pdf

Governance vs. Management

In Governance, the weak line of control would spread horizontal, where in Management, it would be going top down.