Distinctions between intelligent manufactured and constructed systems and a new discipline for intelligent infrastructure hypersystems

A. Emin Aktan

doi:10.1117/12.498097

Translator Disclaimer

18 August 2003 Distinctions between intelligent manufactured and constructed systems and a new discipline for intelligent infrastructure hypersystems

A. Emin Aktan

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5057, Smart Structures and Materials 2003: Smart Systems and Nondestructive Evaluation for Civil Infrastructures; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.498097
Event: Smart Structures and Materials, 2003, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Although the interconnected systems nature of the infrastructures, and the complexity of interactions between their engineered, socio-technical and natural constituents have been recognized for some time, the principles of effectively operating, protecting and preserving such systems by taking full advantage of “modeling, simulations, optimization, control and decision making” tools developed by the systems engineering and operations research community have not been adequately studied or discussed by many engineers including the writer. Differential and linear equation systems, numerical and finite element modeling techniques, statistical and probabilistic representations are universal, however, different disciplines have developed their distinct approaches to conceptualizing, idealizing and modeling the systems they commonly deal with. The challenge is in adapting and integrating deterministic and stochastic, geometric and numerical, physics-based and “soft (data-or-knowledge based)”, macroscopic or microscopic models developed by various disciplines for simulating infrastructure systems. There is a lot to be learned by studying how different disciplines have studied, improved and optimized the systems relating to various processes and products in their domains. Operations research has become a fifty-year old discipline addressing complex systems problems. Its mathematical tools range from linear programming to decision processes and game theory. These tools are used extensively in management and finance, as well as by industrial engineers for optimizing and quality control. Progressive civil engineering academic programs have adopted “systems engineering” as a focal area. However, most of the civil engineering systems programs remain focused on constructing and analyzing highly idealized, often generic models relating to the planning or operation of transportation, water or waste systems, maintenance management, waste management or general infrastructure hazards risk management. We further note that in the last decade there have been efforts for “agent-based” modeling of synthetic infrastructure systems by taking advantage of supercomputers at various DOE Laboratories. However, whether there is any similitude between such synthetic and actual systems needs investigating further.

Citation Download Citation

A. Emin Aktan "Distinctions between intelligent manufactured and constructed systems and a new discipline for intelligent infrastructure hypersystems", Proc. SPIE 5057, Smart Structures and Materials 2003: Smart Systems and Nondestructive Evaluation for Civil Infrastructures, (18 August 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.498097

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE