Browsing Engineering Systems Division by Title
Now showing items 21-40 of 273
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An approximate dynamic programming framework for modeling global climate policy under decision-dependent uncertainty
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2011-09)Analyses of global climate policy as a sequential decision under uncertainty have been severely restricted by dimensionality and computational burdens. Therefore, they have limited the number of decision stages, discrete ... -
Architecting/Designing Engineering Systems Using Real Options
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2002-05)Everyone concerned with engineering systems faces a common issue: How do we design systems to perform well in a constantly evolving and thus risky context? As professionals concerned with the system (rather than its ... -
Assessing Future Water Availability in Arid Regions Using Composition and Salience of Decision Criteria
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2014-03)Water resources development options are usually selected on a least-cost basis. While economic considerations are dominant in choosing projects, there are also a mix of other factors including social demands, political ... -
An Attempt at Complex System Classification
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2002-05)This paper searches for a useful taxonomy or classification scheme for complex Systems. There are two aspects to this problem: 1) distinguishing between Engineering Systems of interest to ESD (ES) and other Systems, and ... -
Auto ID Paradigm Shifts from Internet of Things to Unique Identification of Individual Decisions in System of Systems
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2008-02)Return on investment (ROI) from radio frequency (RF) based tools of identification may increase with the diffusion of frequency agnostic modes of radio frequency identification (RFID), such as, ultrawideband (UWB). Similarly, ... -
Avian Influenza Pre-Pandemic Procurement: Recommendations for the US Federal Government
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2007-01)Many experts fear that an influenza pandemic will occur in the near future. There is currently much debate about how the US should best prepare. Previous US responses give only minimal guidance as the last major influenza ... -
Barriers to the Success of 100% Maritime Cargo Container Scanning
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2007-01)The attacks of September 11, 2001 revealed national security vulnerabilities that had previously not received high level priority in the United States, such as insecure transportation and infrastructure networks. In response, ... -
Bits and Bucks: Modeling complex systems by information flow
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2002-05)This paper presents a general method for modeling and characterizing complex systems in terms of flows of information together with flows of conserved or quasi-conserved quantities such as energy or money. Using mathematical ... -
Bodies, Ideas, and Dynamics: Historical Perspectives on Systems Thinking in Engineering
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2002-05)Today, the idea that technology consists not simply of individual machines but of systems of components and interconnections underlies much of engineering theory and practice. Yet this idea is relatively new in the history ... -
Building Real Options into Physical Systems with Stochastic Mixed-Integer Programming
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2005-06)The problem of building real options into physical systems has three features: real options are not as easily defined as financial options; path-dependency and interdependencies among projects mean that the standard tools ... -
Bulk Power Grid Risk Analysis: Ranking Infrastructure Elements According to their Risk Significance
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2006-09)Disruptions in the bulk power grid can result in very diverse consequences that include economic, social, physical, and psychological impacts. In addition, power outages do not affect all end-users of the system in the ... -
Capacity pricing schemes to implement open-access rail in Tanzania
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2014-06)We analyze alternative capacity pricing schemes (access charges) to implement an open-access railway system in Tanzania. We show that the implementation of variable access charges widely used in the railway industry may ... -
Carbon Efficiency of Humanitarian Supply Chains: Evidence from French Red Cross operations
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2013-06)Natural catastrophes are often amplified by man-made impact on the environment. Sustainability is identified as a major gap in humanitarian logistics research literature. Although humanitarian supply chains are designed ... -
Carbon Efficient Logistics: A Case study in Modal Shift
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2013-02)Corporate sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the development of business strategies. Consequently, transport and logistics operations come under particular scrutiny due to their substantial impact on the ... -
Carbon Footprint of the Galapagos Islands – Quantifying the Environmental Impact of Tourist Activities
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2012-06)The main goal of this paper is to quantify the green house gas emissions (also referred to as carbon footprint) of the Galapagos Islands. The analysis includes emissions from energy generation and of related economic ... -
Challenges and Opportunities in Implementation of the Future California Rail Network
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2015-08)The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) adopted a "blended system" at the northern and southern termini of the planned first phase of its high-speed rail line. In this blended operation, the high-speed rail line ... -
Challenges in the Better, Faster, Cheaper Era of Aeronautical Design, Engineering and Manufacturing
“Better, Faster, Cheaper” (BFC) emerged in the 1990s as a new paradigm for aerospace products. In this paper, we examine some of the underlying reasons for BFC and offer some thoughts to help frame the thinking and action ... -
Characteristics and Enablers of Transparency in Product Development Organizations
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2015-01-04)Risks in product development lead to schedule and cost overruns and poor product quality. While many risk management frameworks have been published and research on specific practices has been conducted, little is understood ... -
Characterizing Three Engineering Systems Methods for Supporting Regional Strategic Transportation Planning Applied to Freight Systems
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2005-08)A systems perspective for regional strategic transportation planning (RSTP) for freight movements involves an understanding of Supply Chain Management (SCM). This paper starts from the premise that the public sector needs ... -
A Classification of Uncertainty for Early Product and System Design
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division, 2007-02)Complex systems and products evolve over years to meet new requirements, while applying tried and tested technology. To maximise the reuse of components through the life span, companies need to plan for the changes that ...
