Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 42
-
ItemImproved capital procurement through increased use of quantitatively-based decisions(Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, 2008)The procurement of major capital projects always involves significant risk and uncertainties and this is one of the primary causes for the variations from expected outcomes. This paper outlines the delimitation between strategies for making complex decisions using quantitative analyses as opposed to the techniques and applications currently being used by project and construction managers. Various approaches have been developed and adopted by researchers and practitioners to improve the quality of critical project decisions to maximise benefits. Strategic frameworks and organisational hierarchies are frequently deemed as an optimal solution from the perspective of industrial participants, while numerous researchers indicate decisions with quantitative evidences, underpinned by proper choice of technique, will add additional benefits over current industrial practices. It is asserted that improved decisions can be made through the additional use of quantitative approaches. This paper reports the finding of a study that has identified where the increased use of quantitative approaches may assist project and construction managers and proposes a mechanism to confirm the potential benefits.
-
ItemInterpretation of qualitative and quantitative information for project reviews: A fuzzy-based approach for OGC ™ gateway review (GR) colour code system (CCS)(Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, 2008)Independent project reviews are gaining popularity as a technique to improve project outcomes through the timely identification of outstanding project risks. A common technique is that of a Gateway. The Gateway Review Process (GRP) appraises qualitative and quantitative risks and reports the findings via a Colour Code System (CCS) of Red/Amber/Green (R/A/G). Medium to high risk projects that exceed certain risk thresholds are eligible for GRP. Intuitive recognition of potential risks from the application of CCS is insufficient to determine the value gained from the process. This paper attempts to shed light on a tentative effort to interpret the CCS into numerical descriptions by using fuzzy-based method on a survey outcome. This quantitative interpretation of the CCS would then be adopted to provide a measure and understanding (decision evidence) of the benefits obtained through project review such as GRP.
-
ItemQuantification of the contribution of non-structural components to the structural performance of high-rise buildings(Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, 2008-12-01)Non-structural components (NSCs) such as infill walls, façades, stairs, and windows are normally considered as non-load bearing components in the design of buildings. However, a number of researchers have identified that those so-called NSCs have a significant contribution to the lateral performance of the structure. This paper presents the findings of the investigation into the influence of a variety of NSCs on the performance of typical high-rise framed structures via the observation of the influence of these NSCs on the shear and flexural performance, as well as the lateral stiffness of the structures. Finite element (FE) models have been developed to analyse storey drifts, shear force distributions, bending moment distributions, and joint rotations under different structural configurations. The results of the study indicate a significant decrease of the storey drift can be achieved by including different NSCs to the structural frame. Dramatic changes to both the bending moment and the shear force distributions in the inner columns of the structural frame are resulted from the inclusion of NSCs. However, the influence of these NSCs on the flexural and shear performance of the outer columns of the building is significantly less than that of the inner columns. It is concluded that the enhanced performance of actual buildings by including NSCs provides opportunity for refining of the lateral deflection of the building for the serviceability limit states.
-
ItemA preliminary artificial intelligence model for predicting the risk from glass windows subject to airblast overpressure(Construction Publishing House, 2007)
-
ItemThe use of long term contracts to stimulate innovation and long term maintenance of Public Infrastructure(Construction Publishing House, 2007)
-
ItemTowards the Next Generation of Rural Water Demand Modelling(MODELLING & SIMULATION SOC AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND INC, 2007)
-
ItemProceedings of the International Workshop on Computational Models of Place(University of Melbourne, 2008)
-
ItemNew roles of land administration systems( 2007)This paper sketches the key issues in the history of land administration in terms relevant to the experiences of countries in the Asia Pacific Region. It is a first step in building a national land administration vision and is influenced by empirical research on European and Australian approaches. The vision is especially influenced by three trends in global land administration theory and practice, especially during the last five years and include: sustainable development; spatial enablement; and theoretical achievements in land administration.The challenges for modern land administration systems and in modern government are presented including the roles of land administration in formalizing land markets, implementing and understanding regulations and restrictions, and changing the nature of ownership. The role of spatial enablement and understanding the potential of iLand, the concept of integrated spatially enabled land information available on the Web, are central to understanding the national vision for land administration in Australia. Finally, future directions within technical and operational issues and collaboration and capacity building are presented to assist creation of a new land management model and national vision for spatially enabled land administration by countries in the APR.
-
ItemBuilding land markets in the Asia Pacific region( 2007)Land markets attract wide participation, all over the globe. Market activities receive intense analysis from economists and bankers, investors and developers, and they interest millions of people. Meanwhile, how to build a land market remains a mystery. Those countries that achieved effective modern land markets have the benefit of well run land administration systems. These systems therefore offer the key to building a market. The problem is that building land administration capacity does not always assist the creation and management of a successful land market. There are two explanations for this. First the complexity of a formal land market is not well understood. Second the different kinds of land administration infrastructures that are needed to support land markets as they develop from simple land trading into complex commodity markets need to be identified and implemented. These issues are explored below. The perspective of this exploration is that of an engineer interested in designing, building and managing the infrastructure needed to support modern land markets.
-
ItemSpatially Enabling Government – an International Challenge( 2007)The popular use of spatial technologies involves showing images and tracking assets and inventory in an increasing array of instruments, the most common being the ubiquitous mobile phone. These technologies penetrate into even low income poor countries, but their take-up and development concentrates in highly developed countries. This high-end use of these technologies will determine their future. Remarkable as these popular applications are, spatial technologies can also be used in even more dynamic, transformational ways. Transformational use of spatial technologies occurs when they are used to improve business processes of government, and assist delivery of policies for equitable taxation, conservation of natural resources and planning for rational growth. Use of this transformational capacity of spatial technologies in government creates a spatially enabled government (SEG). The major impediment to take-up of spatial information is counter-intuitive. We all use the new technology in our daily lives, but our capacity to understand the power of spatial information is remarkably small. In fact only about 1% of people in any society really understand spatial information with about 5% of people knowing something about the special technology. For 95% of people, spatial information and its supporting technologies is a mystery. Teaching people about spatial information and its technologies is therefore the first task in painting a vision of what is possible. The attractions of spatial technologies lie in how they present information, whether users rely on computers and the Internet, or on communications technologies. The adage of a “picture tells a thousand words” is now out of date. New digital pictures tell many stories, and, if the enabling platform is built, the pictures will become management tools of government. Spatial technologies are moving quickly. In Australia, since October 2006, Google Maps and Google Earth, combined with a geocoded national address
- 1 (current)
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5