spaceAPPS – A modular approach for on-board software

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juergen Herpel ◽  
Friedrich Schoen ◽  
Harald Selegrad

Abstract Software modularity and partial qualification capabilities are key enablers to produce cost efficient software in highly regulated domains. The modular concept (called spaceAPPS) described in this paper has been developed in the frame of the OPS-SAT project aiming at missions where flexibility is one of the success factors. spaceAPPS implements a novel software architecture for satellites inspired by the Apps concept of modern smartphones. In the European space domain the operation of a satellite is based on a set of 18 services. Accordingly, in spaceApps these services are mapped to individual Apps. This is not a one-to-one mapping which means that one App implements one or more services. During OPS-SAT ground testing it was demonstrated that functionality could be easily added through a new App or updated through replacing an existing App. Also during OPS-SAT ground testing it could be shown that a failing UserApp did not impact the basic apps to operate the satellite. Thus, it is possible to run applications of different criticality on the same platform. With operating systems supporting time and space separation the risk of failure propagation can be further reduced. The implementation of a partial validation approach, i. e. testing of third-party Apps in a representative environment and not running the validation on the target platform is feasible but was not demonstrated.

Author(s):  
Elizabeth Fife ◽  
Laura Hosman

This paper analyses the recent phenomenon of private/public partnerships (PPPs) in the ICT sector of the developing world. The partners may come to these projects with divergent motivations: profit on the one hand and the provision of public services on the other, but at the end of the day, the interests of the partners that are symbiotic can – and indeed should – be aligned to ensure successful long-term projects. To investigate what can be done to promote successful and sustainable PPPs, this paper extends the traditional two-actor analysis to include both a third-party non-profit-oriented facilitating organization and the technology recipients that are the targets of these projects. Following an overview of the current state of PPPs in the developing world, the paper provides two case studies, based in Vietnam, where all four of the above-mentioned stakeholders were involved. The cases reveal important success factors that can be applied to future PPPs in the ICT sector.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omprakash K. Gupta ◽  
S. Samar Ali ◽  
Rameshwar Dubey

Third party logistics (3PL) has been gaining importance in most places in the world. In India the implementation of 3PL practices has made its beginning and it is emerging as one of the fastest growing sectors. It is still a relatively new concept and not well understood among industry or academic professionals in India. This paper examines the Indian 3PL Supply Chain Management and practices with respect to the key success factors and growth strategies. After identifying the critical success factors SERVQUAL is applied to reveal the gap between their achievement and expectation. Respondents to the survey are categorized based on their rating of the key growth strategies on the basis of AHP.


2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (9) ◽  
pp. 1322-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Wee Kwan Tan ◽  
Zhao Yifei ◽  
Dali Zhang ◽  
Olli-Pekka Hilmola

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify global trends in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, and with that to find out where the opportunities and challenges lie, what the critical success factors are, and how companies can position themselves well in China. As there is currently very limited knowledge about the 3PL industry in China, this study also intends to shed light in this area. Design/methodology/approach – The study is conducted through focus group interviews with senior executives of leading 3PL companies in China followed by a survey with 70 logistics companies. Findings – The key strengths of the logistics industry in China include numerous factors such as good connectivity and new infrastructure, while its main weaknesses are a shortage of qualified staff and slow adoption of technologies. There are a number of concerns and issues raised, such as lack of qualified staff, oversupply of warehousing space in China, competition from the influx of foreign 3PL companies to China, and regulations on free trade zones, seaports and airports, all of which may have policy implications. Research limitations/implications – As most of the logistics companies in the study are located and dominating in the Eastern and Southern China, it may be useful to conduct similar study in the new emerging western and central regions of China for comparison. Practical implications – Managers and investors will appreciate the challenges and opportunities in logistics services in China and have a better insight into Chinese logistics development. Originality/value – While China has been viewed as a cost effective place for manufacturing, the logistical costs in China are still very high as compared to other developed countries. This research will highlight the key reasons for the high logistical cost in China.


Author(s):  
Kerstin Fink ◽  
Christian Ploder

The discipline of knowledge management is no longer emerging in large organizations, but also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are focusing on finding the right process that will allow them to make advantages of their intellectual capital. Using survey data from 219 small and medium-sized enterprises in Austria and Switzerland, this article illustrates the four key knowledge processes (1) knowledge identification, (2) knowledge acquisition, (3) knowledge distribution, and (4) knowledge preservation for SMEs and also reports the findings of the empirical study designed to allocate cost-efficient software products to each of the four knowledge processes. As a result a knowledge toolkit for SMEs that integrates knowledge processes, methods and software tool for decision support making is given. Finally, the social view of knowledge management to SMEs is discussed, showing that the use of information technology is currently far more important than the integration of a social-cognitive perspective.


2010 ◽  
pp. 1324-1332
Author(s):  
Chad Lin ◽  
Koong Lin

Globally, information technology (IT) outsourcing has spread quickly in many countries and spending by organizations in IT outsourcing is increasing rapidly each year. According to Gartner (Blackmore, De Souza, Young, Goodness, and Silliman, 2005), total spending on IT outsourcing worldwide is likely to rise from US $184 billion in 2003 to US $256 billion in 2008. However, defining IT outsourcing is not an easy task as it can mean different things to different organizations. Hirschheim and Lacity (2000) define IT outsourcing as the “practice of transferring IT assets, leases, staff, and management responsibility for delivery of services from internal IT functions to third-party vendors.” Willcocks and Lester (1997) define outsourcing as the “commissioning of third-party management of IT assets or activities to deliver required results.” The scope and range of outsourcing services have also increased as well, as evidenced by the promotion of BPO (business process outsourcing), ASP (applications service providers), global outsourcing, R&D (research and development) outsourcing, and web and e-business outsourcing (Gonzales Gascon and Llopis, 2005; Huang, Lin, and Lin, 2005). While there is already much research on the economics of IT outsourcing, critical success factors for IT outsourcing decision-making and for outsourcing vendor management (Barthelemy and Geyer, 2004; Hirschheim and Lacity, 2000), there is very little literature on the actual linkage between IT outsourcing and the use of evaluation methodologies in organizations, especially in how these organizations evaluate their IT outsourcing contracts and ensure that the benefits expected from these contracts are delivered eventually. The aim of this paper is to examine issues surrounding the evaluation and benefits realization processes in Australian and Taiwanese organizations undertaking IT outsourcing. The paper first reviews relevant literature with respect to IT outsourcing, the evaluation of IT outsourcing, and IT benefits realization. Key findings from a survey of the top 2000 Australian organizations, as well as a survey to top 3000 Taiwanese organizations, will then be presented. The paper examines these findings and issues in light of these large organizations’ evaluation practices.


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