Modeling Operational Robustness and Resiliency with High-Level Petri Nets

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madjid Tavana ◽  
Timothy E. Busch ◽  
Eleanor L. Davis

Military operations are highly complex workflow systems that require careful planning and execution. The interactive complexity and tight coupling between people and technological systems has been increasing in military operations, which leads to both improved efficiency and a greater vulnerability to mission accomplishment due to attack or system failure. Although the ability to resist and recover from failure is important to many systems and processes, the robustness and resiliency of workflow management systems has received little attention in literature. The authors propose a novel workflow modeling framework using high-level Petri nets (PNs). The proposed framework is capable of both modeling structure and providing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The concepts of self-protecting and self-healing systems are captured by the robustness and resiliency measures proposed in this study. The proposed measures are plotted in a Cartesian coordinate system; a classification scheme with four quadrants (i.e., possession, preservation, restoration, and devastation) is proposed to show the state of the system in terms of robustness and resiliency. The authors introduce an overall sustainability index for the system based on the theory of displaced ideals. The application of the methodology in the evaluation of an air tasking order generation system at the United States Air Force is demonstrated.

Author(s):  
Madjid Tavana ◽  
Timothy E. Busch ◽  
Eleanor L. Davis

Military operations are highly complex workflow systems that require careful planning and execution. The interactive complexity and tight coupling between people and technological systems has been increasing in military operations, which leads to both improved efficiency and a greater vulnerability to mission accomplishment due to attack or system failure. Although the ability to resist and recover from failure is important to many systems and processes, the robustness and resiliency of workflow management systems has received little attention in literature. The authors propose a novel workflow modeling framework using high-level Petri nets (PNs). The proposed framework is capable of both modeling structure and providing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The concepts of self-protecting and self-healing systems are captured by the robustness and resiliency measures proposed in this study. The proposed measures are plotted in a Cartesian coordinate system; a classification scheme with four quadrants (i.e., possession, preservation, restoration, and devastation) is proposed to show the state of the system in terms of robustness and resiliency. The authors introduce an overall sustainability index for the system based on the theory of displaced ideals. The application of the methodology in the evaluation of an air tasking order generation system at the United States Air Force is demonstrated.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 72-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madjid Tavana ◽  
Timothy E. Busch ◽  
Eleanor L. Davis

The increasing complexity and tight coupling between people and computer systems in military operations has led to improved efficiency, as well as greater vulnerability due to system failure. Careful management of workflow systems can minimize operational vulnerability in command and control. Tavana et al. (2011) developed a workflow management framework capable of both modeling structure and providing a wide range of quantitative analysis with high-level Petri nets (PNs). The framework is based on a sustainability index that captures the concepts of self-protecting and self-healing systems. This index uses crisp numerical values to measure the robustness and resiliency of the system. However, the observed values of data in real-world military operations are often imprecise or vague. These inexact data can be represented by fuzzy numbers to reflect the decision makers’ intuition and subjective judgments. In this paper, the authors extend this model to a fuzzy framework by proposing a new fuzzy workflow modeling system with PNs. The new model plots the fuzzy robustness and resiliency measures in a Cartesian coordinate system and derives an overall fuzzy sustainability index for the system based on the theory of displaced ideals. The proposed model also considers multiple criteria to produce this fuzzy index.


Author(s):  
Madjid Tavana ◽  
Timothy E. Busch ◽  
Eleanor L. Davis

The increasing complexity and tight coupling between people and computer systems in military operations has led to improved efficiency, as well as greater vulnerability due to system failure. Careful management of workflow systems can minimize operational vulnerability in command and control. Tavana et al. (2011) developed a workflow management framework capable of both modeling structure and providing a wide range of quantitative analysis with high-level Petri nets (PNs). The framework is based on a sustainability index that captures the concepts of self-protecting and self-healing systems. This index uses crisp numerical values to measure the robustness and resiliency of the system. However, the observed values of data in real-world military operations are often imprecise or vague. These inexact data can be represented by fuzzy numbers to reflect the decision makers’ intuition and subjective judgments. In this paper, the authors extend this model to a fuzzy framework by proposing a new fuzzy workflow modeling system with PNs. The new model plots the fuzzy robustness and resiliency measures in a Cartesian coordinate system and derives an overall fuzzy sustainability index for the system based on the theory of displaced ideals. The proposed model also considers multiple criteria to produce this fuzzy index.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-234
Author(s):  
V. I. Batyuk

In 2020 the whole world commemorated the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II — the most horrifi c war in the human history. However, the celebration of the victory over fascism was overshadowed by the growing tension among the leading actors of contemporary international relations. In this context, a high level of responsibility falls on the academic community to rebuff politically motivated attempts to rewrite history and revise the outcomes of this war. The book under review could make an important contribution to that end. The book provides a comprehensive and balanced analysis of the history of World War II. The reviewer emphasizes that rather than providing a detailed examination of military operations the authors focused on their impact on the development of the international relations system. In particular, the book provides a detailed picture of the complex interactions within the strategic triangle — the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain — both during the war and in the years after the war. As a result, the book under review not only provides an opportunity to better understand the key trends in relationships between the Great Powers during the war, but also sheds new light on the origins of the bipolar system and the beginning of the Cold War. The reviewer concludes that, despite sometimes excessively Eurocentric approach of the authors, this book is a seminal work on the history of World War II and a major event for the Russian academic community. As such, this book can be recommended to both professional historians and a wider audience.


2016 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 628-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis A. Bradley ◽  
Jack L. Goldsmith

In the fifteen years since the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was enacted on September 18, 2001, the Taliban has been removed from power but not eliminated; Osama Bin Laden has been killed and the senior leaders of Al Qaeda as of 9/11 have been captured, killed, or driven underground, although Al Qaeda remains a threat; numerous Al Qaeda affiliates have sprung up around the globe, most notably in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Somalia; and most ominously, the Islamic State has arisen from the ashes of Al Qaeda in Iraq to become what the Director of National Intelligence has described as “the preeminent terrorist threat” against the United States “because of its self-described caliphate in Syria and Iraq, its branches and emerging branches in other countries, and its increasing ability to direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world.”Despite massive changes in the geographical scope of the conflict that began on 9/11, the strategy and tactics employed, and the identity of the enemy, the AUMF remains the principal legal foundation under U.S. domestic law for the president to use force against and detain members of terrorist organizations. The AUMF is already the longest operative congressional authorization of military force in U.S. history, and, as of fall 2016, there was no immediate prospect that Congress would move to repeal or update it. With the continued vibrancy of Al Qaeda, its associates, and the Taliban, and with the 2014 presidential extension of the AUMF to cover military operations against the Islamic State, the AUMF is likely to be the primary legal basis for American uses of force for the foreseeable future.


2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (02) ◽  
pp. 155-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. REIJERS ◽  
S. POELMANS

The image of workflow systems as being context-insensitive technology, hindering rather than supporting people in performing their work may still exist at present. This impression is also raised in the well-known and often cited case study within Establishment Printers. Using this case as a starting point, this paper presents an analysis of more recent workflow implementations to support the view that modern workflow systems are widely applied in the services industry and are considered useful by performers to support their way of working. In cases where the introduction of workflow technology initially disrupted the flow of work, a wide range of configuration options was available to mend such situations. A detailed analysis of a workflow implementation in a Belgian financial organization clearly shows that re-configuration decisions, like a finer step granularity, can transform a pre-structured production-type workflow system into a flexible application allowing and supporting a smooth flow of work.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domenico Talia

The wide availability of high-performance computing systems, Grids and Clouds, allowed scientists and engineers to implement more and more complex applications to access and process large data repositories and run scientific experiments in silico on distributed computing platforms. Most of these applications are designed as workflows that include data analysis, scientific computation methods, and complex simulation techniques. Scientific applications require tools and high-level mechanisms for designing and executing complex workflows. For this reason, in the past years, many efforts have been devoted towards the development of distributed workflow management systems for scientific applications. This paper discusses basic concepts of scientific workflows and presents workflow system tools and frameworks used today for the implementation of application in science and engineering on high-performance computers and distributed systems. In particular, the paper reports on a selection of workflow systems largely used for solving scientific problems and discusses some open issues and research challenges in the area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Mokhtari ◽  
Cameron Mineo ◽  
Jeffrey Kriseman ◽  
Pedro Kremer ◽  
Lauren Neal ◽  
...  

Abstract In this paper, we proposed a multi-method modeling approach to community-level COVID-19 disease spread. Our methodology was composed of interconnected age-stratified system dynamics models in an agent-based modeling framework that allowed for a granular examination of the scale and severity of disease spread including metrics such as infection cases, deaths, hospitalizations, and ICU usage. Model parameters were calibrated using an optimization technique with an objective function to minimize error associated with the cumulative cases of COVID-19 during a training period between March 15 and October 31, 2020. We outlined several case studies to demonstrate the model’s state- and local-level projection capabilities. We further demonstrated how model outcomes could be used to access perceived levels of COVID-19 risk across different localities using a multi-criteria decision analysis framework. The model’s two, three, and four week out-of-sample projection errors varied on a state-by-state basis, and generally increased as the out-of-sample projection period was extended. Additionally, the error in the state-level projections was generally due to an underestimation of cases and an overestimation of deaths. The proposed modeling approach can be used as a virtual laboratory to investigate a wide range of what-if scenarios and easily adapted to future high-consequence public health threats.


2018 ◽  
pp. 13-24
Author(s):  
I. Derevianko

The article analyze the nature and content of bilateral Canadian-American asymmetric relations with uses the general scientific methods of empirical knowledge. The asymmetry of quantitative and qualitative parameters of Canada and the USA, which is caused by historical, geographical, political, economic, demographic and cultural factors, is revealed. It is proved that in the conditions of interdependence, the asymmetry of military potentials is not a determining factor in relations between the two North American countries. It found that the existing asymmetry of indicators between Canada and the United States does not create opportunities for the strong side to dictate its conditions and does not allow these relations to be turned into a one-sided relationship. Key Canadian strategies aimed at reducing asymmetry in relations with the United States are identified. It is indicated that “soft power” is an important factor in strengthening Canada’s political position in the asymmetric model of coexistence with the United States. The Relations between Canada and the United States are characterized not only by the high level of asymmetry and the wide application of regulatory mechanisms, but also by the high degree of interdependence that is particularly noticeable in the economic and cultural spheres. The asymmetric relationship between Canadian-American is evident in terms of reaching consensus in a wide range of activities. Key words: USA, Canada, Canadian-American Relations, Asymmetry, Interdependence, Potential.


Author(s):  
Eric J. Lautenschlager

The aerospace industry has guidance, navigation, and control needs which make use of a number of inertial technology systems. MEMS based solutions can offer several advantages over conventional technologies and are being developed for a wide range of applications. This paper will review the broad inertial applications that exist for the aerospace industry, identify some of the current non-MEMS technologies used to meet those needs, and then discuss what advantages MEMS based solutions can provide. This will be followed by a high level explanation of the general operating principles of a MEMS gyroscope, as well as identification of key performance metrics and error terms that are used for sensor evaluation. Finally, there will be a discussion of some basic design considerations, a review of the current state of the art for performance, and future goals and directions for inertial MEMS technologies. NOTICE: High performance inertial technology is subject to restrictions imposed by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARS), and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The use of these technologies, or information pertaining to these technologies, may be restricted from foreign nationals of the United States.


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