Application of Multiple Regression and Artificial Neural Networks as Tools for Estimating Duration and Life Cycle Cost of Projects

Project managers face complex challenges when planning project stages because contract durations and project costs are difficult to predict accurately. The purpose of this study is to investigate statistical tools and concepts that can be integrated in the second phase of the project life cycle: the planning stage. Furthermore, this study aims to compare the accuracy of multiple regression and artificial neural network models, as well as the application of simulation in construction models used in predicting project duration and cost. This paper will also discuss the industry's current estimation methods, the use of statistical approaches, simulation, and the relationship between the application statistical tools and project success. Thus, this review identifies the trending statistical tools used by scholars to develop regression and neural models to solve the complexity of cost and duration estimation. The findings indicate that although the industry needs more accurate predictions and estimating tools, and regardless of the investigations and advancements made with integrating statistical tools, implementing these statistical approaches is faced with barriers.

Digitally Enabled Organizations- Leveraging New Age Technologies

When inadequate information appears via a long-winded channel, project leaders usually struggle to make timely decisions. There is frequently a lack of visibility, contractual and organizational fragmentation, and genuine facts being segregated and concealed due to an optimism bias. Despite the finest planning and estimation efforts, projects frequently exceed their budgets or experience delays of more than 30%. The paper outlines the importance of data and of data use to improve the performance in projects planning and delivery. The data value and hierarchy are reviewed in the context of the construction industry and the importance of a smooth digitalization process for ensuring acceptance and adoption is discussed. The concept of ‘digital construction blocks’TM and Lean thinking is introduced to address the problem of complexity which is commonly recognized as the main cause of cost overruns, time delays, and poor quality and safety for the construction industry. To capture the footprint of how the asset was built, the authors propose the Digital Twin of Execution adding dynamism to the commonly discussed Digital Twin of Asset, which is more static when the asset has already been constructed. The project is organized into digital blocks, allowing all project functions and disciplines to focus on a common path of construction, allowing for an earlier start of a constraint-free construction and, as a result, de-risking and compressing the total execution schedule. Data from existing systems and technologies is unlocked and placed in automated processes, allowing thousands of documents, activities, and fast-moving events to be collected in digital blocks of construction. The digital block is connected throughout project stages and taken across all aspects of the project, including plot plans, activity plans, drawings, 3D, materials, and so on, resolving the project's disarray caused by manual and analogue procedures. The entire planning, project setup, and execution process is aided by GIS, which provides visibility at various levels of magnification via an interactive geo spatial map superimposed with plot plans, timetables, and work packages. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to forecast the probability of danger in various field operations. It's done by using IoT devices implanted in employees’ PPE and in the environment to process data collected on the system. Digital Control Tower can provide a smart dashboard that not only displays the KPIs but also helps the user prioritize his next steps. It may provide an overall view of the project's progress and KPIs, as well as get to the root of a problem in a specific installation area, raise red flags and alerts, and function as a user's assistant by predicting errors early on.

Implementation of engineering and geodetic works in the framework of research work, which are aimed at developing proposals for the development of settlements of the municipality

At any stage of urban planning activities, it may be necessary to plan the territory. The territory planning project can be created on topographic plans of a scale of 1: 2000. Modern needs for cadastre maintenance, land management, and design of territories require high quality topographic material obtained in almost real time with high image resolution. This problem is effectively solved by aerial photography from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Airborne laser scanning allows you to survey difficult terrain and large areas. To clarify the position of some terrain objects, a GNSS survey in RTK mode was used. The combined survey method provides the necessary accuracy of surveying the situation and the terrain, the measurement accuracy corresponds to the possibility of creating engineering-topographic plans at a scale of 1: 2000. In the course of the work, engineering digital terrain models and orthophotomaps were formed. Based on the data obtained, a digital topographic plan of 1: 2000 scale was compiled.

The Performance of LiF:Mg-Ti for Proton Dosimetry within the Framework of the MoVe IT Project

Proton therapy represents a technologically advanced method for delivery of radiation treatments to tumors. The determination of the biological effectiveness is one of the objectives of the MoVe IT (Modeling and Verification for Ion Beam Treatment Planning) project of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) CSN5. The aim of the present work, which is part of the project, was to evaluate the performance of the thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs-100) for dose verification in the proton beam line. Four irradiation experiments were performed in the experimental room at the Trento Proton Therapy Center, where a 150 MeV monoenergetic proton beam is available. A total of 80 TLDs were used. The TLDs were arranged in one or two rows and accommodated in a specially designed water-equivalent phantom. In the experimental setup, the beam enters orthogonally to the dosimeters and is distributed along the proton beam profile, while the irradiation delivers doses of 0.8 Gy or 1.5 Gy in the Bragg peak. For each irradiation stage, the depth–dose curve was determined by the TLD readings. The results showed the good performance of the TLDs-100, proving their reliability for dose recordings in future radiobiological experiments planned within the MoVe IT context.

Heuristic Methodology for Planning AC Rural Medium-Voltage Distribution Grids

The optimal expansion of AC medium-voltage distribution grids for rural applications is addressed in this study from a heuristic perspective. The optimal routes of a distribution feeder are selected by applying the concept of a minimum spanning tree by limiting the number of branches that are connected to a substation (mixed-integer linear programming formulation). In order to choose the caliber of the conductors for the selected feeder routes, the maximum expected current that is absorbed by the loads is calculated, thereby defining the minimum thermal bound of the conductor caliber. With the topology and the initial selection of the conductors, a tabu search algorithm (TSA) is implemented to refine the solution with the help of a three-phase power flow simulation in MATLAB for three different load conditions, i.e., maximum, medium, and minimum consumption with values of 100%, 60%, and 30%, respectively. This helps in calculating the annual costs of the energy losses that will be summed with the investment cost in conductors for determining the final costs of the planning project. Numerical simulations in two test feeders comprising 9 and 25 nodes with one substation show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology regarding the final grid planning cost; in addition, the heuristic selection of the calibers using the minimum expected current absorbed by the loads provides at least 70% of the calibers that are contained in the final solution of the problem. This demonstrates the importance of using adequate starting points to potentiate metaheuristic optimizers such as the TSA.

Communicating and Collaborating

This chapter joins Lury et al. in treating interdisciplinarity as a verb rather than a noun, as well as Davidson and Goldberg’s recasting of institutions as mobilizing networks rather than static structures. The chapter begins by defining the nature of talk across boundaries, including pidgin and creole forms of language, linguistic and social dynamics of communication, a culture that fosters them, epistemic dimensions of dialogue, and relational thinking. It then focuses on collective identity in teams and stages of collaboration, followed by a section on integration and differing assessments of its centrality to crossdisciplinary work. The chapter turns next to public engagement and community-based research, moving beyond narrow characterization of translation as application and transfer to highlight intersubjectivity, communicative action, and participatory research. It concludes by illustrating translation boundary work in two cross-sector case studies, an urban planning project and a waste management project involving both academics and community stakeholders.

Optimal Fuzzy Scheduling and Sequencing of Work-Intensive Multiple Projects Under Normal and Unexpected Events

This research proposed optimization models for task scheduling and sequencing in work-intensive multiple projects under normal and unexpected events. The objectives of scheduling model were minimizing the total overtime/under-time costs and maximizing satisfaction values on tasks due dates and processing standard times. Further, the sequencing model aimed to minimize the sum of tasks' start times, maximize resource utilization, and maximize satisfaction on project completion times. Illustrations of the proposed scheduling and sequencing optimization models were provided where the results showed effective scheduling and sequencing of project tasks at minimal costs and achieved the desired satisfaction levels on tasks and projects and significantly enhanced resource efficiency at minimal overtime and under-time costs. Further, optimization models were modified to deal with unexpected events. In conclusion, the proposed models may support project managers in planning project tasks in a cost-effective manner under normal and unexpected events.

Minga: modelo replicable de renovación urbana sostenible, caso Buenaventura

This article presents the results obtained in research made during a sustainable urban renewal design in the city of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, as part of MINGA team's proposal for SDLAC 2019 (Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean). This project was developed by a group of students and professors, as part of the undergraduate programs of architecture and civil engineering of the partner universities in the MINGA team. A project-based teaching-learning methodology was used, integrating the curricula in interdisciplinary project workshop-type courses. The main goal was to demonstrate the viability of a resilient urban planning project, conceived for the future climate in a coastal city in the hot-humid tropics. The results showed that a climate-resilient urbanism can be created, which guarantees the permanence of the original inhabitants of the coastal areas, mitigating flooding risks, and preserving the cultural roots of the inhabitants, even under sea-rise scenarios.

Environmental Impact Assessment for Transportation Corridors Using GIS

An environmental impact study is the significant part of any transportation project development. In general, environmental assessment is a process to find out the possible impact on environments due to the effects of proposed initiatives before they are carried out. In [the] transportation sector, construction of new roads or highways may minimize congestion and reduce travel path and time but may also have an effect on [the] environment. So it is necessary to develop the best alternative routes so that natural, cultural, [and] social environmental impacts are minimized. In recent years geographic information systems (GIS) have become increasing[ly] popular for environmental studies. GIS can play a vital role for analysis and in formulating the quick mitigation plans for high-risk environments. This study articulates what environmental impacts need to be assessed in transportation corridor planning, what geospatial data are needed to support these identified impact assessment activities, and how and what GIS tools are required to facilitate the corresponding assessment activities. The Mid-Peninsula Transportation Corridor (MPTC) planning project is analyzed as a case study.