Accounting for Sustainability: Developing an Integrated Approach for Sustainability Assessments. In today's challenging world, we need to find new ways to sustain our cities, communities and organisations. In the past decade, various bodies have developed highly sophisticated indicators for monitoring and measuring sustainability. However these indicators often become detached from practical tasks at hand - managing businesses, preserving the environment, or promoting social and cultural well-be ....Accounting for Sustainability: Developing an Integrated Approach for Sustainability Assessments. In today's challenging world, we need to find new ways to sustain our cities, communities and organisations. In the past decade, various bodies have developed highly sophisticated indicators for monitoring and measuring sustainability. However these indicators often become detached from practical tasks at hand - managing businesses, preserving the environment, or promoting social and cultural well-being. This project will develop a framework and software system for evaluating and applying indicators in common planning and reporting situations. The project will benefit Australian organisations by a) developing clear, practical sustainability goals; b) lowering cost of reporting compliance and c) improving sustainability practices.Read moreRead less
Developing group-based elicitation methods to improve decision making. This project aims to develop an elicitation methodology enabling multiple members of a team to contribute to the same technical problem - enabling expertise to be accurately combined while avoiding group and individual sources of bias. Good elicitation methods minimise bias in estimates and forecasts - which otherwise erode value and lead to sub-optimal decision making. Existing methods, however, ignore group structures; that ....Developing group-based elicitation methods to improve decision making. This project aims to develop an elicitation methodology enabling multiple members of a team to contribute to the same technical problem - enabling expertise to be accurately combined while avoiding group and individual sources of bias. Good elicitation methods minimise bias in estimates and forecasts - which otherwise erode value and lead to sub-optimal decision making. Existing methods, however, ignore group structures; that is that decisions made by, or on, the advice of teams have different characteristics than individual decisions and often preclude the use of methods designed to limit individuals' biases. By encoding the method into a computerised tool the project will assist public and private sector enterprises to improve group decision making.Read moreRead less
Knowledge Discovery in Discretionary Legal Domains. The development of legal decision support systems in discretionary domains will lead to: (1) Consistency; (2) Transparency; (3) Efficiency; and (4) Enhanced support for dispute resolution. The researchers on this project have been using the World Wide Web to disseminate legal knowledge.
With the collaboration of Victoria Legal Aid and JUSTSYS, we propose to use knowledge discovery from databases and argumentation techniques to model how discre ....Knowledge Discovery in Discretionary Legal Domains. The development of legal decision support systems in discretionary domains will lead to: (1) Consistency; (2) Transparency; (3) Efficiency; and (4) Enhanced support for dispute resolution. The researchers on this project have been using the World Wide Web to disseminate legal knowledge.
With the collaboration of Victoria Legal Aid and JUSTSYS, we propose to use knowledge discovery from databases and argumentation techniques to model how discretionary legal decision-makers operate. A significant application of the research will be the construction of a prototype for assisting criminal law defense lawyers to make arguments with regard to their client's sentences.Read moreRead less
Managing knowledge in telehealth projects: creating better solutions and improving patient care. Telehealth is the use of information and communication technologies for the delivery of healthcare and medical education across a distance. This project will propose more effective ways to support telehealth initiatives by managing the knowledge and expertise that is an integral part of such projects, resulting in improved outcomes.
Immersive Technologies for Rapid Metallic Tank Inspection and Repairs. Metal tank silos house some of the most dangerous chemicals, which erode the internal structure of the tank over time. It is critical to check the integrity of the tank to prevent disasters from occurring. NDE solutions uses a rapid motion scanner (RMS) to scan the interior surface of the container while it is still full of its storage material. It is the aim of this project to use Augmented Reality, to overlay the scan provi ....Immersive Technologies for Rapid Metallic Tank Inspection and Repairs. Metal tank silos house some of the most dangerous chemicals, which erode the internal structure of the tank over time. It is critical to check the integrity of the tank to prevent disasters from occurring. NDE solutions uses a rapid motion scanner (RMS) to scan the interior surface of the container while it is still full of its storage material. It is the aim of this project to use Augmented Reality, to overlay the scan provided by the RMS, onto the worker's view of the tank, control the robot via. hand gestures, and facilitate remote training/guidance. The result will allow for inspection workers to quickly and accurately the location of critical failures, without performing the hazardous procedures of internal tank inspection. Read moreRead less
The independent and combined effects of front-of-pack food labelling systems and health claims on consumers' food-related beliefs and behaviours. Recent developments in food labelling policy are changing the nature of the food environment. This project aims to allow the Australian government to capitalise on its investments in food labelling and health claims policies by investigating the independent and combined effects of front-of-pack labelling systems and health claims on adults' and childre ....The independent and combined effects of front-of-pack food labelling systems and health claims on consumers' food-related beliefs and behaviours. Recent developments in food labelling policy are changing the nature of the food environment. This project aims to allow the Australian government to capitalise on its investments in food labelling and health claims policies by investigating the independent and combined effects of front-of-pack labelling systems and health claims on adults' and children's food-related beliefs and behaviours. Three different forms of front-of-pack labelling systems and three types of health claims will be tested in varying combinations to identify the effects on different consumer segments, especially those of lower socioeconomic status. This approach aims to show how different forms of nutrition information are processed and traded-off during decision making.Read moreRead less
Reading the Social Future of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. This project investigates how and if the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) is building social capital. It does this by interrogating existing practices and operations at the ARCBS and by surveying donors and non-donors. This project aims to develop a Deleuzian critique of the notion of social capital.
Designing Innovative Allocation Mechanisms for Public Policy. This project applies modern techniques of game theory, auction theory, and experimental economics to public policy design. It can deliver public benefits across a broad front by introducing and demonstrating a new policy design methodology to Australia, by delivering better policy design on specific projects, by building capacity, and by creating a network of collaborators including both University researchers and public sector policy ....Designing Innovative Allocation Mechanisms for Public Policy. This project applies modern techniques of game theory, auction theory, and experimental economics to public policy design. It can deliver public benefits across a broad front by introducing and demonstrating a new policy design methodology to Australia, by delivering better policy design on specific projects, by building capacity, and by creating a network of collaborators including both University researchers and public sector policy experts.Read moreRead less
ROBUST SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY FOR SMALL-SCALE APPLICATIONS. The project aims to develop nano-materials for the next generation planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) that will operate at temperatures between 600 and 800°C. The goal is to identify and demonstrate materials that meet the robust requirements for small scale power generators at the 3-5kW scale. It is expected that these will be used in stationary power generation applications, in remote area power supplies, and for providing ....ROBUST SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY FOR SMALL-SCALE APPLICATIONS. The project aims to develop nano-materials for the next generation planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) that will operate at temperatures between 600 and 800°C. The goal is to identify and demonstrate materials that meet the robust requirements for small scale power generators at the 3-5kW scale. It is expected that these will be used in stationary power generation applications, in remote area power supplies, and for providing auxiliary power in vehicles. The work builds on the world-leading position that Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd. has in planar SOFC technology, utilising micro-analysis and fuel cell expertise at the University of Queensland.Read moreRead less
New Directions in Information Economics and Environmental Policy. Recent developments in economic theory, experimental economics, information systems and biophysical modelling have made possible a new generation of policy instruments that can be applied in environmental economics. A recent pilot study of biodiversity preservation auctions in Victoria has demonstrated the practicality in principle of these techniques. We will build on this pilot study to develop practical policy instruments based ....New Directions in Information Economics and Environmental Policy. Recent developments in economic theory, experimental economics, information systems and biophysical modelling have made possible a new generation of policy instruments that can be applied in environmental economics. A recent pilot study of biodiversity preservation auctions in Victoria has demonstrated the practicality in principle of these techniques. We will build on this pilot study to develop practical policy instruments based on these principles.Read moreRead less