Overseeing the internet: new paradigms of network measurement. Like the electricity network, the internet is a core infrastructure, and so must be reliable and efficient. A gap in bandwidth supply is like a blackout in terms of lost business and productivity. This project will provide the measurement breakthroughs to ensure that network behaviour can be accurately and comprehensively monitored.
Computational tools to analyse and exploit the social media revolution. We aim to create technologies to analyse social media communities, which are rapidly growing in reach, complexity, and content produced and shared. Powerful techniques to tap this resource will lead to commercial outcomes for marketing and search industries, alongside deeper insight into the cultural and social impact of this Internet revolution.
Improving the Effectiveness of Conceptual Model Validation Work. Errors or omissions in conceptual models often lead to significant problems when information systems are being built. Prior research has shown the cost of fixing the consequences of such errors or omissions grows exponentially as a function of how late they are discovered. Thus, significant economic benefits arise if they are identified early in the system development process. The project outcomes will facilitate early prevention ....Improving the Effectiveness of Conceptual Model Validation Work. Errors or omissions in conceptual models often lead to significant problems when information systems are being built. Prior research has shown the cost of fixing the consequences of such errors or omissions grows exponentially as a function of how late they are discovered. Thus, significant economic benefits arise if they are identified early in the system development process. The project outcomes will facilitate early prevention and detection of errors of omissions in conceptual models. They will also contribute to attainment of the national priority goal of smart information use through improved data management.Read moreRead less
Agent-Based Frameworks for Coordinated Activities in E-Business: Supply Chain Management and Workflow Applications. As e-commerce over the Internet expands, the level of integration of businesses and consumers will increase, necessitating innovative approaches to decision-support and information management to facilitate within-business, business-to-consumer and business-to-business transactions. In conjunction with a local designer of business solutions, Agent Oriented Software Pty. Ltd., this p ....Agent-Based Frameworks for Coordinated Activities in E-Business: Supply Chain Management and Workflow Applications. As e-commerce over the Internet expands, the level of integration of businesses and consumers will increase, necessitating innovative approaches to decision-support and information management to facilitate within-business, business-to-consumer and business-to-business transactions. In conjunction with a local designer of business solutions, Agent Oriented Software Pty. Ltd., this project aims to build agent-based frameworks for the support of selected within-business and business-to-business activities in supply chain management, implement an agent-based workflow system based around document management, and provide research training in this key area of technology through joint university-industry supervision of two research students. This will enhance Australia's competitiveness in the provision of leading edge technologies to support e-commerce.Read moreRead less
A Methodology for Designing Information Systems based on Situational Theories of Agency. Information systems (IS) are part of work systems that are goal-directed. Existing methodologies for designing IS implicitly assume that goal-directed behaviour is enabled by deliberation upon abstract models (the 'thinker' metaphor). Recent work in robotics and artificial intelligence has tested an alternative theory of goal-directed behaviour that emphasises reactive responses to situations (the 'routine' ....A Methodology for Designing Information Systems based on Situational Theories of Agency. Information systems (IS) are part of work systems that are goal-directed. Existing methodologies for designing IS implicitly assume that goal-directed behaviour is enabled by deliberation upon abstract models (the 'thinker' metaphor). Recent work in robotics and artificial intelligence has tested an alternative theory of goal-directed behaviour that emphasises reactive responses to situations (the 'routine' metaphor). We will refine and test a new IS design methodology based on this situational theory and show that it can produce effective IS designs, applicable to time-constrained routine operational domains, which are radically different from those produced using existing methodologies.Read moreRead less
A hybrid multi-agent technique for shop floor control. The new knowledge and techniques, as a result of this research project, will have direct relevance to many Australian industries. In particular, they provide opportunities to improve Australia's competitiveness through innovations for the manufacturing sector. The project will enable the development of the state-of-the-art simulation software readily accessible to a larger section of industry, including small to medium sized manufacturers. T ....A hybrid multi-agent technique for shop floor control. The new knowledge and techniques, as a result of this research project, will have direct relevance to many Australian industries. In particular, they provide opportunities to improve Australia's competitiveness through innovations for the manufacturing sector. The project will enable the development of the state-of-the-art simulation software readily accessible to a larger section of industry, including small to medium sized manufacturers. The use of meta-modelling will improve control of processes on the shop floor. Combining process meta-models with hybrid discrete event-based agent optimisation will result in increased shop floor efficiency, assisting Australian industry to be competitive in the world market.Read moreRead less
Implicit transmission of embodied culture. Is a culturally diverse, yet socially integrated community possible? In multicultural societies such as Australia, this is a pressing and significant question. To form and maintain a vibrant and prosperous community in the face of globalization, it is essential to understand the fundamental processes by which cultures are formed and transformed in everyday social activities. This project examines one such process, implicit cultural transmission, propose ....Implicit transmission of embodied culture. Is a culturally diverse, yet socially integrated community possible? In multicultural societies such as Australia, this is a pressing and significant question. To form and maintain a vibrant and prosperous community in the face of globalization, it is essential to understand the fundamental processes by which cultures are formed and transformed in everyday social activities. This project examines one such process, implicit cultural transmission, proposed to function in the nonconscious transmission of cultural information. Understanding the dynamics of this subtle, yet pervasive, mode of cultural influence is central to a full appreciation of how one's own culture and those of others' integrate and flourish.Read moreRead less
The Impact of Information about Data Quality on Decision Making. Data quality problems are widespread in practice and have significant economic impacts. The development of theoretically sound data quality tags and understanding how they impact decision outcomes and processes will lead to improved data quality management within Australian organisations and more efficient and effective decision making. These issues constitute an important area of information technology research. Outcomes from the ....The Impact of Information about Data Quality on Decision Making. Data quality problems are widespread in practice and have significant economic impacts. The development of theoretically sound data quality tags and understanding how they impact decision outcomes and processes will lead to improved data quality management within Australian organisations and more efficient and effective decision making. These issues constitute an important area of information technology research. Outcomes from the project will enhance Australia's research standing and contribute to university teaching and researcher training.Read moreRead less
Modelling, Measurement and Control of the Internet. The demands made of modern high-speed data networks, such as those that make up the Internet, are increasing rapidly in terms of both the quantity and quality of service required.
So that these demands can be satisfied, it is necessary that network operators, or even the network itself, take measurements and make control decisions. Depending on the service, there is a need to do this over very short timescales (fractions of a second), or lon ....Modelling, Measurement and Control of the Internet. The demands made of modern high-speed data networks, such as those that make up the Internet, are increasing rapidly in terms of both the quantity and quality of service required.
So that these demands can be satisfied, it is necessary that network operators, or even the network itself, take measurements and make control decisions. Depending on the service, there is a need to do this over very short timescales (fractions of a second), or longer
timescales (minutes or even weeks).
By developing innovative mathematical models of network behaviour,
this project will deliver improved methods for measurement and
control of the Internet.Read moreRead less
Increasing internet energy and cost efficiency by improving higher-layer protocols. Australians rely heavily on our telecommunications infrastructure due to our geographic dispersion. We are also very susceptible to climate change, given our reliance on agriculture. Information technology is consuming a rapidly increasing fraction of our power and our budget. This research will help to reverse both those trends, by finding novel and practical ways to use our infrastructure more efficiently, and ....Increasing internet energy and cost efficiency by improving higher-layer protocols. Australians rely heavily on our telecommunications infrastructure due to our geographic dispersion. We are also very susceptible to climate change, given our reliance on agriculture. Information technology is consuming a rapidly increasing fraction of our power and our budget. This research will help to reverse both those trends, by finding novel and practical ways to use our infrastructure more efficiently, and to minimise its energy use. This will enable the Australian telecommunications industry to provide better service (including to Australian industries and rural communities) at lower economic and environmental cost. This project will put Australia on the international stage as a leading contributor to energy-efficient internet technology.Read moreRead less