centre themes
intelligent software

• Semantically model relationships between the embedded chips and environmental data;
• Derive necessary performance techniques that enable systems to be optimally designed for reliability, with an intelligent diagnostic and prognostic capability;
• Provide an intelligent information infrastructure, requiring multi-layered ontologies that will have to be researched, designed and constructed to deal with the large volume of terse data sets;
• To enable effective, reliable and resilient cross-system integration;
• Deriving ontologies with a layered approach, providing direct mapping to data stores to aid with cataloguing the vast volumes of real-time terse data from embedded systems;
• Incorporating the dynamic relationship between data sets and models developed from applications, e.g. manufacturing processes (e.g. utilising existing BPM);
• Ensuring compatibility of the semantics between source and target systems, e.g. aided by use of XML;
• Developing semi-automated node and linking techniques to increase efficiency and ensure system adaption to changing situations;
• Providing feedback into the ontology and the system to provide new ontological links and update existing data;
• Interrogation of the ontology to determine the critical quantifiable lifecycle process characteristics that relate to the inherent performance drivers, allowing rapid identification of significant factors and complex interactions, and show overall system performance;
• Evolving ontologies to provide an adaptive integrated Bayesian network infrastructure that will be used to analyse overall system performance and predict areas for optimisation.

exemplars of PhD Projects with a focus in the area included:

• Ian Park co-sponsored by Taylor Hobson "Coherent Measurement of Surface Geometry on a Large Scale"
• Rhys Commisiong co-sponsored by Caterpillar "Finding optimal sensor and actuator configurations"
• Melanie Zimmer Co-sponsored by HSSMI "Multi-agent negotiation strategies for dynamic energy reduction in manufacturing"
• Paul Lueckemann co-sponsored by PING Golf "Development of an intelligent motion capture system to transform golf club engineering"