Handbook of Disaster Research

Handbook of Disaster Research
Author: Havidán Rodríguez
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 635
Release: 2017-11-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 331963254X

This timely Handbook is based on the principle that disasters are social constructions and focuses on social science disaster research. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to disasters with theoretical, methodological, and practical applications. Attention is given to conceptual issues dealing with the concept "disaster" and to methodological issues relating to research on disasters. These include Geographic Information Systems as a useful research tool and its implications for future research. This seminal work is the first interdisciplinary collection of disaster research as it stands now while outlining how the field will continue to grow.

Frontier Technologies for Infrastructures Engineering

Frontier Technologies for Infrastructures Engineering
Author: Alfredo H.S. Ang
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2009-04-21
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0415498759

An exclusive collection of papers introducing current and frontier technologies of special significance to the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of civil infrastructures. This volume is intended for professional and practicing engineers involved with infrastructure systems such as roadways, bridges, buildings, power generating and distribution systems, water resources, environmental facilities, and other civil infrastructure systems. Contributions are by internationally renowned and eminent experts, and cover: 1. Life-cycle cost and performance; 2.Reliability engineering; 3. Risk assessment and management; 4. Optimization methods and optimal design; 5. Role of maintenance, inspection, and repair; 6. Structural and system health monitoring; 7. Durability, fatigue and fracture; 8. Corrosion technology for metal and R/C structures; 9. Concrete materials and concrete structures.

ECAI 2012

ECAI 2012
Author: C. Bessiere
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 1056
Release: 2012-08-15
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1614990980

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a vital part in the continued development of computer science and informatics. The AI applications employed in fields such as medicine, economics, linguistics, philosophy, psychology and logical analysis, not forgetting industry, are now indispensable for the effective functioning of a multitude of systems. This book presents the papers from the 20th biennial European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, ECAI 2012, held in Montpellier, France, in August 2012. The ECAI conference remains Europe's principal opportunity for researchers and practitioners of Artificial Intelligence to gather and to discuss the latest trends and challenges in all subfields of AI, as well as to demonstrate innovative applications and uses of advanced AI technology. ECAI 2012 featured four keynote speakers, an extensive workshop program, seven invited tutorials and the new Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence track, in which six invited speakers delivered perspective talks on particularly interesting new research results, directions and trends in Artificial Intelligence or in one of its related fields. The proceedings of PAIS 2012 and the System Demonstrations Track are also included in this volume, which will be of interest to all those wishing to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of AI.

Deterioration and Optimal Rehabilitation Modelling for Urban Water Distribution Systems

Deterioration and Optimal Rehabilitation Modelling for Urban Water Distribution Systems
Author: Yi Zhou
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2018-05-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0429837771

Pipe failures in water distribution systems can have a serious impact and hence it’s important to maintain the condition and integrity of the distribution system. This book presents a whole-life cost optimisation model for the rehabilitation of water distribution systems. It combines a pipe breakage number prediction model with a pipe criticality assessment model, which enables the creation of a well-constructed and more tightly constrained optimisation model. The pipe breakage number prediction model combines information on the physical characteristics of the pipes with historical information on breakage and failure rates. A weighted multiple nonlinear regression analysis is applied to describe the condition of different pipe groups. The criticality assessment model combines a pipe’s condition with its hydraulic significance through a modified TOPSIS. This model enables the optimisation to focus its efforts on those important pipes. The whole life cost optimal rehabilitation model is a multiple-objective and multiple-stage model, which provides a suite of rehabilitation decisions that minimise the whole life cost while maximising its long-term performance. The optimisation model is solved using a modified NSGA-II. The utility of the developed models is that it allows decision makers to prioritize their rehabilitation strategy in a proactive and cost-effective manner.

Decision Aid Models for Disaster Management and Emergencies

Decision Aid Models for Disaster Management and Emergencies
Author: Begoña Vitoriano
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2013-01-26
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9491216740

Disaster management is a process or strategy that is implemented when any type of catastrophic event takes place. The process may be initiated when anything threatens to disrupt normal operations or puts the lives of human beings at risk. Governments on all levels as well as many businesses create some sort of disaster plan that make it possible to overcome the catastrophe and return to normal function as quickly as possible. Response to natural disasters (e.g., floods, earthquakes) or technological disaster (e.g., nuclear, chemical) is an extreme complex process that involves severe time pressure, various uncertainties, high non-linearity and many stakeholders. Disaster management often requires several autonomous agencies to collaboratively mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from heterogeneous and dynamic sets of hazards to society. Almost all disasters involve high degrees of novelty to deal with most unexpected various uncertainties and dynamic time pressures. Existing studies and approaches within disaster management have mainly been focused on some specific type of disasters with certain agency oriented. There is a lack of a general framework to deal with similarities and synergies among different disasters by taking their specific features into account. This book provides with various decisions analysis theories and support tools in complex systems in general and in disaster management in particular. The book is also generated during a long-term preparation of a European project proposal among most leading experts in the areas related to the book title. Chapters are evaluated based on quality and originality in theory and methodology, application oriented, relevance to the title of the book.

Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems

Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems
Author: Fabio Biondini
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 6293
Release: 2023-06-28
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1000997308

Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems contains the lectures and papers presented at IALCCE 2023- The Eighth International Symposium on Life-Cycle Civil Engineering, held at Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy, 2-6 July, 2023. This book contains the full papers of 514 contributions presented at IALCCE 2023, including the Fazlur R. Khan Plenary Lecture, nine Keynote Lectures, and 504 technical papers from 45 countries. The papers cover recent advances and cutting-edge research in the field of life-cycle civil engineering, including emerging concepts and innovative applications related to life-cycle design, assessment, inspection, monitoring, repair, maintenance, rehabilitation, and management of structures and infrastructure systems under uncertainty. Major topics covered include life-cycle safety, reliability, risk, resilience and sustainability, life-cycle damaging processes, life-cycle design and assessment, life-cycle inspection and monitoring, life-cycle maintenance and management, life-cycle performance of special structures, life-cycle cost of structures and infrastructure systems, and life-cycle-oriented computational tools, among others. This Open Access Book provides both an up-to-date overview of the field of life-cycle civil engineering and significant contributions to the process of making more rational decisions to mitigate the life-cycle risk and improve the life-cycle reliability, resilience, and sustainability of structures and infrastructure systems exposed to multiple natural and human-made hazards in a changing climate. It will serve as a valuable reference to all concerned with life-cycle of civil engineering systems, including students, researchers, practicioners, consultants, contractors, decision makers, and representatives of managing bodies and public authorities from all branches of civil engineering.

Mathematics for Reliability Engineering

Mathematics for Reliability Engineering
Author: Mangey Ram
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2021-11-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3110725592

Reliability is a fundamental criterium in engineering systems. This book shows innovative concepts and applications of mathematics in solving reliability problems. The contents address in particular the interaction between engineers and mathematicians, as well as the cross-fertilization in the advancement of science and technology. It bridges the gap between theory and practice to aid in practical problem-solving in various contexts.

Sustainable and Resilient Critical Infrastructure Systems

Sustainable and Resilient Critical Infrastructure Systems
Author: Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2010-04-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3642114059

Sustainable and resilient critical infrastructure systems is an emerging paradigm in an evolving era of depleting assets in the midst of natural and man-made threats to provide a sustainable and high quality of life with optimized resources from social, economic, societal and environmental considerations. The increasing complexity and interconnectedness of civil and other interdependent infrastructure systems (electric power, energy, cyber-infrastructures, etc.) require inter- and multidisciplinary expertise required to engineer, monitor, and sustain these distributed large-scale complex adaptive infrastructure systems. This edited book is motivated by recent advances in simulation, modeling, sensing, communications/information, and intelligent and sustainable technologies that have resulted in the development of sophisticated methodologies and instruments to design, characterize, optimize, and evaluate critical infrastructure systems, their resilience, and their condition and the factors that cause their deterioration. Specific topics discussed in this book include, but are not limited to: optimal infrastructure investment allocation for sustainability, framework for manifestation of tacit critical infrastructure knowledge, interdependencies between energy and transportation systems for national long term planning, intelligent transportation infrastructure technologies, emergent research issues in infrastructure interdependence research, framework for assessing the resilience of infrastructure and economic systems, maintenance optimization for heterogeneous infrastructure systems, optimal emergency infrastructure inspection scheduling, and sustainable rehabilitation of deteriorated transportation infrastructure systems.

Sustainable Cities and Military Installations

Sustainable Cities and Military Installations
Author: Igor Linkov
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2013-11-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400771614

Access to reliable and affordable energy, water, and services is an important determinant of the prosperity of cities along with effective mission sustainment at military installations. The idea for this book was conceived at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in June 2012 in Hella, Iceland. The workshop was attended by 50 scientists, engineers, and policymakers representing 15 different nations and multiple fields of expertise, reflecting the global and interdisciplinary nature of climate change and sustainability research. The focus of the workshop was on ways in which military installations and small cities can integrate energy, water, and infrastructure sustainability strategies into city and installation management plans that account for climate change uncertainties. The organization of the book reflects major topic sessions and discussions during the workshop.