System risks in information-rich environments: monitoring for safe and cost-effective operation

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The overall theme of this proposal is System risks in information-rich environments: monitoring for safe and cost-effective operation. Research in this area aims to support the design, manufacture and operation of new engineered systems in energy, transport, civil applications and elsewhere. Rapid advances in monitoring technologies and data processing techniques offer huge potential for improving safety and increasing cost-effectiveness in such modern engineered systems. The combination of such monitoring and data processing methods provides an information-rich environment - almost a new world existing alongside the real physical environment in which the systems are operated. However, in order to use such methods effectively for safe and cost-effective systems operation we have to know how frequently different extreme conditions occur, how humans will interact with the information being provided, and what the impacts on safety and cost are. By taking this broader context we aim to provide good decision support models in the design, manufacture and operation phases of new engineered systems, to support safety and cost-effectiveness. It is important to consider these issues now because of a number of technical, economical and political factors. The basic technical change taking place is the dramatic increase in the amount and quality of information available about technological systems during their operation, coming from monitors and sensors and processed through IT systems. These give the potential for completely different ways of using and interacting with systems that could potentially save costs and improve safety if used correctly. The current rapid economic change occurring globally has increased competition for UK PLC, and this implies that we have to be more aware than ever of the possibility of technological advantages gained through superior information. However, without proper consideration of risks there may be unexpected safety or cost problems. Our modern society with its 24 hour media places great emphasis on risk avoidance, thus bringing in the political dimension. It is widely recognized that risk problems require multidisciplinary approaches, involving engineering, mathematics, computer science and even need to reach out further by integrating other disciplines such as psychology. Strathclyde aims, with this proposal to bring together these researchers to create innovative new approaches to incorporate risk into design manufacturing and operation phases for new systems. In doing so it will broaden out some existing collaborations, thus giving new directions to their work, and will create new collaborations. The programme will use the expertise available in the university in the area of collaboration / it is a highly important part of the research of the Business School / in order to direct its efforts as efficiently as possible. As a result the University hopes not only to establish Strathclyde as a world leading centre on multi-disciplinary approaches to technological risk problems, but also to find and apply those methods of stimulating collaboration that work best at Strathclyde, so that these can be used more widely in support of the university's aim of being a place of useful learning .