The Smart Skies Project

Smart Skies is an international research project exploring the development and demonstration of future aviation technologies which facilitate the more efficient utilisation of airspace for both manned and unmanned aircraft. These technologies include autonomous vision-based collision avoidance systems, autonomous airspace separation management systems and a mobile ground-based radar system to support non-segregated UAS operations within the NAS. This presentation will provide an introduction to the key programs of research, detail results from recent flight trial activities and will outline future directions for the project.

A framework for assessing social policy inclusion proposals

This document outlines a framework that could be used by government agencies in assessing policy interventions aimed at achieving social outcomes from government construction contracts. The framework represents a rational interpretation of the information gathered during the multi-outcomes construction policies project. The multi-outcomes project focused on the costs and benefits of using public construction contracts to promote the achievement of training and employment and public art objectives. The origin of the policy framework in a cost-benefit appraisal of current policy interventions is evidenced by its emphasis on sensitivity to policy commitment and project circumstances (especially project size and scope).The quantitative and qualitative analysis conducted in the multi-outcomes project highlighted, first, that in the absence of strong industry commitment to policy objectives, policy interventions typically result in high levels of avoidance activity, substantial administrative costs and very few benefits. Thus, for policy action on, for example, training or local employment to be successful compliance issues must be adequately addressed. Currently it appears that pre-qualification schemes (similar to the Priority Access Scheme) and schemes that rely on measuring, for example, the training investments of contractors within particular projects do not achieve high levels of compliance and involve significant administrative costs. Thus, an alternative is suggested in the policy framework developed here: a levy on each public construction project – set as a proportion of the total project costs. Although a full evaluation of this policy alternative was beyond the scope of the multi-outcomes construction policies project, it appears to offer the potential to minimize the transaction costs on contractors whilst enabling the creation of a training agency dedicated to improving the supply of skilled construction labour. A recommendation is thus made that this policy alternative be fully researched and evaluated. As noted above, the outcomes of the multi-outcomes research project also highlighted the need for sensitivity to project circumstances in the development and implementation of polices for public construction projects. Ideally a policy framework would have the flexibility to respond to circumstances where contractors share a commitment to the policy objectives and are able to identify measurable social outcomes from the particular government projects they are involved in. This would involve a project-by-project negotiation of goals and performance measures. It is likely to only be practical for large, longer term projects.

Review of strengthening techniques using externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer composites

This report reviews the selection, design, and installation of fiber reinforced polymer systems for strengthening of reinforced concrete or pre-stressed concrete bridges and other structures. The report is prepared based on the knowledge gained from worldwide experimental research, analytical work, and field applications of FRP systems used to strengthen concrete structures. Information on material properties, design and installation methods of FRP systems used as external reinforcement are presented. This information can be used to select an FRP system for increasing the strength and stiffness of reinforced concrete beams or the ductility of columns, and other applications. Based on the available research, the design considerations and concepts are covered in this report. In the next stage of the project, these will be further developed as design tools. It is important to note, however, that the design concepts proposed in literature have not in many cases been thoroughly developed and proven. Therefore, a considerable amount of research work will be required prior to development of the design concepts into practical design tools, which is a major goal of the current research project. The durability and long-term performance of FRP materials has been the subject of much research, which still are on going. Long-term field data are not currently available, and it is still difficult to accurately predict the life of FRP strengthening systems. The report briefly addresses environmental degradation and long-term durability issues as well. A general overview of using FRP bars as primary reinforcement of concrete structures is presented in Chapter 8. In Chapter 9, a summary of strengthening techniques identified as part of this initial stage of the research project and the issues which require careful consideration prior to practical implementation of these identified techniques are presented.

Final report: stage 1 : results

This research project aims to improve economic, social and environmental sustainability of the pre-cast concrete and construction and demolition waste supply chains through the development, trial and evaluation of an innovative supply chain management strategy. The long-term goals are to improve competitive behaviour and market sector performance and improve business process efficiency and effectiveness of public sector program delivery by influencing policy development, changing organisational behaviour and implementation development to achieve more economic, social and environmental sustainable markets.

Final report : task 3: occupant health, wellbeing and productivity

This report presents the results of a study on indoor environment quality (IEQ) and occupant productivity in two buildings that are owned and Occupied by City of Melbourne, and located next to each other in Central Melbourne, Council House 1 (CH1) and Council House 2 (CH2). The impact of a range of relevant IEQ and other parameters on health, wellbeing and productivity of occupants is assessed. The before-and-after case study has demonstrated that the productivity of office building occupants can potentially be enhanced through good building design, and provision of a high quality, healthy, comfortable and functional interior environment, that takes account of basic occupant needs. It has shown that good indoor environment quality is a necessary pre-requisite for enhanced productivity in office buildings, but that broader aspects of overall building and interior design are also important.

A review of non-traditional occupational therapy practice placement education : a focus on role-emerging and project placements

Practice placement education has been recognised as an integral and critical component of the training of occupational therapy students. Although there is an extensive body of literature on clinical education and traditional practice placement education models, there has been limited research on alternative placements.-------- This paper reviews the literature on various practice placement education models and presents a contemporary view on how it is currently delivered. The literature is examined with a particular focus on the increasing range of practice placement education opportunities, such as project and role-emerging placements. The drivers for non-traditional practice placement education include shortages of traditional placement options, health reform and changing work practices, potential for role development and influence on practice choice. The benefits and challenges of non-traditional practice placement education are discussed, including supervision issues, student evaluation, professional and personal development and the opportunity to practise clinical skills.--------- Further research is recommended to investigate occupational therapy graduates' perceptions of role-emerging and project placements in order to identify the benefits or otherwise of these placements and to contribute to the limited body of knowledge of emerging education opportunities.

Sydney Opera House : facilities management exemplar project

The paper presents an interim summary of research and case studies being undertaken in the Sydney Opera House FM Exemplar Project covering procurement, benchmarking and building information models. The final outcomes of the FM Exemplar Project will be presented through various forums open to all FM practitioners and published in Australia and elsewhere through relevant journals. Sydney Opera House is an Australian icon, attracting some 4.5 million visitors per year who admire its built form and enjoy an evening of theatre. The building is the attraction, part of the experience. Therefore, facilities management is critical to the success of the Sydney Opera House enterprise and an ideal subject for the study of facilities management. Significantly the three research themes are heavily intertwined – effective risk sharing in procurement requires historic information and benchmarks for future performance, benchmarking gathers vast quantities of data that can only be exploited if properly related to one another and a building information model provides the means to manage such data. The case studies are emerging as real-life examples of how one organisation is addressing FM issues common to many, and will provide useful lessons for practitioners pursing similar strategies in their own organisations.

Determinants of pre-hospital care non-usage for patients with emergency care needs [including commentary by Snooks H.]

Objective-To establish the demographic, health status and insurance determinants of pre-hospital ambulance non-usage for patients with emergency medical needs. Methods-Triage category, date of birth, sex, marital status, country of origin, method and time of arrival, ambulance insurance status, diagnosis, and disposal were collected for all patients who presented over a four month period (n=10 229) to the emergency department of a major provincial hospital. Data for patients with urgent (n=678) or critical care needs (n=332) who did not use pre-hospital care were analysed using Poisson regression. Results-Only a small percentage (6.6%) of the total sample were triaged as having urgent medical needs or critical care needs (3.2%). Predictors of usage for those with urgent care needs included age greater than 65 years (prevalence ratio (PR)=0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI)= 0.35 to 0.83), being admitted to intensive care or transferred to another hospital (PR=0.62; 95% CI=0.44 to 0.89) or ward (PR=0.72; 95% CI=0.56 to 0.93) and ambulance insurance status (PR=0.67; 95% CI=052 to 0.86). Sex, marital status, time of day and country of origin were not predictive of usage and non-usage. Predictors of usage for those with critical care needs included age 65 years or greater (PR=0.45; 95% CI=0.25 to 0.81) and a diagnosis of trauma (PR=0.49; 95% CI=0.26 to 0.92). A non-English speaking background was predictive of non-usage (PR=1.98; 95% CI=1.06 to 3.70). Sex, marital status, time of day, triage and ambulance insurance status were not predictive of non-usage. Conclusions-Socioeconomic and medical factors variously influence ambulance usage depending on the severity or urgency of the medical condition. Ambulance insurance status was less of an influence as severity of condition increased suggesting that, at a critical level of urgency, patients without insurance are willing to pay for a pre-hospital ambulance service.

Re-life of buildings - decision support tools for maximising project efficiency

This paper describes the process adopted in developing an integrated decision support framework for planning of office building refurbishment projects, with specific emphasize on optimising rentable floor space, structural strengthening, residual life and sustainability. Expert opinion on the issues to be considered in a tool is being captured through the DELPHI process, which is currently ongoing. The methodology for development of the integrated tool will be validated through decisions taken during a case study project: refurbishment of CH1 building of Melbourne City Council, which will be followed through to completion by the research team. Current status of the CH1 planning will be presented in the context of the research project.

Citizen journalism and political participation : the youdecide project and the 2007 Australian Federal Election

The 2007 Australian Federal election not only saw the election of a Labor government after 11 years of John Howard’s conservative Coalition government. It also saw new levels of political engagement through the Internet, including the rise of citizen journalism as an alternative outlet and mode of reporting on the election. This paper reports on the You Decide 2007 project, an initiative undertaken by a QUT-based research team to facilitate online news reporting on the election on a ‘hyper-local’, electorate-based model. We evaluate the You Decide initiative on the basis of: promoting greater citizen participation in Australian politics; new ways of engaging citizens and key stakeholders in policy deliberation; establishing new links between mainstream media and independent online media; and broadening the base of political participation to include a wider range of citizen and groups.

Project diagnostics : assessing the condition of projects and identifying poor health combing forces

In many cases, construction projects do not achieve the objectives that the project participants set for them. If participants could better understand how their project is performing overall, at various stages of its delivery, then the opportunities to achieve project success would almost certainly be greater. This paper documents a method of assessing the status of a project, at a point in its design or construction phase, or after completion. The status is assessed in terms of up to seven (7) key success factors. Any evidence of less than adequate performance in these performance areas is scrutinised to seek out the root causes of why this situation is happening. Using these identified root causes of under performance, general suggestions can then be made as to how to return the project to good health. A software package that assists in assessing the status of the project has been developed. The package is currently being calibrated before commercial release.

Project Diagnostics : Providing Successful Project Outcomes

Project Diagnostics is a tool for construction industry stakeholders wishing to improve project delivery and outcomes. This software identifies areas of poor project health, then establishes probable root causes and provides suggested remedial measures. Its focus is to act as an advanced warning system for construction projects that are failing to meet predetermined objectives based on the critical success factors (CSFs) of cost, time, quality, safety, relationships, environment and stakeholder value.

A soft approach to solving hard problems in construction project management

Construction projects are faced with a challenge that must not be underestimated. These projects are increasingly becoming highly competitive, more complex, and difficult to manage. They become ‘wicked problems’, which are difficult to solve using traditional approaches. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a systems approach that is used for analysis and problem solving in such complex and messy situations. SSM uses “systems thinking” in a cycle of action research, learning and reflection to help understand the various perceptions that exist in the minds of the different people involved in the situation. This paper examines the benefits of applying SSM to wicked problems in construction project management, especially those situations that are challenging to understand and difficult to act upon. It includes relevant examples of its use in dealing with the confusing situations that incorporate human, organizational and technical aspects.

A model for assessing and correcting project Health

Maintaining the health of a construction project can help to achieve the desired outcomes of the project. An analogy is drawn to the medical process of a human health check where it is possible to broadly diagnose health in terms of a number of key areas such as blood pressure or cholesterol level. Similarly it appears possible to diagnose the current health of a construction project in terms of a number of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). The medical analogy continues into the detailed investigation phase where a number of contributing factors are evaluated to identify possible causes of ill health and through the identification of potential remedies to return the project to the desired level of health. This paper presents the development of a model that diagnoses the immediate health of a construction project, investigates the factors which appear to be causing the ill health and proposes a remedy to return the project to good health. The proposed model uses the well-established continuous improvement management model (Deming, 1986) to adapt the process of human physical health checking to construction project health.