A simulated annealing algorithm for energy efficient virtual machine placement

Improving energy efficiency has become increasingly important in data centers in recent years to reduce the rapidly growing tremendous amounts of electricity consumption. The power dissipation of the physical servers is the root cause of power usage of other systems, such as cooling systems. Many efforts have been made to make data centers more energy efficient. One of them is to minimize the total power consumption of these servers in a data center through virtual machine consolidation, which is implemented by virtual machine placement. The placement problem is often modeled as a bin packing problem. Due to the NP-hard nature of the problem, heuristic solutions such as First Fit and Best Fit algorithms have been often used and have generally good results. However, their performance leaves room for further improvement. In this paper we propose a Simulated Annealing based algorithm, which aims at further improvement from any feasible placement. This is the first published attempt of using SA to solve the VM placement problem to optimize the power consumption. Experimental results show that this SA algorithm can generate better results, saving up to 25 percentage more energy than First Fit Decreasing in an acceptable time frame.

Energy-efficient virtual machine placement in data centers by genetic algorithm

Server consolidation using virtualization technology has become an important technology to improve the energy efficiency of data centers. Virtual machine placement is the key in the server consolidation. In the past few years, many approaches to the virtual machine placement have been proposed. However, existing virtual machine placement approaches to the virtual machine placement problem consider the energy consumption by physical machines in a data center only, but do not consider the energy consumption in communication network in the data center. However, the energy consumption in the communication network in a data center is not trivial, and therefore should be considered in the virtual machine placement in order to make the data center more energy-efficient. In this paper, we propose a genetic algorithm for a new virtual machine placement problem that considers the energy consumption in both the servers and the communication network in the data center. Experimental results show that the genetic algorithm performs well when tackling test problems of different kinds, and scales up well when the problem size increases.

Wind-energy based path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles using Markov decision processes

Exploiting wind-energy is one possible way to extend flight duration for Unmanned Arial Vehicles. Wind-energy can also be used to minimise energy consumption for a planned path. In this paper, we consider uncertain time-varying wind fields and plan a path through them. A Gaussian distribution is used to determine uncertainty in the Time-varying wind fields. We use Markov Decision Process to plan a path based upon the uncertainty of Gaussian distribution. Simulation results that compare the direct line of flight between start and target point and our planned path for energy consumption and time of travel are presented. The result is a robust path using the most visited cell while sampling the Gaussian distribution of the wind field in each cell.

Long term transmission planning to meet renewable energy targets in Australia

Australia is rich in renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Geographical diversity of these renewable resources combined with developing climate change policies poses a great challenge for the long term interconnection planning. Intermittency of wind and solar potentially driving the development of new transmission lines bring additional complexity to power system operations and planning. This paper provides an overview of generation and transmission planning studies in Australia to meet 20% renewable energy target by 2020. Appraisal of the effectiveness of dispersed energy storage, non schedulable peaking plants, wide area controls and demand management techniques to aid the penetration of renewables is presented in this paper

Security constrained economic dispatch considering wind energy conversion systems

The available wind power is stochastic and requires appropriate tools in the OPF model for economic and reliable power system operation. This paper exhibit the OPF formulation with factors involved in the intermittency of wind power. Weibull distribution is adopted to find the stochastic wind speed and power distribution. The reserve requirement is evaluated based on the wind distribution and risk of under/over estimation of the wind power. In addition, the Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) is represented by Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) based wind farms. The reactive power capability for DFIG based wind farm is also analyzed. The study is performed on IEEE-30 bus system with wind farm located at different buses and with different wind profiles. Also the reactive power capacity to be installed in the wind farm to maintain a satisfactory voltage profile under the various wind flow scenario is demonstrated.

Introduction : creative industries and cities

The 2000s were marked by a resurgence of interest in creativity and cities. If the rapid global proliferation of the Internet and digital media technologies in the 1990s had set off enthusiasm for a post-industrial ‘new economy’, where the significance of location would be in decline, the 2000s saw an energetic search by artists, entrepreneurs, investors, policy-makers, journalists and many others to uncover the well-springs of creativity and its relationship to place (Flew 2012a). This chapter begins with a discussion of the discourses or ‘scripts’ that have emerged to try and conceptualise the relationship between creativity and cities, notably theories of creative clusters, creative cities and creative class theories. Such work can be seen as representing a growth in the field of cultural economic geography although – as is noted in the chapter – it possesses some significant gaps. Among the issues that are drawn out in this book, and discussed in this chapter, are: the need to move beyond ‘imagined geographies’ of creative inner cities and come to terms with empirical evidence that suggests significant concentrations of the creative workforce in suburbs and regional cities; the relevance of urban cultural policy as a variable in the rise of cities as creative hubs or, in a different model, media capitals; and the challenges of bringing together cultural research with economic discourses in ways that get beyond caricatured representations of the ‘other’, as found, for instance, in some of the most influential framings of the concept of neo-liberalism.

The impacts of power outages on the residents of contemporary multistorey apartment buildings in subtropical environments

With significant population growth experienced in South East Queensland over the past two decades and a high rate of growth expected to continue in coming decades, the Queensland Government is promoting urban consolidation planning policies to manage growth sustainably. Multi-residential buildings will play an important role in facilitating the increased densities which urban consolidation policies imply. However, a major flood event in January 2011 has brought to light the vulnerability of certain types of multi-residential typologies to power outages. The crisis conditions exposed how contemporary building design and construction practices, coupled with regulatory and planning issues, appear to have compromised the resilience and habitability of multi-storey residential buildings. In the greater urban area of Brisbane, Queensland, the debilitating dependence that certain types of apartment buildings have on mains electricity was highlighted by residents’ experiences of the Brisbane River flood disaster, before, during and after the event. This research examined high density residential buildings in West End, Brisbane, an inner city suburb which was severely affected by the flood and is earmarked for significant urban densification under the Brisbane City Plan. Medium-to-high-density residential buildings in the suburb were mapped in flooded and non-flooded locations and a database containing information about the buildings was created. Parameters included date of construction, number of storeys, systems of access and circulation, and potential for access to natural light and ventilation for habitable areas. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents involved in the owners’ management committees of several buildings to verify information the mapping could not provide. The interviews identified a number of critical systems failures due to power outage which had a significant impact on residents’ wellbeing, comfort and safety. Building services such as lifts, running water, fire alarms, security systems and air-conditioning ceased to operate when power was disconnected to neighbourhoods and buildings in anticipation of rising flood waters. Lack of access to buildings and dwellings, lack of safety, lack of building security, and lack of thermal comfort affected many residents whether or not their buildings were actually subjected to inundation, with some buildings rendered uninhabitable for a prolonged period. The extent of the impact on residents was dramatically influenced by the scale and type of building inhabited, with those dwelling in buildings under a 25m height limit, with a single lift, found to be most affected. The energy-dependency and strong trend of increasing power demands of high-rise buildings is well-documented. Extended electricity outages such as the one brought about by the 2011 flood in Queensland are likely to happen more frequently than the 50-year average of the flood event itself. Electricity blackouts can result from a number of man-made or natural causes, including shortages caused by demand exceeding supply. This paper highlights the vulnerability of energy-dependent buildings to power outages and investigates options for energy security for occupants of multi-storey buildings and makes recommendations to increase resilience and general liveability in multi-residential buildings in the subtropics through design modifications.

Supporting research at QUT : a tale of three librarians and a Creative Industries super-faculty

In 2012 the existing eight disciplines of Creative Industries Faculty, QUT combined with the School of Design (formerly a component of the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering) to create a super faculty that includes the following disciplines: Architecture, Creative Writing & Literary Studies, Dance, Drama, Fashion, Film & Television, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Journalism, Media & Communication, Landscape Architecture, Music & Sound and Urban Design. The university’s research training unit AIRS (Advanced Information Retrieval Skills) is a systematic introduction to research level information literacies. It is currently being redesigned to reflect today’s new data intensive research environment and facilitate the capacity for life-long learning. Upon completion participants are expected to be able to: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the theory of advanced search and evaluative strategies to efficiently yield appropriate resources to create original research. 2. Apply appropriate data management strategies to organise and utilize your information proficiently, ethically and legally. 3. Identify strategies to ensure best practice in the use of information sources, information technologies, information access tools and investigative methods. All Creative Industries Faculty research students must complete this unit into which CI Librarians teach discipline specific material. The library employs a team of research specific experts as well as Liaison Librarians for each faculty. Together they develop and deliver a generic research training program that provides researcher training in the following areas: Managing Research Data, QUT ePrints: New features for tracking your research impact, Tracking Research Impact, Research Students and the Library: Overview of Library Research Support Services, Technologies for Research Collaboration, Open Access Publishing, Greater Impact via Creative Commons Licence, CAMBIA - Navigating the patent literature, Uploading Publications to QUT ePrints Workshop, AIRS for supervisors, Finding Existing Research Data, Keeping up to date:Discovering and managing current awareness information and Getting Published. In 2011 Creative Industries initiated a new faculty specific research training program to promote capacity building for research within their Faculty, with workshops designed and developed with Faculty Research Leaders, The Office of Research and Liaison Librarians. “Show me the money” which assists staff to pursue alternative funding sources was one such session that was well attended and generated much discussion and interest. Drop in support sessions for ePrints, EndNote referencing software and Tracking Research Impact for the Creative Industries were also popular options on the menu. Liaison Librarians continue to provide one-on-one consultations with individual researchers as requested. This service assists Librarians greatly with getting to know and monitoring their researchers’ changing needs. The CI Faculty has enlisted two Research Leaders, one for each of the two Schools (Design and Media, Entertainment & Creative Arts) whose role it is to mentor newer research staff. Similarly within the CI library liaison team one librarian is assigned the role of Research Coordinator, whose responsibility it is to be the primary liaison with the Assistant Dean, Research and other key Faculty research managers and is the one most likely to attend Faculty committees and meetings relating to research support.

The ECOS green buildings project : data dramatization, visualization and manipulation

Buildings are key mediators between human activity and the environment around them, but details of energy usage and activity in buildings is often poorly communicated and understood. ECOS is an Eco-Visualization project that aims to contextualize the energy generation and consumption of a green building in a variety of different climates. The ECOS project is being developed for a large public interactive space installed in the new Science and Engineering Centre of the Queensland University of Technology that is dedicated to delivering interactive science education content to the public. This paper focuses on how design can develop ICT solutions from large data sets to create meaningful engagement with environmental data.

Walking the Coleridge Way : using cultural tourism to change perceptions of Somerset after the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001

This paper explores one of the ways in which the Somerset region in the United Kingdom, devastated by the foot and mouth epidemic in 2001, is trying to free itself from recurring negative representations and create more positive images of the area. After the epidemic projects were sought that would promote a more positive image and draw tourists back to the area. One of these projects drew on literary tourism to reinvigorate the site. A Walking and Bridle trail called the ‘Coleridge Way Walk’ has been implemented to take the images of the area from ones of disease and dirtiness to ones of Romantic longing. The Coleridge Way Walk uses past imaginings to re-energise the area. This energy, in part, comes from ‘re-imagining’ the site through past imaginings. The Coleridge Way Walk uses the past to create future direction for the once tainted area.

Evaluation of the luminous environment in open-plan offices with skylights

High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging was used to collect luminance information at workstations in 2 open-plan office buildings in Queensland, Australia: one lit by skylights, vertical windows and electric light, and another by skylights and electric light. This paper compares illuminance and luminance data collected in these offices with occupant feedback to evaluate these open-plan environments based on available and emerging metrics for visual comfort and glare. This study highlights issues of daylighting quality and measurement specific to open plan spaces. The results demonstrate that overhead glare is a serious threat to user acceptance of skylights, and that electric and daylight integration and controls have a major impact on the perception of daylighting quality. With regards to measurement of visual comfort it was found that the Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) gave poor agreement with occupant reports of discomfort glare in open-plan spaces with skylights, and the CIE Glare Index (CGI) gave the best agreement. Horizontal and vertical illuminances gave no indication of visual comfort in these spaces.

An assessment tool for selection of appropriate daylighting solutions for buildings in tropical and subtropical regions : Validation using radiance simulation

A new decision-making tool that will assist designers in the selection of appropriate daylighting solutions for buildings in tropical locations has been previously proposed by the authors. Through an evaluation matrix that prioritizes the parameters that best respond to the needs of tropical climates (e.g. reducing solar gain and protection from glare) the tool determines the most appropriate devices for specific climate and building inputs. The tool is effective in demonstrating the broad benefits and limitations of the different daylight strategies for buildings in the tropics. However for thorough analysis and calibration of the tool, validation is necessary. This paper presents a first step in the validation process. RADIANCE simulations were conducted to compare simulation performance with the performance predicted by the tool. To this end, an office building case study in subtropical Brisbane, Australia, and five different daylighting devices including openings, light guiding systems and light transport systems were simulated. Illuminance, light uniformity, daylight penetration and glare analysis were assessed for each device. The results indicate the tool can appropriately rank and recommend daylighting strategies based on specific building inputs for tropical and subtropical regions, making it a useful resource for designers.

Daylighting performance of subtropical multi-residential towers : simulations tools for design decisions

During an intensive design-led workshop multidisciplinary design teams examined options for a sustainable multi-residential tower on an inner urban site in Brisbane (Australia). The main aim was to demonstrate the key principles of daylight to every habitable room and cross-ventilation to every apartment in the subtropical climate while responding to acceptable yield and price points. The four conceptual design proposals demonstrated a wide range of outcomes, with buildings ranging from 15 to 30 storeys. Daylight Factor (DF), view to the outside, and the avoidance of direct sunlight were the only quantitative and qualitative performance metrics used to implement daylighting to the proposed buildings during the charrette. This paper further assesses the daylighting performance of the four conceptual designs by utilizing Climate-based daylight modeling (CBDM), specifically Daylight Autonomy (DA) and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI). Results show that UDI 100-2000lux calculations provide more useful information on the daylighting design than DF. The percentage of the space with a UDI <100-2000lux larger than 50% ranged from 77% to 86% of the time for active occupant behaviour (occupancy from 6am to 6pm). The paper also highlights the architectural features that mostly affect daylighting design in subtropical climates.

Building envelope : performance optimisation processes for a daylight responsive architecture

Traditional shading design principles guide the vertical and horizontal orientation of fins, louvres and awnings being applied to orthogonal planar façades. Due to doubly curved envelopes characterising many contemporary designs, these rules of thumb are now not always applicable. Operable blinds attempt to regulate the fluctuating luminance of daylight and aid in shading direct sunlight. Mostly they remain closed, as workers are commonly too preoccupied to continually adjust them so a reliance on electrically powered lights remains a preference. To remedy these problems, the idea of what it is to sustainable enclose space is reconsidered through the geometric and kinetic optimisation of a parametric skin, with sunlight responsive modules that regulate interior light levels. This research concludes with an optimised design and also defines some unique metrics to gauge the design’s performance in terms of, the amount of exterior unobstructed view, its ability to shade direct sunlight and, its daylight glare probability.

Learning processes in creative industries initiatives in developing countries : an examination of policy and practice

What does a dance group in Benin that mixes contemporary and ethnic dancing have in common with Mongolian felt producers that want to enter the design market in Europe? These are both examples of learning processes in Creative Industries initiatives in developing countries. Following the concept of sustainable development, I argue that the challenge for developing countries in contemporary society is to meet the very real need of people for economic development and opportunities for income generation, while at the same time avoiding unintended and unwanted consequences of economic development and globalisation. The concept of the Creative Industries may be a way to promote a development that is sustainable and avoids social exclusion of groups-at-risk. In line with this, I argue that the Creative Industries sector could, in fact, link economic development and the continuation and evolution of local traditions and cultural heritage. A pressing question then is: how can education and learning contribute to creating a context in which talent can flourish? This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the research problem of this thesis: what elements are conducive for individual learning processes in creative development initiatives? In this, I argue that it is crucial to determine what ingredients and characteristics contribute to making these initiatives successful, that is, to meet their specific goals, in a developing context. This is explored through a staged analysis: an overview of quantitative data, an inventory and comparative case studies and, finally, the description and analysis of two in-depth case studies – felt design in Mongolia (Asia) and dance in Benin (Africa), in which I was an observer of the action phase of the local interventions. The analysis culminates in practice-related outcomes related to the operation of creative development initiatives, as well as the contribution to the academic debate on issues like the cultural gap between developed and developing countries, transformative learning and the connection of learning spaces.