Author supplied: Teaching software architecture (SA) in a bachelor computer science curriculum can be challenging, as the concepts are on a high abstraction level and not easy to grasp for students. Good techniques and tools that help with addressing the challenging SA aspects in a didactically responsible way are needed. In this tool demo we show how we used the software architecture compliance checking tool HUSACCT for addressing various concepts of SA in our courses on software architecture. The students were introduced to architectural reconstruction and architecture compliance checking, which helped them to gain important insights in aspects such as the relation between architectural models and code and the specification of dependency relations between architecture elements as concrete rules.
Author Supplied: In the last decades, architecture has emerged as a discipline in the domain of Information Technology (IT). A well-accepted definition of architecture is from ISO/IEC 42010: "The fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its components, their relationships to each other and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution." Currently, many levels and types of architecture in the domain of IT have been defined. We have scoped our work to two types of architecture: enterprise architecture and software architecture. IT architecture work is demanding and challenging and includes, inter alia, identifying architectural significant requirements (functional and non-functional), designing and selecting solutions for these requirements, and ensuring that the solutions are implemented according to the architectural design. To reflect on the quality of architecture work, we have taken ISO/IEC 8402 as a starting point. It defines quality as "the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated requirements". We consider architecture work to be of high quality, when it is effective; when it answers stated requirements. Although IT Architecture has been introduced in many organizations, the elaboration does not always proceed without problems. In the domain of enterprise architecture, most practices are still in the early stages of maturity with, for example, low scores on the focus areas ‘Development of architecture’ and ‘Monitoring’ (of the implementation activities). In the domain of software architecture, problems of the same kind are observed. For instance, architecture designs are frequently poor and incomplete, while architecture compliance checking is performed in practice on a limited scale only. With our work, we intend to contribute to the advancement of architecture in the domain of IT and the effectiveness of architecture work by means of the development and improvement of supporting instruments and tools. In line with this intention, the main research question of this thesis is: How can the effectiveness of IT architecture work be evaluated and improved?
Enterprise Architecture has been developed in order to optimize the alignment between business needs and the (rapidly changing) possibilities of information technology. But do organizations indeed benefit from the application of Enterprise Architecture according to those who are in any way involved in architecture? To answer this question, a model has been developed (the Enterprise Architecture Value Framework) to organize the benefits of Enterprise Architecture. Based on this model, a survey has been conducted among the various types of stakeholders of Enterprise Architecture, such as architects, project managers, developers and business or IT managers. In the survey the respondents were asked to what extent they perceive various benefits of Enterprise Architecture in their organization. The results of this survey (with 287 fully completed responses) are analyzed and presented in this paper. In all categories of the framework benefits are perceived, though to different extent. Very few benefits are perceived in relation to the external orientation of the organization. Few statistically significant correlations were found in relation to the background of the respondents: the overall view on benefits of Enterprise Architecture appeared independent of the role of the respondents, the economic sector and the number of years of experience with architecture.
The specific objective of HyScaling is to achieve a 25-30% cost reduction for levelized cost of hydrogen. This cost reduction will be achieved in 2030 when the HyScaling innovations have been fully implemented. HyScaling develops novel hardware (such as stacks & cell components), low-cost manufacturing processes, optimized integrated system designs and advanced operating and control strategies. In addition to the goal of accelerating implementation of hydrogen to decarbonize energy-intensive industry, HyScaling is built around industrial partners who are aiming to build a business on the HyScaling innovations. These include novel components for electrolysers (from catalysts to membranes, from electrode architectures to novel coatings) as well as electrolyser stacks and systems for different applications. For some innovations (e.g. a coating from IonBond, an electrode design from Veco) the consortium aims at starting commercialisation before the end of the program. A unique characteristic of the HyScaling program is the orientation on Use Cases. In addition to partners representing the Dutch manufacturing industry, end-users and technology providers are partner in the consortium. This enables the consortium to develop the electrolyser technology specifically for different applications. In order to be able to come to an assessment of the market for electrolysers and components, the use cases also include decentralized energy systems.Projectpartners:Nouryon, Tejin, Danieli Corus, VDL, Hauzer, VECO, lonbond, Fluor, Frames, Magneto, VONK, Borit, Delft IMP, ZEF, MTSA, SALD, Dotx control, Hydron Energy, MX, Polymers, VSL, Fraunhofer IPT, TNO, TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, ISPT, FMC.
Brandweermensen lopen het meeste gevaar als ze onder tijdsdruk een gebouw moeten verkennen, of een brand moeten blussen terwijl de situatie nog niet goed kan worden overzien. Omvallende muren, instortende plafonds of gewoon gestruikeld over door de rook onzichtbare brokstukken leiden tot vermijdbare letsels of zelfs slachtoffers. Met name de inzet bij branden in stedelijke parkeergarages onder woontorens vormen een enorm risico. Het inzetten van onbemande, op afstand bestuurbare voertuigen voor verkenning en bluswerk is een oplossing die binnen de brandweer breed wordt gedragen. De brandweer moet deze innovatieve technologie echter zien te omarmen. Zij werken nu vanuit hun intuïtie en weten direct hoe te acteren op basis van wat zij waarnemen. Praktijkgericht onderzoek heeft echter uitgewezen dat scepsis over de inzet van blusplatforms bij incidenten plaats heeft gemaakt voor zeker vertrouwen. Een blusplatform, voorzien van juiste sensoren kan de Officier van Dienst (OVD) ondersteunen bij het nemen van een beslissing om al dan niet tot een ‘aanval’ over te gaan. Praktijktesten hebben echter laten zien dat de huidige blusplatforms nog niet optimaal functioneren om als volwaardig ‘teamlid’ te kunnen worden ingezet. Dit heeft enerzijds met technologische ontwikkelingen (sensoren en communicatieverbindingen) te maken, maar anderzijds moet de informatievoorziening (human-machine interfacing) naar de brandweer beter worden afgestemd. In dit project gaan Saxion, het instituut fysieke veiligheid, de universiteit Twente, het bedrijfsleven en vijf veiligheidsregio’s onderzoeken hoe en wanneer innovatieve blusplatforms op een intuïtieve manier kunnen worden ingezet door training én (kleine) productaanpassing zodat deze een volwaardig onderdeel kunnen zijn van het brandweerkorps. Een blusplatform kan letselschade en slachtoffers voorkomen, mits goed ingezet en vertrouwd door de mensen die daarvan afhankelijk zijn. Het vak van brandweer, als beroeps of vrijwilliger, is een van de gevaarlijkste die er is. Laten we er samen voor zorgen dat het iets veiliger kan worden.
