Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

"The American Public Works Administration (1987) states that communities' infrastructures are in need of repair and better management and recommends CATIS (Computer-Assisted Terraspatial Information Systems) as an excellent tool to assist in that endeavor. Small communities have several voids that CATIS technology can fill. This research reports on a life-cycle approach to CATIS adoption that will help small communities to better manage their infrastructure.

It is important for small communities to become aware of the types of systems available and what each system can do. This study presents a straightforward, understandable discussion of CATIS technologies, features, and applications. Justifying the purchase should be done before selecting the system to purchase, and seems best accomplished by using Cost-Benefit Analysis that incorporates economic and non-economic benefits. Implementation issues should be thoroughly understood before purchasing a system. It is important that the organization is ready for the changes brought on by adopting a new technology.

Selecting an appropriate CATIS software package can be difficult, so this research explored an artificial intelligence-based system in great detail as a means of assisting in selection. A heuristic, multi-attribute additive utility technique (MAUT) for software selection was programmed into a computer using expert system development tools. Through a literature review, this research found that the important objectives in the MAUT for CATIS software selection are: Technical Requirements, Vendor Qualities, Functional Requirements, and System Price.

This research demonstrated that using a postal questionnaire for knowledge acquisition for an expert system is feasible. This research also demonstrated that using a postal questionnaire for expert system validation is feasible. The expert system model correctly selected CATIS software and performed equal to domain experts. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated the necessity of carefully selecting the attributes and assigning appropriate values to these attributes"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Benjamin, Colin Othniel
Schmidt, Peter J.

Committee Member(s)

Omurtag, Yildirim
Kluczny, Raymond Michael
Minor, Joseph E.
Kincaid, John B.

Department(s)

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Engineering Management

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

Summer 1991

Pagination

xiv, 368 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 354-367).

Rights

© 1991 Steven Wayne McCrary, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 6244

Print OCLC #

25699052

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