Academic literature on the topic 'Data warehousing Australia Case studies'

Demand forecasting has a pivotal role in making informed business decisions by predicting future sales using historical data. Traditionally, demand forecasting has been widely used in the management of production, staffing and warehousing for sales and marketing data. However, the use of demand forecasting has little been studied in the container shipping industry. Improved visibility into the demand for container shipments has been a long-held objective of industry stakeholders. This paper addresses the shortcomings of both short-term and long-term shipment demand forecasting for the Australian container shipping industry. In this study, we compare three forecasting models, namely, the seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average (SARIMA), Holt–Winters’ seasonal method and Facebook’s Prophet, to find the best fitting model for short-term and long-term import demand forecasting in the Australian shipping industry. Demand data from three years, i.e., 2016–2018, is used for the Asia–Oceania trade lane. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean squared error (RMSE) and 2-fold walk-forward cross-validation are used for the model evaluation. The experiment results observed from the selected metrics suggest that Prophet outperforms the other models in its comparison for container shipment demand forecasting.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore warehouse configuration in omni-channel retailing. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study is conducted with six large omni-channel retailers from three different sectors. Findings The study shows an increase in the number, variation and frequency of flows passing through omni-channel warehouses. Along with an increased variety of stock keeping units (including singles vs multipacks), there is an increase in the complexity of planning and coordination of order fulfillment. Retailers test a mix of different solutions for storage and picking and partly shift focus to advanced sorting operations. The companies already have or plan to invest in substantial automation systems, which emphasize the importance of capturing and using accurate master data. Research limitations/implications The study highlights the need to understand the interrelations and co-development of configuration elements in omni-channel warehousing. The findings also suggest that a successful transformation requires increased collaboration with upstream and downstream partners. Conceptual models are developed to illustrate strategies and development paths in omni-channel warehousing, and suggestions for future research are summarized in a research agenda. A research limitation is the focus on Swedish retailers in three sectors (fashion, consumer electronics and DIY/construction material). Future studies can include additional sectors, extend the geographical scope and explore cross-regional differences. Practical implications As one of the few deeper case studies on omni-channel warehousing, practitioners will find new configurations described and analyzed here. Along with conceptual models, a synthesis of challenges and potential solutions are presented to support retailers’ practical analysis and decision making. Originality/value This is one of the first multiple case studies that go deeper into omni-channel warehouse configuration, which is of increasing importance to both scholars and practitioners in the field.

Purpose – Logisticians in the worldwide industry are frequently faced with the problem of measuring the total cost of holding inventories with simple and easy-to-use methodologies. The purpose of this paper is to look at the problem, and in particular illustrate the inventory holding cost rate computation, when different kind of warehousing systems are applied. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study analysis is here developed and supported by a methodological framework directly derived from the working group discussions and brainstorming activities. Two different field of application are considered: one related to five companies with manual warehousing systems operating with traditional fork lift trucks; the other is among five companies operating with automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/RS) to store inventories. Findings – The multi-case study helps to understand how the holding cost parameter is currently computed by industrial managers and how much the difference between manual and automated/automatic warehousing systems impacts on the inventory cost structure definition. The insights from the ten case studies provide evidence that the kind of storage system adopted inside the factory can impact on the holding cost rate computation and permit to derive important considerations. Practical implications – The final aim of this work is to help industrial engineers and logisticians in correctly understanding the inventory costs involved in their systems and their cost structure. In addition, the multi-case analysis leads to considerations, to be applied in different industrial contexts. As other industrial applications are identified, they may be analyzed by using the presented methodology, and with aid from the data from this paper. Originality/value – The relevance of this work is to help industrial engineers and logisticians in understanding correctly the inventory costs involved in their logistics systems and their cost structure. In addition, the multi-case analysis lead to interesting final considerations, easily to be applied in different industrial contexts. As other industrial applications are identified, they may be analyzed by using the methodology and extrapolating the data from this paper.

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify all evidence about the prevalence and severity of clinically measured caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults in Australia published in peer-reviewed journals and to summarise trends over time. In addition, we examined whether the studies investigated associations between putative risk factors and levels of caries and periodontal disease. Methods PubMed was searched in September 2014, with no date limitations, for published peer-reviewed articles reporting the prevalence rates and/or severity of caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults living in Australia. Articles were excluded if measurement was not based on clinical assessment and if oral disease was reported only in a specific or targeted sample, and not the general population. Results The search identified 18 papers (reporting on 10 primary studies) that met the inclusion criteria. The studies published clinical data about dental caries and/or periodontal disease in Australian Indigenous adults. The studies reported on oral health for Indigenous adults living in rural (40%), urban (10%) and both urban and rural (50%) locations. Included studies showed that virtually all Indigenous adults living in rural locations had periodontal disease. The data also showed caries prevalence ranged from 46% to 93%. Although 10 studies were identified, the peer-reviewed literature was extremely limited and no published studies were identified that provided statistics for a significant proportion of Australia (Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory). There were also inconsistencies in how the data were reported between studies, making comparisons difficult. Conclusions This review highlights a lack of robust and contemporary data to inform the development of policies and programs to address the disparities in oral health in Indigenous populations living in many parts of Australia. What is known about the topic? Many studies report that Indigenous people in Australia have poorer general health compared with non-Indigenous people. What does this paper add? This paper documents the available caries and periodontal disease prevalence and experience for Indigenous adults in Australia published in peer-reviewed journals. It demonstrates significant limitations in the data, including no data in several large Australian jurisdictions, inconsistency with reporting methods and most data available being for Indigenous adults living in rural locations. Therefore, the oral health data available in the peer-reviewed literature do not reflect the situation of all Indigenous people living in Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for oral health practitioners to have access to current and relevant statistics on the oral health of Indigenous Australians. However, we have highlighted significant evidence gaps for this population group within the peer-reviewed literature and identified the limitations of the available data upon which decisions are currently being made. This paper also identifies ways to capture and report oral health data in the future to enable more meaningful comparisons and relevance for use in policy development.

In qualitative methods, there are various approaches that can be used to answer particular social questions, for example ethnography and case study. Two studies conducted by different researchers in China and Australia using these approaches were described and analysed in order to find out their similarities and differences in terms of philosophical and methodological perspectives, in the hope that it will provide an insightful contribution to a critical review of ethnography and case study reports. It is found that the ethnograpic study in China was clasiffied in ethnographic fieldwork, whereas the case study conducted in Australia was categorised in explanatory, multi-cases study. Furthermore, these two studies produced different knowledge within the field of education. The first study revealed that basic education were related to literacy, numeracy, and cultural characteristics of China, whereas the study conducted in Australia offered statistical data that can be used to explain minority languages maintenance program in Wollongong-Shellharbour. In relation to their methodoligal practices, however, focus group discussion and interview conducted in Zhejiang Province, China produced irrelevant data and those had been held in Wollongong, Australia, had limited participants.

The determination of the Islamic calendar is paramount in Islam because it strongly relates to worship, like Ramadan fasting, eid-al-fitr, and zakat fitr. Many studies have examined young moon visibility criteria in many Muslim countries, such as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Singapore. However, no study on the initiation of the Islamic month has been conducted in Australia, a Muslim-minority country with middle-eastern immigrants seeking jobs. One of Australia's most trusted organizations to announce the start of Hijri month is Moonsighting Australia. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the determination of the Islamic calendar by Moonsighting Australia organization based on factors such as method, matla, rukyat time, hilāl visibility, and resistors (1 Dzulhijjah 1441 H). A descriptive study with a qualitative approach used literature reviews, content analysis, and case studies. Primary data were taken from a decision letter from Moonsighting Australia about the start of Dzulhijjah 1441 H, interviews with the coordinator, and relevant references. The findings showed that Moonsighting Australia applies a rukyat method by the naked eye - without any optical aids and hilāl visibility criteria consideration - every 29th of Hijri month. Also, it tunes the concept of matla wilayat al hukmi, where the sighting process and result are implemented throughout Australia’s territory. Keywords: Australia, Dzulhijjah, Hijri, Islamic Month, Moonsighting.

Sixteen wireless case studies highlight issues relating to mobile commerce in Australia. The issues include: the need for a clear business case; difficulty of achieving critical mass and acceptance of a new service; training and technical issues, as well as staff acceptance issues; that privacy and security issues arise through the potential to track the location of people and through the amounts of personal data collected; difficulties in integrating with existing back-end systems; projects being affected by changes to legislation, or requiring changes to the law; and that while there is potential for mobile phone operators to develop new billing methods that become new models for issuing credit, they are not covered by existing credit laws. We have placed the case studies in a Fit-Viability framework and analyzed the issues according to key success criteria. While many organizations are keen to use the technology, they are struggling to find a compelling business case for adoption and that without a strong business case projects are unlikely to progress past the pilot stage.

Two major collecting institutions in Australia, the Australian Museum (Sydney) and Museums Victoria (Melbourne), are currently undertaking large-scale anoxic rehousing projects in their collections to control conservation issues caused by pyrite oxidation. This paper will highlight the successes and challenges of the rehousing projects at both institutions, which have collaborated on developing strategies to mitigate loss to their collections. In 2017, Museums Victoria Conservation undertook a survey with an Oxybaby M+ Gas Analyser to assess the oxygen levels in all their existing anoxic microclimates before launching a program to replace failed microclimates and expand the number of specimens housed in anoxic storage. This project included a literature review of current conservation materials and techniques associated with anoxic storage, and informed the selection of the RP System oxygen scavenger and Escal Neo barrier film from Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company as the best-practice products to use for this application. Conservation at the Australian Museum in Sydney was notified of wide-scale pyrite decay in the Palaeontology and Mineral collections. It was noted that many of the old high-barrier film enclosures, done more than ten years ago, were showing signs of failing. None of the Palaeontology specimens had ever been placed in microclimates. After consultation with Museums Victoria and Collection staff, a similar pathway used by Museums Victoria was adopted. Because of the scale of the rehousing project, standardized custom boxes were made, making the construction of hundreds of boxes easier. It is hoped that new products, like the tube-style Escal film, will extend the life of this rehousing project. Enclosures are being tested at the Australian Museum with a digital oxygen meter. Pyrite rehousing projects highlight the loss of Collection materials and data brought about by the inherent properties of some specimens. The steps undertaken to mitigate or reduce the levels of corrosion are linked to the preservation of both the specimens and the data kept with them (paper labels). These projects benefited from the collaboration of Natural Sciences conservators in Australia with Geosciences collections staff. Natural Science is a relatively recent specialization for the Australian conservation profession and it is important to build resources and capacity for conservators to care for these collections. This applied knowledge has already been passed on to other regions in Australia.

This paper presents a new approach to content-based image retrieval by using dynamic indexing and guided search in a hierarchical structure, and extending data mining and data warehousing techniques. The proposed algorithms include a wavelet-based scheme for multiple image feature extraction, the extension of a conventional data warehouse and an image database to an image data warehouse for dynamic image indexing. It also provides an image data schema for hierarchical image representation and dynamic image indexing, a statistically based feature selection scheme to achieve flexible similarity measures, and a feature component code to facilitate query processing and guide the search for the best matching. A series of case studies are reported, which include a wavelet-based image color hierarchy, classification of satellite images, tropical cyclone pattern recognition, and personal identification using multi-level palmprint and face features. Experimental results confirm that the new approach is feasible for content-based image retrieval.

Whilst technology use has always been a part of the practice of health care delivery, more recently, information technology has been applied to aspects of clinical work concerned with documentation. This thesis presents an analysis of the ways that two professional groups, one clinical and one ancillary, at a single hospital cooperatively engage in a work practice that has recently been computerised. It investigates the way that a clinical group???s approach to and actual use of the system creates problems for the ancillary group. It understands these problems to arise from the contrasting ways that the groups position their use of documentation technology in their local definitions of professional status. The data on which analysis of these practices is based includes 16 hours of video recordings of the work practices of the two groups as they engage with the technology in their local work settings as well as video recordings of a reflexive viewing session conducted with participants from the ancillary group. Also included in the analysis are observational field notes, interviews and documentary analysis. The analysis aimed to produce a set of themes grounded in the specifics of the data, and drew on TLSTranscription?? software for the management and classification of video data. This thesis seeks to contribute to three research fields: health informatics, sociology of professions and social science research methodology. In terms of health informatics, this thesis argues for the necessity for health care information technology design to understand and incorporate the work practices of all professional groups who will be involved in using the technology system or whose work will be affected by its introduction. In terms of the sociology of professions, this thesis finds doctors and scientists to belong to two distinct occupational communities that each utilise documentation technology to different extents in their displays of professional competence. Thirdly, in terms of social science research methodology, this thesis speculates about the possibility for viewing the engagement of the groups with the research process as indicative of their reactions to future sources of outside perturbance to their work.

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Porosity is one of the main determining factors of the prospectivity of geothermal regions and can be estimated in a number of ways from geophysical surveys. The objective of this work was to better understand the link between porosity, permeability and electrical resistivity through Archie's law. This was achieved by comparing porosity values derived from magnetotelluric (MT) data with those derived from density measurements taken in a petroleum borehole. Two case studies were used and are located in north-eastern South Australia. The outcomes of these studies will help to minimise exploration risk by proving the effectiveness of MT as a primary survey of geothermal regions. This study provides a stepping stone to understand the ways in which permeability can be determined from MT surveys in order to better quantify expected fluid flow rates in geothermal prospects.
Thesis (B.Sc.(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2012

This research investigated the potential benefits, risks and challenges, innovation properties and viability of cloud computing for records management on an Australian organisation within the mining software development sector. This research involved the use of a case study results analysis as well as a literature analysis. The literature analysis identified the ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. It further identified aspects, which needed to be addressed when adopting cloud computing in order to promote innovation within an organisation. The case study analysis was compared against a literature review of ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. This was done in order to determine cloud computing’s viability for records management for Company X (The company in the case study). Cloud computing was found to be viable for Company X. However, there were certain aspects, which need to be discussed and clarified with the cloud service provider beforehand in order to mitigate possible risks and compliance issues. It is also recommended that a cloud service provider who complies with international standards, such as ISO 15489, be selected. The viability of cloud computing for organisations similar to Company X (mining software development) followed a related path. These organisations need to ensure that the service provider is compliant with laws in their local jurisdiction, such as Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Australia, 2011:14-15), as well as laws where their data (in the cloud) may be hosted. The benefits, risks and challenges of records management and cloud computing are applicable to these similar organisations. However, mitigation of these risks needs to be discussed with a cloud service provider beforehand. From an innovation perspective, cloud computing is able to promote innovation within an organisation, if certain antecedents are dealt with. Furthermore, if cloud computing is successfully adopted then it should promote innovation within organisations.
Information Science
M. Inf.

Monitoring is integral to all aspects of policy and management for threatened biodiversity. It is fundamental to assessing the conservation status and trends of listed species and ecological communities. Monitoring data can be used to diagnose the causes of decline, to measure management effectiveness and to report on investment. It is also a valuable public engagement tool. Yet in Australia, monitoring threatened biodiversity is not always optimally managed. Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities aims to improve the standard of monitoring for Australia's threatened biodiversity. It gathers insights from some of the most experienced managers and scientists involved with monitoring programs for threatened species and ecological communities in Australia, and evaluates current monitoring programs, establishing a baseline against which the quality of future monitoring activity can be managed. Case studies provide examples of practical pathways to improve the quality of biodiversity monitoring, and guidelines to improve future programs are proposed. This book will benefit scientists, conservation managers, policy makers and those with an interest in threatened species monitoring and management. Joint recipient of the 2018 Whitley Certificate of Commendation for Conservation Zoology

All federal systems face an internal tension between divisive and integrative political forces, striking a balance between providing local autonomy and representation on one hand and maintaining an integrated political community on the other hand. How multi-level systems strike this balance depends on the development of styles of either integrated politics, which creates a shared framework for political competition across the units of a federation, or independent politics, preserving highly autonomous arenas of political life. This book argues that the long-term development of integrated or independent styles of politics in multi-level systems can be shaped by two key elements of federal institutional design: the degree of fiscal decentralization, or how much is ‘at stake’ at each level of government, and the degree to which the allocation of policy jurisdiction creates legislative or administrative interdependence or autonomy. These elements of federal institutional design shape integrated and independent politics at the level of party organizations, party systems, and voter behaviour. This book tests these arguments using a mixed-method approach, drawing on original survey data from 250 subnational party leaders and aggregate electoral data from over 2,200 subnational elections in seven multi-level systems: Canada, the United States, Australia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain. It supplements this with configurational analysis and qualitative case studies.

Abstract Adequate wastewater treatment in low to medium income cities worldwide has largely been a failure despite decades of funding. The still dominant end-of-pipe paradigm of treatment for surface water discharge, focusing principally on removal of organic matter, has not addressed the well-published problems of pathogen and nutrient release with continued contamination of surface waters. This book incorporates the new paradigm of integrated wastewater management for valorization without surface water discharge using waste stabilization pond systems and wastewater reservoirs. In this paradigm the purpose of treatment is to protect health by reducing pathogens to produce an effluent that is valorized for its fertilizer and water value for agriculture and aquaculture. Methane production as a sustainable energy source is also considered for those applications where it is appropriate. Emphasis is on sustainable engineering solutions for low to medium income cities worldwide. Chapters present the theory of design, followed by design procedures, example design problems, and case study examples with data, diagrams and photos of operating systems. Excel spreadsheets and the FAO program CLIMWAT/CROPWAT are included in examples throughout. Sections on engineering practice include technical training, operation and maintenance requirements, construction and sustainability. The book incorporates design and operating data and case studies from Africa, Australia, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand, and the US, including studies that have been published in French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The book is designed for upper-division and graduate level engineering students, practicing engineers, regulatory professionals who help establish and enforce effluent standards, international development professionals, and policy stakeholders. ISBN: 9781789061529 (paperback) ISBN: 9781789061536 (eBook) ISBN: 9781789061543 (ePUB)

This volume is the first to provide a comprehensive cross-linguistic overview of an understudied typological phenomenon, the clause-level argument-like behaviour of internal possessors. In some languages, adnominal possessors—or a subset thereof—figure more prominently than expected in the phrase-external syntax, by controlling predicate agreement and/or acting as a switch-reference pivot in same-subject relations. There is no independent evidence that such possessors are external to the possessive phrase or that they assume head status within it. This creates a puzzle for virtually all syntactic theories, as it is generally believed that agreement and switch-reference target phrasal heads rather than dependents. Following an introduction to the typology of the phenomenon and an overview of possible syntactic analyses, chapters in the volume offer more focussed case studies from a wide range of languages spoken in the Americas, Eurasia, South Asia, and Australia. The contributions are largely based on novel data collected by the authors and present thorough discussions of the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic properties of prominent internal possessors in the relevant languages. The volume will be of interest to researchers and students from graduate level upwards in the fields of comparative linguistics, syntax, typology, and semantics.

AbstractAs the Australian government has legislated for a ‘News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code’ to compel Google and Facebook to pay for news content, platform regulation in Australia has prompted a heated discussion worldwide. Questionable business practices have incited issues such as anti-competition behaviour, online harms, disinformation, algorithmic advertising, trade of data, privacy breaches and so on. Consequently, these technology tycoons are reinscribing industries and societies alike, posing a threat to digital democracy. This chapter examines how Facebook and WeChat are (or should be) regulated in Australia, the current regulatory frameworks, and the overall effectiveness of self-regulation. Through the lenses of comparative research, this study is focused on infrastructuralisation, techno-nationalism (censorship), and civil society (media diversity), to identify distinct features and common themes in platform regulation and explore possible solutions to regulating global platforms in Australia.

AbstractTechnologies concerning integrated water resources management, in general, and flood management, in particular, have recently undergone rapid developments. New smart technologies have been implemented in every relevant sector and include hydrological sensors, remote sensing, sensor networks, data integration, hydrodynamic simulation and visualization, decision support and early warning systems as well as the dissemination of information to decision-makers and the public. After providing a rough review of current developments, we demonstrate the operation of an advanced system with a special focus on an early warning system. Two case studies are covered in this chapter: one specific urban case located in the city of Parrametta in Australia in an area that shows similar flood characteristics to those found in arid or semiarid regions and one case regarding the countrywide Flash Flood Guidance System in Oman (OmanFFGS).

Data Warehousing and Analytics represent one of the foremost technologies that can be used by banks to obtain sustainable competitive advantage. Adopting the right implementation methodology is critical to ensure successful implementation. Alternate implementation methodologies, typical challenges in implementation and critical success factors apart from real life case studies are discussed here, as learning points to aid in successful implementations. Future proofing implementations is critical to avoid rework and hence some key emerging trends have also been discussed.

Internet companies are now in the second stage of evolution in which the emphasis is on building brands (Campman, 2001) and retaining customers rather than just transactions. There is also an imperative for multidimensional Web performance monitoring (Earls, 2005) and a continual fine-tuning of sites for optimal navigation, increased stickiness and transactional efficiency. Such research as the relationship between customer profiles and navigational characteristics (Garatti, Sergio, Sergio, & Broccab, 2004) and techniques for seamlessly aggregating Web data with corporate data (Wood & Ow, 2005) also testify to the importance of holistic data analysis for knowledge discovery. The technologies that are becoming critical in this fight for customer retention are data warehousing, data mining and customer relationship management. This article presents two case studies, one on data warehousing and the other on data mining, to draw some very specific lessons about management support, organizational commitment and overall implementation of such projects. These lessons complement past recommendations that these technologies are more about organization change (Kale, 2004), about a single unified view of the business and, ultimately about building a shared data model of the enterprise. We start with a brief overview of data warehousing and data mining. The two cases are discussed next, using a similar analytical structure to facilitate comparison among them. In the conclusion, we describe the key lessons learned from the two cases and implication

Diabetes is a disease worrying hundreds of millions of people around the world. In the USA, the population of diabetic patients is about 15.7 million (Breault et al., 2002). It is reported that the direct and indirect cost of diabetes in the USA is $132 billion (Diabetes Facts, 2004). Since there is no method that is able to eradicate diabetes, doctors are striving for ways to fight this doom. Researchers are trying to link the cause of diabetes with patients’ lifestyles, inheritance information, age, and so forth in order to get to the root of the problem. Due to the prevalence of a large number of responsible factors and the availability of historical data, data mining tools have been used to generate inference rules on the cause and effect of diabetes as well as to help in knowledge discovery in this area. The goal of this chapter is to explain the different steps involved in mining diabetes data and to show, using case studies, how data mining has been carried out for detection and diagnosis of diabetes in Hong Kong, USA, Poland, and Singapore.

Data Warehousing and Analytics represent one of the foremost technologies that can be used by banks to obtain sustainable competitive advantage. Adopting the right implementation methodology is critical to ensure successful implementation. Alternate implementation methodologies, typical challenges in implementation and critical success factors apart from real life case studies are discussed here, as learning points to aid in successful implementations. Future proofing implementations is critical to avoid rework and hence some key emerging trends have also been discussed.

Mobility data became an important paradigm for computing performed in various areas. Mobility data is considered as a core revealing the trace of mobile objects displacements. While each area presents a different optic of trajectory, they aim to support mobility data with domain knowledge. Semantic annotations may offer a common model for trajectories. Ontology design patterns seem to be promising solutions to define such trajectory related pattern. They appear more suitable for the annotation of multiperspective data than the only use of ontologies. The trajectory ontology design pattern will be used as a semantic layer for trajectory data warehouses for the sake of analyzing instantaneous behaviors conducted by mobile entities. In this chapter, the authors propose a semantic approach for the semantic modeling of trajectory and trajectory data warehouses based on a trajectory ontology design pattern. They validate the proposal through real case studies dealing with behavior analysis and animal tracking case studies.

The nature of emerging business technologies, such automatic identification, and data capture innovations, such as smart cards, touch memory, and RFID, proves to be a difficult process to implement and achieve, despite recent efforts, even as implementation continues to lessen. The economy of scales associated with bar codes is a difficult barrier to overcome. Two Pittsburgh-based companies are showcased in this case study, namely Mobile Aspects, Inc., a recognized leader in the integration of RFID-related technologies in inventory management processes of large acute care, and Vocollect, Inc., which is especially noted for its voice-recognition software and small hardware platforms used in warehousing and partially automated inventory systems. The firms’ goals for implementing inventory management, specific inventory recommendations and changes, comparison of inventory management processes, selected measures to ensure the quality and security of data transmitted via RFID-based technologies, and lessons learned are discussed.

Abstract Mature fields already account for about 70% of the hydrocarbon liquids produced globally. Since the average recovery factor for oil fields is 30 to 35%, there is substantial quantities of remaining oil at stake. Conventional simulation-based development planning approaches are well established, but their implementation on large, complex mature oil fields remains challenging given their resource, time, and cost intensity. In addition, increased attention towards reduce carbon emissions makes the case for alternative, computationally-light techniques, as part of a global digitalisation drive, leveraging modern analytics and machine learning methods. This work describes a modern digital workflow to identify and quantify by-passed oil targets. The workflow leverages an innovative hybrid physics-guided data-driven, which generates historical phase saturation maps, forecasts future fluid movements and locate infill opportunities. As deliverables, a fully probabilistic production forecast is obtained for each drilling location, as a function of the well type, its geometry, and position in the field. The new workflow can unlock remaining potential of mature fields in a shorter time-frame and generally very cost-effectively compared to the advanced dynamic reservoir modelling and history-match workflows. Over the last 5 years, this workflow has been applied to more than 30 mature oil fields in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Three case studies’ examples and application environments of applied digital workflow are described in this paper. This study demonstrates that it is now possible to deliver digitalized locating the remaining oil projects, capturing the full uncertainty ranges, including leveraging complex multi-vintage spatial 4D datasets, providing reliable non-simulation physics-compliant data-driven production forecasts within weeks.

Abstract Modern hydraulic fracture treatments rely heavily on the implementation of formation property details such as in-situ stresses and rock mechanical properties, in order to optimize stimulation designs for specific reservoir targets. Log derived strain and strength calibrated in-situ properties provide critical description of stress variations in different lithologies and at varying depths. From a practical standpoint however, most of the hydraulic fracture simulators that are used for fracturing treatment design purposes today can accommodate only a limited portion of a geologic-based rock mechanical property characterization which targets optimal data integration thus resulting in complexity. By using examples from hydraulic fracture stimulations of coals in a complex but well characterized stress environment (Surat Basin, Eastern Australia) we distil out the reservoir rock related input parameters that are determinants of hydraulic fracture designs and identify those that are not immediately used. In order to understand the impact on improving future fracture stimulation designs, the authors present workflows such as pressure history matching of fracture stimulation treatments and the calibration process of key rock mechanical parameters such as Poisson's ratio, Young's modulus, and fracture toughness. The authors also present examples to discuss synergies, discrepancies and gaps that currently exist between ‘geologic’ geomechanical concepts (i.e. variations in the geometry and magnitude of stress tensors and their interaction with pre-existing anisotropies) in contrast to the geomechanical descriptions and concepts that are used and implemented in hydraulic fracturing stimulations. In the absence of a unifying hydraulic fracture design that honors well established geologic complexity, various scenarios that allow assessing the criticality, usefulness and weighting of geologic/mechanical property input parameters that reflect critical reservoir complexity, whilst maintaining applicability to hydraulic fracturing theory, are presented in the paper. Ultimately it remains paramount to constrain as many critical variables as realistically and uniquely possible. Significant emphasis is placed on reservoir-specific pre-job data acquisition and post-job analysis. The approach presented in this paper can be used to refine hydraulic fracture treatment designs in similar complex reservoirs worldwide.

In order to properly design the mooring and offloading equipment, and assess the availability of Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) units during the engineering phase, TechnipFMC has paid a particular attention to the operability prediction of LNG offloading operations. For the FLNG projects currently under construction, the chosen offloading solution is the Marine Loading Arms (MLA) technology with the LNG carrier (LNGC) moored in side-by-side (SBS) configuration. In this paper, an improved methodology using Monte Carlo simulations is proposed to create a representative sample of a typical hindcast for North West Australia, assuming the case of a 147,000 m3 LNGC moored side-by-side to a TechnipFMC in-house design FLNG. It is shown that the random sampling is very well suited for large number of dimensions implied by the driving parameters (e.g. significant height, peak period, relative heading) of multiple wave partitions. In a second step, different multidimensional scattered data interpolation techniques are evaluated in order to further improve the accuracy. Since this would not be practical in time-domain and because the objective for this study is to compare the sampling and interpolation techniques to a benchmark on the whole hindcast, the vessels’ motions and SBS offloading operability are calculated in frequency-domain. The conclusions could also be applied to time-domain simulations. The paper also presents the sensitivity studies to the different interpolation methods and their key parameters and discusses the suitability of the proposed solutions.

People’s lives have been severely disrupted by COVID-19, with high numbers in hospitals and many deaths after the initial outbreak in China. If the efforts of many statistics educators were fulfilled to increase the number of statistically literate citizens who can make evidence-based decisions based on accurate data, we may have had lower infection and death rates. Unfortunately, the data is rather unreliable, especially with the use of self-testing and reporting. In this paper, we assert that statistics requires context to quantify risk. We present data and a summary of developments in Australia and England with the hope that case studies can be developed for students to understand risk better.

As global agricultural production methods and supply chains have become more digitised, farmers around the world are adopting digital AgTech such as drones, Internet of Things (IoT), remote sensors, blockchain, and satellite imagery to inform their on-farm decision-making. While early adopters and technology advocates globally are spruiking and realising the benefits of digital AgTech, many Australian farmers are reluctant or unable to participate fully in the digital economy. This is an important issue, as the Australian Government has said that digital farming is essential to meeting its target of agriculture being a $100billion industry by 2030. Most studies of AgTech adoption focus on individual-level barriers, yielding well-documented issues such as access to digital connectivity, availability of AgTech suppliers, non-use of ICTs, and cost-benefit for farmers. In contrast, our project took an ‘ecosystems’ approach to study cotton farmers in the Darling Downs region in Queensland, Australia who are installing water sensors, satellite imagery, and IoT plant probes to generate data to be aggregated on a dashboard to inform decision-making. We asked our farmers to map their local ecosystem, and then set up interviewing different stakeholders (such technology providers, agronomists, and suppliers) to understand how community-level orientations to digital agriculture enabled and constrained on-farm adoption. We identified human factors of digital AgTech adoption at the macro, regional and farm levels, with a pronounced ‘data divide’ between farm and community level stakeholders within the ecosystem. This ‘data divide’ is characterised by a capability gap between the provision of the devices and software that generate data by technology companies, and the ability of farmers to manage, implement, use, and maintain them effectively and independently. In the Condamine Plains project, farmers were willing and determined to learn new, advanced digital and data literacy skills. Other farmers in different circumstances may not see value in such an undertaking or have the necessary support to take full advantage of the technologies once they are implemented. Moreover, there did not seem to be a willingness or capacity in the rest of the ecosystem to fill this gap. The work raises questions about the type and level of new, digital expertise farmers need to attain in the transition to digital farming, and what interventions are necessary to address the significant barriers to adoption and effective use that remain in rural communities. By holistically considering how macro- and micro-level factors may be combined with community-level influences, this study provides a more complete and holistic account of the contextualised factors that drive or undermine digital AgTech adoption on farms in rural communities. This report provides insights and evidence to inform strategies for rural ecosystems to transition farms to meet the requirements and opportunities of Agriculture 4.0 in Australia and abroad.

Background Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death worldwide.(1) It is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia (12,741 cases diagnosed in 2018) and the leading cause of cancer death.(2) The number of years of potential life lost to lung cancer in Australia is estimated to be 58,450, similar to that of colorectal and breast cancer combined.(3) While tobacco control strategies are most effective for disease prevention in the general population, early detection via low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening in high-risk populations is a viable option for detecting asymptomatic disease in current (13%) and former (24%) Australian smokers.(4) The purpose of this Evidence Check review is to identify and analyse existing and emerging evidence for LDCT lung cancer screening in high-risk individuals to guide future program and policy planning. Evidence Check questions This review aimed to address the following questions: 1. What is the evidence for the effectiveness of lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? 2. What is the evidence of potential harms from lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? 3. What are the main components of recent major lung cancer screening programs or trials? 4. What is the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening programs (include studies of cost–utility)? Summary of methods The authors searched the peer-reviewed literature across three databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Embase) for existing systematic reviews and original studies published between 1 January 2009 and 8 August 2019. Fifteen systematic reviews (of which 8 were contemporary) and 64 original publications met the inclusion criteria set across the four questions. Key findings Question 1: What is the evidence for the effectiveness of lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? There is sufficient evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of combined (pooled) data from screening trials (of high-risk individuals) to indicate that LDCT examination is clinically effective in reducing lung cancer mortality. In 2011, the landmark National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST, a large-scale randomised controlled trial [RCT] conducted in the US) reported a 20% (95% CI 6.8% – 26.7%; P=0.004) relative reduction in mortality among long-term heavy smokers over three rounds of annual screening. High-risk eligibility criteria was defined as people aged 55–74 years with a smoking history of ≥30 pack-years (years in which a smoker has consumed 20-plus cigarettes each day) and, for former smokers, ≥30 pack-years and have quit within the past 15 years.(5) All-cause mortality was reduced by 6.7% (95% CI, 1.2% – 13.6%; P=0.02). Initial data from the second landmark RCT, the NEderlands-Leuvens Longkanker Screenings ONderzoek (known as the NELSON trial), have found an even greater reduction of 26% (95% CI, 9% – 41%) in lung cancer mortality, with full trial results yet to be published.(6, 7) Pooled analyses, including several smaller-scale European LDCT screening trials insufficiently powered in their own right, collectively demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in lung cancer mortality (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73–0.91).(8) Despite the reduction in all-cause mortality found in the NLST, pooled analyses of seven trials found no statistically significant difference in all-cause mortality (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90–1.00).(8) However, cancer-specific mortality is currently the most relevant outcome in cancer screening trials. These seven trials demonstrated a significantly greater proportion of early stage cancers in LDCT groups compared with controls (RR 2.08, 95% CI 1.43–3.03). Thus, when considering results across mortality outcomes and early stage cancers diagnosed, LDCT screening is considered to be clinically effective. Question 2: What is the evidence of potential harms from lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? The harms of LDCT lung cancer screening include false positive tests and the consequences of unnecessary invasive follow-up procedures for conditions that are eventually diagnosed as benign. While LDCT screening leads to an increased frequency of invasive procedures, it does not result in greater mortality soon after an invasive procedure (in trial settings when compared with the control arm).(8) Overdiagnosis, exposure to radiation, psychological distress and an impact on quality of life are other known harms. Systematic review evidence indicates the benefits of LDCT screening are likely to outweigh the harms. The potential harms are likely to be reduced as refinements are made to LDCT screening protocols through: i) the application of risk predication models (e.g. the PLCOm2012), which enable a more accurate selection of the high-risk population through the use of specific criteria (beyond age and smoking history); ii) the use of nodule management algorithms (e.g. Lung-RADS, PanCan), which assist in the diagnostic evaluation of screen-detected nodules and cancers (e.g. more precise volumetric assessment of nodules); and, iii) more judicious selection of patients for invasive procedures. Recent evidence suggests a positive LDCT result may transiently increase psychological distress but does not have long-term adverse effects on psychological distress or health-related quality of life (HRQoL). With regards to smoking cessation, there is no evidence to suggest screening participation invokes a false sense of assurance in smokers, nor a reduction in motivation to quit. The NELSON and Danish trials found no difference in smoking cessation rates between LDCT screening and control groups. Higher net cessation rates, compared with general population, suggest those who participate in screening trials may already be motivated to quit. Question 3: What are the main components of recent major lung cancer screening programs or trials? There are no systematic reviews that capture the main components of recent major lung cancer screening trials and programs. We extracted evidence from original studies and clinical guidance documents and organised this into key groups to form a concise set of components for potential implementation of a national lung cancer screening program in Australia: 1. Identifying the high-risk population: recruitment, eligibility, selection and referral 2. Educating the public, people at high risk and healthcare providers; this includes creating awareness of lung cancer, the benefits and harms of LDCT screening, and shared decision-making 3. Components necessary for health services to deliver a screening program: a. Planning phase: e.g. human resources to coordinate the program, electronic data systems that integrate medical records information and link to an established national registry b. Implementation phase: e.g. human and technological resources required to conduct LDCT examinations, interpretation of reports and communication of results to participants c. Monitoring and evaluation phase: e.g. monitoring outcomes across patients, radiological reporting, compliance with established standards and a quality assurance program 4. Data reporting and research, e.g. audit and feedback to multidisciplinary teams, reporting outcomes to enhance international research into LDCT screening 5. Incorporation of smoking cessation interventions, e.g. specific programs designed for LDCT screening or referral to existing community or hospital-based services that deliver cessation interventions. Most original studies are single-institution evaluations that contain descriptive data about the processes required to establish and implement a high-risk population-based screening program. Across all studies there is a consistent message as to the challenges and complexities of establishing LDCT screening programs to attract people at high risk who will receive the greatest benefits from participation. With regards to smoking cessation, evidence from one systematic review indicates the optimal strategy for incorporating smoking cessation interventions into a LDCT screening program is unclear. There is widespread agreement that LDCT screening attendance presents a ‘teachable moment’ for cessation advice, especially among those people who receive a positive scan result. Smoking cessation is an area of significant research investment; for instance, eight US-based clinical trials are now underway that aim to address how best to design and deliver cessation programs within large-scale LDCT screening programs.(9) Question 4: What is the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening programs (include studies of cost–utility)? Assessing the value or cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening involves a complex interplay of factors including data on effectiveness and costs, and institutional context. A key input is data about the effectiveness of potential and current screening programs with respect to case detection, and the likely outcomes of treating those cases sooner (in the presence of LDCT screening) as opposed to later (in the absence of LDCT screening). Evidence about the cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening programs has been summarised in two systematic reviews. We identified a further 13 studies—five modelling studies, one discrete choice experiment and seven articles—that used a variety of methods to assess cost-effectiveness. Three modelling studies indicated LDCT screening was cost-effective in the settings of the US and Europe. Two studies—one from Australia and one from New Zealand—reported LDCT screening would not be cost-effective using NLST-like protocols. We anticipate that, following the full publication of the NELSON trial, cost-effectiveness studies will likely be updated with new data that reduce uncertainty about factors that influence modelling outcomes, including the findings of indeterminate nodules. Gaps in the evidence There is a large and accessible body of evidence as to the effectiveness (Q1) and harms (Q2) of LDCT screening for lung cancer. Nevertheless, there are significant gaps in the evidence about the program components that are required to implement an effective LDCT screening program (Q3). Questions about LDCT screening acceptability and feasibility were not explicitly included in the scope. However, as the evidence is based primarily on US programs and UK pilot studies, the relevance to the local setting requires careful consideration. The Queensland Lung Cancer Screening Study provides feasibility data about clinical aspects of LDCT screening but little about program design. The International Lung Screening Trial is still in the recruitment phase and findings are not yet available for inclusion in this Evidence Check. The Australian Population Based Screening Framework was developed to “inform decision-makers on the key issues to be considered when assessing potential screening programs in Australia”.(10) As the Framework is specific to population-based, rather than high-risk, screening programs, there is a lack of clarity about transferability of criteria. However, the Framework criteria do stipulate that a screening program must be acceptable to “important subgroups such as target participants who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from disadvantaged groups and people with a disability”.(10) An extensive search of the literature highlighted that there is very little information about the acceptability of LDCT screening to these population groups in Australia. Yet they are part of the high-risk population.(10) There are also considerable gaps in the evidence about the cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening in different settings, including Australia. The evidence base in this area is rapidly evolving and is likely to include new data from the NELSON trial and incorporate data about the costs of targeted- and immuno-therapies as these treatments become more widely available in Australia.

This publication explores how natural language processing (NLP) techniques can be applied to social media text data to map public sentiment and inform development research and policy making. The publication introduces the foundations of natural language analyses and showcases studies that have applied NLP techniques to make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. It also reviews specific NLP techniques and concepts, supported by two case studies. The first case study analyzes public sentiments on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Philippines while the second case study explores the public debate on climate change in Australia.