Jean Pierre Belaud

Collaborative simulation and scientific big data analysis: Illustration for sustainability in natural hazards management and chemical process engineering

Classical approaches for remote visualization and collaboration used in Computer-Aided Design and Engineering (CAD/E) applications are no longer appropriate due to the increasing amount of data generated, especially using standard networks. We introduce a lightweight and computing platform for scientific simulation, collaboration in engineering, 3D visualization and big data management. This ICT based platform provides scientists an easy-to-integrate generic tool, thus enabling worldwide collaboration and remote processing for any kind of data. The service-oriented architecture is based on the cloud computing paradigm and relies on standard internet technologies to be efficient on a large panel of networks and clients. In this paper, we discuss the need of innovations in (i) pre and post processing visualization services, (ii) 3D large scientific data set scalable compression and transmission methods, (iii) collaborative virtual environments, and (iv) collaboration in multi-domains of CAD/E. We propose our open platform for collaborative simulation and scientific big data analysis. This platform is now available as an open project with all core components licensed under LGPL V2.1. We provide two examples of usage of the platform in CAD/E for sustainability engineering from one academic application and one industrial case study. Firstly, we consider chemical process engineering showing the development of a domain specific service. With the rise of global warming issues and with growing importance granted to sustainable development, chemical process engineering has turned to think more and more environmentally. Indeed, the chemical engineer has now taken into account not only the engineering and economic criteria of the process, but also its environmental and social performances. Secondly, an example of natural hazards management illustrates the efficiency of our approach for remote collaboration that involves big data exchange and analysis between distant locations. Finally we underline the platform benefits and we open our platform through next activities in innovation techniques and inventive design.

Chemical enterprise model and decision-making framework for sustainable chemical product design

The chemical product substitution process is undertaken by chemical industries for complying with regulations, like REACH in Europe. Initially devoted to chemists, chemicals substitution is nowadays a complex process involving corporate, business and engineering stakeholders across the chemical enterprise for orienting the search toward a sustainable solution. We formalize a decision making process framework dedicated to the sustainable chemical product design activity in an industrial context. The framework aims at improving the sharing of information and knowledge and at enabling a collaborative work across the chemical enterprise stakeholders at the strategic, tactical and operational levels. It is supported by information and communication technologies (ICT) and integrates a computer aided molecular design tool. During the initial intelligence phase, a systemic analysis of the needs and usages enables to define the product requirements. In the design phase, they are compiled with the help of a facilitator to generate the input file of a computer aided product design tool. This multiobjective tool is designed to find mixtures with molecular fragments issued from renewable raw materials, and is able to handle environment-health and safety related properties along with process physicochemical properties. The final choice phase discusses the solution relevancy and provides feedback, before launching the product manufacturing. The framework is illustrated by the search of a bio-sourced water-solvent mixture formulation for lithographic blanket wash used in printing industry. The sustainability of the solution is assessed by using the sustainability shades method.

A pivotal-based approach for enterprise business process and IS integration

A company must be able to describe and react against any endogenous or exogenous event. Such flexibility can be achieved through business process management (BPM). Nevertheless a BPM approach highlights complex relations between business and IT domains. A non-alignment is exposed between heterogeneous models: this is the ‘business-IT gap’ as described in the literature. Through concepts from business engineering and information systems driven by models and IT, we define a generic approach ensuring multi-view consistency. Its role is to maintain and provide all information related to the structure and semantic of models. Allowing the full return of a transformed model in the sense of reverse engineering, our platform enables synchronisation between analysis model and implementation model.

Computer aided product design tool for sustainable product development

A computer aided product design (CAPD) tool is proposed that finds mixtures matching target properties. Genetic algorithm crossover and mutation operators are completed with insertion or deletion operators adapted for side branches. A new substitution operator is devised for cyclic molecules. The mixture fitness is evaluated by a weighted sum of property performances. Molecules are represented by molecular graphs. They are split into molecular fragments which are built from polyatomic groups. Molecules or molecular fragments can be fixed, constrained or left free for building a new molecule. Building blocks are chemical functional groups or bio-sourced synthons. A specific coding of hydrogen-suppressed atoms is devised that can be used with various property estimation models where atom connectivity information is required. Illustration is provided through three case studies to find levulinic, glycerol and bio-based derivatives as substitute for chlorinated paraffin, methyl p-coumarate ester solvent and blanket wash solvent, respectively.

Towards a pivotal-based approach for business process alignment

This article focuses on business process engineering, especially on alignment between business analysis and implementation. Through a business process management approach, different transformations interfere with process models in order to make them executable. To keep the consistency of process model from business model to IT model, we propose a pivotal metamodel-centric methodology. It aims at keeping or giving all requisite structural and semantic data needed to perform such transformations without loss of information. Through this we can ensure the alignment between business and IT. This article describes the concept of pivotal metamodel and proposes a methodology using such an approach. In addition, we present an example and the resulting benefits.

Collaboration Framework for TRIZ-Based Open Computer-Aided Innovation

In the current industrial context, there is an increasing interest in the collective resolution of creative problems during the conceptual design phase. With collaboration, companies can expect to facilitate aggregation of multi-intelligence and knowledge for the proposal of new inventive solutions. Recent advances in theoretical approaches to innovation management as well as in information and communication technologies provide a more structured knowledge-driven environment for inventors, designers, and engineers. As a result, a new category of tools known as computer-aided innovation (CAI) is emerging, with the goal of assisting designers in their creative performance and of effectively implementing a complete innovation process. This chapter proposes a next evolutionary step for CAI, arising from two major recent developments: one coming from the advances in information and communication technology possibilities commonly referred to as “Web 2.0” and the other coming from a strategic paradigm shift from closed to open innovation. To go further, in this work we introduce an information-based software framework to collaborate for inventive problem solving. This framework proposes the implementation of techniques from the collective intelligence research field in combination with the systematic methods provided by the TRIZ theory. While collective intelligence focuses on the intelligent behavior that emerges in collaborative work, the TRIZ theory concentrates its attention in the individual capacity to solve problems systematically. The framework’s objective is to improve the individual creativity provided by the TRIZ methods and tools, with the value created by the collective contributions. This contribution highlights the importance of knowledge acquisition, capitalization, and reuse as well as the problem formulation and resolution in collaboration.

Management of «Systematic Innovation»: A kind of quest for the Holy Grail!

In this paper, authors propose a contribution for improving the open innovation processes. It shows the necessity to get an efficient methodology for open innovation in order to build a computer aided tool for inventive design in Process Systems Engineering (PSE). The proposed methodology will be evocated to be fully used in the context of the “revolutionary” concepts around the so-called factory for the future, also called integrated digital factory, innovative factory… As a result the main contribution of this paper is to propose a software prototype for an Open Computer Aided Innovation 2.0. By definition this open innovation relies on collaboration. This collaboration should enable a community, with a very broad spectrum of skills, to share data, information, knowledge and ideas. As a consequence, a first sub objective is to create a methodological framework that takes advantages of collaboration and collective intelligence (with its capacity to join intelligence and knowledge). Furthermore, the raise of the digital company and more particularly the breakthroughs in information technologies is a powerful enabler to extend and improve the potential of collective intelligence. The second sub objective is to propose a problem resolution process to impel creativity of expert but also to develop, validate and select innovative solutions. After dealing with the importance of Process Innovation and Problem solving investigation in PSE, the proposed approach originally based on an extension of the TRIZ theory (Russian acronym for Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), has been improved by using approach such as case-based reasoning, in order to tackle and revisit problems encountered in the PSE. A case study on biomass is used to illustrate the capabilities of the methodology and the tool.