Agile

    JournalofSystemsScienceandInformation

    2007,Vo1.5,No.3,PP.257—267

    PublishedbyResearchInformationLtd(RIL),UK

    AgileTransportationBasedonC3I2InformationFusion

    ZhiyongLfi,XinpinYang,YihuiYu,HanminZu,JianshuCao

    1.EngineeringCenterWaterway&HighwayTrafficSafetyControlandEquipment,State

    EducationMinistry;WuhanUniversity0{TechnologyIWuhan430063lChina 2.WuhanRailwayVocationalCollegeofTechnology,Wuhan430063,China

    (ReceivedJuly6,2006)

    Abstract:ThroughtheAgilityofAgileTransportationkeyconceptandtheC.I. modeofinformationfusion,therealizationmechanismofAgileTransportationiStobe discussedforanalyzinginfluenceofwhichtheideaofmultilateralvirtualallianceworks onAgilityoftransportationenterprise.Byresearchontheagiletransportationbased onnetworkinformationfusion,middlelayersarereduced,andthepyramidmanagement modeistransformedtoflatmanagementmode.Themodernlogistictechnologyisusedto enhancetheabilityofmultilateralvirtualalliance--cooperationability,flexibledispatching abilityoflogisticnode,speedinesstransportationability,responseabilityoftransportation marketchange,tobecomeaccessible,integrated,efficient,offersflexibilityofchoices, convenienttransportationsystem.

    Keywords:agiletransportation,informationfusion

    1.GeneralIntroduction

    USTRANCOMhassetuptheDefenseTransportationSystemthatproposesthenotionofAgile

    Transportation.TransportationagilityisenhancedthroughtheC4I(Command,Control,Com-

munication,Computer&Intelligence)[,引

    SystemtoservetheUnitedStatesbyensuringafast,

    safe,efficient,accessibleandconvenienttransportationsystemthatmeetsthevitalnational interestsandenhancesthequalityoflifeoftheAmericanpeople,todayandinthefuture.Agile Transportationservesasthebasicligamentofmodernlogistiasaswellasthemainpurpose ofintelligenttransportation.Modernlogisticsandintelligenttransportationhasbecomemore

    andmorematurerecently,whilethestudyofAgileTransportationhasjustsprungupwith- outcompletetheoreticalsystem.Furtherprobesarerequiredfortheimplementingmeansand ThisprojectissupportedbytheNationalBasicResearchProgramofChina(2OO5CB7242O5)

258JournalofSystemsScienceandInformationVb1.5No.3

    approaches.TheessayputsforwardthatbasedonthemanagementmodeofC.I(Command, Control,Communication,Internet&Intelligence)multilateraldynamicallianceofenterprises

    shouldbebuiltbystartingfromthekeynotionofAgileTransportationAgilitysoastoreal- izeagiletransportation.ThemechanismandimplementmechanismofAgileTransportation arediscussedthroughInformation—

    combinedtheoreticalmethodtoanalyzetheinfluenceof

    multitatera1allianceontheagilityoftransportation.

    2.ElementsofAgileTransportationEnterprises

    2.1.KeyElementsofAgileEnterprises

    Withtherapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnologythatexpeditestheformationandgrowth

    ofglobalmarket,themarketcompetitionenvironmenthasthuskeptchangeableandunpr~ dictablewithmoreandmoretechnicalcontentandshorterandshorterlifespan.Therefore,how

    tofleetlyresDondthemarkethasbecomethecommongoalofenterprises[引.

    RickDove[](1994)

    proposedthatAgilityisakindofpowerthatmayhelponetomaintainandgraduallyenhance one'scompetitiveabilityintheunpredictableandchan~ngmarketenvironment.Dynamic Alliance,VirtualEnterprise,isaproposalborntomeetthisneed.ItreferstotheMliance composedbyseveralenterprisesthathavecomplementaryadvantagesinanswertothemarket

    opportunitythathasalreadyexistedorwillappear.Everymemberenterprisemakesfulluseof theiradvantagesorcorecompetitivenesssoastospeedilylaunchthenewproductwithlowcost andhighqualityandsharethecommonbenefitandrisksinacertainway.Tomeettheneedof themarket,thedynamicalliancewillexperienceachan~ngprocessfromcomingintobeingto dyingoutuntilanewallianceforms[.

    Throughjoiningthedynamicallianceenterprisesmay

    playouttheirownadvantagesandaccomplishproductionwiththeirowntechnicalbase.As soonastheneedofmarketvanishes,thealliancewillimmediatelydisaggregate. Agilityreflectsthecapabilityofenterprisestoadapttochanges.Anyenterprisethatintends torealizeanystrategictransfersuchaspolishedproductionandreengineeringcanbenefitfrom

    itchangeability.Ifanenterpriseisgoodatwinningcompetitiveadvantageoutofchanges,it willadapttothechangingandunpredictablebusinessenvironmentandwinthecompetition thatismainlythecompetitionofinformation.

    Fromtheangleofmanagement5variablesorelementscanbeusedtoindicatetheagility ofenterprises,namely,CommunicationConnectedness,InterOrganizationParticipation,Pro-

    ductionFlexibility,ManagementInvolvementandEmployeeEmpowermentJ.Communication

    Connectednessreferstotheinter-companyandorganizationcommunicationofagileenterprises,

    whichcomprisescommunicationtechnologyandcommunicationconduct.Interorganization

    participationreferstothetrans~companybusinessactivitiesofagileenterprises. Asforthemeasurementindexofagility,4indexes(cost,time,robustnessandscopeof

    change),canbeusedtocomprehensivelymeasuretheagilityofenterprises[.Thescopeof

LdZ.Y.e；n:.AgileTransportationBasedonC.I.InformationFusion259

    changeistheessenceofagility,whichisnottosetupaprocessaccordingtoregulatedneedscope,

    buttomaketheenterprisepossesstheorganizationwithRRScharacter,i.e.reconflgurable, reusableandscalable[41.

    Itisthecapabilityofaccomplishingchangingtasksinadvance,closely

    relatedwithinnovativeness.Thesefourindexesrestrainandrelatewitheachother.Agility mustbebalancedfromthefouraspects.Forinstance,speedychangeswithnocostrestriction aremeaningless;changesthatarenotrobustarenotpractica1.Thusthescopeofchangemust berelatedtoeffectivespeediness,administeringcostandsaferobustness. VirtualEnterprisecanalsobecalledenterprisedynamicalliance,thatisatimelimited mutua1benefitedcooperativeorganizationcomprisedwithtwoormoreenterprisestograsp marketopportunitieswith1owestcostandfastestreaction.Itoptimizesvariousproductive factors1ikehuman,organization,manufactureresourceandfund,whichcomesintobeingor diesoutwiththemarketopportunities.Dynamicallianceisdrivenbymarketopportunities. Whentheopportunitycomes.anagileenterprisemightimmediatelygraspitandthealliance memberswithitastheheadwillrespondaccordingly.Inordertoattainthegoalofbeing clear,integrated,effective,flexibleandmobile,itisnecessaryandpossiblefortransportation enterprisestosetupareconfigurable,reusableandscalablevirtualmultilateraldynamicalliance

    soastograspmarketopportunitieswiththelowestcostandspeedyreaction. 2.2.ConfigurationofAgileTransportation

    Takingagilemanufactureasthemodel,agiletransportationmanagementmodeofmultilateral

    dynamicvirtualenterpriseistobestudiedtoclarifythelegalrelationshipbetweenenterprises andestablishnewlegalrelationship.Throughinformationfusiontechnology,administrative levelsshouldbelessenedtoflattenthemanagementconfigurationofenterprises.Thesystem

isbuiltontheopeninformation—integratedflatinthemodeofnetoperation,whichsupports

    multilateraldynamicalliancebymeetingthefollowingrequirements.First,itistosupport theinformationmutual—

    operationbetweenenterprisestoguaranteetheconsistencyandsafety

    ofcompanionshipinformationandshieldtheisomerismofhardwareandsoftwareofcompan-

    ions.Second,theinteriorpoliciesofcompanionsareindependentlymaintained.Third,itisto supportthedynamiccreation,alterationanddissolutionofenterprises.Fourth,itistosup- portindividualenterprisetoparticipateseveralcompetingorganizations.Thepurposeliesin theguaranteeofseamlessjointtransferofgoodsbetweendifferenthoneyunitenterprisesand seamlessswitchofsystemsaccordingtocustomers'needs.

    Thecooperativeworkingsystemofdevicesandinstrumentsofmultilevelandmulti-group shouldbedeveloped.Deviceandnettechnologycanbeusedtosolvetheproblemofmanage- mentmultileve1.Thecooperativeworkingenvironmentinawiderrangecanberealizedwith theInternetsoastoprovidesynchronizedorsynchronizedcooperativeflatforenterprises.The

    intelligentdispatch,managementandintegrationofdistributedresource(intelligenceresource,

    humanresource,technologyresourceandequipmentresource1shouldbestudiedintheInternet

260JournalofSystemsScienceandInformationVo1.5NO.3

    environmenttoshareinformationandtechnology.Thefunctionofmultilevelandmulti—

    group

    cooperativeinformationmanagement(taskmanagement,cooperationmanagementandmember

    management)isofferedtoensuretheruleandstructureofinformationshareofnetmembers. Theinformationconnectionandsafetyguaranteeofrelativeenterprisesshouldalsobeoffered.

    Andthefunctionofvisitingcooperativeinformationisofferedtoo.

    DispatchL,ataJnl0Fl"I~n0n FusionofMultilateral

    Dccision—makingSystcm-_Jc酬mcam酬anccode.Di-ut.on.r--c

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    Fig.1Informationfusionandflattenedadministrativemodeofmultilateralalliancebasedonthe

    internet

    3.FrameworkofAgileTransportation

    AgileVirtualCompany(MultilateralDynamicAlliance)istobebuiltthroughtheInternet

LilZ.Y.e；0f.AgileTransportationBasedonC.IInformationFusion261

    toformtransportationsystemandsetupparallelprojectandsimulatedtransportationto realizethedispatchcommandandmanagementfromelsewhereinordertospeedilyrespond themarket.whichisindicatedbyfigure1.Thestrategyofagiletransportationisshown throughthecapabilityofthecompanyincludingvirtualenterprisestoreactfleetlytowardsthe changeofthecompetitionrulesoftransportationmarket,theappearanceofnewrivals,the alterationofnationalpoliciesandregulations,andthevariationofsocialforms.Theroutine operationofagiletransportationisshownthroughthereactingcapabilityofenterprisestowards

    theinfluentialdailychangeslikethecustomers'needofthespecificationandtransportation serviceofgoods,thetimerequirementofthedeliveryofgoods,problemsofproductquality, andequipmeritfailure.

    3.1.TechniqueSystemofMultilateralDynamicAlliance

    Highflexibleorganizationisadoptedwithintegratedanddistributedmanufactureresource toprovidefull—

    scalecommontechniqueforenterprisedynamicorganization,operationand management,projectarrangement,andtransportationflow.Themaincontentincludes: ?multilateraldynamicorganizationandmanagementtechnique

    ?dynamicalliancesystemespeciallyagiletransportationlegaldocument,balancemodeand dissolutionmode

    ?qualityandcostmanagementtechniqueofdynamicalliance

?combinationandoptimizationofdistributedtransportationresource

    ?modellingandsimulationofdynamicalliance

    ?speedyresponsivesystemofdynamicallianceinemergency

    Thepurposeofthesystemisthroughinformationfusiontechnologytolessenadministra- tivelevelsinordertoflattentheenterprisemanagementconfiguration.Thesystemisbuilt ontheopeninformation-integratedflatinthemodeofnetoperationtosupportmultilateral dynamicalliancebymeetingthefollowingrequirements.First,itistosupporttheinformation mutual—

    operationbetweenenterprisestoguaranteetheconsistencyandsafetyofcompanion- shipinformationandshieldtheisomerismofhardwareandsoftwareofcompanions.Second, theinteriorpoliciesofcompanionsareindependentlymaintained.Third,itistosupportthe dynamiccreation,alterationanddissolutionofenterprises.Fourth,itistosupportindividual enterprisetoparticipateseveralcompetingorganizations.Thepurposeliesintheguarantee ofseamlessjointtransferofgoodsbetweendifferentunitenterprisesandseamlessswitchof systemsaccordingtocustomers'needssoastosaveinformationcostintransportation? 3.2.AgileTransportationofMultilateralDynamicAllianceCanDissolveIsolated InformationIsland

    Variouskindsoftransportationresourceinthecourseoftransportationmustbedispatched flexiblyandoperatedeffectivelyaccordingtotheneedsofthesocietyandcustomerssoasto becomespecializedandformmultilateraldynamicalliance.CurrentlybecauseChinesetrans-

262JournalofSystemsScienceandInformationVo1.5No.3

    portationenterprisesindividuallydeveloptheirowninformationsystemthephenomenonof IsolatedInformationIslandiswidespread,whichhasledtothecharacterofhighrunningcost ofindividualtransportationenterprise.Therefore,thestudyofagiletransportationofmulti—

    lateraldynamicallianceishelpfultosolvetheaboveproblems.Transportationisacategoryin internationallogisticsindustrywiththedensestfundandhighestprofitmarginaswellasoneof themostimportantpartsinlogisticstechnology.Traditionaltransportationmanagementand operationislessandlesssuitablefortheneedofsocialdevelopment.Therefore,itisnecessary

tointroducenewmethodsfromelsewhereintothetransportationindustry.

    Multilateraldynamicallianceisamutualbeneficialorganization.Comparedwiththeinte- grationoftraditionalindividualenterprise,theintegrationofdynamicallianceenterprisemust

    solvetheinformationintegrationproblembetweenenterprisesbesidestheintegrationproblems

    causedbyappliedsystemisomerismordatasavingexpressionisomerisminsideenterprises.And

    itmustaccomplishthecombinationofallpartsinnotime.Therelationshipbetweendynamic allianceandallmemberenterprisesisafeedbackstructureindicatedbyfigure2.Enterprises areindependent,whichrequiresthedevelopmentofanopeninformation-integratedflatinthe modeofnetoperationtomeetthefollowingneeds.First,itistosupporttheinformation mutual-operationbetweenenterprisestoguaranteetheconsistencyandsafetyofcompanion. shipinformationandshieldtheisomerismofhardwareandsoftwareofcompanions.Second, theinteriorpoliciesofcompanionsareindependentlymaintained.Third,itistosupportthe dynamiccreation,alterationanddissolutionofenterprises.Fourth,itistosupportindividual enterprisetoparticipateseveralcompetingorganizations.Throughestablishingmultilateral dynamicalliance,thetransportationofgoods,informationandfundofallmemberscanbeac- complishedinthemultilateraldynamicallianceconstitution,whichissimilartoatime-bargain

    center.Andmultilateraldynamicallianceownsmorepowerfulfighttowardsenterprisesand selectingrighttowardsgoodsfluxaccordingtotheservicequalityrankofenterprises,orelse thealliancewouldbearealvirtualnothing.

    4.InformationFusionofAgileTransportation

    Informationfusionisaligamentofagiletransportation.Thankstothedevelopmentofcomputer

    networkandmoderncommunication,thespeedofinformationcirculationhasbeenincrease. Thepersonneldealingwithdatahasreducedsothatthemiddleligamentofmanagementhas beencuttoprovidetechnicalflatforagiletransportationfrompyramidmanagementmodeto flattenedmanagementmodeandeventowardsnetworkingmanagement.Thatistosay,much

    moremanagementworkwouldbeaccomplishedbycomputers.Itisaninevitabletrendfor futuretransportationtodevelopbyapplyingdataminingtechnology,datasensetechnology, datasensetechnologyandexpertsysteminagiletransportation.Thiskindofnetworkingflat managementisbasedoninformationfusion[】【9】.Becauseofmilitaryneed,C.I(Command,

L讧Z.Y.e；0AgileTransportationBasedonC.I.InformationFusion263

    Control,Communication,Information)originatedinmilitaryfieldintheU.S.atthebeginning

    of1970sandCI(Command,Control,Communication,Computers&Intelligence)commanding

    systemaftertheGu1f?r[10—13]areputforward.

    Inmilitarytextbooksinformationfusionis

    definedasamulti—levelandmulti—facetprocessof?