Technology & Engineering
Infrastructure
Infrastructure refers to the fundamental physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise. In the context of technology and engineering, it encompasses the essential components and systems that support the functioning of various technological processes and services. This can include networks, hardware, software, and other foundational resources.
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9 Key excerpts on "Infrastructure"
eBook - PDFResilience Engineering
Models and Analysis
- Nii O. Attoh-Okine(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
part ii Infrastructure SYSTEMS 2 Infrastructure Systems 2.1 Critical Infrastructure Infrastructure is defined as physical assets that are capable of an intended service delivery and comprised of rigid assets such as buildings, bridges, and roads and flexi- ble assets such as utilities and facilities related to water, sewage, and power. Critical Infrastructure spans across a number of key sectors including energy, finance, and information technology. An Infrastructure system is an integrated structured net- work of interdependent entities that aid in the service delivery capability of rigid and flexible assets. Infrastructure evolved with society and technology and is a major key in boost- ing both the economy and living standards of a population. Critical Infrastructure systems are therefore built to provide services and, in some cases, jobs for several gen- erations (National Research Council 2009). Critical Infrastructure is almost always subject to political and social pressures. The economic pressures in most cases result in delayed maintenance and rehabilitation. Recently, in the face of terrorists and other saboteurs, Infrastructures that symbolize a nation’s pride—for example, the Statue of Liberty—are also considered as critical Infrastructure (Chai et al. 2011). The Royal Academy of Engineering (2011) extensively discussed the meanings and principles of “smart structure.” It defined smart structure as a system that uses a feed loop of data, providing evidence about the state of the Infrastructure for effective maintenance and rehabilitation decision making. Therefore, the system can monitor, measure, analyze, communicate, and react based on information and data captured by multiple sensors.
- Dimitris N. Chorafas(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Professional survival requires new skills, and this means learning details of new and upcoming technologies (see Chapter 6). Professional magazines now provide in-depth design articles to further enhance knowledge of how new technologies can solve different challenges as well as the opposite: how different challenges can only be faced through new technologies. Coupled with faster time-to-market demands, the rapid pace of tech-nological development requires intensive life-long education to keep abreast of the latest knowledge and techniques. This is not a one-tantum event but a personal challenge; all indications are that it will be amplified in the years to come. Exactly the same principle applies to keeping up the Infrastructure on which the company depends for its survival. The Infrastructure provides, so to speak, an educational layer to the firm. Keeping up both personal skills and the facilities supported by the company’s Infrastructure is much more a cultural issue than a technical one. To better appreciate this statement, back to basics. The term infra-structure stands for all facilities, equipment, software, services, and sup-porting installations needed for the effective functioning of an organization. A utilities Infrastructure, for example, consists of transportation systems, communications systems, water networks, and power lines. The aftermath of the changing nature of an Infrastructure can be better visualized if cost-effectiveness is examined as an example. In principle, the lowest-cost method of moving bulk goods is by water. Therefore, throughout history nations put a high priority upon developing a system of navigable rivers and canals. But while water-borne freight was cheap, it was too slow for the Industrial Revolution. In the late 19th century practically all governments promoted the development of a nationwide system of railroads to move goods.
eBook - PDFInformation Technology and Organizational Transformation
History, Rhetoric and Preface
- JoAnne Yates, John Van Maanen, JoAnne Yates, John Van Maanen(Authors)
- 2000(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
Such talk may also obscure the nature of organizational change occasioned by information technology development. If we add these dimensions of Infrastructure to the dual and paradoxical nature of technology, our understanding deepens. In fact, the ambiguity and multiple meanings of usage marks any real functioning system. An infra-structure occurs when the tension between local and global is resolved. That is, an Infrastructure occurs when local practices are afforded by a larger scale technology, which can then be used in a natural, ready-to-hand fashion. It be-comes transparent as local variations are folded into organizational changes and becomes an unambiguous home—for somebody. This is not a physical location or a permanent one but rather a working relation—since no home is universal (Star 1996). 310 P R A C T I C E The empirical data for this chapter come from our work as ethnographers/ evaluators of a geographically dispersed virtual laboratory or collabora-tory system meant to link the work of over 1,400 biologists (Star 1991b). The system itself appeared differently to different groups; for some it was a set of digital publishing and information retrieval tools to sit upon already existing Infrastructure, for others it supported problem solving and informa-tion sharing, and for yet others it was a component of an established set of practices and infrastructural laboratory tools. The target users had vastly dif-fering resources and computing skills and relationships, and these in turn were sharply different from those of the designers. This development effort took place at a moment of rare, widespread infra-structural change. With the growth of the Internet and World Wide Web and their utility software (such as Mosaic, Netscape, Gopher, and WAIS), as well as the myriad of e-mail uses, electronic bulletin boards, and listservs, the boundaries of system implementation are embedded in the eye of an infor-mational and organizational hurricane of change.
- Aaron Pinnix, Axel Volmar, Fernando Esposito, Nora Binder, Aaron Pinnix, Axel Volmar, Fernando Esposito, Nora Binder(Authors)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- transcript Verlag(Publisher)
It is this tradition that coined the term “conceptual engineering,” and it is within this tradition that the structure as well as the problems of the method are explicitly investigated. The emphasized infrastruc- tural perspective on conceptual engineering serves two purposes. First, the infras- tructural perspective highlights the relevance and urgency of the method. Second, the infrastructural perspective allows us to understand why the method is of central importance not only to philosophy and science, but also with respect to the social and political domain. In section 2, we introduce the infrastructural perspective on conceptual engi- neering. In section 3, we give various examples of conceptual engineering and em- phasize its importance as a form of infrastructural maintenance. In section 4, we will give a (simplified) systematic analysis of the options within projects of concep- tual engineering and highlight some of its main problems as well as topics for future research. 1 Edouard Machery, Philosophy Within its Proper Bounds (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), 222. 76 Section II: Infrastructures and Communication Section 2. An Infrastructural Perspective on Conceptual Engineering An Infrastructure is a set of organizational units, rules, or facilities that are acciden- tally or deliberately designed and arranged to enable or facilitate the achievement of certain societal goals. An example of such a goal is the need to transport goods and people over long distances. A necessary means to achieve this goal is a certain physi- cal Infrastructure consisting of roads, bridges, tunnels, harbours, railways, etc., as well as an institutional Infrastructure consisting of traffic regulations, engineering offices, freight forwarding companies, driving schools, etc. Other needs and goals such as safety, health, knowledge, or education require different Infrastructures consisting (in part) of different units, rules, and facilities.
eBook - PDFHandbook of New Media
Student Edition
- Leah A Lievrouw, Sonia Livingstone, Leah A Lievrouw, Sonia Livingstone(Authors)
- 2005(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
Resources appear, too, as shared visions of the possible and acceptable dreams of the innovative, as techniques, knowledge, know-how, and the institutions for learning these things. Infrastructure in these terms is a dense inter-woven fabric that is, at the same time, dynamic, thoroughly ecological, even fragile. (Bucciarelli, 1994: 131) The central topic of this chapter is the infra-structure that subtends new media: overwhelm-ingly for our purposes this means the Internet in all its guises. We seek to explore the develop-ment and design of Infrastructure; our main argument will be that a social and theoretical understanding of Infrastructure is key to the design of new media applications in our highly networked, information convergent society. When we think of Infrastructure in a common-sense way, Infrastructure is that which runs ‘underneath’ actual structures – railroad tracks, city plumbing and sewage, electricity, roads and highways, cable wires that connect to the broadcast grid and bring pictures to our TVs. It is that upon which something else rides, or works, a platform of sorts. This common-sense definition begins to unravel when we populate the picture, and begin to look at multiple, over-lapping and perhaps contradictory infrastruc-tural arrangements. For the railroad engineer, the rails are only Infrastructure when she or he is a passenger. Almost anyone can flip an elec-tric switch, for a variety of purposes. When the switch fails, we are forced to look more deeply into the cause: first check the light bulb, then the other appliances on the same circuit, then look at the circuit breaker box, then look down the block to see if it is a power outage in the neighbourhood or city, and lastly, depending on one’s home repair skills, consider calling an electrician. Finally, increasingly many of us are faced with Infrastructures, designed by one group, that may not work for us.
eBook - PDFIntroduction to Infrastructure
An Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Michael R. Penn, Philip J. Parker(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
chapter One Introduction to Infrastructure and Careers in Civil and Environmental Engineering Chapter Outline Introduction Introductory Case Study: I-35 W Bridge Collapse The Prevalence of Infrastructure Infrastructure Systems Funding Infrastructure Sustainability The Civil and Environmental Engineering Professions Integration with Other Professions Integration with the Public Professional Issues The Future of Civil and Environmental Engineering Employment Opportunities About This Book Outro Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Define Infrastructure and explain how it affects nearly all aspects of your life. 2. Describe the ‘‘Infrastructure crisis.’’ 3. Describe the role of civil and environmental engineers in Infrastructure management and design. 4. Describe the role of each of the subdisciplines of civil engineering. 5. Discuss professional issues as they relate to the success of your future career. Introduction Infrastructure is defined by Merriam Webster as the underlying foundation or basic framework of an organization or system. As it relates to the work of civil and environmental engineers, infrastruc- ture is the system of public works of a country, state, region, or municipality. 1 Privately-Owned ‘‘Public’’ Works The term ‘‘public works’’ is commonly used; however, as will be discussed throughout this book, Infrastructure components and systems are no longer solely publicly owned. Investment, operation, and ownership of the Infrastructure by the private sector is increasing. Electric power supply in the United States has long been provided by a mixture of privately-owned companies and publicly-owned utilities. Today, many sectors of our Infrastructure that were traditionally publicly owned now include private ownership (e.g., the Dulles Greenway toll road, more than 15 percent of U.S. drinking water treatment facilities, approximately 50 percent of U.S. landfills).
- Shad Morris, James Oldroyd(Authors)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
For global business leaders, knowing how to assess, evaluate, and harness technological trends at the global and country levels is an increasingly important skill. In this chapter, we introduce a framework to help you understand the impact of technology and technological changes on the global enterprise and how global leaders can capitalize on these opportunities. This framework consists of physical Infrastructure, information Infrastructure, and human infra- structure (see Figure 11.1). International businesses must consider an important factor: the level of physical Infrastructure present in a given country. Countries with low levels of physical Infrastructure may be less attractive to international businesses because producing and distributing goods and services are often dif- ficult. Countries with high levels of physical Infrastructure, accordingly, present fewer challenges and more opportuni- ties for international businesses. The physical Infrastructure includes elements such as the availability of raw materials like plastics, metals, and minerals; the availability of machinery and equipment like weaving looms for textiles, precision weighing and mixing equipment for pharmaceuticals, and metal stamping and welding equipment for automobiles; transportation net- works that enable goods to move between producers and customers; and the energy resources that provide power to producers and consumers alike. Key questions for assessing the physical Infrastructure are shown in Figure 11.1. high high Human Infrastructure Physical Infrastructure Information Infrastructure high low low low Key question: To what extent are the following available in the country? • Raw materials • Manufacturing capabilities • Transportation networks • Energy resources FIGURE 11.1 Assessing the Level of Physical Infrastructure Physical Infrastructure includes raw materials, manufacturing equipment, transportation networks, and energy resources.
eBook - PDF- Shad Morris, James Oldroyd(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
For global business leaders, knowing how to assess, evaluate, and harness technological trends at the global and country levels is an increasingly important skill. In this chapter, we introduce a framework to help you understand the impact of technology and technological changes on the global enterprise and how global leaders can capitalize on these opportunities. This framework consists of physical Infrastructure, information Infrastructure, and human Infrastructure (see Figure 11.1). International businesses must consider an important factor: the level of physical infra- structure present in a given country. Countries with low levels of physical Infrastructure may be less attractive to international businesses because producing and distributing goods and services are often difficult. Countries with high levels of physical Infrastructure, accordingly, present fewer challenges and more opportunities for international businesses. The physical Infrastructure includes elements such as the availability of raw materials like plastics, metals, and minerals; the availability of machinery and equipment like weaving looms for textiles, precision weighing and mixing equipment for pharmaceuticals, and metal stamping and welding equipment for automobiles; transportation networks that enable goods to move between producers and customers; and the energy resources that provide power to producers and consum- ers alike. Key questions for assessing the physical Infrastructure are shown in Figure 11.1. For instance, when Hindustan Unilever—a global seller of soaps, shampoos, and lotions— sought to move from urban cities to rural towns in India, it quickly recognized a problem. Com- petition was fierce in urban India, but while the country had over a billion potential customers, getting products to those who lived in rural villages would be exceptionally challenging because of the country’s undeveloped physical Infrastructure.
Available until 8 Dec |Learn more- Carol V. Brown(Author)
- 1999(Publication Date)
- Auerbach Publications(Publisher)
Texas Instruments (TI), for example, traditionally funded Infrastructure by attaching the cost of incremental Infrastructure requirements to the appli- cation development project that initiated the need. But when the corpo- rate network proved inadequate for a host of capabilities, senior manage- ment separately funded the investment (Ross, 1997b). In this way, TI avoided the inherent delays that result from investing in Infrastructure only when the business units can see specific benefits that warrant their individual votes in favor of additional corporate taxes. Technology Management Moving from the architecture to the Infrastructure involves making tech- nology choices. Senior managers need not be involved in discussions of the technologies themselves as long as they understand the approximate costs and risks of introducing new capabilities. Instead, core IT works with local IT or business liaisons who can discuss the implications of technol- ogy choices. Selecting specific technologies for the corporate infrastruc- ture involves setting standards. Local IT staff must understand those choices so that they can, on the one hand, comply with standards and, on the other hand, communicate any negative impacts of those choices. Standards will necessarily limit the range of technologies that corporate IT will support. This enables the IT unit to develop expertise in key tech- nologies and limits the costs of supporting the IT Infrastructure. However, some business units have unique needs that corporate standards do not address. Negotiation between corporate and local IT managers should allow them to recognize when deviations from standards can enhance busi- ness unit operations without compromising corporatewide goals. IT units
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