2 Programmatic ActivitiesAnnual Report 1994Annual Report 1994Return to UNU/IIST's home page

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Main Characteristics

UNU/IIST is a Research and Training Centre, RTC, under the UN University (UNU) umbrella.

The Research1 and Training work at UNU/IIST can be characterised along a number of lines:

  1. Technology Transfer

    1. UNU/IIST's main "Business" is Technology Transfer -- through joint Research, joint Advanced Development and Training: Research methods to researchers, university curricula and course topics to university lecturers, and software development methods to researchers, lecturers and industry software engineers.

    2. UNU/IIST's Technology Transfer paradigm is, perhaps, somewhat novel:

      1. We do not transfer the technology after it has been developed, but as from before it is conceived.

      2. We do not "hand it down" to the recipients, but co-R&D it in close co-operation with these.

      3. We do not start with software development per se, but go "up-stream": researching the Application (and Computing Platform) Domain(s) in preparation for Requirements Capture and subsequent Software Development.2

      4. We do it across borders, just as in leading edge industrialised country (high-technology) projects.3

      5. And we emphasise south-south collaboration.

  2. Target Countries:

    Whereas 1992-1993 saw mainly People's Republic of China (PRC) and Macau oriented Programmatic Activities, 1994 saw a beginning spread to other countries of the region: India, Indonesia, the Koreas, The Philippines, Vietnam, etc.

  3. Research:

    UNU/IIST is consolidating its Research Projects around Duration Calculi & Hybrid Systems. For the latter see [2][3][4][5][6][7][8].

  4. Advanced Development:

    UNU/IIST is consolidating its Advanced Development (i.e. combined R&D + Training) projects around the concept of Software Support for Infrastructure Systems. See subsection 1.2.

  5. Training:

    Two-three UNU/IIST off-shore Training Workshops per year are also used as a major basis for selecting candidates for UNU/IIST Fellowships in Macau while these Training Workshops, at the same time, constitute an important instrument to become known in the host country and to initiate inquiries concerning next R&D projects.

  6. UN System Relevance:

    While never expecting the UN System to directly fund major Research and Training activities at UNU/IIST in Macau,4 UNU/IIST nevertheless attempts to emphasise such projects whose more tangible (software/product) results closely parallel UN System concerns.

    Each of the infrastructure areas listed below tackle such concerns.

1.2 Software Support for Infrastructure Systems

By an infrastructure ([90]) we concretely mean such things as:

  1. Transportation Infrastructures -- possibly subdivided into:

    1. Railway Systems -- See section 2.1.3

    2. Shipping Systems

    3. Airline Systems

    4. Automobile Systems

    5. &c.

  2. Manufacturing Industry Infrastructures, MIICI -- See section 2.1.4

    1. Metal Casting Plants

    2. Bulk Deformation Plants

    3. Machining Plants

    4. Joining Plants

    5. &c.

  3. University Infrastructure, HEMIS -- See section 2.1.6

  4. Health Care Infrastructure, WHeCCS/KHICS -- See section 2.1.8

    1. Nurses, Paramedics, Physicians & Rural Clinics

    2. Clinical Test Laboratories

    3. Township & City Clinics

    4. Hospitals

    5. Health Insurance Institutions

    6. &c.

  5. Agriculture Infrastructures

  6. Fisheries Infrastructures

  7. &c.

UNU/IIST is working actively in the referenced areas using and propagating (i.e. training in) formal, design calculi-oriented methods for provably correct software according to the below `process':

  1. Domain Analysis of:

    1. Intrinsics of Application

    2. Infrastructure Provider Technology

    3. Human Agent: Operator and User, and

    4. Computing & Communications Platform

    5. &c.

  2. Requirements Capture

  3. Software Development

1.3 Programmatic Activity Highlights

1994 have been highlighted by the following Programmatic Activities:

  1. Advanced Development Projects:

    1. PRaCoSy: PRC Railway Computing Systems

      Continuation of the first phase of the PRaCoSy Advanced Development Project.

      See subsections 2.1.3, 2.4.2, 2.4.5, and 2.4.9.

      UNU/IIST sincerely believes this, its current "flagship" project, to have significantly illustrated the viability of a novel approach to software development, one that is preceded first by thorough domain analysis and then requirements capture.

    2. MIICI: Project Planning: R&D + Training:

      The start of the MI2CI Research, Advanced Development and Training Project, January 1994.

      See subsections 2.1.4 and 2.4.4 and 2.4.6 .

      The MIICI project has the serious attention of ministerial planners in The Philippines and, so far, by the leading university research group on the subject in Indonesia, and of UNIDO. UNU/IIST is working hard to help potential partners achieve funding from which UNU/IIST expects to obtain consultancy and training fees.

  2. Research Project:

    Completion of the first phase of the DeTfoRS Research Project, including acceptance of three papers for conference presentation plus one invited paper (+ proceedings published) and one paper for publication.

    See subsection 2.2.1.

    UNU/IIST sincerely believes that it has rapidly confirmed -- vis-a-vis leading university groups worldwide -- that it is a significant research centre in a central area of computing science. UNU/IIST also believes that it is quite an achievement to have four young Ph.D. interns produce papers that, in stiff competition with more than 200 papers submitted for consideration, were accepted among 24 such papers.

  3. Training Workshops & Events:

    1. The IFIP Post Doctoral Seminar

      A two week, January 10-21, Advanced (IFIP TC2 WG2.3) Seminar (Training Workshop) for 51 participants from the Far, South and South East Asia region, in Macau.

      See subsection 2.3.1.

    2. University of Macau M.Sc. Spring 1994 Course:

      The completion of a 14 week M.Sc. course in Formal Semantics for approximately 35 students at University of Macau and other participants, including examination.

    3. University of Macau B.Sc. Thesis Advice:

      The advising of three University of Macau B.Sc. thesis students.

    4. The DeTfoRS Hong Kong Full Day Seminar, March 1994

      See item (2.4.10) section 2.4.10.

    5. The Pyongyang Post Graduate/Doctoral Course:

      A one week, May 9-13, Post-graduate Training Workshop for approximately 120 participants in Pyongyang, D.P.R. of Korea (DPRK).

      See subsection 2.3.4.

    6. The Manila Post Graduate/Doctoral Course:

      A two week, May 9-22, Post-graduate Training Workshop for 22 participants in Manila, The Philippines. See subsection 2.3.5.

    7. The Jakarta Post Graduate/Doctoral Course:

      A two week, May 25 - June 3, Post-graduate Training Workshop for 24 participants in Jakarta, Indonesia. See subsection 2.3.6.

    8. PRaCoSy/Beijing Training Workshop:

      A one week, June 27 - July 1. PRaCoSy Training Workshop for 15 participants in Beijing, PRC. See subsection 2.4.5.

    9. MoTraS/Berlin Workshop:

      A three day MoTraS working group meeting, June 13-15, Berlin, Germany (8 participants). See subsection 2.4.3.

    10. MIICI/Manila Field Study Workshop:  

      A one week, June 27 -- July 1, MIICI Field Study Workshop for approximately 20 participants in Manila, The Philippines.

      See subsection 2.4.4.

    11. MIICI/Jakarta Field Study Workshop:  

      A second MIICI Field Study Workshop took place in Jakarta, September 14-16, 1994, in collaboration with the University of Indonesia (Departments of Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering). Also some 25 participants.

      This was a very successful meeting, featuring high-level representatives from all relevant ministries, the Rector of University of Indonesia, etc.

    12. The PRaCoSy Hong Kong Full Day Seminar, October 1994

      See item (2.4.10) section 2.4.10.

    13. PRaCoSy/WuXi Training Workshop:

      A one week, Dec. 12-17, Formal Software Development Method course was held in WuXi, P.R. of China, for approximately 25 participants from the Ministry of Railways' Computer Centres and related organisations. See subsection 2.4.9.

    14. The University of Macau M.Sc. Fall 1994 Course:

      The main part of another 14 week M.Sc. course in Design Calculi for approximately 35 students from the University of Macau and other Macau participants. Examination will take place January 1995.

    15. MaGICS/Macau Design Workshop:

      A three month, 10 week, informal design workshop with some 20 participants from Macau: University, Public & Private sector computer professionals and students, on the theme of Hyper-media (multi-media, hyper-text, world-wide-web-based) systems.

1994 has additionally seen:

info@iist.unu.edu, March 1995

2 Programmatic ActivitiesAnnual Report 1994Annual Report 1994Return to UNU/IIST's home page