Browsing by Author "Bekker, J."

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Apron layout design and flight-to-gate assignment at Lanseria International Airport
    (Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2013-05) Leonard, Trudie; Bekker, J.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Air traffic is continuously increasing and more efficient air transport systems are required to handle the air travel demand. The study investigates the expansion of Lanseria International Airport in Gauteng, South Africa. Expansion of Lanseria requires a study of the airport apron layout to ensure efficient passenger-aircraft flow as well as the efficient flow of aircraft to and from the airport. The candidate layout designs are based on the layout concept of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, USA. In the study, different airport apron layouts were compared, including the existing layout of Atlanta Airport, via a simulation model of each. Designs based mainly on passenger transfer distance between the terminal building and aircraft were evaluated. The cross-entropy method was used to develop a generic flight-to-gate assignment program that minimises passenger transfer distances.
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    A decision support model for passenger capacity design of BRT stations
    (Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2012) Engelbrecht, L.; Bekker, J.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this paper, a decision support model for capacity planning of bus rapid transit stations is proposed. Static, deterministic models are used at present for station capacity design, whereas bus passenger flow through stations is dynamic with an associated stochastic element. Passenger arrivals vary over time, and are driven by bus schedules and process variation. The proposed model produces capacity design curves for given input data sets and bus schedules, and assists the station designer without being prescriptive. A case study of model application to the proposed Thibault Station in Cape Town, South Africa, is presented.
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    Development of a discrete-event, stochastic multi-objective metaheuristic simulation optimisation suite for a commercial software package
    (Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2018-11-08) Bamporiki, T.; Bekker, J.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this paper, the authors present the development of an optimisation suite and its implementation. This paper is part of an ongoing project that aims at developing a hybrid metaheuristic optimisation suite to solve multi-objective simulation optimisation problems. The suite is developed as a third-party library to solve discrete-event, stochastic simulation optimisation (SO) problems with multi-objectives, and is integrated with Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, a simulation software package developed by Siemens. Two real-life multi-objective SO problems are selected to test the suite’s performance, and the test results are discussed.
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    Multi-objective optimisation with stochastic discrete-event simulation in retail banking : a case study
    (Operations Research Society of South Africa, 2012) Scholtz, E.; Bekker, J.; Du Toit, D.
    The cash management of an autoteller machine (ATM) is a multi-objective optimisation problem which aims to maximise the service level provided to customers at minimum cost. This paper focus on improved cash management in a section of the South African retail banking industry, for which a decision support system (DSS) was developed. This DSS integrates four Operations Research (OR) methods: the vehicle routing problem (VRP), the continuous review policy for inventory management, the knapsack problem and stochastic, discrete-event simulation. The DSS was applied to an ATM network in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, to investigate 90 different scenarios. Results show that the application of a formal vehicle routing method consistently yields higher service levels at lower cost when compared to two other routing approaches, in conjunction with selected ATM reorder levels and a knapsack-based notes dispensing algorithm. It is concluded that the use of vehicle routing methods is especially beneficial when the bank has substantial control over transportation cost.
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    New reinforcement learning algorithm for robot soccer
    (Operations Research Society of South Africa, 2017) Yoon, M.; Bekker, J.; Kroon, S.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a powerful technique to develop intelligent agents in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This paper proposes a new RL algorithm called the Temporal-Difference value iteration algorithm with state-value functions and presents applications of this algorithm to the decision-making problems challenged in the RoboCup Small Size League (SSL) domain. Six scenarios were defined to develop shooting skills for an SSL soccer robot in various situations using the proposed algorithm. Furthermore, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, namely Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) was used as a function approximator in each application. The experimental results showed that the proposed RL algorithm had effectively trained the RL agent to acquire good shooting skills. The RL agent showed good performance under specified experimental conditions.
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    Simulation of fruit pallet movement in the port of Durban : a case study
    (Operations Research Society of South Africa, 2005) Bekker, J.; Mostert, M.; Van Dyk, F. E.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper gives an overview of a discrete-event simulation study that was performed on pallet movement at Fresh Produce Terminals in the port of Durban, South Africa. The study formed part of an extended study of the logistics infrastructure of the South African fresh fruit industry and its export supply chain. The focus in this paper is on pallet movement in the terminal and its requirement on the storage capacity of the cold store facility. Specifics pertaining to input data analysis are provided, as well as a discussion of simulation model validation and output data analysis.
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    Teaching information systems with a project oriented course - a case study
    (SAIIE, 2005) Bekker, J.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many engineering students often find a course in less analytical subjects like Information Systems difficult due to the significant proportion of abstract concepts covered. To help the students understand them requires a teaching strategy other than the conventional. This paper discusses the use of a project-oriented course to overcome many of the difficulties of teaching Information Systems to industrial engineering students. In contrast with the usual approach to projects, where each group of students delivers an independent solution, the teaching approach discussed requires that the given class deliver a single, integrated solution.
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    Using the population-based incremental learning algorithm with computer simulation : some applications
    (SAIIE, 2008) Bekker, J.; Olivier, Y.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The integration of the population-based incremental learning (PBIL) algorithm with computer simulation shows how this particular combination can be applied to find good solutions to combinatorial optimisation problems. Two illustrative examples are used: the classical inventory problem of finding a reorder point and reorder quantity that minimises costs while achieving a required service level (a stochastic problem); and the signal timing of a complex traffic intersection. Any traffic control system must be designed to minimise the duration of interruptions at intersections while maximising traffic throughput. The duration of the phases of traffic lights is of primary importance in this regard.