Technical report edit

EDITS ARE IN BOLD

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EDIT

This proposal describes a research project carried out by Claustrophobic. The proposal consists the problem identification, a proposed solution, evaluation, details of how we carried out our study and conclusion. While crafting this proposal, Claustrophobic carried out first-hand observations of the problem and secondary research of existing systems and technologies. The team had also consulted with professors regarding the technical feasibility of our proposed solutions and their potential limitations.

In the proposal, the project team addresses the behaviour of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) commuters clustering around the doors nearest to the escalator. This results in an uneven distribution of commuters on the trains, which reduces the effective capacity of the train. Commuters in the carriages near the escalator also suffer from an uncomfortable ride due to the higher density.

The proposal will detail our suggested improvements to the current system and discuss its benefits and limitations. Claustrophobic proposes a solution that utilizes a sensor to detect the weight of a carriage and using that information, calculate its approximate passenger density. This information will then be relayed to the commuters, so that they will spread evenly across the train. Our objective is to reduce the need for manual labour, achieve higher commuter satisfaction and raise the effective capacity of trains during peak hours.

ALL LEDS TURN RED SHOW EDIT

During peak hour there is a chance that all LED indicator will shine red, indicating that all carriages are full. While the proposed solution will not be able to prevent this, it helps to reduce the likelihood of this scenario occurring. This is because our proposed solution will lead to an increase in the effective capacity of the train. Which means less passengers get left behind on the platform, stopping the build up of commuters.

Benefits of proposed solution

The use of piezoelectric sensors to determine the weight of the carriages, along with the  implementation of indicators above the platform will provide commuters with information about the oncoming train’s passenger density. Commuters will naturally choose to enter a carriage which is the less crowded, resulting in an even spread. There are four potential benefits that can be attributed to an even spread.

Critical reflection

At the beginning of the trimester, I envisioned to achieve the goal of improving my writing and oral capabilities. However, by the end of the module, I have reaped more than I have expected. Firstly, my grammatical structure has improved as I have learned how to execute them in my blog write-ups properly. Regarding the format of reader response, technical report and letter, this module has taught me on the proper steps to formulate and cohesively use it. Other than brushing up on my writing skills, I have learned to communicate in a more outspoken manner. By going through interactive sessions conducted in the class, it gave me an opportunity to hone my expressiveness as well as my cohesively in conversing with others.

We are required to work in groups to find an engineering problem, come up with a solution to solve it and write a technical report. To prove that the problem does exist, we have to research for evidence, but our findings were limited. There were times where we found out that some sources were unreliable. Because our project problem is about the uneven distribution in the train of Singapore, there isn't any article related to the problem. Therefore, our group had to turn to reports in another country to back out our findings. From the project, I have managed to know more about my group mates. We cooperate with each other and even willing to take up the additional task given. Some of us doesn't have much confidence in doing the oral presentation, but we have rehearsed a lot of time and gave each other review. Through that, we managed to improve ourselves.

Overall, this module has empowered me with the necessary skills to formulate a proper write-up as well as communicate with my fellow peers. Even though my nature was found to be more on the introverted spectrum, I had managed to break out of it, with the aid of my peers.

Oral presentation reflection

My team, claustrophobia, had a formal oral presentation and I feel that we have presented quite well. Before the presentation, we had a few rehearsal, and everything goes well. But during the actual presentation, but there is some minor issue that came up.

During the actual presentation, I am so nervous that after the first few words, my mind suddenly went blank. To recover myself, I quickly close my eye and took a deep breath. After recovering, I blurred out everything quickly, hoping to get over with it fast. As I spill everything out, I notice that I am just reciting the script I memorized and sound monotonous. But it is better than my past presentation during my polytechnic life. Since I have always been presenting by reading off the slide as I kept being so nervous that I forgot everything I have to say.

In my slide, there are no pictures and words are kept to the minimum, so it would solely rely on my speaking to deliver the ideas to the audience. But due to me being too nervous, I did not realise if I delivered the ideas correctly.

In overall, the team did well as the flow from the start to the end is smooth. I felt that I have improved a lot since the last presentation, thanks to my group giving me advice during the rehearsals.

Reader response draft 4

In the article “3D building models help bring sustainability into construction”, Jenkins (2015) claims that Building information modeling (BIM) is capable of replacing traditional 2D drawings with advanced digital technology. It mentions that BIM constructs a 3D model of the actual building and has the capability of running computer simulation, reducing the cost of construction and increase the energy efficiency of a building. However, Jenkins, claims that with BIM’s advanced technology it is still not commonly used. According to Coventry University’s sustainability director, Smithson (as cited in Jenkins, 2015), even though one can convince others that BIM is better than traditional 2D drawings, it is hard for them to acknowledge its worth until they try using it for themselves. Which is why Smithson and her team run one out of three immersive simulation centre in the world that has BIM technology to allow them to get a hands-on experience with BIM to prove its effectiveness.

Even though there are people who are stubborn and not willing to move on to BIM, it is still essential for construction projects.

First of all, BIM can reduce the time needed for a company to build a building, which every company would want as time used would be reduced which decreases the cost and allows them to increase their productivity. In the article "The Importance of Building Information Modeling"(n.d.), it mentions that Carnegie-Mellon University research has shown that an improvement of just 3.8% in productivity would be able to pay for the construction and sustainability of the building. In the same article, the author also says that BIM can reduce the time needed for cross-referencing and approval during the building phase. 

Secondly, BIM provides an important feature which allows all members of the project group to provide information to each other accurately and fast. As sustainable building project becomes more and more complex, it is essential that every member of the team give information to each other correctly. In the article, "Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'"(2015), the author mentions with the traditional way, group members are first given individual task and will then meet up after everyone has done their part. But this could lead to conflicts and problems later in the design process as everyone's solution to their part will find itself unable to fit in with others. From the same article, the author also mentioned that with BIM, the task will be uploaded to the cloud so that everyone in the group is able to view and edit it. By doing this, time used to fit all the individual task together will be eliminated and thus cut down the time for the whole project.

Lastly, BIM can be used to present an easily understandable project solution to the client, and changes can be made on the fly when the client request for it. BIM can show clients an accurately built 3D animated model and allows them to make changes to it, Calvert (2012), indicates that BIM is more than just a tool used for designing as it can also be used to display necessary information accurately.

In conclusion, BIM is essential as it reduces the amount of time and money used, and it increases the productivity. It is a software that can be used in other areas like accurate cloud information sharing and presentation, not just used to draw and virtually build a 3D model.

Reference:

Jenkin, M. (2015). 3D building models help bring sustainability into construction. The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/13/bim-technology-design-business-sustainability-construction

Neil Calvert, Spatial.IQ (2012, December 12). 10 Points and the Benefits of BIM [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blog.synchroltd.com/10-points-and-the-benefits-of-bim

Sure House, (2015, April 6). Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart' [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://www.popsci.com/building-information-modeling-how-construction-industry-getting-smart#page-4

The importance of Building Information Modeling (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.indovance.com/importance-of-bim-modeling-services/

Technical report draft 1

Background Information

When waiting for the train, passengers tend to crowd around the doors near the escalator and not move toward the ends of the platform. This causes an uneven distribution of passengers across the carriages of the train when they board, resulting in carriages at both ends of the MRT being relatively empty compared to the carriages nearer to the escalators.

To demonstrate our point, our team went down to Clementi MRT station on a weekday evening, right before peak hour and recorded our observations. We positioned each team member at three consecutive carriages. Carriage number four was nearest to the escalators and the elevator while carriage 2 was the furthest.

Each member would count the total number of passengers waiting to board a specific carriage. For more pictures please refer to the appendices.

Timings	Car 2 (Furthest from escalator)	Car 3	Car 4 (Nearest to escalator)
1630	10	10	19
1645	15	28	25
1700	25	37	48
1715	30	41	57
1730	35	47	63

Based on our observations we can tell that there is a direct correlation between the number of passengers boarding a carriage and that carriage’s proximity to the escalators/elevators. This is because passengers tend to cluster at the carriages near the escalator. Making some carriages more packed than others which will result in an uncomfortable commute for some of the commuters.

SMRT has also been placing staff during the peak hours to usher commuters to emptier parts of the platform. This solution is labour intensive and passengers may not be aware that heading to an emptier part of the platform can result in a more comfortable and less crowded commute.

By implementing our solution, SMRT will stand to gain directly from it. Them being the owner of the MRT, will be able to create a more comfortable experience for their commuters. Also, with our solution, commuters will get to have a more comfortable commute experience, as they will now be made aware of how crowded the carriage is. With the information they have, they will be able to spread themselves evenly throughout the carriages, leading to a more comfortable commute for themselves and others.

Overall, it will help to evenly distribute the number of commuters in each carriage, which also increases the overall efficiency of the train. Also, by evenly distributing the commuters, it will ensure a more comfortable commute for the commuters.

Problem Statement

In order for Singapore’s MRT system to maximise passenger capacity while maintaining a lower passenger density. Commuters should enter carriages with the most available space, resulting in an even spread of passengers across the various carriages.

In Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, commuters tend to cluster around the carriages near the escalators, causing an uneven distribution of passengers across the train.

By tracking the weight of each individual MRT carriage, approximate passenger density can be calculated. An indicator that flashes red, amber or green depending on the passenger density should be installed above the platform doors to provide this information to commuters so that they can make a more informed decision on which part of the platform to wait.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this proposal is to recommend SMRT to adopt our solution of tracking passenger density on trains and passing this information to commuters to encourage them to spread across the platform. This is in everyone’s interest as the benefits include reduced manpower needs for SMRT and a better ride experience for commuters.

Proposed Solution

The proposed solution is to gather information about the carriage’s weight to estimate approximate passenger density. Passengers will then be able to tell if a carriage is full or not before the train arrives at the platform by means of a simple coloured lights indication system installed along the platform.

The weight of a carriage can be determined with existing weight sensors in carriage suspension systems. Professor Zhou from the Singapore Institute of Technology remarked that the existing sensors may not currently be accessible. This is due to the manufacturers of the train restricting the access of such data from the sensor as there has not been a need for it.  The weight of individual carriages is logged once the door of the carriages has closed. This information will be used to calculate approximate passenger density. The approximate passenger density will then be passed to the next station either by making use of existing signalling/communication systems or by computing it before the train leaves the station and relaying it over the internet to the next station.

As for the implementation of indicators above the platform, our proposal is to install a LED indicator that changes colour from red to amber to green depending on the density of the incoming MRT. Red indicates that the density of the carriage is high. This means that it is crowded and you might have to wait for the next train or look for another carriage that is less crowded. Oranges indicate that the carriage is mildly crowded while green indicates that it is relatively empty.

Reader response draft 3

In the article “3D building models help bring sustainability into construction”, Jenkins (2015) claims that Building information modelling (BIM) is capable of replacing traditional 2D drawings with advanced digital technology. It mentions that BIM constructs a 3D model of the actual building and has the capability of running computer simulation, reducing the cost of construction and increase the energy efficiency of a building. However, Jenkins, claims that with BIM’s advanced technology it is still not commonly used. According to Coventry University’s sustainability director, Smithson (as cited in Jenkins, 2015), even though one is able to convince others that BIM is better, it is hard for them to acknowledge its worth until they try it using it for themselves. Which is why Smithson and her team run one out of three immersive simulation centre in the world that has BIM technology to allow them to get a hands-on on BIM to prove its effectiveness.

Even though there are still people who are stubborn and does not want to move on to BIM, it is still important for construction projects.

First of all, BIM is able to reduce the time needed for a company to build a building, which every company would want as time use reduced would mean the cost reduced and allows them to increase their productivity. In the article "The Importance of Building Information Modeling"(n.d.), it mentions that Carnegie-Mellon University research has shown that an improvement of just 3.8% in productivity would be able to pay for the construction and sustainability of the building. In the same article, the author also says that BIM able to reduce the time needed for cross-referencing and approval during the building phase. 

Secondly, BIM provides an important feature which is to allow members of the group to provide information to each other accurately and fast. As sustainable building project becomes more and more complex, it is essential that the members of the group provide information to each other accurately. In the article, "Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'"(2015), the author mentions that with the traditional way, group members are given individual task and will then be gathered after each individual has done their part. But this will lead to conflicts and problems later in the design process as each individual task will find itself unable to fit in with others. From the same article, the author also mentioned that with BIM, the task will be uploaded to the cloud so that everyone in the group is able to view and edit it. By doing this, time used to fit all the individual task together will be eliminated and thus cut down the time for the whole project.

Lastly, BIM also allows the client to understand what is being presented to them and able to make changes to it when required. As It is important that the client understand what is being presented to them. BIM is able to show clients an accurately built 3D animated model and allows them to make changes to it, Calvert (2012). This goes to show that BIM is more than just a tool used for designing, it can be used to show important information accurately.

In conclusion, BIM is important as it reduces the amount of time and money used, and it increases the productivity. It is not just a software used to draw and virtually build a 3D model, it is also able to use in other areas like accurate cloud information sharing, presentation, etc.

Reference:

Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'. (2015). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.popsci.com/building-information-modeling-how-construction-industry-getting-smart#page-4

Jenkin, M. (2015). 3D building models help bring sustainability into construction. The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/13/bim-technology-design-business-sustainability-construction

Neil Calvert (2012). 10 Points and the Benefits of BIM. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://blog.synchroltd.com/10-points-and-the-benefits-of-bim

The importance of Building Information Modeling. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.indovance.com/importance-of-bim-modeling-services/

Reader response draft 2

In the article “3D building models help bring sustainability into construction”, Jenkins (2015) claims that Building information modelling (BIM) is capable of replacing traditional 2D drawings with advanced digital technology. It mentions that BIM constructs a 3D model of the actual building and has the capability of running computer simulation, reducing the cost of construction and increase the energy efficiency of a building. However, with BIM’s advanced technology it is still not commonly used. According to Coventry University’s sustainability director, Smithson (as quoted by Jenkins, 2015), even though one is able to convince others that BIM is better, it is hard for them to acknowledge its worth until they try it using it for themselves. Which is why Smithson and her team run one out of three immersive simulation centre in the world that has BIM technology to allow them to get a hands-on on BIM to prove its effectiveness. Even though there are still people who are stubborn and does not want to move on to BIM, it is still important for a construction project.

First of all, BIM able to reduce the time needed for a company to build a building, which every company would want as time use reduced would mean the cost reduced and allows them to increase their productivity. In the article "The Importance of Building Information Modeling"(n.d.), it mentions that Carnegie-Mellon University research has shown that an improvement of just 3.8% in productivity would pay for the facility, through increased efficiency. In the same article, the author also says that BIM able to reduce the time needed for cross-referencing and approval during the building phase. 

Secondly, BIM provides an important feature which is to allow members of the group to provide information to each other accurately and fast. As sustainable building project becomes more and more complex, it is essential that the members of the group provide information to each other accurately. In the article, "Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'"(2015), the author mentions that with the traditional way, group members are given individual task and will then be gathered after each individual has done their part. But this will lead to conflicts and problems later in the design process as each individual task will find itself unable to fit in with others. From the same article, the author also mentioned that with BIM, the task will be uploaded to the cloud so that everyone in the group is able to view and edit it. By doing this, time used to fit all the individual task together will be eliminated and thus cut down the time for the whole project.

Lastly, BIM also allows the client to understand what is being presented to them and able to make changes to it when required. As It is important that the client understand what is being presented to them. According to the article, "10 points and the benefits of the BIM", Calvert (2012) mentions that BIM is able to show clients an accurately built 3D animated model and allows them to make changes to it. This goes to show that BIM is more than just a tool used for designing, it can be used to show important information accurately.

In conclusion, BIM is important as time and cost reduction, and increases in productivity are what all company would wish for.

Reference:

10 Points and the Benefits of BIM. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, http://blog.synchroltd.com/10-points-and-the-benefits-of-bim

Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'. (2015). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.popsci.com/building-information-modeling-how-construction-industry-getting-smart#page-4

The importance of Building Information Modeling. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.indovance.com/importance-of-bim-modeling-services/

Edited:

04 October 2017

05 October 2017