Operational definitions of inventory record accuracy

An inventory stock record is in error when the information on the stock record is not in agreement with the actual physical situation. We address the questions of what is meant by inventory record accuracy as reported in the literature and what should be meant by this term, in the context of the inventory record accuracy problem defined by the Naval Supply Systems Command. The need for, and suggestions of, operational definitions of error measures are demonstrated in terms of the reporting of accuracy statistics, the formulation of inventory record accuracy goals, and the determination of corrective measures.     

基于区块链的地学大数据管理

随着地理观测技术、计算机网络和地理信息系统、社会调查统计的迅速发展,具有空间位置的自然环境数据正在急剧增长,上升到大数据级别。而传统的数据库已经无法满足现有地学大数据的规模和增长速度。在资源访问方面,人们更加担心数据安全与隐私保护问题。由于数据交易的双方和交易中介都是互不信任的,这显然不利于数据的共享与流通,将阻碍地学大数据产业的发展。常用地学数据管理系统主要由单一机构进行维护管理,在多方用户参与的情形下,由于无法信任数据库中的数据,每一方用户都需要一个专用数据库,这样不同数据库之间数据的差异将产生繁琐的争议。区块链的到来却给这一问题的解决带来了希望,区块链技术实现了不完全可信网络环境中的可信数据管理,具有去中心化、防篡改、不可抵赖、完整性等特性,从而为解决目前依靠中心或第三方机构存在的高成本低效率和信息安全问题提供了切实的方法。本文从区块链的共识机制、智能合约、身份验证、数据溯源等方面进行阐述,并重点分析区块链如何解决流通和共享数据的问题,让地学大数据真正得以广泛应用。     

不确定需求下多级备件库存系统优化模型

针对现实中备件需求量的不确定性,论文首先用模糊随机变量描述不确定需求,并通过灰集以及期望值理论表示出备件期望短缺数,然后对多级备件库存系统在不确定需求环境下的优化问题作了研究,提出了不确定性可用度的区间估计,并利用边际分析法建立了备件库存优化模型,进而对其进行优化仿真,最后对系统可用度进行区间估计,得到了不确定需求下的最优费效比曲线。该方法能够为解决不确定需求下备件库存优化问题提供新的途径。     

一种用于机载火控设备综合测试系统的数据库系统

介绍一种用于机载火控设备综合测试系统的检测数据库系统,着重论述了检测数据库系统的项目库和参数库的具体结构设计,并对测试软件操作检测数据库系统的过程以及一些相关问题进行了说明。     

地理信息数据库实现

地理信息库是Ｘ－２０００高速三维地形显示系统的重要组成部分,主要对地图和地理实体进行存储和管理。地图、地理实体和其他图形对象一样,其属性值具有不定长性、层次性和多媒体性,难以用简单的数据类型表示等特征。本文在解决如何用传统数据模型来描述和存储复杂的地图和地理实体的基础上,用商用数据库管理系统（ＯＲＡＣＬＥ５．１Ｂ版本）,采用全关系型结构,设计和实现了地理信息数据库。     

多传感器数据融合系统的数据库

以数据库对融合算法的支持为线索 ,以数据融合数据库的全面设计为目标 ,注意面向特征的考虑数据表征形式和组织结构 ,结合整个融合算法的性能要求分析数据库的设计基本理论。首先讨论了数据融合对于数据库的要求 ,总结和归纳了数据融合中涉及到的多种数据形式 ,明确了数据的特征 ,然后 ,分析了常用的几种数据库管理系统模式 ,为数据库系统实现提供依据 ,保证在现存应用软件基础上合理选择实现方案 ;最后 ,集中介绍了融合数据库的设计 ,从总体框架、组织结构、数据结构及实现流程等方面给数据库的设计作了简要的介绍 ,并且提取上述分析中的结论性内容 ,给出合理的融合数据设计建议     

Optimal outbound dispatch policies: Modeling inventory and cargo capacity

In this paper, we present an optimization model for coordinating inventory and transportation decisions at an outbound distribution warehouse that serves a group of customers located in a given market area. For the practical problems which motivated this paper, the warehouse is operated by a third party logistics provider. However, the models developed here may be applicable in a more general context where outbound distribution is managed by another supply chain member, e.g., a manufacturer. We consider the case where the aggregate demand of the market area is constant and known per period (e.g., per day). Under an immediate delivery policy, an outbound shipment is released each time a demand is realized (e.g., on a daily basis). On the other hand, if these shipments are consolidated over time, then larger (hence more economical) outbound freight quantities can be dispatched. In this case, the physical inventory requirements at the third party warehouse (TPW) are determined by the consolidated freight quantities. Thus, stock replenishment and outbound shipment release policies should be coordinated. By optimizing inventory and freight consolidation decisions simultaneously, we compute the parameters of an integrated inventory/outbound transportation policy. These parameters determine: (i) how often to dispatch a truck so that transportation scale economies are realized and timely delivery requirements are met, and (ii) how often, and in what quantities, the stock should be replenished at the TPW. We prove that the optimal shipment release timing policy is nonstationary, and we present algorithms for computing the policy parameters for both the uncapacitated and finite cargo capacity problems. The model presented in this study is considerably different from the existing inventory/transportation models in the literature. The classical inventory literature assumes that demands should be satisfied as they arrive so that outbound shipment costs are sunk costs, or else these costs are covered by the customer. Hence, the classical literature does not model outbound transportation costs. However, if a freight consolidation policy is in place then the outbound transportation costs can no longer be ignored in optimization. Relying on this observation, this paper models outbound transportation costs, freight consolidation decisions, and cargo capacity constraints explicitly. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 49: 531–556, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/nav.10030     

初始和终止库存不为零的生产与库存问题

针对初始库存和终止库存不为零的生产与库存问题,通过适当设置需求量,将其化为初始库存和终止库存为零的问题,以便应用重生性质进行求解。     

Untruthful probabilistic demand forecasts in vendor‐managed revenue‐sharing contracts: Coordinating the chain

Vendor‐managed revenue‐sharing arrangements are common in the newspaper and other industries. Under such arrangements, the supplier decides on the level of inventory while the retailer effectively operates under consignment, sharing the sales revenue with his supplier. We consider the case where the supplier is unable to predict demand, and must base her decisions on the retailer‐supplied probabilistic forecast for demand. We show that the retailer's best choice of a distribution to report to his supplier will not be the true demand distribution, but instead will be a degenerate distribution that surprisingly induces the supplier to provide the system‐optimal inventory quantity. (To maintain credibility, the retailer's reports of daily sales must then be consistent with his supplied forecast.) This result is robust under nonlinear production costs and nonlinear revenue‐sharing. However, if the retailer does not know the supplier's production cost, the forecast “improves” and could even be truthful. That, however, causes the supplier's order quantity to be suboptimal for the overall system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

作战模拟态势显示中的通用性技术研究

态势显示是基于HLA的作战模拟系统中观察战场态势、辅助决策的关键一环.目前已经应用的态势显示系统暴露了态势显示通用性问题和态势显示适应性问题.这两个问题制约了态势显示手段在作战模拟领域中的应用.针对这些问题,提出了利用军标映射实现通用和仿真态势数据预处理方法两项关键技术来改进态势显示方法.随后实现了一个应用了这些技术的态势显示系统.最后总结了这种态势显示新方法的优势和不足并展望了态势显示系统下一步发展的方向.     

Newsvendor problems with sequentially revealed demand information

This article analyzes a capacity/inventory planning problem with a one‐time uncertain demand. There is a long procurement leadtime, but as some partial demand information is revealed, the firm is allowed to cancel some of the original capacity reservation at a certain fee or sell off some inventory at a lower price. The problem can be viewed as a generalization of the classic newsvendor problem and can be found in many applications. One key observation of the analysis is that the dynamic programming formulation of the problem is closely related to a recursion that arises in the study of a far more complex system, a series inventory system with stochastic demand over an infinite horizon. Using this equivalence, we characterize the optimal policy and assess the value of the additional demand information. We also extend the analysis to a richer model of information. Here, demand is driven by an underlying Markov process, representing economic conditions, weather, market competition, and other environmental factors. Interestingly, under this more general model, the connection to the series inventory system is different. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2012     

Emergency transshipment in decentralized dealer networks: When to send and accept transshipment requests

While there has been significant previous literature on inventory transshipment, most research has focused on the dealers' demand filling decision (when to fill transshipment requests from other dealers), ignoring the requesting decision (when to send transshipment requests to other dealers). In this paper we develop optimal inventory transshipment policies that incorporate both types of decisions. We consider a decentralized system in which the dealers are independent of the manufacturer and of each other. We first study a network consisting of a very large number of dealers. We prove that the optimal inventory and transshipment decisions for an individual dealer are controlled by threshold rationing and requesting levels. Then, in order to study the impact of transshipment among independent dealers in a smaller dealer network, we consider a decentralized two‐dealer network and use a game theoretic approach to characterize the equilibrium inventory strategies of the individual dealers. An extensive numerical study highlights the impact of the requesting decision on the dealers' equilibrium behavior in a decentralized setting. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006     

对象关系数据库中的数据结构

介绍了在面向对象数据库和关系数据库相结合的对象关系数据库中,实现关系型数据结构和面向对象数据结构的结合及其存储的一种方法,并举例说明对象关系数据库中对象关系数据记录存储的具体实现。     

基于HLA的反导作战仿真研究

在部署反导防御系统前后,不可能用解析方法或实战演练对其总体功能和作战效能进行评估,现阶段采用基于HLA的反导作战仿真系统则可以较好地解决这个问题。首先阐述了一般分布式仿真系统的逻辑结构,然后设计实现了反导作战分布仿真系统,重点讲述了联邦成员的设计与实现、仿真演示部分的设计和基于XML的仿真数据库的设计,为将来反导防御系统的演示验证打下基础。     

Applying a bootstrap approach for setting reorder points in military supply systems

This paper develops and applies a nonparametric bootstrap methodology for setting inventory reorder points and a simple inequality for identifying existing reorder points that are unreasonably high. We demonstrate that an empirically based bootstrap method is both feasible and calculable for large inventories by applying it to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force General Account, an inventory consisting of $20–30 million of stock for 10–20,000 different types of items. Further, we show that the bootstrap methodology works significantly better than the existing methodology based on mean days of supply. In fact, we demonstrate performance equivalent to the existing system with a reduced inventory at one‐half to one‐third the cost; conversely, we demonstrate significant improvement in fill rates and other inventory performance measures for an inventory of the same cost. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 47: 459–478, 2000     

Inventory transshipment game with limited supply: Trap or treat

Inventory transshipment is generally shown to be beneficial to retailers by matching their excess demand with surplus inventory. We investigate an inventory transshipment game with two newsvendor-type retailers under limited total supply and check whether the retailers are better off than the case without transshipment. We derive the ordering strategies for the retailers and show that unlike the unlimited supply case, a pure Nash equilibrium only exists under certain conditions. Furthermore, contrary to the conventional wisdom, we show that inventory transshipment may not always benefit both retailers. Although one of the retailers is guaranteed to be better off, the other could be worse off. The decision criteria are then provided for the retailers to determine if they will benefit from the exercise of inventory transshipment. Numerical study indicates that the carefully chosen transshipment prices play an important role in keeping inventory transshipment beneficial to both retailers. Subsequently, a coordinating mechanism is designed for the retailers to negotiate transshipment prices that maximize the total profit of the two retailers while keeping each of them in a beneficial position.     

More ado about economic order quantities (EOQ)

This paper is concerned with the determination of explicit expressions for economic order quantities and reorder levels, such that the cost of ordering and holding inventory is minimized for specific backorder constraints. Holding costs are applied either to inventory position or on-hand inventory, and the backorder constraint is considered in terms of the total number of backorders per year or the average number of backorders at any point in time. Through the substitution of a new probability density function in place of the normal p.d.f., explicit expressions are determined for the economic order quantities and the reorder points. The resulting economic order quantities are independent of all backorder constraints. It is also concluded that under certain conditions, the minimization of ordering costs and inventory holding costs (applied to inventory position), subject to a backorder constraint, is equivalent in terms of reorder levels to minimization of the safety level dollar investment subject to the same backorder constraint.     

Revenue management: A real options approach

Revenue management is the process of actively managing inventory or capacity to maximize revenues. The active management typically occurs through managerial levers such as price, promotion, or availability. We present a novel real options approach to revenue management that is specifically suited to the car rental business. We illustrate the concept with actual car rental data. The model produces minimally acceptable prices and inventory release quantities (number of cars available for rent at a given price) as a function of remaining time and available inventory. The pricing and inventory release recommendations of the developed model confirm earlier empirical analysis that suggested current practises discount too deeply early in the booking cycle. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004     

Multi-class inventory models with demand a function of inventory level

This paper considers the problem of maintaining an inventory of an item which can deteriorate and become useless. A periodic review procedure is used and new items ordered may experience a time lag in delivery. Items are considered to deteriorate through one or two states before becoming useless. Thus the deterioration process in each period plays the role of the usual demand process and is a function of the inventory level at the beginning of each period. For the case of no time lag in delivery, one stage deterioration, and either binomial or uniform deterioration, optimal ordering policies are obtained for the n-period dynamic model with the standard cost structure. (For the shortage probability criterion see the other paper by Iglehart and Jaquette, in this issue.) These policies are of the single critical number type. For more complicated models suboptimal policies of this same type are found.     

The Bullet in the Brick: The Materiality of Conflict in Museum Objects

Tangible traces of conflict in visual artefacts can take viewers uncomfortably close to the realities of war—violence, destruction and fatalities. This article questions the evidential force of objects associated with conflict and their eventual display in exhibitions. Through a study of the display of a brick in which is embedded a bullet that is said to have passed through the body of Francis Sheehy Skeffington when he was executed by firing squad during the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916, this article explores the historical configuration of the brick and analyses its public display in the National Museum of Ireland (NMI). By examining the actions carried out by the NMI in collecting and archiving the object and analysing the narrative strategies of its display, this article considers how the visual aspects of exhibition displays can perpetuate a particular version of historic events and accredits objects with assumed authenticity.