School of Water, Energy and Environment (SWEE)

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Browsing School of Water, Energy and Environment (SWEE) by Course name "PhD in Design"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    An agent-based model for improving museum design to enhance visitor experience.
    (Cranfield University, 2022-11) Ji, Yijing; Tran, Trung Hieu; Simon, Jude; Williams, Leon
    Museum experience is a multi-layered journey including ontological, sensory, intellectual, aesthetic, and social aspects. In recent years, the museum sector has faced a number of challenges in terms of the need to enhance the potential of the experience while maintaining authenticity and credibility. For public science communication in museums, exhibition is an important medium for connecting exhibits and visitors, and as such, the study of visitors' senses and behaviours under impact of various museum layout designs has become an important research direction. The purpose of this study is to explore the recall of visitors' memories in the exhibition space by integrating images, echoes and tactile senses, and then transform memories and interactions into their own experience and knowledge base. The impact of spatial design and other design elements on visitors' memories is also explored. We have conducted Agent-based simulation, by setting up virtual visitors, exhibition spaces and artefact based on real gallery spaces, as a time-saving and cost-saving method to improve exhibition interactivity and content coherence. Meanwhile, through the simulation of this novel way, visitors can observe and predict the interactive experience between visitors and the exhibition, so as to improve the curatorial team's research on tourist behaviour and spatial design scheme. Next, the simulated data on visitors' memory recall behaviour is compared with the actual observed data to explore the authenticity of visitors' behaviour in the simulated museum. The impact of this study is by integrating a variety of shared understandings between curators, exhibition management and participants, drawing on diverse information based on experience, practice and simulation. It seeks to provide future museum- oriented practitioners, particularly in small and medium-sized museum exhibition spaces, with a novel perspective and approach to observing or predicting the experience of visitors' sensory interactions within an exhibition. Furthermore, at the same time as enhancing the visitor’s exhibition experience, the content of exhibition story is fully transformed into its own knowledge accumulation.
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    An integrated knowledge transfer framework for enhancing international university-industry collaboration in novel sanitation technology development
    (Cranfield University, 2023-12) Fox, Harvey; Encinas-Oropesa, Adriana; Lighterness, Paul
    Approximately 3.5 billion people worldwide lack access to safe sanitation services, a challenge that demands innovative solutions. University-industry collaborations (UICs) are increasingly recognised as a means to develop and commercialise cutting-edge technologies addressing such global issues. However, these partnerships face complexities in transitioning lab-based inventions to market-ready products, especially during the critical stages of technology development and refinement. This thesis presents an integrated knowledge transfer framework for international UICs, focusing on the development and commercial handover of novel sanitation technology. Through a series of interconnected studies, the research explores the micro-level interactions and processes within the execution phase of international UICs. The framework synthesises insights from three key studies: field testing dynamics in cross-cultural settings, which reveals the effectiveness of diverse team structures in different geographical contexts; a novel iterative development process (ERDE: Experimenting, Reviewing, Distributing, Executing), which provides a structured approach to capturing and integrating multi-modal feedback from dispersed partners; and the role of physical and digital boundary objects in technology and knowledge synchronisation across dispersed partners, highlighting the challenges and successes of alignment between university and industry collaborators. Each study contributes unique insights: the field testing research informs practices for geographically dispersed collaborations; the ERDE framework addresses challenges in the technology ‘Valley of Death’ by facilitating decentralised development; and the boundary object study emphasises the need for adaptive communication strategies across cultural and institutional boundaries. By examining a range of critical activities in technology development, this research contributes to both theoretical understanding and practical management of knowledge transfer in international UICs. The integrated frameworks offers a comprehensive approach to navigating the complexities of geographically dispersed innovation processes and facilitating knowledge alignment within international collaborations, particularly for technologies intended for diverse global contexts. This work has implications for academics, practitioners, and policymakers involved in developing and transferring innovative technologies across institutional and international boundaries to achieve far-reaching societal impact
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    Development of efficient data management and analytics tools for Intelligent sanitation network design.
    (Cranfield University, 2023-05) Jiang, Yirui; Tran, Trung Hieu; Williams, Leon
    According to the World Health Organisation, billions of people lack access to basic sanitation facilities and services, resulting in estimated 2.9 million cases of diseases and 95,000 deaths each year. This is because poor planning, design, maintenance, and access in traditional sanitation networks. Nowadays, intelligent sanitation systems leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) technology can provide efficient and sustainable services, incorporating sensors, hardware, software, and wireless communication. Furthermore, advanced data analytics tools combined with the intelligent sanitation systems can provide a deeper insight into operations, make informed decisions, and enhance user experience, thereby improving sanitation services. The thesis provides a comprehensive review of literature on intelligent sanitation systems from both academic and industrial perspectives, with the objective of identifying recent advances, research gaps, opportunities, and challenges. Existing solutions for intelligent sanitation are fragmented and immature due to a lack of a unified framework and tool. To address these issues, the thesis introduces a generalised Sanitation-IoT (San-IoT) framework to manage sanitation facilities and a standardised Sanitation-IoT-Data Analytics (San-IoT-DA) tool to analyse sanitation data. The framework and tool can serve as a foundation for future research and development in intelligent sanitation systems. The San-IoT framework can enhance the connectivity, operability, and management of IoT-based sanitation networks. The San-IoT-DA tool is designed to standardise the collection, analysis, and management of sanitation data for providing efficient data processing and improving decision making. The feasibility of the proposed framework and tool was evaluated on a case study of the Cranfield intelligent toilet. The San-IoT framework has the potential to enable system monitoring and control, user health monitoring, user behaviour analysis, improve water usage efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and facilitate decision-making among global stakeholders. The San-IoT-DA tool can detect patterns, identify trends, predict outcomes, and detect anomalies. The thesis offers valuable insights to practitioners, academics, engineers, policymakers, and other stakeholders on leveraging IoT and data analytics to improve the efficiency, accessibility, and sustainability of the sanitation industry.
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    Influencing factors and mechanisms of local government green development behaviour: evidence from China
    (Cranfield University, 2024-01) Zhu, Xiaowen; Ünal, Enes; Longhurst, Philip J.
    Green development has become an important strategy for local governments to achieve greater sustainability, and adopting green development behaviours has significant implications for local governments in addressing the relationship between the environment and the economy. Previous research demonstrated that the unique characteristics of green development practices have received considerable attention from scholars. Most studies have highlighted green development practices in the private sector, although the adoption of green development practices in the public sector remains understudied. Current research on green development behaviour in the public sector primarily reflects, at the individual level, the green behaviour of employees and, at the organisational level, the green purchasing behaviour of a particular government department. The discussion of local government green development behaviour is not predominant. Therefore, this thesis proposes that a detailed understanding of the processes and specific practices of local government green development behaviours may be essential for local governments to improve the effectiveness of implementing sustainable practices. Although existing studies have addressed the influencing factors that lead to the adoption of sustainable development by local governments, there needs to be a more systematic theoretical analysis of the underlying mechanisms adopted by local governments to achieve green development behaviours. Accordingly, this thesis aims to explore the factors that influence the implementation of green development behaviours by local governments and the mechanisms of influence between the factors. This study draws on mixed methods to develop two studies. The first is a qualitative study that explores local government green development behaviour and its influencing factors. It applies various data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Fifty-three officials from local government departments related to green development in China’s Jiangsu province were interviewed, and the data were analysed using a grounded theory method. The second is a quantitative study. Seven hundred twenty-two valid questionnaires were collected, and the model proposed in the first study with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings illustrate how the interactions between various factors shape the green development behaviour of local governments. The main findings show that: (1) local government green development behaviour is a kind of behavioural change, which can be divided into local government green development policy formulation and implementation. (2) The three main influences on local governments’ green development behaviours include internal driving factors, external environmental pressures, and the basis of regional green development. (3) Internal driving factors and external environmental pressure can influence local governments’ green development behaviours. (4) Internal driving factors mediate the relationship between external environmental pressure and green development behaviour. The basis of regional green development has a moderating effect on the relationship between internal driving factors and green development behaviours, as well as the relationship between external environmental pressures and green development behaviours. This thesis provides a framework that supports local government behaviour's decision-making process on the managerial implications. Paper I analyses the specific processes and practices of local government green development behaviour, Paper II constructs a theoretical model of local government green development behaviour, and Paper III examines the mechanisms by which various factors influence local green development behaviour. At a broader level, this thesis enriches and expands the research content of sustainable practices in the public sector. It also provides novel insights for local governments to formulate effective green development policies, which will help them develop green development directions and implement green development behaviours to promote more remarkable sustainable development in the region.