Showing papers by "David Martin published in 2011"

Ontologies and tools for analysing and composing simulation confederations for the training and testing domains

Abstract: Military training and testing events integrate a diverse set of live and simulated systems, most of which were built independently and weren’t specifically designed to work together. Data interoperability and service-oriented architecture approaches, while essential, do not provide a complete solution to ensuring that systems will be fully compatible in their interactions. We describe a complementary approach that uses Web Ontology Language and Semantic Web Rule Language to capture information about the roles and capabilities required to complete a task, and the detailed attributes of candidate resources. Our toolset applies automated reasoning to determine whether each candidate resource has the requisite capabilities and is compatible with other resources. If there are multiple candidates for a role, the reasoner ranks the relative goodness of each with respect to constraints and metrics that are appropriate for the specific task needs of the exercise or deployment. We include worked examples illustrating the kinds of information we capture about resources and how rules and constraints are applied to provide a nuanced assessment of their compatibility in a specific context.

Problems of finance for home acquisition by private residential property developers in bauchi metropolis, nigeria

Abstract: Purpose-The purpose of the paper is to examine the problem of finance for home acquisition by private residential property develop ers in Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. Design methodology/approach- Two hundred respondents were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were presented usi ng simple percentage distribution tables and Chi-square analyses were used to analyze the data collected for the research. The conditions for accessing credit from the Nation al Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) which is in custody of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Niger ia (FMBN) and private financial institutions are examined. The average monthly inco mes of public sector workers was established from two different salary structures wh ich are currently applicable to workers in State and Federal Government establishments. Findings- The findings reveal that low income of the majority of the respondents; poor source finance and difficulty in accessing credit a mongst others were discovered to be the major housing finance impediments to residential pr operty development in the study area. The study identified low incomes/wages to be the gr eatest impediment to credit as workers below Grade Level 07 on the two salary stru ctures could not pay off a loan of N1.5m which is equivalent to cost of 1-bedroom bungalow based on their monthly earnings. Research limitations/implications- In order to make meaningful and adequate coverage, the study is limited to Jos metropolis. It will als o be limited to residential properties in the study area. The potential respondents will be the s ample size drawn from the population of the study in both Jos North and Jos South Local Government. Practical implications-The implication of the study is that the current gl obal financial crisis has caused a surge in lending rates which wi ll further affect loan seekers affordability to credit. Lending rates in private f inancial institutions are on the higher side averaging 23 per cent in addition to other charges while other conditions attached to credit makes it practically impossible for low inco me earners to meet the requirements. Originality/value- This paper represents the first work that analyse t he problem of finance for home acquisition by private residential property developers in Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. Conclusion- It can be concluded that public sector workers who are currently on the two salary structure employed in the study are low inco me earners and generally lack affordability for credit. Recommendations- The study recommends for upward review of workers’ salaries particularly those on the two salary structures emp loyed for the study to facilitate their access to credit for home acquisition and there is need to simplify the procedure for