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Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Author "Adjahossou, Anicet, author"

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    Model-based systems engineering application to data management for integrated sustainable human settlement modeling
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Adjahossou, Anicet, author; Grigg, Neil, advisor; Bradley, Thomas, committee member; Conrad, Steven, committee member; Willson, Bryan, committee member; Fremstad, Anders, committee member
    The challenges associated with the transition from current approaches to temporary humanitarian settlement to integrated, sustainable human settlements is largely due to a significant increase in the number of forcibly displaced people over the last few decades, the difficulties of sustainably providing the needed services to the required standards, and the prolongation of emergencies. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s Global Appeal 2023, more than 117.2 million people were forcibly displaced or stateless in 2023, representing a little over 1% of the world's population. The average lifespan of a humanitarian settlement is between 17 and 26 years (UNHCR), and factors such as urban growth and adverse environmental changes have exacerbated the scale of the difficulties. Despite these problematical contexts, short-term considerations continue to guide the planning and management of humanitarian settlements, to the detriment of more integrated, longer-term perspectives. These factors call for a paradigm shift in approach to ensure greater sustainability right from the planning phases. Recent studies often attribute the unsustainability of humanitarian settlements to poor design and inadequate provision of basic resources and services, including water, energy, housing, employment and economic opportunities, among others. They also highlight apparent bottlenecks that hinder access to meaningful and timely data and information that stakeholders need for planning and remediation. More often than not, humanitarian operations rely on ad hoc methods, employing parallel, fragmented and disconnected data processing frameworks, resulting in the collection of a wide range of data without subsequent analysis or prioritization to optimize potential interconnections that can improve sustainability and performance. Furthermore, little effort has been made to investigate the trade-offs involved. As a result, major shortcomings emerged along the way, leading to disruption, budget overruns, disorder and more, against a backdrop of steadily declining funding for humanitarian aid. However, some attempts have been made to move towards more sustainable design approaches, but these have mainly focused on vague, sector-specific themes, ignoring systemic and integrative principles. This research is a contribution to filling these gaps by developing more practical and effective solutions, based on an integrated systemic vision of a human settlement, defined and conceptualized as a complex system. As part of this process, this research proposes a model-driven methodology, supported by Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and a Systems Modeling Language (SysML), to develop an integrated human settlement system model, which has been functionally and operationally executed using Systems Engineering (SE) approach. This novel system model enables all essential sub-systems to operate within the single system, and focuses on efficient data processing. The ultimate aim is to provide a global solution to the interconnection and integration challenges encountered in the processing of operational data and information, to ensure an effective transition to sustainable human settlements. With regard to the interconnectedness between the different sectors of the sub-systems, this research proposes a Triple Nexus Framework (TNF) in an attempt to integrate water, energy and housing sector data derived from one sub-system within the single system by applying systems engineering methods. Systems engineering, based on an understanding of the synergies between water, energy and housing, characterizes the triple nexus framework and identifies opportunities to improve decision-making steps and processes that integrate and enhance quality of data processing. To test and validate the performance of the system model, two scenarios are executed to illustrate how an integrated data platform enables easy access to meaningful data as a starting point for modeling an integrated system of sustainable human settlement in humanitarian contexts. With regard to framework performance, the model is simulated using a megadata nexus, as specified by the system requirement. The optimization simulation yields 67% satisfactory results which is further confirmed from a set of surveyed practitioners. These results show that an integrated system can improve the sustainability of human settlements beyond a sufficiently acceptable threshold, and that capacity building in service delivery is beneficial and necessary. The focus on comprehensive data processing through systems integration can be a powerful tool for overcoming gaps and challenges in humanitarian operations. Structured interviews with question analysis are conducted to validate the proposed model and framework. The results prove a consensus that the novel system model advances the state of the art in the current approach to the design and management of human settlements. An operational roadmap with substantial programmatic and technical activities required to implement the triple nexus framework is recommended for adoption and scaling-up. Finally, to assess the sustainability, adaptability and applicability of the system, the proposed system model is further validated using a context-based case study, through a capacity assessment of an existing humanitarian settlement. The sustainability analysis uses cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) methodologies, and results show that the development of the settlement are unstable and therefore unsustainable, since there is no apparent difference between influential and dependent data. This research tackles an important global challenge, providing valuable insights towards sustainable solutions for displaced populations, aligning with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.