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Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613952001703936 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Smit, Divan |
| author2 | Basson, A. H. |
| author_browse | Basson, A. H. Smit, Divan |
| author_facet | Basson, A. H. Smit, Divan |
| author_sort | Smit, Divan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description |
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131911 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:18.862Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131911 Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility Smit, Divan Basson, A. H. Kruger, K. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. Manufacturing processes -- Automation Intelligent agents (Computer software) Decision support systems Fruit trade UCTD Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The fourth industrial revolution, along with globalisation, has led industries to become more reliant on data for decision-making to maintain market share. The agricultural industry is no exception to these trends, particularly fruit treatment facilities, which increasingly rely on data for their operations. A large portion of the industry is still reliant on tedious human tasks, such as resource coordination and paper-based recording of vital information, which has a large potential for errors. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to develop a proof-of-concept Facility Operation Support System (FOSS) based on a holonic systems approach, to coordinate resources in a fruit treatment facility. Coordination in this thesis refers to the resource allocation for facility tasks and the information management that goes with it. Holonic systems have the potential to be a solution to the challenges faced by fruit treatment facilities. Holonic systems separate software entities into holons to represent the physical world in the digital space, allowing them to have autonomy and cooperability. This thesis follows a design process for holonic systems; therefore, a requirements analysis is conducted to evaluate stakeholders' needs, to formulate a set of functional and non-functional requirements for the FOSS. An architecture is then developed, using holonic system design principles, to satisfy the identified requirements. The architecture uses the Activity-Resource-Type-Instance holonic reference architecture for the identification and classification of holons, separating them into activity and resource holons. The proposed architecture is implemented in a proof-of-concept FOSS for a case study, to evaluate the extent to which the architecture achieved the requirements. The case study is based on the Hortgro Phytosanitary Laboratory located in Stellenbosch. The Biography-Attribute-Schedule-Execution (BASE) architecture is used for the implementation of the architecture, using the BASE platform. The functionality and performance of the case study implementation is verified through several experiments. The results of the experiments highlight the ability of the implemented FOSS to satisfy the identified functional requirements, as well as the extent to which the FOSS satisfies the non-functional requirements. The results specifically showcase the ability of the FOSS to coordinate both human and non-human resources for facility tasks. Furthermore, the results show that the FOSS can reallocate tasks and rapidly schedule new tasks should a disturbance (e.g. equipment failure) occur. Following the verification, an overall evaluation of the FOSS concludes that the objective of the thesis is achieved. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die vierde industriële revolusie, saam met globalisering, het daartoe gelei dat nywerhede meer afhanklik geword het van data vir besluitneming om hul markaandeel te behou. Die landboubedryf, en veral vrugtebehandelingsfasiliteite, is geen uitsondering op hierdie tendense nie en maak toenemend staat op data vir hul bedrywighede. 'n Groot deel van die bedryf is steeds afhanklik van menslike take, soos die koördinering van hulpbronne en papier-gebaseerde aantekeninge van belangrike inligting, wat groot potensiaal vir foute inhou. Daarom is die doel van hierdie tesis om 'n bewys-van-konsep fasiliteitbedrywighede-ondersteuningstelsel (Facility Operation Support System (FOSS)) te ontwikkel, gebaseer op 'n holoniese stelsels benadering, om hulpbronne in 'n vrugtebehandelingsfasiliteit te koördineer. Koördinering in hierdie tesis verwys na die hulpbron-toewysing vir fasiliteitstake en die inligtingsbestuur wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Holoniese stelsels het die potensiaal om 'n oplossing te bied vir die uitdagings wat vrugtebehandelingsfasiliteite ervaar. Holoniese stelsels verdeel sagteware-entiteite in holone om die fisiese wêreld in die digitale ruimte voor te stel, wat hulle toelaat om outonomie en samewerking te toon. Hierdie tesis volg 'n holoniese stelsels ontwerpproses; daarom is 'n vereiste-analise uitgevoer om belanghebbendes se behoeftes te evalueer en om 'n stel funksionele en nie-funksionele vereistes vir die FOSS te formuleer. 'n Argitektuur is daarna ontwikkel, met behulp van holoniese stelsels ontwerpbeginsels, om die geïdentifiseerde vereistes te vervul. Die argitektuur gebruik die AktiwiteitHulpbron-Tipe-Instansie holoniese verwysingsargitektuur vir die identifikasie en klassifikasie van holone, deur hulle te verdeel in aktiwiteits– en hulpbronholone. Die voorgestelde argitektuur is geïmplementeer in 'n bewys-van-konsep FOSS vir 'n gevallestudie, om die mate waarin die argitektuur die vereistes bereik te evalueer. Die gevallestudie is gebaseer op die Hortgro Fitosanitêre Laboratorium geleë in Stellenbosch. Die Biografie-Kenmerke-Skedule-Uitvoering (Biography-Attribute Schedule-Execution (BASE)) argitektuur is gebruik vir die implementering van die argitektuur, met behulp van die BASE platform. Die funksionaliteit en verrigting van die gevallestudie-implementering is geverifieer deur middel van verskeie eksperimente. Die resultate van die eksperimente lig die vermoë van die geïmplementeerde FOSS uit om die geïdentifiseerde funksionele vereistes te bereik, as ook die mate waarin die FOSS die nie-funksionele vereistes bereik het. Die resultate toon spesifiek die vermoë van die FOSS om menslike en nie-menslike hulpbronne te koördineer vir fasiliteitstake. Verder toon die resultate dat die FOSS take kan hertoewys en vinnig nuwe take kan skeduleer indien 'n versteuring (bv. 'n masjienfout) plaasvind. 'n Algehele evaluasie van die FOSS kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die doelwit van die tesis bereik is. Masters 2025-04-08T12:43:29Z 2025-04-08T12:43:29Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131911 Stellenbosch University xv, 107 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Manufacturing processes -- Automation Intelligent agents (Computer software) Decision support systems Fruit trade UCTD Smit, Divan Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| title | Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| title_full | Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| title_fullStr | Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| title_short | Holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| title_sort | holonic software system for coordination of a fruit treatment facility |
| topic | Manufacturing processes -- Automation Intelligent agents (Computer software) Decision support systems Fruit trade UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131911 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT smitdivan holonicsoftwaresystemforcoordinationofafruittreatmentfacility |