COMPUTERS AND ENGINEERING ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE DESCRIBED OF ADVANCED ENGINEERING COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND IT IS SHOWN HOW THESE SYSTEMS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED ENGINEERING DESIGN AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS. THE GOAL IS EXAMINED OF COMPUTERS AND RELATED TOOLS IN ENGINEERING DECISION-MAKING AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS. THE DEVELOPMENT IS DESCRIBED OF THE INTEGRATED CIVIL ENGINEERING SYSTEM (ICES) WHICH ENABLES THE ENGINEER TO PRODUCE BETTER AND MORE IMAGINATIVE DESIGNS MORE EFFICIENTLY. EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON CURRENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS ADVANCES AND ON NEW TECHNIQUES OF ANALYSIS IS NOW BEING IMPLEMENTED OR UNDER DEVELOPMENT. THESE TECHNIQUES INCLUDE PROBLEM-ORIENTED LANGUAGES, TIME-SHARING, GRAPHICS, COSTING, DECISION-MAKING, SIMULATION, AND SEARCH. THE APPROXIMATION OF VEHICLE OPERATING COSTS ON A PARTICULAR LINK OR A PARTICULAR TIME PATH IN THE ICES PROGRAM IS DISCUSSED. THE DEVELOPMENT IS DESCRIBED OF TWO MATHEMATICAL MODELS AT HARVARD ON THE ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ONE MODEL, THE MICRO ECONOMIC MODEL, BEHAVES IN THE SAME WAY AS THE REAL ECONOMY OF A COUNTRY. THE SECOND, THE TRANSPORT MODEL, RESPONDS LIKE THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. THESE TWO MODELS ARE OPERATED TOGETHER SIMULATING THE ECONOMY THROUGH TIME.