A business model-based design of a damage control support system for naval ships

When a ship is hit, cutting-edge damage control systems are used to mitigate the problem, but most onboard recovery activities are carried out by the crew. Therefore, the key to damage control rests with the activity of the crew. To design a new damage control support system, a reasonable design process is required. Systems engineering has been applied in the development of many defense systems, and the effectiveness of its contribution has been proven. However, the success of a project also depends on other factors, such as user involvement, concern of executive, and expectation; contemporary systems engineering process do not consider these factors enough. This paper uses a systems engineering approach to guide the development of a new business model-based design method. To guarantee success of the project in the design phase, a business model is used as the system analysis and control tool. A new system for damage control support is developed using the proposed design process. The proposed design process makes it possible to design a reasonable system for damage control support with a minimal number of physical components, at affordable cost. The method also makes it possible to validate a given system's effectiveness and technological feasibility. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng