International Journal of Intelligent Systems
Special Issue on “Cloud-based Manufacturing and Service Systems”

Aim
Cloud computing (CM) is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storages, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management efforts or service provider interaction. This special issue focuses on an essential application of CM, namely cloud-based manufacturing and service systems.
Research fields critical to the enablement of cloud-based manufacturing systems includes automation, industrial control systems, service composition, flexibility, business models, implementation models, and architectures. However, it is questioned that cloud-based manufacturing systems may be suitable only for small or mid-sized enterprises. A capital-intense business is not hesitant to buy all the necessary systems or equipments. That makes some of the cost-saving incentives insignificant. In addition, there has been a notable hesitancy in manufacturing operations management to migrate systems to clouds. Further, most of the existing CM technologies are from the view of information technology, rather than from the manufacturing point of view. Nevertheless, the benefits of cloud-based manufacturing systems appear in the following respects: cost savings, efficiency, additional data analysis capabilities, flexibility, and closer partner relationships.
A cloud-based service system recommends suitable utilities or services to a mobile user based on the user’s request, which is a difficult task. First, bulk information may need to be processed, which renders the reasoning model extremely large. In addition, such data are dynamic and often incomplete, and this phenomenon poses a challenge to the adaptability and robustness of the cloud-based service system. Furthermore, users’ preferences for the recommended cloud service are sometimes unclear, vague, inconsistent, and difficult to quantify. Setting a single performance measure that is applicable to everyone is thus a difficult task. Nevertheless, approximately three-quarters of smartphone owners have used cloud-based service systems.
This special issue is intended to provide technical details of the development of cloud manufacturing and service systems and the corresponding applications. These details will hold great interest for researchers in systems science, mechanical engineering, service engineering, information engineering, information management, artificial intelligence, and computational intelligence, as well as for practicing managers and engineers. This special issue features a balance between state-of-the-art research and practical applications. This special issue also provides a forum for researchers and practitioners to review and disseminate quality research work on cloud manufacturing and service systems and the critical issues for further development.

Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Business models of cloud manufacturing
- Business models of cloud services
- Cloud computing applications to manufacturing
- Cloud computing applications to services
- Cloud manufacturing systems for small or mid-sized enterprises
- Cloud manufacturing systems for capital-intensive manufacturers
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Data security issue
- Cloud-based logistics/transportation services
- Internet manufacturing and services
- Location-aware service
- Ubiquitous health care system
- Interoperability
- Long distance industrial control systems
- Prominent implementation architectures
- Resource service composition
- Scalability
- Cloud-based simulation of systems
- Optimization
- Support multiple users simultaneously
- Wearable device applications to cloud manufacturing and services
- Visualization
- Big data analysis in cloud manufacturing and services
- Case studies
- Other related topics

Target Dates
Submission Deadline: February 29, 2016
Notification of the Initial Decision: May 31, 2016
Notification of Acceptance: August 31, 2016
Final Paper Due: November 30, 2016

Submission Guidelines
Quality and originality of the contribution are the main acceptance criteria. Manuscripts must be submitted via e-mail to the guest editor.
For journal information and author guidelines, please visit
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1098-111X


Guest Editors
Toly Chen, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
Department of Industrial Engineering and Systems Management
Feng Chia University
100, Wenhwa Rd., Seatwen, Taichung City, Taiwan
tolychen@ms37.hinet.net; tcchen@fcu.edu.tw
http://tolychen.myweb.hinet.net