next up previous contents
Next: Security Analysis and Portfolio Up: Selected Senior Design Project Previous: The Bridge Breast Cancer

Organizing K.A.O.S.

(Saleha Ahmed, Anna Becerra, Lara Dorsey, Nicole Tribaldos, 2000)

The K.A.O.S. Room, part of the Phoenix Entertainment anime convention Project A-Kon, is a room consisting of thirty-two networked computers where convention attendees can pay a fee in exchange for a time allotment to play computer games against other players in the room. Many long hours of planning are involved in the setup and operation of the room. Our team, ``Organizing K.A.O.S.," reviewed data from previous years, interviewed current staff members, worked with our client, Mr. Joshua Owen, and visited the D/FW Hyatt Hotel where the convention will be held. Using this data, we determined how we could formulate models that would optimally organize the room and its operation to relieve some of the stress and chaos that accompany such planning. Some of the main topics of concern to us were the tasks of scheduling staff members, the organization of tournaments, and the management of traffic-flow of players in and out of the room. To obtain solutions to these problems, we used programs that best fit each individual aspect. For the staffing problem, we used GAMS and formulated a working schedule, with the results summarized in an Excel spreadsheet. For the tournament, we created a tool in Excel that allows the user to simply change one or two numbers and reformulate the entire workbook to show the profit for each scenario given. For the room layout/traffic-flow problem, we determined the best layout and used Adobe PhotoShop to convey this image visually. The solutions to each of these are included and explained in detail in the following pages of this report.



Richard S. Barr
Fri Feb 17 16:09:51 CST 2006