A paper co-authored by University of Macau (UM) professor Yuen Ka-Veng and Prof Mu Heqing from the South China University of Technology has been ranked the second most cited paper among over 120 papers published in 2015 and 2016 in Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. Their study is expected to play a crucial role in the development of real-time structural health monitoring system for large infrastructure and buildings.

Titled, ‘Real-Time System Identification: An Algorithm for Simultaneous Model Class Selection and Parametric Identification’, the paper proposes a novel Bayesian real-time system identification algorithm using response measurement for dynamical systems. It is applicable to general dynamical systems, such as air quality and structural systems, by analysing the complexity of mathematical models via real-time data. The study will be beneficial for the development of structural health monitoring system for bridges and buildings. This project has been fully supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund.

This paper is an important extension of a previous work by Prof Yuen and Prof James Beck from the California Institute of Technology, titled, ‘Model Selection Using Response Measurements: Bayesian Probabilistic Approach’, which was published in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics(JEM) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This paper is ranked among the top ten most cited of over 3000 papers published in JEM in its long history of many decades.

Prof Yuen is the registrar and a professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, UM. Prof Mu Heqing is Prof Yuen’s former PhD student. He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees from UM. Immediately after receiving his PhD degree from UM, Prof Mu joined the South China University of Technology as an assistant professor. Because of his excellent research achievements, he received special early promotion to associate professor after only one year and a half.

Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineeringis a peer-reviewed journal focused on novel computational methods, which ranks the first among all 126 SCI/SCIE indexed journals in the field of civil engineering in terms of impact factor. The journal has a rigorous review process that requires ten referees.