Technology In Iran Research Articles

Adoption of Lean Construction and AI/IoT Technologies in Iran’s Public Construction Sector: A Mixed-Methods Approach Using Fuzzy Logic

The construction sector in Iran faces substantial inefficiencies, including high material wastage, posing environmental and economic risks. This study investigated the adoption of Lean Construction (LC) practices and AI/IoT technologies in Iran’s public construction sector using a mixed-methods approach. This research examined the organizational, technical, and infrastructural factors across four key provinces—Tehran, Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi, and Fars—and employed fuzzy logic to address the uncertainties in adoption decisions. Data from 28 key stakeholder interviews were analyzed using Python 3.9, with libraries such as Pandas 1.3.3, NumPy 1.21.2, and skfuzzy 0.4.2 for the statistical analysis and NVivo 12 for the thematic coding. The analysis revealed that organizational readiness and leadership support were the critical drivers of adoption, particularly in Isfahan and Khorasan Razavi, which exhibited the highest adoption likelihood scores (0.5000). Tehran and Fars showed slightly lower scores due to regulatory barriers and financial limitations. The findings highlight the need for targeted leadership training, regulatory reforms, and infrastructure investments to accelerate the adoption of these technologies. This study aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities) by offering practical recommendations for advancing sustainable practices in Iran’s construction sector. The insights provided have broader implications for other developing economies facing similar challenges, contributing to global efforts toward sustainable development.

Designing a model for enhancing intention to accept renewable energy technologies in rural communities of Ilam province, Iran

Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate factors influencing the intention of villagers to use renewable energy. In this regard, by using the modified model of planned behavior, perceived behavioral control factors, perceived usefulness, perceived ease, mental norm and attitude toward energy sources for the intention of villagers to use energy sources. Therefore, the impact of each of these five variables was investigated in the form of research hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach This research has been done using a quantitative paradigm and a descriptive-correlation method. The statistical population of the study consisted of households (384) living in rural areas of Ilam province. A multistage cluster method was used to select the sample size. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that was developed based on the research background and research problem. Face validity of the research tool by professors of Islamic Azad University of Ilam and construct validity and reliability of research tools were confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and composite reliability. Data were analyzed statistically using SPSS26 and SmartPLS3 software. Findings The results showed that the intention to use renewable energies (REs) among the rural peoples of Ilam province is affected by factors such as mental norms, attitude, perceived usefulness and perceived behavioral control and there is a positive and significant relationship between them. Originality/value In Iran, there is a lot of potential for usage of RE in rural communities, but compared to fossil fuels, had a small share in the current energy supply (Rezaei et al., 2022). RE technologies have not been sufficiently accepted and used by Iranian rural people (Rezaei and Ghafranfarid, 2018). Se the public acceptance of RE technologies is vital for successful process energy transfer (Huijts et al., 2012), non-acceptance of RE by society is a major obstacle to establishing RE technologies in Iran (Savari and Razmavar, 2022). It is expected that this research will fill the gap in the research literature.

Evaluation of sustainable hydrogen production technologies on an industrial scale using comparative analysis of decision-making methods.

Due to its various advantages in different industrial fields, hydrogen can provide energy based on sustainability goals and recreates a critical function in the economy of countries. In this regard, evaluating hydrogen production technologies on an industrial scale is necessary for industrial development and economic growth. Therefore, this study proposes a comprehensive, integrated framework of hybrid fuzzy decision-making for assessing hydrogen production technologies in Iran. In addition to considering sustainability factors, political, technical, and reliability indicators are also assessed in this research to make a comprehensive assessment. The Fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (F-SWARA) technique determines the importance of indicators, and the Fuzzy Weighted Aggregates Sum-Product Assessment (F-WASPAS) approach ranks technologies. The weighing findings indicated that the sub-indices of investment cost, technical infrastructure development, and implementation costs were introduced as the most significant sub-indices with weights of 0.226, 0.151, and 0.126, respectively. The evaluation findings with the F-WASPAS method and comparative analysis with various decision-making methods revealed that electrolysis based on solar energy and electrolysis based on wind energy technologies had the highest preference. In this regard, the infrastructure and costs of hydrogen production can be improved by presenting various incentives, such as improving financial conditions while attracting investment and increasing cooperation with top companies. So, sustainable development, economic growth, and industrial development are provided.

Investigating the Effective Factors on the Acceptance of Teleorthodontic Technology Based on the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3).

Health information technology is used in dentistry worldwide. Despite the limited specialized resources for providing orthodontic treatment in Iran, the need to examine the technology acceptance model (TAM) seems necessary and is a significant step in the successful acceptance of teleorthodontic technology. The present study has identified and investigated the factors affecting the acceptance of teleorthodontic technology among orthodontists based on the TAM3 with the aim of successful implementation and deployment of this technology. In this descriptive-analytical research, 300 Iranian orthodontists who were members of the Iranian Orthodontic Association were selected by census sampling. The data was gathered through a modified and accommodated questionnaire called the acceptance model 3. The validity was confirmed. Moreover, the reliability was calculated based on Cronbach's alpha, which was equal to 0.870. Multiple linear regression analysis was also utilized to investigate the relationships between dependent, independent, and mediator variables. Besides, the final model was designed by the Amos software. The results of 251 orthodontic specialists proved that subjective norm, job relevance, output quality, results in demonstrability, and job relevance on output quality could significantly affect perceived usefulness. Similarly, the perception of external control was identified to have a significant influence on perceived ease of use. On the other hand, the perceived usefulness does not play a mediating role between perception and subjective norm. Furthermore, perceived usefulness was confirmed as a mediating factor in relationship to both perceived ease of use and behavioral intention. The findings of the present study revealed valuable scientific evidence to identify and apply the key factors affecting the acceptance and use of modern teleorthodontic technology in Iran. Besides, the structure of the TAM3 was recognized as fruitful and worthwhile for predicting the acceptance of this new technology and also in identifying key effective factors.

Towards greater impact in health technology assessment: System dynamic approach for new and emerging technologies in Iran.

As classical health technology assessment models fail to predict the complexities of related impacts, the application of modeling techniques such as systems dynamics simulation (SD) is essential. This study aimed to develop an SD model to predict the outcomes of access to a new medicine in Iran. This study extracted the important and influential variables in providing access to new pharmaceutical technologies by comprehensively reviewing previous research and combining the technical knowledge of experts in this field. The variables were incorporated into the systems thinking framework and modeled using dynamic systems tools, followed by simulation and testing in VENSIM. The model was piloted for deferoxamine and deferasirox in thalassemia. Various tests were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the model. The model was designed for a ten-year horizon (2018-2028) for medicines selected as the pilot. The variables extracted from the panel of experts encompassed the primary and short-term impacts of access to newly emerged medicine and long-term impacts regarding the economy, health, and society.After modeling, the leverage points presented for the problem with the greatest impact or effectiveness in access to new medicine included the policy determining the amount of medicine supply, the import and production of medicine, the prevalence and incidence of disease, insurance coverage, and treatment adherence. The SD models allow the researchers to evaluate the efficiency and health outcomes of a new pharmaceutical more precisely in the health system in Iran.

The role of developers in accepting solar energy in Iran: A case study in Golestan province

Iran is one of the largest holders of energy resources in the world and has always enjoyed a special international position in the world in terms of the amount of exports and the extent of available resources. However, the amount of energy consumption in recent years has become one of the most important concerns of the government, and in order to solve it, the government of the Republic of Iran has adopted two policies of reforming the consumption pattern and supplying energy through renewable energies, and specifically, developing the use of solar energy in has taken Meanwhile, various factors such as the market play an essential role in convincing people. Therefore, this research focuses on the social dimension of the issue of energy transfer, considering the human and social factors effective in the adoption of RE, and identifies the social barriers to the adoption of solar energy technologies in Iran (Golestan). This research has been conducted using a qualitative method based on interviews with private sector activists working in the solar energy development market to address the purpose of the research, which is to evaluate the obstacles to the establishment of solar energy technology in Iran from the perspective of market experts. The findings showed that consumers may perceive the need to use solar energy because of the problematic issues arising from the use of non-renewable energy. However, consumers' lack of awareness of solar energy, which is a solution to the problems caused by fossil fuel consumption, the high rate of currency fluctuations, and the government's lack of support for the private sector, are three factors that prevent the adoption of solar energy. Thus, the results of the present study have identified the obstacles to the development of low carbon economy in Iran through the adoption of solar energy. In this regard, all stakeholders including individuals, communities and governments will benefit from the benefits of RE. Since energy transfer studies are classified in one of the three main pillars of small consumer, policy maker or producer and distributor, this research was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of producer or distributor in order to identify the factors affecting it. In this context, it is necessary to examine two other pillars of discussion in future studies.

Dynamic evaluation of technological innovation system; the case of underground natural gas storage technology in Iran

The technology development is often a process that requires government guidance and support. The government prepare and implement policies for the development of priority technologies. Prior to formulating the policies for technology development, the innovation system should be evaluated and analyzed to identify problems and shortcomings in the system. In the next step, appropriate policies should be implemented to address them. The present study seeks to understand the current situation of the natural gas underground storage technology innovation system in Iran. This innovation system provides a model for evaluating it in Iran by utilizing the framework of the technological innovation system and the method of dynamic evaluation (motors of innovation). Based on that, the system failures in the country have been identified. According to the findings, most important causes of system failure in the development of this technology include insufficiency and low share of private companies in this field, relatively low and average quality of entrepreneurs, and the limited number of storage tanks.

Prioritizing policy tools to support development of IoT technologies in Iran

The Internet of Things is a new perspective on the information technology industry that encompasses all technical, social and economic concepts. Identifying priority application areas for this technology is one of the key points for its effective use. Governments also have a variety of tools for policy-making to support the development of this technology. Therefore, knowing which tool has a higher priority for support is a very important point that can not only prevent the loss of resources but also improve the speed of development. In this research, using the opinion of experts and using the TOPSIS method, an attempt has been made to identify the priority of IoT application areas as well as the priority of government support policy tools in these areas. The results of this research have shown that the important areas in this field respectively are Smart cities, Factories and industries, Shipping, Healthcare, Supply chain management, Buildings and houses and finally Agriculture and animal husbandry. Also Government policy tools respectively, in order of priority, are Financial and Investment Incentives, Flexible regulatory, Tax Exemption, Deploying IOT applications in E-government, Standards and Accreditation, Technology Infrastructure, Macro Policies, Application Infrastructure, Cybersecurity Regulation, Privacy Regulation.

Encouraging adoption of green manure technology to produce clean rice product

Green manure is used as an environmentally friendly technology to produce clean agricultural products. This technology not only helps reduce environmental and health concerns, but can also increase productivity. Green manure is especially needed in the production of paddy. Because rice as a strategic product is the main food of people in many countries of the world. Rice production using green manure can enable countries to develop and increase healthy production. However, the acceptance of this technology is low in many rice producing countries. In this regard, this study used an integrated and extended version of the theory of planned behavior to predict and encourage the adoption of green manure technology in Iran. To collect the required data, a cross-sectional survey was performed among Iranian rice growers and the results of hypothesis testing were analyzed using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling. The results revealed that moral norms of green manure, attitude towards green manure, perceived behavioral control on using green manure, and trialability of green manure have positive and significant effects on intention towards using green manure. In addition, bootstrap analysis showed that moral norms of green manure and trialability of green manure positively and significantly mediated the (indirect) effects of subjective norms towards application of green manure on intention towards using green manure. The results led to important practical and theoretical implications that could provide new insights for policy-makers, planners, and practitioners to develop and encourage the adoption of green manure technology to produce clean and healthy agricultural products.

Designing a branding model for academic libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in Iran

PurposeThis study identifies factors affecting brand building for academic libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) in Iran.Design/methodology/approachThis research applied the grounded theory method based on the three open, axial and selective coding steps (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). The research tool was interviews conducted with 20 experts in librarianship, marketing and branding.FindingsLibrary building architecture, library information resources and services, librarians' branding, marketing activities and library management are the causal conditions affecting brand building. The national economic situation, the digital publishing situation in the country and different characteristics of the new library community are the intervening conditions affecting brand building. The role of other libraries in society in the scientific education of the new generation provides contextual conditions for brand building. The higher education system and the library parent organization play a part in the operative actions/interactions for brand building. The consequences of brand building are brand image development, brand excellence and brand behavioral loyalty for libraries. Library brand identity is also a core category in brand building.Originality/valueFacing steep challenges by emergent services, academic libraries are ill-prepared to meet the needs of the new information society solely with traditional services and functions. Academic libraries are required to rebrand themselves to be more successful at delivering a strong performance within a changing information environment by enhancing their brand image and establishing a more effective relationship with users.

Economic and Environmental Analysis of Incorporating Geothermal District Heating System Combined with Radiant Floor Heating for Building Heat Supply in Sarein, Iran Using Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Despite the considerable breakthrough in district heating systems (DHS) globally, there is not yet any policy on developing this technology in Iran. This country has a high range of energy demand, while renewable energies play a minor role in its energy supply chain. Furthermore, the world is going through a transition towards renewable resources, which currently consist of only 10% of the total energy mix. As the first contribution in this area, this paper aims to design a 100% renewable DHS integrated with radiant floor heating for a group of residential buildings in Sarein, Iran. Moreover, the literature proposes a novel approach for combining geothermal energy and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to achieve a 100% renewable energy system. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is used for thermal analysis by 3D designing the buildings in SketchUp and OpenStudio and simulating the heat load in EnergyPlus. Three scenarios are presented to better compare the DHS with the decentralized heating system regarding fuel consumption, as well as environmental and economic aspects. The town’s existing heating system that consumes natural gas for both space heating and hot water demand is referred to as the IHS-G scenario. The DHS-G scenario represents an 87% renewable DHS system, working with natural gas and geothermal energy, while the DHS-MSW scenario is a 100% renewable system, consuming both geothermal energy and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Finally, findings suggest that DHS-MSW and DHS-G scenarios reduce the annual energy consumption of buildings by about 595 and 33 toes, respectively. Hence, the greenhouse gas effect will alleviate by mitigating the emission of 1403 and 1339 tons of CO2-eq./year, respectively. Moreover, exporting the extra natural gas through both LNG and pipeline provides about 26 million and 28 million USD/year revenue in DHS-G and DHS-MSW scenarios.

Transfer of Space Technologies in Iran: Drivers and Constraints of Success

Understanding how publicly funded technologies could diffuse industries and other sectors in developing countries has been a challenge for researchers in the field of cross-sector technology transfer. Specifically, advanced technologies are rarely commercialized or transferred to industries. Technology transfer projects are highly dependent on many regional and contextual conditions. This study aims to determine how high-tech technology transfer in a developing economy can be operationalized by studying its complexities. A thematic analysis was applied to semi-structured interviews with 18 participants in the qualitative phase, investigating the critical factors affecting the transfer of space technologies to other sectors. The results explained the critical factors within ten categories and their inter-relation with one another. The results suggest that technology transfer in high-tech industries can be better understood if analyzed within a complex paradigm. Policy recommendations and implications have been presented in three layers, dealing with systems, responsibilities, and direct failures.

Why Have Economic Incentives Failed to Convince Farmers to Adopt Drip Irrigation in Southwestern Iran?

Sustainable water usage is an important global concern and an urgent priority, especially in dryland regions such as Iran. The Iranian government is actively addressing the challenge of water scarcity by encouraging farmers to adopt new water application technology. Its main element to decrease water consumption is to encourage new irrigation systems, in particular drip irrigation. However, despite the benefits of drip irrigation technologies and the availability of generous government subsidies, adoption rates of the improved irrigation technology remain critically low among Iranian farmers. Therefore, this study seeks to determine what is limiting the uptake of improved irrigation technology in Iran. While it is well known that acceptance of new technology ultimately depends on multiple and interrelated factors, we examine those factors affecting farmers’ adoption from three theoretical perspectives in the adoption literature: farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, social capital, and technology characteristics. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in Behbahan district in Khuzestan province in southwest Iran. The sample comprises 174 farmers who adopted drip irrigation in that region and 100 non-adopters who were located in the same region. Discriminant analysis reveals that a socio-economic approach is the strongest model to predict adoption of drip irrigation technology in the study area, followed by models of technical characteristics, and social capital. These results can help agricultural extension agents and policy-makers design appropriate and effective strategies that facilitate the adoption of drip irrigation at an increasing rate.

Geographical Preference for Installation of Solar Still Water Desalination Technologies in Iran: An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-Based Answer

Water shortage is one of the most crucial challenges worldwide, especially in the Middle Eastern countries, with high population and low freshwater resources. Considering this point and the increasing popularity of solar stills desalination systems, as the contribution, this study aims at finding the geographical preference for installation of those technologies in Iran, which is one of the biggest and most populated countries in the Middle East. For this purpose, from each climatic zone of Iran, one representative city is chosen, and analytical hierarchy process (AHP), as one of the most powerful tools for systematic decision-making, is applied. Annual fresh water production (AFWP) from the technical aspect, energy payback period (EPBP) from the energy perspective, and investment payback period from the economic point of view are selected as the decision criteria. Obtaining the three indicated indicators is done using artificial neural networks (ANNs) for yield and water temperature in the basin, which are developed by means of the recorded experimental data. The results indicate that hot arid cities with high received solar radiation, or the ones that have a higher water tariff compared to the others, are the preferred places for installation of solar stills. The example of the first category is Ahvaz, while Tehran is representative of the cities from the second category. AHP demonstrates that they are the first and second priorities for solar still installation, with scores of 26.9 and 22.7, respectively. Ahvaz has AWFP, EPBP, and IPP of 2706.5 L, 0.58 years, and 4.01 years; while the corresponding values for Tehran are 2115.3 L, 0.87 years, and 2.86 years. This study belongs to three classifications in the mathematical problems: 1. experimental work (code: 76–05), 2. Neural networks (code: 92B20), 3. and decision problems, (code: 20F10).

Strategies and Policies for the Development of Wastewater Treatment Technologies in Iran

Strategies and Policies for the Development of Wastewater Treatment Technologies in Iran

Digitalization Processes in Iran during the Period of Sanctions

A set of unilateral sanctions against Iran had a negative impact on the economy of the Islamic Republic. Although restrictions harmed purchasing power of the population as well as IT-related businesses, the digital sector by relying on domestically designed systems showed resistance to ‘sanctions shocks’. World rankings place Tehran among the top 100 countries across various indicators of digital development. Global review indicates that the percent of population with Internet access in Iran has significantly increased recently, which corresponds to trends in some countries of the region. According to the national data, the Islamic Republic has achieved considerable results in expanding the network of broadband subscribers both in cities and rural area. Iranian electronic commerce is on the rise. There is a hike in the e-commerce sales nominal value and the number of online orders. Nowadays Tehran puts emphasis on enhancing multilateral cooperation within regional and inter-regional groupings that have their own digital agenda in line with the times. In particular, it is about the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the BRICS and the ‘Caspian five’. Intensifying such contacts could lead to adoption of new digital solutions inside the Islamic Republic. Specific elements of digitalization are reflected in national medium-term development plans. The Government considers digital transformation as a promising opportunity to generate economic growth. Serious effort is underway to improve e-government services and also manage a transition to a special ‘single-window’ gateway. Implementation of digital technologies in Iran has covered, inter alia, education, healthcare, housing and utility services, regulation of business activity.

Dynamic Evaluation of Technological Innovation System; the Case of Underground Natural Gas Storage Technology in Iran

Dynamic Evaluation of Technological Innovation System; the Case of Underground Natural Gas Storage Technology in Iran

Provide a desirable model and future perspective of family lifestyle changes with the introduction of new communication technologies In the city of Tehran from the perspective of experts

Digitization in the Iranian style and in the context of contemporary Iranian culture will have its own characteristics that may create individual, social, functional, structural, emotional, emotional and aesthetic challenges. This study aimed to provide a desirable model and future perspective of family lifestyle changes with the introduction of new communication technologies in Tehran. Qualitative research method (scenario writing), the statistical population of 29 professors specializing in the field of research Non-probability sampling is a purposeful type and the data collection tool is a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. Validity of measuring instruments Angulation method, information analysis has been performed at both descriptive and inferential levels. The results show 6 main themes: communication courses in Iran, dealing with communication technology in Iran, relationships and relationships within the family, The new family configuration is the family interaction with the media and matrimony. Based on their importance from the point of view of experts, 4 scenarios of eclectic media family, stable media family, Unstable media family and media turbulent family formulate, then extract common features of scenarios And by statistical assessment, the main features of each scenario were developed. The results of the structural model showed that the experts emphasized Scenario 2

IoT-Based Services in Banking Industry Using a Business Continuity Management Approach

Background: The Internet of things (IoT) is a new technology that expanding rapidly and has led to the emergence of new services in the banking industry. Although IoT is an emerging technology in Iran, it is expected to become a paradigm in the future. IoT applications in banking have helped to provide high quality and fast responses to customers anytime, anywhere. Purpose: This research aims to identify and prioritize IoT applications in the Iranian banking industry based on business continuity indicators. Methods: First, based on the comprehensive literature review and practical experiences, IoT applications in the banking industry are identified. Then, each indicator's weight was calculated using the Grey Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL). Finally, IoT-based applications in the Iranian banking industry have prioritized using the multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT). Due to the unstable economic conditions for the financial sector, business continuity indicators are employed in this study. Also, the reason for using MAUT is to consider the utility of banking experts for performing IoT banking services. Findings: According to results, IoT-based services in the banking industry, including Transmit instant reports, smart ATMs, non-contact electronic payments, and electronic checks, are identified for Iranian banks. Then, These appropriate services are prioritized with the capabilities of Iranian banks.

Popularity of patent commercialization policies: Iran as a case

Commercialization of technologies has attracted increasing attention over the past years due to its role in improving national competitiveness. Iran has not been an exception as the country's policy-makers have been actively engaged in crafting national policies to facilitate and promote commercialization of technologies. The popularity of the existing policies in this field, however, has not been properly researched. Our research, by following a survey study methodology, aims for the first time to address this gap. The study looks at popularity of governmental policies aimed at supporting commercialization of patented technologies in Iran, based on the careful study of 10 cases of successfully commercialized patented technologies in Iran. Our results indicate that the commercialization process of the studied patented technologies was very much affected by some company/technology-specific characteristics. The study shows that the two policy measures with the highest perceived popularity were the financial supports and the services offered by incubation centers. Our results also show that some of the existing supportive policy measures did not serve the intended purposes and some other measures need to be fine-tuned, as far as the studied cases are concerned, such as frequently held invention and innovation exhibitions and the government-supported media coverage.