Loreta Kanapeckiene

Integrated knowledge management model and system for construction projects

In the past there has been no structured approach to learning from construction projects once they are completed. Now, however, the construction industry is adapting concepts of tacit and explicit knowledge management to improve the situation. Top managers generally assume that professionals in enterprises already possess tacit knowledge and experience for specific types of projects. Such knowledge is extremely important to organisations because, once a project is completed, professionals tend to forget it and start something new. Therefore, knowledge multifold utilisation is a key factor in productively executing a construction project. This paper discusses the benefits of knowledge management to construction industry organisations and projects and emphasises the significance of tacit knowledge. The main purpose of this paper is to present the integrated knowledge management model for the construction industry as well as system architecture and system of the Knowledge Based Decision Support System for Construction Projects Management (KDSS-CPM) which the authors of this paper have developed. Different knowledge management models that are presented in scientific literature are discussed and compared, and the proposed new, KDSS-CPM model, as developed by this papers authors, is introduced.

Method and system for Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment in analysis of construction and retrofit projects

Abstract Multi-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) methods prioritize the alternatives of comparative projects quite accurately. Problems arise when there is a need to determine the utility degrees and market values of the project alternatives. This becomes especially important for establishing the market value of real estate property in tender offers. However, the available MADM methods cannot accomplish this. Thus the authors of this article developed the MAMVA method, which permits determining the utility degrees and market values of project alternatives, and also developed a system on the basis of this developed method. This article presents the proposed Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment (MAMVA) Method and the Decision Support System for Construction and Retrofit Projects (DSS-CRP). It also presents a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method and system. The application of the MAMVA Method and DSS-CRP System for prioritizing and for determining the utility degrees and market values of construction and retrofit projects under consideration for financing by the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Financial Mechanism Grant made it possible to decrease the amount of requested support. This article also presents the analysis and comprehensive assessment of the noted construction and retrofit projects. These were performed in consideration of the entire life cycle of a project and of needs satisfaction relevant to all the groups interested in a project. The developed MAMVA Method and DSS-CRP System permit assessing the appropriateness of projects under analysis in conceptual and qualitative forms. This method and system automatically submit the values of the project alternatives.

Student progress assessment with the help of an intelligent pupil analysis system

Students and lecturers would like to know how well students have learned the study materials being taught. A formal test or exam would cause needless stress for students. To resolve this problem, the authors of this article have developed an Intelligent Pupil Analysis (IPA) System. A sufficient amount of studies worldwide prove an interrelation between pupil size and a persons cognitive load. The obtained research results are comparable with the results from other similar studies. The original contribution of this article, compared to the research results published earlier, is as follows: the IPA System developed by the authors is superior to the traditional pupil analysis research due to the integration of pupil analysis with subsystems of decision support, recommender and intelligent tutoring systems and innovative Models of the Model-base, which permit a more detailed analysis of the knowledge attained by a student. This article ends with a case study to demonstrate the practical operation of the IPA System.

Knowledge Management and “BRITA in PuBs” Project

Abstract Driven by the rapid shift to information‐based products and business strategies the discipline of knowledge management is emerging as the inevitable next step toward productivity and competitiveness in modern business — and a major market opportunity for vendors of a variety of information‐related computer products. The proper analysis of the terminology of technologies that contribute to knowledge management solutions is the subject of this paper. This paper provides a high‐level overview of a number of key terms and concepts, describes the framework, provides examples of how to use it and explores a variety of potential application areas. The main comparative analysis of the definitions which were received from different terminology systems has been completed. It provides a framework for characterizing various tools (methods, practices and technologies) available to multiple criteria decision‐making in the dwelling‐housing procedure. In this paper we present a short description of “BRITA in PuB...

Selection of the insulation materials for refurbishment purposes

AbstractRefurbishment of the building facades of residential buildings, including insulation, is often considered as the most energy efficient renovation measure with the largest potential. One of the solutions to increase energy efficiency is the selection of the appropriate insulation materials of the external walls. The article proposes the approach for selection of the insulation material based on SAW multiple criteria assessment method. The proposed methodology is applied for the case of insulation material selection in refurbishment of 12-storey building in Vilnius, Lithuania. Research reveals that rock wool outperforms other materials by thermal conductivity, light weigh, water vapour diffusion resistance, highest flammability class, durability and lowest emission of CO2 and is an efficient insulation to be used for sustainable refurbishment solutions.

Recommender Thermometer for Measuring the Preparedness for Flood Resilience Management

Abstract A range of various thermometers and similar scales are employed in different human and resilience management activities: Distress Thermometer, Panic Thermometer, Fear Thermometer, fire danger rating, hurricane scales, earthquake scales (Richter Magnitude Scale, Mercalli Scale), Anxiety Thermometer, Help Thermometer, Problem Thermometer, Emotion Thermometer, Depression Thermometer, the Torino scale (assessing asteroid/comet impact prediction), Excessive Heat Watch, etc. Extensive financing of the preparedness for flood resilience management with overheated full-scale resilience management might be compared to someone ill running a fever of 41C. As the financial crisis hits and resilience management financing cools down it reminds a sick person whose body temperature is too low. The degree indicated by the Recommender Thermometer for Measuring the Preparedness for Flood Resilience Management with a scale between T min =34,0 and T max =42,0 shows either cool or overheated preparedness for flood resilience management. The formalized presentation of this research shows how changes in the micro, meso and macro environment of resilience management and the extent to which the goals pursued by various interested parties are met cause corresponding changes in the “temperature” of the preparedness for resilience management. Global innovative aspects of the Recommender Thermometer developed by the authors of this paper are, primarily, its capacity to measure the “temperature” of the preparedness for flood resilience management automatically, to compile multiple alternative recommendations (preparedness for floods, including preparing your home for floods, taking precautions against a threat of floods, retrofitting for flood-prone areas, checking your house insurance; preparedness for bushfires, preparedness for cyclones, preparedness for severe storms, preparedness for heat waves, etc.) customised for a specific user, to perform multiple criteria analysis of the recommendations, and to select the ten most rational ones for that user. Across the world, no other system offers these functions yet. The Recommender Thermometer was developed and fine-tuned in the course of the Android (Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise educational Development) project.