Raimar J. Scherer

A distributed multi-model-based Management Information System for simulation and decision-making on construction projects

The conceptual development of a Management Information System to support decision making on construction projects across all management levels within the owner and the contractor organizations is introduced. The system is designed as a distributed information and service platform. The backbone of the system is a layered ontology framework. Along with the information system, a novel approach to process and multi-model driven construction management is developed that allows for sharing distributed, yet interrelated, engineering and management application models in so called multi-models. A major challenge of the system is the management of the information and model logistics as well as the interdependencies among the application models. In order to support the retrieval of information from different project phases, domains and organizations and their combination in coherent multi-models, an ontology framework is developed. It defines the overall information space of the application models describing the application models content and their links in multi-models as well as the collaboration processes within the virtual organization of the project. The proposed system represents a paradigm shift. The information space is no longer product-model-centric. Central to the model-based information space is the process model that interrelates application model views contained in multi-models required for specific planning, production and analysis tasks. The activities are considered the enabler to semi-automatically combine dedicated information pieces of existing application models in new multi-models. Therefore we have identified the instantiation of activities and their combination to valid process chains to be the bottleneck to make the process and multi-model driven construction management efficient. As a consequence, we develop a new process and multi-model generation method, which is based on process modules formalized in description logics. The process modules combine distinct methods of Reference Process Modelling and Business Process Objects. In the generated processes, related application models, and populated multi-models are hierarchically structured (1) to support the utilization of project information by different actors of the hierarchical project organization and (2) to handle engineering and management knowledge and decisions piecewise during process generation in accordance to the hierarchy levels of the involved decision makers, thereby reducing the overall complexity of decision making. The paper discusses: (1) the main components of the system for interlinking and sharing models and information, (2) the ontology-based multi-model framework and the basics for the hierarchical structuring of the models, and (3) the generation of integrated process models.

Collaborative Systems for Reindustrialization

The establishment of collaborative business ecosystems is widely accepted as a key strategy in the reindustrialization processes. This is clearly present in the ongoing policy discussions and industry-oriented research roadmaps. A brief analysis of recent contributions to the PRO-VE conference shows the active role already played by the collaborative networks community in this process. Focusing on areas such as service orientation and serviceenhanced products, sustainability issues, collaboration stimulation strategies, co-innovation, and improvement of distributed processes, the area is contributing with valuable models, organizational structures, infrastructures and tools to enable a new generation of sustainable industrial systems.

Construction processes configuration using process patterns

Process modeling is used in construction to support various simulation tasks. A major problem is that due to the one-of-a-kind character of construction projects a lot of work is needed each time to manually develop a project overall process schedule. However, the total individual process is typically structured in multiple stages containing a number of recurring similar but not equal subprocesses that can be standardized if appropriately generalized to generic reusable process patterns. Moreover not only process patterns, but also many general construction methods and strategies can be standardized and stored in form of configuration rules, which will improve the consistency of modeling and have the potential to improve modeling time too. The paper addresses these issues and presents a new approach that combines the ontology-based process modeling with the rule-based process configuration. The proposed system supports the generation of process schedules for construction projects that could be later used in discrete-event simulation software or workflow programs. The development of a formal high-level model for construction processes and a methodology for using process patterns in the configuration of complex construction tasks are described. The main idea of the proposed approach is the development and use of two separate but interrelated ontologies, one for process patterns and the other for process instances, and their integration with a general-purpose rule-engine. With the help of the configuration strategies, realized by means of hierarchical rule sets, an intelligent solution for quick process configuration can be found.

Retrieval of Project Knowledge from Heterogeneous AEC Documents

A knowledge system for the retrieval of project knowledge from civil-engineering documents will be described from different views. The views demonstrate the research process, the knowledge acquisition process and the recovery structure of the knowledge system. The described knowledge system should provide the possibility to reuse construction knowledge locked in documents. The documents will be classified using text analysing methods combined with clustering techniques. A lexicon which includes important parts of knowledge like construction key words, synonyms etc. for the specific domain of the building process will be combined with a document class structure and project class structure. During the process of general text analyses the lexicon will be completed with the frequency of words structured in different clusters of the building process. The knowledge system built up, will be a long-term storage of project experiences for the building industry.

Formal Description of a Generic Multi-Model

Multi-Models address issues of nD modeling problems in construction information processes. They provide a temporary and loose coupling by aggregating instances of possibly orthogonal domain models and expressing explicit relations between their elements. To provide a base for prototypical and specific multi-model support as well as the development of generic multi-model based tools, the authors propose a data schema for a generic multi-model, consisting of an ID-based link model and two elementary model representations. Specifications of optional meta-data provide structural and semantic description of the data.

Application of intelligent CAD paradigms to preliminary structural design

Abstract Structural design is the synthesis of structural systems and components in such a way that the system behaves as intended by the designer and meets the constraints imposed by physical laws and project requirements. The reasoning inherent in the design process is to be carried out on different levels and with different degrees of abstraction, uncertainty and impact on further design decisions. The nature of design operations ranges from schematic decisions based on heuristic considerations concerning system types and topology to parameter definitions concerning member material and geometry inferred from numerical computations. In our approach we explicitly distinguish between strategy and related expectations, design actions on a tactical level and local design modifications due to untypical conditions. Artificial intelligence techniques are applied such as planning methods, heuristic search and constraint programming which are used in a distinct manner on the different levels. The approach is discussed by examples taken from a prototype implementation for preliminary structural design.

Assisting conceptual design of building structures by an interactive description logic based planner

Abstract Designing structural configurations for todays building structures is a challenging engineering activity that needs to be supported. Existing systems often cannot support the engineer in designing a structural configuration with a robust global load transfer. In this paper, we discuss an interactive planning algorithm that assists the engineer in the conceptual design task by knowledge about structure. Central to our approach is the use of adapted inference services of a description logic reasoner that controls the global load transfer of the structural configuration under development and the design process on their evaluation results. We introduce the expressive description logic language SHIQD − to represent structural knowledge acquired from practitioners. A hierarchical planning language on top of it used for representing the dynamic design process.

Design and Usage of a Process-Centric Collaboration Methodology for Virtual Organizations in Hybrid Environments

This article describes a collaboration methodology for virtual organizations where the processes can be automatically executed using a hybrid web service, grid or cloud resources. Typically, the process of deriving executable workflows from process models is cumbersome and can be automated only in part or specific to a particular distributed system. The approach introduced in this paper, exemplified by the construction industry field, integrates existing technology within a process-centric framework. The solution on the basis of a hybrid system architecture in conjunction with semantic methods for consistency saving and the framework for modeling VO processes and their automated transformation and execution are discussed in detail.

Process-based simulation library for construction project planning

This paper presents a process-based discrete-event simulation library for construction project planning. Business process models are used to build an accumulative knowledge base for standard construction processes in form of a ready to use process templates. The library aims to reduce the time and efforts needed to create simulation models for a construction project throughout its lifecycle by integrating process models with simulation models and provide a set of reusable simulation components. The paper presents the concepts and describes the architecture of the system with briefly review of its features.

Extending BIM for Energy Simulation and Design Tasks

The recent advance of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the related needs for BIM-based interoperability of more and more specialized AEC tools in various construction subdomains showed that (1) a global model for all data in a construction project is neither realistic nor practical target, and that (2) BIM data typically have to be combined with other kinds of construction related data to be efficiently applied in real tasks. This paper addresses the issue of BIM extension for such multi-model domain tasks on the basis of work done in the frames of the EU project HESMOS for the development of an energy-enhanced BIM framework (eeBIM) enabling the integration of multiple needed resources (climate, occupancy, material data etc.) and the interoperability of various energy analysis and monitoring tools in an Integrated Virtual Energy Lab Platform (IVEL). It explores the pros and cons of three principal approaches (1) Extending the BIM Schema, (2) Extending the BIM data, and (3) Using a Link Model, before focusing in particular on the latter approach which provides for greatest generality, modularity and application scope as it does not require changes in the BIM schema and guarantees maintenance of each model within its own domain. The generation of the eeBIM model from initial architectural CAD-BIM data and future research plans complete the presentation.