Nowadays, there is an increasing recognition of the value of knowledge management in the construction projects and ontology-based semantic modelling is seen as an important means of addressing this problem, even if a knowledge-base which maps the construction planning and scheduling domains, in a formal and machine-readable way, is still missing. Addressing this issue, the book is divided in two parts. Part I, theory, is a theoretical introduction of on ontologies concepts and expert systems. Part II, application, presents a research of ontologies development for semantic modelling of construction scheduling, workspace, product and time domains. The last chapter presents the architecture of an ontology-based expert system, to show how ontologies can support automated planning mechanisms.

Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) and Facilities Management (FM) involve domains that require a very diverse set of information and model exchanges to fully realize the potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) provides a neutral and open schema for interoperability. Model View Definitions (MVD) provide a common subset for specifying the exchanges using IFC, but are expensive to build, test and maintain. A semantic analysis of IFC data schema illustrates the complexities of embedding semantics in model views. A software engineering methodology based on formal specification of shared resources, reusable components and standards that are applicable to the AEC-FM industry for development of a Semantic Exchange Module (SEM) structure for IFC schema is adopted for this research. This SEM structure is based on engineering ontologies that are capable of developing more consistent MVDs. In this regard, Ontology is considered as a machine-readable set of definitions that create a taxonomy of classes and subclasses, and relationships between them. Typically, the ontology contains the hierarchical description of important entities that are used in IFC, along with their properties and business rules. This model of an ontological framework, similar to that of Semantic Web, makes the IFC more formal and consistent as it is capable of providing precise definition of terms and vocabulary. The outcome of this research, a formal classification structure for IFC implementations for the domain of Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Industry, when implemented by software developers, provides the mechanism for applications such as modular MVDs, smart and complex querying of product models, and transaction based services, based on the idea of testable and reusable SEMs. It can be extended and also helps in consistent implementation of rule languages across different domains within AEC-FM, making data sharing across applications simpler with limited rework. This research is expected to impact the overall interoperability of applications in the BIM realm.

With increased demand for high performance buildings and more specialized expertise for design and construction professionals, there is a demand in the building industry to develop new methods to support collaboration. One collaborative technology is building information modeling (BIM), which uses data and model sharing software to generate and share content across disciplines and organizations facilitating conveyance of building design information. For project teams, which typically contain newly formed relationships with unfamiliar individuals, and for integration of complex specialized knowledge, BIM by itself is not enough to engage participants in collaborative practices. There are both industry and research focus into developing interactive workspaces, technology and media-enabled collocated communication spaces, which are used by project teams to access and leverage digital content associated with a project design. These facilities can support large-scale visualization of models, multi-modal interaction, and aid collaboration of team members. This research investigates interactive workspaces currently used by architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry teams, and their relative use cases in the design and delivery process. The steps in the research process were: (1) document the facilities; (2) develop a deeper understanding of their feature sets, attributes, and use cases; (3) develop an ontology of the interactive workspaces and use cases; and (4) validate the ontology with industry members. Documentation of facilities occurred by documenting known facilities and content search in literature and publicly available resources. Twelve interviews were conducted with interactive workspace owners/managers. Documentation of the similarities and differences in feature sets and use cases was used to develop a list of critical elements in the ontology development. The ontology was generated based on content analysis of the documented facilities and interviews with experts who have experience with using interactive workspaces. The ontology was validated through two focus group sessions with architecture, engineering, and construction industry members. The results of this research contribute to an understanding of interactive workspaces, their attributes and their use cases in collaborative project teams in the AEC industry. Through review of literature and publicly available information, 84 facilities across 60 organizations were documented: 9% government, 35% industry, 6% vendor and 50% academic. The ontology was developed to relate core concepts of interactive workspaces to use cases. The main entities include: interactive workspaces, goal, meetings/workshops, use cases, users, methods, functional capabilities, and components. The ontology presents the relationship between these entities as well as categorization types and instances. Validation of the ontology confirmed the direct relationship and organization of categories within the interactive workspace domain. A final ontology is presented to support interactive workspace implementation, development, and research purposes.

Biannually since 1994, the European Conference on Product and Process Modelling in the Building and Construction Industry has provided a review of research, given valuable future work outlooks, and provided a communication platform for future co-operative research and development at both European and global levels.This volume, of special interest t

This book presents cutting-edge applications of, and up-to-date research on, ontology engineering techniques in the physical asset integrity domain. Though a survey of state-of-the-art theory and methods on ontology engineering, the authors emphasize essential topics including data integration modeling, knowledge representation, and semantic interpretation. The book also reflects novel topics dealing with the advanced problems of physical asset integrity applications such as heterogeneity, data inconsistency, and interoperability existing in design and utilization. With a distinctive focus on applications relevant in heavy industry, Ontology Modeling in Physical Asset Integrity Management is ideal for practicing industrial and mechanical engineers working in the field, as well as researchers and graduate concerned with ontology engineering in physical systems life cycles.

Ontologies are formal knowledge models that describe concepts and relationships and enable data integration, information search, and reasoning. Ontology Design Patterns (ODPs) are reusable solutions intended to simplify ontology development and support the use of semantic technologies by ontology engineers. ODPs document and package good modelling practices for reuse, ideally enabling inexperienced ontologists to construct high-quality ontologies. Although ODPs are already used for development, there are still remaining challenges that have not been addressed in the literature. These research gaps include a lack of knowledge about (1) which ODP features are important for ontology engineering, (2) less experienced developers' preferences and barriers for employing ODP tooling, and (3) the suitability of the eXtreme Design (XD) ODP usage methodology in non-academic contexts. This dissertation aims to close these gaps by combining quantitative and qualitative methods, primarily based on five ontology engineering projects involving inexperienced ontologists. A series of ontology engineering workshops and surveys provided data about developer preferences regarding ODP features, ODP usage methodology, and ODP tooling needs. Other data sources are ontologies and ODPs published on the web, which have been studied in detail. To evaluate tooling improvements, experimental approaches provide data from comparison of new tools and techniques against established alternatives. The analysis of the gathered data resulted in a set of measurable quality indicators that cover aspects of ODP documentation, formal representation or axiomatisation, and usage by ontologists. These indicators highlight quality trade-offs: for instance, between ODP Learnability and Reusability, or between Functional Suitability and Performance Efficiency. Furthermore, the results demonstrate a need for ODP tools that support three novel property specialisation strategies, and highlight the preference of inexperienced developers for template-based ODP instantiation---neither of which are supported in prior tooling. The studies also resulted in improvements to ODP search engines based on ODP-specific attributes. Finally, the analysis shows that XD should include guidance for the developer roles and responsibilities in ontology engineering projects, suggestions on how to reuse existing ontology resources, and approaches for adapting XD to project-specific contexts.