| Robert Amor's Publications in 2007 |
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Amor, R. and Clift, M. (2007) Document Management in Concurrent Life Cycle Design and Construction, in Concurrent Engineering in Construction Projects, Eds Anumba, C. and Kamara, J., Taylor and Francis, ISBN 10: 0-415-39488-0, pp. 183-200. |
Abstract: In current engineering practice, be it concurrent or otherwise, documents are the central mechanism for communicating, informing and instructing. Any attempt to engender a greater uptake of concurrent engineering in the industry has to recognise the central role of documents in process reengineering. The proper management of documents has the potential to greatly improve the design process in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. It is estimated (by document management system developers) that professionals in the industry spend 30 percent, or more, of their time managing documentation in current paper-based management regimes, and the source of much litigation in the industry can be tracked back to improper management of documentation. IT-based approaches can greatly impact on document management; however, to date the various aspects of IT applied to engineering have developed independently, leading to stand-alone product, process and document management systems. This development path, though productive in each individual area, misses the major gains that can be achieved from integration of all aspects of IT usage. This chapter shows that the proper management of documents provides information about all aspects of a project. It is argued that, through careful management, documents can provide the means to effectively coordinate work on the activities required to complete a project, and to determine how processes can be managed to greatest effect using concurrent engineering frameworks.
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Schultz, C.P.L., Amor, R., Guesgen, H.W. and Lobb, B. (2007) A Decision Support Software Tool for Reasoning About the Subjective Impressions of a Lighting Installation, Proceedings of CIB W78 conference on Bringing ITC knowledge to work, Maribor, Slovenia, 26-29 June, pp. 507-513. |
Abstract: The discipline of architecture is concerned with finding a balance between both the functional and the subjective aspects of a building environment. This involves managing contradictory requirements that are often difficult to resolve through purely numerical analysis; an example of this is an electrical lighting installation designed to evoke a desired subjective impression or ‘atmosphere’, which may conflict with the visual requirements for accurate or safe task performance. Despite this, few software tools exist that directly support an architect when dealing with information relating to the non-visual effects of lighting. A fundamental limitation in standard software tools is the reliance on numerical approaches for representing and reasoning about lighting and construction related information. In particular, when information is uncertain or completely unavailable, numerical formulae can be awkward or impossible to use in a reliable way. Work in the field of qualitative spatial reasoning has attempted to address these issues, and in this paper we present a prototype decision support software tool that reports on the subjective impressions of a lighting scheme, based on a qualitative spatial reasoning engine. Research in subjective response to lighting is reviewed and interpreted in the context of qualitative spatial reasoning, and the prototype system is compared to studies on subjective impressions.
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Schultz, C.P.L., Guesgen, H.W. and Amor, R. (2007) A System for Querying With Qualitative Distances in Networks, Proceedings of Flexible management of spatial data in GISs, 2007 IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, London, UK, 23-26 July, pp. 640-645. |
Abstract: A central role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is to allow the identification and visualisation of relevant spatial features from typically large volumes of data. This requires a querying system to provide both flexibility and usability. While standard GIS querying capabilities are often either very limited, or require a user to have knowledge in specialised areas, techniques in qualitative spatial reasoning have been developed that provide a powerful and intuitive method of representing and reasoning about spatial information. In this paper we present a method for querying about the qualitative distance between features using dynamic networks such as roads, bus or ferry services, and flight paths, rather than only using the Euclidean distance. Linguistic values are used to implement qualitative distances for the linguistic variable proximity. TreeSap GIS with qualitative querying support is presented to demonstrate how qualitative distance measures through a network can provide both a computationally practical solution and a mechanism through which non-experts benefit from powerful search tools.
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Schultz, C.P.L., Amor, R. and Guesgen, H.W. (2007) A Framework for Supporting the Application of Qualitative Spatiotemporal Reasoning, Proceedings of NZCSRSC-07, the Fifth New Zealand Computer Science Research Student Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand, 10-13 April, pp. 39-46. |
Abstract: Numerical approaches for representing and reasoning about information are ineffective when the data is too imprecise or uncertain. People on the other hand cope very effectively with vague information in daily life. This has motivated the field of qualitative spatiotemporal reasoning (QSTR), which focuses on coarse, qualitative distinctions between spatial and temporal entities and relations. A substantial body of work has emerged from the QSTR community, however, serious difficulties prevent a uniform and general qualitative treatment of data representing space and time. Without unifying principles there is no basis for comparing the various QSTR approaches, and it is not always clear when and how QSTR should be applied. These issues must be addressed before QSTR can be properly integrated into standard software tools and practices. In this paper the author’s PhD programme is outlined, covering (a) the research aim of developing a framework for supporting the design and implementation of QSTR solutions, and (b) the research approach, which is based around the analysis of case studies, two of which are discussed.
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Schultz, C.P.L., Amor, R. and Guesgen, H.W. (2007) A Framework for Supporting the Application of Qualitative Spatiotemporal Reasoning, Proceedings of the Spatial and Temporal Reasoning AAAI Workshop, Technical report WS-07-12, Menlo Park, California, 21 July, pp. 34-39. |
Abstract: Numerical approaches for representing and reasoning about information are ineffective when data is too imprecise or uncertain. People on the other hand cope very effectively with vague information in daily life, for example when using spatial or temporal information. This has motivated the field of qualitative spatiotemporal reasoning (QSTR), which focuses on coarse, qualitative distinctions between spatial and temporal entities and relations. A substantial body of work has emerged from the QSTR community, however, serious difficulties prevent a uniform and general qualitative treatment of data representing space and time. Without unifying principles there is no basis for comparing the various QSTR approaches, and it is not always clear when and how QSTR should be applied. These issues must be addressed before QSTR can be properly integrated into standard software tools and practices. In this paper the first author’s PhD programme is outlined, covering (a) the research aim of developing a framework for supporting the design and implementation of QSTR solutions, and (b) the research approach, which is based around the analysis of case studies, two of which are discussed.
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Amor, R., Jiang, Y. and Chen, X. (2007) BIM in 2007 - are we there yet?, Proceedings of CIB W78 conference on Bringing ITC knowledge to work, Maribor, Slovenia, 26-29 June, pp. 159-162. |
Abstract: As the prevalence of BIM increases in A/E/C-FM disciplines it is timely to review the standards that are being utilised and how well they are serving the discipline. The analysis presented analyses the most common standard, the IAI’s IFC, from a metalevel and asks questions about the evolving model from the viewpoint of metrics for data models as well as a low level analysis of the accuracy and correctness of implementations of the data model interpreters. Metrics applied to the evolving versions of the IFC schema can indicate the trajectory of the schema and profile areas which may be of concern in the maintenance of the schema and applications that have to utilise the schema. Analysis of the approaches to importing and exporting data for design tools, based on the schema, help indicate how market ready the technology really is. Where commercial projects are starting to rely on the standards as a mechanism to reliably transfer semantically correct information there must be guarantees of the accuracy of the data as it is manipulated by these design tools.
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Dimyadi, J.A.W., Spearpoint, M. and Amor, R. (2007) Generating Fire Dynamics Simulator geometrical input using an IFC-based building information model, ITcon journal, 12, http://www.itcon.org/2007/29, pp. 443-457. |
Abstract: Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) is an advanced simulation tool used by fire engineers. The work described in this paper enables geometrical information to be transferred to the simulation tool using the IFC building information model. A parser tool has been developed to extract fire engineering related information from the IFC model and a web-based application has been created to generate FDS input files. Several test case geometries have been used to verify the current capability of the transfer process.
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Kazi, A.S., Froese, T., Vanegas, J., Tatum, C.B., Zarli, A., Amor, R., Van Tellingen, H., Moltke, I., Testa, N. (2007) International Workshop on Global Roadmap and Strategic Actions for ICT in Construction, http://cic.vtt.fi/projects/stratcon/const_IT_ws_22_24082007_report.pdf. |
Executive summary: During August 22-24, 2007, a joint global workshop on roadmaps for ICT in Construction between FIATECH and Strat-CON was held in Finland. Through active participation of more than 30 international experts the workshop aimed to develop a series of thematic roadmaps based on common topics of interest of the FIATECH and Strat-CON roadmaps. Focusing on information and communication technologies (ICT) and value driven processes supported through these technologies seven main thematic areas and their respective visions were identified: Digital Models: Digital models are the key enablers for integrating, managing, and sharing multidisciplinary views and perspectives of the built environment’s lifecycle information. ICT for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability: Delivery and use of sustainable and energy-efficient facilities through ICT-based informed decision-making (both human and automated) Knowledge Sharing & Collaboration Support: Seamless and instant access to the right information/knowledge at the right time and in any place Intelligent Constructions: Ubiquitous B2P (B=Building, P=People) Interoperability: Information sharing without concern of the creating system; Interoperability independent of source, life cycle stage and type; Information to be securely accessible and interpretable across the life of the asset Network Demand Management: Customer aware and informed of status at all times and receives on-time delivery; supplier aware of customer and project demands and potential barriers as soon as they arise; environmental requirements included in all future transactions Value Driven Business & Process Models: What You Feel Is What You Get For each of the seven thematic areas, key industrial problems, and current research/technological gaps were identified. These were followed by definition of the vision, main objectives, current state of the art, and roadmaps covering topics for short, medium, and long term delivery to the industry. Furthermore, for each theme, a set of strategic actions (project ideas) to serve as building blocks for projects were identified.