| Robert Amor's Publications in 2009 |
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Schultz, C., Amor, R., Lobb, B. and Guesgen, H.W. (2009) Qualitative design support for engineering and architecture, Advanced Engineering Informatics, 23(1), 68-80. |
Abstract: Conventional design support software tools cannot effectively manage the complex, heterogeneous information used in engineering and architecture (EA) tasks. Crucially, despite uncertainty being an inherent quality of EA information particularly in the early stages of a design project, current tools solely rely on numerical approaches which do not support such incomplete and vague information. In this paper, we establish a complete framework for developing qualitative support tools that directly address these shortcomings. Our framework is application oriented and addresses the broader issues surrounding the actual use of qualitative methods. It provides design principles and strategies that allow a software engineer to develop custom qualitative software tools according to their specific EA task specifications. Our framework also provides the engineer with practical theory and guidelines for implementing their custom qualitative model and validating their system using context specific test data. We demonstrate the validity of our framework by presenting a case study in architectural lighting in which a prototype qualitative reasoning engine successfully automates qualitative logic about the subjective impressions of a lighting installation.
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Schultz, C., Amor, R. and Guesgen, H.W. (2009) H-complexity metric for qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning applications, Proceedings of Workshop on Spatial and Temporal Reasoning, International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-09), Pasadena, USA, 12 July, 52-60. |
Abstract: Commonsense reasoning, in particular qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning (QSTR), provides flexible and intuitive methods for reasoning about vague and uncertain information including temporal duration and ordering, and spatial orientation, topology and distance. Despite significant theoretical advances in QSTR, there is a distinct absence of applications that employ these methods. The central problem is a lack of application-level standards and metrics that developers can use to measure the effectiveness of their QSTR applications. To address this we present a fundamental metric called H-complexity that quantifies the expressiveness of QSTR systems according to the number of distinct scenario classes that can be encoded. In this paper we show that H-complexity can be employed in a range of powerful and practical ways that support QSTR application development. To illustrate this, we present two examples: calculating test coverage for validation, and quantifying the reduction in expressiveness due to constraints. We thereby demonstrate that H-complexity is a useful tool for determining whether a QSTR system meets the needs of a specific application.
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Schultz, C., Amor, R. and Guesgen, H.W. (2009) Towards a theory of application for QSTR systems, Proceedings of the AAAI Symposium: Benchmarking of Qualitative Spatial and Temporal Reasoning Systems, Stanford, USA, 23-25 March, 29-34. |
Abstract: A wide variety of qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning systems have now been developed that formalise various commonsense aspects of space and time. Despite this, relatively few applications have made use of the reasoning tasks provided by these systems. We address this in a novel way by adopting the perspective of application designers. We present an outline of QSTR application theory, and use this to develop methodologies that support designers in creating suitable qualitative models, implementing metrics for analysing QSTR applications, and conducting application-level QSTR logic validation.
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Schultz, C., Amor, R. and Guesgen, H.W. (2009) Unit testing for qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning, Proceedings of the Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference (FLAIRS-22), Sanibel Island, Florida, USA, 19-21 May, 402-407. |
Abstract: Researchers in commonsense, qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning (QSTR) provide flexible and intuitive methods for reasoning about vague and uncertain information including spatial orientation, topology and proximity. Despite a number of theoretical advances in this field, there are relatively few applications that employ these methods. The central problem is a significant lack of application level standards and validation methods for supporting developers in adapting and integrating QSTR with their domain specific qualitative spatial and temporal models. To address this we present a significantly novel methodology for QSTR application validation, inspired by research in software engineering. In this paper we focus on unit testing, and adapt the software engineering strategy of defining boundary cases. We present two critical boundary concepts, a methodology for isolating the units under testing from other parts of the model, and methods to assist the designer in integrating our critical boundary unit testing approach with a broader validation plan.
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Huh, J., Grundy, J., Hosking, J., Liu, K. and Amor, R. (2009) Integrated data mapping for a software meta-tool, ASWEC'09, Gold Coast, Australia, 14-17 April, 111-120. |
Abstract: Complex data mapping tasks often arise in software engineering, particularly in code generation and model transformation. We describe Marama Torua, a tool supporting high-level specification and implementation of complex data mappings. Marama Torua is embedded in, and provides model transformation support for, our Eclipse-based Marama domain-specific language meta-tool. Developers can quickly develop stand alone data mappers and model translation and code import-export components for their tools. Complex data schema and mapping relationships are represented in multiple, high-level notational forms and users are provided semi-automated mapping assistance for large models. MaramaTorua is a set of Eclipse plug-ins allowing close integration with other tools such as schema browsers, and with the Marama meta-tool itself.
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Keymer, D., Wuensche, B. and Amor, R. (2009) Virtual Reality User Interfaces for the Effective Exploration and Presentation of Archaeological Sites, Proceedings of CONVR'09, Sydney, Australia, 5-6 November, 139-148. |
Abstract: Archaeological virtual environments are computerised simulations allowing the study and exploration of archaeological sites. For architecture students and researchers at the University of Auckland they provide several advantages compared to traditional methods of study and exploration such as site visits, illustrations and books. Advantages include that there is no physical travel required, greater amounts of information can be provided in a more accessible manner than with maps or diagrams, and different representations of the site can be created, e.g., before modifications and expansions. The sites that archaeological virtual environments represent can contain many structures and thousands of artefacts distributed over a wide area. As a result users find it hard to get an overview of the site or to focus on particular aspects. Furthermore data on these sites is often gathered over a long period of time using different processes and media, which makes it difficult to present effectively to a student body. In this project we present solutions to these problems tailored to the needs of different user groups such as archaeologists, architects and architecture students. The requirements of different user groups were analysed and Virtual Reality technologies were developed to facilitate the exploration of archaeological sites, in order to retrieve information effectively and to gain new insight into the site and its inhabitants. These technologies are demonstrated within a new reusable archaeological virtual environment framework, which is used to create virtual environments for archaeological sites. The framework is built upon a game engine, resulting in a quicker development cycle and more realistic rendering than would be feasible if it were developed from the ground up. In contrast to previous applications our framework enables the integration of a wide variety of media. This dramatically facilitates content creation, which is usually very time consuming, expensive, and requires skilled modellers and/or animators. Our framework provides simple interfaces to create a 3D context (terrain and simple models) and then integrates more easily obtainable representations such as images and movies for providing visual details. The technologies designed and implemented included the integration of QuickTime VR into a game engine, which allows a commonly-used medium for recording scenes to be used within a virtual environment. The two media integrate well and, while not seamless, the new representation enables a focus-and-context style exploration of the domain. We also present a data model for archaeological sites that supports a wide variety of information types including multimedia. It is independent of the rendering engine used, allowing archaeological virtual environments to be extended and upgraded more easily. Using these representations we investigated new metaphors for navigating and interacting with archaeological virtual environments, including interactive maps, guided tours, searching mechanisms, time-lines and time-of-day settings for controlling sunlight direction. The techniques afford users a richer, more informative experience of archaeological virtual environments. They can be adapted to a broad range of archaeological sites, even where data was gathered by multiple differing methods.
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Amor, R. (2009) Technical challenges for Integrated Design and Delivery Solutions, Proceedings of CIB W78, Istanbul, Turkey, 1-3 October, 37-43. |
Abstract: Conceptually, the development of an extensible infrastructure for Integrated Design and Delivery Solutions (IDDS) would appear to be a straight-forward matter. However, there are few current implementations in existence, and the majority of those that do exist are bespoke developments which support a restricted number of processes and analyses. This paper characterizes the wide range of technical challenges which are faced by those delivering on the promise of integrated design and delivery solutions. It examines the levels of IT support that can be offered for aspects such as: collaborative work processes; repositories of integrated data; management of information integration; and knowledge management processes. Alongside each of these challenges it identifies current approaches to supporting IDDS, both at a commercial level with tools that can be deployed today, and from the viewpoint of researchers working on future improvements to the IDDS ideal. The last part of this paper establishes a technology foresight for the technical development of IDDS. Providing a view of the technical future of IDDS over the coming decades with projections of the pathways that will lead to adoption of various forms of IDDS and the major obstacles where the dearth of solutions will delay the uptake of IDDS.
| Amor, R. (2009) (Keynote) Technical Challenges for IDS, Proceedings of CIB IDS 2009, Espoo, Finland, 10-12 June, 24-27. |
Abstract: Conceptually, the development of an extensible infrastructure for Integrated Design Solutions (IDS) would appear to be a straight-forward matter. However, there are few current implementations in existence, and the majority of those that do exist are bespoke developments which support a restricted number of processes and analyses. This presentation characterizes the wide range of technical challenges which are faced by those delivering on the promise of integrated design solutions. It examines the levels of IT support that can be offered for aspects such as: collaborative work processes; repositories of integrated data; management of information integration; and knowledge management processes. Alongside each of these challenges it identifies current approaches to supporting IDS, both at a commercial level with tools that can be deployed today, and from the viewpoint of researchers working on future improvements to the IDS ideal. The last part of the presentation establishes a technology foresight for the technical development of IDS. Providing a view of the technical future of IDS over the coming decades with projections of the pathways that will lead to adoption of various forms of IDS and the major obstacles where the dearth of solutions will delay the uptake of IDS.
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Owen, R., Palmer, M., Dickinson, J., Tatum, B., Kazi, A.S., Amor, R. and Prins, M. (2009) Integrated Design & Delivery Solutions, CIB White Paper on IDDS, CIB Publication 328, ISBN 978-90-6363-060-7, 15pp. |
Abstract: This global priority theme is aimed at transforming the construction sector through the rapid adoption of new processes, such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), together with Building Information Modelling (BIM), and automation technologies, using people with enhanced skills in more productive environments. The development of IDDS is about radical and continuous improvement, rather than development of a single optimal solution.