Shen Xu

Data provenance is a technique that describes the history of digital objects. In health data settings, it can be used to deliver auditability and transparency, and to achieve trust in a software system. However, implementing data provenance in analytics software at an enterprise level presents a different set of challenges from the research environments where data provenance was originally devised. In this paper, the challenges of reporting provenance information to the user is presented. Provenance captured from analytics software can be large and complex and visualizing a series of tasks over a long period can be overwhelming even for a domain expert, requiring visual aggregation mechanisms that fit with complex human cognitive activities involved in the process. This research studied how provenance-based reporting can be integrated into a health data analytics software, using the example of Atmolytics visual reporting tool.

ABSTRACT Digitalization is the next trend of development in the construction industry, with increasingly more information being digital in nature. Addressing this development within our industry is Building Information Modelling (BIM). The currency of inter-dependent cooperation within BIM and the construction industry is information. However cost estimators still have little knowledge about how to leverage information within semantic rich information models, e.g. IFC. This paper introduces a new philosophic stance for cost estimation to address the development of model based cost estimation, addresses the importance of contextual information and the needs of extension of pricing information according to the general process of cost estimation by using the IFC standard. Information requirement as specified in IFC for cost estimation is established and instances of IFC relationship have been identified. The knowledge of cost estimation is demonstrated and discussed. Initial analysis of the IFC schema has been completed, including analyze classification & inheritance structure. It can be concluded that the IFC standard has the capacity fully facilitate the cost estimation within ideal environment and the direction of automating cost estimation for BIM has been pointed out.

The analytical cost estimation is an efficient and robust data based approach. Yet, there are two key issues associated with analytical cost estimation; the need to make sure that practice standards are adhered to and the implementation of subjective recommendations. The degree of precise detail, and the intricacy of standards and expert insight is a hindrance to its computerisation, as a result of complicated software development schedules and increasing expenses. A rule based semantic method is utilised as a model and is demonstrated as a way to tackle these problems. The investigation of BIM-based cost estimation confirmed that industry foundation classes (IFC) can provide construction project semantics but incapable of relating domain semantics and pragmatics. Our model is founded upon the belief that three components are necessary to gain a full awareness of the domain which is being computerised; the information type which is to be assessed for compatibility (syntax), the defi...

Producing a bill of quantity is a knowledge-based, dynamic and collaborative process, and evolves with variances and current evidence. However, within the context of information system practice in BIM, knowledge of cost estimation has not been represented, nor has it been integrated into the processes based on BIM. This paper intends to establish an innovative means of taking data from the BIM linked to a project, and using it to create the necessary items for a bill of quantity that will enable cost estimation to be undertaken for the project. Our framework is founded upon the belief that three components are necessary to gain a full awareness of the domain which is being computerised; the information type which is to be assessed for compatibility (syntax), the definition for the pricing domain (semantics), and the precise implementation environment for the standards being taken into account (pragmatics). In order to achieve this, a prototype is created that allows a cost item for the bill of quantity to be spontaneously generated, by means of the semantic web ontology and a forward chain algorithm. Within this paper, ‘cost items’ signify the elements included in a bill of quantity, including details of their description, quantity and price. As a means of authenticating the process being developed, the authors of this work effectively implemented it in the production of cost items. In addition, the items created were contrasted with those produced by specialists. For this reason, this innovative framework introduces the possibility of a new means of applying semantic web ontology and forward chain algorithm to construction professional practice resulting in automatic cost estimation. These key outcomes demonstrate that, decoupling the professional practice into three key components of syntax, semantics and pragmatics can provide tangible benefits to domain user.

The analytical cost estimation is an efficient and robust data based approach. Yet, there are two key issues associated with analytical cost estimation; the need to make sure that practice standards are adhered to and the implementation of subjective recommendations. The degree of precise detail, and the intricacy of standards and expert insight is a hindrance to its computerisation, as a result of complicated software development schedules and increasing expenses. A rule based semantic method is utilised as a model and is demonstrated as a way to tackle these problems. The investigation of BIM-based cost estimation confirmed that industry foundation classes (IFC) can provide construction project semantics but incapable of relating domain semantics and pragmatics. Our model is founded upon the belief that three components are necessary to gain a full awareness of the domain which is being computerised; the information type which is to be assessed for compatibility (syntax), the definition for the pricing domain (semantics), and the precise implantation environment for the standards being taken into account (pragmatics). Moreover, organizational semiotics is employed to uncover the semantic components of cost estimation from a procedural standpoint and suggest an improved knowledge based system. This report outlines the way in which the proposed approach has been verified, by employing a selection of codes created by the prototype of the data based model. The standards of practice which have been establish are then verified, in accordance with actual building information gained from IFC. The utilisation of this approach has significantly advanced the procedure of automating professional costing practice within a BIM context. These pleasing outcomes demonstrate that, by implementing this model, the reasoning ability can be used by the BIM context and the restrictions around the application of BIM will be reduced.

Cost estimation is a dynamic and knowledge intensive process. Current practice of construction cost estimation is a process with fragmented knowledge. In order to have an integrated process, semantic should be modelled in respect to pragmatic. The investigation of BIM-based cost estimation confirmed that IFC can provide construction project semantics but incapable of relating domain semantics and pragmatics. In order to overcome this gap, we adopt organizational semiotics to fully reveal semantic units of cost estimation from a process perspective. Pilot study confirms feasibility of this approach. Future research will be a case study to collect all the instances for semantic units. Then semantic consistency and pragmatic implementation should be realized by the applications. This research highlights the importance of alignment between semantic (domain ontology) and pragmatic (meaning in use), it contributes also to identify a new approach of knowledge engineering for construction professional services under BIM environment.

Throughout the construction project process, quantity surveyors make decisions based on various information sources. By judging the value and quality of information subjectively, they still rarely find the key information to get the tasks done. Not only because the value and quality of information are different in nature; information quality is context-independent while information value is content-dependent that is very difficult to be quantified, there is also a lack of information assessment methodology. The research challenges to the quantity surveyors are, "how can information be assessed as high value; is it possible to establish a filter mechanism to quantity the value and quality of information within the context of quantity surveyor for future reuse?" This paper first reviews the urgent request on valuing information in quantity surveying firms. A further investigation into how the quantity surveyor's work is conducted that identifies and classifies the information generated from a construction project. The intrinsic characteristics of information for the quantity surveying practice had been proposed and conduct a concept map of information in quantity surveying firm. An investigation on current information valuing methodologies in construction, regarding proposed concept map of information, has been conducted but result in a suggestion on implement statistical method in KM. A Bayesian-based information filtering mechanism is introduced for quantity surveyor’s evaluation on information. Further researches should be carried on to test this model for multi-context evaluation in quantity surveying firms.

With the increasing implementation of Building Information Modeling, the quantity surveyors’ fundamental responsibility of measuring and pricing is being challenged. For the continuation of their professional position within the industry, quantity surveyors need to be able to find information and knowledge based services provided, where requires quantity surveyor’s insight view and analysis on the information from various sources. However, throughout the building process quantity surveyors make decisions based on subjective judgments about the value and quality of the information; still they rarely find the key information to get the task done. The value and quality of information are both different in nature; information quality is context-independent, while the value of information content-dependent. The quality and value of information are inherently difficult to quantify, and so there is a lack of methodologies on assessing information value and quality. The research poses the following challenges to quantity surveyors: "How can we identify high value information within quantity surveying firms? Is it possible to establish a filter mechanism to record the high value information for reusing and help quantity surveyors judging the value of information?" This paper looks to investigate quantity surveyor’s information life-cycle within design centre environment. Investigation throughout people, process, and technology indicate that existing working flow is hard to be changed. At current stage of BIM, its contribution is focusing on bills of quantities. Because of lacking of a sufficient filter mechanism, quantity surveyor can not provide the insight view of information, where already been recorded throughout construction project process, e.g. Life Cycling Costing (LCC). Technology is available on providing such service, but the development on such system is stopped.