Architecture for human-computer design, management and coordination in a collaborative AEC environment

A collaborative information system must fit the market, the organization, the culture, and the norms of the group it supports. In the AEC industry, a computer-based framework for collaboration needs to consider issues such as its application suitability in various project organizations, and the ability to operate under partial knowledge. This thesis describes a formal Collaborative Knowledge-integration Systems (CKiS) methodology for integrating multidisciplinary knowledge, and building and managing the dynamic data-dependency structures based on the integrated knowledge. The methodology forms the core of an Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) collaboration framework and the corresponding computer system architecture. The architecture facilitates integrated design and project management in a flexible methodology that accommodates the various tasks required to create the product (facility) under a unified representation and inference. The unified methodology serves as the basis for interdisciplinary knowledge integration. On the project data level, the integrated knowledge forms and maintains dynamic data-dependency structures that react to and update with changes in data items in any direction. The data-dependency structures represent the causal relationships among data items and have the ability to handle novel, unanticipated situations, provide a formal way to construct and maintain the knowledge (and data) base, and provide a universal medium for understanding (through causal explanation) the functioning of a system. The human-computer architecture builds on constraint-management techniques. Low-level parametric models represent the structure and behavior of, and the relationships between, various project entities in a standard representational model. The architecture handles parametric as well as boolean constraints in a standard integrated representation and inference mechanism. A sophisticated constraint-management methodology coupled with interval-based mathematics is the basis for domain modelling, models' integration and the quantitative and qualitative inference capabilities of the architecture. Elements of the architecture follow representation standards. Based on these standards, the architecture may be considered as shell for both domain modelling and project design, management and coordination. The shell may be employed in different domains under different organizational requirements.