Leu, S-S (1992) Object-oriented representation model of construction technology information. PhD thesis, University of Michigan, USA.
Abstract
The expedient introduction of emerging construction technologies into practice is one of the most effective methods for improving product quality and decreasing costs. For advanced technology to be incorporated in the construction industry, it must first be identified and evaluated during the design and construction planning phases. However, the industry still lacks an efficient system for the rapid identification and evaluation of potential technology solutions. Even though information proliferates, it is too unstructured to be readily used at a moment's notice. This lack of organization, when coupled with the natural human tendency to stay with the tried and true, is probably the major cause of the slow rate of technology transfer and adaptation in the construction industry. The situation can obviously be improved by providing the industry with a sufficient information management system. This system must have a convenient user interface and an integrated data structure which encompasses all the technology information that might be required for planning and design decisions, while satisfying the users' needs for various degrees of detail at different design and planning stages. The research proposes a construction technology information system (CTIS) that can meet the above requirements. The semantic data model (SDM) is used for representing the conceptual schemata of construction technology information. It is a first attempt to explicitly specify the technologies and their relationships using an object-oriented approach. There are several benefits to this approach: it is easy to construct a hierarchical structure that can satisfy the various needs at different design and planning stages and a huge, integrated information system can readily be developed by identifying technology objects and their relationships. A CTIS prototype developed in this research demonstrates the sufficiency of the object-oriented approach. The prototype was implemented using a hypertext-structured database system which also adheres to the object-oriented concept. Objects are used to store all possible forms of data types, including text, graphics, etc., and relationships are regarded as explicit links which let users search and browse the "information space". Due to its modularity, future extensions of the system can be done easily.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Ioannou, P G |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction technology; construction planning; information management; information system; technology transfer; design decision |
| Index terms: | product quality, database, adaptation, design and construction, construction technology, construction planning, construction industry, management system, modularity, prototype, user interface, data model, design decision, technology transfer, data structure, information system |
| Subjects: | digital engineering, user focus, modelling and simulation, construction planning, data science, knowledge management, contractual arrangements, design practice, management, data management, information systems, quality assurance, design flexibility, industry analysis, human-computer interaction |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Procurement, Quality Management, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Organizational Design, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here