Van Tol, A A (2005) Agent embedded simulation modeling framework for construction engineering and management applications. PhD thesis, University of Alberta, Canada.
Abstract
The presented research addresses concerns regarding the precision and proficiency of how current construction projects are planned, estimated, and executed. A new approach for construction engineering and management problem-solving is presented. This new problem-solving approach makes use of a simulation modeling environment with embedded intelligent agents to both capture the beneficial properties of simulation modeling with respect to the precision in which construction problems are represented and increase the proficiency with which those problems are solved. The research focuses on the development of an agent structure that can be deployed within the simulation environment. The agent structure developed provides a means through which autonomous intelligent objects can be employed within the simulation modeling environment to assume roles and possess knowledge otherwise demanded by simulation modelers. The culmination of this development effort has resulted in a generic agent structure that can be instructed to assume a variety of roles and responsibilities during simulation runtime. The agent structure also possesses the flexibility to make use of varying intelligence facilities such as belief networks, feed-forward back propagation neural networks, algorithms, and rule bases. The second component of this research focuses on the development of an agent framework that allows several agents to be employed within the same simulation modeling environment with sufficient organization and governance to ensure that the total influence by the agents on the simulation model follows a common good.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | flexibility; construction project; construction engineering; governance; neural network; simulation |
| Index terms: | belief network, construction engineering, simulation modelling, back propagation, governance, agent, construction project, neural network |
| Subjects: | analytical methods, artificial intelligence, practitioner, business, probabilistic model, production management, algorithms, engineering methods |
| Topics: | Governance, Roles and Professions, Digital Applications, Project Management, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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