Liu, J; Duan, L; Lin, S; Miao, J and Zhao, J (2024) Semantic web-based crud operation and constraint validation for IFC-based information management. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 150(10): 04024135, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
In the construction industry, the combination of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and semantic web technologies emerges as a promising approach for project information management. However, semantic web technologies are unfamiliar to construction industry practitioners, and there is an absence of useable tools to automate semantic web-based create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) operations on Building Information Modeling (BIM) data. Moreover, the query results from some SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL)-based information retrieval methods typically cannot be postprocessed. To overcome these issues, this paper initially proposes a browser/server (B/S) architecture platform prototype to mitigate the operational complexity of the developed system. Subsequently, the core submodules of this platform prototype are developed via Apache Jena and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) APIs, thereby supporting automatic CRUD operations and result-analyzable SPARQL queries. Furthermore, by leveraging the developed CRUD systems, we propose a feasible method for implementing the soft-coded Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL)-based validation with variable thresholds, and subsequently develop an information compliance checking service for weld size. Eventually, the effectiveness of the developed CRUD system functions and the compliance checking service is validated by conducting case tests. In short, this study proposes a viable approach for the automatic execution of semantic web-based CRUD operations and constraint validation on Resource Description Framework (RDF)-represented information converted from the IFC model. This work contributes to the application of IFC and semantic web technologies within construction project management.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | data extraction and modification; industry foundation classes; information compliance checking; semantic web; shapes constraint language |
| Index terms: | complexity, validation, practitioner, prototype, connectivity, compliance, information retrieval, construction industry, construction project management, effectiveness, industry foundation classes, database, platform, semantic web, building information modelling |
| Subjects: | modelling and simulation, professional development, project management theory and practice, performance management, industry analysis, information systems, systems engineering, data management, practitioner, computational design, health safety and environment, digital design, networking |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Information Management, Research Practice, Quality Management, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Health and Safety |
| 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