Ugwu, O O; Anumba, C J and Thorpe, A (2001) Ontology development for agent-based collaborative design. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 8(3), pp. 211-224. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Domain ontologies facilitate sharing and re-use of data and knowledge between distributed collaborating systems. A major problem in the design and application of intelligent systems is to capture and understand: the data and information model that describes the domain; the various levels of knowledge associated with problem solving; and the patterns of interaction, information and data flow in the problem solving space. This paper reports the development of an ontology for agent-based collaborative design of portal structures, using knowledge acquisition techniques and tools. It illustrates the application of the ontology in the development of a prototype multi-agent systems. The study shows that a common ontology facilitates interaction and negotiation between agents and other distributed systems. The paper discusses the findings from the knowledge acquisition, their implications in the design and implementation of multi-agent systems, and gives recommendations on developing agent-based systems for collaborative design and decision-support in the construction sector.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaborative design; knowledge acquisition; multi-agent systems; ontology development; portal frames; protocol analysis |
| Index terms: | prototype, ontology, construction sector, collaborative design, agent, problem solving, multi-agent system, intelligent system, re-use, implementation, interaction, protocol analysis, negotiation, knowledge acquisition |
| Subjects: | modelling and simulation, contractual arrangements, artificial intelligence, practitioner, design methods, conflict resolution, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, student development, education and knowledge transfer, research methods, decision-making and reasoning, health safety and environment, automation and robotics |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Digital Applications, Education, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Procurement |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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