sem7 Virtual Building, sem7 2002
Mini-project/Exercises

[home] [education] [semester 7] Last update 2002.12.03 (2002.09.17) [2002.08.08]


IT i Civilingeniørspeciale i Byggeledelse/IT in Building Management.

Mini-project/Exercises.



The students come from semester 6 of the civil engineering program. (You can also take a look at the exercice sem7 2001 notes, exercice sem7 2000 notes, exercice sem7 1999 notes)

The course exercises will form part of a mini-project on e.g. how to efficiently collect and make experiences re-usable from the semester 7 building site project.

A major problem today is to efficiently use experiences gathered during a project. Knowledge is stored in persons heads and re-used as these persons are involved in new projects. IT gives us opportunities to create meta knowledge (knowledge about knowledge, who knows what about what?) and also make computer stored knowledge easier accessible. We see everyday examples on mistakes and faults which could have been avoided especially if you are given some hints about where we problems could be expected.

Exercises shall be carried through and may also be part of a mini project.

A potential mini-project would be KMAN2002, knowledge management on the Internet.

KMAN2002 should be available from an optional website through a conventional HTML browser. The following activities will contribute to the building-up of KM2002

  • Listing and structuring of building project and building process concepts which can classify possible knowledge domains such as geometric product model descriptions, documents, design process, construction process, building maintenance process, IT tools, etc. (exercise during the 'Application Information Models' session)
  • Listing of data used in the proposed system
  • categorisation of actors in the experience capture process (user idenfication)
  • conceptual layout of a KMAN2002 functionality (which aspects of users work will be supported)
  • Work Flow models to describe the actors/roles in the application and what type of messages that are are exchanged.
  • Sequence Models describing how sequences of actions are performed for the studied case.
  • Artefact Models to which describe artefacts that can/is used (forms, databases, communication spaces, etc.)
  • choose of knowledge representations (in this case hypertext and relational database with ASP connection to the WWW)
  • continuos implementation of a demonstrator
We will focus on the human interface aspects in the semester 8 course 'IT in Building Process, IT-tools' and will thus be available to analyse and re-design KMAN2002 in that respect later.





Mini-project/Exercises. NOTES from discussions with project group.



September 17 2002

Group Fib16:2121 works on the Limfjord Kollegiet in their semester 7 main project. Focus is on value based management and collaboration during renovation.

They would like to analyse existing collaboration experience portal with regard to development over time of collaboration quality. They are also interested in collecting experiences from users of the dwellings (students) to supply information to improve the partnering process used during the Limfjord project.

Group Fib16:2124 works on a project with COWI on project management with focus on control of the building process.

They will identify critical control domains, collect information, make analyses (possibly develop tools to this purpose), implement improved process control routines and evaluate the outcome.

The KMAN2002 could well be a database with webaccess to capture process experiences. This database can also be used to supply the analyses tools with appropriate data.

Group Fib16:2126 works on a project with Stork Vindue, Farsø on optimising the supply chain and especially in connection with transport of windows on lorries to the local distribution dealers.

The group mean that a web based database system could be used to capture requirements and wishes from the dealers on deliveries (what and when).


Exercise A on conceptual modelling of KMAN

In connection with lecture "2. CONCEPTUAL MODELLING" you shall start the modelling if the user environment of the KMAN2002 system. The end result of this exercise will be KMAN2002 version 0 of the user environment in the form of a storyboard and functional interface layout.

Use the contextual design method to

  • categorisation of actors in the proposed KMAN2002 system (user identification);
  • conceptual layout of a KMAN2002 functionality (which aspects of users work will be supported);
  • Work Flow models to describe the actors/roles in the application and what type of messages that are are exchanged;
  • Sequence Models describing how sequnces of actions are performed for the studied case;
  • Artefact Models to which describe artefacts that can/is used (forms, databases, communication spaces, etc.);
  • listing of data that may be available and needed to support the system.

Exercise B on building and handling IFC based product models and components

In connection with lectures "3-4. CAD AND VIRTUAL BUILDING MODELS" you shall learn to build and handle IFC based parts/components of a building project. Cad systems shall be used (AutoCad ADT and Archicad) building.
  • make a hierarchical decomposition of the building project to appropriate level;
  • design a floor with rooms in a Cad system;
  • export the model from CAD system A in IFC format and import it to CAD system B;
  • Check the consistence of the model after transport.

  • Install the SOLIBRI Model Checker program (delivered at lecture) and check your IFC building model.

Exercise C on database design and web access

In connection with lectures "5-6. WEB AND DATABASES" you shall design and implement a KMAN2002 version 1 in the form of a database accessible from the Internet.
  • Use the results from previous exercises to make a conceptual design of a relational database serving as (part of) an information container to KMAN2002;
  • implement the database using Microsoft Access;
  • test database access using the in built possibilities to make forms in Access;
  • ----
  • implement SQL calls to the database from a web browser environment.

Exercise D on meta structuring of information using XML

In connection with lecture "7. KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATIONS (XML,HTML)" you shall use the hierarchical model decomposition from exercise B to build a XML based information container with two different access environments based on XSL.
  • build a XML file of part of the product/component model used in KMAN2002 system.
  • manipulate the XML file using the XMLspy program
  • propose an appropriate XML output file that can be used to transport data to another application on Internet.
  • ------
  • extend your web based database application to export xml data;

Exercise E on new services in digital cities and intelligent buildings

You shall in this exercise produce a vision on how knowledge management systems may be affected of new services in the digital cities and in buildings/components embedded systems
  • make a sketch on how your KMAN2002 can be supported by services in the digital city
  • make a sketch on intelligent building systems may change the design and use of buildings and its related supply chains.



Questions Examples from lecture notes


Setting the scene

  • Give some examples on digital models we can build for the building process.
  • Why do we build digital building process/product models?
  • What is a digital Virtual Building model?
  • Give some examples on services we can implement in an office intranet.
  • How can digital models help us communicate with product/component manufacturer?
  • What is IT?

Conceptual Modelling

  • Why do we need top make conceptual models of our applications that we want to store in the computer systems as digital models?
  • Draw a functional model graph of the following application - selection and ordering of windows for an office building with speciual regard to the communication with the window producer.
  • Give examples on conceptual modelling methods and the corresponding knowledge representation they are well suited to model.
  • You have a several cupboards with drawings and documents in your office. How will you 'store' and access these on your company intranet? Sketch a conceptual artifact model and user environment of a personal information container.
  • Sketch work models (according to the Contextual Design method) for the internal structure and information flow on use of system for drawing and document handling on an office intranet.

CAD and Virtual Building Models

  • Why do we need building classification systems? Give examples on such systems and describe in which connection they are used.
  • What is International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI)?
  • What can the EPIC, European Product Information Cooperation, work be used to? Which classification facetts are used?
  • How can the IFC standard support model communication?

WEB and DATABASES

  • Explain the first three levels of relational database normalisation.
  • What is Structured Query Language, SQL. Explain the 'select', 'from', and 'where' clauses.
  • Explain the mechanism behind accessing a database through ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) from a web browser.

Knowledge Representations

  • What is XML, XSL and XML schema?
  • Explain how a web accessible database could handle XML data.
  • How can we represent knowledge in computers?
  • Give some examples of computer stored knowledge representations and describe their properties and possible application domains.
  • What do you mean characterizes a knowledge based system?

The Digital City and Intelligent Buildings

  • Sketch an example on an intelligent building installation and services based on LON, Local Operating Network,
  • Mention four important benefits using Intelligent Building Installations.
  • Which competences (and why) would you involve in design, build-up and operation/maintenance of the intelliegnt building installations, IBI?
  • Which types of services can be introduced in the digital city information networks?
  • Discuss capacity and other properties of different networking technologies that can be used in the digital city.
  • Which competences (and why) would you involve in design, build-up, and operation/maintenance of the digital city?

Per Christiansson