Methodology and Software Prototype for Ontology-Enabled Traceability Mechanisms

Due to the rapid advancement of technology, industrial-aged systems are being replaced by information-based models through system integration, where hardware and software are combined by a variety of communication means. As engineering systems become progressively complex, the challenge is to fully understand and implement the connectivity relationships among various models of visualization so that catastrophic and expensive failures of engineering systems can be avoided. In order to achieve these connectivity relationships, this project inserts a new notion called "Design Concepts" in the traceability link between the already connected requirements and engineering objects, where rule-checking may be embedded into the design concepts. A software prototype of the Washington, D.C. Metro System has been built to illustrate the feasibility of connectivity between requirements, UML class diagrams and an engineering model. The software makes use of listener-driven events, which are a scalable and efficient method for establishing traceability links and responding to external user events

Methodology and System for Ontology-Enabled Traceability: Pilot Application to Design and Management of the Washington D.C. Metro System

This report describes a new methodology and system for satisfying requirements, and an architectural framework for linking discipline-specific dependencies through interaction relationships at the meta-model (or ontology) level. In state-of-the-art traceability mechanisms, requirements are connected directly to design objects. Here, in contrast, we ask the question: What design concept (or family of design concepts) should be applied to satisfy this requirement? Solutions to this question establish links between requirements and design concepts. Then, it is the implementation of these concepts that leads to the design itself. These ideas are prototyped through a Washington DC Metro System requirements-to-design model mockup. The proposed methodology offers several benefits not possible with state-of-the-art procedures. First, procedures for design rule checking may be embedded into design concept nodes, thereby creating a pathway for system validation and verification processes that can be executed early in the systems lifecycle where errors are cheapest and easiest to fix. Second, the proposed model provides a much better big-picture view of relevant design concepts and how they fit together, than is possible with linking of domains at the model level. And finally, the proposed procedures are automatically reusable across families of projects where the ontologies are applicable

Approche hybride : une approche pour une meilleure intégration des outils CAAD dans le développement du processus architecturale du projet

Avec l’usage élargi de la CAAO, ces outils ont été largement utilisés dans le processus de conception architecturale. En dépit des fonctionnalités avancées offertes par les systèmes de CAAO, l'utilisation de la CAAO est principalement concentrée dans les étapes de production, comme un support graphique pour le dessin, la modélisation, le rendu et la simulation. Par conséquent, il est raisonnable de considérer que la situation actuelle relative à l’usage de la CAAO dans la profession d'architecte appelle à de nouvelles améliorations. En d'autres termes, nous devons trouver un moyen de mieux intégrer la technologie et les outils de CAAO dans le processus de conception architecturale, qui est notre question de recherche. Nous avons besoin de savoir comment la CAAO pourrait être utilisée pour améliorer la capacité de conception de l'architecte. Il ressort des discussions et des recherches menées pour cette étude que nous voulons un soutien de la technologie pour nous aider à mieux concevoir et non pas que la technologie conçoive à notre place. Nous aimerions avoir un système de CAAO qui pourrait nous servir d’assistant à la conception. En étudiant la situation de l'intégration des outils de CAAO dans les pratiques actuelles de conception des architectes et en examinant les approches utilisées dans les premières tentatives de développement d’un outil de CAAO intégré au processus de conception, on peut conclure que l'approche exploratoire et heuristique serait une meilleure approche qui pourrait être adaptée pour développer un système CAAO en soutien au travail de l’architecte. De plus, une étude plus approfondie a démontré que les deux sous- approches des approches exploratoires et heuristiques (approches basées sur les cas et les contraintes), sont applicables, mais aucune d'elles n'est suffisante. Par conséquent, l’approche hybride qui prend en compte les avantages de chacune des deux sous- approches précitées serait la plus applicable. Elle nous permettrait de développer un outil CAAD qui pourrait vraiment être intégré dans le processus de conception architecturale. Cette conclusion a été vérifiée par une étude complémentaire basée sur des entrevues.The CAAD tools have been widely adopted in the architectural design process with the popular utilization of CAAD. In spite of the advanced features that have been designed for the CAAD systems, the utilization of CAAD is mainly concentrated on the production stage of design, as a graphic medium for drawing, modeling, rendering and simulation. Therefore, it is reasonable to deem that the current situation of CAAD tools involvement in the architectural profession is calling for further improvement. In other words, we need to find a way to better integrate the CAAD tools/technology into the architectural conceptual design stage, which is our research question. We need to find out how CAAD could be utilized to improve the architect’s design ability during the conceptual design. The discussion and research conducted for this study lead to the assessment that we want technology to help us design better, but not to design for us. We would like to have a CAAD system that could help us as a design assistant. By studying the current situation of the integration of CAAD tools into architects’ design practice and reviewing the approaches that have been employed to create a CAAD tool that could be better integrated into the design process, we reach the decision that the exploring & heuristic approach would be a preferred approach that could be adopted to further develop a more feasible CAAD system. In addition, within the two sub-approaches of the Exploring & Heuristic Approaches (case-based approach and constraint approach), further study has proved that both of them are applicable approaches, but neither of them could sufficiently serve as the sole approach for this purpose. Therefore, a hybrid approach that takes advantage of both approaches would be the most applicable one because it can help us develop a CAAD tool that could be really integrated into the conceptual architectural design procedure

A generic architecture for interactive intelligent tutoring systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 07/06/2001.This research is focused on developing a generic intelligent architecture for an interactive tutoring system. A review of the literature in the areas of instructional theories, cognitive and social views of learning, intelligent tutoring systems development methodologies, and knowledge representation methods was conducted. As a result, a generic ITS development architecture (GeNisa) has been proposed, which combines the features of knowledge base systems (KBS) with object-oriented methodology. The GeNisa architecture consists of the following components: a tutorial events communication module, which encapsulates the interactive processes and other independent computations between different components; a software design toolkit; and an autonomous knowledge acquisition from a probabilistic knowledge base. A graphical application development environment includes tools to support application development, and learning environments and which use a case scenario as a basis for instruction. The generic architecture is designed to support client-side execution in a Web browser environment, and further testing will show that it can disseminate applications over the World Wide Web. Such an architecture can be adapted to different teaching styles and domains, and reusing instructional materials automatically can reduce the effort of the courseware developer (hence cost and time) in authoring new materials. GeNisa was implemented using Java scripts, and subsequently evaluated at various commercial and academic organisations. Parameters chosen for the evaluation include quality of courseware, relevancy of case scenarios, portability to other platforms, ease of use, content, user-friendliness, screen display, clarity, topic interest, and overall satisfaction with GeNisa. In general, the evaluation focused on the novel characteristics and performances of the GeNisa architecture in comparison with other ITS and the results obtained are discussed and analysed. On the basis of the experience gained during the literature research and GeNisa development and evaluation. a generic methodology for ITS development is proposed as well as the requirements for the further development of ITS tools. Finally, conclusions are drawn and areas for further research are identified

An interactive performance-based expert system for daylighting in architectural design

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-233).Design practitioners are increasingly using digital tools during the design process; however, building performance simulation continues to be more commonly utilized for analysis rather than as a design aid. Additionally, while simulation tools provide the user with valuable information, they do not necessarily guide the designer towards changes which may improve performance. For designing with daylighting, it is essential that the designer consider performance during the early design stage, as this is the stage when the most critical design decisions are made, such as the overall building geometry and faqade elements. This thesis proposes an interactive, goal-based expert system for daylighting design, intended for use during the early design phase. The system gives the user the ability to input an initial model and a set of daylighting performance goals. Performance areas considered are illuminance and glare risk from daylighting. The system acts as a "virtual daylighting consultant," guiding the user towards improved performance while maintaining the integrity of the original design and of the design process itself. This thesis consists of three major parts: development of the expert system, implementation of the system including a user interface, and performance assessment. The two major components of the expert system are a daylighting-specific database, which contains information about the effects of a variety of design conditions on resultant daylighting performance, and a fuzzy rule-based decision-making logic, which is used to determine those design changes most likely to improve performance for a given design. The expert system has been implemented within Google SketchUp along with a user interface which allows a designer to fully participate in the design process. Performance assessment is done in two ways: first by comparing the effectiveness of the system to a genetic algorithm, a known optimization method, and second by evaluating the success of the user interactivity of the tool, its use within the design process, and its potential to improve the daylighting performance of early stage designs.by Jaime M. L. Gagne.Ph.D