Modelling and accessing regulatory knowledge for computer-assisted compliance audit

The ingredients for an effective automated audit of a building design include a building model containing the design information, a computerised regulatory knowledge model, and a practical method of processing these computable representations. There have been numerous approaches to computer-aided compliance audit in the AEC/FM domain over the last four decades, but none has yet evolved into a practical solution. One reason is that they have all been isolated attempts that lack any form of industry-wide standardisation. The current research project, therefore, focuses on investigating the use of the industry standard building information model and the adoption of open standard legal knowledge interchange and executable workflow models for automating conventional compliant design processes. This paper provides a non-exhaustive overview of common approaches to model and access regulatory knowledge for a compliance audit. The strengths and weaknesses of two comparative open standard knowledge representation approaches are discussed using an example regulatory document

An expert system for safety instrumented system in petroleum industry

The expert system technology has been developed since 1960s and now it has proven to be a useful and effective tool in many areas. It helps shorten the time required to accomplish a certain job and relieve the workload for human staves by implement the task automatically. This master thesis gives general introduction about the expert system and the technologies involved with it. We also discussed the framework of the expert system and how it will interact with the existing cause and effect matrix. The thesis describes a way of implementing automatic textual verification and the possibility of automatic information extraction in the designing process of safety instrumented systems. We use the Protégé application [*] to make models for the Cause and Effect Matrix and use XMLUnit to implement the comparison between two files of interest

XML for Domain Viewpoints

Within research institutions like CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) there are often disparate databases (different in format, type and structure) that users need to access in a domain-specific manner. Users may want to access a simple unit of information without having to understand detail of the underlying schema or they may want to access the same information from several different sources. It is neither desirable nor feasible to require users to have knowledge of these schemas. Instead it would be advantageous if a user could query these sources using his or her own domain models and abstractions of the data. This paper describes the basis of an XML (eXtended Markup Language) framework that provides this functionality and is currently being developed at CERN. The goal of the first prototype was to explore the possibilities of XML for data integration and model management. It shows how XML can be used to integrate data sources. The framework is not only applicable to CERN data sources but other environments too.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, conference report from SCI'2001 Multiconference on Systemics & Informatics, Florid

OpenLearn and knowledge maps for language learning

This chapter presents new methodologies designed to facilitate language acquisition in open learning communities via open educational resources and knowledge mapping. It specifically focuses on the OpenLearn project developed by the Open University. This offers a virtual learning environment based on Moodle platform with free educational materials and knowledge media tools such as the instant messaging MSG, the video webconference FlashMeeting and the knowledge mapping software tool Compendium. In this work, these technologies and mapping techniques are introduced in order to promote open language learning. Ways in which teachers and students can make use of these OpenLearn tools and resources are discussed and some benefits fully described

Visualization for network forensic analyses: extending the Forensic Log Investigator (FLI)

In a network attack investigation, the mountain of information collected from varying sources can be daunting. Investigators face significant challenges in being able to correlate findings from these sources, given difficulties with time synchronization. In addition, it is difficult to obtain summary or overview information for one set of data, much less the entire case. This, in turn, makes it nearly impossible to accurately identify missing information.;Identifying these information gaps is one problem, yet another is filling them in. Investigators must rely on legal processes and requests to obtain the information they need. However, it is extremely important they are aware of cases or events that cross jurisdictional boundaries. Where tools exist to assist in evidence overview, they do not contain the necessary geographic information for investigators to quickly ascertain the location of those involved.;In addition to these difficulties, investigators need to perform several types of analysis on the evidence that has been collected. Several of these analyses cannot typically be performed on data from multiple log files, since they are based on timing data. Furthermore, it is difficult to understand results from these analyses without visual representation, and there are no tools to bring them together in a single frame.;This thesis details the design and implementation of an analysis and visualization extension for the Forensic Log Investigator, or FLI. FLI is a web-based analysis and visualization architecture built on advanced technologies and enterprise infrastructure. This extension assists investigators by providing the ability to correlate evidence and analysis across traditional log file and analysis method boundaries, identify information gaps, and perform analysis in accordance with published evidence handling guidelines

Ontologies on the semantic web

As an informational technology, the World Wide Web has enjoyed spectacular success. In just ten years it has transformed the way information is produced, stored, and shared in arenas as diverse as shopping, family photo albums, and high-level academic research. The “Semantic Web” was touted by its developers as equally revolutionary but has not yet achieved anything like the Web’s exponential uptake. This 17 000 word survey article explores why this might be so, from a perspective that bridges both philosophy and IT