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An efficient database management system that supports the integration and interoperability of different information models is a foundation on which the higher levels of cyber-physical systems are built. In this paper, we address the problem of integrating monitoring data with building information models through the use of the graph data management system and the IFC standard (Industry Foundation Classes) to support the need for interoperability and collaborative work. The proposed workflow describes the conversion of IFC models into a graph database and the connection with data from sensors, which is then validated using the example of a bridge monitoring system. The presented IFC and sensor graph data models are structurally flexible and scalable to meet the challenges of smart cities and big data.

Recently building information models have substantially improved the explicit semantic content of design information. Information models are used to integrate the initial phases of project development. On the construction site, however, the designs are still mostly represented as line-based paper drawings or projections on portable displays. A generic technology that can integrate information and situate it in time, place and context is augmented reality. The specific research issues addressed are (1) does augmented reality have a potential use in civil engineering, (2) how big - in comparison to other technologies - is this potential and (3) what are the main barriers to its adoption. The generic research issue was to develop a methodology for evaluation of potentials of technology. A prototype was built. It was tested on a real construction site to evaluate the potential of its use using the action-research method. A set of structured interviews with potential users was then conducted to compare the prototype to conventional presentation methods. Using this methodology it has been found out that augmented reality is expected to be as big a step as the transition from 2D line drawings to photorealistic 3D projections. The main barrier to the adoption is immature core virtual reality technology, conservative nature of construction businesses and size of building information models. Well-formed digital models, such as BIM, are a prerequisite for construction AR.Augmented reality can contribute to the understanding of project documentation.Construction AR needs to be developed in parallel with conventional methods.Construction AR can help better understand construction 3D models.

Over the last decade, building information models (BIM) have become increasingly popular. Yet their use on construction sites where the digital materializes, is limited. A technology that can bridge the gap between the digital and the real world is augmented reality (AR). We analyze this gap and the AR potential and present how the component based software engineering method can be used to efficiently implement a BIM-based AR system for construction. An architecture of the software system is proposed and verified by a prototype which was tested in a real construction project. We found out that the use of AR can significantly narrow the semantic gap between the digital model and the real world; that components for creating a BIM-based AR systems exist but currently do not scale well to large models; and that the use in AR applications creates additional requirements the for BIM models and tools, particularly related to the BIM's 4th dimension.

In the paper a web-based system CGMapp for the selection of characteristic ground motions is presented. It performs the selection of ground motions according to the conditional spectrum approach by considering the old PEER and RESORCE databases, and refines this selection by making use of nonlinear dynamic analyses of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model, so that seven characteristic ground motions are obtained. They can be understood as risk-targeted, hazard-consistent, and structure-specific ground motions, which can be used within the scope of the 3R method (Record selection, Response analysis and Risk-based decision making) in order to make decisions about the collapse safety of symmetric buildings, by performing only a few nonlinear response history analyses. It was shown by the proposed web-based system that the automation of the selection of the characteristic ground motions is possible through the internet. Thus, the use of the 3R method becomes trivial, so that the researcher will have the possibility to test the method, which will help to better understand the range of applicability of the proposed 3R method. In the paper, the background of CGMapp is first explained. This is followed by a demonstration of the use of the presented web-based system for the selection of characteristic ground motions in the assessment of the collapse safety of an 8-storey reinforced concrete dual structure. Although only seven nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed using characteristic ground motions, it is shown that the decision about collapse safety was the same as that obtained on the basis of incremental dynamic analysis, which requires hundreds of simulations. Finally, it is also shown that the web-based system can be used as a research tool, in order to obtain a better understanding of the impact of the uncertainty of the selection of ground motions on decision-making in earthquake engineering.

U suradničkim tehničkim okruženjima razmjena komunikacije i informacija među suradnicima je od bitne važnosti za uspješno izvršenje projekta. Moderna informatička tehnologija vodi ka dvije divergentne komunikacijske topoligije: 1) industrija je usamjerena ka centralizaciji oko informatičkog modela, 2) građani, koji se informatičkom tehnologijom služe kod kuće, idu prema umrežavanju u kojem svatko može komunicirati sa svakim kad god hoće služeći se komunikacijskim uslugama poput onih u društvenim medijima. U radu se daje analiza, zamišljeni model, arhitektura i prototip sustava koji ove druge usmjerava prema inžinjerskoj zajednici. Model se sastoji od dvije glavne komponente: 1) pokretačkog dijela – motora koji osigurava radno okruženje i podršku ključnim uslugama kao što su lokalna pohrana i integracija modula, 2) vanjskih modula, koji proširuju ključne sposobnosti motora. U svrhu istraživanja provedena je SWOT analiza kojom su određene ključne karakteristike predloženog pristupa., In collaborative engineering environments communication and information sharing among participants is essential for successful project delivery. Modern information technology is driving the world towards two divergent communication topologies: 1) the industry is driven towards a centralized one around an information model, 2) citizens using information technologies at home are driven towards a meshed one where each can communicate whenever to whoever using communication services like those in social media. This paper presents the analysis, conceptual framework, architecture and prototype of a system that is bringing the latter to the engineering community. The framework consists of two main components: 1) a framework engine providing working environment and support for core services such as locale storage and module integration, and 2) external modules, extending core capabilities of the framework. For the purpose of this research work the SWOT analysis has been carried out revealing main characteristics of the proposed approach.

SUMMARY A web-based methodology for the prediction of approximate IDA curves, which consists of two independent processes, is proposed. The result of the first process is a response database of the SDOF model, whereas the second process involves the prediction of approximate IDA curves from the response database by using n-dimensional linear interpolation. Such an approach enables user-friendly prediction of the seismic response parameters with high accuracy. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed methodology, a web application for the prediction of the approximate 16th, 50th and 84th fractile responses of an RC structure was developed. For the presented case study, the response database was computed for a set of 30 ground motion records and the discrete values of six structural parameters. Very good agreement between the computed and the approximated IDA curves of the four-storey RC building was observed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Construction industry is in relatively early phase of adopting modern web-based technology, even though the web itself has already moved deep into its second phase. In this paper, common strategic points of key projects addressing the problem of engineering collaboration and communication since the mid 1990s are presented. Following this, common requirements for successful communication in the AEC are outlined and compared against new trends in business that emerged just recently. In addition, most promising technologies and applications are outlined and key predictions for the future are presented.

The component-oriented software development can greatly improve the implementation efficiency and ease the extensibility and maintenance of large engineering software. In this paper, a prototype component-oriented software system for structural analysis using the finite element method is presented. The prototype program is completely based on the Component object model that enables the development of modular, object-oriented, customizable and upgradable, distributed programming systems using a number of different programming languages.

While early days of structural analysis (and other engineering) software have been dominated by self-developed and self-maintained programs and applications, most of these tools have lately been abandoned in favor of out-of-the-box commercial software packages, usually due to the inability to cope with the advancements in the computer industry from both software and hardware perspective. Even though the computational engines of these software tools and applications are still sound, the pre- and post-processors are outdated and not suitable for the modern engineering use. On the other hand, the last decade offered simple, intuitive, effective and widely accessible services of the modern web resulting in the fusion of services blurring the boundaries between desktop computers, laptops and other consumer devices. Consequently, more and more applications are developed as web services, moving from desktop environment to the browser. This paper presents the architecture, development and deployment of the web application framework that can transform console standalone tools into fully functional web applications. The framework was developed following the principles of the service-oriented architecture using cloud computing guidelines and the software-as-a-service model of deployment. The use of modern web programming principles and techniques provides the ability to use the framework on a wide range of consumer devices while the underlying high performance/throughput computing system ensures scalability, flexibility and performance. Last but not least, two case applications utilizing the proposed framework are presented.

A software tool, known as a PBEE toolbox, for the seismic performance assessment of buildings, which was developed in Matlab in conjunction with the software framework OpenSees, and a web application for the prediction of approximate IDA curves are presented in this chapter. Although, in its present version, the PBEE toolbox supports only simple nonlinear models, its capabilities exceed usual software tools for computational simulation, since it enables seismic performance assessment of buildings with various procedures and adopts an open-source philosophy so that it can be easily extended or modified to suit specific user requirements. The capabilities of the PBEE toolbox and the web application, which involves the response database of a single-degree-of-freedom system with a quadrilateral force-displacement relationship, are demonstrated by means of an assessment of the seismic response parameters of an eight-storey reinforced concrete frame, using incremental dynamic analysis, progressive incremental dynamic analysis, approximate incremental dynamic analysis, and the N2 method. It is shown that, for the case of the presented example, all the methods produce similar results, although each method has some advantages and some disadvantages.