The objective of this research is to exploit the potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) and to address the issues of interoperation and integration of engineering services. As reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the lack of information and service interoperability poses a major economic cost in both the manufacturing and the construction industries. With the proliferation of the Internet and advanced communication technologies, the exchange of information is essentially free and instantaneous. However, in order to support meaningful exchange of information among software applications and to bring them working together to solve complex, business problems, the software applications must be able to convey and understand the semantics among each other. Current developments of interoperability standards, although they do provide the means of communication among the tools within a narrowly defined domain, do not resolve the complex interoperability issues in a supply chain, which typically involves information and service integration across multiple disciplines. This research project aims to address this fundamental problem by developing (1) a formal, scalable knowledge composition approach to identify and resolve the semantic similarities and differences among the standards, thus allowing meaningful data exchange across disciplines; and (2) a software framework that can support integration of loosely coupled, distributed web-based services. Fundamental methodologies in information science and construction engineering will be developed to resolve the complex information issues that hinder effective information sharing among the participants in a supply chain and to develop a web-based service infrastructure that would enhance the integration of online applications. Globalization is a major trend in the manufacturing and the construction industries. Effective and efficient supply chain management is vital to the global market and partnerships. The coordination and integration of the information flows within and across companies participating in the supply chain are critical to the success of any capital development projects. This research will have broad economic impact in manufacturing and construction, in that the tools developed in this research will enable information and software applications shared among the entire supply chain, independent of geographical locations, and throughout an entire project lifecycle development process. This research will contribute to new methodologies and innovative use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and to enhance the productivity in the design, construction, maintenance and operation of our civil infrastructure. To achieve the research objective, the investigators will collaborate closely with researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as well as international scholars. The collaboration with NIST will help define future data and software standards for the construction and manufacturing industry. Working with international researchers will help dissemination and ensure usefulness of the research results globally. Last but not least, this research is an interdisciplinary effort between Computer Science and Engineering. This interdisciplinary effort will provide opportunities to educate future computer scientists and engineers to have better understanding of issues related to ICT and the engineering and construction industry.
