Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Augmented BPM'

Les processus métiers peuvent être vu comme une collection d'activités exécutées et coordonnées afin de produire un résultat bien spécifique, répondant aux besoins d'un client (interne et/ou externe). La gestion des processus métiers (Business process management - BPM) est un domaine de recherche très actif dans la discipline des systèmes d'informations. Il a pour objectif l'amélioration continue de l'efficacité et la performance des processus d'une entreprise, par le biais des méthodes, des techniques et des outils qu'il offre afin d'appuyer la conception, la mise en œuvre, la gestion, l'analyse, et l'automatisation, dans la mesure du possible, des processus métier, et donc gagner en termes d'agilité,de flexibilité et de performance. Même si plusieurs méthodes d'amélioration des processus métier (Business Process Improvement- BPI) sont disponibles dans la littérature, les organisations rencontrent toujours des difficultés pour les appliquer efficacement. Ces difficultés peuvent être justifiées par le fait que les méthodes BPI existantes ne répondent pas à toutes les exigences récentes des organisations et ne s'adaptent pas aux progrès réalisés, ces dernières années, dans plusieurs domaines tels que l'intelligence artificielle, les techniques d'analyse des données, l'apprentissage automatique, le process mining et le traitement des (flux) événements, etc. En outre, avec cette nouvelle ère de digitalisation et l'essor de plusieurs nouvelles technologies telles que le Big Data, l'Internet des objets (IoT), le Cloud Computing, etc, les organisations sont confrontées à de nouveaux facteurs et défis redéfinissant le marché et qui génèrent de réels changements dans le BPM traditionnel. Parmi ces nouveaux défis on trouve la quantité de données et d'événements, provenant, avec une très grande vélocité,de différentes sources hétérogènes (des interactions internes ou externes de l'entreprise,IoT, etc). Ces données doivent être bien analysées et exploitées afin d'en extraire, des résultats à forte valeur ajoutée qui peuvent aider l'entreprise dans son processus de prise de décision. Cependant, les outils traditionnels proposés par la méthode du management des processus métiers présentent différentes limites concernant le traitement, la fouille et l'analyse des données et l'exploitation des résultats de ces analyses en temps réel. La nature interdisciplinaire du BPM est un facteur clé qui favorise les perspectives d'amélioration dans ce domaine. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse est de proposer de nouvelles approches pour augmenter les processus métier, en s'appuyant principalement sur l'analyse des données, les algorithmes d'apprentissage automatique et le traitement des événements complexes, afin d'exploiter les données et événements générés par l'exécution des processus métier et de trouver des moyens d'améliorer ces processus sous différents angles tels que l'ordonnancement des instances et la gestion des événements dans un environnement IoT. L'loT est en train de devenir une zone d'innovations technologiques et de promesses de développement économique pour de nombreuses industries et services. Ce nouveau changement de paradigme affecte toutes les couches de l'architecture d'entreprise, de l'infrastructure au métier. Le Business Process Management (BPM) est un domaine parmi d'autres qui est affecté par cette nouvelle technologie. Pour faire face à l'explosion des données et des événements résultant, entre autres, de l'loT, les processus d'analyse de données combinés aux techniques de traitement des événements, examinent de grands ensembles de données pour découvrir des modèles cachés, des corrélations inconnues entre les événements collectés, soit à un niveau très technique (détection des incidents/anomalies, maintenance prédictive), soit au niveau métier (préférences des clients, tendances du marché, opportunités de revenus) pour fournir une meilleure efficacité opérationnelle, un meilleur service client et des avantages [...]<br>Business Processes (BP) can be seen as a collection of activities executed and coordinated in order to produce a specific result and to meet the needs of a customer (internal and/or external). Business process management (BPM) is a very active research area, its objective is to provide a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the product flow and to identify inefficiencies and potential improvement areas in the process to achieve better decision making and results. Although we can find several Business Process Improvement (BPI) methods in the literature, organizations are still facing some difficulties to apply these methods effectively. These difficulties can be justified by the fact that the existing BPI methods do not fi twith all the recent requirements of the organizations and the progress that the world has achieved, in the past few years, in several domains such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics techniques, Machine Learning, Process Mining, and Event (Stream) Processing, etc. Besides, with this new digitized era and the rise of several new technologies such as Big Data, Internet of things, Cloud computing, etc, organizations are faced with many factors and challenges that generate real changes in the traditional BPM. Among these challenges, we have the huge amount of data and event data that are continuously gathered within the organization. These data represent a real engine of growth for organizations, and must be adequately exploited to extract high added value that can assist the organization in its decision making process. Furthermore, enterprises are looking for advanced technologies that optimize time and resources and increase agility, productivity and most importantly, proactivity. However, traditional BPM systems present different limits, as they do not facilitate the use of knowledge extracted from this data, by business processes, because they do not benefit from statistical functionalities and data analysis and manipulation techniques in real time.The interdisciplinary nature of BPM is a key factor that fosters opportunities for improvement in this domain. The objective of this thesis work is to propose new approaches for augmenting business processes, by relying mainly on data analysis, machine learning algorithms, and complex event processing, to exploit the data generated by business process execution (event data, event logs) and find ways to improve these processes from different perspectives such as instances scheduling and event management in an IoT environment

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is currently used more and more within construction design and planning as well as construction as a streamlining tool aiming to improve communication and decrease the number of construction defects. VDC is constantly developing, but what comes next? The augmented reality (AR) technology is currently not used within construction in Sweden but should be considered as the next step in line regarding the integration of reality and digital information. Using this technology design can become reality even before it’s actually built. The purpose of this study has been to carry out an inventory of the existing AR technology and its shortcomings, and also to identify possible applications within the construction phase. VDC has also been investigated in order to identify the weaknesses in this technology and an assessment has been made as to how these can be eliminated and hence how VDC can be improved. Based on that this thesis has been carried out with the following main question: How can augmented reality be implemented in the construction industry and how can it become integrated with VDC in order to achieve a streamlining effect in construction? The theoretical background is based on a literature study where information about augmented reality has been collected from technical reports from all over the world. A study of the technology behind augmented reality and its possible areas of application as well as a description of the future possibilities and ongoing research has been made. VDC has only briefly been examined in the literature study. Interviews with construction staff and experts within AR and VDC have been conducted in order to obtain a basis for an analysis of the current situation. Based on these interviews gains and shortcomings of the VDC technology have been identified, and requests for the AR technology’s future applications have been plotted. The result of the literature study is that a positioning technique that is more accurate and more robust than the ones on the market today needs to be developed in order for the AR-technology to work properly. There are a number of beneficial areas of application for AR in construction given that the previously mentioned problem is overcome. VDC in construction brings substantial benefits in terms of financial and time savings. It serves the communication between design and construction. AR will be easier to use for marketing purposes and early stages of projects than in construction. As for VDC more focus needs to be put on the implementation of the technology to a broader crowd rather than developing the technology further in a small group of experts. In order for augmented reality to be implemented in the construction industry VDC and its support need to be further developed towards construction before yet another technology is introduced. Augmented reality will not solve the shortcomings of VDC today.<br>I dagsläget används Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) mer och mer inom byggprojektering såväl som inom byggproduktion som ett effektiviserande arbetssätt för att förbättra kommunikation och minska byggnadsfel. VDC är under ständig utveckling, men vad kommer efter denna? Förstärkt verklighet (AR, eng. Augmented Reality) används i dagsläget inte i byggproduktion i Sverige men ses som nästa steg i ledet av integrering av verklighet och digital information. Med hjälp av denna teknik kan projektering bli verklighet innan det är byggt. Syftet med denna studie har varit att inventera existerande AR-teknik, dess brister samt att kartlägga möjliga användningsområden inom byggproduktion. VDC har även undersökts för att identifiera denna tekniks svagheter och en bedömning av hur dessa kan avhjälpas och VDC förbättras har gjorts. Utifrån detta har arbetet utförts utifrån följande huvudfrågeställning; Hur kan AR-teknik implementeras i byggbranschen och hur kan den integreras med VDC för att uppnå en effektivisering i byggproduktionen? Teoribakgrunden bygger på en litteraturstudie där information om AR-teknik från tekniska rapporter inhämtats. En studie av tekniken bakom Augmented Reality och dess möjliga tillämpningsområden inom byggproduktion har gjorts, samtidigt som framtida möjligheter och pågående forskning har beskrivits. VDC har endast undersökts flyktigt i litteraturstudien. Intervjuer har genomförts med produktionspersonal och sakkunniga inom VDC och AR för att erhålla underlag för en nulägesanalys. Utifrån intervjuerna har nytta och brister med VDC-tekniken kunnat utrönas, samtidigt som önskemål på AR-teknikens framtida tillämpning har kunnat kartläggas. Resultatet av litteraturstudien är att en positioneringsteknik som är noggrannare och mer robust än de som finns idag måste utvecklas för att AR-tekniken ska fungera i syftet. Det finns ett flertal fördelaktiga tillämpningsområden för AR i byggproduktion förutsatt att ovanstående problem övervinns. VDC i produktion innebär stora fördelar i form av ekonomiska och tidsmässiga besparingar. Det främjar kommunikationen mellan projektering och produktion. AR kommer att vara lättare att använda i marknadsföringssyfte och i tidiga skeden än i produktion. Vad gäller VDC behöver mer fokus läggas på att implementera tekniken till den stora massan istället för att utveckla tekniken ytterligare i en liten expertgrupp. För att AR-tekniken ska kunna implementeras i byggbranschen bör VDC-tekniken och dess stöd först utvecklas fullt ut mot produktion innan ytterligare en teknik introduceras då denna inte kommer att åtgärda de brister med VDC som finns idag.

Ce mémoire de thèse de doctorat présente l'évaluation d'un système de réalité mixte dans le cadre d'une utilisation sur le site d'opération de construction. Il s'agit notamment de déterminer la pertinence d'un tel outil mobile pour des opérateurs pour les assister dans leurs tâches quotidiennes, et notamment dans la préparation et le suivi des opérations de construction ou rénovation. Cet outil se voudrait être un outil d'aide à la décision pour les maîtres d'ouvrages et maîtres d'œuvre. Le cas d'étude porte sur la rénovation virtuelle des baies anciennes (datées du XVIIIème siècle) dans une cellule des bâtiments conventuels de Cluny (Saône et Loire, France). L'approche consiste à comparer l'efficacité, la précision et la rapidité d'opérateurs dans la réalisation de tâches identiques. Trois méthodes liées à l'utilisation des nouvelles technologies dans le domaine de l'AIC (Architecture Ingénierie et Construction) sont comparées, elles ont guidé la définition du protocole expérimental. La première méthode traditionnelle fournit à l'opérateur de la documentation papier. La seconde met en œuvre la dématérialisation des données constructives, accessibles depuis un ordinateur de bureau. La troisième méthode plus innovante ajoute à la précédente l'accès colocalisé à la base de données grâce à un terminal mobile. Une étude qui a suivi a porté sur la visualisation et l'interprétation de résultats de simulation thermique, en réalité virtuelle. La comparaison des trois premières méthodes a donné lieu à une première expérimentation dont les résultats ont montré la légère prédominance du second scénario (travail sur ordinateur de bureau). Cependant, au-delà des aspects d'ergonomie et d'interface utilisateur, des investigations complémentaires doivent être menées pour étudier l'opportunité du développement du BIM in situ, c'est-à-dire l'utilisation du modèle de données du bâtiment (BIM- Building Information Model) sur le chantier.

Molnlagring, kommunikationsplattformar med interaktiva funktioner, virtuella modeller som sammanfogas med fysiska omgivningar, datorsimuleringar, livscykelperspektiv. Så diskuteras det i BIM-världens korridorer. Men om detta nu är framtiden: varför går implementeringen så långsamt, och vad är det egentligen som ska implementeras?   Processen att hantera och förstå vad BIM är har blivit för komplex, och med denna rapport vill vi hitta åtgärder för att göra arbetssättet begripligt och användbart för fler. Vi har i samarbete med Vianova Systems undersökt hur användningen av BIM ser ut idag och vilka förbättringsåtgärder som behövs för en bredare framtida implementering i samhällsbyggnadsbranschen.   Våra undersökningar visar att nästan 80 % tror att ett arbete som drar nytta av en digital modell skulle vara effektivare: samtidigt är osäkerheten kring mjukvaror och oklarhet kring implementeringen av arbetsmetoderna begränsande faktorer. Som lösning på detta har ett användarinterface för projektsamordning och kommunikation arbetats fram.   Dessa undersökningar har genomförts med hjälp av en enkätstudie samt intervjuer och sammanställts i två delar: dels denna rapport, samt en slutprodukt av visionär karaktär kallad ”7 visions for the future of BIM”.<br>Cloud storage, communication platforms with interactive functions, virtual models that are merged with physical surroundings, computer simulations, life cycle perspective. This is what is being discussed in the corridors of the BIM-world. But if this is the future: why is the implementation so slow, and what exactly is to be implemented?   The process of handling and understanding what BIM is has become too complex, and in this report we want to find solutions for making the way of working intelligible and useful for a wider audience. In collaboration with Vianova Systems, we have investigated what the use of BIM looks like today and what improvements are needed for a wider future implementation in the AEC industry.   Our investigations show that almost 80 % believe that work which utilizes a digital model would be more effective: at the same time the insecurity concerning software and uncertainties regarding the implementation of the work methodologies are limiting factors. As a solution for this a user interface for project management and communication has been developed.   These investigations have been carried out with the aid of a questionnaire and interviews and compiled into two parts: partly this report, as well as an end product of visionairy nature called ”7 visions for the future of BIM”.

This thesis presents a real-time automated building progress monitoring solution for indoor environments using a mobile device. Such a system could prompt accurate and timely assessment of work progress that would allow managers to make adjustments and minimise both time and cost overrun when deviations from the schedule occur. Although many researchers have proposed approaches for progress monitoring in outdoor scenes, these cannot perform in real-time and shift into the complex interior environment. Research efforts for indoor environments are not fully automated and lead to errors in more complex scenes. Systems based on mobile devices could potentially enhance the inspection process and reduce the required time by allowing the inspector to acquire progress data by simply walking around the site. The main challenge of these systems is the tracking of the pose of the camera to achieve accurate alignment between the 3D design model and the real-world scene. Methods for estimating the user’s pose rely on a) tags on each target of interest, which require additional time and cost for installation and maintenance; b) pre-selected user locations, which restricts the user to those locations only; or c) GPS on the augmented reality headset, which only applies to outdoor inspections. Additionally, current mobile-based inspection systems do not perform any comparison between the captured as-built and the as-planned data. In this research, different marker-less Augmented Reality (AR) potential methods were implemented and tested for finding the most robust tracking solution. The Microsoft HoloLens was found to be the top performer for tracking the user’s pose and for overall user-experience. Next, a semi-automated method was developed for initially registering the 3D model to the real environment by exploiting information from detected floor and wall surfaces. Results showed that this method reduces the time of the initial registration by 58%. Having the 3D model aligned to the real environment and knowing the pose of the camera at every moment, an automated method was developed that exploits the captured as-built surface mesh data from the mobile device, compares it against the 3D design model and identifies in real-time whether an object has been built according to plan. Different parameters were tested for finding the optimum combination based on the current quality of mesh data. If quality of mesh data changes, then new parameters should be explored. Finally, the proposed solution was tested in real site conditions resulting in 76.6% precision, 100.0% recall, and 83.5% accuracy.

This project examined the role that written specifications play in the building procurement process and the relationship that specifications should have with respect to the use of BIM within the construction industry. A three-part approach was developed to integrate specifications, product libraries and BIM. Typically handled by different disciplines within project teams, these provide the basis for a holistic approach to the development of building descriptions through the design process and into construction.

The creation of an effective construction schedule is fundamental to the successful completion of a construction project. Effectively communicating the temporal and spatial details of this schedule are vital, however current planning approaches often lead to multiple or misinterpretations of the schedule throughout the planning team. Four Dimensional Computer Aided Design (4D CAD) has emerged over the last twenty years as an effective tool during construction project planning. In recent years Building Information Modelling (BIM) has emerged as a valuable approach to construction informatics throughout the whole lifecycle of a building. Additionally, emerging trends in location-aware and wearable computing provide a future potential for untethered, contextual visualisation and data delivery away from the office. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel computer-based approach, to facilitate on-site 4D construction planning through interaction with a 3D construction model and corresponding building information data in outdoor Augmented Reality (AR). Based on a wide ranging literature review, a conceptual framework was put forward to represent software development requirements to support the sequencing of construction tasks in AR. Based on this framework, an approach was developed that represented the main processes required to plan a construction sequence using an onsite model based 4D methodology. Using this proposed approach, a prototype software tool was developed, 4DAR. The implemented tool facilitated the mapping of elements within an interactive 3D model with corresponding BIM data objects to provide an interface for two way communication with the underlying Industry Foundation Class (IFC) data model. Positioning data from RTK-GPS and an electronic compass enabled the geo-located 3D model to be registered in world coordinates and visualised using a head mounted display fitted with a ii forward facing video camera. The scheduling of construction tasks was achieved using a novel interactive technique that negated the need for a previous construction schedule to be input into the system. The resulting 4D simulation can be viewed at any time during the scheduling process, facilitating an iterative approach to project planning to be adopted. Furthermore, employing the IFC file as a central read/write repository for schedule data reduces the amount of disparate documentation and centralises the storage of schedule information, while improving communication and facilitating collaborative working practices within a project planning team. Post graduate students and construction professionals evaluated the implemented prototype tool to test its usefulness for construction planning requirements. It emerged from the evaluation sessions that the implemented tool had achieved the essential requirements highlighted in the conceptual framework and proposed approach. Furthermore, the evaluators expressed that the implemented software and proposed novel approach to construction planning had potential to assist with the planning process for both experienced and inexperienced construction planners. The following contributions to knowledge have been made by this study in the areas of 4D CAD, construction applications of augmented reality and Building Information Modelling; · 4D Construction Planning in Outdoor Augmented Reality (AR) · The development of a novel 4D planning approach through decomposition · The deployment of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) in AR · Leveraging IFC files for centralised data management within real time planning and visualisation environment.

In the last years smart buildings topic has received much attention as well as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and interoperability as independent fields. Linking these topics is an essential research target to help designers and stakeholders to run processes more efficiently. Working on a smart building requires the use of Innovation and Communication Technology (ICT) to optimize design, construction and management. In these terms, several technologies such as sensors for remote monitoring and control, building equipment, management software, etc. are available in the market. As BIM provides an enormous amount of information in its database and theoretically it is able to work with all kind of data sources using interoperability, it is essential to define standards for both data contents and format exchange. In this way, a possibility to align research activity with Horizon 2020 is the investigation of energy saving using ICT. Unfortunately, comparing the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry with other sectors it is clear how in the building field advanced information technology applications have not been adopted yet. However in the last years, the adoption of new methods for the data management has been investigated by many researchers. So, basing on the above considerations, the main purpose of this thesis is investigate the use of BIM methodology relating to existing buildings concerning on three main topics: • Smart data management for architectural heritage preservation; • District data management for energy reduction; • The maintenance of highrises. For these reasons, data management acquires a very important value relating to the optimization of the building process and it is considered the most important goal for this research. Taking into account different kinds of architectural heritage, the attention is focused on the existing and historical buildings that usually have characterized by several constraints. Starting from data collection, a BIM model was developed and customized in function of its objectives, and providing information for different simulation tests. Finally, data visualization was investigated through the Virtual Reality(VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Certainly, the creation of a 3D parametric model implies that data is organized according to the use of individual users that are involved in the building process. This means that each 3D model can be developed with different Levels of Detail/Development (LODs) basing on the goal of the data source. Along this thesis the importance of LODs is taken into account related to the kind of information filled in a BIM model. In fact, basing on the objectives of each project a BIM model can be developed in a different way to facilitate the querying data for the simulations tests. The three topics were compared considering each step of the building process workflow, highlighting the main differences, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of BIM methodology. In these terms, the importance to set a BIM template before the modelling step was pointed out, because it provides the possibility to manage information in order to be collected and extracted for different purposes and by specific users. Moreover, basing on the results obtained in terms of the 3D parametric model and in terms of process, a proper BIM maturity level was determined for each topic. Finally, the value of interoperability was arisen from these tests considering that it provided the opportunity to develop a framework for collaboration, involving all parties of the building industry.

La tesi di laurea affronta il tema della conoscenza e della gestione del patrimonio architettonico applicabile a diversi contesti urbani. Approfondisce il tema della fotomodellazione applicata all’architettura, in media e grande scala, concentrandosi sullo sviluppo dell'applicazione della tecnologia di restituzione tridimensionale riferita ad edifici e a luoghi storici che appartengono al patrimonio architettonico e culturale della città dell'Avana (Cuba). Nella tesi vengono descritte le operazioni eseguite per ottenere i modelli tridimensionali texturizzati dal reale tramite un set fotografico e tutte le problematiche inerenti a tale procedura. Gli obiettivi dello studio sono quelli di fornire nuove metodologie innovative ed inedite anche per la realtà cubana, argomento di grande interesse per l' Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana, ente cubano che sovrintende i beni architettonici e culturali della città. Si tratta di uno studio sul centro storico dell’Habana Vieja che si propone di raggiungere due obiettivi: il primo di carattere prettamente tecnico-scientifico di elaborazione di un metodo di rilievo svolto attraverso l’unione di diverse tecniche al fine di restituire un modello bidimensionale e tridimensione in scala, comprendente le informazioni tecniche e architettoniche delle piazze e dei relativi fabbricati; il secondo è quello di fornire il materiale utile per la realizzazione di una applicazione per dispositivi portatili (tipo smartphone e tablet) al fine divulgativo, culturale e turistico utilizzabile offline e online ed anche come banca dati per la creazione di applicazioni AR (Realtà Aumentata).

Nowadays BIM and real-time data are becoming a central topic for the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations) industry, they represent new powerful tools for the design and management of facilities.Building monitoring and real-time data can represent a solution to many important challenges like energy efficiency, indoor climate quality and cost management. Although it is clear the importance of data for a correct use of BIM technology and its potentiality, in literature, are not so common examples of complete workflows for a complete management of data from the input phase to the output one.The scope of the study is to design a protocol for entering, managing and exporting real-time data using Revit and Dynamo where the customers have a central role during the input phase and a dedicated mode for data display including a desktop version and an augmented reality one for a more immersive experience.In order to show the real potentiality of the project, the protocol has been utilised for the calculation of thermal comfort parameters of the “Teaching House” situated in KTH campus. All data entered from the students into a form online, via QR-code, have been inserted into Dynamo in order to calculate the desired parameters values which are successively stored into a database for further analysis, everything automatically.<br>Numera blir BIM och realtidsdata ett centralt ämne för AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations) industrin, de representerar nya kraftfulla verktyg för design och hantering av anläggningar.Byggnadsövervakning och realtidsdata kan vara en lösning på många viktiga utmaningar som energieffektivitet, inomhusklimatkvalitet och kostnadshantering. Även om det är tydligt är betydelsen av data för en korrekt användning av BIM-teknik och dess potential i litteraturen inte så vanliga exempel på fullständiga arbetsflöden för en fullständig hantering av data från inmatningsfasen till den utgående.Studiens omfattning är att utforma ett protokoll för inmatning, hantering och export av realtidsdata med Revit och Dynamo där kunderna har en central roll under inmatningsfasen och ett dedikerat läge för datavisning inklusive en stationär version och en förstärkt verklighet en för en mer uppslukande upplevelse.För att visa projektets verkliga potential har protokollet använts för beräkning av termiska komfortparametrar för ”Teaching House” beläget på KTH campus. Alla data som matats in från eleverna i ett formulär online, via QR-kod, har införts i Dynamo för att beräkna önskade parametervärden som successivt lagras i en databas för vidare analys, allt automatiskt.

碩士<br>國立臺灣大學<br>土木工程學研究所<br>106<br>In urban city, people’s daily life is around large-scale buildings like train stations, museums or department stores. Their indoor circulations are always complicated, and people are not familiar with those emergency evacuation route. Traditionally, emergency exit signs use an arrow to lead people to the emergency exit. If there is an emergency happening, occupants may be nervous, resulting in their misjudging of the exit position. Therefore, the administration of the building needs to assign a lot of staffs to help occupants evacuate. This research developed a BIM-based augmented reality evacuation system to ensure effective evacuation and economize workforce used in an emergency evacuation. First, the system builds a virtual model in users’ smart phone based on information obtained from the BIM model of the building where the emergency is happening. Then, the system uses iBeacons for indoor positioning and calculates the safest and shortest path to the emergency exit. Lastly, occupants evacuate along the path shown in augmented reality view on their smart phone. This research only exports necessary coordinate data and uses .txt file to be the exchange format. Hence, it can reduce the exchange file size and hardware requirement between BIM model and evacuation system in smart phone. The exchange format was selected because it can reduce the exchange file size and hardware requirement for the process in this research. This research confirmed that after using weighted centroid localization algorithm based on received signal strength indication, the accuracy of iBeacon positioning is enough to be applied in indoor navigation. Also, by using coordinates exported from the BIM model to create obstacles in the virtual model, the system can find a shortest path around obstacles efficiently. Finally, the path shown in augmented reality view on users’ smart phone leads them to the nearest emergency exit and enables occupants evacuating by assessing their path to follow during the evacuation.

碩士<br>國立高雄大學<br>創意設計與建築學系碩士班<br>105<br>The purpose of fire safety equipment maintenance is to ensure that in emergencies all the necessary equipment is in good working order so that damage can be kept to a minimum. Current inspection procedures follow the regulations outlined in relevant laws, which require access to the relevant documents and diagrams. However, most of these files are in paper format, which causes inconvenience during the inspection process, thereby wasting both time and labor. To solve the above problems and to help inspectors obtain the information they need as efficiently as possible, this study uses the building information model (BIM) to build the components of fire safety equipment while simultaneously inputting data related to the components’ life cycle into the Revit 3D model using the COBie Toolkit. The data are further organized into a cloud database to enable augmented reality processes such as visual simulation and the use of mobile devices in future inspections. This eliminates the limitations of paper-based documents. To effectively clarify the relationships and responsibilities of information exchange, this study utilized the Construction-Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) developed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to regulate information exchange. IDEF0 was used to analyze information relationships and responsibility distributions. A literature review and interviews with experts were conducted to understand the practical requirements of maintenance inspections on fire safety equipment; this further served as the framework for the information exchange. In terms of system development and case verification, this study used augmented reality technology to present visual simulation of the equipment. By using the augmented reality tool AURASMA (which provides basic information related to the components) and AUGMENT (which provides a 3D model of the system pipeline), the inspectors can instantly access the cloud database to acquire information such as equipment type, location, or maintenance records. Furthermore, mobile devices are used for recording, which enables information to be uploaded to the cloud database immediately. The selected case studies demonstrate that BIM ensures the integrity, accessibility, and efficacy of data, while the augmented reality technology combines data with physical objects to provide information immediately in a visible and convenient manner. The developed model therefore is an effective tool that efficiently meets the requirements of fire safety equipment maintenance inspections.

碩士<br>國立成功大學<br>土木工程學系<br>106<br>In order to keep buildings in good condition, MEP facilities must be maintained by regular and emergency failure maintenance. Failure events of facilities often lead to malfunction and even cause safety problems. When failure event occurs, it is required to be resolved by maintenance operations as soon as possible, so that the building function could be restored without too much loss or even damage. When it comes to maintenance operations, it is critical to carry out facility maintenance efficiently. To achieve this target, maintainers are required to acquire sufficient knowledge of facilities and also information about the environment of maintenance operations. So far, there have been studies improving maintenance process with Building Information Modeling (BIM) and relative tools such as COBie spreadsheet. However, researches about spatial analysis for maintenance, which is to obtain environment information, are rare and needed to be improved. This study employs Augmented Reality (AR) and BIM to construct a mechanism for maintenance simulation and on-site spatial analysis. BIM is used to propose a maintenance plan via 3D simulation, and AR is applied to implement on-site spatial analysis. With the on-site analysis mechanism, the content of previous plan can be verified and more details of actual environment can be discovered. With the proposed framework, the information of maintenance can be more complete and meets the needs of actual maintenance operations.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br>The addition of a diffuser to a small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) can significantly improve the performance of the wind turbine. It has long been posited that the resultant wind turbine, known as a Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbine (DAWT), can have improved performance over a bare turbine of the same size with the additional benefits of improved noise mitigation and operation in turbulent wind conditions. It has been shown that the performance of the diffuser affects the performance of the wind turbine blades and vice versa, however, previous work in the field of DAWT optimisation has focussed either on optimising blades for a specific diffuser, or optimising a diffuser and adding a standard HAWT for use within it, both of which are not ideal for the optimisation of the complete system. The work presented in this thesis documents the development and implementation of a new simulation methodology, designated the Combined CFD/BEM Method, to predict the starting performance and power output of a DAWT. This new approach allows the diffuser to be optimised in conjunction with the turbine blades, a process that is computationally intensive using existing methods. This new method can rapidly assess the performance of the DAWT, using optimisation processes heretofore too computationally expensive to be practicable. Effective optimisation techniques which require thousands of geometries to be assessed, such as genetic algorithms, can be implemented using the Combined CFD/BEM Method to optimise the geometry of a DAWT. The optimisation process described in this thesis has utilised genetic algorithms to maximise the Annual Energy Production (AEP) of a DAWT located at a typical small wind turbine site. The wind data for the typical site was obtained from the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) standards for small wind turbines. Using rapid prototyping methods, the two highest performing DAWTs nominated by the Combined CFD/BEM Method, with diffuser radii of 0.203 m and 0.217 m, were constructed and experimentally tested in the large recirculating wind tunnel at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Two HAWTs with blades of the same radii as the diffusers of the two DAWTs were also optimised and constructed for experimental testing to compare to the performance of the DAWTs. The different wind turbine configurations were experimentally tested for starting performance and mechanical power output for wind speeds between 5 m/s and 10 m/s inclusive. The Combined CFD/BEM Method was shown to accurately predict the starting wind speed of the tested geometries, which were all within 11.4% of the experimental results. The combined CFD/BEM Method underpredicted the power output at the lower tested wind speeds and overpredicted at the higher speeds. For the lower wind speeds, the largest underprediction was 26.5% at 5 m/s with the majority of the predicted power outputs within 10% of experimental results. The largest overprediction at the higher wind speeds was 9.3% at 10 m/s. The Combined CFD/BEM Method has also shown that a DAWT can exceed the power output and AEP of a HAWT of the same size although, given the material utilised for rapid prototyping, this could not be fully validated as the printed blades lacked sufficient rigidity for comprehensive testing. It is worth noting that the diffuser geometries assessed for the current work were simple revolved aerofoils, unadorned with vortex generators, gurney flaps, boundary layer control slots or any other devices that have been shown to improve the performance of a diffuser. Given the accuracy of the Combined CFD/BEM method, it could be utilised in future research to optimise a DAWT employing any of these performance-enhancing modifications.

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil<br>A história da construção começa por relatar um tempo em que tudo era construído num processo de tentativa/erro pelos master builders, que se baseavam no conhecimento antigo. O projeto e a edificação surgiam de acordo com as necessidades que se iam figurando. Só mais tarde surge a Arquitetura com o Renascimento e a Engenharia muito perto da Revolução Industrial, como um dos maiores catalisadores no aparecimento de novos materiais e sistemas tecnológicos. A partir desse período, pouco se alterou até á introdução dos computadores como ferramenta essencial de trabalho. A metodologia BIM (Building Information Modeling) veio substituir a metodologia tradicional CAD (Com-puter Aided Design). Apesar disso, existe uma resistência enorme da indústria AEC para que esta mu-dança seja definitiva, como se percebe olhando para o panorama nacional. Consiste na aprendizagem de novos conceitos, renovação dos métodos de trabalho convencionais e ainda um investimento mone-tário acrescido em hardware e software. Resta continuar a trabalhar na otimização desta metodologia e reforçar a sua importância até ao período tão esperado da normalização. A Realidade Virtual (RV), cujo conceito será ampliado para Realidade Virtual continuum (RVC), surge mais recentemente por intermédio dos videojogos, mas rapidamente se percebe que o seu potencial poderá abrir portas a novas indústrias. Trata-se da criação de um produto que apresenta o resultado final antes do mesmo estar concluído na realidade, à semelhança da modelação 3D e software BIM, mas com a particularidade de atribuir, a qualquer componente do modelo, propriedades e comportamentos reais. Para além disso, através do seu hardware é permitido a imersão e a interação com o meio virtual, que acrescentam a sensação de presença, nunca possível até então. Deste modo, são realizadas aplicações (APK – Android Package) em Realidade Aumentada (RA) e em RV, com o modo de visualização pensado apenas para dispositivos móveis (tablets ou smartphones), devido às limitações intrínsecas neste trabalho. Com estas pretende-se demonstrar a aplicabilidade da RVC no contexto do Grupo Shay Murtagh, uma empresa que atua no ramo do betão pré-fabricado. Para sustentar a introdução desta metodologia no grupo, foi elaborado um processo de implementação hipo-tético com questionários remetidos aos colaboradores do setor de projeto e um mapa de processos.<br>The History of construction begins by speaking of a time when everything was built on a trial and error basis by master builders that based themselves on old knowledge. Projects and buildings would appear in accordance with needs that would make themselves apparent. Only later does Architecture appear, with the Renaissance, and also with Engineering, closer to the Industrial Revolution, as one of the largest catalysts for the appearance of new materials and new technological systems. From that period onwards, little has changed until the introduction of computers as an essential working tool. BIM methodology has replaced the traditional CAD methodology. Despite that, there is an enormous resistance from the AEC industry to making this change definitive, as one can understand by looking at the national panorama. It consists on the learning of new concepts, on the renewal of conventional work-ing methods, and still on an added monetary investment on hardware and software. Works remains to be done on the optimisation of this methodology and on reinforcing its importance, until the expected period of its normalisation. Virtual reality, a concept which will be extended on the current work-s discussion to Virtual Reality Con-tinuum, appears more recently by means of videogames. However, one quickly understands its potential to open doors to new industries. It is about the creation of a product that can present the final result before it is concluded in reality - similarly to 3D modelling and BIM software - but with the particularity of attributing real behaviours to any of the component's elements. Beyond that, through its hardware, it enables immersion and interaction with the virtual medium, which adds a feeling of presence, something previously not possible. In this way, some applications are made (APK - Android Package) in AR and VR - only with mobile visual-isation methods - due to this work's intrinsic limitations. They intend to demonstrate the applicability of VRC in the context of the Shay Murtagh group, a company that operates in the field of pre-fabricated concrete. In order to sustain the introduction of this methodology into the group, an hypothetic imple-mentation process has been developed, with questionnaires being sent to collaborators in the project sector, and a process map.