Ontology development for agent‐based collaborative design
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 1 March 2001
Abstract
Domain ontologies facilitate sharing and re‐use of data and knowledge between distributed collaborating systems. A major problem in the design and application of intelligent systems is to capture and understand: the data and information model that describes the domain; the various levels of knowledge associated with problem solving; and the patterns of interaction, information and data flow in the problem solving space. This paper reports the development of an ontology for agent‐based collaborative design of portal structures, using knowledge acquisition techniques and tools. It illustrates the application of the ontology in the development of a prototype multi‐agent systems. The study shows that a common ontology facilitates interaction and negotiation between agents and other distributed systems. The paper discusses the findings from the knowledge acquisition, their implications in the design and implementation of multi‐agent systems, and gives recommendations on developing agent‐based systems for collaborative design and decision‐support in the construction sector.
Keywords
Citation
UGWU, O.O., ANUMBA, C.J. and THORPE, A. (2001), "Ontology development for agent‐based collaborative design", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb021183
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited