Search results

This paper aims to report upon the further development of a hybrid application programming interface (API) plug-in to building information modelling (BIM) entitled confined spaces safety monitoring system “CoSMoS”. Originally designed to engineer-out environmental hazards associated with working in a building’s confined spaces (during the construction phase of a building’s life-cycle), this second generation version is expanded upon to use archival records to proactively learn from data generated within a sensor network during the building’s operations and maintenance (O&M) phase of asset management (AM).

An applied research methodological approach adopted used a two-phase process. In phase one, a conceptual model was created to provide a “blueprint map” to integrate BIM, sensor-based networks and data analytics (DA) into one integral system. A literature review provided the basis for the conceptual model’s further development. In phase two, the conceptual model was transposed into the prototype’s development environment as a proof of concept using primary data accrued from a large educational building.

An amalgamation of BIM, historical sensor data accrued and the application of DA demonstrate that CoSMoS provides an opportunity for the facilities management (FM) team to monitor pertinent environmental conditions and human behaviour within buildings that may impact upon occupant/worker safety. Although working in confined spaces is used to demonstrate the inherent potential of CoSMoS, the system could readily be expanded to analyse sensor-based network’s historical data of other areas of building performance, maintenance and safety.

This novel prototype has automated safety applications for FM during the asset lifecycle and maintenance phase of a building’s O&M phase of AM. Future work is proposed in several key areas, namely, develop instantaneous indicators of current safety performance within a building; and develop lead indicators of future safety performance of buildings.

This research aims to investigate the integration of real-time monitoring of thermal conditions within confined work environments through wireless sensor network (WSN) technology when integrated with building information modelling (BIM). A prototype system entitled confined space monitoring system (CoSMoS), which provides an opportunity to incorporate sensor data for improved visualization through new add-ins to BIM software, was then developed.

An empirical study was undertaken to compare and contrast between the performances (over a time series) of various database models to find a back-end database storage configuration that best suits the needs of CoSMoS.

Fusing BIM data with information streams derived from wireless sensors challenges traditional approaches to data management. These challenges encountered in the prototype system are reported upon and include issues such as hardware/software selection and optimization. Consequently, various database models are explored and tested to find a database storage that best suits the specific needs of this BIM-wireless sensor technology integration.

This work represents the first tranche of research that seeks to deliver a fully integrated and advanced digital built environment solution for automating the management of health and safety issues on construction sites.

Since the appearance of COVID-19 social distancing and staying home have been recommended repeatedly by the governments for disease prevention. As the challenge continues to remain the current study seeks to examine the factors affecting social distancing through space planning and management. More specifically the current study aims to examine the appropriateness of the spatial organization and space configuration of a clubhouse with a linear plan layout in the mitigation of the spread of infections due to serious pandemic COVID-19.

For an enhanced understanding of the impact of spatial arrangements of public spaces plan on the effective implementation of social distancing this study has used the space syntax analysis method. The MPSP clubhouse building in Penang, Malaysia was selected as the case study. The level of permeability and wayfinding were determined in the building plan and were illustrated using photoshop software to depict the interrelation between the indoor spaces and building circulation. Graphs of the depth of space were used to analyze the level of permeability and wayfinding to illustrate the possibility of social distancing in the plan.

The result of the study shows the significant role of proper plan layout design on social distancing. While clear and direct wayfinding can positively be associated with more effective social distancing, the inefficient design of user access, inappropriate locations of multiple entry and exit and indefinite directions of users' inside buildings can impose slight limitations. The average level of permeability might suggest ineffective spatial arrangement, ignoring the needs of spatial segregation. The study further found that the linear plan layouts with proper zoning and effective management strategies can be considered a proper layout to facilitate social distancing and the spread of COVID-19.

The current study is unique in terms of examination of the spatial configuration of linear public spaces plan layout for possible temporary adaptability to curb disease spread during the unexpected advent of a pandemic. Based on researchers' best of knowledge it is the first time that the impact of recreational space design on social distancing has been examined. The study also originally sheds light on the fact that the commonly used guideline for the social distancing of 1–2 m between 2 persons, in reality, is practically inadequate given the nature of the sports activities.

The characteristics of the experienced online searcher are identified and an attempt is made to show the ways in which the experienced searcher is able to enhance a basic search.

This paper aims to present a unified motion control scheme for quadcopters which not only solves the point stabilization and trajectory tracking problems but also the path following problem.

The control problem is solved based on the kinematic model of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Next, a dynamic compensation controller is considered through of a quadcopter-inner-loop system to independently track four velocity commands: forward, lateral, up/downward and heading rate. Stability and robustness of the whole control system are proved through the Lyapunov’s method. To evaluate the controller’s performance, a multi-user application which allows bilateral communication between a ground station and the Phantom 3 PRO quadrotor is developed.

The performance of the proposed unified controller is shown through real experiments for the different motion control objectives: point stabilization, trajectory tracking and path following. The experiments confirm the capability of the unified controller to solve different motion problems by an adequate selection of the control references.

This work proposes the design of three types of motion controllers, which can be switched to comply a task in outdoor. Based on the software development kit provided by the company DJI, an application to get and send data to the UAV is developed. By means of this application, the three tasks are tested and the robustness of the controllers is proved.

British production companies continue to be prolific in their output of new films and other audio visual programmes for training purposes. As the annual British Sponsored Film Festival, just held in Birmingham, has testified, films for training, accident prevention and other human relations purposes are not just being made in large numbers—they are also being produced to really high creative and technical standards. And by good “technical” standards, I mean both cinematographically and in terms of their training content.

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the philosophy of information, specifically the work of Luciano Floridi, to argue that digital civics must fully comprehend the implications of the digital environment, and consequently an informational ontology, to deliver to students an education that will prepare them for full participation as citizens in the infosphere.

Introducing this philosophy for use in education, the research discusses the ethical implications of ontological change in the digital age; informational organisms and their interconnectivity; and concepts of agency, both organic and artificial in digitally mediated civic interactions and civic education.

With the provision of a structural framework rooted in the philosophy of information, robust mechanisms for civics initiatives can be enacted.

The paper allows policy makers and practitioners to formulate healthy responses to digital age challenges in civics and civics education.

It is a well-accepted note that to enhance safety performance in a project by preventing hazards, recognizing the safety leading indicators is of paramount importance.

In this research, the relationship between safety leading indicators is determined, and their impacts on the project are assessed and visualized throughout the time of the project in a proactive manner. Construction and safety experts are first interviewed to determine the most important safety leading indicators of the construction industry, and then the relationships that may exist between them are identified. Furthermore, a system dynamics model is generated using the interviews and integrated with an add-on developed on the building information modeling (BIM) platform. Finally, the impacts of the safety leading indicators on the project are calculated based on their time of occurrence, impact time and effective radius.

The add-on generates a heat-map that visualizes the impacts of the safety leading indicators on the project through time. Moreover, to assess the effectiveness of the developed tool, a case study is conducted on a station located on a water transfer line. In order to validate the results of the tool, a survey is also conducted from the project's staff and experts in the field. Previous studies have so far focused on active safety leading indicators that may result in a particular hazard, and the importance of the effects that safety leading indicators have on another is not considered. This study considers their effects on each other in a real-time manner.

Using this tool project's stakeholders and staff can identify the hazards proactively; hence, they can make the required decisions in advance to reduce the impact of associated events. Moreover, two other potentially contributions of the presented work can be enumerated as: firstly, the findings provide a knowledge framework of active safety leading indicators and their interactions for construction safety researchers who can go on to further study safety management. Secondly, the proposed framework contributes to encouragement of time-based location-based preventive strategies on construction sites.