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To mitigate the problems in sensor-based facility management (FM) such as lack of detailed visual information about a built facility and the maintenance of large scale sensor deployments, an integrated data source for the facility’s life cycle should be used. Building information modeling (BIM) provides a useful visual model and database that can be used as a repository for all data captured or made during the facility’s life cycle. It can be used for modeling the sensing-based system for data collection, serving as a source of all information for smart objects such as the sensors used for that purpose. Although few studies have been conducted in integrating BIM with sensor-based monitoring system, providing an integrated platform using BIM for improving the communication between FMs and Internet of Things (IoT) companies in cases encountered failed sensors has received the least attention in the technical literature. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and develop a BIM-based system architecture for fault detection and alert generation for malfunctioning FM sensors in smart IoT environments during the operational phase of a building to ensure minimal disruption to monitoring services.

This paper describes an attempt to examine the applicability of BIM for an efficient sensor failure management system in smart IoT environments during the operational phase of a building. For this purpose, a seven-story office building with four typical types of FM-related sensors with all associated parameters was modeled in a commercial BIM platform. An integrated workflow was developed in Dynamo, a visual programming tool, to integrate the associated sensors maintenance-related information to a cloud-based tool to provide a fast and efficient communication platform between the building facility manager and IoT companies for intelligent sensor management.

The information within BIM allows better and more effective decision-making for building facility managers. Integrating building and sensors information within BIM to a cloud-based system can facilitate better communication between the building facility manager and IoT company for an effective IoT system maintenance. Using a developed integrated workflow (including three specifically designed modules) in Dynamo, a visual programming tool, the system was able to automatically extract and send all essential information such as the type of failed sensors as well as their model and location to IoT companies in the event of sensor failure using a cloud database that is effective for the timely maintenance and replacement of sensors. The system developed in this study was implemented, and its capabilities were illustrated through a case study. The use of the developed system can help facility managers in taking timely actions in the event of any sensor failure and/or malfunction to ensure minimal disruption to monitoring services.

However, there are some limitations in this work which are as follows: while the present study demonstrates the feasibility of using BIM in the maintenance planning of monitoring systems in the building, the developed workflow can be expanded by integrating some type of sensors like an occupancy sensor to the developed workflow to automatically record and identify the number of occupants (visitors) to prioritize the maintenance work; and the developed workflow can be integrated with the sensors’ data and some machine learning techniques to automatically identify the sensors’ malfunction and update the BIM model accordingly.

Transferring the related information such as the room location, occupancy status, number of occupants, type and model of the sensor, sensor ID and required action from the BIM model to the cloud would be extremely helpful to the IoT companies to actually visualize workspaces in advance, and to plan for timely and effective decision-making without any physical inspection, and to support maintenance planning decisions, such as prioritizing maintenance works by considering different factors such as the importance of spaces and number of occupancies. The developed framework is also beneficial for preventive maintenance works. The system can be set up according to the maintenance and time-based expiration schedules, automatically sharing alerts with FMs and IoT maintenance contractors in advance about the IoT parts replacement. For effective predictive maintenance planning, machine learning techniques can be integrated into the developed workflow to efficiently predict the future condition of individual IoT components such as data loggers and sensors, etc. as well as MEP components.

Lack of detailed visual information about a built facility can be a reason behind the inefficient management of a facility. Detecting and repairing failed sensors at the earliest possible time is critical to ensure the functional continuity of the monitoring systems. On the other hand, the maintenance of large-scale sensor deployments becomes a significant challenge. Despite its importance, few studies have been conducted in integrating BIM with a sensor-based monitoring system, providing an integrated platform using BIM for improving the communication between facility managers and IoT companies in cases encountered failed sensors. In this paper, a cloud-based BIM platform was developed for the maintenance and timely replacement of sensors which are critical to ensure minimal disruption to monitoring services in sensor-based FM.

Three dimensional (3 D) laser scanner surveying is widely used in many fields, such as agriculture, mining and heritage documentation and can be of great benefit for as-built documentation in construction and facility management domains. However, there is lack of applied research and use cases integrating 3 D laser scanner surveying with building information modeling (BIM) for existing facilities in Malaysia. This study aims to develop a scan to as-built BIM workflow to use 3 D laser scanner surveying and create as-built building information models of an existing complex facility in Malaysia.

A case study approach was followed to develop a scan to as-built BIM workflow through four main steps: 3 D laser scanning, data preprocessing, data registration and building information modeling.

This case study proposes a comprehensive scan to as-built BIM workflow which illustrates all the required steps to create a precise 3 D as-built building information model from scans. This workflow was successfully implemented to the Eco-Home facility at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Scan to as-built BIM is a digital alternative to manual and tedious process of documentation of as-built condition of a facility and provides a detail process using laser scans to create as-built building information models of facilities.

Building information modelling (BIM) and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies have been extensively explored to improve supply chain visibility and coordination of material flow processes, particularly in the pursuit of Industry 4.0. It remains challenging, however, to effectively use these technologies to enable the precise and reliable coordination of material flow processes. This paper aims to propose a new workflow designed to include the use of detailed look-ahead plans when using BIM and RFID technologies, which can accurately track and match both the dynamic site needs and supply status of materials.

The new workflow is designed according to lean theory and is modeled using business process modeling notation. To digitally support the workflow, an integrated BIM-RFID database system is constructed that links information on material demands with look-ahead plans. The new workflow is then used to manage material flows in the erection of an office building with prefabricated columns. The performance of the new workflow is compared with that of a traditional workflow, using discrete event simulations. The input for the simulations was derived from expert opinion in semi-structured interviews.

The new workflow enables contractors to better observe on-site status and differences between the actual and planned material requirements, as well as to alert suppliers if necessary. The simulation results indicate that the new workflow has the potential to reduce the duration of the material flow processes by 16.1% compared with the traditional workflow.

The new workflow is illustrated using a real-world-like situation with input data based on expert opinion. Although the workflow shows potential, it should be tested on a real-world site.

The new workflow allows project participants to combine detailed near-term look-ahead plans with BIM and RFID technologies to better manage material flow processes. It is particularly useful for the management of engineer-to-order components considering the dynamic site progress.

The research improves on existing research focused on using BIM and RFID technologies to improve material flow processes by showing how the workflow can be adapted to use detailed look-ahead plans. It reinforces data-driven construction material management practices through improved visibility and reliability in planning and control of material flow processes.

Pervasive computing enhances the environment by embedding many computers that are gracefully integrated with human users. The purpose of this paper is to describe the creation of a smart context‐aware environment in which computation follows people and serves them everywhere. Building such smart environments is still difficult and complex due to lacking a uniform infrastructure that can adapt to diverse smart domains.

To address this problem, the paper proposes an agent‐based pluggable infrastructure which integrates a mobile agent system named pvMogent, establishes an ontology‐based context model and introduces a workflow‐based application model with the open services gateway initiative (OSGi) framework. By plugging corresponding domain context in ontology model and different applications, the infrastructure can be customized to various domains.

Through the implementation of several context‐aware applications, it was found that the infrastructure can largely reduce the development complexity as well as keep the domain extensibility by plugging corresponding domain context in ontology model.

In this paper, a number of key techniques are explored which are suitable for building context‐awareness. The experiences and lessons learned from the system development could further facilitate and inspire the research in this direction.

This paper aims to present a novel proof-of-concept framework for implementing building information modeling (BIM) Digital Objects (BDO) to automate construction product manufacturers’ processes and augment lean manufacturing.

A mixed interpretivist and post-positivist epistemological lens is adopted to pursue the proof-of-concept’s development. From an operational perspective, a synthesis of literature using interpretivism provides the foundation for deductive research inquiry implemented within a case study approach. Within the case study, participatory action research (PAR) is implemented to test the proof of concept via three “waterfall” research phases, namely, literature diagnosis and BIM package selection, BDO development and validation and evaluation.

The findings illustrate that a BDO (which represents the digital twin of manufacturing products) can augment and drive automation processes and workflows for construction product manufacturers within a contractor’s supply chain. The developed framework illustrates the benefits of a BDO, by reducing the number of manufacturing processes to effectively eliminate early errors in the model, generates financial savings and reduces material wastage.

This research provides a seminal case study that implements BDO to automate construction product manufacturing processes and demonstrates the utilisation of BDO at an operational (vis-à-vis theoretical) level. Future research is proposed to implement a longitudinal approach to measure and report upon the success (or otherwise) of the proof of concept when implemented on fabrications and shop floor procedures.

Academic and research libraries have been experiencing a lot of changes over the last two decades. The users have become technology savvy and want to discover and use library collections via web portals instead of coming to library gateways. To meet these rapidly changing users’ needs, academic and research libraries are busy identifying new service models and areas of improvement. Cataloging and metadata services units in academic and research libraries are no exception. As discovery of library collections largely depends on the quality and design of metadata, cataloging and metadata services units must identify new areas of work and establish new roles by building sustainable workflows that utilize available metadata technologies. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper discusses a list of challenges that academic libraries’ cataloging and metadata services units have encountered over the years, and ways to build sustainable workflows, including collaborations between units in and outside of the institution, and in the cloud; tools, technologies, metadata standards and semantic web technologies; and most importantly, exploration and research. The paper also includes examples and uses cases of both traditional metadata workflows and experimentation with linked open data that were built upon metadata technologies and will ultimately support emerging user needs.

To develop sustainable and scalable workflows that meet users’ changing needs, cataloging and metadata professionals need not only to work with new information technologies, but must also be equipped with soft skills and in-depth professional knowledge.

This paper discusses how cataloging and metadata services units have been exploiting information technologies and creating new scalable workflows to adapt to these changes, and what is required to establish and maintain these workflows.

Purpose – The integration of librarians and technologists to deliver information services represents a new and costly organizational challenge for many library administrators. To understand how to control the costs of integration, this study uses structural contingency theory to study the coordination of librarians and technologists within the information commons.

Design/methodology/approach – This study tests the structural contingency theory expectation that an organization will achieve higher levels of performance when there is a positive relationship between the degree of workflow interdependence and the complexity of coordinative structures necessary to integrate these workflows. This expectation was tested by (a) identifying and collecting a sample of information common; (b) developing and validating survey instruments to test the proposition; and (c) quantitatively analyzing the data to test the proposed contingency theory relationship.

Findings – The contingency theory expectations were confirmed by finding both a positive relationship between coordination and interdependence and a positive relationship between perceptions of performance and degree of congruency between interdependence and coordination.

Limitations – The findings of this study are limited to both the context of an information common and the structures tested. Future research should seek to both broaden the context in which these findings are applicable, and test additional structural relationships as proposed by contingency theory

Practical implications – This study contributes to the library profession in a number of ways. First, it suggests that managers can improve IC performance by matching coordination structures to the degree of interdependence. For instance, when librarians and technologists are strictly co-located, managers should coordinate workflows using less resource-intensive policies rather than meetings. Second, the instruments developed in this study will improve the library manager's ability to measure and report unit interdependence and coordination in a valid and reliable manner. Lastly, it also contributes to the study of structural contingency theory by presenting one of the first empirical confirmations of a positive relationship between interdependence and coordination.

Originality/value – This study represents one of the first empirical confirmations of the structural contingency theory expectations of both a positive relationship between workflow interdependence and coordination, and a positive relationship between performance and coordination's fit to workflow interdependence. These findings are of value to both organizational theorists and to administrators of information commons.

This paper aims to present an evaluation of open source OCR for supporting research on material in small‐ to medium‐scale historical archives.

The approach was to develop a workflow engine to support the easy customisation of the OCR process towards the historical materials using open source technologies. Commercial OCR often fails to deliver sufficient results here, as their processing is optimised towards large‐scale commercially relevant collections. The approach presented here allows users to combine the most effective parts of different OCR tools.

The authors demonstrate their application and its flexibility and present two case studies, which demonstrate how OCR can be embedded into wider digitally enabled historical research. The first case study produces high‐quality research‐oriented digitisation outputs, utilizing services that the authors developed to allow for the direct linkage of digitisation image and OCR output. The second case study demonstrates what becomes possible if OCR can be customised directly within a larger research infrastructure for history. In such a scenario, further semantics can be added easily to the workflow, enhancing the research browse experience significantly.

There has been little work on the use of open source OCR technologies for historical research. This paper demonstrates that the authors' workflow approach allows users to combine commercial engines' ability to read a wider range of character sets with the flexibility of open source tools in terms of customisable pre‐processing and layout analysis. All this can be done without the need to develop dedicated code.

The traditional methods for process modeling emphasize the process workflow considerations at the cost of the associated process structure and resource communication. In the real process world, however, all these aspects are integrated and appear simultaneously: the workflows are driven by communication across the structure of resources. The aim of this paper is to explore a new approach based on an innovative, two‐dimensional view of the process world in an enterprise, integrating the workflow, the structure, and the communication from the beginning on.

Contrary to the traditional methods, the workflow diagrams are not directly designed by the process modeler, but rather they are automatically generated from the connectivity of specified resource communication. The modular documentation contains text and graphic information about the entire process world (structure of process resources, structure of process workflows, resource communication and interaction, communication through internal/external interfaces).

A new systematic approach to modular, process‐oriented enterprise description has been developed. Its two‐dimensional model allows an integrated visualization of the entire process world. The resulting process documentation is absolutely consistent and of very high quality. The user‐friendly access to information is made possible by clear interdependencies of process‐defining objects embedded in a relational documentation model. An update of the complete documentation can be performed automatically from the common database. The successful software implementation of the prototype application and its use in small customer projects demonstrate the practical feasibility of the two‐dimensional approach.

The two‐dimensional process modeling (2DPM) is a new systematic approach to modular process‐oriented enterprise description. A software implementation based on the underlying model together with professional programming tools and principles would be necessary to arrive at a marketable product.