Semantic Grid Infastructure for Aec Virtual Enterpise – a Research Agenda

Construction activities take place in what can be called a dynamic virtual organization (VO). VOs require a secure, reliable, scalable information infrastructure that allows collaboration and the sharing of information, computation and human resources. They need an infrastructure that would ensure the interoperability of their information systems while maintaining the privacy of their data, rapid joining and parting a VO and provide a higher quality of service, more information, faster computation, than available their own infrastructure. Some of these requirements have been addressed by the research in computer integrated construction. Impressive results have been achieved in the development of standardized building information model (BIM). Infrastructures, however, on which the BIMs are being demonstrated are quite fragile. At best they rely on XML, Web services and the semantic Web technologies. In the meantime, grid technologies have been providing unpreceded computing and storage power. The paradigm is spinning off its roots and is believed to become the workhorse of networked business – something that the Web promised to become but failed to deliver. Gartner group identified grids to be driver of progress in the area of networked economy. MIT Technology Review has named grid computing one of "Ten Technologies That Will Change the World." Construction is one of the most demanding users of VO infrastructures and could potentially enormously benefit from grid computing. In this position paper we present the state of the art and outline a research agenda. We propose a particular focusing of the research work on semantic grid technology and the coupling of the ontology and structured information exchange work into the very fabric of the grid – thereby making the grid infrastructure not only technically robust and secure but also aware of the business processes that take place in construction.