APRON: an agent‐based specification and procurement system for construction products

Abstract

PurposeThe successful implementation of an optimal online system for specification and procurement has been impeded by the existence of semi‐structured or non‐structured product information held in catalogues in various formats. Consequently, a significant amount of time is spent in gathering relevant information. Proposes introducing a successful optimal online specification and procurement system for construction products.Design/methodology/approachThe design and specification of the prototype were based on the analysis of closely related agent‐based implementations in various domains.FindingsIn the development phase it emerged that agent infrastructure is still maturing, even when a stable development environment is finally available. This is consistent with the latest research in this area which places the highest value on internet agents within the context of the semantic web.Originality/valueThis research demonstrated how agent technology can be used alongside other paradigms such as web services and XML to make the specification and procurement of construction products more effective and more efficient.

A multi-agent model to manage risks in construction project (SMACC)

“…(26)), Qc the consumable resource quality (Eq. (25)) and T is the technical level of the task (task). The modification according to the resources affected to the task (MR) is calculated by considering two values MRc (modification due to consumable resources) and MRr (modification due to reusable resources) (Eq.…”

“…• project design: ADLIB -Multi-agent system for design collaboration [23,24], • procurement and specification of construction products: APRONAgent-based specification and procurement of construction product [25], EPA -electronic purchasing agent [26] and MASSS -a multiagent system for suppliers sourcing [27], • supply chain coordination: ABS3C -agent-based framework for supply chain coordination in construction [28] and schedule coordination: DSAS -distributed subcontractor agent system [29,30].…”

“…(24)) affected to task i, Qc i the quality of the consumable resources (Eq. (25)) and Qr i the quality of the reusable resources (Eq. (26)).…”

A Review of Agent-Based Modeling in Construction Management: An Analytical Framework Based on Multiple Objectives

“…Therefore, timely sharing of supply chain information is also critical for duration optimization. For example, Obonyo et al (2005) centralizes information through an online platform. Tah (2005) built a multiagent prototype system to pre-plan a collaborative project supply network for more efficient business processes.…”

Critical, manifest variables in virtual construction project value delivery

“…For example, scholars have examined the use of the virtual model: in structural analysis (Chung et al, 2001;Deng and Nguyen-Minh, 2003); also as a tactical tool for the development of planning and execution strategies to support construction tasks delivery (Waly and Thabet, 2003). Other studies have also explored the use of the model for the evaluation of construction productivity and safety (Hadikusumo and Rowlinson, 2002;Maruyama et al, 2000); object visualization technology (Alves and Bártolo, 2006); agent based procurement systems (Obonyo et al, 2005). Thus, little research exist to enhance our understanding on the use of the virtual concept at the strategic project delivery level.…”