Military Facility Cost Estimation System Using Case-Based Reasoning in Korea

Abstract

Numerous cost estimations are made repetitively in the initial stages of construction projects in response to ongoing scope changes and often need to be recalculated frequently. In practice, the square foot method, considered an effective method for time-saving, is widely used. However, this method requires a great amount of effort to calculate a unit price and does not consider the uniqueness of each case. Thus, the use of the square foot method could bring about unwanted consequences. For example, in the case of military projects in Korea, significant differences have been reported between estimations made using this method and the actual costs. In an effort to deal with this challenging issue, this research develops a military facility cost estimation (MilFaCE) system, based on case-based reasoning (CBR), using case data from 422 construction projects at 16 military facilities. Based on system validation experiments involving 10 military officers (engineers), the effectiveness of the system in terms of estimation accuracy and user-friendliness is confirmed. Consequently, this research can be a CBR application example of construction cost estimation and a basis for further research into the development of cost estimate systems.

Forecasting Repair Schedule for Building Components Based on Case-Based Reasoning and Fuzzy-AHP

“…In this study, CBR was applied to estimate the repair times of building components. CBR is an artificial intelligence method based on the work of cognitive scientists Schank and Abelson [24] that solves problems [1,25] based on data and knowledge obtained from past similar cases [1]. It has been applied to various fields, such as construction cost estimation, bid mark-up estimation, construction noise prediction, construction hazard identification, and building maintenance [1,[26][27][28][29].…”

“…Finally, the revised results are retained in the database as a new case [31]. This study focused on phases of retrieving and reusing because they are important phases of CBR [24,31]. The revising and retaining phases will be addressed in future studies.…”

Scenario‐Planning Method for Cost Estimation Using Morphological Analysis

“…Koo et al [15,16] developed a CBR-based hybrid model for predicting the duration and cost of a construction project. Ji et al [4,17,18] developed a CBR cost model and suggested a CBR cost estimation system for public projects.…”

“…It is important to note that cost estimation is a knowledge-intensive engineering work and requires expertise of the human professionals [18,20]. However, there are difficulties in utilizing engineers' expertise since experienced knowledge is not often documented and this eventually leads to subjectivity [18]. erefore, further research is required to compensate subjectivity of experts and support decision-making regarding cost estimation of plausible alternatives in a quantitative manner.…”

Cost Estimating Methods for RC Structures by Quantity Takeoff and Quantity Prediction in the Design Development Stage

“…Doğan (2008) proposed another data mining technique that is called the decision tree model. Ji and Kim (2011) proposed a cost prediction algorithm that combines CBR and GA. Park et al (2011) proposed a quantity prediction method for the design development stages that uses the standard database for quantities of reinforcing bars. This method allows users to directly connect to case-based data and perform cost estimations, since reinforcing bar objects are not employed in the design development stages.…”