Declarative - configurable estimating systems for the construction industry

The work presented in this thesis is about computer-aided estimating systems for the construction industry. A wide variety of such systems is now available, however, the diversity and complexity of individual practices has meant that many prospective users have been unable to find suitable software. This thesis presents an innovative approach to the subject in which the development of an estimating system is based upon a set of software tools. These tools cater for the greater part of the code requirements of the system, thus, drastically reducing the development cost. In this context, certain modification capabilities are granted to the end-users (i.e. the estimators) (through the parsing of their requirements in a non-procedural (or declarative) manner), whereas more extensive modifications (or configurations) can be implemented prior to installation by professional programmers (due to the modular nature of the system and the provision of detailed documentation and suitable software). The approach employed by this thesis is characterized by the development of 'PRO.M.I.S.', a fully operational prototype declarative-configurable estimating system. The overall conclusion that can be drawn from this work is that this approach is valid for the particular context of construction estimating and, furthermore, it may lead to more functional, user-friendly and economical construction management computer systems in the future.