CIPROS: Knowledge-based construction integrated project and process planning simulation system

CIPROS is a knowledge-based construction planning simulation system that enables its users to formalized and test alternative construction plans by relating project-specific design drawings and specifications to a network of construction processes, elementary simulation process networks, and associated resources. Using the object-oriented paradigm, CIPROS exploits knowledge pertaining to common construction resources and design features in the form of class hierarchies of construction resources and components. The system's knowledge pertaining to construction processes is presented in the form of an expandable library of construction techniques and methods. Construction plans are defined at two levels of abstraction: the activity and the process level. The activity-level plan is a precedence network of construction processes each of which applies to project-specific components. Associated with each process in the plan's network is an input and output, and a process-level description: a simulation network that maps the process input to the operations and the resources required to produce the output. Further, operation of different processes may compete for the same pool of resources. Functions of operations complement the simulation network and enable the user to model complex resource interactions utilization strategies. For each process and using the library of construction techniques and methods, the user may select the technique and method and provide additional information regarding resource availability and utilization policies, process input and output, and operation durations. Alternatively, the user may define new processes, and a newly defined process can be added to the library and accessed repeatedly. The CIPROS discrete-event simulator simulates the execution of the construction plan for a user-specified number of replications. It produces statistical reports for management review which are instrumental to assessing the quality of a construction plan and identifying areas for improvement. The system thus augments construction plans with knowledge pertaining to the interaction and characteristics of construction components and resources, and it models the uncertainty inherent to construction operations.