An application of case-based reasoning to the planning of highway bridge construction

Previous approaches to decision support for project planning using rule-based expert systems techniques have failed to make an impact in practice. This is primarily because of the complexity and large-scale nature of construction information, and problems with expert systems including: knowledge acquisition; rule-based knowledge representation; information storage (or memory); learning; and robustness. Case-based reasoning is one area of current research which may hold the key to overcoming a number of these problems. In the present paper, previous related case-based reasoning work is examined. The key factors which influence the formulation of construction project plans are identified. This knowledge is used to develop a conceptual framework within which previous planning experiences can be captured and reused in new situations as a means of providing system decision support in construction planning and control. A prototype system, CBRidge, developed to test and demonstrate the concepts within the framework is presented. The results are very encouraging and provide a sound basis for the further development of case-based reasoning for construction planning in practice.