Using a knowledge based system for automatic site equipment planning

The site equipment (SE) planning is a fundamental part of the construction preparation. A suitable site equipment supports the timely, cost-efficient and qualitative execution of the construction progress. The use of scientifically based planning tools can both speed up the process of construction site planning and lead to better results. This paper proposes a rule-based knowledge inference system to support SE planners in a semi- or fully automated manner using input data from building information models and working schedules. The knowledge based system is built using the ASL 2 licensed business rule management system Drools. Exemplary rules for four types of site equipment have been developed and implemented. Using sample projects, the feasibility of the proposed approach has been proven by showing that site equipment can be generated instantly.