The evolution of ontology in AEC

The evolution of ontology in AEC: A two-decade synthesis, application domains, and future directions

Farghaly, Karim (University College London)
Soman, R. K. (TU Delft Integral Design & Management)
Zhou, Shanjing Alexander (University College London; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

2023

Ontologies play a pivotal role in knowledge representation, particularly beneficial for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector due to its inherent data diversity and intricacy. Despite the growing interest in ontology and data integration research, especially with the advent of knowledge graphs and digital twins, a noticeable lack of consolidated academic synthesis still needs to be addressed. This review paper aims to bridge that gap, meticulously analysing 142 journal articles from 2000 to 2021 on the application of ontologies in the AEC sector. The research is segmented through systematic evaluation into ten application domains within the construction realm- process, cost, operation/maintenance, health/safety, sustainability, monitoring/control, intelligent cities, heritage building information modelling (HBIM), compliance, and miscellaneous. This categorisation aids in pinpointing ontologies suitable for various research objectives. Furthermore, the paper highlights prevalent limitations within current ontology studies in the AEC sector. It offers strategic recommendations, presenting a well-defined path for future research to address these gaps.

Building information modelling
Industry foundation classes (IFC)
Interoperability
Linked data
Ontology
Semantic web

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:75bf088b-87eb-4cd5-a78b-c0063d589b93

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jii.2023.100519

2452-414X

Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 36

Institutional Repository

review

© 2023 Karim Farghaly, R. K. Soman, Shanjing Alexander Zhou