Project Data Management Using a Backend Object Server Chuck Eastman Joon You Design Computing Georgi

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Project Data Management Using a Backend Object
ServerChuck EastmanJoon YouDesign
ComputingGeorgia Institute of Technology
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Long Term Interests

• Develop a working testbed for collaborative
  object-level
• engineering project management
• Explore Web - level object design
  collaboration
• Promote product building model adoption

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CIS/2 is the First Production Building Model in
the U.S.
Triforma-Structural
Shop Drawing Application(s)
GT-STRUDL
Numerical Control Applications
Other structural Applications
About 6 firms are developing interfaces w/ CIS/2
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Abstracted CIS/2 Model
Tracks all components as designed, as analyzed,
as fabricated
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Initial Data Exchange Will be by Files
Source
Application
Export
Translator
Translator
Data
Part 021 to Java CIS/2 Translator
Exchange
Part 021 Translator
Data Structure
Part 21File
Project Bank
CIS/2 Product Model

Implementation Issues Running ProjectBank stand
alone Implementing CIS/2 schema in ProjectBank
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Second Stage Data Exchange Will be Direct
Translation
C Interfaces
Java CIS/2 Entities
Application 1
Store Java Objects
Translator
Project Bank
C Interfaces
Java CIS/2 Entities
Store Java Objects
Application 2
Implementation Issues Schema subsets (views) for
each application Net Java interface for
applications
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Distributed Design Teams Requires Additional
Support

• Process coordination
• each design application has information
  requirements and possibly procedural ones
• design involves a dynamically configured workflow
• additional needs to support collaboration

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Distributed Design Teams Requires Additional
Support

• Examples of Desired Process collaboration
• effective design practice requires more than
  end-to-start task relations
• early start on not-released work
• easy-to-use definition of data subsets that can
  be pre-released
• later monitoring for changes
• forward requests for information when it will be
  available

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A Design Model Server Must Support Multiple
Functions
Process Coordination
only changeable by management
scheduling and milestone level
process levels
changeable by project managers
task allocation level
T
changeable by design team
TA
TB
product level
Individual action level
ApplicA
ApplicB
PA
MAB
MBA
PB
viewB
viewA

• General Needs for Process Coordination
• provides a milestone-task-activity hierarchy for
  tracking design state
• supports building model view mapping in and out
  of building model
• allows dynamic change at all levels
• supports change monitoring at commits

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Third Stage Data Exchange Will Explore Design
Process Collaboration
C Interfaces
Java CIS/2 Entities
Application 1
Intelligent Front End with Process Management
Project Bank
Application 2
C Interfaces
Java CIS/2 Entities
Implementation Issues Develop a process/workflow
system supporting design Provide monitoring tools
for collaboration ProjectBank exchanges over the
Web
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GA Tech Building Model Server
Based on the Following Platform 1. Network
transport 2. Encoding language 3. Object
definitions 4. Object repository 5. Three level
process coordination services
Intranet or Extranet
Java
CIS/2
Project Bank