The E-Cognos Project: Current Status and Future Directions of an Ontology-Enabled IT Solution Infrastructure Supporting Knowledge Management in Construction

This papers presents the development of Knowledge Management (KM) environment, e-CKMI, tailored the Building and Construction (BC) sector in Europe. The e-CKMI is a Web-centred and ontology-enabled solution that has been implemented following the Web services model. The functional, architectural, and technical requirements adopted to guide the development of the e-CKMI design and implementation were developed based on input from a number of leading construction organizations. This paper devotes special attention to the ontology-related matters in e-CKMI, including guidelines, methodology, and the incorporation of already existing taxonomies and product models into the ontology. Additionally, both technical and technological choices adopted in e-CKMI are discussed as well as the current status of the e-CKMI implementation including the integration with the end users application. Future steps in the e-COGNOS development conclude this work.