Representing construction-related geometry in a semantic web context: A review of approaches Citation for published version (APA): Wagner, A., Bonduel, M., Pauwels, P., & Uwe, R. (2020). Representing construction-related geometry in a semantic web context: A review of approaches. Automation in Construction, 115, [103130]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103130 Document license: TAVERNE DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103130 Document status and date: Published: 01/07/2020 Document Version: Publisher’s PDF, also known as Version of Record (includes final page, issue and volume numbers) Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. 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Sep. 2021 Automation in Construction 115 (2020) 103130 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Automation in Construction journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon Representing construction-related geometry in a semantic web context: A T review of approaches ⁎ Anna Wagnera, , Mathias Bonduelb, Pieter Pauwelsc, Uwe Rüppela a Technische Universität Darmstadt, Department of Civil Engineering, Darmstadt, Germany b KU Leuven, Department of Civil Engineering, Technology Cluster Construction, Ghent, Belgium c Ghent University, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Ghent, Belgium ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: The exchange of construction-related data over the Web via Semantic Web Technologies is gaining interest in Geometry current research. However, most research focuses on non-geometric data, neglecting the description of geo- Linked Data metry. While several methods to include geometry descriptions into a Semantic Web context exist, no uniform Semantic Web Technologies approach or general recommendation exists for the endeavour of describing building components in their en- Construction industry tirety – including geometric descriptions –, leading to an increased suspension in applying Semantic Web Technologies in the construction domain. To therefore ease the description of geometric data in a Semantic Web context, we conduct an extensive literature review and analyse the identified, oftentimes isolated im- plementations for geometry descriptions in that context, with focus on requirements set by domain-specific use cases. Based on this analysis, we group the currently available implementations into approaches and compare them to offer means for deciding on which approach or implementation suits individual usecases. The identified approaches vary in their depth of the geometry description's integration into the SemanticWeb and are subsequently studied regarding their overall aptness and characteristics in consideration of their ap- plication for future industry and research projects. In respect of the ongoing research in the field of the appli- cation of Semantic Web Technologies, not only in the construction domain, this article poses as an important foundation by giving a clear overview of existing implementations and relevant open research questions. Having this overview, the suspense for adapting to Semantic Web methods for describing geometries can be overcome by users more easily, while software developers can start to connect their clients' use cases to suitable approaches and related implementations to represent geometry in a Semantic Web context. 1. Introduction Technologies even allows a more flexible workflow, for example the linking of different data sets – both geometric and non-geometric –, With the gaining popularity of data exchange over the Web, the obviating the need of ‘classical’ data exchange in general [5–7]. construction industry is also exploring how to share building informa- However, in order to support the entire data-based workflow of tion with web technologies. In particular, the application of Semantic Linked Building Data, the exchange and interlinking of geometric and Web Technologies for this industry has been an active field of research geometry-related data needs to be considered as well. Therefore, we for some years now [1]. More recent studies also show how the Building address the question of how geometric and non-geometric data can be Information Modelling (BIM) concept can be applied using Semantic combined in a Semantic Web context. Within this article, no novel Web Technologies for existing buildings [2]. By using Semantic Web implementations are presented, but existing work is analysed and Technologies, the current collaboration methods used in BIM processes grouped into different approaches as recommendations for future ap- – i.e. with exchanging entire files containing building information –can plications. In the remainder of this introduction, we first review the be optimised. Moreover, the exchange of modular building data can take different kinds of geometry schemes and linking methods, which will in- place instead [3,4]. By focusing on the data instead of files, methods form our review of geometry representation approaches in the re- can be created to define a more fine-grained data exchange and thereby mainder of the article. reduce unnecessary data traffic. The application of Semantic Web ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (A. Wagner). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103130 Received 28 June 2019; Received in revised form 28 January 2020; Accepted 7 February 2020 Available online 25 March 2020 0926-5805/ © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. A. Wagner, et al. Automation in Construction 115 (2020) 103130 1.1. Geometry representations 1.2. Multiple geometry descriptions This article focuses on different kinds of geometry – 2D and 3D– To overcome this challenge of continuous miscalculations and that are relevant for the construction industry within a Semantic Web misinterpretations of geometry representations by different geometry context. The observed geometry representations can be divided into kernels, we suggest to link a construction object to multiple geometry five different representation categories, which describe geometry ex- descriptions, each chosen in respect of specific use cases and their ap- plicitly (1–3) or implicitly (4–5) [8], ordered by their complexity in plied geometry kernels to ensure correct interpretations of the de- regard of required geometry kernel functionalities: scriptions. Ideally, this would be combined with an (open-source) geometry kernel to convert the different geometry representations. The 1. Point clouds idea of connecting multiple geometry representations to the same ob- 2. Tessellated (i.e. meshes) ject is not a new one and has been discussed in various contexts before 3. Boundary Representation (BREP) [10–13]. 4. Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) A basic principle when using multiple geometry representations is 5. (Mathematical) Extrusion and Rotation (Bezier/B-Spline/NURBS) the understanding of geometry as a special property of a construction component and not as underlying information structure that is enriched An object's geometry is usually described using a geometry re- with non-geometrical information like it is often communicated by BIM presentation belonging to one of these categories. The resulting geo- authoring tools. In other words, geometry becomes an attribute of a metry description is then stored as a file following some geometry building component, and not the other way around. As a result, mul- schema, e.g. OBJ, that can be exchanged and subsequently interpreted tiple geometry descriptions can be used to depict different planning or by software applications which rely on a geometry kernel to interpret life cycle stages, levels of detail, as well as geometry representations of the geometry descriptions of various geometry schemes. Geometry one object for specific use cases. Subsequently, storing multiple geo- kernels are software components that provide methods to model, cal- metry descriptions allows a simple and straightforward exchange of culate and visualise geometries based on their descriptions. A wide geometry data while also reducing errors and inaccuracies