An Ontology for Representing Crawler Crane Operational Space Requirement on Semantic Web

Abstract

Lookahead planning incorporates checking and removing operational constraints to develop achievable plans. The manual constraint-checking process is arduous because (1) Construction constraints are dynamic due to constantly changing project conditions, and (2) The information concerning constraints, e.g., attributes and status, are dispersed across heterogeneous databases. While semantic web technology has been used to automate constraint-checking and address these issues, space constraints, e.g., space needed for resource operation, have often been ignored. Cranes are crucial construction resources, necessitating checking of associated space constraints for developing constraint-free lookahead plans. Representing crane operational space requirements on the semantic web should be the first step for such checking. However, existing ontologies cannot do so. This study aims to develop a Crane Space Representation Ontology (CSRO) to represent different components of the operational space of a crawler crane with a lattice boom. Built using Ontology Development 101 methodology, CSRO includes four classes, 19 subclasses, nine object properties, and seven datatype properties, representing crane operational space with diverse geometries like bounding box, cylinder, and cone. Automated consistency checking and task-based evaluation confirm the CSRO's consistency and effectiveness in addressing the competency questions regarding various aspects of space requirements for crane operation.