Abstract
This article presents the knowledge-oriented information visualization (KIV) approach to facilitating the utilization of building rating systems at post-assessment stage. The KIV approach is introduced by using a Web-based decision support model. The model consists of several toolkits, including a case base of intelligent buildings to support the application of sustainable technologies, a Web-oriented information visualization toolkit for intelligent buildings assessment, and a geographical information system (GIS) toolkit for knowledge reuse in buildings variations. A case study is used to demonstrate how the KIV approach can be applied to support decision making at the post-assessment stage of intelligent buildings.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Intelligent Building: The Intelligent Building Institute of the United States defined an intelligent building as one that provides a productive and cost-effective environment through optimization of its four basic elements, including: (1) structures, (2) systems, (3) services and management, and (4) the interrelationships between them. The UK-based European Intelligent Building Group defines an intelligent building as one building that creates the environment that maximizes the effectiveness of its occupants, while at the same time enables the efficient management of resources with minimum life-time costs of hardware and facilities.
Knowledge Visualization: Knowledge visualization is a generic technology that investigates the use of visual representation techniques from all visualization domains that helps in knowledge-intense processes such as to create and to transfer knowledge among people.
Geographic Information System (GIS): GIS is a computer system that can manage geographic information to support further analyzing in terms of geographic data and associated attributes. In this study, GIS is used to support surrounding analysis of buildings under assessment in regard to further improvement.
Building Assessment: A building assessment is a quantitative technique that can be used to evaluate existing buildings or new building designs. There are different building assessment methods, and each specific method such as rating method and multi-criteria, decision-making method has an evaluation mechanism in assistance with a group of assessment criteria. The evaluation mechanism or assessment method itself is designed by building experts in regard to the generic characteristics of buildings, while the assessment criteria are quantitatively or qualitatively defined to facilitate the use of the assessment method.
Reference Buildings: Reference buildings are a group of buildings that have generic features to be copied in new buildings through its lifecycle for various purposes in design, construction, use, maintenance, refurbishment, or deconstruction. There are criteria to choose existing buildings as reference ones. In this study, the criteria are the 10 modules adopted by the IB Index, and the scores of each reference building in terms of its location along each assessment axes on the IB-Compass are predefined by using the IB Index, in other words, the locations of reference buildings on the IB-Compass depend on their scores in accordance with each assessment module.