Construction Engineering and Management is a broad area of civil engineering practice which includes: (1) planning and engineering of the temporary facilities for construction sites; (2) management of the construction process; and (3) rehabilitation, repair and maintenance of engineered facilities, where the traditionally distinct design and construction roles of participants have become merged. The broad scope of this field, combined with the empirical nature of many facets of construction engineering and management practice, have led to a significant amount of expert system activity in this domain.

In machine learning and its risk-sensitive applications (e.g. medicine, engineering, business), the reliability estimates for individual predictions provide more information about the individual prediction error (the difference between the true label and regression prediction) than the average accuracy of predictive model (e.g. relative mean squared error). Furthermore, they enable the users to distinguish between more and less reliable predictions. The empirical evaluations of the existing individual reliability estimates revealed that the successful estimates’ performance depends on the used regression model and on the particular problem domain. In the current paper, we focus on that problem as such and propose and empirically evaluate two approaches for automatic selection of the most appropriate estimate for a given domain and regression model: the internal cross-validation approach and the meta-learning approach. The testing results of both approaches demonstrated an advantage in the performance of dynamically chosen reliability estimates to the performance of the individual reliability estimates. The best results were achieved using the internal cross-validation procedure, where reliability estimates significantly positively correlated with the prediction error in 73% of experiments. In addition, the preliminary testing of the proposed methodology on a medical domain demonstrated the potential for its usage in practice.

This paper is a review of research into cognitive expertise. The review is organized in terms of a simple model of the knowledge and cognitive processes that might be expected to be enhanced in experts relative to non-experts. This focus on cognitive competence underlying expert performance permits the identification of skills and knowledge that we might wish to capture and model in expert systems. The competence perspective also indicates areas of weakness in human experts. In these areas, we might wish to support or replace the expert with, for example, a normative system rather than attempting to model his or her knowledge.

The paper introduces a software architecture for the specification and verification of knowledge-based systems combining conceptual and formal techniques. Our focus is component-based specification enabling their reuse. We identify four elements of the specification of a knowledge-based system: a task definition, a problem-solving method, a domain model, and an adaptor. We present algebraic specifications and a variant of dynamic logic as formal means to specify and verify these different elements. As a consequence of our architecture we can decompose the overall specification and verification task of the knowledge-based systems into subtasks. We identify different subcomponents for specification and different proof obligations for verification. The use of the architecture in specification and verification improves understandability and reduces the effort for both activities. In addition, its decomposition and modularisation enables reuse of components and proofs. Therefore, a knowledge-based system can be built by combining and adapting different reusable components.

This paper describes ILP-PLAN, a framework for solving AI planning problems represented as integer linear programs. ILP-PLAN extends the planning as satisfiability framework to handle plans with resources, action costs, and complex objective functions. We show that challenging planning problems can be effectively solved using both traditional branch-and-bound integer programming solvers and efficient new integer local search algorithms. ILP-PLAN can find better quality solutions for a set of hard benchmark logistics planning problems than had been found by any earlier system.

We present an action model learning system known as ARMS (Action-Relation Modelling System) for automatically discovering action models from a set of successfully observed plans. Current artificial intelligence (AI) planners show impressive performance in many real world and artificial domains, but they all require the definition of an action model. ARMS is aimed at automatically learning action models from observed example plans, where each example plan is a sequence of action traces. These action models can then be used by the human editors to refine. The expectation is that this system will lessen the burden of the human editors in designing action models from scratch. In this paper, we describe the ARMS in detail. To learn action models, ARMS gathers knowledge on the statistical distribution of frequent sets of actions in the example plans. It then builds a weighted propositional satisfiability (weighted SAT) problem and solves it using a weighted MAXSAT solver. Furthermore, we show empirical evidence that ARMS can indeed learn a good approximation of the finally action models effectively.

Nowadays, Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are broadening their applications to open environments, where heterogeneous agents could enter into the system, form agents’ organizations and interact. The high dynamism of open MAS gives rise to potential conflicts between agents and thus, to a need for a mechanism to reach agreements. Argumentation is a natural way of harmonizing conflicts of opinion that has been applied to many disciplines, such as Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) and MAS. Some approaches that apply CBR to manage argumentation in MAS have been proposed in the literature. These improve agents’ argumentation skills by allowing them to reason and learn from experiences. In this paper, we have reviewed these approaches and identified the current contributions of the CBR methodology in this area. As a result of this work, we have proposed several open issues that must be taken into consideration to develop a CBR framework that provides the agents of an open MAS with arguing and learning capabilities.

The development of complex systems ensembles that operate in uncertain environments is a major challenge. The reason for this is that system designers are not able to fully specify the system during specification and development and before it is being deployed. Natural swarm systems enjoy similar characteristics, yet, being self-adaptive and being able to self-organize, these systems show beneficial emergent behaviour. Similar concepts can be extremely helpful for artificial systems, especially when it comes to multi-robot scenarios, which require such solution in order to be applicable to highly uncertain real world application. In this article, we present a comprehensive overview over state-of-the-art solutions in emergent systems, self-organization, self-adaptation, and robotics. We discuss these approaches in the light of a framework for multi-robot systems and identify similarities, differences missing links and open gaps that have to be addressed in order to make this framework possible.

Autonomous robots are the intelligent agents par excellence. We frequently define a robot as a machine that senses, thinks and acts, i.e., an agent. They are distinguished from software agents in that robots are embodied agents, situated in the real world. As such, they are subject both to the joys and sorrows of the world. They can be touched and seen and heard (sometimes even smelled!), they have physical dimensions, and they can exert force on other objects. These objects can be like a ball in the RoboCup or Mirosot robot soccer games, they can be parts to be assembled, airplanes to be washed, carpets to be vacuumed, terrain to be traversed or cameras to be aimed. On the other hand, since robots are agents in the world they are also subject to its physical laws, they have mass and inertia, their moving parts encounter friction and hence heat, no two parts are precisely alike, measurements are corrupted by noise, and alas, parts break. Of course, robots also contain computers, and hence they are also subject to the slings and arrows of computer misfortunes, both in hardware and software. Finally, the world into which we place these robots keeps changing, it is non-stationary and unstructured, so that we cannot predict its features accurately in advance.

This paper presents a general approach to automatically compile e-learning models to planning, allowing us to easily generate plans, in the form of learning designs, by using existing domain-independent planners. The idea is to compile, first, a course defined in a standard e-learning language into a planning domain, and, second, a file containing students learning information into a planning problem. We provide a common compilation and extend it to three particular approaches that cover a full spectrum of planning paradigms, which increases the possibilities of using current planners: (i) hierarchical, (ii) including PDDL (Planning Domain Definition Language) actions with conditional effects and (iii) including PDDL durative actions. The learning designs are automatically generated from the plans and can be uploaded, and subsequently executed, by learning management platforms. We also provide an extensive analysis of the e-learning metadata specification required for planning, and the pros and cons on the knowledge engineering procedures used in each of the three compilations. Finally, we include some qualitative and quantitative experimentation of the compilations in several domain-independent planners to measure its scalability and applicability.

Compilation to Boolean satisfiability has become a powerful paradigm for solving artificial intelligence problems. However, domains that require metric reasoning cannot be compiled efficiently to satisfiability even if they would otherwise benefit from compilation. We address this problem by combining techniques from the artificial intelligence and operations research communities. In particular, we introduce the LCNF (Linear Conjunctive Normal Form) representation that combines propositional logic with metric constraints. We present LPSAT (Linear Programming plus SATisfiability), an engine that solves LCNF problems by interleaving calls to an incremental Simplex algorithm with systematic satisfaction methods. We explore several techniques for enhancing LPSAT's efficiency and expressive power by adjusting the interaction between the satisfiability and linear programming components of LPSAT. Next, we describe a compiler that converts metric resource planning problems into LCNF for processing by LPSAT. Finally, the experimental section of the paper explores several optimisations to LPSAT, including learning from constraint failure and randomised cutoffs.

Forming coalitions is a generic means for cooperation: people, robots, web services, resources, firms; they can all improve their performance by joining forces. The use of coalitions has been successful in domains such as task allocations, sensor networks, and electronic marketplaces. Forming efficient coalitions requires the identification of matching synergies between different entities (finding complementary partners, or similar partners, or partners who add diversity). In addition, the different parties must negotiate a fair repartition of the worth created by the coalition. The first part of this paper is a tutorial on cooperative game theory (also called coalitional games). We then survey the different scenarios and the key issues addressed by the multiagent systems community.

The concept of a norm is found widely across fields including artificial intelligence, biology, computer security, cultural studies, economics, law, organizational behaviour and psychology. The concept is studied with different terminology and perspectives, including individual, social, legal and philosophical. If a norm is an expected behaviour in a social setting, then this article considers how it can be determined whether an individual is adhering to this expected behaviour. We call this process monitoring, and again it is a concept known with different terminology in different fields. Monitoring of norms is foundational for processes of accountability, enforcement, regulation and sanctioning. Starting with a broad focus and narrowing to the multi-agent systems literature, this survey addresses four key questions: what is monitoring, what is monitored, who does the monitoring and how the monitoring is accomplished.

In the past decade, expert systems have been applied to a wide variety of application tasks. A central problem of expert system development and maintenance is the demand placed on knowledge engineers and domain experts. A commonly proposed solution is knowledge-acquisition tools. This paper reviews a class of knowledge-acquisition tools that presuppose the problem-solving method, as well as the structure of the knowledge base. These explicit problem-solving models are exploited by the tools during knowledge-acquisition, knowledge generalization, error checking and code generation.

Nowadays travellers can benefit from the computing capabilities, collection of on board sensors and ubiquitous Internet access provided by mobile devices. These are the three pillars of any tourist support system since they provide the power, means and data to establish the local user context, to access remote services and to provide value-added user-centred context-aware applications. However, making sense of the user context data is not straightforward, as it requires dedicated knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation solutions. Besides, the range and diversity of available data sources is huge, requiring appropriate knowledge processing techniques to provide addequated tourism services. This article presents an updated review, and a comparison of recent context-aware tourism applications (CATA), including supporting technologies; and considering four possible dimensions: knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, knowledge processing and knowledge-based services. We propose and apply a CATA analysis framework, contemplating these four dimensions to the applications found in the literature. This survey constitutes, not only, a state of the art review on tourism mobile applications, but, also, anticipates the latest development trends in tourism-related applications.

The main components of case-based reasoning are case retrieval and case reuse. While case retrieval mostly uses attribute comparisons, many other possibilities exist. The case similarity concepts described in the literature that are based on more elaborate structural properties are classified here into five groups: restricted geometric relationships; graphs; semantic nets; model-based similarities; hierarchically structured similarities. Some general topics conclude this survey on structure-based case retrieval methods and systems.

This paper outlines the educational advantages provided by adaptive systems and stresses the importance of the user model in the task of adaptation. The paper also establishes a general taxonomy of user models thereby enabling classification of any model according to various features related to its structure and management. This taxonomy allows an exhaustive description of all user models, facilitating analysis and design of the corresponding adaptive systems. Subsequently, the taxonomy is used to describe the user modeling process in a concrete adaptive hypermedia system and to analyze the model of a student appropriate for use in a general educational environment.

The use of robots in performance arts is increasing. But, it is hard for robots to cope with unexpected circumstances during a performance, and it is almost impossible for robots to act fully autonomously in such situations. IROS-HAC is a new challenge in robotics research and a new opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaborative research. In this paper, we describe a practical method for generating different personalities of a robot entertainer. The personalities are created by selecting speech or gestures from a set of options. The selection uses roulette wheel selection to select answers that are more closely aligned with the desired personality. In particular, we focus on a robot magician, as a good magic show includes good interaction with the audience and it may also include other robots and performers. The magician with a variety of personalities increased the audience immersion and appreciation and maintained the audience’s interest. The magic show was awarded first prize in the competition for a comprehensive evaluation of technology, story, and performance. This paper contains both the research methodology and a critical evaluation of our research.

The discipline of case-based reasoning develops techniques to retrieve and reuse old solutions for new problems. To reuse solutions, several case adaptation systems have been built and many are under development. They deal with different tasks in different domains, but a methodology is still lacking. From an analysis of up-to-date case adaptation systems, this article moves towards a methodology by providing a common framework and some guidelines. As key issues case adaptation techniques, global strategies, and the tailoring of cases are discussed.

We analyze the problem of modeling and developing multiagent systems (MASs) from the organizational theory point of view. In particular, we focus on the critical issue of adapting MASs organizations whenever changes in the structure of the MAS are required. We survey different relevant agent-oriented methodologies and discuss their suitability in dealing with adaptation in multiagent organizations. Finally, we present some critical considerations about the analyzed methodologies together with some open issues related to the process of modeling organizations for facilitating their adaptations.