Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation in the Public Works ...

Arthur Baskin and Stephen C-Y Lu
b-2).
XROT-IDEEA Manufacturability Advisory System for Rotational Parts: another application of
IDEEA for manufacturability checking of rotational parts during various design stages (30). The
system integrates CADROT, a CAD tool (R-a-4), with an Al based process planning knowledge
base (R-d-1), uses multiple representations (R-a-1), and conforms with PDES/STEP standards (Ra-3).
The CAD and CAPP knowledge are implemented on two separate computers, and the
interaction modes between designers and planners can be both local and remote (R-d-4).
CASCADE-T Computer-aided Synthesis and Computer-aided Design of Engineering Tolerances:
an extended IDEEA environment for the domain of tolerance synthesis for mechanical design (Ra-2)
(31). Tolerance is an important subject in concurrent engineering, serving as a
communication window between design and manufacturing. The CASCADE-T system can
simultaneously consider function and geometry requirements in designing consistent tolerance
specifications (R-b-2 and R-b-3), and provide domain-dependent explanations (R-b-4) at multiple
levels of abstractions (R-c-2).
INDEED Intelligent and Distributed Environment for Engineering Design: a major extension of
IDEEA which supports remote and local interactions for group design (R-d-3 and R-d-4) (32).
INDEED provides extended capabilities from object-oriented database technology (R-b-2) which
allow consistent and persistent data storage (R-a-4) by multiple engineers. It also support
recording of design rationale (R-b-1), managing conflict situations (R-b-3) and ownerships (Rd-2).
It allows hypothetical reasoning by individual engineers in a group design setting (R-c-4).
PRIDE Providing Rationale in Engineering Design: an application of AIDEMS in the domain
of frictional clutch design for transmissions used in heavy vehicles (33). Different design
assumptions and rationale at both strategic and tactical levels during clutch design are captured
in the system (R-b-l).
PRIME Providing Rationale in a Multi-agent Environment: an integrated know-how and knowwhy
environment which combines the functions and methods from IDEEA and AIDEMS. It
supports the recording of design histories (R-b- 1) in an interactive mode, helps the management
of design plans, and controls the sharing of design decisions and rationale with other engineers
in the same design group (R-d-2, R-d-4). PRIME is currently being tested in the domain of
transmission design.
MEGA Managing Engineering Group Activities: an integrated know-how and know-why
environment to support team design based on the discourse design model (34). The system
supports adaptive focus with different viewpoints and abstractions (R-R-c-2), recording of
rationale (R-b-l), detecting and resolving conflicts (R-b-3), and integrates with different CAD
tools (R-a-4, and R-d-l). It can be used for synchronous and asynchronous interactions (R-d-3)
with local and remote design teams (R-d-4).
PRO-IDEEA Probabilistically Valued IDEEA Environment: a system that support acquisition,
representation, and manipulation of probabilistically valued attributes (35). It uses objects from
IDEEA for representation (R-a- I), constraints from IDEEA for manipulation (R-c- 1), and machine
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