Service-Oriented Integrated Information Framework for Next Generation Intelligent Construction Supply Chain Management

It is essential to perform an effective construction supply chain management in large-scale building construction projects. Since 2006, this research consortium has conducted a research project, named Next generation Intelligent Construction Supply chain management (NICS), that develops a process and a system that support an proactive construction supply chain management in real time by taking advantage of ubiquitous sensor network(USN) and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies. In this project, 'next generation' means using USN/RFID technology to improve the current process of construction supply chain management, while 'intelligent' means that equipments, such as pallet, trailer, hoist, and gate, can recognize components or material that they carry or hold and communicate the information with other equipments or actors involved by using USN/RFID. This paper focuses on building an information framework that can support real time information sharing and exchange among different legacy systems operated by general contractors and suppliers as well as among equipments and actors involved. Without the information framework, information related to construction supply chain cannot be managed effectively and efficiently in the NICS environment. In the logistics industry, many researchers proposed that loosely coupled system architecture on the basis of service oriented architecture (SOA) could be a solution with providing expandability and flexibility in exchanging and sharing information among heterogeneous and geographically dispersed information systems. Based on the idea on SOA, the objective of this paper is to develop an integrated information framework and a system to support the NICS environment, where USN/RFID technologies are used, by utilizing the SOA concept. Additionally this paper describe the identification of services and information model for developing SOA based NICS environment, and include the introduction of being developed a prototype system as well.