Building Inspection System Software Based on Expert Knowledge

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to develop a computational tool to ease the process of technical building inspections. Thus, a web-based application was created, supported by a well-structured expert inspection system for the building envelope. This application has a distributed architecture, which allows easy implementation using common technologies. Java and JavaScript programming languages are used, as well as HTML and CSS for the interface. The building inspection application is composed of three main processes, namely: a module to treat correlations between data referring to building pathology (e.g., classification of defects and their causes and the correlations between them); a process to help collect information during the inspection procedure (data entry forms filled dynamically); and a process to update the information stored in the first process (for instance, to include new material in the system). The application is extensible and is capable of inspecting 12 types of building elements and materials used in the building envelope. The first demonstration prototype allows a complete inspection of two types of materials. Tests of the application have revealed the advantages of transposing extensive building pathology information to a computational platform: saving time (no need to insert data after the inspection); guiding the surveyor throughout the inspection (the surveyor’s input options are limited); providing an easy-to-use interface, which runs on affordable devices; allowing direct storage of information; and reducing errors and omissions of inspection data, as the system guarantees its consistency. In the future, new functionalities can be developed to improve the application’s capabilities.