Databases in construction firms can relate to the actual construction projects, the companies involved in the project, the subcontractors, the owners, and all other relevant person involved in the construction phase. The creation of new and easily accessible databases have been created and used throughout a plethora of construction projects, and here is why:
A database can be defined as a collection of information which is stored and organized, managed, edited and updated throughout numerous phases of a projects life. Thinking about the way a database is typically laid out - various rows and columns which can be edited and deleted, similar to a spreadsheet. The spreadsheets can be used to transfer and communicate information to numerous people involved in the construction project. They can be used for work purposed, to communicate safety information, quality of materials, among many other functions.
Construction company owners can delve into any database that is available to them in order to gain something that would be beneficial for their project. It can be about upcoming projects they will be involved in, they can search for subcontractors, find vendors, or just keep track of information that is important to them. A lot of these databases exist on the internet. This way, contractors and subcontractors can come together and form out work that they can both get involved in and potentially work together.
Being that construction projects are a very collaborative work environment, an efficient way to communicate and transfer information about any aspect of the project is crucial. Many people are involved and work in construction firms. No project is a one-man band. Keeping in mind that email and general construction information systems are widely used as communication tools, their ability to record and manage interface problems and responses is limited. BIM as an information technology can contribute toward improving the efficiency and success of a construction project within thousands of construction firms worldwide.
Comment to Madeleine:
Madeleine,
I agree with your statement that databases are a good use of communication and collaboration. I think that the incorporation of databases could potentially increase productivity in the design phase. This is because like you stated, architects can resolve conflicts rather than wasting time and money.
Comment to Manon:
Manon,
You made an interesting point in your blog post - The use of queries such as DROP and DELETE allows for an efficient way to flow through your database. The use of these features can allow users a faster way to navigate through their spreadsheets. This faster navigation will improve productivity for sure.
Comment to Michael:
Michael,
It is interesting that you pointed out the use database systems has in storing memory. Like you stated, the bigger companies have large amounts of data that needs to efficiently be stored without the risk of that data becoming corrupt. This way, smaller portions of data can be stored throughout numerous devices that way the memory is safe.
Monday, February 10, 2020
B5 - Walker-Elders Databases in Design Offices
As we have discussed throughout this course, the use of Building Information Modelling has become a necessity for design firms in the AEC industry. The keyword in this is information. The information that is stored in these new and robust models are what elevates BIMs from CAD, 2-dimensional drawings, and what makes them especially helpful in design. This information allows designers to analyze clash detection, constructability, parametrics, etc. but all this information needs to live somewhere. Somewhere that can be accessible and useful to any designer who needs to be able to access it in order to reap the benefits of this new technology. This is where databases come into play in AEC design. Databases hold any type of information and make the data accessible through queries for anyone who needs to see it. This is especially helpful for firms that use intelligent building technology in their designs, further than that of robust BIMs.
For example, Augmented Reality is a technology that layers computer-generated elements on top of existing reality. Imagine using a camera on a tablet or smartphone to view an existing office building on the screen. This can be extremely helpful when designing a building with many different disciplines because it allows the designers to see how and where all the building components will need to be placed in order to work. The overlay of information is connected to one or many databases on top of real-world equipment and assets. The databases hold the information of what is existing and what could exist on top of it.
Another use of databases in design firms could be in using construction collaboration tools. Today, collaboration tools are on the market that integrates with other construction management tools so that all contractors and subcontractors have access to a real-time database. If in the design phase, architects and engineers used these tools to integrate with the construction phase of the building, they would be able to resolve conflicts in constructability in real-time, rather than have to waste time and money when the construction is supposed to be happening and delay the project.
There are many uses of databases in AEC design firms that extend far past the reaches of robust BIMs, but at the core, BIMs ar the driving force behind what makes databases so essential in the building design world today.
For example, Augmented Reality is a technology that layers computer-generated elements on top of existing reality. Imagine using a camera on a tablet or smartphone to view an existing office building on the screen. This can be extremely helpful when designing a building with many different disciplines because it allows the designers to see how and where all the building components will need to be placed in order to work. The overlay of information is connected to one or many databases on top of real-world equipment and assets. The databases hold the information of what is existing and what could exist on top of it.
Another use of databases in design firms could be in using construction collaboration tools. Today, collaboration tools are on the market that integrates with other construction management tools so that all contractors and subcontractors have access to a real-time database. If in the design phase, architects and engineers used these tools to integrate with the construction phase of the building, they would be able to resolve conflicts in constructability in real-time, rather than have to waste time and money when the construction is supposed to be happening and delay the project.
There are many uses of databases in AEC design firms that extend far past the reaches of robust BIMs, but at the core, BIMs ar the driving force behind what makes databases so essential in the building design world today.
Johnson, Andy. “How Technology Is Transforming the AEC Industry.” NV5, 27 Feb. 2017, www.nv5.com/news-2/technology-transforming-aec-industry/.
Comments
Hi Mika,
I genuinely agree with the advantages of SQL over NoSQL, and perhaps this is just because I work with SQL
much more frequently so I am more familiar with this language but I see that the benefits for AEC work most often
can be derived from a relational model. Especially since using SQL technology, you can extract NoSQL based
information out of databases to use. It is a more robust language, and very easy to learn.
Hi Brian,
SQL databases can be extremely important to holding information, and running queries in order to analyze that
information into useable data with meaning. I agree that it has a major weakness by only being able to operate
with relational databases, but there are many languages that can bridge the two. SQL is a necessary baseline
information language to build off more database-related knowledge moving forward!
Hi Amanda,
I enjoyed your perspective on object-oriented databases, I didn't know anything about them before so it was a
very helpful explanation. I have had some exposure to relational databases at work but never have had to know
about OOD. There is a need when considering how people in the AEC industry use information, for a database
that does more than relating tables, but must be directly associated with objects in order to have actual meaning.
B-5: Relational Database Theory
RELATIONAL DATABASE THEORY
Moving on to the second focus of the course, this blogpost focuses on databases, specifically relational databases. A database consists of collections of organized information that can be easily accessed, managed, and retrieved. These are managed using database managements systems (DBMS), which are softwares that allow users to update, retrieve, and define data. The type of database we are looking at for this course are relational databases. At its most basic form, a relational database organizes data into tables and relates them to one another. They consist of more than one table with one to many relationships with other tables. These databases are used to track inventories, process electronic transactions, manage huge amounts of mission-critical customer information, and much more. A relational database can be considered for any information need in which data points relate to each other and must be managed in a secure, rules-based, consistent way. They can be created using any tote of database system such as MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL.
As previously mentioned, a relational database stores data points in the form of tables. Each row in the table represents a record. Each record describes information about a single item, such as a specific college course. Each row is unique and is identified with a primary key, while every column is composed of attributes that describe characteristics of each record, such as the class time. The combination of records and attributes make up the entity, which is what is being described. For instances, the entity name of the described example would be College Course.
Relational database is a helpful management system as it allows users to filter out unwanted data. The use of tables provide a straightforward, efficient and flexible way to manage data. An advantage of relational databases is that a single database can be spread through several tables. In addition, this type of database is the best at maintaining consistency across copies of the database, known as instances, since the structure of the database remains unchanged when information is edited.
Another strength of relational model emerged as developers began to use structured query language (SQL) to write and query data in the database.. Relational Databases use queries, such as INSERT, DROP, DELETE, and SELECT to change and retrieve the desired data. This allows users to navigate databases more easily and at a faster rate.
Sources:
Brian,
You did a good job describing what SQL is and why it is important. Databases are being used more and more everyday, and it is important to have a language that allows us to use them efficiently. I am currently learning SQL and I can see how its application is beneficial in managing databases and the advantages there are to being proficient in it.
Abdul,
I hadn't heard about this type of databases until now, and i think you did a good job explaining what it is. I found the diagram really helpful in visualizing how the information is stored through this database system. Object-oriented databases seem to be more efficient in sharing data between different users than relational databases.
Michael,
I found really interesting the predictions you were able to make in terms of how databases are going to help create more efficient designs by accessing previous data and using AI. I think that this relates to what was mentioned in class for generative design, since AI would be able to access various databases in order to generate a design that will provide the highest performance at the lowest cost.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Databases in Design Offices
The use of databases is very prevalent in offices where individuals are working on building design. These databases have been used for a long time in accomplishing tasks such as cataloging components, keeping track of customer requests, and creating marketplaces. As big data has become more relevant this list of tasks has continued to increase. Big data describes much larger databases and can fuel much more powerful applications.
The power companies that can manage to collect and store large amounts of data has become relevant through the growth of AI and will continue to become more relevant. The usage of neural nets and other complex modeling methods become more accurate when larger amounts of data are fed into the model. With more instances, the models are able to learn more complex patterns in the data and the impact of extreme outliers is reduced. For design offices, this could mean building models to predict what areas will have the need for new buildings in the future. Additionally, they can predict the future price of specific materials so they can better plan when they should buy materials and what materials they should buy. By accurately making these predictions, companies can safe large amounts of money and make more informed decisions. These examples only scrape the surface of what this type of applications big data can fuel and will continue to fuel. However, storing large amounts of data poses some issues.
As companies desire to store more data, alternative methods of storing this data has become necessary. Traditional ways of storing data have become very expensive and insecure. Storing large amounts of data on a single system poses a serious threat to the integrity of the data if something were to happen to the system. Partially for this reason, distributed storage has evolved. Distributed storage allows users to store their data on shards across a variety of clusters. This avoids the need for massive amounts of storage on a single system and allows companies to store portions of backups across various systems. As these methods become more and more affordable, the storage required to access big data will become more frequent.
Comments
Brian: https://ae-410-510-ay19-20.blogspot.com/2020/02/b5-what-is-sql-and-why-is-it-important.html
I think your analysis of SQL gave a really good overview of what the language is and what it accomplishes. I agree with you that SQL fulfills a very important task in proving a uniform way pull data. Although SQL is primarily designed for relational databases, there are many SQL-like languages that operate very similarly to SQL and work on non-relational databases. Good work!
Amanda: https://ae-410-510-ay19-20.blogspot.com/2020/02/b5-object-oriented-databases_8.html
I liked your thought on OOD and how you were able to make the ideas understandable to those who haven't been exposed to them before. Your analogy with the car gave a very realistic example of how to think of what a class is and how each class has different properties to it. The use of classes within databases and programming also adds another layer of organization to the system.
Mika: https://ae-410-510-ay19-20.blogspot.com/2020/02/b5-mika-awai-sql-in-databases.html
You gave a very thorough explanation of the differences and key uses of SQL and NoSQL. I particularly liked how you discussed the advantages of learning SQL to excel in data science jobs. As someone, who has completed a Data Science internship I agree with you. I used SQL-like technology almost everyday throughout the duration of my coop. I was able to use SQL-like syntax when using pyspark to pull data from NoSQL databases as well. Learning pyspark had a very small learning curve once I knew SQL.
The power companies that can manage to collect and store large amounts of data has become relevant through the growth of AI and will continue to become more relevant. The usage of neural nets and other complex modeling methods become more accurate when larger amounts of data are fed into the model. With more instances, the models are able to learn more complex patterns in the data and the impact of extreme outliers is reduced. For design offices, this could mean building models to predict what areas will have the need for new buildings in the future. Additionally, they can predict the future price of specific materials so they can better plan when they should buy materials and what materials they should buy. By accurately making these predictions, companies can safe large amounts of money and make more informed decisions. These examples only scrape the surface of what this type of applications big data can fuel and will continue to fuel. However, storing large amounts of data poses some issues.
As companies desire to store more data, alternative methods of storing this data has become necessary. Traditional ways of storing data have become very expensive and insecure. Storing large amounts of data on a single system poses a serious threat to the integrity of the data if something were to happen to the system. Partially for this reason, distributed storage has evolved. Distributed storage allows users to store their data on shards across a variety of clusters. This avoids the need for massive amounts of storage on a single system and allows companies to store portions of backups across various systems. As these methods become more and more affordable, the storage required to access big data will become more frequent.
Comments
Brian: https://ae-410-510-ay19-20.blogspot.com/2020/02/b5-what-is-sql-and-why-is-it-important.html
I think your analysis of SQL gave a really good overview of what the language is and what it accomplishes. I agree with you that SQL fulfills a very important task in proving a uniform way pull data. Although SQL is primarily designed for relational databases, there are many SQL-like languages that operate very similarly to SQL and work on non-relational databases. Good work!
Amanda: https://ae-410-510-ay19-20.blogspot.com/2020/02/b5-object-oriented-databases_8.html
I liked your thought on OOD and how you were able to make the ideas understandable to those who haven't been exposed to them before. Your analogy with the car gave a very realistic example of how to think of what a class is and how each class has different properties to it. The use of classes within databases and programming also adds another layer of organization to the system.
Mika: https://ae-410-510-ay19-20.blogspot.com/2020/02/b5-mika-awai-sql-in-databases.html
You gave a very thorough explanation of the differences and key uses of SQL and NoSQL. I particularly liked how you discussed the advantages of learning SQL to excel in data science jobs. As someone, who has completed a Data Science internship I agree with you. I used SQL-like technology almost everyday throughout the duration of my coop. I was able to use SQL-like syntax when using pyspark to pull data from NoSQL databases as well. Learning pyspark had a very small learning curve once I knew SQL.
Design offices
Use of databases in design offices.
As we have discussed previously, the modern age architect will require BIM and the best BIMs will require extensive databases. Databases allow for easy access to a vast consolidation of information. Naturally, the more information you have on anything the more accurate the modeling will be. Not only will the model be more accurate in color, shape, dimensions and obvious physical properties but databases can hold information on the chemical and less obvious physical properties like the durability and vulnerableness to corrosion. So in an office place databases will allow for ease of access to all the information necessary for a project. If you want to calculate the efficiency of a building before building it, you need the installation ratings of all the doors, walls and windows, you need the information on the efficiency of the HVAC systems, and any natural factors like window direction, the surrounding climate, and so many other factors. In order for that to be possible without hundreds to thousands of hours of inputting unique data databases allow for all the data to be accessible. A consulting firm may reuse the same type of walls, windows, and doors for their projects and once the database has the necessary ratings and attributes to create accurate modeling it will be automatically applied to the BIM without that unique data having to be inputted.
Depending on the scale of the design office databases has different effects. For the smaller design offices, databases are huge for keeping up with modern technology. Since databases can be publicly shared they can receive information on the attributes of their materials without conducting the research themselves. This type of data that can be received in databases is necessary for BIM to function. For larger companies, entire departments can be dedicated to inputting ratings, on their products into databases. The more information in the database the more powerful the database. This not only benefits the company's BIM but also can be profitable if the data is shared.
As we have discussed previously, the modern age architect will require BIM and the best BIMs will require extensive databases. Databases allow for easy access to a vast consolidation of information. Naturally, the more information you have on anything the more accurate the modeling will be. Not only will the model be more accurate in color, shape, dimensions and obvious physical properties but databases can hold information on the chemical and less obvious physical properties like the durability and vulnerableness to corrosion. So in an office place databases will allow for ease of access to all the information necessary for a project. If you want to calculate the efficiency of a building before building it, you need the installation ratings of all the doors, walls and windows, you need the information on the efficiency of the HVAC systems, and any natural factors like window direction, the surrounding climate, and so many other factors. In order for that to be possible without hundreds to thousands of hours of inputting unique data databases allow for all the data to be accessible. A consulting firm may reuse the same type of walls, windows, and doors for their projects and once the database has the necessary ratings and attributes to create accurate modeling it will be automatically applied to the BIM without that unique data having to be inputted.
Depending on the scale of the design office databases has different effects. For the smaller design offices, databases are huge for keeping up with modern technology. Since databases can be publicly shared they can receive information on the attributes of their materials without conducting the research themselves. This type of data that can be received in databases is necessary for BIM to function. For larger companies, entire departments can be dedicated to inputting ratings, on their products into databases. The more information in the database the more powerful the database. This not only benefits the company's BIM but also can be profitable if the data is shared.
Morris, Katherine C., and Mary Mitchell. DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN ENGINEERING. pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0b4d/343ae05de71e7addb704a1b7b7130f8623da.pdf.
Isabel,
Understanding SQL and implementing well organized and easy to used SQLs is essential to the future of databases. More and more data is being obtained and processed to get more accurate models and predictions but in order for all that information to be useful, it needs to be understood. I think you outline that aspect very well.
Varsha,
I really like your point about record keeping. I had mainly been thinking about creating more accurate representations of anything with more data attributed to a design, but record-keeping is also a huge benefit. Poor documentation keeping track of work for future employees or even yourself to follow is tough. During one f my projects for COOP I was asked to write a log in Microsoft word and there were so many moving parts and information available that it was hard to make sure everything was covered. With a database recording, this type of information for you and processing it to make sense will make a permanent revision history for people to look back on.
Manon,
You have a good point about filtering unwanted data out. Obviously, more data is better and creates a more accurate report/simulation/etc. but some data is irrelevant to a specific study. Being able to filter the data and have a clear focus with important data is just as important to have accurate results.
Isabel,
Understanding SQL and implementing well organized and easy to used SQLs is essential to the future of databases. More and more data is being obtained and processed to get more accurate models and predictions but in order for all that information to be useful, it needs to be understood. I think you outline that aspect very well.
Varsha,
I really like your point about record keeping. I had mainly been thinking about creating more accurate representations of anything with more data attributed to a design, but record-keeping is also a huge benefit. Poor documentation keeping track of work for future employees or even yourself to follow is tough. During one f my projects for COOP I was asked to write a log in Microsoft word and there were so many moving parts and information available that it was hard to make sure everything was covered. With a database recording, this type of information for you and processing it to make sense will make a permanent revision history for people to look back on.
Manon,
You have a good point about filtering unwanted data out. Obviously, more data is better and creates a more accurate report/simulation/etc. but some data is irrelevant to a specific study. Being able to filter the data and have a clear focus with important data is just as important to have accurate results.
B5 - What is SQL and Why is it Important
Structured Query Language (SQL) is a database language that is used to communicate with databases. To start, a database is simply a library of information that is stored online. Data is extremely important in the world today and some databases may become enormous and hard to go through. This is where SQL comes into play. To put simply, SQL pulls specified data from these databases for the user to either analyze or manipulate. Furthermore, it is easy and is highly recommended to learn. This is important because in this advancing world, databases will only be increasing in size and to be able to quickly go through all of the data, SQL allows the ability to do that while filtering, modifying, and analyzing it. Because it is a universal language, it can integrate into other scripting languages. Another benefit of learning this is that it is high in demand in the job industry. A con regarding SQL is that it is a language that mainly only speaks to relational databases. A relational database is basically a tabular database.
Comments
I think object oriented databases would definitely play a role in our industry. Due to an object based database, the information that is being shared throughout the teams would be easily filtered or manipulated to portray/show what they want.
This definitely helped me understand my research on SQL a lot more since SQL is used to pull data from relational databases. Databases are everywhere in our life and we use it for many different things and you came up with great examples.
Showing data through objects and classes seems extremely beneficial for our industry. It is easily managed and the information can be shared through many different teams. Learning this and understanding the many different types of databases allowed me to understand more of why there are so many different types. Some databases are more beneficial to certain applications than others.
Saturday, February 8, 2020
B5: Object Oriented Databases
Object-oriented databases (OODB) are a means of identifying components
of a system as objects and classes in order to store data and perform tasks or
functions. The ability of objects to be defined and referenced later as one unit
is different from other database features. As someone with limited knowledge
regarding databases, I found an example of the theory behind OODBs very
helpful. Object oriented databases are similar to a car engine when it comes
down to basic principles of function. There are several components that are
identified individually with specific functions that, once machined into one
object, are then known and function as an engine. The article I read goes on to
talk about a basic database example: how a vertical and horizontal line oriented
perpendicularly with a set grading scale are then known as a graph and can
serve the new functions of analyzing and organizing data.
Although it is said that this type of database programming
is difficult to learn, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with
coding, OODB provide several important advantages that can greatly impact our
field. OODBs are persistent, resilient, and secure, which make storing data
easier and safer. Typical relational databases store data in rows and columns
that need to be continuously stored, converted, and loaded in order to assign
data, and thus function, to program objects. OODB allow for data to be persistently
stored so that this repetitive process is eliminated. I think the biggest impact OODB have on our
industry is that it allows for a more seamless sharing and integration of
information. Because of how object data is stored, different operating systems,
coding languages, BIM programs, and AI technologies can be used by various
trades and people involved on a project without the worry of incompatibility. Thus,
its shown that object-oriented databases aid in interoperability, the ability
of data and information exchange between various systems. This would have a
direct impact on file and model sharing between architects and engineers, for
example, because it eliminates any lack of coordination on the technological
side to ensure the project can run as smoothly as possible.
Sources:
Comments:
Ina,
I really enjoyed the quote you included and how you
summarized your post because it really brought light to the fact that how
databases are used and information is stored is up to the specific company and
is based on its needs, as well as the needs of the users. Like you mentioned,
SQL can be formidable for simpler tasks, but with the advancements being made
for different programs and websites, a means of processing more complex data
might be necessary.
Dane,
I agree that databases can benefit the construction field in
a multitude of ways throughout the design and maintenance portions of the project.
Efficiently and effectively storing drawings and mark ups throughout the design
process allows for clarity in terms of possible change orders and RFIs, while
proper up keeping of these drawings makes maintenance much easier.
Mika,
I enjoyed hearing about the differences between SQL and NoSQL
database management systems, and why SQL might be the preferred system. I think
a lot of times, people think that the more complex of the options will be the
most suitable, but, as you mentioned, SQLs have more advantages than NoSQL,
such as its integration with other coding languages like you mentioned.
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