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Abstract As there is an increasing number of disasters happening worldwide, numerous mitigation approaches have been proposed to alleviate the impact of disasters. In Taiwan, public and private organizations often work together to prepare various disaster scenarios to train emergency response units. Thus, the design of appropriate drill scripts plays an important role in enhancing the capabilities of first responders in a real disaster. However, developing a reasonable drill script is a time-consuming, error-prone, and costly task. Drill scripts designed may need to accommodate time-dependent, region-specific requirements so that first responders can see varied disaster scenarios for improvement. Therefore, an ontology model with Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) constructs is proposed to help the drill script generation process for earthquakes in Taiwan. Drill script designers need to prepare an input data set describing a simulated earthquake using the Taiwan Earthquake Loss Estimation System, a simplified version of the Hazards U.S. – Multi Hazard (HAZUS-MH) program. Then, a drill script following pre-defined rules can be generated and combined with Unity, a serious game platform, in order to display all earthquake-related events in a virtual environment. Additional rules to accommodate varied requirements of an earthquake can be represented by customized SWRL constructs, which can be seamlessly added into the proposed drill script generation process. The developed system is demonstrated using data sets for buildings in Taiwan. During a disaster exercise, first responders can gain better situational awareness regarding an earthquake's spatiotemporal progress. Finally, it is suggested that first responders review the scene using the proposed approach immediately after a real earthquake, so that improved search and rescue plans can be defined and implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As more and more utility installation and/or maintenance activities are located in highly congested urban roadways, frequent pavement utility cuts in such areas may cause more traffic disruptions and reduce pavement lifespan and quality. One way to lessen such inconvenience to the traveling public is to combine utility activities together in the hope of reducing unnecessary pavement utility cuts, which requires extensive coordination of the utility owners involved and deliberate management of utility work schedules. In this research, an information model and a system based on spatiotemporal database techniques were proposed to help public road authorities manage utility work schedules better. Issues such as constraints of utility permits, pavement moratorium, and utility clearance restrictions were addressed, and examples showing real utility activities and constraints were elaborated to test the functionality of the proposed model. The model can serve as a new managerial tool to facilitate the utility coordination process between public road authorities and utility owners. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the context of the growing emphasis on energy conservation and carbon reduction, the widespread deployment of smart meters in residential and commercial buildings is instrumental in promoting electricity savings. In Taiwan, local governments are actively promoting the installation of smart meters, empowering residents to monitor their electricity consumption and detect abnormal usage patterns, thus mitigating the risk of electrical fires. This safety-oriented approach is a significant driver behind the adoption of smart meters. However, the analysis of the substantial data generated by these meters necessitates pre-processing to address anomalies. Presently, these data primarily serve billing calculations or the extraction of power-saving patterns through big data analytics. To address these challenges, this study proposes a comprehensive approach that integrates a relational database for storing electricity consumption data with knowledge graphs. This integrated method effectively addresses data scarcity at various time scales and identifies prolonged periods of excessive electricity consumption, enabling timely alerts to residents for specific appliance shutdowns. Deep learning techniques are employed to analyze historical consumption data and real-time smart meter readings, with the goal of identifying and mitigating hazardous usage behavior, consequently reducing the risk of electrical fires. The research includes numerical values and text-based predictions for a comprehensive evaluation, utilizing data from ten Taiwanese households in 2022. The anticipated outcome is an improvement in household electrical safety and enhanced energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As building information modeling (BIM) technology becomes mature, there is an increasing demand for the interaction or interoperability between BIM tools and various facility management (FM) systems, especially in semiconductor fabrication plants (FABs). Customized BIM services, i.e., plugin programs, have been developed for FM systems to reuse BIM data or functionality. However, such development may make an FM system more vulnerable to external changes such as BIM tool upgrades. The quality of BIM models reused may deteriorate sharply even if a slight change occurs in any of the upstream BIM services. Based on the model-driven architecture defined by Object Management Group, this research proposes a semi-automated FM system factory called EncapsulatingBIM4FM to formalize the reuse process of BIM services so that changes on BIM tools will not propagate to an FM system. A pilot system for selected FM tasks for an FAB in Taiwan was crafted using EncapsulatingBIM4FM. The tests demonstrated that BIM and FM systems can achieve software interoperability, and they can evolve independently based on individual requirements. BIM's central role in the management of a facility's lifecycle information could be established if EncapsulatingBIM4FM is utilized to develop associated FM systems for the facility. Highlights • Facility management (FM) systems need building information modeling (BIM) data and functionality. • EncapsulatingBIM4FM can expedite the development of a green-field FM system reusing BIM service functions. • BIM interfaces are tailored for FM systems in accordance with a building's spatial layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We developed a micro-geographic information system for fire-fighting simulations. [•] The operations of ladder trucks were simulated in a virtual 3D environment. [•] Before firefighters’ arrival, the best position for ladder trucks can be determined. [•] The proposed method can help firefighters reduce response time after an incident. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]