Expert Systems for Civil Engineers Integration Issues

This monograph on integrated computer systems is one in a series of monographs published by the Expert Systems on Artificial Intelligence Committee of the ASCE Technical Council on Computer Practices. The purpose of the monograph series is to address issues in the use of expert system technology in civil engineering problem solving. Many of the publications and tools available to implement expert systems are generalized environments. The application of these environments is best achieved with an understanding of how others have succeeded or failed in using them to solve problems in the civil engineering domain. ""Expert Systems for Civil Engineers: Integration Issues"" broadens the scope of the monograph series from a focus on expert systems to a more general use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. The scope is also broadened by considering integration of computer programs more generally, rather than only on combining expert systems with other packages. The reason for expanding the scope of the series is to consider the role of AI in civil engineering computer environments rather than being limited to the implementation of expert systems. This follows a general trend in research and practice, to find the right tool for the problem being addressed, rather than to ""a priori"" assume an expert system approach. This report specifically describes the technical and pragmatic issues in developing integrated or distributed computer systems in which AI techniques are used and how these issues were resolved in civil engineering research and practice.