Visual Construction Operation Simulation: The DISCO Approach

Abstract

Abstract: Despite the great deal of attention given to project‐level management tools (e.g., CPM, PERT, etc.) in recent years, the analysis of construction operations (processes) using computer simulation techniques has generated considerable attention commencing with the introduction of the CYCLONE methodology. Recently, the application of visual simulation (VS) techniques to assist in the planning and analysis of construction operations has directed further attention at the need to better understand the interaction of resources at the process level. Visual simulation takes advantage of advanced modern computer graphics techniques and facilitates the development and application of simulation experiments. Benefits of applying VS have been reported in several publications. Nevertheless, the effort required to design and construct an “appropriate” VS display for the system to be analyzed is usually time and data demanding. The magnitude of model definition is often increased due to certain characteristics of construction operations, such as their complexity and the distribution of work over large areas. An alternative approach, DISCO (Dynamic Interface Simulation for Construction Operations), which employs a schematic modeling format demonstrating the system dynamics on the computer screen during simulation run, is presented in this paper.