Formalizing knowledge representation in earthwork operations through development of domain ontology

Purpose: This study proposes a framework for Earthwork Ontology (EW-Onto) to support and enhance data exchange in the project and the efficient decision-making in the planning and execution phases. Design/methodology/approach: The development of EW-Onto started from defining the concepts and building taxonomies for earthwork operations and equipment following the METHONTOLOGY approach. In addition, several rules have been extracted from safety codes and implemented as SWRL rules. The ontology has been implemented using Protégé. The consistency of EW-Onto has been checked and it has been evaluated using a survey. Findings: The assessment of EW-Onto by experts indicates an adequate level of consensus with the framework, as an initial step for explicit knowledge exchanges within the earthwork domain. Practical implications: The use of an ontology within the earthwork domain can help: (1) link and identify the relationships between concepts, define earthwork semantics, and classify knowledge in a hierarchical way accepted by experts and end-users; (2) facilitate the management of earthwork operations and simplify information exchange and interoperability between currently fragmented systems; and (3) increase the stakeholders' knowledge of earthwork operations through the provision of the information, which is structured in the context of robust knowledge. Originality/value: This paper proposes a framework for Earthwork Ontology (EW-Onto) to support and enhance data exchange in the project and the efficient decision-making in the planning and execution phases. EW-Onto represents the semantic values of the entities and the relationships, which are identified and formalized based on the basic definitions available in the literature and outlined by experts.