Wilson, I., Harvey, S., Vankeisbelck, R. & Kazi, A.S., (2001). Enabling the Construction Virtual Enterprise: The OSMOS Approach. Electronic Journal of Information Technology in Construction. Special Issue on Information and Communication Technology Advances in the European Construction Industry. Volume 6 (2001), pp .85-110. ISSN 1400-6529.
Abstract
This paper gives a comprehensive overview of the findings and results from the OSMOS (IST-1999-10491) project. OSMOS aims to highlight and go some way to meeting the needs of the industry by providing a set of tools, models, APIs and techniques to support the construction “Virtual Enterprise” (VE). Key to the OSMOS approach is that the tools will allow companies (especially SMEs) to partake in a project-based VE quickly and at a low entry-level. Through a combination of IDEF0 and UML modelling, within an iterative and incremental project methodology, the OSMOS consortium has elaborated a generic process model for the set-up and structuring of the construction Virtual Enterprise, which has formed the basis for the technical implementation of the tools and API. The tools, once designed, built, and made available for testing, have been evaluated within construction based case scenarios by end-users, and subsequently refined and re-tested. The resultant solution being offered through the OSMOS approach will involve some potential process changes within the companies wishing to take part in the VE, and the project aims to provide a proposed migration path to this end.
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