PhD studentship: Managing Integrated Design Information for Effective Design Reuse

It is useful to supply relevant knowledge and information for engineering designers to make informed decisions especially in the design of complex products such as aircrafts, automotives, and medical equipments. Nowadays, information generated in design projects is enormous and may involve different formats (e.g. CAD drawings, design documents, spread sheets, and simulation model/data) at different stages. Apart from the pieces of information specific to designers’ current work, they also require additional information about the interpretation and processing of information. This thus raises the need for developing an integrated information representation scheme which models design knowledge in a structured way for its effective and efficient reuse in new designs. Moreover, designers can use quite different ways for finding information, e.g. sending emails, talking to experienced colleagues, and browsing a digital repository. The development of effective and efficient retrieval methods based on the information-seeking behaviour of designers therefore becomes desirable as the amount of information steadily increases.

This project aims to develop methods for the representation, capture, retrieval, and reuse of integrated design information. Specifically, it involves the study on the way in which design engineers generate and use information and knowledge during design projects, as well as on the contents of the information. Based on the information needs and information-seeking behaviours of designers, an integrated representation scheme will be developed to achieve improved capture and reuse of design information. With the integrated information model, advanced retrieval methods will be developed to enable effective and efficient retrieval. The developed model and methods will be evaluated by implementing a prototype information system and applying it to specific design projects.

It is an interdisciplinary project with well-defined methodology, which can strengthen the successful candidate’s capabilities and skills of modeling, analysis, and development.