Knowledge Based Expert System for Minimising Stormwater Erosion and Sedimentation in Malaysian Construction Sites

Abstract

Construction activities generate enormous amount of erosion and sediments that are the result of soil disturbance during construction activities, thus, will pollute the adjacent water bodies and make it unfeasible for different uses. This paper aimed to develop and create the main features of an expert system prototype (ESCES) for minimising erosion and sedimentation due to stormwater generated from the construction activities by recommending a feasible BMPs. Multi criteria Analysis (MCA) technique has been integrated so as to select the best control measure among many stormwater control alternatives. A questionnaire has been distributed to the relevant experts so as to rank the stormwater control measures to be used in the MCA technique. Using Visual Basic 6, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) were developed. The knowledge and experience were acquired from various textural sources (i.e. guidelines, manuals, literature, and humanexpert). Results from this study showed that the Best Management Practices (BMPs) recommended have good suited the site characteristics as the relevant experts have showed their convenience to the developed prototype since they asked to fill in simple questionnaire after developing the system and presented to them. The conclusion drawn from this study indicates that  the ESCES can be considered as “Green Technology Tool†since it helps in protecting  the environment and preserve good quality of water adjacent to the construction sites in Malaysia.