Dr Judith Fauth

Research Interests

Judith’s research interest lies on the digitalization of planning and building permits (PBP) starting in 2016. Taking the PBP always as the core of her research, she explores multiple facets and disciplines related to PBP such as informatics, project and process management, public administration and law. Judith values fundamental research leading to core problem awareness and appreciates in-depth investigations to understand the complex phenomenon of PBP.

Strategic Themes

Interconnection of road digital twins (RDT) and planning and building permits (PBP)

Knowledge management, querying, and data reuse in the use case of the intersection between RDT and PBP improving transparency and effectiveness of PBP processes

Uncertainty analyses from management, regulations, and information perspectives for advanced decision-making in the AEC industry 

Business case developments using RDT and PBP 

Research Project

Title: Advanced Planning and Building Permits through Road Digital Twins

Theme: Digital Twins

Abstract:

In this era of resource scarcity, optimising existing resources is crucial. This holds true for sectors beyond traditional perspectives, including planning and building permit (PBP) processes. However, fundamental research in this domain is lacking, and the potential of digital twinning in PBP remains largely unexplored. To address this research gap, the proposed research aims to establish connections between road digital twins (RDTs) and the PBP sector to enhance PBP efficiency. The project consists of four work packages (WPs). WP1 will involve collecting suitable data and defining information packages through literature reviews, legal text analysis, industry collaboration, and empirical studies. In WP2, knowledge management techniques will be employed to organise the acquired information. An ontology will be developed to describe the knowledge and a rule set formulated to automate processing and inferencing queries. To address uncertainties in PBP processes, WP3 will focus on uncertainty analysis. A decision model based on fuzzy agency theory will be developed to enable objective decision-making and overcome uncertainties in regulations and interpretations. Lastly, WP4 will evaluate the business case for leveraging digital twin technologies in PBP. A comprehensive business case will be developed to assess the benefits, costs, and risks of using RDTs, highlighting the value of the project’s knowledge and solutions. In conclusion, the potential of RDTs to revolutionise PBP processes will be demonstrated. By leveraging knowledge management, uncertainty analysis, and comprehensive business case evaluation, this research will pave the way for efficient and informed decision-making, accelerating the digital transformation of the construction industry.

Biography

Judith Fauth is Marie-Sklodowska-Curie postdoc fellow at the University of Cambridge (UK) since 2024. Before she joined her current position, she was postdoctoral researcher at the Technische Universität Wien in Vienna (Austria) and researcher in the research project iECO at RIB Software GmbH in Germany. Also, she worked temporarily at Hamburg University of Technology (Germany) and at Fraunhofer Italia in Bolzano (Italy). Judith completed several research stays abroad such as in the USA (University of Southern California), Italy (Fraunhofer Italia), and Israel (Technion - Israel Institute of Technology). She obtained her doctorate in engineering from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (Germany) from the department of construction engineering and management in 2021. She received various awards for young scientists in Germany and Austria for her dissertation. Judith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in facility and real estate management. Judith’s research interest is on the digitalization of building permits. She published numerous scientific journal and conference articles on the topic. Judith is member of the management committee of the European Network for Digital Building Permits (EUnet4DBP) where she chairs the scientific committee of the Digital Building Permit Conference 2024 in Barcelona.