Application of Game Modeling

Tunneling construction involves risks that are unique based on unknown and unpredictable underground conditions. Due to the risk inherent in tunneling, a climate of good social relationships is another feature of success. Owner s decisions, actions and inactions affect not only the response of contractors, but also the liability risk exposure of engineering professionals. The essential scope of this work is to propose Game Modeling as an analysis tool to help guide good tunneling practice. This book examines the fundamental issues which affect the tunneling industry and, at the same time, presents a brief game theory framework: game theory is a branch of mathematics devoted to the logic of decision making in social interactions; and utility theory is a cornerstone of game theory which is used for solving games. Two real case studies are used to illustrate the first level of abstraction in game theory. Using game modeling, it can be shown that tunneling failures are essentially derived from management deficiencies. In consequence, this approach should be interesting for the key tunneling players: project owners, engineering professionals, and construction contractors.