ELSEVIER Automation in Construction 6 (1997) 29-31

Software and hardware summary 1

George Goodwin

Wauin, Chippenham, Parsonage Way, Wilts, SN15 5PN, UK

Abstract

With the rate of change accelerating in both technological development and in the spread of global markets, very few cost cutting businesses will survive in a value added marketplace. Information sharing over networks has a lot to offer the Industry by way of eliminating delays from the construction process and inventory from the Supply Chain. The most significant change by 2005 will be in networking and communications. Discovering design flaws at the design stage rather than when the building is in use must be very attractive to clients of the Construction Industry. Construction firms must have some sort of IT Strategy or clear view of how to exploit IT to support their businesses. Large companies need to act as coaches and mentors to smaller ones. The Industry cannot maximise its IT benefits unless all the players participate.

Keywords: Value added; Networks; Communications; Strategy; Mentors

1. Introduction

The Building IT 2000 report [l] published five years ago in 1991 made the point that the UK construction industry generally saw IT as a means of cutting costs and not of adding value.

A savage recession, particularly in the construc- tion industry, has done little to improve the situation.

However, as was the case five years ago, there are some construction industry players investing in IT for reasons other then cost reduction and some of them are represented in this report as case studies.

With the rate of change accelerating in both tech-

nological development and in the spread of global markets, very few cost-cutting businesses will sur- vive in a value-added marketplace.

1 Discussion is open until November 1997 (please submit your

discussion paper to the Witor of Architecture and Engineering,

Y.E. Kalay).

2. Current needs

The construction industry has always needed ro- bust and easy to use, low-cost hardware and soft- ware. Equipment that works in the soft environment of an office will not necessarily function well on site but both locations are found in the same industry.

Hardware of this specification is available and its toughness and cost effectiveness are still improving.

However software that is integrated and easy to use on site is still not widely available [3]. Moreover, the construction industry in the UK has many small companies providing products and services that will not invest in IT unless they perceive that it brings

them realisable benefits. This is partly due to a lack of knowledge about available IT solutions. These companies represent a difficult market to reach for suppliers and hence there is a lack of dialogue between software suppliers and potential users.

There is a strong need for communications be- tween all the various professionals, contractors, sup-

0926-5805/97/$17.00 Copyright 0 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII SO926-5805(96)00177-X

G. Goodwin/Automation in Construction 6 (1997) 29-31

visual output, which will make the human/computer interaction (HCI) more acceptable to all because people will be able to interact with a machine in a way they already do with one another.

The most significant change over the next ten years will be in networking and telecommunications. Very high data transfer rates are possible now and these will improve together with the controlling mechanisms to enable the delivery of complex enter-

tainment applications over the global network [5]. This will pave the way for more routine business

applications e.g. site meetings with nobody actually being on site.

With the development of Groupware (there is a demonstration of Lotus Notes on the CD-ROM) it will also become routine for collaborative working between client, professionals and contractors who rarely meet face to face.

Fig. 1. Virtuality total immersion virtual reality headset.

4. Object orientation and virtual reality pliers and clients in the construction industry, from

simple e-mail to complex interactive design transac- tions.

The wiring of society is making such communica- tion links easy to install and cheap to use, thereby enabling the provision of IT services as easily on site as in an adjoining office in the same building. Infor- mation-sharing over networks has a lot to offer the industry by way of eliminating waiting time from the construction process and inventory from the supply chain.

3. The next ten years

Technological development will increase the ca- pability of IT hardware whilst reducing its physical size and cost. Lower processor and storage costs will be the driver for improving the useability of software via object-oriented techniques [6].

For software to be very user friendly, i.e. to reflect the way human beings analyse problems, make decisions and perform, complex software and large data storage volumes are required and this needs fast processors.

These underlying speed and volume increases will lead to voice input and output and very high quality

Object orientation will facilitate new software

engineering techniques and enable better integration,

Fig. 2. Animation of cranes on a building site (video by Laing on

CD-ROM).

G. Goodwin/Automation in Construction 6 (1997) 29-31 31

thereby improving software quality, fitness for pur- pose and reducing its cost.

Virtual reality applications will have a part to play in the construction industry both in visualising the 3D entity from computer aided design (CAD) output and in testing a des:ign by total immersion in the design itself [4,8] (Fig. 1). Discovering design flaws

at the design stage rather than when the building is in use must be very attractive to clients of the

construction industry (Fig. 2).

5. Where do we want to be?

As stated in the Construction IT 2000 report [l] the industry’s understanding of IT and how it can be used to add value tie its activities is still a large potential inhibitor [7]. The majority of school leavers are now computer literate and it is incumbent on the industry to develop new additions to the workforce and make the most of their latent skills.

If the construction industry still uses IT to cut costs and not add value then beneficial IT take-up will stall. Construction organisations must have some sort of IT strategy or clear view of how to exploit IT

to support their businesses. Otherwise the low cost of IT entry, i.e. the personal computer, will lead to IT

investment decisions being taken at low levels in the organisation and the emergence of uncoordinated ‘islands of automation’ [6].

The application of IT to functional areas of a company is easy to justify and to implement but this is not as effective a,s using IT to support business

processes, which cross functional boundaries. Fol- lowing the functional route only will also inhibit value-added IT in the business.

6. Partnership approach

The industry must also overcome its tendency to treat other industry players as adversaries (see Latham [2]). IT, computers and communications are making possible the information age where the sharing of information for the benefit of all is possible. This

requires the creation and understanding of the part- nership approach.

Cooperation between the various industry players

is essential in agreeing ways of working that max- imise the added value available from IT. Large

companies need to act as coaches and mentors to smaller ones. The industry cannot maximise its IT benefits unless all the players participate and benefit from investment in IT, and small companies are persuaded of IT’s benefits.

References

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121 [31

[41

151

bl

[71

Bl

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Building IT 2005, 1995. Sloan, B. and Schofield, D., Training techniques using lT,

Building IT 2005, 1995. Patankar, J. and Allsop, D., CAD futures, Building IT 2005, 1995.