Introduction to Information

Technologies
-IT in Construction-
Dr. Esin Ergen,
Assistant Professor

Civil Engineering Department

Construction Engineering Management
esin.ergen@itu.edu.tr

05-10-2012
 Course objectives
To provide introduction to several main types of
Information Technology used in construction

To enable you to make effective decisions in IT system

selections and IT investments

To enable you to bring your domain expertise when

communicating w/ IT experts

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 Course non-objectives

To teach you everything about IT

To make you a perfect IT specialist

you will have an introductory information about IT
probably you wont develop an IT system but give
comments and/or identify requirements when an IT
system is being developed by IT experts

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 Introduction

Information is a key resource within any

business activity.

IT streamline the information flow, make it easily

available and accessible.

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 What is IT or ICT?
Acquisition, processing, storage and
dissemination of all types of information using
computer technology and telecommunication
systems.

Includes:
data management,
networking,
engineering computer hardware,
database and software design,
management and administration of entire
systems
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 Computerization in construction

In 1985, many architectural firms were not using

computers because it would cost too much:
Small storage capacity
Processing speed was very slow
simple calculation could take hours what-if analyses were
impractical
Input/output facilities were inadequate
poor display devices poor resolution

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 Increase of computer performance improvement
and computer usage

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 What do engineers do that can be replaced by
computers?

Process
Problem (problem solving / Solution
decision making)

If we can encode the engineering

knowledge in computer programs

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 Why were the expectations from IT have been
too optimistic?
Problems are not given, but must be constructed from a
messy problematic situations
Computer programs:
have a fixed, predefined problem setting
blind for solutions that cannot be described by the setting
Humans:
have the common sense and intuitive knowledge
step out of the problem setting and redefine it during the design
process.

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 Are the computers intelligent?

The essence of intelligence is to act

appropriately when there is no simple pre-
definition of the problem or the space of states in
which to search for a solution".
Winograd and Flores (1997, pg. 98)

So how can computer help us?

in bureaucratic tasks
cannot set problems, re-set problems or solve
problems in a creative way

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 Engineering works

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 Value adding (base) and non-value adding
(glue) works
Value adding (base) processes main processes
For example: information creation processes or information
utilization processes
calculating stresses in beams or positioning the reinforcement

Non-value adding (glue) works

material items or information flow from creation process to
utilization process
the utilization process can use them
E.g.,
getting the architect's drawing of the building and
converting it into a format that can be used by the finite
element analysis software
moving the reinforcement from the factory to the
building site

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 Sub-processes of base and glue processes

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 Computer usage for automation in construction

Since 1960s to create new information

first by structural analysis software
later by computer aided drafting tools, expert systems
etc.
The goal was to automate the base processes
leading to the "islands of automation" (Fenves, 1991)

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 Ideal and realistic situation

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 Computer usage for automation in construction
(2)
Late 1980s finding, moving and re-using the
information
Computer integrated construction reducing
human intervention from controlling the glue
processes
Reducing glue material processes is called lean
construction
Automated construction
Reducing human intervention in both base and glue
processes

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 Research issues
"One of the problems which is important in relation to the
use of computers generally in the building industry is that
of finding a satisfactory coding system for information.

The use of computer techniques throughout the industry

as a whole will depend to a large extent on all parties
agreeing on one generally accepted coding system.

One of the difficulties is that different sections of the

industry may require different forms of coding; what is
ideal for the quantity surveyor for producing Bills may not
be satisfactory for the architect for his own use, and vice
versa."
Champion (1967)

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 Why construction IT is different?

It should support products and processes that

cannot be described by standardized product
and process models.

It should encourage the transparency of the

private models used in various applications
rather than wait for the general adoption of the
unified, standardized models

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 Why construction IT is different (2)?

In "process" support focus on human-human

communication and acknowledge improvisation
as an important way of working in construction

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