Download Strategic Management of IT in Construction

The Internet
History of the Net
• 1982 – Internet protocol TCP/IP established from
predecessor NCP
• 1983 – The Internet is made from it’s predecessor
ARPANET
• 1989 – Tim Berners-Lee at CERN invents the World Wide
Web
• 1994 – Mosiac software Netscape Navigator
• 1995 – Sun launches Java.
• 1996 – JavaScript launched by Netscape + Sun
World Wide Web
• The most important protocol of the Internet
More and more business is moving to the
Web. It is the preferred medium for Ebusiness
• Web content spreading onto mobile devices,
such as phones and pocket PCs.
Web content
• HTTP is the protocol of the web. Web content is
predominantly in HTML plus ancillary languages
(JavaScript, CSS, XML, etc.)
• Dynamic HTML = HTML + CSS + Scripts
Plug-ins: Flash,
Shockwave, etc.
DHTML (interactive)
HTML
(static)
CSS
Scripting
(JavaScript,
VBScript)
Server-scripts:
CGI, ASP, etc.
Front-end and back-end technologies
Website development
Stage
Steps
1. Planning
 Planning the site scope, architecture and navigation
 Needs assessment: Staff, external consultants, hardware,
software, connectivity, project management....
 Development and maintenance budgets
2. Design
 Designing the site look & feel
 Storyboards for key web page functionality
3. Development
 Writing the content
 Coding in HTML, CSS, scripts, server-scripts, multimedia, Java,
etc.
 Development of a content management system, i.e. interfaces to
databases and transactions systems that will keep the contents
updated
 Tests for functionality and error checks, possibly through an
intermediate 'stage server'
Website development
Stage
Steps
4. Hosting
Publishing the website to the Internet/Intranet/Extranet, either on
through external ISP or the company's own server
5. Maintenance
Setting up organisational unit responsible for maintaining the
website support and keeping contents current.
 Preproduction planning is crucial for success. One of the
first steps is to decide a goal for the website, and to set a
budget to reach that goal
 Web sites should in principle be cross-browser compatible,
unless the target audience is an internal Intranet only.
Intranet
• An intranet is a website created for the internal use
of an organisation for communication among
employees.
• It uses the same technologies as the public Internet
but is accessible only to authorized staff.
• Web technogies are cheap: Intranets are much less
expensive to build than private networks and
provide a tool for keeping employees informed.
Intranet contents
• HR procedures and policies, orientation and training, code
of conduct, etc.
• Safety handbook of the organisation
• Quality handbook of the organisation
• Technical support from IT Dept
• A company 'library' of electronic books that the company
has licence to use
• General: Phone book, internal job postings, news, etc.
• An intranet can also facilitate the exchange of information
and sharing of resources between member of a workgroup
or project.
Advantages of Web use in construction:
• Easily connect globally to a vast amount of
data
• Enhanced coordination and communication
• Promotion and marketing for the company
• The web as a collaboration tool through
project-specific web sites.
• Development tools relatively simple
Project web sites
Project websites
Due to new technologies information overload is a
problem in any project environment, and this applies
also to the typical construction project. Studies
suggest that information transmitted on a typical
project is overloading design and construction
professionals with a sea of paperwork. A large part
of the information is pushed to collegues on a "justin-case-they-need-it" basis. E-mail, fax, mobile
phones and even a photocopy machine have created
an environment of excessive information ‘push’.
Project websites
• Alternative to ‘information push’ is ‘information
pull’. Necessary information (which may be hard
to find) is available on the project web site
• Information pull can avoid information overload
• A PSWS can be a step towards an integrated
construction; all parties can log on, share and
search information
• It can also be a step towards knowledge
management in the organisation, experience
learned from projects are stored
Project website (example)
The Internet
MAIN PAGE
 Project Participants
 Project Description/
location/photos
 Project Players
Communications
Announcements
Discussion section
File Library
Meeting minutes
RFI log
Schedule
Design Drawings
Specifications
Resources page
Government links
Building codes
Password
secured
access point
(Firewall)
Support
Plug-ins
Tutorials
Project website (example)
Daily site
records
Schedule
&
progress
Specs
&
drawings
Entry
page
Project website
The stages covered by web-based project
management software can be categorized into
the following :
1. Tender Stage
2. Design and Construction Stage - project
information exchange
3. Trading (e-business/commerce)
Project website
Successful implementation of Web-based tools not
only requires a state of readiness within one
organization, but within all those involved in this
process.
In order for the construction industry to
successfully embrace Web-enabled project
management tools, at a large scale, it must equally
consider technology, process and people.
XML
• HTML has predefined tags. In XML
(eXtensible Markup Language) the
vocabulary of tags is freely extensible
• XML has much wider scope than HTML
• It is generally accepted as the future carrier
of web content and already the carrier for ebusiness protocols.
XML
XML content can be converted to HTML by a style
sheet (XLS), but XML is not limited to Web
browsers
DTD
or Schema
Other Web
connected
device
XML
data
XLS
HTML
DTD
or Schema
XML & e-business
• Business-to-Business (B2B). An agreement of XML tag
semantics allow for an e-business protocol. Uses include
electronic trading, electronic tendering, online bidding,
online request for quotations, electronic information
exchange, online project management, virtual enterprises,
electronic banking.
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C): includes online retailing,
online consulting, online real state, online servicing, and
online training.
• Intra-organizational: includes enterprise workflow, cooperative design over the network, managing and sharing
documents and drawings, online meetings.
E-business
• A B2B e-business standard, in general, involves
the description of the message formats exchanged
(e.g. purchase order), transport protocols (e.g.
HTTP), the sequencing (e.g. after sending a
purchase order message, an acknowledgement
message must be received), the process (e.g. after
a purchase order is accepted, the goods must be
delivered to the buyer), and the security to be
provided (like encryption, non-repudiation).
E-business in construction
supply chain
Intraorganisational
Intraorganisational
Consumer-to-consumer
Supplier 1
Supplier 2
Business-tobusiness (B2B)
Supplier 3
ORGANISATION
CLIENT
Users/Customers
Contractor/Designer
Business-to-business
(B2B)
Business-to-customer
(B2C)
Mobile Internet
• The fastest growing method of web
browsing is through wireless, handheld
devices
• The 'mobile revolution' is about
convergence of technologies: computing +
Internet technologies + networking +
telecommunications.
Wireless protocol options
Protocol
Description
GSM
Very successful standard for voice but less suitable for
data due to low data rates (9600 bps)
GPRS
GSM overlay protocol allowing for higher data transfer
speeds
WLAN
Wireless LAN. Data rates are very high (for the 'b'
(IEEE 802.11)
standard up to 11 Mbps, but coverage is limited to
(IEEE 802.11b) certain areas ~150 meters from each access point.
Bluetooth
Short-range, high rate protocol between devices.
UMTS
UMTS belongs to the 3rd generation of mobile
communications. In the initial stages speeds are likely
to be 64-384 kbps, - much faster when stationary.
Networks not yet rolled out in Turkey.
Mobile devices
Mobile Phones
Extremely mobile GPRS
phones are available, but they
have very small WAP screens
with few lines and simple
graphics – too small for
effective use of data
applications. Relatively low
functionality software.
Mobile devices
Smartphones
Integrated GSM/GPRS phone
and PDA organiser. Larger
screen (e.g. 160x160 pixels or
more) suitable for e-mail,
limited web browsing and
small versions of office
applications
Mobile devices
Pocket PCs
Fast 32-bit processors and
64+ MB memory run
powerful programs, better
display e.g. 16-bit colour in
240 by 320 pixels or more.
Integrated wireless
networking is restricted to
Bluetooth, but add-ons for
WLAN are available as plugin cards
Mobility: Possibilities to bring IT
onto construction sites
Camera
plug-in
Large screen for
easy entry and
viewing of data
Autodesk
OnSite
WLAN connection card
(later GPRS / UMTS?)
Appendix: i-mode
• i-modeTM, the system created by Japanese
cellular operator NTT DoCoMo has
acquired +30 million users (Mid 2002) in
Japan alone, having started in 1999.
• In Europe i-mode is marketed by e.g.
E-plus (Germany, owned by Dutch KPN)
• To create web pages for the i-mode
system, developers have to employ a
special subset of HTML known as
compact HTML (cHTML), which
includes some extra tags.
WAP and i-mode
• WAP language WML forms a subset of XML. The data
only has to be created once (in XML) and can then fed to
both WAP servers and HTML based Web servers. With imode to achieve the same result one must create two
separate sets of data (XML & cHTML)
• i-mode supports colour graphics, WAP does not
• i-mode is proprietary technology whereas WAP is the
result of co-operation between the handset vendors and the
software industry in the WAP Forum
• WAP is relative failure; i-mode is a big success with
private consumers