Author: Jeffers, E
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Jeffers, E
The Structural Engineer, Volume 75, Issue 15, 1997
Increasingly, structural engineers are required to work in virtual construction project teams which are not collocated. In many cases, these transient project teams (which collaborate for relatively short periods in the design and construction of a facility) are geographically distributed in locations which span several continents and time zones. In these situations, information and communications technologies have an important role to play. This paper reviews the newer and emergent information and communications technologies which structural engineers need to appropriate as they seek to operate in the evolving cyberspace. C.J. Anumba and A. Duke
Members will no doubt be aware that, some while ago, an Institution ‘CDM Task Group’ was formed to examine ways in which information and advice on the CDM Regulations could be disseminated to members. To gauge the needs of members in this respect, workshops have been held by several local branches of the Institution, and the results of these are currently being assessed; it is envisaged that areas of concern, as expressed by those present at the workshops, will be addressed through the pages of The Structural Engineer in the near future. In the meanwhile, however, some of the most frequently expressed areas of concern are addressed below. M.J. Stokes
Communications The transfer of information is becoming increasingly dependent upon the use of computers and links between them. Many of the objectives which the Institution has set itself can be attained by utilising information technology to reach an audience who would otherwise be difficult to contact. Systems for making long-range contact with widely separated centres and individuals are growing rapidly. They include: - e-mail - CD-Rom - ISDN (special high-speed communications) - ED1 (electronic data interchange) A.J.M. Soane