Sep 19 2008

Relevance – not sheep!

Ever since I first got interested in what we now understand loosely as Web 2.0, I have been looking for ways to make it relevant to my day-to-day job. For example, I started blogging three years ago to create an online presence to expand on the content of my book (flyer); at BIW, I have promoted the use of wikis and blogs to share knowledge and develop ideas within the company; I routinely use RSS feeds and news aggregators to gather information from around the web; I subscribe to a few networking communities and discussion forums; and I have been Tweeting since the Spring.

However, when I talk about some of this to friends within the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, I often get quizzical looks and dismissive suggestions that this is all “kids’ stuff” and not “real business” (and this is despite Web 2.0 now being embraced by some mainstream construction publications – see post). Even attempts to get some very collaboration-oriented individuals to start using online networking tools have, so far, met with a fairly cool response. While some individuals are enthusiastic, others have remained immune from exhortations even to just try them out (fellow blogger Martin Brown and I have experimented with Facebook and LinkedIn for two parallel communities of collaborative working enthusiasts – the latter, perhaps because it is seen as more professional, has been only slightly more successful).

So, reading Internetnews.com yesterday, the article Throwing Sheep’s Great, But… struck a chord. The piece reports remarks by internet media tycoon Tim O’Reilly that, while the world was beset by problems like global warming, financial meltdown, poverty and disease, some of its best software developers were creating applications that urge their users to “Throw Sheep at Your Friends”! No, he protested. Instead, he urged, work on Web 2.0 applications that can make a difference while making a profit in the process. “One of the most robust strategies” for entrepreneurs and developers, O’Reilly said, is to “work on stuff that matters…. Do stuff that needs to be done.”

This, I think, is a key message for me and my fellow Web 2.0 fans to convey to the rest of the construction sector (and to those vying to offer applications in that space) – not least at the forthcoming Be2camp event. We need to show that Web 2.0 has a valid role in helping the AEC sector improve how it works, especially when the industry is facing major challenges from climate change and economic downturns.

Fortunately, I don’t think this is difficult – at least at the technology level – when we are regularly being told that we need to work more collaboratively. As I described in March (see Web 2.0 and construction collaboration), Web 2.0 tools can make information-sharing easier and more transparent, can accelerate and enrich information flows, and can enable new levels of collaboration. But, once again, it is the non-technology aspects – people and processes – that can hamper AEC collaboration. Adherence to hierarchical structures, perceived irrelevance and security concerns can all be used as excuses not to embrace what some in the AEC sector currently understand as Web 2.0.

But when you see the productivity improvements that arise from using Wikis to manage knowledge within architectural practices (see post) or collaborative platforms across multi-company project teams, when you avoid information overload by using iGoogle and RSS feeds to pull relevant information onto your desktop, when you can visualise information in different ways (perhaps mapped onto Google Maps, organised into timelines, or prototyped in Second Life), when you can swiftly share design concepts and get community feedback, and when you can quickly locate and network with other professionals in your chosen discipline, then the virtues of Web 2.0 become clearer.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/relevance-not-sheep/

Sep 18 2008

Karl Marx and SaaS

A copy of this week’s Computer Weekly landed on my desk this morning, open at an article by Nick Booth entitled SaaS weakens IT’s role in business [not yet available online]. Probably the first article to link Karl Marx to the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) revolution, Nick delivers some very quotable quotes:

“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce, according to Karl Marx. Is software as a service a tragi-comic re-run of the application service provider (ASP) model – a lovely idea that did not work in practice?

“The history of IT could be seen as one long class struggle. The workers – led by their departmental heads – struggle to get their hands on the means of production, to which IT limits access. …”

While some cynics dismiss SaaS, Nick points out that SaaS has advanced considerable since the ASP days, and – as I have discussed previously – the futures of many CIOs or IT directors and their departments could depend on how well they incorporate SaaS solutions into their organisations’ workings:

“As early adopters of SaaS know, it has one great advantage – it takes some of the responsibility away from the CIO or head of IT. On the other hand, it has one terrible side-effect – it takes some of the responsibility away from the CIO or head of IT.”

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/karl-marx-and-saas/

Sep 16 2008

TfL mashup idea

While looking for ideas for topics at Be2camp, I came across another cool suggestion on Show Us a Better Way, the UK Cabinet Office’s Web 2.0 competition site for ideas to unlock the potential of publicly-held information (see posts here and here). James O’Malley has suggested opening up Transport for London (TfL) data and making it available to mashup with Google Maps, mobile phones, etc. As an Oyster Card user, I also really like the suggestion of linking it to location tools like Yahoo Fire Eagle.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/tfl-mashup-idea/

Sep 16 2008

From project management to asset management

When does a construction ‘project’ become an ‘asset’? I guess sometime around hand-over, when it ceases to be something planned, designed and constructed within a relatively short time-frame and budget by a project team, and becomes something that needs to be managed over a much longer period by/for the owner/operator. (Schemes being delivered as a private finance initiative or public-private partnership (PFI/PPP) are different, of course; here, procurement usually involves the delivery consortium taking additional responsibility for management of the built asset for a concession period that may be 20 or 30 years long – giving a different perspective on the lifetime value of the asset; see also my 2005 post Be Valuable: The Saxon report.)

Information collated from the initial briefing stage, through conceptual and detailed design, to construction, snagging and hand-over has great value during the ‘project phase, but the minutiae of how an asset was created is often less important to the owner/operator than what has actually been delivered. And over time, as further projects are undertaken to repair, refurbish, extend or augment the original built asset, or as additional similar projects are undertaken in other locations, the owner/operator simply wants an up-to-date view of data relating to the current built asset(s), regardless of how and when construction was phased.

I make these points to try to make it clear that construction project data needs to be capable of being constantly reorganised and restructured if it is to be of value to facilities managers and others. During the operational life of an asset, the initial design and as-built information is very quickly complemented by new data about how assets are performing, their repair and maintenance requirements, health and safety issues, energy use, etc. Focus switches to managing issues such as sustainability, the impacts of changing demographics, compliance with new regulatory frameworks and the like (perhaps in the future with a building information model, BIM, as the basis for asset management, as outlined by BSRIA’s Andrew Eastwell at this summer’s BuildingSMART conference – see post). And, in many instances, managers are not solely focused on a single asset, but are looking to make strategic investment decisions across multiple assets (eg: 100 supermarkets within a region, 10 hospital buildings of different vintages, branch offices in 15 different locations, etc), and so need to mashup both pan-asset data and market intelligence drawn from a range of internal and external sources.

(Such issues will, I hope, be covered at Be2camp in London on 10 October, and at a forthcoming SCRI forum seminar on asset management on 16 October at the University of Salford – see events listing.)

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/from-project-management-to-asset-management/

Sep 11 2008

Expanding horizons for NCCTP?

Yesterday saw the first meeting of the Network of Construction Collaboration Technology Providers (NCCTP) since the restructure of its host organisation Constructing Excellence.

As well as ongoing discussions about the future and role of the NCCTP, we also heard from representatives of two other initiatives: mobile IT COMIT‘s Neill Pawsey, and Avanti’s champion Mervyn Richards. Both were invited to attend by Constructing Excellence to see what potential synergies there might be between the different groups, and it was clear to me that the NCCTP should seek to build alliances with both initiatives.

Some collaboration vendors are already developing tools that can be accessed via PDA-type devices – [my employer] BIW, for example, has a hand-held defects management solution that is integrated with its core platform, allowing on-site data capture and re-use of information by other team members – so we should be working with COMIT to develop case studies on such experiences.

And as the Avanti approach has now been incorporated into an updated British Standard (BS1192 pt5:2007) that will guide team processes, particularly in the challenging field of building information modelling (BIM), we should be ensuring that the appropriate new mixes of people, processes and technologies are efficiently developed to support new, more collaborative approaches to projects.

I was encouraged that Constructing Excellence CEO Don Ward suggested that it might be worth focusing on the role of ICT in collaborative working at a future CE members event. We’ll have to see if we can make that happen.

UCI

This combined meeting also formed a useful opportunity to debate progress with the Uniting Construction Information umbrella organisation (about which I had heard nothing since May – see BuildingSMART 2008 conference programme revealed – and it was a no-show at the BuildingSMART event). UCI now has its own website – www.ucinet.info – hosted by Constructing Excellence, and there has apparently been talk about holding a conference, though different people have different views on the nature of such an event; some want a three-day chat-fest for academics, it seems, while others are urging a one-day event that would attract busy construction practitioners. And, like most membership bodies (NCCTP included), the UCI struggles to retain the ongoing involvement of all its components – some, I hear, are already somewhat detached from the initiative.

Related posts:

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/expanding-horizons-for-ncctp/

Sep 08 2008

Business users fuel SaaS growth in Asia Pacific

Springboard Research‘s Rishi Seth has been in touch with a press release announcing major findings from their latest research report, Software-as-a-Service in APAC: The Momentum Continues, which also has some good news for those, like me, interested in the collaboration field.

According to this report, simplicity and ease-of-use of SaaS are encouraging many business users in Asia to adopt SaaS applications independently, sometimes without the involvement of their IT departments. Buoyed by this support from actual users, the SaaS market in Asia is expected to soar between 2008 and 2010, reaching an estimated US$1.8 billion by 2011.

SaaS awareness in the region has reached an all time high, but customers are still grappling with issues like finding the right application, ensuring reliable connectivity, data reliability and security.

In terms of penetration, the technology, manufacturing and financial services industries are the leading verticals in the region to adopt SaaS applications, particularly for CRM (customer relationship management). Australia remains the largest and the most mature SaaS market in the region, while SaaS momentum has demonstrated strong growth in many parts of India and China as vendors have started focusing and investing more in these markets. Balaka Baruah Aggarwal, Springboard’s Senior Manager of Emerging Software says:

“There are opportunities for SaaS across many applications, but Springboard believes that on-demand collaboration will emerge as the most pervasive SaaS application as more and more enterprises seek to both leverage and empower an increasingly distributed workforce.” [my emphasis]

Related posts:

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/business-users-fuel-saas-growth-in-asia-pacific/

Sep 02 2008

Google enters browser battle

When I was finalising my book manuscript in early 2005, around 94 per cent of all web users used Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, but as I noted on this blog later that year, other browsers – notably Mozilla’s Firefox – were beginning to nibble away at IE’s dominance (see Webware post for latest stats). And earlier this year, I began using a Firefox-based alternative, the ‘social’ browser Flock, in preference to IE. Now it seems I will have another choice. Google is about to launch its own open source browser, Chrome, and the blogosphere is abuzz; for example:

  • According to the BBC, a Chrome Beta for Windows will be available for download from this evening in the UK, and is “designed to be lightweight and fast, and to cope with the next generation of web applications that rely on graphics and multimedia”
  • the BBC’s dot.life blog points out: “This is going to mean more work for web developers. It may be based on open standards but undoubtedly web application designers are going to have to take into account the quirks and differences of Chrome to really exploit the browser.”
  • What’s it look like? Webware has a first screenshot (and links to previous Chrome-posts) here.
  • In The cloud’s Chrome lining, Nicholas Carr says Chrome “is the first browser built from the ground up with the idea of running applications rather than displaying pages“… “Chrome is the first cloud browser.” As such, it could even be argued that Chrome is effectively a step on the road to replacing Windows as the operating system behind applications.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/google-enters-browser-battle/

Sep 02 2008

Urban BIM

Two months ago, I wrote about Show Us a Better Way, the UK Cabinet Office’s Web 2.0 competition for ideas to unlock the potential of publicly-held information. The flow of ideas shows no signs of stopping, and while some ideas are repeated, there are occasional gems. Today, I noted a suggestion from a Michael Blom that, while needing further work, ties in neatly with building information modelling (BIM), IFCs and all that:

Building Information Modeling of UK’s urban area buildings

Describe your idea. How does it work and who does it help?

A xml language which is designed for 3d building models holds not only the shape parameters, but also all the attributes of the building.  Information starting from the proposals for the building, to the architects and their related information, to the electricians, builders etc.  The architects, who would be the main ones responsible for updating the xml data, would gain the benefit of having access to a user contributed database of all the buildings within a city, which would also be a 3d model.

What information or services do you need?

A defined and accepted XML language (exists already?) to describe buildings’ shapes and attributes.  An application to provide an interface to edit the xml data.  Security and permissions to define who has access to what parts of the the XML.  A means of viewing the model and its attributes… a KML converter to view in Google Earth?

The technologies to promote this approach largely already exist (we’ve been talking about nD BIM for some years, of course, and BuildingSMART’s Industry Foundation Classes, IFCs, were to be the interoperable ‘glue’ holding it all together), but Michael’s proposal could be improved. For a start, why task the architects with updating the data? Other consultants, main contractors, specialist contractors, materials and component suppliers, the buildings owners, operators and end-users might all be able to contribute. But, as Michael suggests, why stop at just the building? Why not model entire neighbourhoods in this way…?

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/urban-bim/

Sep 01 2008

Construction gets Twittering

On Friday afternoon, I got my first Tweets from UK trade magazines Construction News and New Civil Engineer, as two of the Emap Construct titles took their first steps into the Web 2.0 world of Twitter. Initially, @CNPlus went into overdrive repeating itself several times over but it’s now sorted out an RSS problem with its Twitterfeed; @NCEmagazine has so far taken a more, er, leisurely approach.

(Update, 2 September 2008: The NCE feed has gone mad! Lots of repeated Tweets, I think, due to a similar Twitterfeed problem to CNPlus. Sort it out, NCE!)

(Update, 4 September 2008: The NCE feed is now repeating the same five stories hourly, quickly alienating its followers. If you’re going to Tweet, NCE, do it right!)

This morning, following the launch of Constructing Excellence‘s new-look website, I discovered its Twitter feed and have also now started following its tweets @constructingexc.

Be2camp

These two developments are perhaps the latest indications of a growing awareness and adoption of such tools within the UK mainstream architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, but we are still only scratching the surface. This is one of the reasons that I am involved in Be2camp, an online grouping which is promoting an innovative event next month at the Building Centre in London (and online).

For Web 2.0 newbies or sceptics from the AEC sector, be2camp will give a valuable introduction to Web 2.0 technologies and their potential to support, augment or improve existing forms of collaboration and communication.

For Web 2.0 enthusiasts, it’s worth pointing out that the AEC sector comprises around 10% of UK GDP and so there is a potentially huge market for relevant Web 2.0 applications, from simple micro-blogging tools (like Twitter) through to mapping tools, applications for mobile devices, support for building information modelling (BIM), planning, facilities management, building online communities, etc, etc.

And whether you love or loathe ICT, we should all be concerned about creating a more sustainable environment for ourselves and future generations, and this will be an underpinning theme throughout Be2camp. Please join the Be2camp community, register to attend the event and – above all – participate.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/09/construction-gets-twittering/

Aug 29 2008

4Projects to open US and Canada bases

UK SaaS-based construction collaboration technology vendor 4Projects is looking to establish bases in the US and Canada, reports north-east England regional newspaper The Journal.

A year after its private equity-backed MBO (see post), marketing director Duncan Mactear says “We have continued to increase revenue, turnover and most importantly for the region, we have increased the number of staff up to 60 people.”

He continued: “We opened an office employing one permanent staff member and a consultant in Houston and there is a lot of activity in Calgary in Canada. I think it’s almost impossible to sell to Americans from the UK. You really do need someone out on the ground.”

4Projects apparently aims to open an office in Canada shortly and expects to employ five staff between that and its US interests. “It’s a strange time to go into the American market. A lot of companies are pulling back but we are focused very much on the natural resources market – Calgary is very important in the oil and gas industry,” Duncan says.

Other construction collaboration technology businesses looking at the north American markets include Australian Aconex and another UK-based provider BIW Technologies [my employer]. Aconex lists sales and services offices in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, plus salesmen in Boston, Denver and Vancouver, while BIW recently won a major commission in Seattle for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (see BIW news release).

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2008/08/4projects-to-open-us-and-canada-bases/

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