Information systems in Information systems in AECAEC

Žiga Turk

Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za gradbeništvo in geodezijo

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OutlineOutline

• information system: definition, way of integrated a construction virtual organization

• information technology vs. information system

• information systems in the new economy

• role of information technology in designing

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core business

Construction organization Construction organization and its environmentand its environment

construction

planningdesignfinance

accounting

competitors

customers

stockholders

authorities

suppliers

humanresources

salesand

marketing

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Construction industry:Construction industry:a virtual enterprisea virtual enterprise

core business

construction

planningdesignfinance

accountinghuman

resources

salesand

marketing

contractor

core business

construction

planningdesignfinance

accountinghuman

resources

salesand

marketing

sub-contractor

core business

construction

planningdesignfinance

accountinghuman

resources

salesand

marketing

sub-contractor

owner

core business

construction

planningdesignfinance

accountinghuman

resources

salesand

marketing

facility manager

information

material

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What are the arrows?What are the arrows?

• information, money– easy to move

• material,energy– hard to move

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Information:Information:Bringing the pieces togetherBringing the pieces together

• information sharing, communication• inside organisation

– collaboration– co-ordination– control– management

• outside organisation– partnering– integration

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Information SystemsInformation Systems

• System: regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole [m-w]– political system, postal system, structural system

• Information system: Interrelated components working together to collect, process, store, disseminate information to support decision making, co-ordination, control, analysis, synthesis and visualisation in an organisation [Laudon]

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Components of an Components of an information systeminformation system• material

– users and providers, hardware, netware

• digital– software, data

• organisational– agreements, protocols, rules, operating

procedures– roles, rights, duties

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Information systems in the Information systems in the information businessesinformation businesses• Traditional IS:

– support management

– support non-core, non value adding activities

• IS in the new economy:– information is the product

– IS used to make the product, not only to manage or support its production

core business

construction

planningdesignfinance

accountinghuman

resources

salesand

marketing

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Information Technology, Information Technology, computer science (IT)computer science (IT)• information systems are implemented using IT

• Information technology: “something which includes equipment, applications, and services that are used by organisations to deliver data, information, and knowledge to individuals and processes

• The term "computer science" is usually reserved for the more theoretical, academic aspects of computing, while the vaguer terms "information systems" (IS) or "information services" may include more of the human activities and non-computerised business processes like knowledge management.

• Others say that IT includes computer science. [foldoc]

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Information technology:Information technology:More definitionsMore definitions• technologies that deliver data, information and

knowledge to individuals or processes [turk]– traditional methods (drawings, speech, p-mail)

– electronic methods

• something which includes equipment, applications, and services that are used by organisations to deliver data, information, and knowledge to individuals and processes (Mentor, 1997)

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Challenges of IS in AEC:Challenges of IS in AEC:

• one-of-a-kind products

• one-of-a-kind process

• one-of-a-kind group of partners

• computers are good at repetitive tasks

• IT pays if it can be applied to many similar problems

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Further challengesFurther challenges

• different levels of IT literacy• high performance concrete consultant• subcontractor

• generally low IT literacy• office programs• drafting?• internet??

• bad environment for technology transfer • conservative industry - little innovation of core knowledge• life time learning not practiced• working on many projects at once, pressing deadlines

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Information systems in the Information systems in the new economynew economy

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Construction process has sub Construction process has sub processes - typesprocesses - types

• information– design,

production planning

• material– manufacturing,

building, transport

• (financial)– moving money

informationprocess

materialprocess

resources

controlinformationinformation technology

human/agent

information

resources

feedback information

construction technologyand techniques

constructionproduct

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old economy

new economy

GlobalizationGlobalization

• the freedom and the ease of moving of:– information– money– people and goods

• freedom: political

• ease: technical

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Old economyOld economy

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New economyNew economy

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Pure new economyPure new economy

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New economy is New economy is information economyinformation economy• the product is information !• information?

– you can write it in bits and bytes

– you can put it on a CD-ROM

• movies, music, books, printed media, web sites

• and also ...

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Information chargedInformation chargedmaterial economiesmaterial economies• example: NIKE

– manufacturingcost: 10%

• example: LEWIS– street price San

Francisco: $50– street price Istanbul: $10

• material content is shrinking:

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Material component is Material component is shrinkingshrinking

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Information systems for Information systems for designingdesigning

Žiga Turk

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Architecture (engineering)Architecture (engineering)

• architecture is about designing

• architecture is an information business

• what is designing?– designing ... the process– design … the result

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Three theories of designing, Three theories of designing, three roles of ITthree roles of IT• research process

– designing is search in a predefined set of possible solutions

• creative process– that predefined set does not

exist– designing is in the "aha"

moment

• reflection in action– designing is the

conversation with media and community

• assistant– does the search

• tool– hopefully does not stand in

the way too much– cannot do design

• media– provides communication

channels

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1 - What is designing1 - What is designing

• Simon: designing is “a process of changing existing situations into preferred ones”.

• how?

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seen solution space

blind solution space

1- Traditional view on 1- Traditional view on designingdesigning• there is a (predefined) space of potential

solutions

• designing is a search in the space of solutions– synthesis – creating alternatives– analysis – evaluating alternatives

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1- Computerized support 1- Computerized support for designingfor designing• computerized representation of the solution

space – of every possible solution – a schema

• tools to generate/synthesize solutions– manually – by drawing– automatically – using specialized tools

• tools to evaluate/analyze solutions– structural analysis programs

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1- Design is a research 1- Design is a research processprocess• Because it includes experiments such as:

– exploration ... see what follows

– move testing ... deliberate action with an end in mind

– hypothesis testing ... discrimination against competing hypotheses

• but: scientific research is about finding new general truths

• design is about transforming one current situation into a “preferred one”

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1- Artificial intelligence1- Artificial intelligence

• computer generates every theoretically possible alternative

• tests it

• finds the best

• SLOW!

• AI is about optimized search techniques– generating only the better alternatives

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2- Alternative view on 2- Alternative view on designingdesigning• pre-reflective actions, results of throwness

into the situation (Heidegger)

• observation of the problem as a whole

• “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”

• creative design!

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2-Computerized support2-Computerized support

• difficult, because:– software predefines a solution set - only certain kinds

of designs can be done with a program

– software detaches human from the real world, barrier between real world and a person

• software design issues– software that does not stand in the way between the

designer and “being in the world”

– software that does not predefine a solution space

– software that does not cause blindness

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2-Blindness2-Blindness

seen solution space

blind solution space

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3-Third view on designing3-Third view on designing

• reflection in action

• designing is a reflective conversation of the designer with:– the problem (through media such as paper,

computer screen)– with co-workers (through media again)

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3-Computerized support3-Computerized support

• computer as a medium

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Role(s) of computerRole(s) of computer

• assistant– compyter made design

• tool– (readiness to hand, “computer is like a violin”

• medium– conversation with problem– conversation with social environment

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RecapitulatioRecapitulatio

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Three theories of designing, Three theories of designing, three roles of ITthree roles of IT• research process

– designing is search in a predefined set of possible solutions

• creative process– that predefined set does not

exist– designing is in the "aha"

moment

• reflection in action– designing is the

conversation with media and community

• assistant– does the search

• tool– hopefully does not stand in

the way too much– cannot do design

• media– provides communication

channels

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Further readingFurther reading

• http://www.zturk.com/db/use/works/BrowseTree?field=topic&separator=:&recurse=1&order=AZ&value=information%3amodelling