Use of the Internet to enhance construction communication: Total Information Transfer System

In the construction industry, the impact of Information Technology (IT) on the design process has been acknowledged by designers for many years. However, construction management operations in Hong Kong do not enjoy the same share of computerization despite the recent great advance in IT and the availability of a wide range of software. This paper studies the potentials of IT in improving coordination between construction project participants or facilitating information transfer in construction projects. A system called "Total Information Transfer System" was developed which comprises six major functions including: data exchange and remote log in, Internet chat enhanced with on-screen drawings, live video-cam, search engine and e-mail system.