A project-specific websites, extranets and intranets become increasingly common in construction projects, BIW Technologies (formerly Building Information Warehouse) has launched a new version of its collaboration technology, the Project Information Channel, which will now be known as ‘Information Channel’.

The product, which has been in development since the mid-1990’s, is based on original principles put forward by Sir Michael Latham (now non-executive deputy chairman of BIW). The basic principles centre on the need to remove the chance for misinformation occurring in the construction project supply chain and the wisdom that this can only be achieved through dissemination of information via a central repository. The whole team shares just one set of data, which can then be made available to the client at the close of the project. In addition to savings on day-to-day costs (e.g. on printing, postage, etc), potential long-term savings exist through the ability to reduce mistakes and re-working and avoid project delays.

BIW set out to construct such a central repository which became the Information Channel, an ‘asset-centric’ solution accessible via the Internet in which each party publishes information which is then disseminated automatically to each chain member. Every ‘view’ of the central model can then be adapted to suit each individual user.

The by-product is a structured repository of data that the client can refer to and update in the future, as required, and a tool that encourages collaboration between all parties throughout the project lifecycle.

Implementation is via a PC or Mac with a browser and Internet connection (the system is quickly accessed and can even be used via a mobile phone); no software needs to be downloaded. The software and data are made available from a secure location for a fixed monthly subscription.

The new issue, version 3.0 incorporates additional features, developed in response to users’ requests, which include the ability to choose the language in which to work. The first major change is that each user’s home page is now configurable and information complementary to the compulsory project summary can be chosen to customise the screen. The home page can also indicate documents for review in the user’s associated projects.

The second enhancement is the creation of BIW’s own CAD viewer, which is usable on PC and Mac, views all files and can be downloaded quickly. The viewer offers features such as distance and area measurement and a facility to mark up drawings; the latter feature enables all the dialogue exchanged over an issue to be retained and made separately searchable. (The developers hope that this may in turn encourage more transparent working practices and hence decrease the likelihood of litigation.) In addition, previous editions of drawings may be viewed, providing an instantly accessible revision history.

Other new features include a project calendar for project meeting management; support for Request for Information (RFIs), Technical Questions (TQs) and for issuing instructions, simplifying information sharing within disparate teams; and a ‘document explorer’ search facility to help locate and view documents quickly.

At the end of May 2001, 359 projects were using the Information Channel, which included 919 companies and approximately 5500 individual users.