Geographic information systems in the construction industry.pdf

No. 82. 1997 Editor: Peter HarlowE-mail: ******@.ukGEOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONSYSTEMS IN THECONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY-AN UNDERUSED RESOURCE?by P. McMahon BEng, MSc, MCIOBProfessional ServicesThe Chartered Institute of BuildingEnglemereKings RideAscotBerkshireSL5 7TBAfter graduating from the University ofSheffield in 1970, Patrick McMahon workedfor 10 years as an engineer for consultingand anisations in the UK andCanada, on a wide variety of schemes fromhousing estates to a dam and nuclear powerstation. From 1980 he has worked at theNorth East Wales Institute of HigherEducation as a lecturer and then Seniorlecturer in the school of Architecture, Urbanand Regional Studies, teaching variousareas of construction technology puter applications in interests puter-aideddesign and geographic information systems(GIS). His paper is based on a MScdissertation on the use of GIS in theconstruction industry which gained Information Systems (GISs)have been promoted as powerful tools foruse in the construction industry for over adecade (DOE, 1987) and have been usedto great effect on such prestigious projectsas London Docklands Redevelopment(Howland, 1993) and the Channel TunnelRoil Link (Oman,1996). Even so, anisations are unaware oftheir potential. This paper aims to increaseawareness and understanding of theadvantages and pitfalls of adopting