Theory of Information System in Construction Industry, not BIM, BIM, BIM, "The Collective Potential"

When someone talks about an Information System for construction. You many times hear BIM, BIM, BIM, BIM, BIMMITY, BIM as the answers.  Reminds me of the Monty Python skit where everything has SPAM.

Thinking BIM will solve your information problems in a construction project is short sighted.  Why?  If you don’t consider the quality of the data and how you reconcile perception issues of the data, then you can end up with an Information system that is not as trustworthy as you expect.

Rejected information is the result of a conscious determination that the information is not valid based on differences of opinion of perceived untruth.

If this topic has your interest, then you may enjoy reading “The Collective Potential” by Andreas Phelps.  I’ve traded some e-mail with Andreas and have read book quickly, and reading it again.  The fun I am having is testing answers on how to address the issues that Andreas brings up.  So far, I haven’t been stumped yet.  The nice thing of spending 26 years at HP, Apple, and Microsoft, and now 8 years on my own, there are lots of people I know to chat about information systems. I haven’t had the urge to write a book, but this may be a subject that may get me to write a longer paper.

The Collective Potential: A Holistic Approach to Managing Information Flow in Collaborative Design and Construction Environments Paperback

by Andreas Floros Phelps (Author)
Information flow is the foundation of any project. However, the major limiting factor is not the lack of information, but the inability to effectively integrate useful information into a project. By bringing together the fields of organizational science, organizational behavior, and information science, this book explores the interplay of social, technical, and technological factors influencing information flow. By understanding these concepts, managers can strategically leverage the social and technical characteristics of their project team, processes, and tools to enable positive iterations of trust and learning. These serve as the basis for effective information flow and result in significant improvements in information sharing, decision-making, and project outcomes. This unique perspective provides holistic insights regarding the management of team interactions, project planning, and the overarching structure and strategies used within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. These findings have significant implications for the: 1) The types of competencies and tools needed in the AEC industry; 2) How the industry approaches management and integration; and 3) The types of organizational structures and innovative strategies that will allow teams to make the best use of their valuable knowledge and realize their greatest collective potential.

Pssst, Aspirin may be good for health beyond heart disease, reduce your cancer risk

I am an old guy, turning 54 this year.  My Dad died from Colon Cancer when he was 64, only 10 years older than I will be shortly.  I have had three colonscopy tests to make sure I am OK.  My cholesterol is managed with a statin.  I don’t smoke, get an annual physical, and work out 4-5 times a week.

What else can I do?  Taking a daily dose of aspirin is recommended with some risks.

Daily aspirin therapy: Understand the benefits and risks

Is an aspirin a day the right thing for you? It's not as easy a decision as it sounds. Know the benefits and risks before considering daily aspirin therapy.

One of the studies that got attention is from my friends at RMS who have a study on the financial risk to pension funds if adults take daily aspirin, creating a $100 billion increased cost to support adults who live longer.

Rise in Aspirin Use Likely to Increase Pensioner Life Expectancy

  • NEWARK, Calif. – April 02, 2013 –

  • Recent medical reports have confirmed the growing body of evidence that taking a daily low-dose of aspirin reduces cancer mortality, in addition to its known benefits for cardiovascular health. Experts believe around 15% of current cancer deaths could be prevented by daily aspirin use with benefits beginning as early as three years into treatment. Conventional cancer treatments are expensive and new treatments typically require a lengthy approval process. By contrast, aspirin is inexpensive and readily available and has the potential for rapid uptake.

Based on these new findings, RMS modeled several potential scenarios of daily aspirin uptake which revealed that a typical 65 year-old male could see a 12-month increase in life expectancy and a 40% increase in the chance of living to 100, depending on a variety of lifestyle factors.*

Women’s risk of heart disease is significant and there is evidence aspirin helps with cancer’s that impact women.

Previous research has suggested that aspirin may help to reduce the risk of breast cancer and melanoma. Now, new research from the National Institutes of Health suggests that women who take low-dose aspirin every day may reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 20%.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Asia's Data Center Power Infrastructure

I have been staring at this post on DCD for a while to write my own post, then I realized the post was written by Schneider Electric SVP for APAC, Philippe Arsonneau.

 

ASIA PACIFIC’S POWER CHALLENGE

 

Will power will take on new importance in 2014?

 

10 February 2014 by Schneider Electric SVP for APAC, Philippe Arsonneau

 

 

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Asia Pacific’s power challenge
burning power: Singapore at night

One of the major trends we see for businesses moving into the New Year is the need for green, efficient IT, especially in Asia Pacific.  As IT demands increase, so too does the data center’s power expenditure. Analyst firm Frost & Sullivan notes that more than 80% of the major data centers in Asia Pacific are running at close to 90% capacity. Companies across the region are struggling to cope with changes while data center capacity is constrained by inefficient equipment and stranded power.

 


I found this post useful to provide information on what is the current state of power in Asia that I have heard from friends.  Until I find a public disclosure though, I didn't feel comfortable writing about the situation.

Here are some good facts.

In terms of energy efficient data centers, parts of Asia – particularly the developing South East Asian countries – are falling behind due to a combination of factors including poor internet connectivity infrastructure (Indonesia), unstable power and inadequate power supply (Malaysia), developing standards (Vietnam). The more established countries include the likes of Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong. But that’s not to say they don’t also face challenges.

Part of why companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have built data centers in Singapore is the stable power infrastructure.

Singapore is a very mature market in terms of technology compared to emerging countries such as Thailand and Indonesia. The Singapore IDA initiated its iN2015 master plan in 2005 to grow the infocomm sector and build up IT infrastructure. This initiative encouraged many major players to set up their data centers as early as almost a decade ago.

The call to action is good.  You can’t just think of the data center in isolation of the IT load.  The opportunities are to think of the synergy between the facilities and the IT load.

What is required in 2014? 
Effective and comprehensive energy management goes beyond IT. As such, senior IT executives will need to work closely with their facility management colleagues to put in place a comprehensive energy management strategy.  They will also need to develop a more holistic and end-to-end approach towards their data center strategy and energy management as opposed to seeking piecemeal solutions such as server virtualization or DCIM.

To operate energy efficient and reliable data centers that are able to cope with the exponential growth of data brought on by smart cities, it is important that business take a holistic and end-to-end approach towards their data center strategy.



Wouldn't it be so much Easier if Google had a map of where there Barges are?

CNET writes about the Google Barge moving to Stockton.  Wow isn’t that exciting.  :-)

It's official: Google Barge moving to Stockton

The floating showroom is expected to set sail for its new home as early as next week. Now, maybe Google will finally tell us what's behind all the black netting and scaffolding.

by 
 February 26, 2014 5:04 PM PST

Google Barge is said to be moving to Stockton, Calif., as early as next week, weather permitting.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
It would be so much easier if Google would just share the location like where is James Hamilton’s boat?
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