A model for the development of a building material information system

This paper aims to propose a model that enables building material information sharing through a web-based environment by providing access to any sort of upto- date and accurate building material information on any phase of the building production process. The proposed model provides a mechanism for disseminating classified building material information for decision makers to search for building materials based on the building production phases and effective criteria. Firstly, a field survey was conducted among the main decision makers on building product selection. The survey findings were discussed with a focus group to explore the meanings of survey results at a deeper level and to perform the process analysis for the model development. Then, a process analysis was performed by adopting IDEF-0 technique, to describe the steps and decisions involved in the flow of the building material selection. Accordingly, a model was proposed by coding it with C# language and necessary interfaces were created and tested to show how the system performs. The model enables decision makers to access necessary information in the shortest time and in accordance with the phases of the building production process. With the usage of the model, decision makers can gain time and cost savings by accessing different sort of building material information with less effort and time. The development of the model is an important step for the construction industry in terms of the acquisition of up-to-date and accurate building material information by collecting and distributing all building material information from a single source.