SPECIAL ISSUE EDITORIAL: Next Generation ICTs - How distant is ubiquitous computing?

[摘要] Traditional design development processes have come a long way from the use of drawing boards. The accelerated use of ICT-based digital systems means that the industry has steadily moved towards a digitized future. A future where increasingly unstructured information is created, shared, manipulated, stored, and archived in various digital media support the four pillars of visualization, integration, communication, and intelligence on which typical construction projects currently stand. The ICT field's growth, combined with the unprecedented advances in communication and network media usage, has resulted in hyper-interconnectivity globally. This hyperconnectivity through developments such as the Internet of Things (IoT) creates global opportunities for collaboration, which was not previously possible. It links 'human' and 'social' networks with 'technical' systems. With the vast volumes of digitally connected systems and the systems' data, new opportunities for learning have surfaced in the construction domain. The special issue targeted the state-of-the-art developments of next generation ICTs in the global arena. As with any new developments, new opportunities emerge and new challenges surface. The cautious late majority and the laggards, adopt a skeptical approach, that which is reserved and strewn in doubt. The innovators and the early majority on the other hand pave the way to technology adoption and help drive change in the industry. This special issue recognises that the emergence of next-generation ICTs, combined with developments in ubiquitous computing, presentopportunities that challenge the current status quo of the construction sector. This special issue recognizes that for an industry to remain truly competitive, due consideration need to be given to the ongoing and emerging technological developments, and a deep understanding of which would lead to novel responsive approaches for their significant uptake.

[学科分类] 生理学与病理学