Viewer controllable visualization for construction document processing

Abstract Existing construction document management systems are too static to meet the challenges of providing document viewers more effective and more efficient tools to handle problems in a dynamic and distributed business environment. One of the reasons is that many of those systems merely replicate paper-based construction documents in electronic format with “fixed” and “separate” views. This research suggests that construction document processing involves various forms of information flows, i.e. horizontal flow, vertical flow and object views. Consequently, to support these concepts and theories, this research presents a solution of “live” documents that can synthesize data and information of different nature, e.g. schedule and budget from various sources, e.g. public and private, based on document viewers' requirements. The proposed system allows document viewers to control the visualization of construction document information while processing documents. This solution can also improve existing Application Service Provider (ASP) technology by providing viewers with a more dynamic and flexible environment, in which private and public spaces are clearly acknowledged and integrated.