CONSTRUCTION AND HOUSING INFORMATION NEEDS IN THE THIRD-WORLD - AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY

This paper presents the methodology and findings of an international survey carried out in 1989 on the existing information needs and technical facilities of professionals in the field of construction and housing (448 responses from 92 different countries). The survey aimed at the determination of future information services, and five guidelines for future database development in the area were determined, each illustrated with respondents' quotations. The guidelines are: (1) there is a substantial demand for an information system which allows for information exchange between professionals in the area of construction and housing; (2) for this information system to be fully effective, it must be client-oriented; (3) for the system to be relevant, two approaches were suggested -the establishment of a regular horizontal information flow and the establishment of regional institutions acting as centres for information dissemination; (4) the issue of cost must be tackled since it was identified as one of the major constraints on the widespread use of electronic equipment; (5) the development of such an information system must be carried out in co-operation with existing efforts in the area of information on the building and construction industry.