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ProjectCenter
The Need
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Considering that 1-2% of project cost is simply
paper work, $500 mil/year is spent on FedEx(US) and no group has more than 65% of the
project record at project close record, geographically disperse team members need to share
information, documents, drawings and strategies, reducing the likelihood of errors,
miscommunication, or missed deadlines through web based project management tool. As
a subscription based service, ProjectCenter
provides an entire project team
with point and click access to all
relevant project
information, without having to purchase additional software or learn complex systems. Shared information includes directory, specification,
correspondence, sketches, meeting notes, shop drawing logs and field reports, RFIs, CCDs
and CAD drawings. |
The Technology
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The ProjectCenter database is developed using
Oracle and resides on a secure and reliable environment at Exodus Communications. Palm
scanners are used to validate entry and exit from the server facility and there is full
camera surveillance of the server floor. The Bricsnet server area is enclosed in a locked
cage and is used exclusively by authorized Bricsnet personnel The ProjectCenter servers
are multiple SUN E-450's with fail over fault tolerance. Disk storage is on dual SUN
A-1000 disk array which are mirrored and striped and applications reside on multiple SUN
Netra T-1 servers. ProjectCenter is connected to the Internet via a 100 mb connection to
the Internet and resides behind a Cisco firewall. ProjectCenter is compatible with all
Windows, Macintosh, and SUN operating systems. ProjectCenter has been used on construction
and renovation projects ranging from $50,000 to over $250 mil. ProjectCenter is
distributed world-wide and is available in French, German, Dutch, and Japanese. Over $5
billion in construction has been done using ProjectCenter as the communication and
management center. |
Centralization of data on server
Support for CAD drawings and project
photographs. |
The Benefits
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- Document Ownership: Team members can control all documents they
submit to ProjectCenter. Once a team member uploads a document, they are in control of
it-and only they can edit it.
- Automatic
Document Conversion: ProjectCenter provides automated document conversion for
application-independent viewing.
- AlA
Contract Documents: ProjectCenter
integrates the official AlA G-series documents, allowing teams to create, review and print
industry standard documents instantly. The forms are generated automatically by
retrieving data from within your project database.
- CAD
Redlining: AutoCAD, IntelliCAD and MicroStation CAD drawings can be reviewed and annotated
from within the heart of ProjectCenter.
- Team
Mail: Teams can effortlessly communicate with each other without leaving ProjectCenter.
All messages automatically become part of the project record.
- Selective
Access: ProjectCenter allows you to choose who sees what information, and when they see
it.
- Interface:
ProjectCenter is widely acclaimed for its ease of use, with an interface that has been
called "the most intuitive in the industry."
- Project
Start-up: Project administrators can set up new projects in minutes by migrating users
from previous projects.
- Menu
Customization: ProjectCenter
allows teams to create a menu structure that reflects the way they work, making it easy
for users to organize their project information.
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Status
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ProjectCenter is the brainchild of EVOLV which
is a wholly owned part of Bricsnet. The first ProjectCenter sites were placed in February
1998 and currently there are over 3,100 companies and 13,000 individuals in the AEC
Industry using ProjectCenter. |
Barriers
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The following items will be required for using
ProjectCenter:
- Computer with Internet
access
- E-mail account
- Java-enabled
web browser software: The viewer applets for CAD drawings are based on Java Development
Kit Version 1.1 (JDK 1.1). Therefore, a JDK 1.1 compliant browser is required. The
following are JDK 1.1 enabled browsers:
| Vendor |
Product
Name |
Platform |
| Microsoft |
Internet
Explorer V4.0+ |
Win95,
WinNT, Mac, UNIX |
| Netscape |
Navigator
V4.03+ with JDK 1.1 Patch |
Win95,
WinNT, Mac, UNIX |
| Sun |
HotJava |
Win95,
WinNT, Mac, UNIX |
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Points of Contact
- Mr.
John Miller, BricsNet U.S.A./EVOLV,
53 Green
Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Tel: (603) 436-6868, Fax: (603) 436-5760, Toll free:
1-800-719-2111, e-mail: Jmiller@bricsnet.com
References
- ProjectCenter Brochure
- BricsNet.com. ProjectCenter
Disclaimer Statement
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Neither the Construction
Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this
technology or represents
that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation. |
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