USE OF IT	28/06/2007
	IT is an important tool for value creation and is often a condition for solutions across professional boundaries. We use IT, for example, in engineering calculations and assignments involving control, planning and procurement. IT is directly or indirectly involved in most of our projects, from indoor climate calculations in buildings and planning of snow-clearing routes to the establishment of an Internet portal where citizens can report finds of hogweed. Other examples of intensive IT use include project management, controlling operation and maintenance of properties, and planning foundations for offshore wind turbines. Use of IT is not always essential for dealing with an assignment, but it is almost always necessary for hitting upon the best solution with minimal use of resources. Geographical Information Systems, GIS, are used to compare data with geographical links such as roads, buildings, environmental data, local planning areas and so on. GIS technology is excellent for creating an overview of data and for many planning purposes. We also build IT into hardware solutions, such as vehicle computers and automatic payment machines. IT developments in recent years have made it possible to handle very large data quantities and to link data from different databases. Web services and ‘Service-oriented Architecture’ have made it incredibly cheap and easy to make systems across professional boundaries and publish data via the Internet. Project Web To manage Grontmij | Carl Bro projects, we use Project Web where possible. Project Web is a virtual area on the Internet where members of the project team – customers, consultants or users – can have a shared platform for their work together. The strength of Project Web lies in the fact that all parties involved in the project can download and share information and data 24 hours a day, regardless of their physical location, by means of internet access. This ensures efficient production and communication. Digital Convergence Grontmij | Carl Bro works not just at using IT in the solution of its own projects, but seeks also to create conditions for better cooperation with customers, partners and other players in the construction industry through the use of efficient and systematised IT standards. Under the heading of Digital Convergence, Grontmij | Carl Bro participates in a collaboration between the seven largest players in the Danish construction industry, who work for the implementation of joint IT standards in construction projects. The ultimate goal in this is to increase productivity in the Danish construction industry and to create better buildings.