The application of electronic commerce and information integration in the construction industry

Many parties involved in the construction industry have convinced the importance of electronic commerce (EC) for improving business processes, cutting cost, and providing comprehensive information. However, currently the application of EC is relatively limited and ineffective. These systems are always non-interoperable which creates problems for the stakeholders in construction projects. This paper aims to analyze the E-commerce application system and develop a system for the parties to collaborate and share information effectively. In this paper, four information flats are summarized based on the literature survey and field investigation, and the information integration model for EC is built up using IFC and XML. It should provide a useful reference for China to promote the development of EC in the construction industry.