Tag-manager based document management prototype system of building material information

Selecting appropriate materials is crucial in terms of quality, cost and processes of building projects. Comprehensive and accurate material information should be provided to architects and contractors in timely manner. However, documents of material information distributed in material suppliers have not been managed systematically from a holistic corporate perspective. This study aims at developing a prototype system for material document management in the material suppliers that can effectively provide the architects and the contractors with the required information. To effectively manage various material information, this study suggests that document files should be divided into individual 'blocks' which are assigned with tags based on the concept of metadata. The developed document management prototype system consists of a tag-manager, a material supplier server, and a search interface. The prototype system provides the systematic foundation for document warehouse management of building materials, where multi-type documents distributed in material suppliers can be collected into the central repository and accessed by architects and contractors through the web-based tag-manager.