GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

This paper was to assess the impact of information and communication technology on civil engineering in the 21^st century. Information and Communication Technology is playing a vital role in virtually almost every field of human operation such as education sector, medical field, banking sector, agricultural sector, field of engineering and more. Information and Communication Technology has substantially eased operations in several fields and has helped to save resources in the likes of labor, cost and time. It has also helped to drastically increase the speed at which work is done. It also reviewed the impact of information and communication technology in civil engineering practice and examines operations such as the construction industry, road transportation industry, engineering education, structural engineering, energy efficient buildings, building preservation and engineering design. Information and Communication Technology is seen to be very relevant for sustainability in civil engineering practices across literature. It was on this basis that the paper concluded that researchers are developing visual simulation of construction process each day which is regarded as the significant step forward for the perfection in design. It Challenges the existing methods of evaluation that are often more laborious and time consuming. The success stories of utilizing ICTs in developed countries have drawn the attention of researchers in developing countries like Nepal regarding the beneficial effects of using ICTs into construction processes. The uses of technology in construction are complex and expensive solutions. Although it’s initial cost is more significant the use of ICT is found to have long term benefits in the construction process. One of the recommendations was that in order to ensure that civil engineers become ICT literate engineers, higher learning coordinators, particularly for institutions, should provide civil engineering courses that play major roles in imposing the ICT value to civil engineering.

KEYWORDS:     Information and Communication Technology, Civil Engineering and 21^st Century