Exploring knowledge and information needs in engineering from the past and for the future - Results from a survey

Journal article (2010)

Authors

Peter Heisig University of Cambridge
N. H.M. Caldwell University of Cambridge
Khadidja Grebici University of Cambridge
P.J. Clarkson University of Cambridge
Affiliation
External organisation
Design practice Design rationale Design research Design knowledge Information needs
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Published Date

2010-9

Language

English

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Affiliation

External organisation

Abstract

This paper presents the results from a UK survey about the knowledge and information requirements of managers and engineers in design and service. The survey aimed to gather requirements regarding the needs for retrieval of previous designs and the needs to capture knowledge and information from current designs to support future engineering tasks. The survey nature, method and instruments are described with the information and knowledge categories identified. The findings are analysed and contrasted with the results of other empirical studies. Notable results include the variety of information needs, unexpected absences and low frequency categories, the expectation of practitioners that tomorrow's needs will be similar to today's, the apparent failure to satisfy those needs, and suggestions from respondents for improvements.