Citation
Todd, S. (2004), "Structural Survey and the Internet", Structural Survey, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ss.2004.11022aag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Structural Survey and the Internet
The Web site information included below includes some key sites and other interesting related sites. If there are any other interesting sites or sources of information that you have found useful, please e-mail me at s.todd@salford.ac.uk
Web sites
The Building Research Establishmentwww.bre.co.uk
The “Latest News” section of the BRE's Web site gives information about the following.
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New large-scale test facility for the North East. A new facility has been established by BRE Fire Division (FRS) to meet the needs of construction and associated industries in north east England for large-scale fire and other buildings-related tests.
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Lime mortar with recycled glass aggregate. A unique lime mortar/plaster that uses recycled glass as an aggregate instead of sand is currently being tested at BRE with a view to getting full BRE Certification for the product.
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New corporate social responsibility guidance. Proposed new guidance for businesses on the social and environmental impacts of their property decisions.
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Controlling construction and demolition pollution. BRE has published new guidance on controlling air pollution and noise emissions from construction sites. These types of pollution can affect the health of site personnel and local residents, and impact on the local environment.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyorswww.rics.org.uk
The RICS Web site main menu remains unchanged. The “News” and “Press Releases” sections give information on:
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RICS and the Institute of Chartered Foresters,
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CAP reform decision postponed,
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Planning obligations,
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RICS awards 2004 shortlist announced,
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House prices up 6 per cent in 2004, and
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Private property – commercial property market open to smaller investors.
The Public Policy and Spotlight Sections expand on:
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Consultation on the English Woodland Grant Scheme.
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The Housing Bill – Second Reading.
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Rating Consultancy – Code of Practice.
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Access – a basic guide to the duties on service providers under Part III of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Ordnance Surveywww.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
The Ordnance Survey Web site includes information on GPS, Old Maps, The National Grid, GeoFacts about Britain and Positional Accuracy Improvement. The main menu includes the following.
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Business;
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Map shop;
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Partnerships;
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Education;
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Free and fun; and
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About us.
Office of the Deputy Prime Ministerwww.odpm.gov.uk
This site provides a wealth of relevant information. In particular, The Environmental Impact Assessment: A Guide to Procedures (2001) enables the consideration of the interface between Project Environmental Impact Assessment and more strategic levels of planning. The site also gives specific information on the following.
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The Fire and Rescue Services Bill. The Bill is designed to drive forward the Government's modernisation agenda as set out in the recent White Paper “Our Fire and Rescue Service”.
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Survey of English Housing 2001-02. This survey provides key housing data on tenure, owner occupation and the social rented sector, and is the principal source of information about the private rented sector.
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The Housing Bill, which was introduced into Parliament on 8 December 2003.
The ODPM main menu includes information on the following.
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Building Regulations,
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Devolution,
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Fire,
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Government Offices,
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Homelessness,
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Housing,
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Local Government,
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Neighbourhood Renewal Unit,
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Planning,
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Regions,
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Regional Co-ordination Unit,
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Science and Research,
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Social Exclusion Unit,
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Sustainable Communities, and
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Urban Policy.
Health and Safety Executivewww.hse.gov.uk
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for the regulation of almost all the risks to health and safety arising from work activity in Britain.
Their mission is to protect people's health and safety by ensuring that risks in the changing workplace are properly controlled. The main menu is structured as follows.
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Forms;
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Small Firms;
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Worker's Webpage;
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Report an Accident;
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Careers; and
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Enforcement action.
The site gives further information on the following.
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Haulage – over the last five years, approximately 60 employees were killed and 5,000 seriously injured in this sector.
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Falls from height – includes details of new legislation for working at height.
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Vibration at work – this is a major cause of Occupational Ill Health.
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Docks – the docks industry is one of the most dangerous in the UK.
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Alcohol and drug misuse – damages health, causes absenteeism and reduces productivity. It also increases the risk of accidents.
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Violence at work – there were over a million incidents of physical assaults and threats of violence at work in 1999.
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology – CEH Wallingford (formerly the Institute of Hydrology)www.nerc-wallingford.ac.uk/ih
This Web site includes information on the following.
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Mission statement;
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Our research;
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A brief history;
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Work with schools;
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Water quality;
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Process hydrology;
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Resources and environment;
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Hydrological risks; and
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Administration.
Hyperlinks in Hydrologywww.nerc-wallingford.ac.uk/ih
Frank M. Law and Robert W. Flavin of the UK's Institute of Hydrology contribute to this site for WMO Region VI (Europe) Working Group on Hydrology Hyperlinks in Hydrology. It aims to provide a comprehensive catalogue of organisations active in international hydrology. The classifications include the following.
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National Hydrological Services;
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National Bodies close to hydrology;
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Regional Bodies close to hydrology;
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Universities with Water/Hydrology Depts;
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Research Institutes in Hydrology;
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Inter-governmental bodies with water cycle responsibilities;
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International professional bodies with hydrological interests;
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Regulatory bodies with hydrological cycle responsibilities;
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Water supply authorities (public and private);
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NGOs close to hydrology;
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Science programmes;
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Hydrometric instrument companies;
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Global Hydrological Data;
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Databases (inc. CD-ROMs);
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Real time data;
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Aid agencies related to hydrology;
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Hydrological Societies;
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Rivers;
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Hydropower; and
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Other Generic Water Link Pages.
The Coastal Zonewww.coastal.udel.edu/coastal.html
The information on this Web site includes the following.
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IHE Delft Glossary;
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University of Utrecht, Coastal Research Group Glossary;
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NOAA Coastal Services Center Glossary;
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US Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Engineering Manual;
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Beaufort Wind/Wave Scale Scott-Russell's Solitary Wave;
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Tidal Inlets;
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Tidal Inlets Web site; and
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Details of various field experiments and research projects.
Glaciers and the Glacial Ageswww.uvm.edu/whale/GlaciersGlacialAges.html
This Web site includes some interesting information about glaciers and explains how America, Europe and Russia have been profoundly affected by glaciation over the last 1.5 million years. The main menu includes:
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What are glaciers? How do they form?
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What are the physical effects of glaciers?
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How frequently do Ice Ages occur?
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When did the last glacial age end?
International Erosion Control associationwww.ieca.org
IECA provides a wide range of services to its members. They include educational activities, for example conferences, workshops and field trips. The main menu is structured as follows.
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About IECA;
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Expertise/Member search;
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Products and Services Directory;
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Bookstore;
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Student Resources; and
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Technology.
Rusle – On-Line Soil Erosion Assessment Toolwww.iwr.msu.edu/rusle/
This organisation developed the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The Web site is structured as follows.
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About Rusle;
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Erosion Factors;
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Calculate Erosion; and
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Resources and Contacts.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundationwww.jrf.org.uk
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest independent social policy research and development charities in the UK. It supports a wide programme of research and development projects in housing, social care and social policy.
The Foundation also carries out practical innovative projects in housing and care through the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. The Housing Operations and Care Services menu includes the following.
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Planned 540 home community in York;
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Designing the 21st century office;
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CASPAR developments;
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Lifetime Homes;
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Smart Homes;
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Hartrigg Oaks;
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Bedford Court;
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Certificate in care; and
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MDS – Residential assessment.
Waste Watchwww.recycledproducts.org.uk
This Web site includes a database of recycled products, which is compiled and maintained by the Waste Watch with the support from Biffaward and the Directory Recycling Scheme via the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. The main menu includes the following.
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Advanced search;
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Buying recycled products;
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Message board;
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Enter product information;
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About us; and
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Home.