Wiki Technology in Civil Engineering - Questionnaire Running Results

Basic Data

Respondents by industry

Responses - Percentage of "Yes" Responses

1. Are you familiar with the wiki technology? - 41.1%
2. Do you know what is Wikipedia? - 79.8%
3. Have you ever used Wikipedia? - 74.8%
4. Would you ever consider contributing to public wiki? - 58.5%
5. Would you mind when advertising is used to support public wiki? - 32.2%
6. Do you agree that wiki devoted specifically to the civil engineering community would be useful? - 82.6%

Comments and Respondents Information

Below are all comments that have been submitted:

• Tom Site eng London (May 29, 2007)
• student of engeneering (Apr 2, 2007)
• this will be a very useful tool! good luck and much success for this endeavor! a g r, civil engr (Mar 25, 2007)
• Greg Frost, student, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington (Feb 26, 2007)
• I want to know more and more Nisar Ahmad, Civil Engineer, Afghanistan (Feb 25, 2007)
• Engineers change the world. most of the world wonders are engineering projects. Sharing and contributing are the key to learnig and understanding. i support what Wiki is doing. Mike,Nairobi (Feb 9, 2007)
• bridge engineer (Feb 6, 2007)
• Munish (Design Engineer) (Feb 4, 2007)
• anand (Feb 3, 2007)
• Robert F. Jordan- Civil Engineer (Jan 31, 2007)
• Dayton, OH (Jan 30, 2007)
• We also need a wiki site for environmental engineering as a sub-discipline. David Sullivan, Atlanta, GA (Jan 30, 2007)
• Only professional licensed engineers can provide the services. This is state law in several states. I think you will get in trouble if you let "designers" provide advice, especially if money is involved like Goggle answers does. Bruce Pooley (Jan 28, 2007)
• Civil Engineer-Philippines (Jan 26, 2007)
• Civil Engineer, Madrid, Spain (Jan 23, 2007)
• I would like to know more about this Retired Civil Enginner from India (Jan 22, 2007)
• great!! See If you could do the same for the architecture field 7 their all related fields like interior designing, lighting, art, product design etc. Thanks & best wishes Atul Shinde Architect, Pune (Jan 20, 2007)
• Student Adam Parast, UW ASCE Presdient (Jan 18, 2007)
• thirumaran (Jan 17, 2007)
• Minimal advertising only to support public wiki. Too much gets very annoying and may curb wiki usage. Highway design Manager, FHWA, Lakewood, CO (Jan 17, 2007)
• Federal Government Maryland (Jan 17, 2007)
• wiki as a part of information technology will be highly appreciated S N BHOSALE, LECTURER, CIVIL DEPT., AISSMS COE PUNE (Jan 16, 2007)
• I want to know something about iy gaurang (Jan 16, 2007)
• Although I am sometimes associated with the civil engineering community, I am a Transportation Finance Manager. Engineering associates indicate that wikipedia definitions are sometimes not completely accurate. Hopefully, the civil engineering community will police the postings related to this particular website. Transportation Finance Manager (Jan 16, 2007)
• please proceed Stan Scholl, P.E., Civil Engineer, Laguna Beach, CA (Jan 16, 2007)
• please proceed Stan Scholl, P.E. (Jan 16, 2007)
• Buddy Showalter, Director Technical Media (Jan 16, 2007)
• Carlos F. Figueroa- Highway Engineer - Federal Highway Administration (Jan 16, 2007)
• S. Stoermer, Lakewood CO (Jan 16, 2007)
• Colin McCarthy, FHWA (Jan 16, 2007)
• 4. I don't know what I could contribute. 6. I really don't know. (Jan 16, 2007)
• Transportation Engineer (Jan 16, 2007)
• Construction Engineer (Jan 15, 2007)
• Structural Engineer, California (Jan 15, 2007)
• Drew Morris (Jan 15, 2007)
• Senior Engineer, New York (Jan 15, 2007)
• F bosnia (Jan 15, 2007)
• Ted Chen (Jan 15, 2007)
• Chuck / Land Development Project Manager / Dallas, TX (Jan 15, 2007)
• Nate Thompson, Highway Engineer Lakewood, CO (Jan 15, 2007)
• Michael Bryson, Los Angeles, CA (Jan 15, 2007)
• Can't say as I really like the idea of advertising, but if that's what it takes... A wiki devoted to construction could be useful if the right volunteers provide their knowledge. James L Getaz III, PE (Jan 15, 2007)
• This will be a boon to many civil engineers. (Jan 15, 2007)
• Architect (Jan 15, 2007)
• Great idea but can't stand advertising. Andre - Seattle (Jan 15, 2007)
• ΒΕΝ (Jan 15, 2007)
• Michael Zhang, Toronto, Canada (Jan 15, 2007)
• Insurance (Jan 15, 2007)
• ARME Eng (Jan 15, 2007)
• Martin, Czech Republic (Jan 15, 2007)
• benyahia nasser (Jan 15, 2007)
• Wish you all the best! Civil Structural Design Engineer (Jan 15, 2007)
• Dipak Bhattacharya / Delhi / India (Jan 15, 2007)
• MATHS (Jan 15, 2007)
• NNT (Jan 15, 2007)
• I would apprecaite the role of wiki for higligthting the cause of Civil Engineers in the world for constructing a better world. Attaullah Shah Pakistan (Jan 15, 2007)
• I would apprecaite the role of wiki for higligthting the cause of Civil Engineers in the world for constructing a better world. Attau (Jan 15, 2007)
• Wiki is a unique project, helpful to every person who knows where to find it. Do you want another civilizations from deep space to find out who we are? Give 'em the link. Daniel, senior engeneer, Prague (Jan 15, 2007)
• Such a Wiki and/or Forum ought to be a community project and not a commercial project. Martin Halford (Jan 15, 2007)
• sales manager (Jan 14, 2007)
• Shriniwas Mahamuni Director (Jan 14, 2007)
• SS,Delhi (Jan 14, 2007)
• Conrad (Jan 14, 2007)
• I recently used Wikipedia to research a civil engineering technology that I have been searching other sorcuse for more than 2 years. It was great to find the techical information and the current state of the art with plenty of references that will help when I apply the engineering principles. Jim Chatterley PE. So. California (Jan 14, 2007)
• I'm a mechanical engineering consultant who gets involved with seismic issues. The 'no answer to #6 is because the question id way too open-ended. A structural wiki _might_ be of help, but I really doubt it. First is the breadth of structural engineering practice. It isn't likely you'll be to cover the whole field in enough depth to maintain readership. Second is the difficulty in handling graphics and math results. Finally is the problem with newbies signing up and not contributing. (Jan 14, 2007)
• I am not familiar with this technology Michael Cochran SE (Jan 14, 2007)
• HELLO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IN CIVIL ENGIENERING IN USA JOSEF KINDL, CZECH REPUBLIC (Jan 14, 2007)
• I guess it would be useful if I knew what it was for. Tonya Price, Fiscal Technician (Jan 12, 2007)
• I will share this questionnaire with our structural engineers. US Gov't Contracting Officer (Jan 12, 2007)
• William Bekemeier, New York (Jan 12, 2007)
• But I'm not an engineer .. I'm an IT manger who does support a fair number of them across the country. IT Infrastructruture Manager, Washington DC (Jan 12, 2007)
• Great idea; I think wiki is the future of knowledge management. Ben Gribbon (FHWA) (Jan 12, 2007)
• i have not ever heard of this, nor do I understand exactly what your about. If this is a data base of technology or case of studies of projects world wide then it might be useful for a quick research tool (Jan 12, 2007)
• I am not familiar with it. (Jan 12, 2007)
• Structural Engineer, Baltimore, MD (Jan 12, 2007)
• Though wikis are supposed to self-correcting, I have concerns about biases that can be introduced especially with the use of sponsors. What are the criteria for being a sponsor? How will security issues be addressed? Research Engineer, McLean, VA (Jan 12, 2007)
• Only if the information was reviewed by professionals and wiki could assure the relability of the information. Do Not Use (Jan 12, 2007)
• I am a construction manager by training and pratice. My technical training is basically building construction as distinct from the more scientific discipline of engineering. That, coupled with my No answers to questions 1,2 and 3 makes my Yes answer to question 6 a speculative answer. O.S. snr. Owen Shakespeare (Jan 12, 2007)
• Joung Lee / New Jersey (Jan 12, 2007)
• Wikipedia is a phenomena of the Internet that is remarkable for its interactivity but there is some doubt in the public mind as to the accuracy of the content. Where civil engineering is involved how will Wiki prevent misinformation from being used or disseminated? Dean Peters, Washington, DC (Jan 12, 2007)
• I only see Wikipedia when I search yahoo. civil engineer (Jan 12, 2007)
• Not sure of the topic I will need to research and read more about it. Therefore, I can't say one way or the other. (Jan 12, 2007)
• Douglas Heckrotte, RA (Jan 12, 2007)
• I am not familiar with Wikipedia. Once I get a chance to try it, I will fill the survey again and my opinion may change. (Jan 12, 2007)
• Sante Camo, Engineer (Jan 12, 2007)
• The questionnaires do not make sense. If i am not familiar with the wiki tech. how can I answer the last 3 questions???????? (Jan 12, 2007)
• 5 and 6 are "trick" questions. Some on-line ads are annoying. I don't enough about "wiki" to see if it would be useful. Joe (Jan 12, 2007)
• alex student seattle (Jan 11, 2007)
• I would hope that non-advertised sources of revenue could be discovered to support Structural Wiki. Glen Herman, KC (Jan 11, 2007)
• Engineer, Vancouver WA (Jan 11, 2007)
• Sr. Design Engineer, FHWA (Jan 11, 2007)
• Transportation Engineer - Federal Highway Administration (Jan 11, 2007)
• This will be great for the engineering profession both on the students & professionals alike. A great tool for research & collaboration, an expansion of knowledge as new technology emerges & that will be readily available to everyone. R. Baretta, Civil Engineer, Vancouver, WA (Jan 11, 2007)
• I'm not sure why a "wiki," which is all-encompassing and broad by its nature, should be boxed in by a special area such as civil engineering. There are many construction industry issues that go beyond civil ...mechanical engineering, construction methods, etc. And then construction is highly influenced by other issues such as real estate, economy, government regulations. My thinking takes me quickly back to the full wiki. (Jan 11, 2007)
• Its very difficult answering the questions, since I don't know who Wiki is. (Jan 11, 2007)
• Wikipedia is a useful starting point for researching an unfamiliar topic. I occasionally use it as a launch pad for further investigation. It would be most useful if contributors and sources are referenced. Tom Sawyer, associate editor, Engineering News-Record (Jan 11, 2007)
• Not knowing anything about wiki you can not fully answer some of the questions. Louise (Jan 11, 2007)
• Jeff Graham, Salem, Oregon (Jan 11, 2007)
• Strctural Engineer, VA (Jan 11, 2007)
• Wyoming (Jan 11, 2007)
• A civil engineering wiki has a lot of possibility. The hardest part will be to get the right people contributing. If a limited group is allowed to dominate, it will chase away many worthy contributers. Highway Designer - WA (Jan 11, 2007)
• I personally feel that any site devoted to the compiling of information and resources can be of much use. Cam - Graphic Artist (DC) (Jan 11, 2007)
• Any platform or service that promotes new and updated technology that can be used to improve a way of life conducive to the overall betterment of mankind should be endorsed by the civil engineering community. Joe Duran Operations Engineer (Jan 11, 2007)
• Austin Armstrong, Highway Engineer, Grand Junction Colorado (Jan 11, 2007)
• Anonymous (Jan 11, 2007)
• Quality Engineer (Jan 11, 2007)
• Kenneth Hall Sr. Geotechnical Engineer FHWA EFLHD (Jan 11, 2007)
• This is an excellent idea, however, advertising seems contrary to the Wiki idea. (Jan 11, 2007)
• Research Highway Engineer, Virginia (Jan 11, 2007)
• It would be helpful and useful only if endorsed by a large segment of the engineering community. (Jan 11, 2007)
• Government - Federal (Jan 11, 2007)
• I am a physicist and not a civil engineer by training, and will likely not be able to contribute to the proposed wiki. Carl K. Andersen (Jan 11, 2007)
• Don't mind advertising if it is easy to ignore or remove quickly. Michelle, Oregon (Jan 10, 2007)
• Graduate Student (Jan 10, 2007)
• student (Jan 10, 2007)
• Martina Soderlund (Jan 10, 2007)
• The last 3 questions??? I've never used WIKI before. (Jan 10, 2007)
• Grant Gephardt (Jan 10, 2007)
• Proper references are vital to a Wiki being an effective starting point for further research/study. Wikis alone cannot be used as reference material. (Jan 10, 2007)
• Amanda (Jan 10, 2007)
• i would suport a wiki sort of civil engineering site. I have heard about a pavement design sort of wiki site. it sounded very interesting. Geotechnical Staff Engineer and Gradstudent. Ian (Jan 10, 2007)
• Trevor (Jan 9, 2007)
• Though I remember using Wikipedia for finding definition of terms, my knowledge about it is extremely low. Mergia Sonessa, RA (Jan 9, 2007)
• Water resource Engineering student (Jan 9, 2007)
• I am a civil engineering student. Sean B. (Jan 9, 2007)
• Rocco (Jan 9, 2007)
• Since Wiki sites are not valid for research or study, the Wiki sites serve no real use to the civil engineering community. Civil Engineer (Jan 9, 2007)
• karthik (Jan 9, 2007)
• Civil Engineering Student (Jan 9, 2007)
• Bethany Nevitt, Junior in Civil & Env Engr BS (Jan 9, 2007)
• Civil Engineer (Jan 9, 2007)
• Student (Jan 9, 2007)
• I think this could be a great resource, as long as the contents are well organized and clutter (including ads) is kept to a minimum (Jan 9, 2007)
• Securing ad dollars to support the Wiki is OK, as long as the content is not manipulated in any way by advertisers. Rama Balakrishna, Transportation Engineer (Jan 9, 2007)
• Advertising is fine as long as it is low key and only text based. (Jan 8, 2007)
• Tzu-Yang Yu, Research Assistant (Jan 7, 2007)
• Jeff Volz (Jan 7, 2007)
• Emilio Silva (Jan 7, 2007)