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Summary: GAO conducted a comprehensive research study on the state-of-the-art of computer-aided building design. As part of the study, GAO visted several software centers in the United States and Europe. There is a great deal of activity occurring in Europe relating to the use of computers and the development of centers to facilitate the transfer of computer software. Unless attention is paid to the European effort, the United States will be paying foreign firms for systems and services. The United Nations (U.N.) is actively interested in the application of computers in the building industry and is supporting several projects in this area. A U.N. committee concluded that the development of an international index or program, standard rules for software, standard rules for software documentation, and the wider dissemination of information on the use of computers should be encouraged. The European Computer Program Institute provides Europeans with a single, efficient way of accessing a computer program. This software library was set up to promote full European cooperation for a complete information service on scientific-technical software and to provide a single, efficient way of accessing computer programs. A conversational information storage and retrieval system has been developed and placed into operation. A European Consortium for Software Access and Information Transfer in Research and Teaching has been set up to look at program abstract; the standardization of program classification; and indexing programing standards and guidelines for program documentation. The European Information Network provides access to software centers through a network of distributed databases. The French building industry has created powerful research and technical assistance mechanisms to place the technical, organizational, and management tools in the hands of the contractor when and where he needs them. A comparable center in this country, the Hydrolic Engineering Center, is a software center that meets the needs of hydrologic engineers in the Army Engineering Corps, serves private firms on a reimbursable basis, maintains the system, and teaches users how to use the program.
