A World Wide Web broker for specifications, methods, and procedures for hot mix asphalt concrete design.

The asphalt paving industry in the United States of America (USA) has no readily available method for evaluating and tracking specifications, methods, and procedures (SMPs) related to hot mix asphalt concrete design. There is no automated or computer assisted way of knowing when specifications, methods, and procedures are changed, revised, replaced, reissued, or discontinued, and when new specifications, methods, and procedures are issued. The problem is linking a user with a specific specification, method, or procedure within a specific source. Evaluation, in the context of this research, applies to the consistency of the inter-relationships among specifications and is not related to the applicability and current status of the specifications. Tracking, in the context of this research, applies to the tracing of the relationships among the specifications. At present, most SMPs are available only in hard copy and persons within the asphalt paving industry have to search for specific SMPs manually and then page by page examine the specific SMP to locate the desired information. There is no easy, straightforward, or timesaving method of knowing when SMPs are changed, revised, replaced, reissued, or discontinued and when new SMPs are issued. A computer-assisted method for evaluating and tracking SMPs, in the context of this research, related to hot mix asphalt concrete design by using existing computer technology was developed. The objective was to link a user with a specific SMP. Existing computer technology was used in a way in which it had not been previously used. A microcomputer-based portal containing an object request broker, in conjunction with a data warehouse and a search engine, is resident at West Virginia University (WVU) and is available by means of the World Wide Web (WWW)