An integrated materials information system for infrastructure planning

The vitality of a nation or region is based on the effective use of material resources for public and private infrastructure. There are an abundance of technological options and policy choices that can be defined. A value chain approach based on the Reference Material System, using state-of-the-art information systems, can be used to provide an integrated framework for information on material resources and finished materials markets to support planning and analysis of the physical infrastructure that is essential to social and economic development. This framework also provides a model for tracking annual flows and stock levels for the capital account of a region or nation.