The Wave of the Future: AEC gTLD

In 2011, the internet will profoundly change. New generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) will be awarded by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for various industries and their respective information communities (for example, music, movies, sports, museums and hotels). Just as the current gTLDs (.com, .net, .org, etc.) frame the internet we know today, these new domains will revolutionize the way users of the internet interface with content to unite community members using technology platforms that allow them to interact more efficiently with greater capabilities. The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) community could utilize a new gTLD to provide a more secure means for sharing BIM information between partners and stakeholders. Electronic commerce is facilitated using prioritized listings delivered with web searches via a new gTLD (for example, AEC community gTLD websites could display before any .com for AEC searches).