The American Society of Civil Engineers has launched a perpetual conference on line to disseminate papers and presentations authored by professionals in the industry.

The site, launched July 1 at www.ceworld.org, features reports, images, streaming video and audio interviews previously delivered at conferences and seminars. It also includes new material collected directly by the society. "A lot of the material we have is good, but it doesn't matter how good it is if it doesn't get in front of people," says Walt Marlowe, one of the content managers.

About 90 presentations in 14 interest areas have been posted so far and about 200 more are being vetted by a volunteer committee. "Everything gets read by at least one professional in the field for relevance," Marlowe says. Traffic is up to about 150 visitors a day.

ASCE expects to support the site through sponsorships, exhibition slots in a product and services area, and supplemental funding from the organization.