ABSTRACT
A correct diagnosis of the damaging process and its root cause is necessary for the proper assessment of damage, and the importance of this correctness has even more increased since we aim at minimal interventions. Therefore, the best way to improve the assessment of damage is by improving the accuracy of the diagnosis. There are two ways to achieve this: either by improving the quantity and/or quality of the information available to the surveyor; or by improving the qualities of the surveyor in processing (analysing, interpreting, and evaluating) this information. Please note that the word ‘information’ is used here for data and knowledge in two domains. On the one hand, it refers to data on a specific case: the symptoms and the context of the damage. On the other hand, it also concerns the more general knowledge of damaging processes, which is essential for the formulation of hypotheses.
