The report presents a case study of information use and communication within an applied technical field concerning terrain- vehicle relations. The patterns of information use are analysed according to a number of factors related to organizational environment, nature of work, personal characteristics, availability of and need for information. The theoretical significance of this approach is that it makes it possible to synthetize a number of earlier studies into a theoretical framework. Prom a practical point of view the analysis should constitute a basis for design of a specialized information service for the field under investigation. The results suggest how to define specific user groups with different patterns of information use to which the information services must be adapted. The use of a specialized information service is analysed. It was found that the publications from this service are used by a majority of the population under study. The information service is also equally used by researchers and practitioners, thus reducing the information gap between these two groups.