A construction site is the busiest place with different activities, deadlines, and expectations. It is challenging to monitor that much movement. It’s what saves the day-construction progress monitoring. When projects begin to get complicated, that is when the search should start for innovations. In this blog, you will learn about the five emerging technologies setting the future for construction progress monitoring.
Explore the Future of Construction Progress with Emerging Technology.
viAct: The Future of Construction Progress Monitoring: 5 Emerging Technologies
- 360-Degree Cameras
First, let me address 360-degree cameras. This is one piece of equipment changing the way we record a construction site. Traditional photography misses several key angles, and then even the details need to be completed records. The 360-degree camera captures the entire job site in one shot, therefore giving you a panoramic view of progress.
The process is fairly easy. All that workers have to do is connect these cameras to their smartphones and then walk around the site. They just click, and everything will be captured. Then, the images are uploaded to a platform where everyone can see what is happening in real time. This kind of transparency keeps everyone in the know about what’s happening helps reduce misunderstandings, and improves communication among teams.
- Drones
Drones are another interesting technology making waves in the monitoring of construction progress. These flying devices can scan considerable stretches of an area in a pretty short period and give an overview of what’s happening at the site from a bird’s-eye view. They prove helpful in inspecting inaccessible places, assessing material stockpiles, or checking whether everything is on schedule.
Drones are also equipped with high-resolution cameras to capture images and videos. As such, these pictures can be analysed for the quality of work done. It saves time in itself and identifies problems in good time so that teams can address them before they become expensive problems. It also reduces the risk to workers as they don’t have to venture into areas that could be hazardous.
- Building Information Modeling (BIM)
The new BIM is going to change the game in construction. BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. It is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building. It allows project teams to see the entire project before construction starts.
Integrating BIM into the monitoring of construction progress allows teams to track the actual project status against the original plans in real time. This will ensure that all things are right on course. Where discrepancies arise, they will be disposed of immediately, reducing delays and cost overruns. BIM further encourages collaboration from architects, engineers, and contractors to work on the same goal.
- Mobile Apps
With smartphones gaining ground, construction progress monitoring using mobile apps is an essential tool today. Members can update the status of projects using these applications and services, share photos, and instantly communicate with other members, irrespective of their locations.
For instance, employees would be able to upload any occurrences or challenges at the site while on the site using their mobile applications. With this, it will be possible for involved parties to update their information so that all systems involved in workflow perform as required for a project to be carried out to a successful end.
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Though we desire to make it simple, we must accept the growing involvement of artificial intelligence and machine learning in construction progress monitoring. They critically analyse huge amounts of data to gain an understanding of trends and patterns for better decision-making of the project managers.
For instance, such a system will forecast possible delays based on historical data and the current status. This will enable teams to be proactive instead of reactive. In this way, the managers know about the possible pitfalls that may surface later; hence, they can readjust the use of resources or schedules so that the project remains on track. Furthermore, machine learning may improve over time with better predictions because the more data it processes, the better the predictions it will make.
Conclusion
These emerging technologies make the future bright for construction progress monitoring. Generally, 360-degree cameras, drones, BIM, mobile applications, and AI are changing how a project is managed. All these enable construction teams to work more efficiently, communicate well, and hence deliver projects on time and within budget.
As the industry goes forward, their lead on innovation will be a decisive factor. If you are interested in optimising your construction progress monitoring, view viAct for the state-of-the-art tools for managing projects better.