Construction projects are becoming more complicated.
Commercial construction sites require hundreds of workers, various contractors, costly machinery, frequent material supply chain deliveries, and tight schedules. Managing such resources was always difficult.
However, today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) present new possibilities to create more interconnected, visible and intelligent construction sites.
Collecting more information is not the future of construction.
Making better decisions from it is.
The problem of limited visibility at construction sites
Many construction managers use site visits, report writing, spreadsheets, telephone conversations and even project management software to track what is going on at their construction sites.
However, the information gets to decision-makers when the situation has already changed.
The workers might be waiting for materials.
The machinery might be idle.
The work area might get congested.
The operational problem might influence the schedule of the whole project in the end.
This is when timely visibility becomes increasingly important.
Connected technologies can help provide teams with timely information about workforce activity, equipment, materials, access and construction process.
The Integration of AI and IoT
IoT devices collect information about the environment.
It can be gathered from technologies like:
RFID
BLE
UWB
GPS
Sensor networks
Smart access systems
And AI helps to interpret this data and identify hidden patterns that can hardly be detected via manual reporting.
Thus, the combination of AI and IoT allows creating an AIoT ecosystem that integrates physical construction sites with digital intelligence.
For instance, it can improve the knowledge about asset location, usage of equipment or appearance of operational bottlenecks.
From Reactive Management to Proactive Decisions
Typically, construction management is focused on what had happened before.
AI can help to shift from reactive to proactive mode in this regard.
Rather than asking:
"What happened?"
Construction teams can start asking questions like:
"What is happening now?"
And even:
"What is likely to happen?"
Through analysis of operational data, AI can help to find patterns, inefficiencies and risks early enough.
However, it will not replace professional construction workers.
Rather, it will provide additional information for making decisions.
Visibility of Workforce and Sites
People are one of the key elements in construction projects.
But, on the other hand, big commercial construction sites may present challenges in coordinating workforces.
Connected platforms may help to increase the visibility into the construction activity and access as well as coordination.
Thus, projects teams may have more awareness about how operations are going in different areas of the construction site.
Smarter Equipment and Asset Management
Equipment is an important investment in any construction project.
If equipment is hard to find and underused, this may impact productivity negatively.
Tracking systems based on the Internet of Things may offer better visibility into the equipment and assets.
Combined with AI-driven analytics, such a visibility may help to gain more insights into equipment utilization and make better operational decisions.
Better Material Coordination
The availability of materials is important for construction projects.
If materials are not delivered in time, work cannot proceed further.
Connected tracking systems may help to improve the visibility into materials in the construction process.
Intelligent Construction Site
Perhaps the most crucial evolution will be the move towards the intelligent construction site.
The intelligent construction site can leverage information from several sources to build a more interconnected picture of the operations taking place.
Rather than using separate systems and manual reporting, project teams can aim to achieve a more integrated view of:
Worker performance
Construction site access
Equipment and asset management
Material flow
Project status
Operational conditions
The development of technologies such as CommCon AI can help in exploring this future through leveraging AI and IoT in commercial construction sites.
Construction Sites Are Becoming More Connected
Technology cannot resolve all problems that arise on construction sites.
Experience, planning, communication, and execution are still crucial factors for successful construction projects.
But technologies like AI and IoT can add an extra layer of intelligence to the process.
The ability to gather real-time information, connect information generated by construction site operations, and find relevant patterns can transform construction site management.
In the future, the construction site will not just be populated by connected devices.
It will be empowered with connected information.
AIoT will become all the more important as the construction industry increasingly adopts digital transformation within the commercial sector.
Visit CommCon AI to learn more about AI-driven commercial construction solutions.
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