2.5 Construction Site

2.5.1 Introduction

On a construction site, a new set of technologies is going to be introduced. Every worker will receive an online connection that allows him to communicate with the other workers and that monitors progress. This is done, for example, by monitoring the number of bricks that are already used for a wall. The computer in the back can verify that everything is going according to the project plan. It can also make projects, monitor when the next step is going to be complete, and order electricians just-in-time, as needed. A satellite will check the construction from space and make sure that it is built to its specifications. The architect can always have the full picture. He is able to see a 3D model of the construction on the screen, both the desired solution and then the actual solution, and make modifications on the fly. As every worker is connected, it is possible to make changes while building, because everyone will be able to receive the update immediately.

2.5.2 The Present

Although very ambitious, it would be possible to start with such a project today. First, a framework must be created that enables all parties involved to work together. A collaboration tool needs to be introduced that can be used by anyone on the construction site. As the workers won't be able to use a laptop while working, other devices are required to allow them to work in a group and exchange information electronically . Although very expensive, it is possible to build intelligent helmets for workers and display the content and the services on a small monitor that can be built into the worker's glasses . But it may not really be necessary for all workers. Information and services can be provided by mobile phone, for example, and it may not be required that the workers be online all the time. Therefore, it is necessary to think about the processes involved before setting up the infrastructure.

Although it may seem that a construction site is organized in a decentralized manner, there is a management of the whole site that makes sure that everything is done in the right order. Therefore, it would be important to support the management functionality of the site first. This would mean, for example, that materials are delivered at the right time, in the right amount. If the architect's drawings are the basis for all further planning, the software should be extended to support a project plan and procure the materials required for building.

The architect should just enter the drawings into a CAD program and provide a project plan based on the drawings. From this input, the system should be able to generate a list of items that are required to build the house. The materials list is sent to one or several marketplaces where companies can provide prices for the required building blocks of the house. In addition to the quantity, the delivery date can also be sent to the supplier. This reduces the space required on the construction site for storing materials. So far, it is not so difficult. It allows the architect to tell the sponsor of the project how much it would cost in total and if it is actually possible to build the house in time, as the architect now has a commitment from the suppliers to deliver the materials on time.

The service for the planning phase can be extended into the development phase on different levels. First, communication can be enhanced through mobile devices that can transmit voice and data. Simple instructions could be sent via voice, and more complex issues could be sent as data, making it possible to visualize a part of the house. While it may be impractical for many to have anything larger than a PDA, it actually may be sufficient to display on a small screen the parts of the house that the worker is actually working on.

Although security is not a major concern, it still needs to be taken into account. If a hacker could invade the construction network, he could create confusion and damage. Therefore, the wireless network needs to be protected. End-to-end security is a must again. The server, the transmission and the clients need to be part of the overall security model. Security is further enhanced by using devices that contain smart cards or require fingerprint verification, for example. This ensures that nobody can steal passwords without someone noticing it. If a hardware device gets lost, it can be excluded. Through this procedure, it is easier to secure the network, as only devices that are used by authorized persons are allowed on the network, and any device that is not owned by the construction company is automatically denied access.

The communication service could be enhanced by providing feedback from the workers about their status. Once they have finished their task, they could send a status update back to the server, which allows the construction management to track the progress. To make it easy for the workers, there should be a button labeled "I have finished this task" on the mobile device. By clicking on this button, and confirming the data that has been collected during the task, the worker sends the information back to the server. As each mobile device is attached to a certain worker and a certain worker has a certain task, this concept could work quite well and would not require the workers to have a deep understanding of the technology.

The planning service consists of components that exist today. CAD applications, project management tools, and marketplaces are common, but the integration is missing. This means that the main focus for the planning part of the service is integration of different software solutions that are not necessarily Internet-enabled. Most construction companies will have CAD applications and project management tools in place. In order to create this new service, it needs to be determined whether an extension of the current products makes sense or a replacement with newer software is required. Both will require some investment. Both applications require an Internet-enabled interface that allows them to share information with the marketplace and other services, such as communication services on-site. Introducing a messaging backbone and a central database for this service is not cheap, but still within the range that a company would like to pay for.

More expensive are the mobile devices and the infrastructure required to make them work in a collaborative environment. As we are talking about a system with special buttons to make use as easy as possible, special hardware needs to be introduced. Although it is an expanding market, companies will charge a premium for these devices in the beginning. Today it may not be feasible to introduce such a new communication infrastructure.

Although possible to implement today, only the planning phase would make business sense; introducing the collaboration part of the solution will be probably be too expensive on the hardware side, even though the software and the infrastructure can be set up at a low cost.

2.5.3 The Future

In the future the solution overview that was laid out in the preceding section can become reality more easily. The major reason is that mobile devices will become more common and prices will drop significantly. Not only will the prices for the hardware drop, the software components in the solution will become service offerings, reducing the need to buy a certain piece of software. It can be easily rented instead. Due to the new e-services infrastructure that will be in place, exchanging information between the services will become much easier and cheaper. First, there will be a connection to a security service that authenticates and authorizes the devices and workers who want to use the service.

Other than in a national security marketplace, it is not necessary that a governmental organization run the authentication service, but governmental organizations may want to enforce proper staffing on the construction site. Governments may actually require their service to be used on the site. Illegal workers will have a hard time and companies that try to save money through clandestine employment will have an even harder time with this type of authentication in place.

All construction- related data is stored in the construction management system, with contributions from the architect, the marketplace, and the workers on the construction site. Information can be pushed to the parties involved, but it is not stored there. This reduces the need for memory on the required devices. In the near future, it will also be easier to integrate new devices into such a network. Through wireless LAN technologies, any device can be made part of a network easily. Thus, creating new devices for a particular cause, such as providing feedback about the status of a workstream, is easy. Imagine a mason building a wall with a scoop. Instead of giving the mason a new device, it would be possible to enhance the scoop with wireless LAN access. The mason presses a button when he starts to build the wall and another button once he is finished. These simple functions can also be included in other tools the workers require anyway. Thus, the information technology is hidden away from them and does not require additional learning to improve the performance of their job.

To make the CAD application as effective as possible, it needs to be based on a client-server architecture. Just like all other applications, it should be provided as a service to the client in order to make it easy to exchange information with other services that are required for this meta-service.

In addition to the CAD application, a special visualization tool is required. It not only visualizes the current state, but also the complete plan and the delta between the two. It shows this not only from an architectural point of view, but also from a project management point of view. Ideally, the tool would also allow the user to create projections and reports for management. Very important also is the feature of visualizing information not only on high-resolution screens, but also on small displays of personal agents and cellular phones, which require different levels of detail.

The same applies to communication. The system should be able to transform messages from one format to another on the fly. Voice, text, e-mail, and fax, just to mention a few, need to be converted and stored in a single format, to make sure that everyone on the construction site is able to access the information in the way that best suits a particular moment. Unified messaging will be a key service for collaboration on the construction site. It will allow people to receive voice mails that are transformed automatically into e- mails and SMS that will be forwarded as fax, for example.

2.5.4 Summary

Let's look at the key features of a me-centric future in this scenario (see also Figure 2.6). While the workers do not require highly advanced technology to communicate with each other, the architect will require some highly sophisticated devices and services to support him in constructing the building. The worker communication is similar to the family from the scenario in Section 2.3.

Figure 2.6. Construction Site Ecosystem

graphics/02fig06.gif

The system needs to know the location of the workers and their status, i.e., what they are doing and what they should be doing according to the project plan. The device could be an enhanced mobile phone integrated into the helmet of the workers to make sure that they are not distracted from their work. The mobile phone needs to take lots of context into account, such as the location and the process, to send back to the central service provider.

In the construction site ecosystem, you can clearly see that tasks could be done more effectively with a little support from this central service, although the workers would probably not like it. While this advanced communication system would improve the performance of the workers, only additional technology and services would help the architect to ensure the quality and the timing of the project. Satellites are able to shoot high-resolution images of any spot on Earth. Using these high-resolution images and the original construction plan can help the architect to verify that the plan is executed correctly. An agent would compare the plan with the images every day and would try to correct issues itself; only if this is not possible would it inform the architect about the issue. Another agent would compare the images with the project plan to see when which wall should have been built, for example. Again, the agent would try to resolve conflicts on its own where possible and would inform the architect only in cases where it cannot resolve the issue.

The agent would also provide a completion date, passing on the information to an intelligent sales agent that would send out the information about the building to some prospects. They would be able to wander through the 3D construction plans, which would be completed by the images of the satellite. The sales agent could be owned by the real estate agent from the scenario in Section 2.2.

Based on the progress of the construction, another agent could check with the project plan and start negotiation processes with suppliers for bricks or windows , for example. The bricks or windows would be delivered just-in-time to the construction site, reducing the need for storage and its associated costs.



Radical Simplicity. Transforming Computers Into Me-centric Appliances
Radical Simplicity: Transforming Computers Into Me-centric Appliances (Hewlett-Packard Press Strategic Books)
ISBN: 0131002910
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 88

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