ITcon Vol. 13, pg. 134-154, http://www.itcon.org/2008/10

Technological assessment and process implications of field data capture technologies for construction and facility/infrastructure management

submitted:May 2007
published:April 2008
editor(s):Akinci B, Anumba C
authors:Semiha Kiziltas, Graduate Student
Carnegie Mellon University
email: semiha@cmu.edu http://www.ce.cmu.edu/~skizilta

Burcu Akinci, Associate Professor
Carnegie Mellon University
email: bakinci@cmu.edu http://www.ce.cmu.edu/~bakinci

Esin Ergen, Assistant Professor
Istanbul Technical University
email: esin.ergen@itu.edu.tr http://www.ce.cmu.edu/~eergen

Pingbo Tang, Graduate Student
Carnegie Mellon University
email: ptang@andrew.cmu.edu http://www.ce.cmu.edu/~ptang

Chris Gordon, Assistant Professor
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
email: cgordon@siue.edu http://www.siue.edu/~cgordon
summary:Collection of accurate, complete and reliable field data is not only essential for active management of construction projects involving many tasks, such as material tracking, progress monitoring and quality assurance tasks; but also for facility/infrastructure management during the service life of facilities and infrastructure systems. Limitations of current manual data collection approaches in terms of speed, completeness and accuracy, and implications of these limitations for construction management practice are discussed by many researchers. Advancements in field data capture technologies (such as smart tags, laser scanners, and embedded sensors) enable collecting, storing and reusing field data accurately, completely and reliably. We show that while these technologies are capable of streamlining the associated processes, their performances differ from the manufacturersÂ’ specifications when utilized on construction sites due to issues, such as interference, data reading range, data accuracy, interoperability of hardware and software, and memory limitations. In addition, while these technologies eliminate some non-value adding tasks associated with corresponding project management processes, they can also add new tasks that need to be performed prior to, during, or after the utilization of a technology at the field. Hence, a thorough understanding of both the technological capabilities and process implications of these technologies is needed to be able to utilize them effectively during construction and service life of facilities.
keywords:field technologies, laser scanner, RFID, embedded sensors, construction, facility/infrastructure management, data collection
full text: (PDF file, 0.582 MB)
citation:Kiziltas S, Burcu A, Ergen E, Pingbo T (2008). Technological assessment and process implications of field data capture technologies for construction and facility/infrastructure management, ITcon Vol. 13, Special issue Sensors in Construction and Infrastructure Management, pg. 134-154, https://www.itcon.org/2008/10