UAVs offer fast and efficient survey from the air, at low cost
Innovations in construction software are helping boost project efficiency and optimising project operations – Clive Davidson writes
Over the past decade, while construction engineers have been putting up buildings or infrastructure, software engineers have been developing a parallel universe where virtual buildings or infrastructure can be created in ever increasing detail. What started with 2D architectural drawings in computer-aided design (CAD) systems, has become a multi-dimensional world, with 3D geometric representations of structures and components modelled down to the smallest detail, plus the ability to track developments through time, and additional layers of information on things like materials, construction processes, costs and operation. Initially, the virtual models were confined to the design and engineering stage as a way to present designs and make calculations, or do checks such as clash detection. As the dimensions of the models have increased to incorporate more information, they have become more relevant for the construction process. As a result, managing a project and a construction site is no longer just about organising materials, machinery and crews, but is now as much about managing software and data.
In many cases, these applications and data sources have already been gathered under the umbrella of a common data environment (CDE) – a single source of information for a project, with facilities to collect, manage and share documents and other data. Now firms and their technology vendors are looking to integrate BIM within a CDE that includes project management tools to create a communication and collaboration platform for all the various disciplines and stakeholders across all stages of a project. “Initially, BIM focused on construction planning and engineering. Today, BIM is being extended to include construction execution, driven by the need to bring together all relevant data, such as materials, equipment, crew, and safety data, in an interoperable environment,” said Harry Vitelli, vice president, construction and field products, at4019 Bentley Systems.
The collaborative BIM-based approach to the design-build-operate life cycle brings with it new demands. “The number one challenge on site today in terms of technology is the increasing volumes of data that are being generated, particularly by the BIM way of working,” said Nathan Doughty, chief operating officer at London-based Asite. To give an example, in the last five years a model for a supermarket has gone from typically 2D and 20-30 Mbytes in volume to 3D and 1.5 Gbytes or more. “And that is just for the architectural model, leaving aside the electrical, mechanical and all the other associated models. All of that information has to be accessible on-site,” says Doughty.
A number of BIM platforms now enable the models of the various disciplines to be merged into a central federated model. Where an architect might create a design in685 Autodesk’s Revit package, a structural engineer might use 7981 Tekla Structures, while a mechanical engineer produces a model in Bentley’s AECOsim, platforms such as Asite’s Adoddle, Bentley’s Connect Edition or California-based 2122 Trimble’s Trimble Connect enable these to be integrated. This allows the interaction of the models to be checked and the merged model to be interrogated for construction information. “A contractor can take the merged models and do clash detection, or they can run a query across all the models to extract a door schedule to look at the architectural specifications,” says Doughty.
This has five levels, ranging from LOD 100 (where the model element may be graphically represented in the model with a symbol or other generic representation, and related information such as cost per square foot can be derived from other model elements) to LOD 500 (where the model element is a field verified representation in terms of size, shape, location, quantity, and orientation, and non-graphic information may be attached to the model elements).
A federated BIM model provides a centralised resource from which the various players in a project will want to extract information relevant to their role. The requirement to extract subsets of data, especially non-geometric data, from BIM environments led to the development of the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) format in 2007. In the US, where COBie was developed, it has been endorsed by the National Institute of Building Sciences, and in the UK COBie will be mandatory for government-funded projects from 2016 – a decision other countries are likely to follow.
COBie is a spreadsheet-based data exchange format for things like equipment lists, product data sheets, and warranty and maintenance information, as well as a checking tool for the design process. Other more traditional software packages relevant to construction are able to make use of the mainstream XML data format originally developed for the web for exchanging information. This includes software for things like procurement, asset management and accounting, which are often grouped as a suite of modules in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system supplied by vendors such as1645 Oracle or SAP. Construction software vendors are increasingly adopting XML as the format for sharing data among owners, general contractors and subcontractors and integrating their applications in common data environments.
Toronto-based CMiC’s Real Time Integration tool uses XML across internet connections to flow data entered into a general contractor’s system to an owner’s system and vice versa. An IFC-XML format has also been developed for exchange of data with modelling applications.
Although standard data formats make integration of models and software easier, they are no silver bullet. They can add a layer of complexity to IT environments, often requiring considerable expertise to apply, and do not necessarily yield 100% error-free results first time round. However, over time as the standards are embedded in the industry, they are likely to be refined and become easier to use.
In the meantime, technology vendors such as Asite, Bentley and CMiC see the task of managing data formats and making disparate applications share data with one another a key role and selling point of their software.
Bentley calls its integration technology ‘i-model’. “We spent a lot of time and capital bringing the various data formats and standards together into a neutral format we call an i-model,” said Vitelli. “As a result, CAD data, schedule data, materials data, cost data, and so on can all be brought into our collaboration and engineering content management environment to be managed, accessed and shared among multiple disciplines.”
In some cases, such as Asite with Adoddle and Budapest-based GraphiSoft with its BIMcloud, the vendor creates its own private cloud. Others use one of the public cloud providers, such as Amazon,2794 Microsoft and 1224 Google. Bentley, for example, uses Microsoft’s Azure and Amazon Web Services clouds. However, the company also recognises that a number of construction firms will have significant investment in installed systems, which they may have transformed into an in-house version of cloud – in which case Bentley will create a link between its cloud services and the firm’s cloud. “We create a hybrid computing environment by connecting on premise data with ProjectWise Connect Edition, enabling project teams to share data,” said Vitelli.
Then there are the various proprietary operating systems and data formats, such as Apple or Android, that are likely to be different from those of the platform hosting the software. With user expectation now that BIM and construction software should be able to run on mobiles as a matter of course, and it has become an integral part of vendors’ development programmes to deal with the mobile formatting and interface issues of making it happen. In addition, some vendors such as CMiC, offer specific software toolkits and platforms to enable firms to migrate their applications to handheld devices.
“Mobile devices are a sea change in the industry. With them, and the right apps, a contractor can readily access a drawing, model, or other data right in the field, resulting in a crew that is more informed and, thus safer. These devices can also be used to provide real-time status and feedback to the planning and execution teams on site or back in the office,” said Vitelli. A key function of a mobile platform is resynchronisation when devices go offline.
It is critical that site workers always have access to the most up to date versions of models and other information. An urban site in a modern city could have an office with a broadband connection, but often contractors are reliant on mobile devices using 3G communications, or in remote sites, there may be no connectivity at all. Therefore, when a device loses connection or returns to base after being outside a communication zone, there should be automatic resynchronising of the device with the central software and database. Similarly, there should be facilities for uploading data from the handheld to the database. “So the challenge is the volume of data and dealing with it on disparate sites where connectivity is variable,” said Doughty.
A discussion of construction and mobile communications would not be complete today without a mention of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, many in construction and other industries, where such devices are proving increasingly useful, emphasise a difference between the two: drones can operate autonomously, whereas UAVs are always controlled by a remote pilot. Because of drones’ autonomous operation and association with the military and social intrusion, construction firms tend to prefer the term UAV.
UAVs’ natural role is in surveying, particularly in difficult terrain or hazardous sites. However, as the devices become more common, firms are finding new uses for them as inspection and monitoring tools during the construction process. Again, access and health and safety issues have been an initial driver, but UAVs can also be useful where there are concerns about manual errors or efficiency, for example in counting elements such as lines on a road or guard rails.
Trimble offers the UX5 drone, which will autonomously capture high-resolution images of a site which can be fed into the company’s photogrammetry software to generate 2D and 3D images. Other UAV and drone vendors include California-based7300 Topcon Positioning Systems and China’s DJI. UAVs producing still images or video are an additional data source that must now be linked into site management, BIM or other construction software platforms.
Multi-dimensional BIM models are the most eye-catching feature of current construction software, with their 360 degree rotation and virtual reality fly-through capabilities, but the origins of the platforms go back to a more fundamental requirement that is perhaps even more relevant in today’s environment of collaboration, clouds and mobile devices.
“What we have always done since we started out with our platform in 2001 and were dealing with scanned paper documents and 2D designs is give the user the ability to see everything that happened over the course of a project, including when it happened, the tasks that have been completed or not, and by whom. That audibility and audit trail is still the core of what we deliver today even with all the technological advances such as BIM and 3D working – it’s what people pay for,” said Doughty of Asite.
7898 Trimble Dimensions users conference in Las Vegas in November 2014. “Trimble Connect is a collaborative platform for bringing the various players together and connecting the data flows from the various software packages that are used throughout the process of making a building.” The benefits of such connectivity and collaboration can be powerful, and include improved efficiency and productivity and reductions in rework and waste, claims Painter.
In addition, Trimble has extended the connectivity and collaboration concept to the construction site itself with its Trimble Connected Site platform. This aims to link the office, surveyors, engineers, foremen and machines across a project using wireless and internet communications. The real-time interchange of information enables contractors to monitor and manage their machines and crews, as well as report back on progress and receive the latest updates on design changes without wasteful time delays. As a result, machines can be operated more efficiently, crews deployed more effectively, mistakes and rework avoided, and time spent waiting for information reduced, claims the company. “Trimble Connected Site connects people in the office to the people and machines in the field and drives workflow improvements and productivity across the whole project,” said Roz Buick, general manager, Trimble Heavy Construction, also speaking at Trimble Dimensions 2014.
Taking the connected site concept even further, Trimble has also formed a partnership with Bentley to make their companies’ software and hardware interoperable and share data with one another. “We have a lot of common users who want to see our products work together,” said Vitelli. He gives the example of a contractor that has created road designs in the Bentley OpenRoads design package and wants to pass the data to178 Caterpillar earthmoving machines on site that are fitted with Trimble GPS and control devices. “Users are at the heart of this strategy – we are providing the engineering-to-construction workflow on behalf of the users,” said Vitelli. The BIM and connected site approach not only help bridge the construction planning, engineering and execution stages, but the models and associated data can also be carried through to completion and handover. So the virtual building continues to exist in parallel with its physical counterpart, stored in the cloud but accessible on the ground – a library of historical and current information for operation, maintenance and, perhaps, eventual demolition.
Over the past decade, while construction engineers have been putting up buildings or infrastructure, software engineers have been developing a parallel universe where virtual buildings or infrastructure can be created in ever increasing detail. What started with 2D architectural drawings in computer-aided design (CAD) systems, has become a multi-dimensional world, with 3D geometric representations of structures and components modelled down to the smallest detail, plus the ability to track developments through time, and additional layers of information on things like materials, construction processes, costs and operation. Initially, the virtual models were confined to the design and engineering stage as a way to present designs and make calculations, or do checks such as clash detection. As the dimensions of the models have increased to incorporate more information, they have become more relevant for the construction process. As a result, managing a project and a construction site is no longer just about organising materials, machinery and crews, but is now as much about managing software and data.
THE BIM BOOM
The creation of the virtual construction site has been driven by developments in building information modelling (BIM). Initially conceived as a design tool, BIM’s potential to be a store and presentation mechanism for engineering and construction data was quickly recognised. Since then, effort has focused on extending the dimensions of information within the BIM model, and linking it to all the various applications and data sources that contribute to the life cycle of a construction project.In many cases, these applications and data sources have already been gathered under the umbrella of a common data environment (CDE) – a single source of information for a project, with facilities to collect, manage and share documents and other data. Now firms and their technology vendors are looking to integrate BIM within a CDE that includes project management tools to create a communication and collaboration platform for all the various disciplines and stakeholders across all stages of a project. “Initially, BIM focused on construction planning and engineering. Today, BIM is being extended to include construction execution, driven by the need to bring together all relevant data, such as materials, equipment, crew, and safety data, in an interoperable environment,” said Harry Vitelli, vice president, construction and field products, at
The collaborative BIM-based approach to the design-build-operate life cycle brings with it new demands. “The number one challenge on site today in terms of technology is the increasing volumes of data that are being generated, particularly by the BIM way of working,” said Nathan Doughty, chief operating officer at London-based Asite. To give an example, in the last five years a model for a supermarket has gone from typically 2D and 20-30 Mbytes in volume to 3D and 1.5 Gbytes or more. “And that is just for the architectural model, leaving aside the electrical, mechanical and all the other associated models. All of that information has to be accessible on-site,” says Doughty.
A number of BIM platforms now enable the models of the various disciplines to be merged into a central federated model. Where an architect might create a design in
BIM LEVELS
BIM is an evolving practice with clear goals, but where there are many steps and paths to the end point. To clarify the process, in 2011 the UK’s BIM Industry Working Group identified four levels of BIM maturity ranging from Level 0, which is the traditional CAD approach, to Level 3 where there is a single online project model with construction sequencing, cost and life cycle management information. The UK’s Government Construction Strategy requires a minimum of Level 2 – a managed 3D environment with data attached, but created in separate discipline models – for public projects by 2016. The US has been following a similar trajectory, with the BIM Forum developing the Level of Development (LOD) Specification in 2013.This has five levels, ranging from LOD 100 (where the model element may be graphically represented in the model with a symbol or other generic representation, and related information such as cost per square foot can be derived from other model elements) to LOD 500 (where the model element is a field verified representation in terms of size, shape, location, quantity, and orientation, and non-graphic information may be attached to the model elements).
STANDARDS
Many of the individual software packages used across a construction project will have their own proprietary data formats. Often these formats have long histories and are deeply embedded in the functioning of the packages themselves. However, the integration and interoperability of construction software to create federated models or connected work sites require common formats and the ability to exchange data. One of the first initiatives in this area was the development of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) in the 1990s, which have since been adopted as international ISO standards and are now maintained by the buildingSMART organisation. IFC formats have been mandated by a number of countries for government building projects, and many modelling packages now include the option to output data as IFC files as well as their proprietary formats.A federated BIM model provides a centralised resource from which the various players in a project will want to extract information relevant to their role. The requirement to extract subsets of data, especially non-geometric data, from BIM environments led to the development of the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) format in 2007. In the US, where COBie was developed, it has been endorsed by the National Institute of Building Sciences, and in the UK COBie will be mandatory for government-funded projects from 2016 – a decision other countries are likely to follow.
COBie is a spreadsheet-based data exchange format for things like equipment lists, product data sheets, and warranty and maintenance information, as well as a checking tool for the design process. Other more traditional software packages relevant to construction are able to make use of the mainstream XML data format originally developed for the web for exchanging information. This includes software for things like procurement, asset management and accounting, which are often grouped as a suite of modules in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system supplied by vendors such as
Toronto-based CMiC’s Real Time Integration tool uses XML across internet connections to flow data entered into a general contractor’s system to an owner’s system and vice versa. An IFC-XML format has also been developed for exchange of data with modelling applications.
Although standard data formats make integration of models and software easier, they are no silver bullet. They can add a layer of complexity to IT environments, often requiring considerable expertise to apply, and do not necessarily yield 100% error-free results first time round. However, over time as the standards are embedded in the industry, they are likely to be refined and become easier to use.
In the meantime, technology vendors such as Asite, Bentley and CMiC see the task of managing data formats and making disparate applications share data with one another a key role and selling point of their software.
Bentley calls its integration technology ‘i-model’. “We spent a lot of time and capital bringing the various data formats and standards together into a neutral format we call an i-model,” said Vitelli. “As a result, CAD data, schedule data, materials data, cost data, and so on can all be brought into our collaboration and engineering content management environment to be managed, accessed and shared among multiple disciplines.”
CLOUD
The enormous increase in data relevant to the construction site, plus the need to communicate and share information between owners, contractors and site crew creates new technology challenges. The solution to data storage and access that vendors are increasingly turning to is cloud and softwareas- a-service (SaaS). In this approach, the vendor provides the hardware, usually in a distributed set of datacentres, and operates the software and manages the data on behalf of the client, delivering the functionality and information online. The approach has advantages for both parties. The vendor deals with all the technology issues, including providing adequate hardware to meet performance and storage requirements and dealing with maintenance and upgrades. Instead of a large initial license fee, there is a periodic rental fee, or even a pay-as-you-go option. These factors mean that even smaller firms with limited financial and/or IT resources can access high end software. From the vendor’s point of view, it has only one version of its software to maintain and can optimise its operation across its data centres.In some cases, such as Asite with Adoddle and Budapest-based GraphiSoft with its BIMcloud, the vendor creates its own private cloud. Others use one of the public cloud providers, such as Amazon,
MOBILITY
The ubiquity of mobile devices and their usefulness on the construction site means that it is now essential for project management systems, BIM platforms and many other construction software packages to run on tablets, smartphones or other handhelds. Although many of these devices can run browsers, it does not mean that any web-based software will automatically be suitable to run on a tablet or smartphone. Applications must be tailored for the screen and device type – converted into ‘apps’ in the modern jargon. For example, an application programmed to interact with a mouse and keyboard must be adapted for touchscreens.Then there are the various proprietary operating systems and data formats, such as Apple or Android, that are likely to be different from those of the platform hosting the software. With user expectation now that BIM and construction software should be able to run on mobiles as a matter of course, and it has become an integral part of vendors’ development programmes to deal with the mobile formatting and interface issues of making it happen. In addition, some vendors such as CMiC, offer specific software toolkits and platforms to enable firms to migrate their applications to handheld devices.
“Mobile devices are a sea change in the industry. With them, and the right apps, a contractor can readily access a drawing, model, or other data right in the field, resulting in a crew that is more informed and, thus safer. These devices can also be used to provide real-time status and feedback to the planning and execution teams on site or back in the office,” said Vitelli. A key function of a mobile platform is resynchronisation when devices go offline.
It is critical that site workers always have access to the most up to date versions of models and other information. An urban site in a modern city could have an office with a broadband connection, but often contractors are reliant on mobile devices using 3G communications, or in remote sites, there may be no connectivity at all. Therefore, when a device loses connection or returns to base after being outside a communication zone, there should be automatic resynchronising of the device with the central software and database. Similarly, there should be facilities for uploading data from the handheld to the database. “So the challenge is the volume of data and dealing with it on disparate sites where connectivity is variable,” said Doughty.
A discussion of construction and mobile communications would not be complete today without a mention of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, many in construction and other industries, where such devices are proving increasingly useful, emphasise a difference between the two: drones can operate autonomously, whereas UAVs are always controlled by a remote pilot. Because of drones’ autonomous operation and association with the military and social intrusion, construction firms tend to prefer the term UAV.
UAVs’ natural role is in surveying, particularly in difficult terrain or hazardous sites. However, as the devices become more common, firms are finding new uses for them as inspection and monitoring tools during the construction process. Again, access and health and safety issues have been an initial driver, but UAVs can also be useful where there are concerns about manual errors or efficiency, for example in counting elements such as lines on a road or guard rails.
Trimble offers the UX5 drone, which will autonomously capture high-resolution images of a site which can be fed into the company’s photogrammetry software to generate 2D and 3D images. Other UAV and drone vendors include California-based
WORKFLOW AUTOMATION AND AUDIT
Another advantage of digitising all the non-physical elements of construction – the design, communication, management,– is that enables regular processes to be easily automated. In IT terminology, a set of related actions is called a workflow. As the software vendors create ever broader platforms and link more disparate applications, it becomes possible to define and automate more workflows, or provide tools for users to do this themselves. For example, a firm might create a workflow of the actions that follow the submission of a revision of a design, automating the notification and approvals process.Multi-dimensional BIM models are the most eye-catching feature of current construction software, with their 360 degree rotation and virtual reality fly-through capabilities, but the origins of the platforms go back to a more fundamental requirement that is perhaps even more relevant in today’s environment of collaboration, clouds and mobile devices.
“What we have always done since we started out with our platform in 2001 and were dealing with scanned paper documents and 2D designs is give the user the ability to see everything that happened over the course of a project, including when it happened, the tasks that have been completed or not, and by whom. That audibility and audit trail is still the core of what we deliver today even with all the technological advances such as BIM and 3D working – it’s what people pay for,” said Doughty of Asite.
THE CONNECTED SITE
California-based Trimble is among the vendors making use of the industry standards to link its applications. It recently launched a cloud-based collaboration platform called Trimble Connect that uses IFC for integrating BIM models. The platform also extends beyond integrated modelling to connect a number of the company’s other applications, including software for estimating, scheduling, production control, project management, cost control and asset management. “If you look at the building industry, it is very complex with a fragmented set of stakeholders and our idea is to create a work space where the players can get out of their silos and work more holistically together on projects,” said Rob Painter, general manager, Trimble Buildings, speaking at theIn addition, Trimble has extended the connectivity and collaboration concept to the construction site itself with its Trimble Connected Site platform. This aims to link the office, surveyors, engineers, foremen and machines across a project using wireless and internet communications. The real-time interchange of information enables contractors to monitor and manage their machines and crews, as well as report back on progress and receive the latest updates on design changes without wasteful time delays. As a result, machines can be operated more efficiently, crews deployed more effectively, mistakes and rework avoided, and time spent waiting for information reduced, claims the company. “Trimble Connected Site connects people in the office to the people and machines in the field and drives workflow improvements and productivity across the whole project,” said Roz Buick, general manager, Trimble Heavy Construction, also speaking at Trimble Dimensions 2014.
Taking the connected site concept even further, Trimble has also formed a partnership with Bentley to make their companies’ software and hardware interoperable and share data with one another. “We have a lot of common users who want to see our products work together,” said Vitelli. He gives the example of a contractor that has created road designs in the Bentley OpenRoads design package and wants to pass the data to
