Construction IT Managers Eying Microsoft Surface Pro Release Mobile Devices Are Key to BI in Construction Gartner Stats: Big Data Trends in 2012 Construction companies with less than $250 million in revenue invest about 1.6% of it on information technology, according to Gartner Research. Meanwhile, construction firms with $10 billion in revenue on average spend only 1.1% on IT. The construction industry is dead last in IT spending compared to 14 other industries measured by Gartner.
Courtesy of Trimble Trimble's new touchscreen tablet allows users to type, pan and zoom with fingers, a stylus or heavy gloves. Related Links: ENR Mountain States: Trimble HQ ENR Mountain States: Tablet Technology Trimble, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based advanced technology systems maker, saw a record 3,500 attendees from 80 countries during its sixth annual Dimensions event held Nov. 5-7 at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The conference consisted of 480 sessions focused on increased field and office productivity through Trimble hardware and software in a variety of applications from heavy civil and building construction to mapping and surveying.Among
Courtesy Infrasense Infrasense's new GPRQA software collects data from a radar mounted on the back of a vehicle, such as this SUV. Related Links: ENR's Past GPR Coverage (10/24/05) A Time When MnDOT Did Not Use GPR Google Maps measures and maps roads, and department of transportation workers measure and map the subsurface quality of those roads. One company’s advance in computing asphalt-pavement density data on-site claims to make DOT workers’ jobs easier.“We have developed … ground-penetrating-radar [GPR] quality-assurance software that can automatically process radar data on-site,” says Kenneth Maser, president of Infrasense Inc., Arlington, Mass. “It covers the entire
A couple of years ago, one of our teams was working in an active hospital, adjacent to a neonatal intensive care unit. Like all work in sensitive areas, the crew would measure levels of dust, particles, noise and air pressure to ensure construction wasn’t posing a risk to the NICU.This is standard operating procedure, but our team saw risks. What happened in between the times when workers would take a reading? A few project team members saw their smartphones and realized they literally had the technology to change this system in their hands.At the same time, a different Skanska project
Photo courtesy of ikeGPS The ikeGPS integrates multiple tools into one package, allowing for accurate measurement and geolocation of objects from 1,000 meters away. Related Links: Engineering News-Record Architectural Record A handheld device, ikeGPS, is finding new fans in the U.S. as it performs the work of a digital compass, a camera, a laptop and a laser range-finder. Created by Surveylab, Wellington, New Zealand, it is saving utility companies hours of data collection and entry work and appears to have the potential to do even more."We're seeing a 30% reduction in time spent collecting data," says Ed Gray, director of
Elizabeth Cox walked the site of the Houston Dynamo stadium wearing new sunglasses her brother gave her. When she got back to the work trailer, she had a high-definition video of her site walk.
It has taken a bit of time, but you have finally moved from CAD to BIM and you are thinking, “Right, I’ve got this now.”Think again.Due to the uncanny timing and convergence of market conditions, technology innovation, social wants and government needs, a Smart Cities market is emerging on a global scale that dwarfs any previous notion of the value given to data about the built environment. AEC firms are the authors of an enormous amount of that increasingly valuable data, and there is a lot of money to be made by those who recognize its market potential.Sometimes described as
Related Links: ENR's Top Specialty Contractors ENR Development News In an economy where acquiring work can sometimes feel like an effort in futility, many specialty contractors find themselves searching for another business stream until new construction recovers. Employees at Seattle-based McKinstry Co. LLC think they have found a way to weather the storm.The design-build mechanical contractor sums up its services in its motto, "For the Life of Your Building." The company not only designs and builds complex mechanical and electrical systems, it is also available to operate and monitor the finished facility—typically, mechanically intensive data centers and research laboratories. Its
Image courtesy of Mortenson/Power Mortenson/Power used laser scans to check the accuracy of BIM models on the $1-billion Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Related Links: http://enr.construction.com/technology/bim/2012/0430-annual-conference-hums-with-accelerating-uptake.asp Laser Scanning Hits Tipping Point http://enr.construction.com/technology/bim/2010/0609-virtualdesign-1.asp A Hospital Owner's Digital Mandate Most remodeling contractors still generate building information models for an existing structure from original construction drawings, and the inevitable deviations end up as field surprises that result in costly change orders and delays. Emerging 3D laser scanners streamline the workflow by taking the unknowns out of the equation."Laser scanning is the truth serum that fits into BIM," says Ken
Related Links: The Tomorrow Project from Intel FutureTech CIOs: Are You Paving Over a Cow Path? As computing chips become ubiquitous and smaller, imagination may be the only limiting factor in how they can be used, says Brian David Johnson, Intel's futurist, and that could have significant implications for the future of construction. Johnson talked about the future of work to more than 300 construction professionals attending ENR's FutureTech conference in San Francisco on July 10. JOHNSONBecause Intel needs to envision how its chips will be used, it is of "vital business importance" for the company to imagine how people
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