A framework for indoor construction resources tracking by applying wireless sensor networks1This paper is one of a selection of papers in this Special Issue on Construction Engineering and Management.

Abstract

The state-of-the-art tracking technologies, such as the global positioning system (GPS) and the radio frequency identification (RFID), lend themselves well to applications in relatively open areas, while falling short of accuracy and reliability in indoor or partially covered application settings due to signal blockage, distortion or deterioration. This research aims to address this challenge in construction engineering by exploring a cost-effective positioning methodology to realize automated and continuous tracking of construction resources. The emerging ZigBee-based wireless sensor networks (WSN) technology is introduced. A framework of WSN application is proposed for indoor construction resources tracking, which consists of a group of stationary and mobile sensor nodes that can communicate with one another. Real-time locations of the mobile nodes can be determined by applying the localization method based on received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and geometric trilateration.