Automated Data Acquisition in Construction with Remote Sensing Technologies

Abstract

Near real-time tracking of construction operations and timely progress reporting are essential for effective management of construction projects. This does not only mitigate potential negative impact of schedule delays and cost overruns but also helps to improve safety on site. Such timely tracking circumvents the drawbacks of conventional methods for data acquisition, which are manual, labor-intensive, and not reliable enough for various construction purposes. To address these issues, a wide range of automated site data acquisition, including remote sensing (RS) technologies, has been introduced. This review article describes the capabilities and limitations of various scenarios employing RS enabling technologies for localization, with a focus on multi-sensor data fusion models. In particular, we have considered integration of real-time location systems (RTLSs) including GPS and UWB with other sensing technologies such as RFID, WSN, and digital imaging for their use in construction. This integrated use of technologies, along with information models (e.g., BIM models) is expected to enhance the efficiency of automated site data acquisition. It is also hoped that this review will prompt researchers to investigate fusion-based data capturing and processing.