Real-time resource location data collection and visualization technology for construction safety and activity monitoring applications

Data to field operations of construction resources (personnel, equipment, materials) is vast but the effort of collecting, analyzing, and visualizing is hardly ever taken. One main reason that limits higher quality in project site management decision making especially in resource intensive and complex operations is access to real-time information and subsequent technology that enables effortless data collection, processing, and visualization. Although recent developments in remote data sensing and intelligent data processing supplement manual data recording and analyze practices, few data on visualization tools in construction exist that gather data from dynamic resources and stream it to a field-realistic virtual reality environment in real-time. State-of-the-art technology in the field of real-time data collection and visualization is reviewed. A novel framework is presented that explains the method of streaming data from real-time positioning sensors to a real-time data visualization platform. Three case studies are presented which highlight its methods for recording data and visualizing information of construction activities in a (1) simulated virtual construction site, (2) outdoor construction setting, and (3) worker training environment. The results demonstrate that important construction information related to both safety and activity in field operations can be automatically monitored and visualized in real-time, thus offering benefits such as increased situational awareness to workers, equipment operators, or decision makers anywhere on a construction project or from a remote location. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.