Mobile augmented reality applications for construction projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to facilitate the process of monitoring construction projects. Classic practice for construction progress tracking relies on paper reports, which entails a serious amount of manual data collection as well as the effort of imagining the actual progress from the paperwork. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a new methodology for monitoring construction progress using smartphones. This is done by proposing a new system consisting of a newly-developed application named BIM-U and a mobile augmented reality (AR) channel named BIM-Phase. BIM-U is an Android application that allows the end-user to update the progress of activities onsite. These data are used to update the project's 4D model enhanced with different cost parameters such as earned value, actual cost and planned value. The BIM-Phase application is a mobile AR channel that is used during construction phase through implementing a 4D as-planned phased model integrated with an augmented video showing real or planned progress. Findings The results from the project are then analysed and assessed to anticipate the potential of these and similar techniques for tracking time and cost on construction projects. Originality/value The proposed system through BIM-U and BIM Phase exploits the potential of mobile applications and AR in construction through the use of handheld mobile devices to offer new possibilities for measuring and monitoring work progress using building information modelling.