Augmented reality-based computational fieldwork support for equipment operations and maintenance

This paper describes the development of an Augmented Reality (AR)-based equipment Operations and Maintenance (O&M) fieldwork support application to improve efficiency at the site and the experimental evaluation of the application. The application consists of an AR-based interface for intuitive GUI and an O&M information model developed with various types of O&M specific information obtained through observing tradespeople's fieldwork activities, and those from Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and Building Automation System (BAS). In addition, the BACnet protocol is used to get sensor-derived operation data in real time from BAS. A series of experiments was conducted to quantitatively measure improvement in equipment O&M fieldwork efficiency by using a software prototype of the application. The results show that with the application the subjects saved, on average, 51% of time spent at task when they located target areas and 8% of time at task while obtaining sensor-based performance data from BAS. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.