The reason why Big Data has gathered a significant amount of attention in recent years is not only because it is valuable to all industries, but also because it is valuable in the digital age we’re living in.
In the construction industry, for instance, useful data is continuously coming from many different sources; such as design plan, past construction projects of the buildings as well as the machinery, supply chain, and even the accounts, payroll, and data of the actual workers working on the site.
However, most of this data is unstructured and usually pulled from the traditional systems. The process of analysis is what makes it Big Data. To further understand why Big Data is so important to the construction industry as a whole, we’ll look at how it contributes to the various stages in construction.
Design Phase
Even as early as in the design phase, Big Data starts playing a role in the construction industry. There is a lot of information that companies can harvest and apply to transform the process of designing. This includes:
The input of the Stakeholder
Email discussions, and social media
Environmental information
Historical Data
If it is harnessed and analyzed properly, the data from all these channels can help a developer in deciding on an optimal location for the construction project.
Above all, once this data is fed into Building Information Modeling (BIM), the modern system allows in creating a “5D BIM”, which a five-dimensional model of the physical and functional characteristics of the construction project. It integrates all systems and enables full collaboration. This is where it comes together to develop an efficient model that helps in saving time and money.
Construction Phase
In the actual building phase of a construction project, environmental informational data plays a big role. For instance, the information regarding climate conditions, weather patterns, and reports can tell the developers appropriate time to begin the construction and determine its stages.
Another application of Big Data in this phase is the use of sensors. For instance, having sensors on the on-site machinery helps in generating insights about how efficiently the machinery is working. Geo-location sensors may help in improving logistics and in avoiding downtime. There are now onsite development companies in the construction industry that use telematics as well as GPS data to analyze the machines on various data points such as, idle time, cycle time, productivity, and more.
Productivity is the main issue in this phase. It lags behind because of several factors, such as:
Change in plans and jobs frequently
The temporary nature of the job site
Issues in planning, communication, and logistics
The technology is already helping in overcoming these factors. The wearable sensors have significantly helped in improving workplace conditions. The biometric system within them can even monitor the workers’ health.
Operational Phase
The sensors that gather the data also have an important role to play in the phase of the operations. All the data gathered from these sensors that are installed in homes, buildings, bridges, allow for better management of the construction facility. They can track the inner working of a building, whether it’s energy usage, foot traffic, or internal temperature.
This data can be analyzed to manage the use of energy in shopping malls or office parks. Above all, after logging this data into the BIM system, the system can help in creating accurate modeling for the maintenance in the buildings.
As the industries collect more and more data, the data gets bigger and bigger, but it’s necessary to condense it into manageable bites. In conclusion, in the construction industry, the information has to be analyzed to gain useful insights from the data.
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