Written by Christine Preusler for Constructor Magazine
ConTech — a blend of “construction” and “technology” that is used to describe digital industry solutions — is easy to brush off as a sensational term. But the transformative technology behind the buzzword is genuinely worth knowing.
Regardless of what we call them, these new tech tools — from cloud-based jobsite analytics platforms to digital tunnel construction and monitoring services — are radically altering the industry. Between reduced costs, improved safety, better efficiency and enhanced project outcomes, contractors are enjoying a wide range of digitally induced benefits.
In an era where infrastructure contractors grapple with hiring and managing a skilled workforce, next-generation automation and robotics can help with staffing numbers while streamlining data collection. Digital technology enables the collection, storage and analysis of such data, which can then be used to optimize planning, monitor progress and identify risks. Cloud computing allows project teams to navigate these complexities via the internet, enhancing communication and collaboration.
Civil Works Contracting, an SBA- and HUBZone-certified firm and a Carolinas AGC member, leverages such technologies to undertake diverse and large-scale projects for government and private businesses. Using Datumate’s DatuBIM, a cloud-native, 4D infrastructure data analytics platform, Civil Works can extract valuable metrics from drone data and images to automate and digitize projects.
“We use DatuBIM to accurately measure anything from clearing to dirt volumes, stockpiles, excavating ponds and piles of debris left on sites that need to be removed,” said Phil Broom, project manager, estimator, and drone pilot at Civil Works Contracting. “Recently, we needed to provide an estimate for a 650,000-sq-ft warehouse and could easily get answers to questions we had using drone footage and measurement tools from the platform.”
Uriel Shirazi, director of sales engineering at Datumate, said the photogrammetry and drone-mapping software makes for more efficient, higher-quality project delivery.
“In addition to tracking and providing analytics, the main goal is to automate processes and help our customers save time and money,” Shirazi said. “Digitizing infrastructure construction sites enables companies like Civil Works to unlock better collaboration, monitoring and control while reducing uncertainty and rework.”
In August 2022, Civil Works conducted a drone flight on a 20-acre, multi-use commercial and residential development in Wilmington, North Carolina. It used the footage to create a more precise bid for the project, which it won. Civil Works continued to use DatuBIM across the project’s lifecycle to accurately track and monitor progress while saving time and reducing costs, with drone flights once every two weeks. Shirazi said this is a typical use case for the product.
“Our customers usually generate 3D models using drone images at least once or twice a month, and then at the end of the month, they generate analytics and validate the progress of the project,” he said. “They can identify deviations from the original design just by visiting
the site from their computer, much earlier than you would traditionally. Automation makes these engineering processes much easier for our customers.”
When searching for an infrastructure data analytics platform, Shirazi recommends looking for a tool that integrates seamlessly with BIM systems, is compatible with existing processes and generates complex engineering reports quickly.
“Our platform was built by surveyors and civil engineers, so we really understand our customers, the processes they need automated and how reports should be tailored to the nature of infrastructure construction,” he said.
Shirazi said Datumate is mainly used for new neighborhoods as well as horizontal surfaces like highways and railways. But ConTech is also making an impact underground as digital processes and systems take the forefront in new tunneling projects.
Riley Smith, director, monitoring and tunneling at Trimble Inc. a member of multiple AGC chapters, said that as tunneling projects go paperless, contractors and subcontractors must find tools and technology that will allow them to capture, manage and deliver information to clients in new ways.
Trimble Inc.’s portfolio of products for survey, as-built and monitoring tasks on tunnel projects is designed and enhanced based on feedback from real-life contractors and subcontractors grappling with new digital standards.
“An example of industry standards changing is the adoption of common data environments (CDE) and standard exchange formats (e.g., IFC BIM files),” Smith said. “These encourage transparency, collaboration and sharing across the project by having a seamless flow of data in one place and reducing the loss of information in translating to different formats. Trimble has developed a software product called Trimble Connect that performs this duty and can be accessible by anyone on site via web, mobile or desktop that can aggregate many standard industry formats for survey, design and as-built information.”
Trimble aims to provide fast, accurate and reliable technology for survey and construction professionals across the tunnel project lifecycle, with hardware solutions built for durability and reliability in harsh underground environments. Additionally, the company applies domain expertise in the underground industry to develop specific workflows and tools that cater to what tunnel survey and construction users need to capture and produce during a tunnel project, such as tunnel construction verification, monitoring and inspection reports.
Another advantage is found in the company’s all-in-one approach.
“We have designed our field and office software to handle any workflow and tasks required in tunnel surveying, meaning users can reduce training and software costs by centralizing on one system across the project,” Smith said.
In addition to reducing costs, advancements in tunneling technology will positively impact the skilled workforce needs of the industry.
“We are continually enhancing our products to make surveyors and construction professionals more efficient with less while maintaining accuracy across their operations,” Smith said. “For example, the Trimble SX12 scanning total station fuses multiple sensors into one device — total station, laser scanner, high-resolution imaging — so a tunnel surveyor can provide multiple deliverables to their client with one tool.”
In the past, a surveyor needed to purchase each sensor separately and merge the data, causing a convoluted and laborious process. Trimble also emphasizes efficiencies in the
workflow by introducing automation into labor-intensive processes, reducing time to create a deliverable and errors from manual operations.
“An example of this is with our office and field software, Trimble Business Center and Trimble Access, where we have added many tools that streamline the creation of reports and as-built models during the tunnel construction process, removing much of the current manual efforts needed to process the data,” Smith said.
Finally, Trimble is working on technology to educate and inspire an emerging skilled workforce by bringing virtual environments with guided tasks and workflows.
“An example of this is Trimble Virtual World, a simulated work-site training environment that can be connected to Trimble’s positioning and survey tools,” Smith said. “This allows team managers to provide safe and controlled environments to train new workers in best practices and techniques without having to put them into busy projects. It does not replace the need for on-site experience and mentorship — but helps accelerate the adoption of skills without putting new staff at risk.”