Context-Aware Information System for Construction Site Applications

Construction sites are information intensive environments. Workers need a lot of information and tools to make on-site decisions, and the lack of access to these resources at the job site causes these decisions to be deferred. This can lead to delays in the construction process and increased cost. In addition, the complex nature of the construction process and the dynamic nature of the construction sites might lead construction personnel to overlook important tasks on their schedules. To address these issues, we have built a context-aware information system designed to deliver up-to-date project information to the construction site. This system helps the user to manage the complexity of the construction data by proactively tracking current resource requirements and proactively obtaining access to context-relevant information and services. The system is targeted to run on off-the-shelf handheld computing devices and uses wireless network for communication. This allows continuous access to data and resources as users move around the job site. This paper describes the architecture of this system and shows the benefits of context-aware computing for on-site information delivery at a construction site.