Feasibility of Automated Monitoring of Lifting Equipment in Support of Project Control
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131, Issue 5
Abstract
One of the differences between industrial manufacturing or processing plants and construction sites is the temporary nature of the construction site, which has traditionally precluded installation of sophisticated production monitoring systems. Monitoring of production progress, cost, and quality is performed almost exclusively manually, with the result that it is expensive and approximate, and is commonly delivered with a time lag that does not allow for an effectively closed control loop. Automated monitoring of construction lifting equipment to provide useful feedback information for project management is a strong potential candidate; almost all components and materials must be transported by machines, and monitoring of machines is relatively straightforward. A system concept, employing a “black box” monitor and an electronic building information model, was developed. A field study was conducted to test the feasibility of the concept. The results indicate that the system is technically feasible, and offers the potential to deliver real-time, accurate project control information at very low cost.
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Acknowledgments
The writers are grateful for the assistance provided by U. Dori Construction Ltd., and in particular to the site management team at the Discount Bank Tower project.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131 • Issue 5 • May 2005
Pages: 604 - 614
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 2, 2004
Accepted: Jun 7, 2004
Published online: May 1, 2005
Published in print: May 2005
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