Public and private sector clients are pushing construction firms harder than ever before.
As demand for larger, more complex projects rises, businesses already feeling the pressure from economic uncertainty, high material costs and labor shortages are expected to deliver with maximum efficiency and sustainability. With so much at stake, there’s no room for the disconnect between surveying and construction workflows that has historically led to discrepancies between the plans and the final build. It’s a pinch point where digital workflows can be a gamechanger, making for smoother handovers, more comprehensive plans, and better-informed teams throughout a project. Connected survey solutions are smarter than ever, streamlining the transition from surveying to construction and providing quick access to crucial data. By integrating data collection, sharing and collaboration, these workflows break down silos, allowing project data to flow seamlessly from start to finish, and even feed into future projects to improve efficiency further.
The full picture at every stage
Survey technology has evolved rapidly in recent years, empowering surveyors to operate with greater precision, even in challenging site conditions. Hybrid positioning systems, which combine GNSS positioning and optical robotic measurements, allow surveyors to accurately capture data points, even when the line of sight is obstructed. However, accuracy at the start is only the first step. If data isn’t consistently updated and shared across all teams, the entire project can suffer. Discrepancies between as-built conditions and plans can lead to costly errors, delays and rework, highlighting the importance of maintaining precision throughout the process.
Construction verification technology plays a vital role in guaranteeing this level of accuracy is maintained, ensuring that each step taken on a project is one backed by as much data as possible. Topcon’s fully digital quality control workflow replaces time-consuming spot-checking of completed work with detailed daily checks that take a fraction of the time. By integrating a high-accuracy robotic total station with LiDAR scanning capabilities, the technology captures high-density 3D point clouds for comprehensive documentation of project progress.
Project managers can then use software like ClearEdge Verity to compare real-time progress against design models, detecting variances early through intuitive heatmaps. This data can be quickly transferred to as-built BIM plans to ensure that teams have accurate, up-to-date plans going forward, reducing the risk of rework and keeping projects on track.
The return on investment for survey teams and projects as a whole doesn’t just come in the form of a faster, more accurate process. Connected systems ensure that teams work from the same reliable data, minimizing rework and leading to more efficient, right-first-time project delivery. At a time when more than ever is being demanded of construction and survey teams, and resources remain tight, being able to reduce or eliminate the 20% that rework often adds to construction costs is a game-changer.
Sharing is caring
The digital revolution has arrived for the built environment, as different areas of the construction workflow – from initial planning and surveying right through to build – find more and more solutions to make their work more efficient. However, with the rise of data available to those on site and in the office, we also need to become fluent in sharing our data not only with other teams and contractors, but also with regulators and other stakeholders.
Effective data sharing can facilitate collaboration, speed up decision making and ensure compliance with environmental and safety standards. Sustainability is one crucial example – the built environment represents a huge portion of an economy’s carbon emissions. To meet rapidly approaching net zero targets, the industry needs to decarbonize fast. Most projects are taking a carrot and stick approach, offering contracts to greener businesses in tender processes while simultaneously preparing for large-scale reporting regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the EU. In each case, being able to collate and share this data is more important than ever, and digital workflows that aggregate and share data from each stage of the construction process are the only way to do this quickly and effectively.
Embracing change for growth
There’s little sign of the pace of change slowing in years to come, presenting an opportunity for growth in surveying and construction. The success of technologies such as AI, automation, and the Internet of Things relies on a greater level of integration across contractors, so it’s the firms that adopt digital workflows that share this data that are set to benefit the most.
For both survey and construction firms across a range of different markets, there’s a significant opportunity for those that make this level of data sharing and fluency their modus operandi. In the bidding process for a large-scale, complex project, a business that is proud of its data sharing ability will be more attractive.
Accuracy and efficiency have fallen into the cracks between our industry’s moving parts for too long. Connecting each stage of the construction process allows us to change this and significantly enhance project outcomes. With the right digital solutions in place, traditional silos can be dismantled, paving the way for a new generation of bigger, more efficient and more sustainable projects.