Developing a Workflow for Cloud-based Inspection of Temporary Structures in Construction

Abstract

Temporary structures are used during construction and removed after construction. It is necessary to inspect these structures in terms of quality and stability in an automated manner. However, the storage and sharing of inspection data of temporary structures is a problem because most of them have not been included in Building Information Modelling. A cloud-based platform provides a possibility to improve the workflow of data collection and sharing the real-time information with different stakeholders. Hence, to address these issues, this paper aims to develop a workflow to monitor the temporary objects and share them through a cloud accessible to multiple users for safety management. There is a need to measure the structure heights especially scaffolds during construction. However, traditional inspection methods like tape measurement and recording 2D images on site are tedious practices and sometimes not possible. This paper applied advanced 3D, 360 and action cameras for data collection. Two case studies have been selected. The accuracy of measurement and performance of the proposed workflow were evaluated. First, the initial results of this ongoing study show that implementing the proposed workflow is highly efficient. Second, the comparison of the results with the current practice demonstrates that the workflow can be used for estimating area and quality of certain objects in medium sized buildings. Third, the initial field experimentations reflect that the accuracy of this method depends on the complexity of sites. In conclusion, the developed workflow provides a new opportunity to site engineers to record objects and share information with head offices for further processes and updating information models off site.