Page 132 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2020

2020 ITU Kaleidoscope Academic Conference

site (e.g., machine operators), as well as off site (e.g., site their respective research project. This indicates that there is
management). a lack of generic solutions with communication standards for
In this paper, we contribute to these long-term research aims data exchange and integration. In this regard, we contribute
by answering the following research questions: with a communication architecture that can transfer, process,
and integrate different data types and frequencies from
1. What are initial and representative use cases for a digital
heterogeneous data sources.
process platform in the context of future construction
sites? (see Section 3.1)
2.2 Digital Platforms for Construction Sites
2. What kind of development approach facilitates the use
Within the literature, different concepts and prototypes of
case based platform development? (see Section 3.2)
digital platforms for the usage within the construction field
3. What are necessary components of a digital process are described. One approach consists of a cloud-based
platform for future construction sites and how do they data management framework, which integrates data from
interact with each other? (see Section 3.3) construction site edge devices, government open weather
data, and 3D BIM data. Within the proposed framework, the
2. RELATED WORK collected data is visualized through a graphical user interface
(GUI) accessible through desktop computers and hand-held
2.1 Digitalization of Construction Sites devices. [9]
Another comparable approach uses radio frequency
The trend of an increase in digitalization by applying identification (RFID) technology to capture data from the
information communication technologies (ICT) in the current construction site and visualizes the construction
construction field is also reflected in the literature. One progress using 3D BIM data. Both platforms are developed
indicator is the increase of the scientific publication count in order to monitor the construction progress and support the
where ideas of the paradigm of the fourth industrial revolution decision making process of construction site managers. [10]
(Industry 4.0) are applied in the construction sector [4]. In In comparison, other platform solutions in the literature focus
this context, Ding et al. propose the concept of smart steel on the support of construction workers. One example is
bridge construction, which envisions the usage of data-driven a digital platform proposed by Zhao et al., which tracks
methods and model-based analytics to increase flexibility and construction workers and construction resources in real-time,
efficiency over the whole construction life-cycle processes in order to enhance the control of the construction process.
[5]. The authors tested their platform in two construction projects
Another idea, which originated in the context of Industry 4.0 and identified bottlenecks, in which a share of working time
is the concept of a digital twin, which tries to mirror the was wasted. They also propose to use their platform for safety
behavior of physical devices through sensor data. Boje et control, which warns construction site managers or workers
al. argue by reviewing the state-of-the-art application of the in case a restricted area is entered. [11], [12]
process of building information modeling (BIM) during the The research project AR4Construction aims to develop a
construction stage that a digital twin for construction sites is mobile-based digital platform for supporting construction
needed. They propose that the first generation of a digital twin workers by using augmented reality (AR) to overlay the
for construction sites should consist of monitoring platforms construction site with process relevant information. In the
that could sense the physical world and execute minor analysis project, Schweigkofler et al. propose a framework that uses
functionalities. [6] the mobile device to capture the construction site through
Within another review paper about the digital transformation a camera and enhances it by the 3D model of the planned
in the construction sector, Woodhead et al. argue that IoT building. [13]
solutions would not be generic and could only be applied Further digital platforms focus on the integration of machine
to certain use cases of research projects. The authors data. Within the research project SmartSite, the authors
propose that the integration of ICT into the environment develop a path planning system for compactors by using a
of construction sites needs to be accompanied with a multi-agent system approach in order to support operators
definition of communication and connection standards for to control their machinery [14]. Within the project scope,
all data-generating devices. In their work, they state that the Kuenzel et al. envisioned a cloud-based platform, which
process of identifying, accessing and exchanging data needs integrates the data from the entire supply chain of asphalt
to be defined within norms and regulations. [7] road construction [15].
Gadeke et al. propose an exemplary implementation of In another work, Skalecki et al. propose a cloud-based data
a wireless sensor network for monitoring environmental acquisition and process control system for concrete pavement
parameters like dust, noise, and vibration. They propose construction. The authors developed a process data model,
a solution, where emission data is respectively acquired which captures the relationships within the entities of the
and transmitted via sensor units and nodes and afterward concrete pavement process. In their experimental setup, the
integrated into a central data storage for real-time evaluation. data model was verified by gathering, synchronizing, and
[8] processing the data from a real construction site. [16]
The literature review shows that digitalization concepts of Based on our review, we conclude that the majority of
the construction site are usually bound to the use case in

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