Case studies
The BAM Digital Construction Workspace (DCW)
DCW is a cloud hosted suite of software that allows users to access and use a wealth of digital information on a construction project anywhere on site. To maximise the benefits of this way of working users must have unconstrained access.
Site engineers for example use tablets or laptops to record data as part of their workflow. With 5G connected devices the DCW can be accessed seamlessly anywhere on site (limited only by 5G coverage).
DCW can:
- Give site professionals access to ‘live’ documents rather than downloads; reduced number of downloads/users without the latest versions of drawings etc.
- Reduce the need to return to the office to review/update DCW information during on-site activities, saving time on-site.
- Prevent the use of downloaded information (drawings/models/documents) that introduce a risk of using out-of-date versions.
- Raise awareness of otherwise unforeseen issues and improve the quality of subsequent decisions based on better information.
5G has allowed for better real time mobile DCW data access around the site.
- Geographically dispersed design and construction teams can work collaboratively on the evolution of the project design using the co-ordinated 3D model.
- As the design has matured content can be shared and reviewed across disciplines and has helped engagement with the client.
- Barriers include the need to demonstrate the overall viability of 5G (linked to the business case for 5G and other solutions) and the availability of suitable 5G-enabled devices that support on-site engineers.
The speed and reliability of 5G enables plans, drawings or ‘digital twins’ to be kept up to date, improving overall site management, and minimising disruption and errors. Huge drawings/models (300Mb+)can be updated in real-time (eliminating errors due to out-of-date information).
BAMCAM
BAMCAM provides a camera and sensor based 'system of work' for time lapse and automated construction project monitoring. 5G enables the collection of high-quality images, video and data in real-time. These data can be used in artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to improve site management.
The set-up on the Shetland Isles site included 12 cameras mounted across three portable telescopic masts supplied by Clark Masts Systems. The masts also housed the 5G modem that connects with the 5G private network at the Shetland site.
BAMCAM has proven value with images used to check progress of building works and find images needed to settle subcontractor disputes over minor damage.
- BAMCAM allowed site staff to go straight to the date and location of an incident on site and find the snippet of video they need to provide proof of which party was at fault in the case of an incident or late delivery. It enables quick resolution of disputes avoiding hours of review and meetings that might otherwise be needed to resolve disputes with limited evidence of who was at fault.
- One of the lessons learned from the BAMCAM deployment was that cabling should be installed before site operations begin. The site was already operational when cabling was installed. If the cabling had been installed prior to commencement of ground works, they could have dug and installed the cable trenches much faster (instead they had to work around the active site).
Advanced Surveying and Data Streaming (ASDS)
During the Shetland Isles construction programme a drone was deployed to produce a weekly still panoramic image of the site, hosted on the internet. The images have been used to familiarise site visitors and workers before joining the team on site, as well as to help planning, procurement, commercial and engineering teams with preparation and reporting.
- Drone footage has been used every day for site safety, security, quantity surveying and monitoring overall progress on site.
- Drone footage has been used in around two thirds of discussions with the client for regular updates.
- The drone was used to survey a river course next to the site. The drone was used to make a digital reconstruction of the water course with the whole scanning process taking just a couple of fly overs. The same process would have taken a team of five staff around 3 weeks to complete and that survey would have been less accurate.
- Not having the drone footage to complete a daily diary record entry would mean having to walk up and around the site to get high vantage point photos. This would take at least half an hour each day (generating only limited visual data) and be risky to staff in terms of slips and trips in the often harsh weather conditions on site.
- Interactive use of the drone enabled by 5G allows the capture of visual data in ‘real-time’, with users able to zoom-in on specific activities or site locations. It supports remote working; for example delivering a live stream into a collaborative team meeting involving engineers working off-site, keeping the client informed on project progress and supporting the induction of new staff and visitors.
- Better quality site data from an increased frequency of basic surveys can lead to better decisions based on better/more frequently updated survey data.
Autonomous or remote-controlled vehicles
Boston Dynamics and Trimble have been collaborating to develop an innovative remote/autonomous scanning solution in which the Boston Dynamics ‘Spot’ industrial robot carries the Trimble X7 scanner. We have successfully integrated this automated scanning capability with the private 5G network on the Shetland Isles site.
The high bandwidth enabled by 5G means that survey/scanning data can be automatically sent to an engineer using 5G when the survey is complete. The speed and low latency enabled by 5G means that the combined robot/scanner can be operated in real-time by an engineer working remotely from the site.
Two deployment scenarios have been demonstrated at the Shetland Isles site:
- The robot can be pre-programmed to automatically complete data gathering exercises at set times during the day or during evening hours. Data could be available to a surveyor on the following morning and in effect this halves the time the staff member would need to gather and analyse the data.
- The robot can be remotely controlled, enabling key areas to be surveyed interactively by remote experts, or locations that are potentially hazardous for an engineer to be accessed to be scanned and surveyed safely. Remote control can be by an on-site operator. However, the 5G-AMC2 project has also demonstrated and assessed remote control by an operator located at the BAM offices in London.