Author: Constructech Editors
The 1930s radio vigilante The Shadow had the “power to cloud men’s minds so they can’t see him.” Today, we have computer villains who adopt the same approach, clouding a computer’s “mind” so they are invisible and can operate in the shadows. They are called hackers. What is needed, then, is a comparable hero, a Shadow, that can fight the evil at its own level. It is known as cybersecurity. And the war has been ongoing for decades, each side winning some and losing some battles, technology shifting from one side to the other, success one day replaced by failure…
Technology continues to play a key role in the construction industry and the adaptation of new innovative technologies continues to accelerate. Today’s ERP (enterprise-resource planning) solutions must step up to the plate to reduce costs, increase productivity, support smarter business decisions, automate manual labor-intensive processes, reduce risks, and facilitate communication among project stakeholders. The Value of a Dynamic ERP: Data An ERP continues to be the foundation of commercial constructors’ technology stack. A cloud-based, web-based ERP solution delivers an integrated approach where all stakeholders can access invaluable business information anywhere, anytime, and on demand to view status, predict future outcomes,…
We read a lot about the IoT—the Internet of Things—and how it can be beneficial to companies and people in general. But what constitutes IoT in today’s world? From the basic, home-based IoT environment to the large, nation-wide IoT architecture, the major elements are easily recognized. How common is IoT? In 2021, Walmart said it managed about 1.5 billion messages from IoT devices daily. In particular, the company uses the IoT to help maintain food in refrigerators and coolers and plan in-store maintenance needs. And that’s one company. For a device to be a part of the IoT, at minimum a few…
Autonomous vehicles, self-driving cars for example, are in the news a lot lately, not always in a positive way. San Francisco, which was a pioneer testbed for them has pulled some of them off the streets. Cruise, a division of General Motors, and Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, have been running robo-taxis on the streets of San Francisco for several years. Cruise and Waymo expanded operations to all the city in 2023 with Cruise claiming 300 autonomous cars running during the day and 100 at night; Waymo had 250 cars on the streets. But in August the…
The construction industry is getting connected with the rise of new equipment and technologies that enable data to assist in helping on the job. Last year, Counterpoint Technology Market Research suggested it expects the connected construction machinery market to see an annual growth rate of 11% in the next eight years. While this certainly can vary widely—some connected solutions are factory-direct while others are aftermarket—the benefits are significant for the construction industry. Consider the example of the INSIGHT Mixer System from Revolution Concrete Mixers. From Auto Load at the plant to System Washout after the delivery, INSIGHT Mixer System gives…
We have witnessed technologies change our world and even some technologies that have dominated our discussions this past year or so. Most popular has been AI (artificial intelligence), the AI that everyone talked about in 2023, which was covered in Part 1. Another “A” buzzword is AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) and its massive cousin, the metaverse. AR and VR have been around for a while in various forms, including video games, and we’ve covered them in Part 2. One technology that has been hyped heavily but hasn’t really made a strong appearance in practical applications is blockchain,…
There are some technologies that have dominated the discussion in the past year or two. Most popular has been artificial intelligence, the AI that everyone talked about in 2023, which was covered in Part 1. Another A buzzword is AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) and its massive cousin, the metaverse. AR and VR have been around for a while in various forms, including video games. Many people are familiar with the glasses that are used with AR and VR. The difference is inside those glasses. Augmented reality augments your surroundings by adding digital elements to a live view, often…
It would be funny if it were not so true how history repeats itself in construction, infrastructure, and perhaps just about any other industry for that matter. As people we tend to sometimes forget the powerful legacy of those that came before, and how their technology has changed the lives of so many. We are so focused on artificial intelligence today, many of us have almost lost the importance of Steve Jobs’ vision with the introduction of the iPhone, in 2008. And, more importantly, in the construction industry when he unveiled the iPad in 2010. Consider just for a moment…
Today’s project owners need a tool that can provide visibility across every phase of the construction project—from initial planning and design through construction and final closeout. PWC suggests portfolio management optimization tools typically increase overall portfolio value by between 5% and 20%. To achieve this and other benefits, project owners need the right data, the right technology, and the right skills and processes. Projectmates answers this need with a suite of tools to improve document management, budgeting, scheduling, change order tracking, and risk assessment, just to name a few. While its cost-tracking tools provide detailed insights into how costs impact…
Research shows workers could save an estimated 12 hours a week by improving cross-functional collaboration and alignment. What’s more, 80% of respondents view reducing data and information silos as critical or high priority, according to data released at the end of 2022. This certainly is true in the construction industry today. Let’s take a look. Software silos, and the need to have the right tool or app for the job, have created a fragmented multi app software scenario that inhibits technology adoption. Recognizing this challenge, Command Technologies unveiled Command Post—a solution rooted in RevOps, which collects key information from sales,…