Author: Peggy Smedley
Are you fully aware and familiar with the European Union Cyber Resilience Act requirements? If you said no, then you are in good company. A new survey shows fewer than one in three German companies are fully familiar with the EU Cyber Resilience Act requirements, while another 36% have at least begun to review them. Another 27% have not engaged with the topic at all. So, let’s review. All about the Act The CRA (Cyber Resilience Act) aims to shape Europe’s digital future, enhancing cybersecurity standards of products that contain a digital component. It will require manufacturers and retailers to…
Just like anything else, AI (artificial intelligence) brings opportunities and risks—promise and peril. And, just like anything else, we must be prepared for it. The next logistical question is should we consider the launch of standards to guide the responsible use of AI in various industries? For today’s blog, let’s consider the example of surveying. First, let’s address the opportunities and risks. AI can help here in several ways including with automated image analysis, 3D terrain modeling, land use classification, planning simulation, progress monitoring, quality assurance, and predictive maintenance, just to name a few. Ultimately, it will help map faster.…
Often when we are talking about the future of work, we are talking about people. People are, in fact, one of the most important technology enablers. As we move forward into the future of work, we must invest in our people. In the construction industry, there are several programs that recognize this need and are driving this forward. Let’s journey to Texas A&M University and take a look at its CMAP (Construction Management Apprenticeship Program), which is introducing new opportunities for recent high school graduates, veterans, and early-career professionals to begin building a career through an accelerated training program. With…
Columbia, S.C., has approximately 45,000 roofs, 3,400 lane-miles of road, and 700 acres of parking lots–surfaces that absorb up to 95% of incoming solar radiation. The danger here is these areas can heat up the city during the summer months and lead to flooding issues. Left untreated, these dark and impervious areas can make parts of Columbia up to 13 ˚F hotter than less developed areas. Enter innovation. My home city of Columbia (Yes, I moved from Chicago where I lived all my life a few years ago, although family and business has me retuning often. That’s a discussion for…
The numbers are in. Civil infrastructure is under increasing stress—and not just from the physical stress of wear and tear or climate factors. Rather, the industry is seeing significant economic changes that are putting increasing stress on the industry. At the top of the list, we have rising labor and material costs, which are changing the game, but really that is just the tip of the iceberg. It is time we get a much clearer picture about where we are now with our infrastructure, so we can move forward and build a better tomorrow. Otherwise, the cracks in the infrastructure…
With the rise of agentic AI (artificial intelligence), it is time to gear up for a new era of work—one that will exist in an intelligent economy and one where Frontier Firms will guide the way. But first, let’s back up to really take a step forward. Let’s better understand where we have been. Historically, in many industries, the workforce has had to search for information across many disparate systems and have had to work across siloed teams. At the same time, many leaders have had to rely on their own expertise and judgment to make decisions with incomplete data.…
In July 1969, the world watched in awe as a human walked on the moon, and Neil Armstrong uttered the words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Much has changed in the past five decades, and now space travel may continue in new and different ways—and man may be responsible for the construction and development of new communities on different planets. NASA’s Artemis campaign aims to explore the moon for scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars, with lunar bases planned by 2030 and round trip to Mars in 2039. I will admit…
If you follow my blog, then you know last week I penned an article about researchers determining if AI (artificial intelligence) can solve your morning sudoku. The results were interesting to say the least. But the biggest concern is sometimes the AI explanations made-up facts (no we are not talking fake news here, that’s a conversation for another day) and in one case when asked about solving a puzzle, the AI responded with a weather forecast. This had me down a rabbit hole if there can be an even deeper, darker side, and it led me to AI psychosis. Are…
Digital twins bring big value to construction and facilities management in myriad ways. Now, new research is being done to develop a digital twin framework to enhance sustainability and efficiency of modular buildings. But, first, let’s back up a little bit. Because modular often means different things to different people. Here on the blog, I have explored the trend toward off-site construction, digging in specifically to modular building. But let’s recap here. What Is Modular? The Modular Building Institute does a good job defining what modular construction is, saying it is a process in which a building is constructed off-site,…
While AI (artificial intelligence) holds exciting promise for manufacturing, we are not quite yet at the place where AI is ready for primetime applications. While AI can often serve as guiding tools, we need our workforce to steer the ship in manufacturing. Still, one big lingering question remains: Can we truly trust AI? One research team aims to answer this question by playing Sudoku. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder decided to find out if AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can solve your morning sudoku. Let’s dig into the results. All about the Research and…