Transforming Construction Industry with 3D Point Cloud Data

3D point cloud data is transforming the construction industry! With the development of the computer’s hardware and algorithms, the acquisition of the point cloud data becomes easier. We can capture the 3D scene using our smartphone within several minutes.

However, what are the applications of the 3D point cloud data and how are these valued? 

The 3D data brings several advantages, such as understanding the as-built information of the site, monitoring construction progress, enhancing the site’s safety, and adding value to the Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications.

1. Understand the as-built information on the site

The as-built point cloud provides information of the as-built situation, which supports the site engineer’s decisions on-site. For instance, just using a 2D as-built drawing leaves the depth information of the buried pipes unknown, however, with the third dimension of the point cloud data, we can acquire the real location of the piping system. This information can be helpful because there is always a misalignment between the design drawings and the actual piping location, while the point cloud data complements the missing parts.

2. Progress monitoring

Secondly, by acquiring an as-built point cloud, we can compare it with the master plan to track the construction progress. Updating the schedule is always a labor-intensive and inaccurate task in construction management. However, with the as-built point cloud, we can compare it with the BIM model and provide a more accurate and unbiased progress report automatically [1], supporting the contract management and documentation.

3. Enhance safety by preventing incidents

Moreover, the on-site as-built information can help to enhance safety by preventing potential disastrous events on the site. For instance, in the excavation work, by knowing the location of the underground pipelines, we can avoid the unexpected damage of the in-service pipeline, which may cause dangerous accidents.

4. add value to the BIM and AI applications

Lastly, the collection of 3D data can add value to Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. The usage of BIM and AI technologies is an important aspect of digital transformation in the construction industry, while the vast amount of high-quality 3D point cloud data is important to support its development. With these technologies, we can automate more processes and improve the efficiency of construction management. For example, we can perform scan-to-BIM to improve the efficiency of the production of as-built drawings or detect the underground pipeline using an AI model for pipeline automatic locating.

In conclusion, the usage of 3D point cloud data brings along these advantages: to understand the site’s as-built information, to monitor progress, to improve the site’s safety, and to support BIM and AI technologies to improve construction management. 3D information has a lot of influence in the construction industry, and it is important to take this into account earlier.

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Thanks for reading! Can the point cloud data improve your industry workflow? Please like and share your thoughts in the comments!

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Reference

1. Lin, J. J., Han, K. K., & Golparvar-Fard, M. (2015). A framework for model-driven acquisition and analytics of visual data using UAVs for automated construction progress monitoring. In Computing in civil engineering 2015 (pp. 156-164).