2. “The early bird gets the worm, but the second
mouse gets the cheese” - author unknown
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
3. Mobile IT - The missing link?
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
4. What is COMIT?
“learn from experience to deliver measurable
business benefits”
Initially a 2-year DTI sponsored research and
development project
Now an ongoing organisation
COMIT Community
– Construction
– Technology
– Research
– Dissemination
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
6. Our Work
Document existing applications of Mobile IT in
Construction
Create a better understanding between
technology and construction companies
Understand which applications will deliver
business benefits
Create wider awareness of the benefits of
Mobile IT in construction
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
7. Original COMIT projects
Monitoring health and safety on site
Monitoring progress
Maintenance inspections
Site design problem resolution 5 - Goods received notes
Quality inspections
Task allocation
Drawing distribution and usage
Site diaries
On-site accounting of operatives/visitors
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
8. More Recent Projects
Rapid Site Set-up (SARP)
Intelligent Tools (HAV)
Mobile Timesheet Collection
User Acceptance of Mobile IT
On-Site Crew Activity Reporting (OSCAR)
RFID in the Supply Chain
Enhanced GPS Systems
Real Time Field Reporting using Smart Devices
Augmented Reality Technologies – Proof of Concept
Real Time Location (RTL) Technologies
Social Media in Construction (Mobile Apps)
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
9. Real Time Field Reporting with Smart Devices
COSTAIN – M1 Junctions 10 – 13
A variety of smart devices/tablets were
trialled with site engineers and operatives
testing both hardware and software
Testing also carried out at sites in USA
Report to be published April 2012
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
10. www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
With thanks to Engineering News Record
www.comitproject.org.uk
11. Augmented Reality
• Are we building it in the right place?
• Ensuring the correct drawing is being used
• Show me the construction detail for this
object
• Are we ahead or behind schedule?
• Dealing with interface and clashing issues
• Am I about to put a trench through existing
utilities?
• Safety zone infringement
• Give me the data for this asset
• How was this constructed
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
12. Some Future Projects and Ideas
Construction Waste Reduction - Material Tracking
Scaffold Safety
RFID for Tools Tracking
RFID in Industry Surface Ironwork (including water) Asset Tracking
Distributed Information Modelling for Infrastructure (DiMi)
Heterogeneous Real-Time Data Capture
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
13. Mobile Apps in COMIT
Enterprise Mobility = Employee empowerment
• Mileage, trip and expense tracking
• Locate team, send jobs, track business mileage and expenses
• Submit expense reports for approval and get reimbursed from the field.
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
14. Mobile Apps in COMIT
Vela Mobile
“Enables construction team
members to create and update
issues, reference project
documents, and run QA/QC,
Safety and Commissioning
checklists throughout all
project phases”
- iTunes Description
www.comitproject.org.uk sarah.bowden@arup.com
www.comitproject.org.uk
So could mobile IT provide the missing link to the site based staff not linked into traditional construction IT solutions such as the project extranet?
COMIT’s aim is to learn from experience to deliver measurable business benefits Led by Arup, BSRIA and Loughborough University Community of about 45 companies from the key stakeholders.
It was recognised that the work to be done was…. People were using Mobile IT but no-one knew about it Technology companies were seeing construction as an obvious industry for mobile, but they were bashing their heads against a brick wall. Construction companies felt that tech companies were selling them solutions without understanding the construction industry and banding around acronyms that they didn’t understand e.g. WLAN, PDA etc. People were seeing how PDAs could be used for diaries etc. and said let’s have a mobile solution and were then applying it to anything without seeing if the process would benefit sufficiently. Wider awareness in general