First Read Viewpoint: This summer, millions went without power in India’s largest outage in history, and currently, hurricane season still threatens the Gulf coast. Now more than ever, concerns about power delivery in extreme weather are real and increasing.We’ve all heard the cliché “time is money,” but it is especially true for providers of electricity. Every minute that power is out equals lost revenue. For large investor owned utilities (IOUs), the potential impact of storms can reach tens of millions of dollars annually. Quite often, smaller utilities do not have funds to set aside for these types of extreme events
A group of MIT researchers recently completed a series of test flights, navigating an airplane that operates without human control or an onboard GPS navigation system through a close-quarters course in a parking garage.
Model-driven project delivery on jobsites could be taking a big leap forward with a license deal between project information management (PIM) provider Newforma and M-SIX's 3D software platform, called VEO.
A couple of years ago, one of our teams was working in an active hospital, adjacent to a neonatal intensive care unit. Like all work in sensitive areas, the crew would measure levels of dust, particles, noise and air pressure to ensure construction wasn’t posing a risk to the NICU.This is standard operating procedure, but our team saw risks. What happened in between the times when workers would take a reading? A few project team members saw their smartphones and realized they literally had the technology to change this system in their hands.At the same time, a different Skanska project
Photo by Tom Sawyer New York City building permits are sprouting up with QR codes that instantly unlock vast amounts of project information. Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri thought of it, and so far, New York City may be the only city doing it, experts say, although they believe the idea will spread to other cities soon. Related Links: On the Road to Digitization Speeding Construction Recovery With Streamlined Code Review Building permits posted on New York City construction sites are sporting an intelligent look these days as older permits give way to new ones bearing QR codes—those stamp-like squares of
Courtesy Trimble Trimble's Digirod can measure grade from a rotating laser without ever touching the ground. From the "groma" with its right angles and plumb bobs used 3,000 years ago to modern-day grade rods, surveyors have been using some type of rod in their work. A new grading device claims to eliminate the need for grade rods when checking grades with a rotating laser. It compounds a laser distance meter, laser receiver, tilt sensor and digital readout to get grade readings without touching the ground at tilt angles of up to 30 degrees.Trimble Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., calls its grading instrument,
Image courtesy of Sundt Construction 3_D model section view of a plan for a trench to bury a sewer line 45 ft below grade. VDC analyzed scenario calls for a two step process to excavate a trench wide enough to hold the spoil from a second trench dug in the center to minimize hauling while maintaining safe slopes and achieving the depth required. Related Links: Read Cylwik and Dwyer's full paper: Virtual Design and Construction in Horizontal Infrastructure Projects Construction processes in vertical buildings are often repeatable—and repeated. That helps make that kind of construction a good fit for building
Related Links: Engineering News-Record Information Technology Resource Commander Integrating time, production and equipment data with accounting has long meant deciphering handwritten notes or re-keying information on spreadsheets and forms to data-entry screens. Contractors now are cleaning up that workflow with mobile data-collection systems.One enabler is ACS Connect, Brandon, Fla.,a construction software developer and consultant. Data from ACS's time-, production- and equipment-tracking product, Resource Commander, can feed into many back-office systems. The product has a growing list of users and is about to get a boost from Viewpoint Construction Software, Portland, Ore., which is preparing to release an iOS- and Android-compatible
Photo courtesy of ikeGPS The ikeGPS integrates multiple tools into one package, allowing for accurate measurement and geolocation of objects from 1,000 meters away. Related Links: Engineering News-Record Architectural Record A handheld device, ikeGPS, is finding new fans in the U.S. as it performs the work of a digital compass, a camera, a laptop and a laser range-finder. Created by Surveylab, Wellington, New Zealand, it is saving utility companies hours of data collection and entry work and appears to have the potential to do even more."We're seeing a 30% reduction in time spent collecting data," says Ed Gray, director of
Elizabeth Cox walked the site of the Houston Dynamo stadium wearing new sunglasses her brother gave her. When she got back to the work trailer, she had a high-definition video of her site walk.
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