Photo Courtesy of APM Terminals Port of Callao workers circle a piece of equipment to demonstrate the 30-ft range of RFID sensors, manufactured by Avonwood Developments. Related Links: Avonwood's ZoneSafe Proximity Warning System APM Terminal's Callao Port In construction, radio-frequency identification devices, or RFIDs, are used for security purposes to monitor jobsites and track workers. At Peru's Port of Callao, the largest port on the Pacific side of South America, RFID technology is being used to avoid collisions between workers and loading equipment."In most ports all over the world, there has, for many years, been a problem to effectively separate
Image Courtesy OF Oracle Primavera Dashboard Schedulers are demanding more business-intelligence complexity and simplified dashboard views of selected project phases. Shown here is a Primavera screenshot of a dashboard. Related Links: Oracle Primavera P6 website Construction CPM Website and Presentations Critical-path method, or CPM, scheduling tools are doing so much more than managing schedules in construction these days. The project- management software platforms are gaining in sophistication and complexity—with better support for 4D building information modeling that gives project teams a more realistic view of the project. Milestones, risk analysis, business intelligence—it's all baked into CPM tools that are lightweight,
Related Links: ENR: Cloud Computing and Marketing ENR: Cloud Computing Makes the Grade Gone are the days of carrying around flash drives and panicking when the office server is full. Online document storage has become the easiest and quickest way for sharing information that can be securely accessed from anywhere within a company.Dozens of service providers offer cloud-based file sharing and storage, but Natick, Mass.-based Nasuni provides a new breed of storage and sharing that combines on-premises hardware with encrypted cloud-based primary storage. Its unlimited storage capability appeals to companies with multiple sites that need access to the same files.Andres
Photo by Holcim The WeatherAPP is a four-day weather forecast that accounts for air and concrete temperatures, wind speed and humidity. Related Links: The Holcim Weather App Concrete contractors should take note. A free, new tool just arrived to make their lives easier. It's a mobile app that instantly displays a four-day forecast to predict whether the weather is right to place concrete."In Utah, we have a huge issue with cracking. It's dry and windy, and the humidity is very low," says Mark Sweats, tech services manager at cement and aggregate provider Westroc Inc., Pleasantville Utah. "We use the app
Related Links: The Building Research Information Database The American Institute of Architects National Institute of Building Sciences A new website formed by two buildings organizations aims to be a bank of peer-reviewed research projects and case studies that dive into every phase of the building cycle, from predesign through occupancy and re-use."I believe that it has the potential to be transformative in our industry," says A. Ray Pentecost III, chairman of the board of direction for the new site: BRIKbase.org.BRIK stands for "Building Research Information Knowledgebase" and was formed by the American Institute of Architects and the National Institute of
When brainstorming technology story ideas at ENR, our editors frequently start by trying to feel your pain. Our readers are the construction people who depend on technology to improve their personal and company performance, but they also are the people who are left frustrated or wistful when needed technology fails them or has yet to be invented. When we hear those stories about common technology wishes and issues we start looking for folks who have found or invented solutions, and then we write about those. If it is new and helpful and we can find it and it’s not widely known,
Related Links: Latista The LATISTA App LATISTA, a leading field data management software vendor, is set to release a new iPad version on Jan. 15 with upgrades that include increased speed for viewing building information modeling files in PDF format."We benchmarked it against many leading companies," says Patricia Remacle, vice president, product management at LATISTA, Reston, Va. She says the product was faster in most tests. The benchmarking was done by opening 20 files of varying size and complexity on the same iPad. The programs tested against were Good Reader, Adobe Reader and PDF Expert. She says LATISTA was faster
Photo courtesy of Livescribee Livescribe's pens allow users to record written and verbal notes and synch them directly to a computer or device via WiFi. Related Links: Livescribe Sky Smartpen Evernote Whenever ENR editors find a tool we want for ourselves that also has crossover appeal for architects, engineers or construction managers, we like to show it off. Livescribe's Smartpen is one of those tools. At first glance, it just looks like a stocky pen, but the technology inside allows users to record audio and, at the same time, turn any written notes into digital files that users can save
Related Links: Thing Magic “In the old days, we would hire a security guard at the door of every clean room so no one would go in,” says Osman Chao, project executive at DPR Construction, who recently adopted Trimble’s ThingMagic, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system that has replaced the guards at egress points and helped automate his site security.Before the job began, Chao was faced with securing a 900,000-sq-ft site with many work zones and four phases of building protocol in which the level of cleanliness would increase with each phase. “Cleanliness isn’t a big issue when we’re building up
Courtesy Bridges to Prosperity I look back fondly to the days when jumping on a plane was synonymous with reconnecting to silence; when transoceanic flights were absent of the buzz of emails, phones and social media’s barrage of connectivity. But when United Airlines began adding in-flight WiFi this fall, I folded. No longer do I look forward to reflective, stress-free hours. For as much as I want to keep the computer in the overhead bin, I cannot help but appreciate the opportunity for a few extra hours of access.Perhaps in-flight access will take a bit of getting used to, but