How A.I. Can Change the Way You View Your Jobsite for the Better
Nothing replaces boots on the ground and eyes on the jobsite. Verifying, documenting and getting up close and personal with each project is a necessary part of working in the industry. It’s not just about the physical labor — project managers, contractors, architects to engineers all need to verify work in their own way. Keeping builds on schedule means allowing each role to use their expertise to review the jobsite.
But that takes time, and as many already know, time is not always on your side.
With tight timelines, every construction professional could use more minutes in the day. Using artificial intelligence (A.I.) makes it possible to make critical decisions faster by delivering key pieces of actionable information.
Taking advantage of this technology can be relatively simple, and many professionals are already familiar with a tool that can help — a construction camera system.
Turn Images into Insight
In one year, a construction camera takes at least 25,000 photos of the jobsite. With thousands of photos, this visual data is rarely utilized to its fullest. Sorting through so much is simply not worth the valuable time it costs and much of what’s in these jobsite photos can’t be naturally tracked by the naked eye.
Simply put, if a picture’s worth a thousand words then you’re looking at a book that’s longer than War and Peace.
When paired with an advanced visual data system, unlocking the insight behind the images is easy. Artificial intelligence sorts through images on your behalf, identifying key patterns that can help save time and money.
Use Activity Data to Impress Clients
Construction images are typically turned into time-lapses, highlighting the site’s evolution over time. What many miss out on is the clear activity data within these photos. Just like time-lapses capture the progress of the build, A.I. captures the daily productivity of teams onsite. By identifying workers and monitoring progress, A.I. can serve up performance data that can be used to navigate delays and even market to new clients.
OxBlue’s Interface and camera system shows activity as a daily chart and graphs it alongside weather conditions. Project managers can quickly get the details they need to see when, where and how a project’s progress may be impacted whether the reason is a shortage of labor hours or bad weather.
A.I.’s capabilities give construction workers real-time data to help with decision making, but it also helps long after the project is complete. Activity tracking can be used to promote and prove a firm’s reliability in jobsite development. Analytics can show how efficient a team is, backing bid claims that jobs can be completed on time.
Address Safety Concerns Fast
As one of the most dangerous industries, every construction professional puts a focus on safety. It’s common for safety compliance officers to walk the jobsite and ensure workers are protected and following OSHA regulations. There are many things to look out for on everyone’s behalf and with more eyes on the jobsite, the easier it is to mitigate risks.
A.I. can monitor safety compliance by identifying and tracking the use of personal protective gear. Advanced systems can even zoom in on areas of the site where specific gear may be mandatory at all times. By analyzing your jobsite images, A.I. calls out compliance levels across all projects. This data reduces liability issues, identifies opportunities for additional training and helps ensure workers are being careful.
OxBlue’s interface includes this advanced analysis that adds an extra “watchdog” to the jobsite, ultimately helping strengthen safety measures. Combined with best practices, safety tracking helps ensure potential risks aren’t left unseen.
Keep Track of Expensive Equipment
Expensive equipment is costly to maintain and store. If not efficiently utilized, it can turn into a pile of wasted capital. Large companies may have excess equipment in several locations, and small ones may need to keep a close eye on how their equipment is being used. For those in control of the budget, knowing how much time things stay idle can be a valuable insight into future purchasing decisions.
From operational patterns to project milestones based on deliveries, A.I. looks for large equipment and “follows” it around to check how it’s being used. With OxBlue’s equipment tracking, managers and stakeholders can access a new set of performance indicators. Seeing if equipment arrives on time, how often it’s sitting untouched and where it is on the jobsite helps teams ultimately make better use of existing equipment.
Enjoy More Time Focusing on Project Needs
Utilizing artificial intelligence with visual data allows construction professionals to see trends and potential risks without having to spend time or money on additional oversight and reviews. By combining an AI-driven interface with construction cameras, data is presented quickly and upfront, helping teams drive better builds and make informed decisions.
