The smart construction site is on its way

Cisco estimates that by 2020, 46% of internet-connected devices will work in a machine-to-machine (M2M) context. This Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming increasingly important in the construction industry, as well. A member survey conducted in early 2017 by the Belgian Construction Federation revealed that 20% of Belgian contractors are already using the Internet of Things.

Map your building materials

Where are your site cranes? What is the business mileage vs personal mileage ratio of your company cars? A GPS tracking system with SIM card and mobile internet makes the remote tracking of objects possible, giving you a constant overview of the whereabouts of your construction materials. The tracker periodically reports its location via mobile internet. An app such as track-and-trace by RAM Mobile Data gives the user the most recent location of the tracker.

• Expensive materials and machinery at the construction site can be traced via a GPS tracking system in order to prevent or detect theft.
• Since 2014, Flanders has made a GPS tracking system compulsory for mobile crushing units that recycle construction waste. The system forwards data to a central server so inspection bodies can monitor the exact location and operation of every machine. This enables the government to step in immediately if no environmental permit has been issued for that location.
• In vehicles a GPS tracking system is useful for calculating driving times, automatically distinguishing personal mileage from business mileage, calculating mobility allowances and centralising the maintenance of your vehicle fleet based on mileage.

Who works when on your construction site?

And where are all your employees? An automatic time recording system monitors who is present at a construction site. Construction companies are already under a legal obligation to electronically register the presence of personnel at their sites and forward the logs to the National Social Security Office (RSZ) for every project valued at €500,000 or above.

This involves installing an electronic time clock at the site entrance. Workers entering the site must clock in using their Construbadge (compulsory for workers since 2014) or register their presence via an app on their smartphone, upon which the National Social Security is immediately notified.

Automatic time registration also lets you check the work times and locations of your employees or even follow up specific tasks. Since there are no more work orders to fill out and process manually, automatic time registration saves a lot of time when calculating wages.

Exact measurements

How can you perform ultra-precise measurements and process these data efficiently? The possibility of pinpointing exact locations using a GPS module and forwarding this info via the mobile network offers several useful applications for the construction industry. For instance, GPS surveying poles are replacing the traditional rope and tape measure used in ground and excavation works. And in road construction, the exact location of asphalt-paving machines is automatically determined via GPS, which can be operated remotely.

Are you interested in deploying IoT applications in your construction company? Then contact your account manager. And get inspired by EURECA SDS, Transics and Taxis Verts, who implement the Internet of Things in other industries.