Technology Tools

By Terri Marshall

hile some people express concerns about using AI, drones, and technological advances, these innovations have already begun to transform project management in the construction industry. For example, AI algorithms can optimize schedules and resource allocation, drones provide aerial surveys and real-time progress updates, and advanced software tools facilitate better communication and collaboration among stakeholders. In numerous situations, these technologies have increased efficiency, reduced costs, and improved safety on construction sites.

“Technology is a game-changer for project managers’ ability to make decisions and to communicate effectively,” says Matt Gutacker, managing principal for Alaska Remote Imaging (ARI). “Depending on the project, there are a lot of different ways to present that information with different software and platforms to choose from.”

Digital twins, a buzzword in the construction and architecture industries right now, is a broad term covering digital file replicas of reality. While speaking at the Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska Annual Convention last November, Gutacker focused on three benefits of digital twins:

• Enhanced bidding and planning
• Reduction of error and conflicts
• Transformed communication

The benefits vary based on the project, but the expansive data and images available through this technology lead to more efficiency. In the case of Cadence General Contractors, an ARI client, accurate images are everything.

“We initially worked with ARI during COVID when sending groups of people into buildings numerous times wasn’t feasible. Matt was able to send someone in to capture everything in real-time, which allowed us to put together proposals and estimates for work without actually having to physically visit,” says Cadence General Contractors Project Manager Brian Ginder. “With the all-inclusive technology ARI uses, you have it all, and you don’t miss anything—which is a huge benefit.”

KPB Architects invested in virtual walk-through technology during the pandemic to collaborate with clients on a project. Despite that investment, the firm chose to collaborate with ARI for future projects.

Photo provided by Alaska Remote Imaging

Another notable company focused on the forefront of technology, Benthic Geoscience, is a leading geophysical survey and geotechnical evaluation company providing comprehensive data collection, interpretation, and desktop study services for a range of industries.

The company specializes in mobile platform surveys using sonar, lidar, and other measurement technologies. Water, land, and aerial surveys are executed within river, lake, ocean, and terrestrial environments. Senior geophysicist David Oliver says, “We are a geological science company, but what we sell is intelligence from the data we noninvasively acquire, and we turn it into contiguous mapping tools that inform the end user.”

The logistics associated with acquiring the necessary data are significant, given the remote regions they serve.

“We’re just as much an expedition company as we are a geophysical survey company,” says Oliver.

By providing detailed data for their clients—without the necessity of flying potential contractors to these remote sites—bidders can confidently submit bids for projects based on the work level indicated from the information supplied.

“Drones have significantly improved efficiency and accuracy in site inspections, particularly in the challenging environments we have here in Alaska,” says MSE environmental scientist Krista Scott. “By utilizing drones, we can capture high-resolution imagery, enabling us to identify potential issues and track changes over time, which reduces the need for repeated site visits and the costs associated with those.”

“Inspections that used to take me several days, I can get done in a few hours. For some of the document reviews, it used to take an hour. Now we can get a summary and get an answer really quickly,” Scott says.

When Scott’s colleague, Kelly Kennedy, joined MSE, he brought years of drone experience to the company.

“Going on inspections, there were often bad conditions, making it difficult to determine current conditions,” Kennedy shares. “I started flying the drones and looking at things from that perspective. For example, on one railroad project, there was an area with a steep incline. We thought it was getting worse, but when we used our high-resolution drone images, we realized it actually hadn’t changed much.”

By tracking changes over time with the drone’s high-resolution imagery, MSE has reduced the need for repeated site visits and associated costs.

“We have to be in many places at once, and sometimes that means using technology to make our jobs easier,” she explains. “One of the purposes of our technology presentation at the AGC conference was to help train superintendents and project managers of construction how to use technology to make their jobs easier and how that relates to safety specifically.”

Weather stations installed at various job sites are a key example.

“Wind is obviously a huge safety concern in Alaska construction because you can have things blowing off of roofs into active roadways, taxiways, schools, and all kinds of places,” explains Johnson. “The weather stations help us determine the actual conditions at the job site so that we can determine if we need to shut down a crane lift and stop the job.”

Photo provided by Kelly Kennedy, Midnight Sun Environmental

“There’s a lot of fieldwork going on in real-time out in the elements where superintendents have to do daily reports or weekly safety meetings,” explains Johnson. “Using voice memos or Microsoft Teams to record meetings and then have those transcribed by AI really helps capture what was actually said.”

SafeLogic also utilizes QR codes to make things easier for superintendents and project managers.

“They can scan the QR code while doing an equipment inspection and provide the vehicle information and details about any new deficiencies. They’ll hit submit, and the information will go straight to the inbox of whoever is monitoring it,” says Johnson. “If there’s a need for maintenance, we’ll flag it, which expedites the process and eliminates a lot of unnecessary paperwork.”