Using Real-Time Indoor Resource Positioning to Track the Progress of Tasks in Construction Sites

• Main Authors: Jianyu Zhao, Ergo Pikas, Olli Seppänen, Antti Peltokorpi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-04-01
• Series: Frontiers in Built Environment
• Subjects: real-time tracking; production control; construction; Bluetooth low-energy tracking technology; task-level uninterrupted presence; task progress
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.661166/full

Lean construction methods have demonstrated potential to improve construction productivity. For example, the location-based management system and the last planner system have increased the reliability of planning and control in construction production. However, these benefits are often reduced because of inaccurate manual data collection. To alleviate these problems, technologies for automated monitoring of workers have been developed to identify site events in chaotic environments. This paper aims to investigate whether a Bluetooth low-energy-based real-time indoor positioning system can monitor task progress from workers’ presence. Our findings suggest that the proposed system is a feasible solution for monitoring task-level progress when there are explicit dependencies between tasks. This method could automatically detect task start and finish times and estimate the hours required to complete a task. This enables the measurement of waste hidden inside tasks, which allows for interventions for improving flows and eliminating waste.