Infra BIM Based Real-Time Quality Control of Infrastructure Construction Projects

The paper introduces a new method for infrastructure construction project quality control, which enables real-time monitoring of project progress and quality. The tradition method for quality control reporting in construction projects is measuring the built surfaces via total station or GNSS rover and then using surveying CAD software to produce cross section images, which show difference between measured points and 3D design surfaces. The cross section images are then printed on paper and stored. This method of reporting requires a lot of manual labour using CAD software, and due to this reports are often created weeks or even months after the construction work has been completed. The delay in quality reporting causes errors and prevents effective communication between the constructor and project owner. In the proposed new method, 3D design surfaces are produced and stored on a central collaboration cloud system. All measurement devices used on the site are integrated to the collaboration cloud via internet connection. Typically, geometric measurements on a construction site can be done by using total stations, GNSS rovers or machine control systems. All measurements made are immediately transferred over the internet to the cloud and automatically compared to designs to find height differences and colour coded based on required tolerances. The measurements are available for viewing and approval on a map display, using regular web-browser on PC or tablet devices. The new method has been tested on several pilot projects in Finland during 2014. Pilot projects have shown the proposed new method to significantly improve project quality reporting speed and provide unprecedented transparency and situation awareness to all actors of the project, resulting in gains in project predictability and profitability.