The issues involving the implementation of a "virtual visit" on a construction site

Abstract

During the construction phase of a project it is vital to have good communication between all of the parties involved in the construction process. A construction project is dynamic in nature, and is constantly being changed due to issues involving design and structural improvements, constructability issues, or simply an altering of the original design intent. All of the parties must act together to maintain a high quality of work and initiate any changes, as they are needed, so that the whole project does not suffer from lost time and inefficiency.

When changes are initiated on a construction site, it is not always possible for the desired personnel to be on-site. In these instances a decision must be made whether to travel to the site, or to allow the decision to be made sight unseen. This thesis offers an alternative solution to this dilemma, a “Virtual Visit” system. The idea of a “Virtual Visit” system ts to allow personnel to view, evaluate, or to clarify in their own minds what is occurring on the construction site. This is accomplished by augmenting typical telephone conversations with video, combined with the data storage and retrieval capabilities of a computer.

This research conceptualizes a “Virtual Visit” system, and models aspects of the system in order to test it’s potential on a construction site. The “Virtual Visit” system is designed to store and retrieve data collected on the construction site and permanently stored it in an archival network. The data collected on the site can take the form of video, audio, and text. The combination of these three formats allows for the documentation of construction activities in a clearer, more readable format than traditional methods.