Untapped potential: digging into construction’s data abundance

Alexandru Brihac, Vice President of AEC Strategy & Execution
One construction project produces around 197 million data points. While much of this remains untapped, things are starting to change.

74% of companies have reported they are investing in better data analysis, but the construction industry generally is lagging in terms of new technology adoption. For example, Hexagon’s Digital Twin Industry Report highlights the AEC sector as a “beginner” in terms of digital twin adoption, although construction companies with digital twins see significant ROI and cost savings.

Managing complex, multifaceted projects often requires construction professionals to focus on immediate, day-to-day operations, which can limit the room for innovation or strategic changes. An overwhelming multitude of available technology solutions and platforms, as well as contractual unclarities on data ownership and usability, have also prevented construction stakeholders from tapping into the full potential of data use.

However, the industry is starting to shift and to consolidate data from various sources into new workflows — for example, bring together elements from design, field and ERP systems into new semi-automated workflows to enable transparency on progress tracking and payment management. Such examples allow construction professionals to gain richer insights for immediate decisions as well as broader, more strategic considerations for a more balanced, future-oriented outlook.

As collecting data is becoming easier, the industry is beginning to tackle its next, truly worthwhile, challenge: turning data into actionable insights. Key to this evolution is an open system to allow for the integration and streamlining of disparate data types; this integration can culminate in using digital twin instances that enhance collaboration, accelerate decision-making, and optimise performance across cost, schedule and sustainability.

Tackling these challenges doesn’t require a huge investment or process overhaul. Instead, we can make better use of the data that already exists. Turnstiles now provide attendance data via staff key cards. Similarly, existing drones or cameras can be enhanced with artificial intelligence to track construction progress. Connecting this data allows companies to generate insights on crew productivity, and its subsequent impact on project completion. Hexagon’s Construction Analysis does this by automating capture, processing and analysis of geodata from drones, scanners and cameras.

Putting data-driven approaches to work

US construction firm McCarthy Building Companies was facing the same challenges: a round-tripping of information that didn’t always move smoothly from the office to the field. So their team worked with Hexagon’s Building Solutions to help their data work smarter using Hexagon Construction Analysis. Linking laser scanners with the Cyclone FIELD 360 app, for example, connected office and field workers, meaning data could be shared quickly and with the right people. McCarthy benefited from time savings, and the integration of technology allowed the team to make faster, more informed decisions by using the data they were already collecting more intelligently.

The future of digital construction isn’t about collecting more data — it’s about making every piece count. Platforms that streamline datasets are transforming the construction industry, enabling smarter decisions by turning raw data into actionable insights.

Find out more about Hexagon’s data-driven building solutions: https://hexagon.com/industries/buildings