How Construction Companies Can Leverage Big Data Technology

An FMI report found that almost 96% of data collected by the construction and engineering industries went unused in 2018. Considering the vast amount of information these industries collect every day, that’s a lot of data that goes to waste. 

Fortunately, construction companies now have access to an array of big data analytics technology to help organize and manage complex information. These tools pull information from large, unstructured data repositories and process it to make it easily accessible for construction teams and machine learning. 

Construction companies can benefit from big data technologies in a number of ways. Read on or check out the infographic below to learn how. 

Promote Employee Health and Safety

Construction can be a dangerous industry to work in, and promoting employee health and safety should be a top priority on any job site. In fact, the employee health and safety market is expected to reach $74 billion by 2026, and construction companies are looking for ways to adopt better practices. To better understand how risks like noise pollution, overexertion, and breaches in protocol affect workers, companies are turning to smart wearable devices powered by big data. 

Wearable devices can monitor health and activity levels, detect falls or other injuries, track employees’ locations and detect potential hazards. Thanks to big data analytics, construction crews then use the data collected by these devices to predict possible hazards and better protect workers on future projects. 

Minimize Environmental Impact 

The construction sector is one of the biggest polluters in the world, and big data tools have the potential to help change that. Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has the power to turn past and current data into accurate models that help teams better predict how much energy and materials a project will require. Construction teams can leverage BIM to cut down on emissions and reduce unnecessary material waste. 

Improve Collaboration 

Because construction projects have so many moving parts, clear and efficient communication between crew members is essential. Big data technology can help facilitate collaboration by informing project management software and making information available to employees in real-time. For example, construction crews that utilize software from Archdesk or Fieldwire can view up-to-date project data on their mobile devices and make updates when necessary. This helps eliminate communication delays and ensures that all crew members have access to the same information. 

Inform Future Projects 

Thanks to new analytics tools, building managers and construction crews can use data collected from wearable devices and on-site sensors to help improve the planning process for future projects. For example, teams can use the data collected on a  building’s structural details to learn which materials are the safest and most efficient for that type of building. 

Big data analytics can improve operations in a variety of industries, and construction is no exception. To learn more about how companies can leverage big data tools, check out the infographic below on the future of big data in the construction industry. 

Please include attribution to bigrentz.com with this graphic.