W12_PieroAnticona_Drone Data and Project Management Software

1)    Step 1- Problem or Opportunity Statement

Based on the analysis previously done in the post W11_PieroAnticona_Productivity Factors Measured by Drones (26^th November 2018) we have identified productivity factors that can be monitored by drones.

As there are different types of drones and also different drone's data, the following step is to determine what information from drone data helps to monitor those productivity factors. Therefore, we can get reliable information and a better use of drone’s data.   

2)    Step 2 – Feasible Alternatives

There are three types of drones in the market that can be used for construction. Main features to consider when purchasing a drone are:

-       Fixed wing versus verticle-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) verse tethered VTOL

-       Sized and payload

-       Battery life and flight time

-       Range and manoeuvrability

The following figure describes better these features:

Types of Drones

The equipment that comes with drones is also important to analyze because drones are not compatible with all the equipment. Equipment choices are:

-       Photo and video sensors (Cameras)

-       Geo-location sensors (GPS-for example)

-       Thermal Sensors for detecting heat

Drones are not able to analyze data by itself. It requires photogrammetry software to process collected data and finally based on the sector or the need to use other applications in order to analyze the information.

A drone produces imagery and videos. Drone’s data is processed by a Photogrammetry software which produces at least the following information:

-       Photos

-       Videos

-       Densified Point Clouds

-       3D Textured Mesh

-       Level Of Details (LOD) Mesh

-       Orthomosaic Maps

-       Reflectance Maps

-       Digital Terrain Models (DTMs)

-       Digital Surface Models (DSMs)

-       CAD Overlays

This information can be used depending on the application and what we want to monitor and analyze.

3)    Step 3- Develop the outcomes for each alternative

The data can be used in the following applications:

-       Contour lines generation

-       Distance and area measurements

-       Volume calculation

-       Comparing volumes between two DSMs

-       2D digitization

-       3D digitization

-       3D visualization

-       Visualization on Google applications

-       Vegetation indices - Index visualization and color editing

-       Vegetation indices - agriculture applications

-       Point cloud classification

-       Stereo viewing

-       3D printing

-       Contour lines visualization and editing

-       Web viewing and sharing

-       Video animation viewing

-       3D Digitized objects visualization and editing

-       In the field inspection (Index Map)

-       Bundle Adjustment

The description of each application will not be part of the current research. If the reader wants more information he or she can visit: https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/categories/360000059123-General , where there is a brief description of each topic.

4)    Step 4- Selection of the acceptable criteria.

The following attributes will be considered for the selection criteria:

We want to identify which applications from the previous step can help to monitor the following productivity factor’s list:

Consolidated Productivity Factors List 1.    Location Weather patterns Access Availability of logistical support Trafficability of site Transportation network Materials and equipment listed on warehouse inventory cannot be found; Wrong or defective tools issued; 2.    Project and Contract Characteristics Exposure to hazards Height or depth of work Degree of congestion or confinement 3.    Human Factors Overtime Number of breaks and duration Shift Work

5)    Step 5- Compare the outcomes from each alternative analysis done in Step 3 against the minimum acceptable criteria from Step 4.

The author has elaborated the table below where we can identify which of the applications have more use in monitoring productivity factors:

Applications vs Productivity Factors

           

6)    Step 6- Selection of the “best”.

As shown by the previous table the applications that help to monitor productivity factors are:

-       2D digitization

-       3D digitization

-       3D visualization

-       Visualization on Google applications

-       Web viewing and sharing

-       Video animation viewing

-       3D Digitized objects visualization and editing

7)    Step 7- How to plan on tracking/reporting on the recommended choice. 

From the previous analysis, it would be interesting to determine if these applications could serve as inputs for other Project Management Softwares in order to calculate progress in a traditional way or only a few methods to calculate progress are more suitable to these applications.  

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8)    REFERENCES.

1.     Guild of Project Controls. (2016, January 05). 09.03 Measuring Capturing Progress Updating the Schedule Rev1.03. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from http://www.planningplanet.com/guild/gpccar/capturing-progress-updating-schedule

2.    PROCORE EDITORIAL STAFF. (2018, June 25). Drones Can Offer A Smart Point of View | The Jobsite. Retrieved from https://jobsite.procore.com/drones-can-offer-a-smart-point-of-view

3.    Pix4D. (2018, October 24). Boosting 4D project management with drone mapping. Retrieved from https://www.pix4d.com/blog/boosting-4D-project-management-with-drone-mapping    

4.    Higgins, A. (2017, May 5). Beginner's Guide to Using Drones for Construction Management. Retrieved from https://connect.bim360.autodesk.com/drones-for-construction-management

5.    Pix4D. (2011-2018). General – Support. Retrieved from https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/categories/360000059123-General

6.    DroneDeploy. (n.d.). Processing Options. Retrieved from https://support.dronedeploy.com/docs

W11_PieroAnticona_Productivity Factors Measured by Drones

1)    Step 1- Problem or Opportunity Statement

Productivity is a key input when calculating estimates and scheduling. Besides, it is also important to monitor resources’ performance in order to assess and collect data for future similar projects.

In recent years, monitoring progress of project resources have been done by drones. Drones do visual inspections and have applications in different sectors and different phases of a life cycle of an asset.

We are afraid that in the near future, drones would replace project controllers or supervisors for monitoring work, but the author believe that drones will complement and they will facilitate monitoring; specially to those productivity factors that are difficult to measure.

What are those productivity factors that a drone can help to measure and facilitate project controller’s activities?     

2)    Step 2 – Feasible Alternatives

Resources in projects are categorized as follows:

-       Labour

-       Material

-       Equipment

An optimized used of these resources will avoid poor performance and poor productivity. In addition, it can impact directly competitiveness and increase profitability in the organization.

Skills and Knowledge (S&K) of Cost Engineering defines that to evaluate an organization we can use a Success Index (SI) which differs from Productivity Index (PI). Success Index is defined as:

Success Index = (net profit) / (total cost)

Success Index = (value of services rendered) / (essential cost + cost of waste)

Cost of waste is divided in the following categories:

-       Inefficiencies that are inherent in the design and operation of the work place

-       Individual Inefficiencies

-       Non-contributing (wasted) time by individuals

-       Waste of materials, supplies, and services (misuse, overuse, loss)

-       Waste of equipment (abuse, misuse, loss)

-       Functions that no longer add value to the output of the organization

For the current analysis S&K identified the following list of time wasters in a construction field site:

§  Undefined scope forces constant reworking of schedule;

§  Contractual disputes;

§  Labor disputes and adverse union activity;

§  Arbitrary work rules;

§  Personality problems among key personnel on owner, engineer, and contractor staffs;

§  Late materials or installed equipment deliveries;

§  Materials and equipment for installation do not meet specifications or have fabrication errors;

§  Materials and equipment allowed to deteriorate in storage, so as to not be usable;

§  Materials and equipment listed on warehouse inventory cannot be found;

§  Failure to pick up all needed materials the first time;

§  Excessive distances between work areas and tool rooms, warehouses, and laydown areas;

§  Wrong or defective tools issued;

§  Waiting for support equipment (e.g., crane);

§  Waiting for an approval to do something;

§  Lack of information or waiting for instructions;

§  Issuing instructions after work has started;

§  Waiting for other crews to get out of way;

§  Individuals don't understand their roles or responsibilities—must always ask questions;

§  Limited availability of a critical skill that must be shared among crews (e.g., competent person required by OSHA for certain operations);

§  Late starts/early quits;

§  Absentees—work must be reorganized;

§  Discipline problems;

§  Permits (such as hot work permits) not available;

§  Daily renewal of permits;

§  Conflicts with operating plant personnel on revamp work;

§  Operating personnel, having not been consulted during development of the project, make changes on the fly;

§  Changes are issued—both formal and constructive;

§  Unexpected conditions require work reorganization;

§  Waiting for access or removal of lockouts;

§  Over-inspections;

§  Outdated policies or procedures that must be interpreted to fit current needs;

§  Work is started before being fully planned and without all resources needed;

§  Safety incidents;

§  Construction mistakes.

In addition, there are other factors that impact productivity as follows:

1.    Location

a.    Weather patterns

b.    Altitude

c.    Access

d.    Availability of skills

e.    Availability of logistical support

f.     Trafficability of site

g.    Attitude of nearby communities

h.    Transportation network

i.      Local economy

2.    Project and Contract Characteristics

·         Project size; single craft size

·         Schedule constraints

·         Adequacy of scope definition

·         Constructability of design

·         Exposure to hazards

·         Environmental requirements

·         Height or depth of work

·         Form of contract

·         Budget constraints

·         Quality of engineering

·         Degree of congestion or confinement

·         Relationship to existing facilities

·         Relationship to other construction

3.    Human Factors

·         Management competence

·         Supervisor competence

·         Individual worker skills

·         Work rules

·         Personal pride

·         Stability of employment

·         Overtime

·         Experience/point on learning curve

·         Worker attitudes

·         Crew stability/key personnel turnover

·         Owner/contractor relationships

·         Value system

·         Personalities

We can also list more labor productivity factors mentioned by the following authors:

G. Robles, A. Stifi, José L. Ponz-Tienda, S. Gentes

Code	Factor	Category
F1	Construction method	Project category
F2	Complexity of the design
F3	Clarity of the drawings and project documents
F4	Project scale
F5	Level of Skill and experience	Human category
F6	Ability to adapt to changes and new environments
F7	Labour motivation
F8	Working overtime
F9	Number of breaks and duration
F10	Worker´s integrity
F11	Incentive policies	Management or organizational category
F12	Clear and daily task assignment
F13	Insufficient supervision of subcontractors
F14	Improper coordination of subcontractors
F15	Inadequate planning
F16	High congestion
F17	Delays in payments to workers
F18	Delays in payments to suppliers
F19	Unrealistic scheduling
F20	Communication problems
F21	Reallocation of laborers
F22	Coordination between crews
F23	Lack or delay in supervision
F24	Rework
F25	Shortage or late supply of materials Materials and tools	Materials and tools category
F26	Unsuitability of materials storage location category
F27	Tools or equipment shortages
F28	Performing work at night Environmental	Environmental category
F29	Influence of working at height category
F30	Motion´s limitation in the jobsite
F31	Air humidity
F32	High/low temperatures
F33	Rain
F34	High winds
F35	Distance between construction sites and cities

And according to Mahendra Pal Bathia, we can assess the following categories of Labor Productivity Factors:

1.    Direct Site Specific

a.    Type of Plant / Facility

                                                  i.        New Plant at a Open Raw Field (Green Field)

                                                ii.        New Plant next to Existing Operating Plant with Tie-ins (Brown Field)

                                               iii.        Additions within Existing Plant, Revamp and Tie-ins

                                               iv.        Revamp and Tie-Ins only

b.    Craft Skills

                                                  i.        Highly Skilled and Experienced

                                                ii.        Above Average

                                               iii.        Average

                                               iv.        Fair Poor

c.    Craft Availability

                                                  i.        Soft Business Climate – Selective

                                                ii.        Above Average

                                               iii.        Average

                                               iv.        Fair

                                                v.        Poor

d.    Weather and Wind

e.    Shift Work

                                                  i.        One Shift

                                                ii.        Two Shifts

                                               iii.        Three Shifts

f.     Work Shift Durations

g.    Work Space/Height

h.    Location/Cultural Interface

                                                  i.        Near Major Centre / No Cultural Interface

                                                ii.        Remote with Camp / No Cultural Interface

                                               iii.        Remote with Camp / Average Cultural Interface

                                               iv.        Remote with Camp / High Cultural Interface

                                                v.        Extremely Remote with Camp and Restrictive Access / High Cultural Interface

2.    Indirect Site Specific

a.    Field Supervision

                                                  i.        Experienced and Proactive Staff with Above Average Planning

                                                ii.        Skilled Supervision with Average Planning and Changes

                                               iii.        Average Skilled Supervision with No Planning

                                               iv.        Poorly Skilled Supervision with No Planning

b.    Construction Equipment and Tools

                                                  i.        New and Well Maintained

                                                ii.        New but Poorly Managed and Maintained

                                               iii.        Older Equipment and Well Maintained

                                               iv.        Older Equipment and Poorly Managed and Maintained

c.    Materials and Lay-down Area

                                                  i.        Immediate Availability with no Field Work and nearby Lay-down Location

                                                ii.        Late Availability with some Field Re-work with Nearby Lay-down Location

                                               iii.        Late Availability and extensive Re-work and Distant Lay-down Area

d.    Construction Services

                                                  i.        Well Managed Services and Support

                                                ii.        Averaged Managed Services and Support

                                               iii.        Poorly Managed Services and Support

e.    Construction Services

                                                  i.        Well Managed Services and Support

                                                ii.        Averaged Managed Services and Support

                                               iii.        Poorly Managed Services and Support

f.     Project Size - Construction

                                                  i.        Less Than 250,000 Hours

                                                ii.        From 250,000 Hours to 1.0 Million Hours

                                               iii.        From 1.0 Million Hours to 2.5 Million Hours

                                               iv.        From 2.5 Million Hours to 4.5 Million Hours

                                                v.        4.5 Million Hours and Above

3.    Engineering and Technical Interface

                                                  i.        Completed and well Documented Technical Documentation

                                                ii.        Completed Technical Documents with few Changes

                                               iii.        Incomplete Technical Documents

                                               iv.        Incomplete Technical Documents at Early Stage

4.    Client Interface

                                                  i.        Clear and Timely Decision towards completion of technical documents

                                                ii.        Unclear Interface with late decisions

                                               iii.        Unclear and Late Decisions with Changes

5.    Safety and Permissions

                                                  i.        No permits requirements Generally a Green Field Construction – General Safety Orientation

                                                ii.        Blanket Work Permits – Periodic Safety Meetings.

                                               iii.        Daily Permits – Daily Safety Meetings.

                                               iv.        Daily Permitting with restrictive Access – Extensive Safety Training / Meetings

3)    Step 3- Develop the outcomes for each alternative

Taking as a reference the categories from S&K, we will identify what subcategories include other time wasters or other factors mentioned from other authors. We want to facilitate the work of project controllers and summarize the list that can be monitored by drones.

A first approach will give the following result.

Skill and Knowledge	G. Robles, A. Stifi, José L. Ponz-Tienda, S. Gentes	Mahendra Pal Bathia	Skill and Knowledge (Time Waster)
1.    Location
Weather patterns	Air humidity / High/low temperatures / Rain / High winds	d.    Weather and Wind
Altitude
Access			Waiting for access or removal of lockouts;
Availability of skills		c.    Craft Availability	Limited availability of a critical skill that must be shared among crews (e.g., competent person req / Absentees—work must be reorganized;
Availability of logistical support	Shortage or late supply of materials Materials and tools / Tools or equipment shortages	b.    Construction Equipment and Tools  / c.    Materials and Lay-down Area	Late materials or installed equipment deliveries; / Failure to pick up all needed materials the first time; / Waiting for support equipment (e.g., crane);
Trafficability of site
Attitude of nearby communities
Transportation network	Distance between construction sites and cities
Local economy		h.    Location/Cultural Interface
	Unsuitability of materials storage location		Materials and equipment allowed to deteriorate in storage, so as to not be usable;
			Materials and equipment listed on warehouse inventory cannot be found;
			Wrong or defective tools issued;
2.    Project and Contract Characteristics
Project size; single craft size	Project scale	a.    Type of Plant / Facility / f.     Project Size - Construction	Conflicts with operating plant personnel on revamp work;
Schedule constraints	Construction method  / Inadequate planning / Unrealistic scheduling		Undefined scope forces constant reworking of schedule / Work is started before being fully planned and without all resources needed;
Adequacy of scope definition			Materials and equipment for installation do not meet specifications or have fabrication errors; / Individuals don't understand their roles or responsibilities—must always ask questions; / Changes are issued—both formal and constructive;
Constructability of design	Complexity of the design		Construction mistakes.
Exposure to hazards			Unexpected conditions require work reorganization;
Environmental requirements
Height or depth of work	Influence of working at height	g.    Work Space/Height
Form of contract		d.    Construction Services	Contractual disputes;
Budget constraints	Delays in payments to suppliers
Quality of engineering	Clarity of the drawings and project documents	3.    Engineering and Technical Interface
Degree of congestion or confinement	High congestion / Motion´s limitation in the jobsite		Excessive distances between work areas and tool rooms, warehouses, and laydown areas; / Waiting for other crews to get out of way;
Relationship to existing facilities
Relationship to other construction
	Rework
		5.    Safety and Permissions	Permits (such as hot work permits) not available; / Daily renewal of permits; / Safety incidents;
3.    Human Factors
Management competence	Insufficient supervision of subcontractors  / Lack or delay in supervision
Supervisor competence	Improper coordination of subcontractors	a.    Field Supervision	Waiting for an approval to do something; / Lack of information or waiting for instructions; / Over-inspections;
Individual worker skills	Level of Skill and experience	b.    Craft Skills
Work rules	Clear and daily task assignment		Arbitrary work rules; / Outdated policies or procedures that must be interpreted to fit current needs;
Personal pride	Labour motivation
Stability of employment	Delays in payments to workers
Overtime	Working overtime	f.     Work Shift Durations
Experience/point on learning curve	Coordination between crews
Worker attitudes	Ability to adapt to changes and new environments
Crew stability/key personnel turnover	Reallocation of laborers		Labor disputes and adverse union activity;
Owner/contractor relationships	Communication problems	4.    Client Interface	Issuing instructions after work has started;
Value system	Worker´s integrity
Personalities			Personality problems among key personnel on owner, engineer, and contractor staffs;
	Number of breaks and duration
	Incentive policies
	Performing work at night	e.    Shift Work

            The final result will give the following table:

           

           

Consolidated Productivity Factors List

1.    Location

Weather patterns

Altitude

Access

Availability of skills

Availability of logistical support

Trafficability of site

Attitude of nearby communities

Transportation network

Local economy

Unsuitability of materials storage location

Materials and equipment listed on warehouse inventory cannot be found;

Wrong or defective tools issued;

2.    Project and Contract Characteristics

Project size; single craft size

Schedule constraints

Adequacy of scope definition

Constructability of design

Exposure to hazards

Environmental requirements

Height or depth of work

Form of contract

Budget constraints

Quality of engineering

Degree of congestion or confinement

Relationship to existing facilities

Relationship to other construction

Rework

Safety and Permissions

3.    Human Factors

Management competence

Supervisor competence

Individual worker skills

Work rules

Personal pride

Stability of employment

Overtime

Experience/point on learning curve

Worker attitudes

Crew stability/key personnel turnover

Owner/contractor relationships

Value system

Personalities

Number of breaks and duration

Incentive policies

Shift Work

4)    Step 4- Selection of the acceptable criteria.

A drone is an aerial vehicle and it works taking photos, mapping and survey helped with other applications to collect and process the data.

If a project controller want to monitor productivity factors the author consider that to be measurable and captured by photos the following attributes will be considered for the selection criteria:

-       Tangible: It can be replicate it in a drawing

-       Location: It can be located in the space so we can set the GPS and give coordinates to map the route of control

-       Radiate Temperature

A Factor that meet at least one of the attributes can be measured by a drone.

5)    Step 5- Compare the outcomes from each alternative analysis done in Step 3 against the minimum acceptable criteria from Step 4.

Analyzing what factors meet the acceptable criteria, we can show the following result:

Consolidated Productivity Factors List	Tangible	Location	Radiate Temperature
1.    Location
Weather patterns			X
Altitude
Access	X	X
Availability of skills
Availability of logistical support	X	X
Trafficability of site	X	X
Attitude of nearby communities
Transportation network	X	X
Local economy
Unsuitability of materials storage location
Materials and equipment listed on warehouse inventory cannot be found;	X	X
Wrong or defective tools issued;	X	X
2.    Project and Contract Characteristics
Project size; single craft size
Schedule constraints
Adequacy of scope definition
Constructability of design
Exposure to hazards	X	X
Environmental requirements
Height or depth of work	X	X
Form of contract
Budget constraints
Quality of engineering
Degree of congestion or confinement	X	X
Relationship to existing facilities
Relationship to other construction
Rework
Safety and Permissions
3.    Human Factors
Management competence
Supervisor competence
Individual worker skills
Work rules
Personal pride
Stability of employment
Overtime	x	x
Experience/point on learning curve
Worker attitudes
Crew stability/key personnel turnover
Owner/contractor relationships
Value system
Personalities
Number of breaks and duration	X	X
Incentive policies
Shift Work	X	X

6)    Step 6- Selection of the “best”.

The factors that drones can monitor are the following ones:

Consolidated Productivity Factors List	Tangible	Location	Radiate Temperature
1.    Location
Weather patterns			X
Access	X	X
Availability of logistical support	X	X
Trafficability of site	X	X
Transportation network	X	X
Materials and equipment listed on warehouse inventory cannot be found;	X	X
Wrong or defective tools issued;	X	X
2.    Project and Contract Characteristics
Exposure to hazards	X	X
Height or depth of work	X	X
Degree of congestion or confinement	X	X
3.    Human Factors
Overtime	x	x
Number of breaks and duration	X	X
Shift Work	X	X

7)    Step 7- How to plan on tracking/reporting on recommended choice. 

A following step to determine if we are monitoring correctly productivity factors is to identify what are construction activities that are impacted in each different sectors and if these activities perform meeting time and cost as planned.

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8)    REFERENCES.

H. Lance Stephenson. (2015). Total cost management framework: An Integrated Approach to Portfolio, Program, and Project Management (2nd ed.). Morgantown, WV: AACE International. Page 247 -255. 

Hastak, M. (2015). Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering (6th ed.). Morgantown, WV: AACE International. Pages 220 – 228.

Levin, P. (2015). CSC.1851- Drones for Project Controls and Other Uses on Construction Projects. AACE International, Morgantown, WV 

Levin, P., Opfer, N. (2016). PM.2315- UAV/Drone Use in Construction: Case Studies and Best Practices. AACE International, Morgantown, WV 

Propeller. (2018, July). Drones for Construction: the Beginner’s Guide. Retrieved from http://get.propelleraero.com/guide-to-drones-construction?utm_term=drone%20use%20in%20construction%20industry&utm_campaign=Drones+for+Construction&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_tgt=kwd-462047250223&hsa_grp=58974575964&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=e&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=283514950722&hsa_acc=2108749353&hsa_kw=drone%20use%20in%20construction%20industry&hsa_cam=1481203109&gclid=CjwKCAiAuMTfBRAcEiwAV4SDkV3wLuKa6PumTmXHdX5tD4-q502CWsF9uj7V_UbQzNRjnq9Vu9v71xoCCJ8QAvD_BwE

SITECH. (n.d.). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | SITECH NorCal and SITECH Oregon. Retrieved from https://www.sitechnorcal.com/products/unmanned-aerial-vehicles

Pal Bhatia, M. (2012). EST.1146 – Elements Affecting Productivity and its Relationaships. AACE International, Morgantown, WV 

G. Robles, A. Stifi, José L. Ponz-Tienda, S. Gentes. (2014). Labour Productivity in the Construction Industry -Factors Influencing the Spanish Construction Labour Productivity. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol:8, No:10. International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 8(10) 2014.