Craig Matthew Hancock

A review of the use of terrestrial laser scanning application for change detection and deformation monitoring of structures

Change detection and deformation monitoring is an active area of research within the field of engineering surveying and other overlapping areas such as structural and civil engineering. This paper reviews the application of terrestrial laser scanning in the monitoring of structures and discusses registration and georeferencing of scan data. Past terrestrial laser scanning research work has shown trends in addressing issues such as accurate registration and georeferencing of scans, error modelling, point cloud processing techniques for deformation analysis, scanner calibration and detection of millimetre deformations. However, several issues are still open to investigation such as robust methods of point cloud processing for detecting change and deformation, incorporation of measurement geometry in deformation measurements, design of data acquisition and quality assessment for precise measurements and modelling the environmental effects on the performance of laser scanning. A three-stage process model for deformation analysis is proposed as conceptualised from the material reviewed.

Empirical Study of BIM Implementation–Based Perceptions among Chinese Practitioners

The global movement of building information modeling (BIM) is spreading the implementation of BIM from developed countries to other developing countries. Practitioners’ perceptions of BIM implementation in these developing countries, such as China, a giant building market that is increasing the application of BIM in the industry, have not been thoroughly understood. This research used the questionnaire method to survey 94 randomly recruited Chinese BIM professionals to investigate BIM practice and its related perceptions. Reductions in design errors and resultant construction rework were considered the top benefits of using BIM. The most important factor in achieving BIM value was noted as interoperability among various BIM tools. A comprehensive evaluation of BIM at the company level was considered a major difficulty of implementing BIM. The owner was considered the party that received the most benefits from BIM. Subgroup differences based on two major categories (i.e., participants’ profession and BIM proficiency level) were analyzed in the survey sections related to BIM implementation. Statistical analysis revealed that, generally, neither the profession nor BIM proficiency level affected participants’ perceptions of the benefits, factors, challenges, or benefited parties in BIM implementation.

BIM Investment, Returns, and Risks in China’s AEC Industries

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, the emerging digital technology, is undergoing increasing application in developing countries including China. Both the governmental policy and industry motivation have indicated that BIM is becoming the mainstream innovation in Chinas construction industry. Nevertheless, one major concern lies in the uncertainty of BIM investment for AEC firms. Specifically, AEC firms should have the knowledge of what areas BIM investment could focus on (e.g., BIM software), what are the expected returns from BIM investment, how to enhance the returns from BIM usage, and what are the risks in implementing BIM. This study adopts a questionnaire survey-based approach to address these BIM application and risk related concerns in China. BIM practitioners from multiple AEC fields and different experience levels were recruited as the survey sample. It was found from the questionnaire survey that both internal and external collaboration should be the BIM investment priority, together with the interoperability among multiple BIM software tools. Improved multiparty communication and understanding was the highest recognized return from BIM investment. Survey participants had a high expectation of BIM application in green building projects. Subgroup analysis conveyed the information that gaining BIM practical experience would provide professionals with more confidence on returns from BIM adoption in enhancing communication and understanding. Compared to survey participants from other professions, architects tended to have more conservative views on BIMs impact on marketing their work, project planning, and recruiting/retaining employees. The findings from this empirical study provide an overview of BIM investment, return, and implementation-related risks for AEC professionals at different stages or levels of BIM practice, as well as suggestions for relevant public authorities when developing BIM guidelines (e.g., BIM applications in prefabrication construction). As an extension of existing BIM implementation related studies in developed countries, this study provides insights of BIM practical experience and associated risks in China adopting a holistic approach by summarizing the perceptions from AEC professionals across disciplines and experience levels. The knowledge gained from this study could be further applied in other developing countries where the application of information technology is gaining the growth in AEC projects.