Mohsin Siddiqui

Analysis of XBOX Kinect Sensor Data for Use on Construction Sites: Depth Accuracy and Sensor Interference Assessment

Sensing and site data acquisition are active areas of research for the construction engineering and management domain. A number of research initiatives around the globe are focused on novel sensing applications for managing site safety, productivity improvements, progress monitoring, site layout planning, and for innovative approaches to supply chain management. Time of Flight cameras and laser scanners are the tools of choice for real time and near real time decision making on jobsites. However, most of these applications are limited to academic research and limited field trials have been carried out. A number of operational decisions are necessary before sensing equipment can be deployed. These decisions are challenging for companies and researchers alike as there is limited test data available regarding the performance characteristics for the various equipment options. This paper reports on the performance of Xbox Kinect Sensors for spatial modeling on construction sites. Designed experiments were conducted to characterize the accuracy and resolution of Xbox Kinect sensors as well as the interference between multiple Xbox Kinect sensors. The experiments provided quantitative knowledge about the performance of XBOX Kinect sensors in terms of spatial modeling, therefore establishing a baseline for Kinect performance expectations in similar modeling applications.

Civil engineering grand challenges: Opportunities for data sensing, information analysis, and knowledge discovery

AbstractThis paper presents an exploratory analysis to identify civil engineering challenges that can be addressed with further data sensing and analysis (DSA) research. An initial literature review was followed by a web-based survey to solicit expert opinions in each civil engineering subdiscipline to select challenges that can be addressed by civil engineering DSA research. A total of 10 challenges were identified and evidence of economic, environmental, and societal impacts of these challenges is presented through a review of the literature. The challenges presented in this paper are high building energy consumption, crude estimation of sea level, increased soil and coastal erosion, inadequate water quality, untapped and depleting groundwater, increasing traffic congestion, poor infrastructure resilience to disasters, poor and degrading infrastructure, need for better mining and coal ash waste disposal, and low construction site safety. The paper aims to assist the civil engineering research community ...

Grand challenges in data and information visualization for the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management industries

This study aims to identify challenges in the AEC/FM industry that can potentially be addressed using research in data and information visualization. These challenges were recognized by reviewing visualization techniques for addressing current challenges associated with decision-making tasks; studying the fit between visualization techniques and the decision-making tasks; identifying the gaps in knowledge of visualization techniques; and finally establishing a framework for measuring the domain requirements and the technology capabilities as a road map for domain-needs-driven development in the area of data and information visualization. The challenges associated with the current practice of project delivery and the limitations of the state-of-the-art visualization techniques in addressing these challenges are discussed. This paper presents where and how intuitive and effective visualization can address these challenges. It also suggests areas where researchers can apply visualization research to further improve existing processes. INTRODUCTION In today’s AEC/FM industry, project teams must collect and deal with a large variety of project data and information to support high-quality and timely decisions. Nonetheless, current representations do not effectively communicate project data and information, and have difficulties in highlighting their relationships. Consequently, project teams spend significant time mentally relating project data and information and manually performing decision analysis. The empirical observations on project teams using visualization techniques have anecdotally shown that the effective communication of project information and their relationship can significantly improve the decision-making process. There is a need to identify what kinds of visualization techniques are best suited for supporting various decision-making tasks in the delivery of AEC/FM projects. This study aims at identifying those project delivery challenges that can possibly be solved using data and information visualization tools. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY An extensive literature review was conducted to find those challenges faced by the practitioners within a typical project delivery lifecycle that can potentially be addressed through research in data / information visualization. These challenges and the limitations of the current visualization methods are presented in the following:

Integrated Field and Office Tools for Bridge Management

The Wisconsin Department of Transportations (WisDOT) Bureau of Structures Data Consolidation Project brings together all bridge-related data into a single data warehouse, the Highway Structures Information System (HSIS), which includes inventory, inspection and maintenance records, and maintenance costs. With the new HSIS, WisDOTs interactive bridge inspection forms and data procedures became incompatible. This conflict presented a timely opportunity to investigate alternative data collection tools that would be practicable in the field. This paper investigates the use of alternative field data collection technologies for bridge inspectors. The participation of bridge inspectors in identifying functional requirements led to an assembly of field tools that included the tablet PC with a shoulder carrying case, a noise-canceling headset microphone, and a tethered pen. Bridge inspectors from six districts volunteered to train on the handwriting and speech recognition technologies and then to test the tools ...

Artificial neural networks in vibration control of rotor-bearing systems

Abstract A neural network controller is described and implemented for controlling the vibration of a rotor-bearing system. A multi-layered neural network is used to model the inverse dynamics or the rotor-bearing system on-line. It is learnt by a backpropagation algorithm, and a delta rule, in which the difference between the actual control input to the plant, which is generated from the neural controller, and the input estimated from the inverse-dynamics model by using an actual plant output, is minimized. The results show a satisfactory diminished response of the rotor-bearing system when the controller is applied to the system.

Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges from a Construction Contractor's Perspective

Sustainability in the traditional delivery of the built environment is typically targeted towards the facility owners and designers. The contractor’s input in such delivery models is limited to value engineering exercises during late design or early construction phases. Project delivery models that increase the contractor’s stake in a project beyond the construction phase are increasingly becoming commonplace and present opportunities for contractors to play a bigger role in the sustainability of the built environment. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities for contractors in the traditional as well as ownership based delivery models. A review of the state of the practice in the Middle East region from the perspective of a multinational contracting firm is presented to highlight the sustainability impact of the contractor and the challenges contractors associate with sustainable construction.

Identifying Scheduling Inefficiencies for Industrial Projects Using the Flowline View: A Case Study

Industrial construction projects are typically very complex in nature both technically and from a construction management perspective. These projects typically involve a large number of very specialized, highly skilled, and diverse role players. The skill set requirements for the resources (both manpower and equipment) make it very costly, and in many cases impossible, to accelerate or delay key tasks. The scheduling in this context focuses on achieving a near continuous work flow for key trades. This paper presents the study, from an owners perspective, of schedule analysis for a highly repetitive industrial project. Due to highly specialized equipment needs, delays or unnecessary accelerations on this project results in huge added costs per day for the owner. The study uses a location based scheduling approach, the Flowline methodology, as a visualization tool to identify scheduling inefficiencies which cannot be identified using the existing CPM based schedule for the project. Although productivity data is considered an essential input for linear scheduling in general, this study demonstrates that the Flowline methodology can be used by an owner even without access to trade productivity data. The results can be used to strategically release work packages to avoid unnecessary added costs.