Visualizing construction data is a constantly evolving practice, one that probably began with physical pins on a site map and has grown into the use of configurable, digital maps with real-time updates from the job site. The technological improvements to the visualization of construction data make sense, not just in the natural course of innovation, but in adapting the tools we use to how we naturally operate as humans. Time and time again, studies prove that the vast majority of humans are visual learners and need to see information in order to better retain it. We’ll dive into the various specific benefits of visualizing construction data in this article, but first and foremost is the simple fact that it provides a more effective way of communicating project information. If your project manager only needs to see data on map once versus multiple reviews of field notes, the impact of efficiency is straightforward. But there are many other benefits to visualizing construction data, including collaboration, transparency, responsiveness, and a deeper level of insight.

Improving collaboration for teams and across departments

Construction data visualization can help collaboration between team members, but also across departments. There’s sometimes an invisible line that divides design, construction, operations/maintenance, and GIS teams with little to no collaboration and communication between them. If each team is feeding their respective data into a shared construction data dashboard, it provides a natural nexus for cross-departmental collaboration. Design can provide items, construction can update the as-built information for those items, and by leveraging GIS-enabled tools like rovers or LiDAR, they can provide geo-located data to GIS departments to support future asset maintenance.

From a construction management standpoint, construction data visualization also simplifies collaboration within a team of inspectors, construction project managers, and executives. By using a dashboard to visualize ongoing construction projects, project managers can oversee multiple projects from one location and figure out where resources need to be applied. If an inspector is sick and needs someone else to cover for them, it’s easy for another inspector to dive into the visual representation of a project and see what’s been done versus what still needs to be captured and recorded. Simply put, teams have access to the same data they would in field books, spreadsheets, or other databases - it’s just much easier to digest, understand, and act on when represented visually.

Real-time updates from the field for enhanced responsiveness

In the old days, if an inspector recorded a quantity that seemed off or an item installation that wasn’t quite right, it could be multiple days before the project manager had an opportunity to review, respond, and resolve the issue. Today, that response time is vastly improved thanks to digital data, Wi-Fi, and cloud technology. Our own software, Appia, is built to improve responsiveness with near-time data synchronization. An inspector goes to the project, records their daily report on their phone or tablet, and then syncs that report back to the Appia cloud database once a connection becomes available. With the introduction of GIS-powered data visualization, the access to real-time data and the ability to respond quickly increases tenfold.

Because GIS-powered applications are leveraging GPS satellites, when an inspector records something in a platform like ArcGIS Field Maps, it appears on a corresponding construction data dashboard in real-time. A project manager can then respond instantly to whatever issue arises, be it a quantity dispute, a water main burst, or any of the many other problems that can pop up on any given construction project. And since this data is visualized in an intuitive map, it’s easy to see how one issue may impact the entire project, current funding status, and other projects in the area. This access to real-time data in an informative dashboards helps improve project quality and delivery while also helping to reduce the number of potential change orders on a project.

Read the rest of our construction data visualization article here.