Smart Construction

Smart cities often require large infrastructure projects, which are very extensive and expensive. One major risk of such projects is cost overruns. This project uses Internet-linked devices to monitor large construction sites to improve accountability for costs, worker safety and efficiency.

Smart cities often require large infrastructure projects that are very costly. An important risk of such projects are cost overruns. This project uses Internet-connected devices to monitor large construction sites in order to improve accountability of costs, safety of workers, and efficiency of the use of construction resources. For instance, we deploy numerous cameras on a construction site to collect real-time video, and employ computer vision algorithms to automatically detect the presence of workers and heavy machinery, to verify safety protocols regarding personal safety equipment for workers, and to measure utilisation rates of machines. Our system then provides decision support for the supervising engineers on the construction site, helping them make better decisions. We are currently in the process of developing a marker technology that can account for resources while preserving the privacy of workers.
The technologies are being developed jointly by Concordia University and the Indus.ai company; they have already been successfully deployed on multiple construction sites in cities such as Toronto, San Francisco, New York, and Hong Kong. In the process, we have made a number of scientific contributions to computer vision. We acknowledge the support of NSERC through the grant CRDPJ 506997-2016.

The technologies are being developed jointly by Concordia University and the Indus.ai company. The Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies (CZEBS) is located on the campus of Concordia University. The mission is to reduce the environmental impact of buildings while enhancing their safety and comfort.