{"id":809827,"date":"2024-12-03T22:13:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T04:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/3-business-essential-areas-where-civil-and-infrastructure-firms-can-lead-with-ai\/"},"modified":"2024-12-03T22:13:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T04:13:12","slug":"3-business-essential-areas-where-civil-and-infrastructure-firms-can-lead-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/3-business-essential-areas-where-civil-and-infrastructure-firms-can-lead-with-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"3 business-essential areas where civil and infrastructure firms can lead with AI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The civil and infrastructure (C&I) industry is on the verge of a digital transformation, and AI-driven technologies are paving the way. While widespread adoption is still far off, a recent Procore survey found that \u201cpockets of innovation\u201d are emerging among progressive organizations. These companies are eager to harness the process automation, data analysis and productivity gains that AI promises.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But those companies are in the minority. Industry pros say AI-driven technology depends on having clean, robust datasets before analyzing information and making actionable solutions. Not all C&I firms are there yet. But if yours is heading toward AI adoption, here\u2019s what you need to know about the capabilities this tech offers \u2013 and what your team needs to do to make it possible.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

AI and job site safety: A growing opportunity<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

One of the most promising applications of AI in the C&I industry is job site safety. AI-powered machine vision and remote sensing technologies provide a bird\u2019s-eye view of worksites, allowing for real-time monitoring and early warnings when people and equipment are at risk of colliding.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe most interesting demo I\u2019ve seen is using machine vision,\u201d says Makenna Ryan, Solutions Engineer at Procore Technologies. \u201cIt\u2019s essentially watching job sites from a near bird\u2019s-eye view and looking for places where people and equipment may impact each other.\u201d Having these automated eyes in the sky can supplement site safety managers\u2019 ability to see the whole jobsite simultaneously. As AI tools help monitor the site, notifications and documentation for incidents or near-misses can be addressed quickly and cataloged efficiently.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Saab, Head of Product, Resource & Asset Management for Procore agrees, noting that analyzing safety data is as important as collecting it. \u201cRemote sensing and construction site observation can lead teams to identify emerging safety risks,\u201d he says. \u201cThat might lead to training improvements, readiness improvements and an opportunity to train the team.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Streamlining documentation with AI<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

AI is also simplifying the laborious task of documentation. For many firms, documentation is a critical yet time-consuming part of compliance, inspections and quality control. AI is helping streamline these processes by analyzing vast amounts of data and automating routine tasks.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan shares a specific use case involving a bridge inspection team: \u201cThey took the AISC documentation for steel bridge inspection, loaded it into an AI tool, and used common language to come up with checklists that they needed to watch from a quality control perspective,\u201d he says. From there, the team was able to tailor the checklist to their needs and enter it into Procore\u2019s platform for reference and use by teams across the project.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan says this particular user is among the \u201cforward-thinking\u201d portion of the industry that\u2019s actively looking for ways to implement AI. \u201cHe used AI and extracted the information he needed to pay attention to, to make the most of their processes,\u201d Ryan says. With AI’s speed and efficiency, these teams could move forward with bridge construction confidently and quickly.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Optimizing labor and equipment management with AI<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

Safety and documentation are both essential elements of a well-run C&I jobsite. However, making a business case for AI will require many owners to look for efficiencies that will truly save money. Labor and equipment management is an excellent place to focus that energy. With expensive equipment and stretched labor resources, firms must operate as efficiently as possible. Saab says AI can help in both cases.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor equipment, those are very expensive machines, and they\u2019re money-producing when they\u2019re working, but they cost you money when they\u2019re not working,\u201d he says. \u201cThe telemetry baked into those machines leads to analysis around predictive maintenance schedules so you can understand if a machine is on the verge of having an issue that could cost you substantially.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan says these capabilities help firms optimize equipment usage and extend the lifespan of their assets \u2013 but the optimizations don\u2019t stop there. AI also plays a role in optimizing labor by allowing companies to look at labor schedules and track how their teams perform in real-time. \u201cThe lowest-hanging fruit for most companies is operational efficiency,\u201d he says. \u201cthat\u2019s where most of their money is made and lost, so that\u2019s where their attention is.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The many benefits of AI for C&I firms<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

These are just a few examples of how AI will ultimately benefit the C&I industry. According to Procore\u2019s recent survey, companies are particularly interested in AI\u2019s ability to:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n