As the construction industry further embraces technology, it will be integrating all forms of data in real time that will provide the potential to enhance projects at every level from planning to accounting and fieldwork. Visual data is becoming increasingly important to add to the mix. EarthCam is paving the way for that to happen. The company recently announced a partnership with CMiC, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider, to make real-time visual data a seamless part of the construction process.
“ConTech is on the precipice of a technology revolution and CMiC’s priority is to be a leader in this space, providing the best solutions for every jobsite,” Oliver Ritchie, CMiC vice president of technology and innovation. “Customer-focused, project visualization and communication will be optimized between our two systems in order to provide crucial information for all project stakeholders.”
CMiC FIELD was designed to provide a seamless software option for construction firms to document and manage projects in one platform for all stakeholders. From simplifying the bid process to making changes in the field, the software helps firms better manage costs and timeframes. The addition of EarthCam further puts stakeholders into the project via live jobsite cameras.
“EarthCam has always been committed to delivering the best quality, most useful visual information for project leadership,” said Brian Cury EarthCam CEO and founder. “EarthCam and CMiC are committed to improving productivity in construction and together deliver easy access to actionable reality capture—right where it is needed—enabling fast collaboration in a lean construction environment.”
EarthCam, founded in 1996, has been an innovator in imagery technologies. From live streaming to time-lapse, its patented technology has steadily proven an essential tool in the construction industry. CMiC is using EarthCam’s Control Center 8 software. Powered by AI, it enables object recognition of equipment tracking, auditing PPE, heat mapping and safety alerts in real time. This high-resolution imagery is instantly incorporated into CMiC Field, providing real-time information that can help enhance decision-making as well as provide marketing tools down the road, such as time-lapse videos.
EarthCam is also helping pave the way for 4D construction. In February, EarthCam started working with Bentley Systems. When the former unveiled its SYNCHRO XR, the company quickly started working on intuitive digital twins with a visual representation of the past, present and future of a project.
“Digital twins are radically increasing productivity in construction,” Cury said. “Thanks to Bentley iTwin, we’re able to merge the highest resolution imagery from our cameras to SYNCHRO 4D models and build valuable applications to increase our clients’ ROI.”
EarthCam 4D synchronizes time-sequenced images, allowing these high-resolution images to be instantly brought into SYNCHRO 4D models. Users can zoom in and out, scroll back and forth in the timeline of live images and adjust colors and transparency to make highly accurate models in real time for comparison.
Construction firms are quickly embracing technology to maximize projects from beginning to end. With easy access to live visual data, the future of construction may change even more.