Web based field data analysis and data-driven simulation application for construction performance prediction

Field data acquisition, systematic data integration and applying data driven simulation models are current research topics in the field of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). These research approaches are strongly linked together. The state of the art in construction simulation is to estimate model parameters by experience-based assumptions during the planning phase. Thus, construction project delivery is a one-of-a-kind production in a highly dynamical and volatile production environment. Occurring process variations during the construction phase cannot be foreseen beforehand and influence the simulation parameters. There is also a need to transform raw data from the construction site and provide the information to a simulation model. Prevailing approaches in construction research describe either methods for field data acquisition and analysis, or the application of data driven simulation environments. Therefore, this paper describes a web-based approach by integrating field data from construction equipment on site for the application in a data-driven simulation. The as-built process information allows the refining of the simulation parameters by linking the simulation with the as-built information in a web-based framework. Its main contribution is to evaluate prediction models of the remaining operation duration based on the current project performance and transfer the simulation results back to the framework. The evaluation is based on a real-world case study. The results allow a sufficiently accurate prediction of the task completion time which could serve as a basis for extended applications.