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Article
Publication date: 19 January 2024

Mohamed Marzouk and Mohamed Zaher

Facility management gained profound importance due to the increasing complexity of different systems and the cost of operation and maintenance. However, due to the increasing…

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Abstract

Purpose

Facility management gained profound importance due to the increasing complexity of different systems and the cost of operation and maintenance. However, due to the increasing complexity of different systems, facility managers may suffer from a lack of information. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new facility management approach that links segmented assets to the vital data required for managing facilities.

Design/methodology/approach

Automatic point cloud segmentation is one of the most crucial processes required for modelling building facilities. In this research, laser scanning is used for point cloud acquisition. The research utilises region growing algorithm, colour-based region-growing algorithm and Euclidean cluster algorithm.

Findings

A case study is worked out to test the accuracy of the considered point cloud segmentation algorithms utilising metrics precision, recall and F-score. The results indicate that Euclidean cluster extraction and region growing algorithm revealed high accuracy for segmentation.

Originality/value

The research presents a comparative approach for selecting the most appropriate segmentation approach required for accurate modelling. As such, the segmented assets can be linked easily with the data required for facility management.

Details

International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4708

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2023

Hang Guo, Xin Chen, Min Yu, Marcin Uradziński and Liang Cheng

In this study, an indoor sensor information fusion positioning system of the quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was investigated to solve the problem of unstable indoor…

Abstract

Purpose

In this study, an indoor sensor information fusion positioning system of the quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was investigated to solve the problem of unstable indoor flight positioning.

Design/methodology/approach

The presented system was built on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and LiDAR-Lite devices. Based on this, one can obtain the aircraft's current attitude and the position vector relative to the target and control the attitudes and positions of the UAV to reach the specified target positions. While building a UAV positioning model relative to the target for indoor positioning scenarios under limited Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), the system detects the environment through the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 (Transmit Data) peripheral sensor, obtains the current attitude and the position vector of the UAV, packs the data in the format and delivers it to the flight controller. Then the flight controller controls the UAV by calculating the posture to reach the specified target position.

Findings

The authors used two systems in the experiment. The first is the proposed UAV, and the other is the Vicon system, our reference system for comparison purposes. Vicon positioning error can be considered lower than 2 mm from low to high-speed experiments. After comparison, experimental results demonstrated that the system could fully meet the requirements (less than 50 mm) in real-time positioning of the indoor quadrotor UAV flight. It verifies the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method compared with that of Vicon and achieves the aim of a stable indoor flight preliminarily.

Originality/value

Vicon positioning error can be considered lower than 2 mm from low to high-speed experiments. After comparison, experimental results demonstrated that the system could fully meet the requirements (less than 50 mm) in real-time positioning of the indoor quadrotor UAV flight. It verifies the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method compared with that of Vicon and achieves the aim of a stable indoor flight preliminarily.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-6427

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 January 2024

Spencer Ii Ern Teo, Yuhan Zhou and Justin Ker-Wei Yeoh

Network coverage is crucial for the adoption of advanced Smart Home applications. The commonly used log-based path loss model is not able to accurately estimate WiFi signal…

Abstract

Purpose

Network coverage is crucial for the adoption of advanced Smart Home applications. The commonly used log-based path loss model is not able to accurately estimate WiFi signal strength in different houses, as it does not fully consider the impact of building morphology. To better describe the propagation of WiFi signals and achieve higher estimation accuracy, this paper studies the basic building morphology characteristics of houses.

Design/methodology/approach

A new path loss model based on a decision tree was proposed after measuring the WiFi signal strength passing through multiple housing units. Three types of regression models were tested and compared.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that the log-based path loss model fits small houses well, while the newly proposed nonlinear path loss model performs better in large houses (area larger than 125 m2 and area-to-perimeter ratio larger than 2.5). The impact of building design on path loss has been proven and specifically quantified in the model.

Originality/value

Proposed an improved model to estimate indoor network coverage. Quantify the impacts of building morphology on indoor WiFi signal strength. Improve WiFi signal strength estimation to support Smart Home applications.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Daniel Nygaard Ege, Pasi Aalto and Martin Steinert

This study was conducted to address the methodical shortcomings and high associated cost of understanding the use of new, poorly understood architectural spaces, such as…

Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to address the methodical shortcomings and high associated cost of understanding the use of new, poorly understood architectural spaces, such as makerspaces. The proposed quantified method of enhancing current post-occupancy evaluation (POE) practices aims to provide architects, engineers and building professionals with accessible and intuitive data that can be used to conduct comparative studies of spatial changes, understand changes over time (such as those resulting from COVID-19) and verify design intentions after construction through a quantified post-occupancy evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, we demonstrate the use of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to gather, analyze and visualize quantified data showing interactions between people, spaces and objects. The experiment was conducted in a makerspace over a four-day hackathon event with a team of four actively tracked participants.

Findings

The study shows that by moving beyond simply counting people in a space, a more nuanced pattern of interactions can be discovered, documented and analyzed. The ability to automatically visualize findings intuitively in 3D aids architects and visual thinkers to easily grasp the essence of interactions with minimal effort.

Originality/value

By providing a method for better understanding the spatial and temporal interactions between people, objects and spaces, our approach provides valuable feedback in POE. Specifically, our approach aids practitioners in comparing spaces, verifying design intent and speeding up knowledge building when developing new architectural spaces, such as makerspaces.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 31 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Luca Rampini and Fulvio Re Cecconi

This study aims to introduce a new methodology for generating synthetic images for facility management purposes. The method starts by leveraging the existing 3D open-source BIM…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to introduce a new methodology for generating synthetic images for facility management purposes. The method starts by leveraging the existing 3D open-source BIM models and using them inside a graphic engine to produce a photorealistic representation of indoor spaces enriched with facility-related objects. The virtual environment creates several images by changing lighting conditions, camera poses or material. Moreover, the created images are labeled and ready to be trained in the model.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focuses on the challenges characterizing object detection models to enrich digital twins with facility management-related information. The automatic detection of small objects, such as sockets, power plugs, etc., requires big, labeled data sets that are costly and time-consuming to create. This study proposes a solution based on existing 3D BIM models to produce quick and automatically labeled synthetic images.

Findings

The paper presents a conceptual model for creating synthetic images to increase the performance in training object detection models for facility management. The results show that virtually generated images, rather than an alternative to real images, are a powerful tool for integrating existing data sets. In other words, while a base of real images is still needed, introducing synthetic images helps augment the model’s performance and robustness in covering different types of objects.

Originality/value

This study introduced the first pipeline for creating synthetic images for facility management. Moreover, this paper validates this pipeline by proposing a case study where the performance of object detection models trained on real data or a combination of real and synthetic images are compared.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2024

Caroline Silva Araújo, Emerson de Andrade Marques Ferreira and Dayana Bastos Costa

Tracking physical resources at the construction site can generate information to support effective decision-making and building production control. However, the methods for…

Abstract

Purpose

Tracking physical resources at the construction site can generate information to support effective decision-making and building production control. However, the methods for conventional tracking usually offer low reliability. This study aims to propose the integrated Smart Twins 4.0 to track and manage metallic formworks used in cast-in-place concrete wall systems using internet of things (IoT) (operationalized by radio frequency identification [RFID]) and building information modeling (BIM), focusing on increasing quality and productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

Design science research is the research approach, including an exploratory study to map the constructive system, the integrated system development, an on-site pilot implementation in a residential project and a performance evaluation based on acquired data and the perception of the project’s production team.

Findings

In all rounds of requests, Smart Twins 4.0 registered and presented the status from the formworks and the work progress of buildings in complete correspondence with the physical progress providing information to support decision-making during operation. Moreover, analyses of the system infrastructure and implementation details can drive researchers regarding future IoT and BIM implementation in real construction sites.

Originality/value

The primary contribution is the system proposal, centralized into a mobile app that contains a Web-based virtual model to receive data in real time during construction phases and solve a real problem. The paper describes Smart Twins 4.0 development and its requirements for tracking physical resources considering theoretical and practical previous research regarding RFID, IoT and BIM.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2024

Anastasia Romanova

The paper aims to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art of the event industry in the context of digitalization to understand how digital technologies change the event…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art of the event industry in the context of digitalization to understand how digital technologies change the event industry and what research topics are the most promising for further exploration.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis of the existing body of knowledge on the topic was conducted and the results were visualized using CiteSpace 5.8.R3. A total of 1999 articles and proceeding papers from the Web of Science Core Collection published between 2007 and 2022 were selected for our analysis. Based on the articles and proceeding papers in the Web of Science Core Collection database, we selected a set of publications for our analysis. The data were obtained through specific keywords related to our research topic. The method involves a process of three main stages: data collection, data processing and the bibliometric analysis.

Findings

Co-citation analysis indicated that issues of crowd management and tracking human mobility during mass events are important for the event industry and that technologies such as the Internet of Things, special-purpose mobile applications and systems make it easier for an event organizer to handle the issues. The findings demonstrated a weak scientific collaboration between countries in the topic studied and shift of research hotspots to study of satisfaction, motivation and behavioral patterns of events attendees. Based on this analysis, three directions for future research were revealed.

Research limitations/implications

The results should be interpreted in light of our sample, because the analysis was conducted within our sample which has boundaries. We collected data from all categories in the Web of Science Core Collection database, but we considered only articles and proceeding papers as opposed to all possible types of scientific publications and other databases. In the study, we focused on detecting the state-of-the-art of the event industry in the context of digitalization overall. More specific topics that could be analyzed remain, for example, the dependency of digital technologies from the event type, etc.

Practical implications

This study reflects the state-of-the-art of the event industry in the context of digitalization. It provides researchers with key developmental trends in the event industry, which assists them in more deeply understanding the evolution of research hotspots in the field during last 15 years and defining future research agenda. The paper presents an overview of digital technologies used in various types of events and describes the issues and results related to the implementing digital technologies. The results obtained were extremely important, as they can be used by event managers and organizers to enhance customers’ experience during the events.

Originality/value

This study reflects the state-of-the-art of the event industry in the context of digitalization. This is the first attempt to make an overall analysis of scientific papers published in the Web of Science Core Collection on the topic studied without excluding any categories. The search procedure is transparent, and the results can be reproduced in other search fields using the same approach. Based on this analysis, three directions for future research were revealed including technological aspects of online event-based social networks, issues of crowd management and security at mass events and issues of attendees’ acceptance of novel digital technologies.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 12 February 2024

Lerato Aghimien, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa and Douglas Aghimien

The current era of the fourth industrial revolution has attracted significant research on the use of digital technologies in improving construction project delivery. However, less…

Abstract

The current era of the fourth industrial revolution has attracted significant research on the use of digital technologies in improving construction project delivery. However, less emphasis has been placed on how these digital tools will influence the management of the construction workforce. To this end, using a review of existing works, this chapter explores the fourth industrial revolution and its associated technologies that can positively impact the management of the construction workforce when implemented. Also, the possible challenges that might truncate the successful deployment of digital technologies for effective workforce management were explored. The chapter submitted that implementing workforce management-specific digital platforms and other digital technologies designed for project delivery can aid effective workforce management within construction organisations. Technologies such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, big data analytics, robotics and automation, and artificial intelligence, among others, offer significant benefits to the effective workforce management of construction organisations. However, several challenges, such as resistance to change due to fear of job loss, cost of investment in digital tools, organisational structure and culture, must be carefully considered as they might affect the successful use of digital tools and by extension, impact the success of workforce management in the organisations.

Details

Construction Workforce Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-019-3

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2023

Huiying (Cynthia) Hou, Daniel C.W. Ho and Yung Yau

Facilities management (FM) activities affect citizens’ health and safety, long-term urban environmental sustainability and the relationships between the built and natural…

Abstract

Purpose

Facilities management (FM) activities affect citizens’ health and safety, long-term urban environmental sustainability and the relationships between the built and natural environments of cities. This study aims to comprehend the status of smart FM tools application, how they are used to improve the delivery of FM services and the barriers to their implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the current smart solutions that leverage the quality of FM service, a case study based on the FM practice in Hong Kong was carried out. The case study was conducted in two phases of data acquisition based on a qualitative research methodology. After conducting in-depth interviews to determine the application of smart FM tools in different types of properties and to identify the initiatives and barriers to smart FM tool application, three workshops were conducted to validate the findings and further investigate the influence of FM professionals on smart FM tools application in Hong Kong.

Findings

The findings of the case study revealed, firstly, that four types of smart FM tools – user-centric, safety and hygiene, maintenance and sustainability-oriented – are used to assist the delivery of FM services. Secondly, smart FM tools are shown to be useful in assisting FM activities. Thirdly, the existing barriers to smart FM tool application manifest differently in shopping malls, office buildings and residential buildings. Fourthly, smart FM tools are used to address the four attributes of user needs: comfort, health and wellbeing, convenience and information to occupants.

Originality/value

The value of this study lies in its focus on the industry level (FM industry) and the application process of smart FM tools in different types of property, revealing the benefits, initiatives and barriers to their future application. This study provides a comprehensive picture of the current status and elaborates the barriers to smart FM tool application, which will help FM practitioners to make strategic decisions on selecting and developing smart FM tools. Also, this study will facilitate smart FM tool application policy development.

Details

Facilities , vol. 42 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2023

Duo Zhang, Yonghua Li, Gaping Wang, Qing Xia and Hang Zhang

This study aims to propose a more precise method for robust design optimization of mechanical structures with black-box problems, while also considering the efficiency of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to propose a more precise method for robust design optimization of mechanical structures with black-box problems, while also considering the efficiency of uncertainty analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The method first introduces a dual adaptive chaotic flower pollination algorithm (DACFPA) to overcome the shortcomings of the original flower pollination algorithm (FPA), such as its susceptibility to poor accuracy and convergence efficiency when dealing with complex optimization problems. Furthermore, a DACFPA-Kriging model is developed by optimizing the relevant parameter of Kriging model via DACFPA. Finally, the dual Kriging model is constructed to improve the efficiency of uncertainty analysis, and a robust design optimization method based on DACFPA-Dual-Kriging is proposed.

Findings

The DACFPA outperforms the FPA, particle swarm optimization and gray wolf optimization algorithms in terms of solution accuracy, convergence speed and capacity to avoid local optimal solutions. Additionally, the DACFPA-Kriging model exhibits superior prediction accuracy and robustness contrasted with the original Kriging and FPA-Kriging. The proposed method for robust design optimization based on DACFPA-Dual-Kriging is applied to the motor hanger of the electric multiple units as an engineering case study, and the results confirm a significant reduction in the fluctuation of the maximum equivalent stress.

Originality/value

This study represents the initial attempt to enhance the prediction accuracy of the Kriging model using the improved FPA and to combine the dual Kriging model for uncertainty analysis, providing an idea for the robust optimization design of mechanical structure with black-box problem.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 19 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

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