Interactive visual construction progress monitoring with D⁴A - 4D augmented reality- Models

Visualization of construction progress helps construction project managers to study spatial aspects of as-built and as-planned performances, identify progress discrepancies, better utilize resources and equipments in different locations and make timely corrective decisions. This needs as-built performance model to be generated and superimposed over as-planned allowing progress discrepancies to be visualized. In this paper we discuss methodology of generating, analyzing and visualizing progress with D⁴AR (4 Dimensional Augmented Reality) models using daily construction photographs and 4D as-planned model. We use three construction cases to illustrate how the as-built progress models could be sparsely reconstructed using daily site photographs and how the reconstructed model is superimposed over the as-planned model. We also demonstrate how the D⁴AR model is applied in these ongoing construction projects. As a result of this research, automatic and more frequent visual progress data collection, analysis and reporting will become possible. Copyright ASCE 2009.