The Fiatech Webinar 'Advancing Asset Knowledge through the Use of Augmented Reality Technologies' (archived on the Fiatech website) lists practical potential usages and benefits of AR during the Construction and building Operations phases of a project. In and amongst its presentation of Fiatech's current AR testing, the webinar provides a presentation by Dr Mani Golparvar-Fard of the University of Illinois entitled 'MARS- Real-time Field Reporting' (0:34:44 of video).
Fiatech's list of the potential usages and Benefits of AR during the Construction phase of a project are:
"- Confirmation of Installation Locations
- Ensuring the Usage of Correct Drawing
- Locating Construction and Project Component Details
- Locating Construction Materials and Equipment
- Locating Installation Instructions and Guidance Notes
- Schedule Compliance
- Identifying Existing Utility Locations
- Identifying Safety Zones
- Dealing with Interface and Clashing Issues
- Address Public Inquiries and Planning
- Address Local Resident Private Property Concerns" (0:12:50 of video)
Applications with AR can geo-locate elements on a job site more efficiently than traditional media, which explains the prevalence of usages that tag or identify location-based information during construction (6 out of the 11 potential uses listed above). Calling up relevant information on-site is the second key attribute of applications with AR, where markers can be used to quickly call up relevant information, acting as three-dimensional hyperlinks on the job site.
In the second half of the webinar (from 0:34:00), Dr. Golparvar-Fard presents his Mobile application for 'real-time field reporting'. Through his platform, users are able to geo-tag elements on a building site in real-time, and simultaneously call up relevant specifications or information pertaining to any building component on site. The portable mobile device becomes an interactive 'site diary' for users, accessible both on and off the project site, allowing for daily reporting and retrieval of information both on and off-line.
During the Operations and Maintenance phase of a project, Fiatech's research team identifies further key usages for AR:
"- Availability of Asset Data
- Locating Hidden Project Components
- Identifying Project Component Sequencing
- Integrating Operational and Maintenance Manuals
- Access to Order Requests
- Track Completion of Maintenance Activities"
Again, the core emphasis is on AR's ability to locate, identify, and quickly call up relevant information.
