No abstract

As an essential way to ensure success of construction projects, on-site inspection involves intensive paperwork, while generating large amounts of textual data. Lack of understanding of information hidden in text-based inspection records always leads to overlooking of important issues and deferred decisions. Therefore, a novel text mining approach based on keyword extraction and topic modeling is introduced to identify key concerns and their dynamics of on-site issues for better decision-making process. Then, the proposed approach was demonstrated in a real world project and tested with 7250 issue records. Results showed that the proposed method could successfully extract key concerns hidden in texts and identify their changes with time, thereby enabling a more efficient on-site inspection and data-centric decisionmaking process. This research contributes: (1) to the body of knowledge a new framework for discovering key concerns and their changes with time in texts, and (2) to the state of practice by providing insights on hot topics and their changes with time to reduce on-site issues and make decisions efficiently.

Building information modeling (BIM) is a data-based tool for engineering, design, and building management, which is used to parameterize and model various types of information. This information may then be shared and introduced throughout the building life-cycle phases (planning, design, construction and operation, and maintenance (O&M)). Therefore, BIM allows engineers to correctly understand and efficiently respond to varying types of building information as well as serves as a foundation for cooperation between the design and construction teams. Hence, BIM plays an important role in increasing productivity, minimizing costs, and shortening construction times. In this article, we present a case example where BIM was used for intelligent construction of a large wastewater-treatment plant (WTP). The process involved intelligent design and simulation techniques, management and simulation of construction works, digital delivery solutions, BIM-based Internet of things O&M, and environmental monitoring. BIM was used to digitalize the construction, delivery, and O&M processes of the WTP. According to this case example, we also offer suggestions on how deep learning and intelligent control techniques can be used to enhance intelligent O&M in WTPs.