An In-Depth Survey Demystifying the Internet of Things (IoT) in the Construction Industry: Unfolding New Dimensions

Abstract

In this digital era, many industries have widely adopted the Internet of Things (IoT), yet its implementation in the construction industry is relatively limited. Integration of Construction 4.0 drivers, such as business information modeling (BIM), procurement, construction safety, and structural health monitoring (SHM), with IoT devices, provides an effective framework for applications to enhance construction and operational efficiencies. IoT and Construction 4.0 driver integration research, however, is still in its infancy. It is necessary to understand the present state of IoT adoption in the Construction 4.0 context. This paper presented a comprehensive review to identify the IoT adoption status in the Construction 4.0 areas. Furthermore, this work highlighted the potential roadblocks to IoT’s seamless adoption that are unique to the areas of Construction 4.0 in developing countries. Altogether, 257 research articles were reviewed to present the current state of IoT adoption in developed and developing countries, as well as the topmost barriers encountered in integrating IoT with the key Construction 4.0 drivers. This study aimed to provide a reference for construction managers to observe challenges, professionals to explore the hybridization possibilities of IoT in the context of Construction 4.0, and laymen to understand the high-level scientific research that underpins IoT in the construction industry.

Deterrents to the IoT for smart buildings and infrastructure development: A partial least square modeling approach

“…The purpose of the EFA was to ascertain the fundamental factors that contribute to the barriers encountered in the adoption of IoT technology within the construction sector. The suitability of the sample for factor analysis was assessed by conducting the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and Bartlett's test of sphericity [ 3 , 61 ]. The KMO test evaluates the adequacy of correlation among variables for conducting factor analysis.…”

“…Khurshid et al (2023) [ 3 ] analyzed the challenges to IoT applications in the building industry, focusing on interoperability issues. The absence of interoperability standards and protocols was a significant barrier to IoT adoption, as various IoT systems could not communicate with one another.…”

“… Literature review and field surveys Minimal exploration of creativity-related hurdles. [ 3 , 33 , 40 ] 8 Shows how IoT can enhance sustainability in construction practices. Case studies and environmental assessments Neglects standardization challenges.…”

“…Even though researchers have looked at similar topics from a variety of angles, including this one is still being investigated. The topic entails adapting technologies and knowledge from multiple disciplines [ 3 , 4 ]. Smart buildings, neighborhoods, and cities are currently isolated and categorized in terms of technology and application advancement due to the operational constraints of current IoT applications and the uneven incorporation of sensor networks into buildings, communities, and cities [ 5 ].…”

Current Applications and Challenges of the Internet of Things

“…The consequence of generating a huge resource of information data is the spread of the Internet of things which now covers the industrial (Nazarov et al, 2022;Khurshid et al, 2023), and consumer sectors (Lamya et al, 2023;Tzavaras et al, 2023). These sectors are:…”