Elements: Cyberinfrastructure Service for IoT-Based Construction Research and Applications (IoT-ACRES) Poster

This project develops a robust cyberinfrastructure (CI) system and service for construction research and applications to address the current challenges faced in the construction industry. The outcomes and services that this proposal aims to provide are 1) a distributed SDN-managed and AI-assisted IoT-based system that can be adapted and extended based on needs of the research and application; 2) identification of the data and data security requirements needed to address the challenges in the construction industry and potential technologies that can provide those data; 3) evaluation of reliable real-time multi-sensor fusion techniques for ruggedness, usability, and limitations of IoT-based components deployed in the dynamic construction environments; 4) robust prototype system for real-time safety monitoring based on the IoT system framework; and 5) recommendations of potential configurations of the system with the appropriate technology and sensors to meet the needs of the application. The empirical data resulting will be delivered through yearly NSF reports on the progress and findings, journal publications of the intellectual merit and scientific findings, and conference proceedings discussing the broader impacts and future research objectives. The framework of the hardware and software, including an instructional manual will also be published. The software will be made available through request via a project website, open source posts, and conference and workshop dissemination. The project will explore the use of various delivery mechanisms, such as NSF's eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE). The IoT-ACRES will utilize IBM IoT Continuous Engineering and Cloud Computing Servers Cloud (e.g. Amazon AWS) for the data analysis and performance metrics. This novel convergence research project will ultimately advance the development of sustainable CI communities and stewardships of sustainable CI services that can enhance productivity and accelerate innovation in science and engineering. This work will advance practices of safety controls by developing a tool for safety monitoring on construction sites, presented to safety managers with interfaces that visualize, and report real-time safety hazards. Significantly, it will address fundamental research challenges in computer vision and construction management: improving context-based object recognition and tracking; and formalizing rules for integrating visual, textual, biometric data to proactively recognize safety hazards.