B5: The Use of Databases for Construction Firms
In the construction industry, knowledge is often learned, acquired,
and shared, and managing knowledge all knowledge is often considered a key to
the success for a project. Construction
firms often store their information on a web-based database that is accessible to
all employees in the firm. There are
many different types and variations of these databases, but all increase organization
and information accessibility. When
these databases were in their early stages, they were mostly used in an office,
however these databases have evolved over time and are able to be accessed on site
from any smart phone. An example of this
type of database is the CPWR Construction Solutions. If an employee is on site and sees a hazard
of any type, the hazard can be looked up in the CPWR Construction Solutions database,
and problem solutions will appear. The
database was designed as an easy-to-use tool for all construction employees,
and the database contains answers for many health and safety questions. CPWR also implements information form their
own research findings. This is just one example
of the many types of construction databases that are available in the industry. Another example of a database that could be
used in a construction firm is Bentley ProjectWise. ProjectWise is able to store any types of
files on database, and, like most other databases, allows for easily accessible
data from any location or platform.
In the simplest terms, construction firms use databases for
their most simple purpose: to store data.
There is so much information that constitutes a construction project. Costs, crews, materials, etc. all need to be
tracked and stored, as the information learned can be applied to future
projects. As previously mentioned, knowledge
is of the utmost importance in the construction industry, so it is incredibly
beneficial for firms to implement databases into their everyday tasks in both
the office and the field. However, in order
for the database to be usable, there needs to be a standard for storing the
data. The data storage should be
consistent across all projects, and the fluidity will make it easier for all
people to use the database.
Sources
Response 1: Kerry Milligan
Although I have already taken INFO 210, I know that many
students in the class have not. I found your
post to be very informative and clear. I
thought you did a very good job explaining the structure of relational
databases, and had an easily understandable example of a table and a relational
model. As I previously mentioned, I did
take INFO 210, however I do not consider myself an expert regarding the
relational model nor databases for that matter.
Outside of INFO 210, I have zero experience with the relational model, and
personally, I do not consider it necessary or essential to the transportation
field I work in.
Response 2: Jordan Schuster
I mentioned in my response to Kerry that I have taken INFO
210, however the object-oriented databases were not covered in that class. The idea of organizing data as objects rather
than tables is a bit confusing to me, and I am not sure that I fully understand
the concept. The idea that querying can
differ from system to system can also be confusing to some users, like myself,
whom are not familiar with the database type.
However, I think you made a valid point that as intelligent buildings
become more complex, databases become more necessary to store the information
and track all components.
Response 3: Brad DiGiovanni
I liked your point about substantial completion not being enough for owners anymore. With a growing focus on energy efficiency and sustainability, building data must be measurable and able to be recorded. Like you, I had never heard of the LEED Dynamic award, but I think it is great the LEED is checking up on their LEED Certified projects. I also think it is beneficial for LEED to publish and analyze their data. By doing so, future owners, designers, builders, etc. can use the data to figure out what "works" and what does not work in regards to a Green or Sustainable building. I wrote about the usage of databases in the construction industry; the use of databases during the design process goes hand in hand with this.
I liked your point about substantial completion not being enough for owners anymore. With a growing focus on energy efficiency and sustainability, building data must be measurable and able to be recorded. Like you, I had never heard of the LEED Dynamic award, but I think it is great the LEED is checking up on their LEED Certified projects. I also think it is beneficial for LEED to publish and analyze their data. By doing so, future owners, designers, builders, etc. can use the data to figure out what "works" and what does not work in regards to a Green or Sustainable building. I wrote about the usage of databases in the construction industry; the use of databases during the design process goes hand in hand with this.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned field access to databases and other important pieces of IT on construction sites. During my last co-op on a large construction site, I saw first hand this technology being implemented. Subcontractors from all trades were using surfaces and tablets to access data and plans, and it was really neat to see. These were mainly the field engineers though, as the tradesmen and women strongly preferred paper plans.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point that in the construction industry that knowledge is power. The better you know your project and the scope of work you have to complete the better off you will be. Therefore, these companies need a lot of storage and the ability to look at anything they need in real-time which is why many companies have shifted to online storage databases as you said. I believe that with any company the largest and most important database is the storage one like OneDrive. As I had said in my post, almost every program a construction company has is associated with a database. Another important database they need is of their historical data in which tracks all the projects they have done and the amount of time it too them to place the rebar for a 300,000 square foot concrete slab.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYour post about the importance of knowledge is interesting. I agree with you that construction firms should collect data from previous project to be able to apply them in future project. This will allow engineers to track projects and search for information they do not understand.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteGood job on your post this week, CPWR is a really important database in the industry and it is really important for students to understand the uses of databases in a construction firm. I think its almost necessary for students to understand the IT aspects of the construction industry.