What We Saw at CONEXPO-CON/AGG! Cloud Construction Management × As-Built Verification Transforming On-Site DX

The construction industry’s largest exhibitions, CONEXPO-CON/AGG (ConExpo-Con/Agg, [official site](https://www.conexpoconagg.com)), brought together the latest construction technologies and solutions from around the world. I visited the event in person, and what particularly caught my attention were the digital technologies of "cloud construction management" and "as-built verification." By combining these, dramatic transformations are occurring in productivity, quality, and safety on construction sites. In this article, while incorporating the industry trends observed at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, I will introduce the innovative technologies and implementation cases of cloud construction management and as-built verification. I will also explain the effects of on-site DX (digital transformation) and the latest simplified surveying solution LRTK.

Table of Contents

• About CONEXPO-CON/AGG

• Benefits of cloud construction management

• The importance and challenges of as-built verification (as-built management)

• Latest construction DX (digital transformation) technologies at CONEXPO 2023 - Cloud BIM and data sharing - On-site use of AR (augmented reality) - Point cloud measurement and 3D as-built management - System integration through API connectivity - Digital inspections and report automation - IoT sensors and remote monitoring

• Effects of on-site DX and future prospects

• Introduction to LRTK transforming simple surveying and as-built management

• FAQ

What is CONEXPO-CON/AGG

CONEXPO-CON/AGG is the largest construction industry trade show in North America. Held every three years in Las Vegas, it brings together the latest construction machinery and technologies from around the world. At CONEXPO 2023, about 2,800 companies exhibited and attendance reached approximately 139,000 people. While the venue impresses with rows of massive heavy equipment like bulldozers and cranes, what was even more striking were the numerous solutions leveraging digital technologies. Autonomous construction equipment, AI-driven data analysis, cloud-based site management, and VR/AR applications—latest technologies aimed at improving productivity and safety—were showcased at booths throughout the event. It can be said to be an event where you can tangibly feel that the digital transformation (DX) of construction sites is gaining momentum worldwide.

Benefits of Cloud Construction Management

To smoothly carry out construction projects, information sharing and coordination among many stakeholders, such as the site, headquarters, and partner companies, are indispensable. Cloud construction management is a method of centrally managing drawings, schedules, photos, reports, and other construction-related information on the cloud so that anyone can access it in real time. Implementing cloud construction management provides the following benefits.

• Instant sharing of the latest information: Even when drawings are revised or schedules change, updating them in the cloud allows everyone on site and in the office to immediately view the latest data. This eliminates the need to swap paper drawings each time or distribute the newest version by email.

• Improved communication efficiency: By adding comments to drawings and photos in the cloud and sharing progress updates, you can give instructions and consult in a timely manner even from remote locations. This reduces communication delays and improves responsiveness to issues.

• Centralized data management: You can consolidate all information—schedules, construction checklists, as-built measurement results, inspection records, and more—into the cloud. Data that was managed separately by each person is organized on a single platform, allowing you to quickly find the information you need.

• Remote situational awareness: Managers and supervisors can grasp current conditions via cloud data and live camera feeds without being on site. This enables more efficient management of multiple sites, reduces travel time for business trips, and leads to higher productivity.

• Elimination of person-dependency: By stopping data management limited to an individual's files or local PCs and instead storing and sharing in the cloud, handovers remain smooth even when staff change. Information stays as an organizational asset, reducing the risk of knowledge being tied to specific individuals.

In this way, cloud construction management becomes a foundation that digitally connects the job site and the office, and even clients and partner companies. In Japan as well, cloud-based construction management apps have begun to spread in recent years, and with the backing of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s promotion of *i-Construction* (アイ・コンストラクション), adoption is progressing across the entire construction industry.

The Importance and Challenges of As-Built Verification (As-Built Management)

On the other hand, one aspect that cannot be overlooked when discussing on-site DX is as-built verification. This process, also called as-built management, is a quality-control process that verifies and records whether the shape and dimensions of constructed structures and developed land have been built according to the design drawings. For example, it involves measuring and demonstrating that the height of embankments or the thickness of concrete meet specified values, and it is an indispensable step for the client's inspection approval and the handover of the works.

As-built verification is essential for ensuring quality, but conventional methods have many issues. Traditionally, craftsmen manually measured dimensions at various locations using layout markings, tape measures, and staffs, and wrote the measured values on paper drawings or tables to check deviations from the design values. This method tends to give rise to the following problems.

• Surveying work requires manpower and time: On large sites or for large structures, multiple survey teams must measure each point, which takes a great deal of time and effort. Manual measurements limit the number of points that can be measured in a day, creating pressure on the construction schedule.

• Only measurable at discrete points, risk of overlooking issues: Manual measurements only provide dimensional data at separated points, making it difficult to grasp the structure as a whole in a planar or three-dimensional way. Discrepancies between the design and unmeasured areas may go unnoticed, creating a risk of overlooking defects such as “parts differing from the drawings.”

• Cumbersomeness of photographic records: For as-built verification, it is necessary to photograph rebar, buried items, and other elements during construction that will later become invisible. Conventionally, those photos were organized in ledgers or files, but this method was prone to missed shots, loss, and organizational errors. If required photos are forgotten due to the busyness of the site, no evidence remains and, in the worst case, it can lead to rework.

• Cumbersome process of checking against design values: Tasks such as comparing measured values with allowable tolerances to determine pass/fail, and compiling reports for inspection submission, have often been done by transcribing into Excel or annotating CAD drawings. When there are many measurement points, organizing them by manual calculation or hand-drawing becomes an enormous task and a burden on site engineers.

Thus, the reality was that traditional as-built management was inefficient and carried a high risk of human error. However, these challenges are being resolved by new methods that leverage recently introduced digital measurement technologies and the cloud.

Latest Construction DX Technologies Seen at CONEXPO 2023

At the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 venue, a variety of technologies related to on-site digital transformation, including as-built verification, were exhibited. Here, we introduce the major technology trends among them related to cloud-based construction management × as-built verification.

Cloud BIM and Data Sharing

A key factor in DX at construction sites is the utilization of BIM (pronounced "BIM": Building Information Modeling) data. BIM is a digital drawing that integrates component information and as-built data into a 3D model, and in recent years there has been growing momentum to share it on the cloud. For example, at CONEXPO a cloud BIM platform was showcased at the booths of global companies. On-site teams, headquarters, designers, and clients can share a single BIM model on the cloud and access the latest model anytime, anywhere.

This cloud BIM makes it possible to create a virtual on-site space called a "digital twin". By aggregating not only the 3D model from the design phase but also point cloud data and 360° photos acquired during construction onto the BIM model in the cloud, the real site can be reproduced in the virtual space in real time. In Japan, Shimizu Corporation has an example of sharing BIM models, on-site point clouds, and 360° images in the cloud and realizing "construction management without visiting the site". With cloud BIM, the state of the site can be understood in detail from the office, and multiple specialists can remotely view the same model to discuss and give instructions. This has been reported to produce substantial productivity improvements through reduced travel time and reduced communication loss.

On-site use of AR (Augmented Reality)

AR (Augmented Reality) technology is also a key technology supporting on-site digital transformation (DX). At the event, many companies exhibited AR-enabled smart glasses and tablets. By using AR, digital information can be overlaid onto the live view of a site. For example, if you overlay a design's 3D model at actual scale onto the site footage viewed through a tablet's camera, you can share an immediate, on-site visualization of the finished result. Because AR can display the final image—previously only imaginable from paper drawings or 2D plans—at full scale in the real space, giving instructions to craftsmen and building consensus becomes more intuitive.

Furthermore, AR is also highly effective for as-built verification. For example, you can 3D-scan a completed structure, automatically calculate the differences between the point cloud data obtained and the design data, and create a heat map that shows deviations in color. If you overlay this heat map onto on-site footage with AR, you can visually identify nonconforming areas at a glance, such as "which parts are built higher than the design" and "where excavation has gone too deep and is lower than the standard" (*displaying excesses and deficits with red and blue color distributions*). Defects that previously could only be identified by layout markings and level measurements can now be located instantly on the AR screen and corrected on the spot, thereby keeping rework to a minimum.

The scope of AR applications is wide; it can also render see-through displays of hidden structures such as buried pipes and rebar, or be used on-site with smart glasses to receive remote support from experts at headquarters. At CONEXPO, AR solutions connecting remote technicians with field teams were demonstrated, and initiatives showing how they can aid knowledge sharing and skills transfer were showcased.

Point Cloud Measurement and 3D As-Built Management

As a technology that dramatically improves the accuracy and efficiency of as-built verification, point cloud data measurement is noteworthy. Point cloud data are three-dimensional coordinate datasets composed of numerous measurement points acquired by laser scanners or image-based surveying (photogrammetry). The venue also showcased the latest laser scanner equipment; for example, compact scanners capable of a full 360° scan in about 20 seconds and LiDAR systems mounted on drones that can automatically survey wide areas were attracting attention.

By using point cloud measurement, as-built geometry that was previously measurable only as points can be captured as surfaces and solids. For example, laser-scanning the as-built geometry of a dam or road accurately captures surface irregularities and slopes from dense point clouds numbering in the millions. Comparing this with the design 3D model makes it possible to detect even small deviations without overlooking them. In addition, automatic pass/fail assessment of the as-built condition can now be performed in the cloud. At the CONEXPO demo, when images taken by a drone were uploaded on-site to the cloud, point clouds and orthophotos (true nadir images) were generated in minutes, and the server automatically completed difference checks against the design data and earthwork volume calculations. Because as-built results can be obtained immediately after on-site measurement, the time lag of waiting until the next day for results is eliminated, allowing immediate decisions on corrective actions or the next work stage.

One of the major advantages of 3D as-built management is that this measure→analyze→assess→share cycle is dramatically accelerated by cloud & point cloud utilization. Because all personnel in charge can share and review the same 3D point cloud data and cross-sections on the cloud, there is no misalignment of understanding between the site and the office. If the as-built condition can be captured as surfaces using point cloud data, even tiny irregularities (unevenness/bumpiness) will not be overlooked and can be corrected early, contributing to quality assurance.

System Integration through API Connectivity

An important factor in further advancing DX is data linkage between various systems (API integration). On site, a variety of IT tools are used—construction management systems, design BIM software, estimating software, document management, and accounting systems—but if these remain isolated, the full value of data utilization cannot be realized. Therefore, there is a growing trend to use APIs (application programming interfaces) to connect systems and automatically link data.

At CONEXPO, solutions touting "open API support" and "integration with third-party systems" were prominent. For example, point cloud data and pass/fail information obtained through as-built management can be automatically imported into a cloud construction-management dashboard and displayed in real time. There were also case studies showing the linkage of schedule-management progress and machine operation data to BI tools for analysis to support management decision-making.

API integration that connects all on-site data seamlessly creates an environment where teams can operate as "One Team". Eliminating the need for double data entry reduces input errors, and each process is optimized in a data-driven way. In Japan, initiatives to link internal systems with on-site IT tools are already underway, mainly among major general contractors. If standardized data-integration platforms become widespread for small and medium-sized construction companies, DX across the entire industry will accelerate.

Digital inspections and form automation

On-site DX is bringing change to daily construction inspection operations. Until now, many inspections—such as safety patrol checklists and rebar inspection records—have been conducted on paper forms with handwritten entries and seals. Various companies provide inspection apps that digitize those forms, and at CONEXPO construction management apps supporting electronic forms and digital signatures were on display.

If you check the inspection items on a tablet and paste the photos taken on-site as they are, an inspection report in the prescribed format is generated automatically. There's no need for inefficient work like returning to the office to print and attach photos and retyping them into Excel. Inspection results are saved and shared in real time on the cloud, enabling online attendance for clients and remote audits. In addition, the digitized inspection history is easy to search and analyze later, helping to drive the PDCA cycle of quality management.

In addition to automatically creating forms, digital tools are also effective for electronic submission. Various software packages include features to compile a complete set of finished documents as electronic data and to automatically aggregate inspection result sheets by item. These capabilities are helping to eliminate situations where inspectors and site supervisors are forced to sort paperwork late into the night. Digital transformation (DX) is making it possible to change the conventional wisdom that "report preparation = overtime".

IoT sensors and remote monitoring

The use of IoT (Internet of Things) technology is also expanding at construction sites. By measuring the movements of heavy machinery, vehicles, and workers with various sensors and sending the data to the cloud in real time, this is an initiative to visualize the site remotely. At CONEXPO, construction equipment manufacturers were promoting services that equip their hydraulic excavators and dump trucks with sensors to monitor operating status, fuel consumption, and location information in the cloud. This allows analysis of fleet (group of vehicles) utilization efficiency to reduce unnecessary idle time and to detect signs of equipment failure for use in maintenance.

Also, IoT is effective in the field of safety management. Systems have emerged that use smart helmets worn by workers and wearable sensors to detect falls and heatstroke risks and issue alerts. There are also systems that monitor noise, vibration, and dust concentration with environmental sensors installed on site, and notify relevant personnel when threshold values are exceeded. All of these are linked to the cloud, enabling safety officers in off-site offices to monitor the status of multiple sites collectively on a dashboard.

In this way, IoT sensors collect real-time field data, and by analyzing and displaying it in the cloud, managers can grasp the situation and make decisions without having to visit the site. Because anomalies can be detected and addressed immediately if they occur, this contributes to improved safety and risk reduction. Going forward, combining with high-speed communications such as 5G will enable even higher-frequency, higher-precision remote monitoring.

Effects and Future Prospects of On-site DX

As discussed above, cloud-based construction management and the digitalization of as-built verification are accelerating DX on construction sites. Finally, we summarize the main effects these technologies bring and outline prospects for the future.

1. Dramatic improvement in productivity: By speeding up information sharing and as-built measurements, waiting times and rework are reduced. Being able to manage multiple sites simultaneously from remote locations allows construction to proceed efficiently even with limited personnel. In one case, leveraging the cloud reduced the time required for site inspections to one-eighth of the conventional time, and labor productivity increased eightfold, according to reports.

2. Reliable Improvement of Quality: Point clouds and AR make it possible to capture the as-built condition down to every corner, so even millimeter-level deviations are not overlooked. Because nonconforming areas can be detected and corrected on the spot, carryover of quality defects and major rework can be prevented. Inspections based on digital data leave comprehensive records, ensuring reliable proof of quality.

3. Measures to address workforce reduction and skills shortages: Digital tools promote automation and simplification of tasks, helping sites facing labor shortages. Tools that a single person can operate, such as drone surveying operated by one person, and devices that allow anyone to achieve surveyor-level accuracy using a smartphone and sensors, are increasing — tools that on-site personnel can master without relying on specialist technicians. This makes it easier to cope with challenges like the decline of veteran staff and the shortage of young technicians.

4. Remote Management and Work-style Reform: The cloud makes location-independent operations possible, enabling management without being permanently on-site. By reducing travel time between the field and the office, it shortens supervisors' on-site hours and contributes to work-style reform. Also, the use of remote technologies advanced during the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming established even after the pandemic as telework-style on-site management.

5. Improved Safety: Automating work in hazardous areas and enabling sensors to monitor conditions without people approaching reduces the risk of occupational accidents. Mistakes and oversights can also be proactively prevented through digital detection, ultimately contributing to safer, more secure on-site operations.

Looking ahead, these DX technologies are likely to become further advanced and more widely adopted. Cloud infrastructure is expected to become easier to use and more affordable, making it commonplace even at small- and medium-sized construction sites. With advances in AI, analysis of on-site data and decision support will also become increasingly automated. For example, a future in which AI automatically generates improvement proposals from as-built measurement results or optimizes work schedules is becoming increasingly realistic.

What matters is to first try introducing DX on-site, even on a small scale. The benefits gained from initial steps—such as digitizing paper forms or conducting trial surveys with drones—are by no means small. On-site DX does not need to replace everything at once; the key to success is to proceed gradually, starting where you can.

Introducing LRTK, transforming simple surveying and as-built management

Finally, as a notable solution that makes it easy to start on-site DX, we introduce LRTK. LRTK (Eru Aru Tī Kē) is a simple surveying system that uses a compact, high-precision GNSS receiver attached to a smartphone. At the CONEXPO venue, the demo I saw also showed that smartphone surveying devices like this LRTK were attracting significant attention.

Using LRTK, without the need for specialized surveying instruments or a large surveying team, a single field operator can perform centimeter-level positioning and as-built measurements. Specifically, by attaching an LRTK receiver to an iPhone or similar device and simply walking the site, you can obtain high-precision position coordinates in real time. Combined with photos taken by the smartphone's built-in LiDAR scanner or camera, you can record 3D point cloud data and measurement photos to the cloud.

LRTKソリューションの特徴:

• 高精度測位: RTK方式により、スマホでの測位でも誤差数センチ程度の高精度な位置情報が得られます。これにより、従来は難しかったスマホ単体での測量が現実のものになります。

• ワンボタンでクラウド共有: 専用アプリで取得した測量データ・写真データは、その場でクラウドにワンボタンでアップロード可能です。現場で測った傍から自動でデータ解析が始まり、点群生成や設計データとの差分比較までサーバー側で完結します。

• ARによる即時フィードバック: クラウドで作成されたヒートマップなどの出来形結果はスマホに即座に表示できます。さらに、それをスマホのカメラ映像にAR重畳表示することで、補修すべき箇所をその場で視覚的に確認できます。現場で測定直後に「ここをあと5cm盛土する必要あり」といった判断ができ、素早い是正行動につながります。

• 写真管理の簡略化: スマホで撮影した現場写真はGPS位置と方位を自動記録し、クラウド上の地図にピンでマッピングされます。後から「この写真はどこを撮ったものだっけ？」と迷う心配がなく、撮影漏れのチェックも容易です。写真台帳作成の手間も大幅に削減されます。

• 国土交通省要領への対応: LRTKで取得した出来形データや電子写真帳は、国土交通省の定める出来形管理要領や電子納品基準にも沿った形式で出力可能です。検査提出にもそのまま活用でき、従来の基準に準拠しながらDXを推進できます。

As such, LRTK is a tool that embodies the essence of cloud construction management × as-built verification in a single device. Because it allows users to take the first step toward on-site DX without large-scale equipment or advanced specialized knowledge, it offers high value to small and medium-sized construction companies and site managers. In fact, LRTK has begun to be adopted in municipal public works and private construction sites across Japan, and cases of dramatically improving efficiency from surveying to inspection are increasing.

If any of you reading this article are thinking, "I want to make as-built management easier and more accurate" or "I'm interested in on-site DX but don't know where to start," why not first consider introducing such simple surveying and cloud-integration tools? For more details on LRTK, please check Lefixea's [official site](https://www.lrtk.lefixea.com).

FAQ

Q1. What kind of event is CONEXPO-CON/AGG? A. CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction industry trade shows in North America. It is held every three years in Las Vegas, USA, and features a wide range of exhibits from construction equipment to the latest technologies. Construction professionals from around the world gather there, making it an active venue for new product announcements and the exchange of information on industry trends.

Q2. What are the benefits of implementing cloud-based construction management? A. Implementing cloud-based construction management enables real-time sharing of project information, dramatically improving communication efficiency. Because everyone can always view the latest drawings and schedules, transmission errors are reduced and coordination between the site and headquarters is smoother. In addition, being able to monitor progress at multiple sites remotely helps reduce travel time and lower management costs.

Q3. What are the advantages of using digital technologies for as-built verification? A. By using digital technologies such as point-cloud scanning and AR for as-built verification, measurement tasks are greatly streamlined and accuracy is improved. Because you can measure wide areas as surfaces at once, oversights are reduced, and differences can be intuitively understood with color-coded displays. Compared with manual work, human errors decrease, and recording measurement results and creating reports can be automated, providing benefits both in reducing the burden on field technicians and in ensuring quality.

Q4. Are there any challenges or precautions when advancing on-site DX? A. Introducing on-site DX involves several challenges, such as initial costs and the IT literacy of on-site staff. There are costs associated with new equipment and software, but in many cases these can be fully recouped over the long term through cost reductions achieved by increased efficiency. Training and education for on-site staff are also important. However, many recent tools are increasingly intuitive and easy to use, and staff can become accustomed by "trying them out" first. An effective approach is to pilot in small sites or for part of the process and gradually expand the scope while confirming the effects.

Q5. What is LRTK? What will it enable on-site? A. LRTK is a simple surveying system composed of a high-precision positioning device that attaches to a smartphone and a cloud service. By using it, centimeter-level positioning becomes possible with a smartphone even without specialized surveying instruments, and a single person can perform 3D as-built measurements and photographic recording. Measured data are automatically saved and analyzed in the cloud, and can be immediately reviewed as difference heat maps or point cloud models. In short, introducing LRTK dramatically streamlines on-site surveying and as-built management, allowing immediate feedback of results to be used for quality control.

Q6. Can small and medium-sized construction companies implement DX? A. Yes, it is entirely possible. In fact, on-site DX is often easier to appreciate when started small and in phases. For example, you can begin by introducing inexpensive cloud services for photo sharing and electronic blackboards, outsource simple drone surveying, or rent smartphone-linked devices such as LRTK to try them out. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism also supports ICT adoption by SMEs through i-Construction, and recently services that reduce initial investment through rental or subscription models have become available. If you trial solutions in areas that match your company’s challenges and fully implement those that prove effective, even small and medium-sized companies can sufficiently reap the benefits of DX.