AR-guided Civil DX and As-built Data: Passing Skills to the Next Generation

Japan’s civil engineering and construction industry is currently facing a severe labor shortage and a crisis in skill transfer. At its peak in the late 1990s, there were roughly 6.85 million construction workers; by the 2020s this number had fallen by about 30% to around 4.8 million. On sites, veteran workers are retiring one after another, while there are not enough young workers to inherit their skills. For example, workers aged 55 and over account for more than 30% of the workforce, whereas those 29 and under make up only around 10%. Long working hours, harsh working conditions, and the reputation of the sector as being among the “3Ks” (physically demanding, dirty, dangerous) continue to deter young people, accelerating both the decline in new hires and early turnover, which in turn exacerbates site aging. This skewed age structure raises major concerns about future skill transfer.

Moreover, on-site staff are so busy with daily tasks that it is hard to secure time for training, and know-how that relies on veterans’ “intuition and experience” tends to become personalized. Young workers can easily become uncertain about what to do and how to do it, sometimes losing confidence before they gain sufficient experience. On the other hand, veteran instructors, pressed by the labor shortage, often lack the bandwidth to teach, and valuable knowledge is increasingly lost without being passed on to the next generation. So how can we support generational change on sites and create an environment in which young workers can grow?

One promising key is civil DX (digital transformation). By leveraging ICT and digital technologies to improve productivity, civil DX not only compensates for labor shortages and boosts operational efficiency but also has the potential to transform how work is done on sites, creating an environment where younger staff can thrive. In this article, we focus on two topics in particular—AR (augmented reality) guidance for on-site work and the use of as-built data—and explain how these contribute to improved construction accuracy and young-worker development. Let’s look together at how these new initiatives that bridge technology and the field can support skill transfer to the next generation.

The significance and background of civil DX: advancing digitalization and government policy

“DX (digital transformation)” is not merely the introduction of IT devices; it is an effort to transform business workflows themselves through digital technology to achieve dramatic efficiency gains and new value creation. In the civil engineering field, DX is advancing across processes from surveying and design to construction and maintenance. Examples include 3D surveying using drones, automated control of construction machinery, the adoption of BIM/CIM (design methods using 3D models), remote site visits and AI image analysis to improve inspection efficiency, and the on-site use of AR/MR technologies—various digital reforms are beginning to reshape site operations.

These civil DX efforts are being supported by national policies. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism proposed a productivity revolution called *i-Construction* in 2016 and began initiatives to improve construction site productivity through full-scale ICT utilization. Specifically, ICT-equipped construction machinery, drone surveying, and the use of tablets on site have been actively introduced into public works, and from fiscal 2020 onward, the use of new technologies has been made mandatory in principle for directly managed projects, accelerating adoption. More recently, under the keywords “Construction DX” and “Infrastructure DX,” the movement has accelerated beyond mere task efficiency to innovate entire workflows through data linkage and AI use. The ministry has drafted guidelines for as-built management using 3D models and begun positioning digital utilization as standard practice by promoting electronic submission of reports. With the application of overtime regulations to the construction industry in 2024 (the so-called “2024 problem”) looming, labor-saving and advanced capabilities through DX are now unavoidable.

Against this backdrop, many construction companies are beginning to take DX promotion seriously. DX not only helps alleviate labor shortages but also leads to improved quality and strengthened safety management, while contributing to the creation of attractive, modern workplaces for younger generations. A proactive stance toward adopting the latest technologies can also reduce the perception among young people that the industry is “old-fashioned.” In other words, civil DX is an important key supporting the industry’s future from three directions: productivity improvement, work-style reform, and human-resource development.

How AR guidance improves construction accuracy and promotes young workers’ independence: creating sites where young staff can act with confidence

Have you ever stood on site with a set of drawings and wondered, “Is this the right spot?” AR (augmented reality) guidance for on-site work can largely eliminate that uncertainty. AR work navigation overlays lines and models based on design data onto live site footage displayed through a smartphone or tablet camera. For example, a 3D model of the designed structure can be projected onto the ground so that position and elevation discrepancies can be checked on the spot. Without relying on a veteran’s intuition, workers can visualize the finished shape on the screen and intuitively determine the correct working position.

The benefits of AR guidance are considerable. The main points are as follows:

• Reduction of construction errors and improved quality: It can greatly reduce rework caused by overlooking drawings or measurement mistakes. Because workers can always view the design lines and elevations while working, finishing accuracy improves and the need for veterans’ fine-tuning is reduced.

• Real-time verification and immediate correction: It prevents traditional failures, such as discovering defects only after concrete has been placed and set. AR allows immediate detection of misalignments on the spot and quick correction, enabling early remediation of issues and avoiding the wasted effort of having to reschedule machinery or personnel later.

• Promoting young workers’ independence and growth: Even less experienced workers can proceed confidently with AR acting as a navigator. They can act on their own judgment without constantly asking seniors, which builds confidence. Opportunities to contribute on site as a “fully competent” member increase, accelerating skill acquisition through practice.

• Smooth information sharing and consensus building: Sharing the completed-image displayed in AR among all stakeholders reduces misalignment in understanding and facilitates communication. Young and veteran workers can look at the screen together and discuss adjustments in real time, and explanations to clients become intuitive by simply showing the visuals.

AR guidance functions much like a “car navigation” for the site. It becomes a reassuring guide for newcomers and reduces the burden of detailed direction for veterans. The result is a virtuous cycle in which the whole team operates more smoothly and quality improves. AR thus plays a significant role in creating sites where young workers can act without hesitation.

The educational value of visualizing as-built data: making skills visible through review and comparison

On site, as-built data are measured after construction to confirm whether work was executed according to the drawings. Traditionally, as-built management was an indispensable process for quality assurance, but measurement results were often submitted as reports and not fully leveraged for on-site learning. The numerical data collected were often abstract to workers and treated as “just enough to pass inspection.”

Recently, however, advances in 3D scanners and photogrammetry have made it possible to visually check as-built data on site. With the arrival of tablets equipped with high-performance LiDAR sensors and small surveying devices attachable to smartphones, anyone can quickly acquire point cloud data (3D as-built measurement information) on site. By overlaying the obtained 3D data on design data and displaying deviations as color-coded heat maps, areas of excess or deficiency become immediately obvious (for example, areas higher than the design appear in red, lower areas in blue). Checking this on site makes it clear at a glance where embankments are too high or too low, allowing corrective instructions to be issued the same day. Digital technology is enabling real-time visualization and confirmation of as-built conditions.

Visualizing as-built data is not only useful for quality control but also has great effects on training young engineers. Some specific educational benefits include:

• Immediate feedback for review: Reviewing results with data immediately after work allows teams to quickly share what went well and what needs improvement. Instead of holding a retrospective the next day trying to remember what went wrong, teams can discuss improvements by looking at the data on the spot, greatly speeding up the PDCA cycle.

• Objective self-assessment: When deviations in as-built conditions are displayed as color maps, even young workers can objectively evaluate the precision of their work. Because feedback is based on visual facts rather than numbers or feeling, it is more convincing and clarifies what to pay attention to next. Workers can track their growth through data, which boosts motivation.

• Making skills visible: Intuitive points that formerly relied on veterans’ gut feeling can be visualized with data, making implicit skills easier to share. For example, a tip like “compact this area a bit more” becomes easier for young workers to understand when supported by measured data. Visualizing and verbalizing veterans’ know-how through data smooths the path for skill transfer.

• Knowledge accumulation and instructional use: Accumulated as-built data become valuable company knowledge assets. Newcomers can reference past project data to grasp the level of precision required to pass inspection, and success and failure cases can be shared as educational materials with 3D models. This provides systematic learning opportunities that OJT alone cannot fully deliver.

By using as-built data not merely as reports but as visualized assets, site quality and productivity rise, and the learning effects for young workers increase dramatically. If a culture of data-driven review takes root, continuous improvement and enhanced technical capability across the site can be expected. Furthermore, accumulated data can be maintained as a digital twin for maintenance and for planning future works, turning each construction into an asset for the future.

Specific functions and use cases of LRTK: how it works in training and on-site operations

A solution that makes the AR guidance and point-cloud measurement discussed above easy to implement on site is LRTK. LRTK is an all-in-one surveying and AR system that combines a compact, high-precision GNSS receiver with a smartphone or tablet. By launching a dedicated app and pointing the device, anyone can easily “see, measure, and record” on the spot. Key functions include:

• AR navigation: It projects design drawings and 3D models into the real world for layout and as-built confirmation. With centimeter-level high-precision positioning via RTK-GNSS, accurate AR display is possible without troublesome calibration. Models remain correctly positioned even while walking around the site, giving the impression that the drawings are floating in space.

• 3D point-cloud scanning: Using the smartphone camera or LiDAR, the surrounding environment can be scanned to acquire high-density 3D point-cloud data. Tasks that once required specialized equipment can now be performed by taking a smartphone out of your pocket—an era in which one person can perform surveying immediately has arrived. Because the acquired point clouds have geographic coordinates, comparison with design data is straightforward; heat-map generation and volume/area calculations can be performed with a single tap.

• Geotagged photos and records: Photos taken with the smartphone are automatically tagged with position and orientation information and saved to the cloud. Site conditions that are hard to convey on drawings can be intuitively shared with photos and map pins. For example, a young staff member can take a photo of a concern, and a supervisor in the office can identify the location on a map and provide advice—enabling simple remote instruction.

• Cloud integration and data sharing: All data acquired with LRTK (survey points, point-cloud models, images, etc.) sync to the cloud in real time (if out of network, data are stored on the device and uploaded when connectivity returns). Office PCs can instantly check site measurement results, and remote specialists can review data and offer advice—enabling remote support. The cloud platform also offers automatic data processing (heat-map generation and report output), allowing seamless workflow from measurement to report creation.

Using these functions can significantly change how sites operate. In training, LRTK can be used for hands-on “virtual layout” experiences and as-built measurement exercises during new-employee training. Experiencing sites in AR rather than only classroom lectures greatly enhances comprehension and interest. On construction sites, some young employees are already responsible for layout and as-built checks while carrying LRTK. The barrier of “leave surveying to the surveyor” is breaking down, and even inexperienced staff are actively participating in site measurement. In one reported case, an as-built measurement that used to take two people half a day was completed in *about one hour by one person* using LRTK. With such efficiency gains, freed-up time can be reallocated to preparing the next task or coaching young workers, improving overall site productivity and training capability.

Additionally, LRTK’s cloud features make remote support from veterans to young staff easy. Supervisors can check data measured by young staff on site in real time and provide immediate feedback—such as “dig a bit deeper here”—without physically visiting the location. This represents a new form of skill transfer. Moreover, because LRTK uses compact devices and intuitive smartphone operation, it can be used comfortably even by those unfamiliar with machinery or with limited physical strength. Introducing modern gadgets on site also raises young workers’ motivation and fosters a sense of ownership that “our generation will lead DX.”

In this way, LRTK builds the foundation for all site staff, including young workers, to leverage digital technologies and contribute on site. It is a reliable partner for putting into practice the themes of this article: AR guidance and as-built data utilization.

Conclusion: shaping the future of sites with digital technology

With labor shortages and skill-transfer challenges increasingly in focus, the civil engineering industry is at a moment of transformation. Intuitive AR assistance and immediate feedback from visualized as-built data have created new styles of learning and working that did not exist on sites before. Young engineers taking the lead in site DX, with veterans’ experience complemented by technology, will raise the capability of organizations as a whole.

What matters is taking the first step to introduce these digital tools on site. You may hear concerns like “It seems difficult” or “Will it fit on site?” But in practice, tools that anyone can use with just a smartphone and an app have appeared and are already proving effective on many sites. Simple surveying and AR systems like LRTK are representative examples designed for intuitive operation without specialist knowledge. Start by piloting them in a small department or project to observe how site staff respond.

With technology on our side, tasks once thought to require experience alone can be handled by younger workers. This not only improves efficiency but also builds young workers’ confidence and pride in their work. As digital-native younger generations demonstrate their strengths and merge them with veterans’ knowledge, future civil sites will evolve into more resilient and attractive fields. Civil DX is also a people-friendly approach to site management. By using the latest technologies to pass on skills and pride to the next generation, we can realize such a bright future with our own hands.