AI- and IoT-driven Earthwork Transport Volume Management Tools: A New Trend in Construction DX

Table of Contents

• Why transport volume management is required

• Issues with conventional earthwork volume management methods

• Earthwork volume management tools evolving with AI and IoT

• Accurately capturing site geometry with 3D point cloud measurement

• Automating volume calculations in the cloud

• Benefits of adoption

• On-site use cases

• Simple surveying with LRTK

• FAQ

Why transport volume management is required

On construction sites, it is extremely important to accurately grasp “how much earth has been moved” due to excavation or embankment work. For example, if you know the amount of surplus soil generated by excavation or the volume of embankment, you can estimate the number of dump trucks required and manage construction progress accurately. Conversely, misjudging the earthwork volume can lead to insufficient truck arrangements and schedule delays, or result in excess surplus soil that increases disposal costs, potentially affecting the entire project. Accurate calculation of earthwork volumes is also indispensable for reporting to clients and for acceptance control. Furthermore, knowing the amount and destinations of removed surplus soil is important to prevent improper dumping; traceability management of earthwork data is required from environmental and legal perspectives. However, calculating and managing transported soil volumes on the spot has not been easy, and traditionally required significant time and effort.

Issues with conventional earthwork volume management methods

Traditionally, several methods have been used to determine earthwork volumes on site. One method measures ground elevation with surveying instruments, creates cross sections, and calculates volumes. This method requires a crew with surveying expertise and took a long time from measurement to calculation and drawing creation. Because results could not be obtained immediately on site, decisions about earthworks were often put on hold until volumes were confirmed. Accurate calculation was difficult without skilled personnel, and the process tended to become person-dependent (“knowledge concentration”).

Another approach estimated earthwork roughly from the number of dump trucks or truck bed capacity. However, estimates based on visual judgment or experience lack precision and reliability. Moreover, for irregularly shaped soil piles or highly undulating terrain, measuring heights at discrete points may fail to capture the overall shape and can produce large errors. Transport records managed manually on paper or in Excel are prone to input errors and delays in information transfer. Thus, conventional earthwork volume management faced challenges in both immediacy and accuracy.

Earthwork volume management tools evolving with AI and IoT

Recently, new earthwork volume management tools that leverage AI and IoT have emerged to address these challenges. Advances in small sensors and devices have made surveying work, which used to be large-scale, easy for anyone to perform. A representative example is the 3D surveying device that works with a smartphone—an ultra-compact surveying instrument that can be attached to a smartphone. With devices that include high-precision RTK-GNSS receivers, an ordinary smartphone quickly becomes a high-performance surveying instrument. Through dedicated apps that link to the smartphone camera and LiDAR sensors, site topography and soil volumes can be captured as digital data. There is no need to carry heavy tripods or stationary equipment: surveying and volume calculations can be completed with a palm-sized IoT device and a smartphone, a convenience that is revolutionary.

Furthermore, by using cloud services and advanced algorithms, analysis and sharing of captured data are being automated. Measurement data are sent to the cloud via the internet instantly, and processing such as volume calculations is performed on high-performance servers in moments. Complex calculations that were formerly done manually are automated using AI-like methods, so anyone can obtain accurate earthwork volumes with the push of a button. Having data in the cloud also makes it easy to share information with head office or other stakeholders in real time, smoothing coordination between site and office. IoT sensors mounted on trucks for fleet management systems are also emerging; these automatically record vehicle location and load, digitizing dump truck transport histories. This enables accurate grasp of soil types, destinations, and estimated volumes, ensuring traceability of surplus soil to prevent illegal dumping and assist safety management. The use of these AI- and IoT-based advanced tools aligns with construction industry DX initiatives promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, such as “i-Construction,” and is becoming a new trend.

Accurately capturing site geometry with 3D point cloud measurement

One major feature of the new earthwork volume management tools is that they can digitize the entire site topography through 3D point cloud measurement. Point cloud measurement measures the surface of an object as countless points using laser or photogrammetry, recording them as a three-dimensional collection of points (point cloud data). Using this method, there is no need to measure and record heights at selected points as in conventional methods; an operator can simply walk around the site with a smartphone in hand to scan the surrounding topography and the shapes of embankments and excavation areas. A LiDAR-equipped smartphone can collect hundreds of thousands of distance points per second, and high-precision GNSS in a small surveying device assigns accurate coordinates (latitude, longitude, elevation) to each point. As a result, the acquired point cloud data reflect site geometry in fine detail and include absolute position information. Even complex terrain or large soil piles can be captured in less time and with more detailed geometric data than manual surveying. For example, the volume of a soil pile with irregular height and slope can be calculated with high accuracy when visualized as point cloud data. Subtle undulations that were missed by point surveying can be captured in the data, greatly improving the reliability of volume calculations.

Automating volume calculations in the cloud

Once point cloud data are obtained, the rest is simply calculating volume (referred to as “earthwork volume” in construction). The latest earthwork volume management tools automate this volume calculation process, allowing accurate volumes to be known immediately on site. Dedicated apps and cloud services analyze point cloud data and instantly compute embankment or excavation volumes. For example, in the case of embankment, the app analyzes height differences between the embankment surface from the acquired point cloud and the original ground surface to calculate the exact embankment volume on the spot. Tasks that used to involve bringing surveying data back to the office, drafting drawings, and applying volume formulas can now be completed on site via cloud processing. Processing large point cloud datasets is handled by high-performance servers in the cloud, so users do not need to worry about heavy computations on their smartphones and can obtain results quickly.

Cloud integration also makes data sharing easy. Earthwork measurement data collected on site are immediately stored in the cloud and can be shared in real time with head office and subcontractors via the internet. This reduces the need to return to the office to create reports or send emails and allows clients and supervisors in remote locations to check current conditions promptly. On cloud platforms, advanced analyses such as generating cross sections from point cloud data or measuring distances and areas can be performed in a browser. Stakeholders do not need to install specialized CAD software on each PC; everyone can view the same 3D data and numerical reports and discuss them, enabling rapid decision-making without misunderstandings. Being able to obtain an accurate earthwork volume with one click is revolutionary for sites, and data utilization plus rapid information sharing dramatically enhance overall construction efficiency and transparency.

Benefits of adoption

Adopting these AI- and IoT-enabled earthwork volume management tools brings various benefits to the site. The main advantages are summarized below.

• Instantaneity and efficiency: Whereas surveying and volume calculation once could take days, digital tools can provide results the same day. Reduced waiting times speed up overall project management, and immediate cloud sharing of on-site data enables supervisors and stakeholders to confirm and decide quickly, speeding up instructions and reducing rework.

• Labor savings and mitigation of labor shortages: A single person can conduct surveys with only a smartphone and a small device, eliminating the need to assign multiple people to surveying tasks. The construction industry faces serious labor shortages, but using the latest tools allows small teams to work efficiently. Allowing site staff to measure without relying on veteran surveyors helps build a system that does not depend on specific personnel and reduces the training burden for younger workers.

• High accuracy and high reliability: Centimeter-level positioning by RTK-GNSS combined with point cloud measurement yields highly accurate location and shape data. Calculated earthwork volumes are therefore accurate within a few centimeters, providing reliability far beyond conventional visual estimates or manual calculations. This enables data-driven acceptance control and directly improves quality management.

• Improved safety: The need to set up heavy tripods and surveying equipment in hazardous locations is reduced, lessening the burden on workers. Measurements can be taken from a safe distance, lowering risks associated with surveying on slopes, at height, or on busy roads. For example, road surveys that once required traffic controllers and long durations can be replaced by quick smartphone surveys, reducing the time workers are exposed on the road.

• Data sharing and utilization: Measurement results are stored as digital data, enabling knowledge reuse such as referencing past earthwork data for cost estimation or construction planning of similar projects. Sharing 3D data and figures online fosters common understanding with clients and other departments. Intuitive visualizations also make it easier to explain site conditions to stakeholders who cannot visit, smoothing reporting tasks.

• Cost reduction: Efficiency and labor savings in surveying reduce labor costs and the costs of heavy machinery and equipment. Less downtime for surveying shortens schedules and can reduce indirect costs. Accurate quantity measurement allows appropriate procurement and vehicle allocation, reducing unnecessary expenses and waste.

On-site use cases

How exactly do these advanced tools help on site? Below are representative examples.

• Confirming the volume of embankment and backfill: The volume of newly placed embankment can be measured and recorded on the spot. You can immediately compare with design quantities to check for shortages or excess and determine whether additional soil is needed. Similarly, during backfilling, you can check on site whether backfilling has been done to the specified level.

• Managing excavation volumes: In excavation work, accurately managing the volume of excavated soil (surplus soil) is important. Using the latest tools, you can scan the terrain before and after excavation and compute the difference to obtain the exact removed volume. This enables precise estimation of the number of dump trucks needed for transport and efficient planning of removal to disposal sites. Parts that were previously estimated from truck counts and capacities are replaced by data-driven management, reducing uncertainty and waste and improving planning accuracy.

• Measuring surplus soil and material stockpiles: Scan stockpiles of surplus soil, gravel, and crushed stone on site to determine precise inventory from their volumes. Regular measurements allow you to see changes in material quantities at a glance, preventing missed timing for reordering materials or removing surplus soil. Changes that are hard to detect by photos or visual inspection can be quantified, improving inventory accuracy and enabling planned procurement and disposal.

• Acceptance control and reporting: If completed embankments or formed terrain are captured as point cloud data, they can be used for acceptance control to verify whether construction matches the design. By overlaying the design model and the as-built point cloud, you can color-code areas that are short in height or overfilled and calculate additional earthwork required. These visual checks can be shared immediately with supervisors and clients via the cloud, allowing remote stakeholders to intuitively understand site conditions. Using 3D models and color maps simplifies report creation and explanations during inspections, facilitating smooth handover.

As shown, the latest earthwork volume management tools can be applied to many on-site tasks including volume calculation, greatly contributing to improved efficiency and quality control.

Simple surveying with LRTK

One concrete example of a tool that makes the above AI- and IoT-enabled volume calculations and 3D surveying easy is LRTK. LRTK is a device that contains a compact RTK-GNSS receiver that can be attached to a smartphone with one touch and used with a dedicated app. This turns an everyday smartphone into a high-precision surveying instrument, enabling anyone to easily start site surveying and earthwork volume calculations. The compact design includes both battery and antenna, making it easy to handle. There is no need to transport and set up a total station weighing several kilograms on site; with LRTK, surveying can be completed with a smartphone in hand.

With LRTK, short training is enough to begin point cloud-based site surveying, and embankment or excavation volumes can be calculated instantly on site. Positioning accuracy is approximately horizontal 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) and vertical about 3 cm (1.2 in), achieving precision comparable to conventional specialized surveying instruments. Acquired point cloud data can be uploaded to LRTK’s cloud service for analysis, and accurate volume results can be obtained within minutes after scanning on site. For example, even large quantities of soil exceeding 200 cubic meters can be grasped on site by simply walking with a smartphone in hand using LRTK. What used to be performed by specialist operators using heavy machinery and optical instruments is being transformed by LRTK into “simple surveying” that anyone can do.

In addition to earthwork measurement, LRTK also offers other on-site support functions such as guiding pile-driving positions and AR displays of subterranean buried objects. It is attracting attention as a solution that promotes on-site DX (digital transformation) and dramatically improves construction efficiency and accuracy. LRTK is being introduced at construction sites across Japan and is expected to be a key advanced tool for promoting site DX. By actively utilizing such cutting-edge technologies, on-site earthwork calculation and transport management can be carried out far more quickly and reliably than before. Consider adopting new technologies to aim for smart site operations that combine productivity and safety.

FAQ

Q: Can the new earthwork volume management tools be used without special qualifications or surveying knowledge? A: Yes. If you can perform basic smartphone operations, you can use the tools without specialized knowledge. Dedicated app interfaces are designed to be intuitive and easy to understand; for example, you start scanning by tapping the area you want to measure. Complicated settings and calculations are processed automatically in the background, realizing “simple surveying” that anyone can handle. In many actual sites, workers who used the tools for the first time were able to start using them after a short explanation.

Q: Are there limitations on the measurement range or distance? A: It depends on the tool specifications, but generally smartphone LiDAR sensors have an effective range of several tens of meters. For example, in the case of LRTK, point cloud data can be acquired for objects about 50–60 m (164.0–196.9 ft) away. If you need to survey a very large site at once, you can divide the area and perform multiple scans, then merge those point cloud datasets later. Basically, if an area is within visual range, it can be measured.

Q: How accurate can volume calculations be? A: Volumes can be calculated with errors on the order of a few centimeters. The combination of high-precision positioning from RTK-GNSS and high-density point cloud measurement produces extremely accurate terrain data for volume calculations. Therefore, calculated earthwork volumes are highly reliable compared to conventional manual estimates. However, accuracy can be slightly affected by measurement conditions (for example, positioning precision may degrade near tall buildings or dense vegetation).

Q: How long does measurement and volume calculation take? A: It depends on the measurement area, but for a small embankment the entire process can be completed in a few minutes. For example, for an embankment several tens of meters square, you can finish the scan by walking with a smartphone in hand within five minutes, and cloud point cloud processing will also complete in a few minutes. Because you can confirm accurate volume results on site immediately after acquisition, this is a dramatic time saving compared to the past when data organization and calculation could take a full day.

Q: What are the advantages compared to drone-based surveying? A: Ground surveying with a smartphone plus IoT device excels in ease of use and immediacy compared to drone surveying. Drones have the advantage of capturing wide areas from above in a single flight, but they are subject to weather and flight permission constraints, and generating point clouds from photos and calculating volumes takes time. In Japan, drone flights may require qualifications or applications in some cases. In contrast, tools like smartphones and LRTK allow immediate on-site measurement in fair weather and even in some wind or light rain, with cloud processing completing data quickly. The speed of getting results at hand and the ease of operation are major advantages.

Q: How are survey data stored and utilized? A: Acquired data are securely stored in the cloud and can be viewed or downloaded as needed. Point cloud data and measurement results can be checked as 3D views and numerical reports in dedicated cloud services, and links for sharing with stakeholders can be issued. Data can also be exported as CSV or drawing files (such as DXF) for use in other software. Accumulated cloud data have high secondary value, such as serving as reference materials for similar future projects or for analyzing long-term changes.

Q: Can measurements be taken in rain or at night? A: Basically yes, but environmental precautions are necessary. Distance measurement using LiDAR functions even in dark conditions, so surveying at night is possible; however, if photogrammetry using the smartphone camera is also used, lighting will be required. Light rain generally does not prevent operation, but water droplets on sensors or lenses may affect accuracy. Take measures to prevent equipment from getting wet and avoid extremely poor visibility conditions when surveying.

Q: What smartphones are supported? A: Most modern smartphones are generally supported. The small dedicated device is attached to the phone and the tools support both iOS and Android, so you can use your existing smartphone. While LiDAR-equipped models are preferable for higher-density 3D scans, devices without LiDAR can still generate point clouds through photogrammetry (creating point clouds from multiple images). Supported OS versions and required specs vary by tool, but in general, common smartphones can be used effectively as earthwork volume management tools.