Precise positioning services in the Construction sector (2013)

Overview

This report examines the economic and social benefits of augmented positioning services in the construction sector. It forms part of a suite of reports that include an overview report and eleven sector reports. The construction sector has a need for accurate and reliable positioning data for use in the planning, design, implementation and management of built assets including buildings, bridges, dams, roads and other infrastructure.

The construction industry has been an early adopter of augmented GNSS and the levels of adoption are high compared with other sectors. Precision positioning plays a critical role in the construction sector. It facilitates the efficient flow of data across construction and engineering activities.

Geographical scope

Australia

Non-quantified impacts

Precision positioning plays a critical role in the construction sector. It facilitates the efficient flow of data across construction and engineering activities.
Increasingly, larger scale infrastructure projects incorporate augmented GNSS positioning across the complete project design and construction lifecycle and on into asset management once construction is completed.
Major applications include surveying (both detail and set out), machine guidance and asset management. Most of these applications require accuracy of around 2 cm although some can operate with accuracies down to 5 cm.
Augmented GNSS has played an important role in improving efficiency in the construction sector. Savings in costs of between 10 and 20 per cent are being achieved with machine guidance and 20 to 40 per cent in construction surveying. This has delivered significant economic benefits to the sector and the economy.
Gains in the future will depend on increased adoption of existing technologies augmented by further innovation in systems and wider availability of augmented GNSS.
Extension of the CORS network would underpin the higher outcomes. The densification and improvement of both accessibility and reliability of CORS networks would give greater confidence to many construction operations (such as automated machinery).

Quantifiable impacts

Output from the construction sector is estimated to have been between AUD 440 million and AUD 710 million higher in 2012 as a result of the use and application of augmented GNSS in activities such as site surveying and machine guidance. This could rise to between AUD 1,401 million and AUD 2,469 million by 2020 with further adoption of augmented GNSS supported applications and expansion of GNSS services.

Reference

Find this article at: http://www.ignss.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ntyClJz4fh8%3D&tabid=56

Region

Australia

Study type

Case studies feeding CGE model

Economy sector

Infrastructure (Transport), Design and Construction