The document discusses a research initiative aimed at understanding the implementation and challenges of mobile technology in the construction industry. It highlights the current state of mobility strategies among businesses, barriers to technology adoption, and results from surveys and interviews with industry participants. The findings will inform recommendations for future implementations and address specific challenges faced by construction professionals.

1. Mobile IT, the State of the
Nation
Harrison O’Hara
BIM4Mobility and Costain

2. Agenda
• Introduction
• Research aims and objectives
• Methodology
• Result highlights
• Dissemination of findings
• COMIT collaboration projects
• Q&A

3. • Loughborough Graduate
– Construction Engineering Management
• Costain
– Mobile BIM Technician
• Construction Opportunities for Mobile IT
– BIM for Mobility
• Loughborough University
– Engineering Doctorate – Mobile Technology in BIM

4. 4

5. 5

6. Research Aims
• Understand how mobile technology is currently being implemented across
the construction industry
• Investigate how mobility projects are being financed
• Highlight the business problems mobility is currently solving
• Ascertain the health and safety risks of the end users
• Identify the potential barriers to adoption
Research Objectives
Share the knowledge of mobile technology projects from experienced
contractors
Provide industry recommendations for future implementation projects
Provide a body of research so that contractors and software vendors
can align their future development road maps

7. Methodology
• Conducted an initial pilot study to review the
questions
• Launched an on-line survey open to the whole
construction industry
• https://www.survey.lboro.ac.uk/mobileconstruction
• Face to face and telephone interviews with COMIT
member to achieve an in depth understanding

8. Survey Responses

9. 1. Yes
2. No
Are you currently a member of COMIT?
59%
41%
1 2

10. Does your business have a mobility strategy?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Under development
45%
3%
52%
1 2 3

11. Does your business have a mobility strategy?
Operating without a strategy
• “Business cases are submitted to senior management on an application by application basis”
Strategy under development
• “We want to move towards a standardised approach”
• “Consider the requirements of individual projects”
Operating with a strategy
• “Selected individuals from and
Engineering or Project Information
background to drive the strategy forward”
• “Two year road map for expanding our
mobility capabilities”

12. How does your business implement mobile technology?
1. 27%
Centrally across the whole business
2. 43%
On a project-by-project basis
3. On an ad-hoc basis
30%

13. How does your business implement mobile technology?
On an ad-hoc basis
“Business cases are submitted by individuals for a new application”
Project-by-project
“As an industry there is a huge expectations at project level to swallow large software
investment costs”
“Projects can not always justify potential returns”
Centrally across the business
“Single solution across the
business has meant we can
fund the project from a
central budget”

14. If you have implemented mobile solutions you have mainly….
23%
1. Bought off-the-shelf solutions (e.g. apps from an app store
or software vendor)
10%
2. Developed the solution internally using a commercial tool
(e.g. a mobile form builder or similar platform)
33%
3. Developed the solution internally using your own
programmers
33%
4. Used an external company to develop the solution

15. If you have implemented mobile solutions you have mainly….
Bought off the shelf solutions
“Used robust and well established software vendors”
“Inadequate software solutions requires lateral thinking to change
business processes to accommodate the acquired solution”

16. If you have implemented mobile solutions you have mainly….
Developed the internally using a commercial tool
“Initially developed a solution using a commercial tool and developed an in house
solution with our own developers”
Developed the solution internally using your own programmers
“In house development team that captures the requirements from the users”
“Agile development capabilities to respond to our business needs”
“We can tailor the solution to integrate with already existing business systems”
Used an external company to develop the solution
“We don’t want to have to rely on an external company for on-going maintenance of an
internal solution”

17. What has been your biggest barrier to adoption?
17%
1. Senior management support
2. Software 7%
procured on a project by project basis
3. Acceptance 43%
of new technology
4. Unsuitable 13%
software solutions
5. Other
20%

18. What has been your biggest barrier to adoption?
Acceptance of new technology
“Increasing awareness of technology is reducing barriers to adoption”
Unsuitable software solutions
“A major barrier to adoption has been inadequate software solutions, the biggest challenge is
integrating with existing backend systems
Acceptance of new technology
“The operators on site need to be
involved at the development stage
otherwise they won’t accept the new
technology”
“Central IT has imposed significant
barriers to the adoption of third party
solutions”

19. With regards to staff using their own personal devices for work purposes
(BYOD) do you:
1. Ban it
2. Accept that it happens but don’t encourage it
3. Actively encourage and/or support it
14%
50%
36%
1 2 3

20. With regards to staff using their own personal devices for work
purposes (BYOD) do you:
Ban it
“We provide our employees with the most suitable mobile technology for the job, the hardware is to be treated as a
business tool not a business benefit”
Accept that it happens
“Our business does not support BYOD but understands all of employees own personal smart phones that can be used
to access emails etc.”
Actively encourage and/or support it
“If people use their own devices the
technology is well looked after on site and
this significantly reduces the amount of time
lost due to broken devices”

21. What is your biggest frustration of the available software in today’s market?
13%
1. Price
2. Inadequate 16%
solutions for your needs
3. Poor 13%
understanding of your industry
4. Interoperability 53%
of third party software
5. Other
6%

22. What is your biggest frustration of the available software in today’s market?
Price
“Price is considered an initial barrier to adoption but business cases and justification for investment
help overcome this barrier”
Lack of interoperability
“My biggest frustration is the level of inconsistency of chosen software by contractors, sub
contractors and clients”
Poor understanding of the industry
“Software that is created without
the end user in mind, will not
work in this industry”

23. If you could start/support a steering group which issue would you aim to
resolve?
1. Connectivity
13%
2. Health 3%
and Safety
3. Interoperability 84%
of software
4. Other
0%

24. What technology is currently exciting the industry?
Combination of BIM and location awareness devices
Asset tagging
Live data feedback
3D laser scanning
Creating a common data environment
Site surveying equipment
Wearable technology
Virtual navigation
Geo-spatial data linkage

25. Dissemination of findings
Produce a full report with findings and industry recommendations
Report will be freely available to all COMIT members that participated in the
research
Digital copy of the report will be available to purchase on line
Report Outcomes
Provide industry recommendations that have been collated from the
experience and knowledge throughout the industry
Encourage contractors to adopt mobile technology that may of previously
been discouraged by the challenge
Identify specific areas that require more in depth research

26. COMIT Collaboration Projects
Do you have a particular challenge you are currently facing within your business?
How can COMIT and the members help you?
Is someone trying to overcome the same issues as you?
Linking a BIM model with CO2 emissions and equipment data
Recording changes in the field that update a 4D model
Using augmented reality with real time positioning
Meta data that can transfer across various 3D modelling software
Linking existing solutions with COBie data

27. Thank you
Contact: Harrison O’Hara
Email: H.Ohara@lboro.ac.uk
Twitter: @HarrisonOHara1
Mobile: 07881108741