Overcoming Construction Management Challenges and Creating a New Technological Approach with GeoCM

The construction management needs on public projects are increasing and constantly evolving. Everyday it becomes more relevant to monitor and document previously ignored construction activities and conditions. There is now a need and desire to improve accuracy when estimating and documenting site conditions and construction materials in a more pragmatic way while utilizing better pre-construction and as-built plans.

CE&G has focused on tackling all these new challenges on geotechnically-focused projects that typically are more challenging from an erosion and sediment control perspective. As part of our GeoCM services, CE&G uses advanced measurement technologies on ongoing creekbank stabilization and restoration and large landslide repair projects in the San Francisco Bay Area for Zone 7 Water Agency in Alameda County and the City of Oakland, California, respectively.

For these projects, GeoCM services include standard construction management tasks plus a constantly increasing list of geo-referenced measurement and documentation services that use currently available digital technology that is re-purposed specifically for construction management. Services are tailored based on a project’s characteristics and the client’s preferences. For two creekbank restoration projects for Zone 7 Water Agency’s and a landslide repair project for the City of Oakland, we use the following specialized GeoCM technologies to track construction and assist in controlling erosion and sediment:
• UAS surveys and aerial imagery data acquisition
• Real-time Erosion Control and BMP's verification/recommendations through hyperspectral imagery
• Construction materials dimensions and volume calculation and verification
• Existing condition and as-built plans generation.
• Predictive numerical model for channel failures.

The client and contractor access and receive data through an easy-to-use, project-specific, web-based GIS portal. The portal allows an agency to expeditiously make more informed decisions regarding site conditions, constantly evaluate the work product and performance of the construction teams, and in general, to have a broader understanding of their project.