In today's construction industry, companies' systems, applications and data warehouses are actively populated with information and data of various types and formats.
Let's take a closer look at the key types of data that form the information landscape of a modern company operating in the construction industry:
- Structured data: this data has a clear organisational structure, such as Excel spreadsheets and relational databases.
- Unstructured data: this is information that is not organized according to strict rules or formats. Examples of such data include text, video, photographs, and audio recordings. These types of information are not easily categorized into traditional, organized data formats.
- Semi-structured data: this data occupies an intermediate position between structured and unstructured data. They contain elements of structure, but this structure is not always clear or fully structured. Examples of Semi-structured data in construction include: technical specifications, design documents or progress reports.
- Textual data: includes everything that comes from verbal and written communications like emails, meeting transcripts, and meetings.
- Geometric data: this data comes from CAD (BIM) programs, in which experts create geometric data of project elements to confirm volume values or collision checks.
Adapting to modern systems, IT and data managers must learn to deal with all types of data used in the construction industry
Each type of data in a construction company is a unique element in the mosaic of the company's information assets. From unstructured data, such as images from construction sites and audio recordings of meetings, to structured records including tables and databases, each element plays an important role in shaping the company's information landscape.
Here is a list of just some of the systems and associated data types used in construction:
- ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) - Processes structured data to help in managing enterprise resources and integrating various business processes.
- CAD (Computer-Aided Design) combined with BIM (Building Information Modeling) - uses geometric and Semi-structured data to design and model construction projects, ensuring accuracy and consistency of information during the design phase.
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems) - works with geometric and structured data to create and analyze map data and spatial relationships.
- RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) - uses Semi-structured data to efficiently track materials and equipment on a construction site through radio frequency identification.
- ECM (Engineering Content Management) is a system for managing engineering data and documentation, including semi-structured and unstructured data such as technical drawings and design documents.
These and many other systems across the company collectively manage a wide range of data, from structured tabular data to complex geometric models, providing integrated collaboration in the design, planning and construction management processes.
Let's look in detail at each type of data that is used in the business processes of companies in the construction industry, with a special focus on structured data and relational databases, which play a key role in information storage and processing processes.
Different systems are populated with different formats and data that must be translated into a form that is suitable for complex integration
