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Q 1: What is 3D data? 3D data (point clouds/ LiDAR scans) has reliable depth, shape and location information, in addition to the colour and texture information available in 2D photos. This means that with reliable 3D data, you can take accurate measurements, understand what is a size of an element, how that element is related to other elements in the space and whether a specific element is behind or in front of other element(s) and by how much. As such, you need reliable 3D data to make sense of the world in 3D, for AR/VR applications, and to improve quality of photos.

Q2: Why do I need to collect 3D data in construction? for many reasons! the key one is that construction is a 3D physical environment changing on a daily basis. tTo “automate” critical processes such as progress tracking and installation quality verification, and to build semantic digital twins (not digital records), you need to have reliable 3D data, which would then be fed into intelligent AI engines for scalable automated analysis

Q3: Can’t I just collect the data using 360 cameras? 360 photos are 2D photos shown in 3D, not 3D data. Yes, you can use photogrammetry to stitch photos together and get a walkable, 360 visual record of your sites, but a) the underlying 3D data is very noisy and cannot be reliably used in automated AI pipelines (beyond applications related to safety, tracking equipment and people) b) 360 cameras are lighting dependent and very sensitive to clutter (the norm on construction sites), introducing significant performance limitations c) different photogrammetry methods have different results and the performance changes with the camera, clutter and lighting conditions! 

So, go with 360 cameras if your goal is a) to create a 360, visual documentation of  your construction sites and b) to automate processes such as tracking people,   equipment, safety, etc (in combination with 2D AI algorithms). But if you are after  automated, scalable processes that can be systematically used across all your   construction projects, turning site data into automated, actionable insights for   the whole construction duration, and at scale, 2D Data and photogrammetry do  not cut it, period.

Q4: How can I reliably collect 3D data?  currently through stationary LiDAR scanners (range varies depending on application and device), mobile LiDAR scanners and drones. Stationary LiDAR scanners have mm accuracy and mobile scanners are 10-20mm accurate. There are some semi-autonomous systems in the market, but while fully autonomous and small sensors are the future, they are not practical yet. The data collection device and mode should be determined based on the nature of your site (linear infrastructure vs buildings), its size, and the accuracy required (healthcare and transport projects require more accuracy compared to a residential property)

Q5: What is Apple LiDAR then? Apple has introduced the LiDAR technology to their iPhone 12 and latest iPad Pro lineups, but the current version cannot be reliably used in construction for global data collection given accuracy, range, etc. The current model is between a 360 camera and a LiDAR scanner and is developed with AR/VR applications, including interior scanning, human AR/VR, etc. in mind. At present in construction, you can use Apple’s LiDAR functionality to grab local LiDAR data for immediate, fast feedback that can be embedded into the reliable global 3D data. But do not take Apple LiDAR and similar technology lightly! a revolution is about to happen and soon 3D data collection will be an integral part of every construction project; so be prepped for it and build it into your strategy if you have not already done so.

Q6: I know 3D data is great, but the volume of the data is very big, what should I do? The challenges you have been experiencing is because you have been handling the data manually. You have some “pointed tools” that can help visualize Point cloud data and/or perhaps import parts of it into BIM models, etc. But these methods are slow, very manual and prone to error and they crash very regularly due to capacity constraints.

@ Contilio we have built smart algorithms that can structure the otherwise unstructured, meaningless point cloud data and filter it for what does not belong to the construction site, including trees, vegetation, material, scaffolding, etc. This helps reduce the data volume 20-fold, as well as to structure the point cloud data so it looks like your construction site. Our cutting-edge 3D AI engine (AI that works on top of 3D data and is similar to what is used in autonomous driving) automatically identifies and classifies every structural, architectural and MEP element in the Point Cloud and then compares the results automatically with the BIM and your schedule. This helps automate progress tracking, installation quality verification and predictive risk management for your construction projects, providing you with 20X value/ROI. We also create smart (semantic, structured and machine readable) digital twins, enabling you to realize further benefits during the whole asset’s life cycle. All the results can be accessed through a cloud-platform that is intuitive and easy to use. To learn more about how you could use Contilio for your construction projects and operating assets and the value you can create for your projects and organization, please reach out to us at contilio.official@contilio.com or book a demo with us on our website

Phone: +44 7523 746 824
Video: Contilio in 2 mins
Demo: Please click here to book a demo

For marketing and PR please contact Jack Li at jack@contilio.com.

Source:  Linkedin Article Dated at Jan 06 2021

Contilio brings real-time, actionable insights to the construction industry, enabling significant cost efficiencies.

APRIL 15, 2020 – The cutting-edge 3D AI Construction analytics company,  Contilio was announced by the Industrial Internet Consortium® (IIC™) as the Global winner of its Smart Construction Challenge. The Challenge was designed to advance real-world validation of Smart Construction applications and solutions while integrating cloud, edge, fog and IoT technologies. Many companies from around the world applied and competed through this multi-stage completion.  As the global winner, Contilio was awarded €25,000 and the opportunity to work with TÜV SÜD on their International Business Park project in Singapore.

Contilio’s solution uses advanced technologies including 3D computer vision and deep learning to provide intelligent insights from 3D data and photos captured from a construction site. This data is uploaded to a cloud environment and processed automatically through a 3D AI platform into intelligent analytics on construction progress, installation quality and predictive KPIs on risks and issues. The analytics can be accessed through a cloud dashboard that communicates the insights to key construction employees and other stakeholders, including owners, financial partners and company management.

“We are delighted to work with TÜV SÜD, a global leader in real estate inspection and certification.” said Zara Riahi, CEO of Contilio. “Our cutting-edge analytics software and agile approach, combined with TÜV SÜD’s expertise and innovation leadership resulted in a powerful partnership at TÜV SÜD’s new Asia Pacific Headquarters, where we successfully deployed our 3D AI technology. We hope to continue to bring significant value and cost-efficiency to TÜV SÜD and their global customers in the built environment.”

“By replicating the complete property lifecycle, from initial planning to construction to facility operations, the Challenge put the focus on Building Information Management (BIM) as the foundation of today’s smart construction design,” said Joachim Birnthaler, CEO, Real Estate & Infrastructure Division at TÜV SÜD. “The Contilio team presented an innovative analytics solution that met all of the criteria. We believe it will prove to be essential for any lean, BIM-oriented construction project.”

Construction industry partners TÜV SÜD (principal partner), Züblin, Bosch and Liebherr provided the requirements and use case definitions for the challenge and assisted challenge participants in testing their proof-of-concept (POC). Technology suppliers Autodesk, HERE, Ottobock and Qtum provided relevant technology components to assist start-ups and solution providers in the creation of their POCs for further development and offered overall technology guidance. Global independent IoT research and benchmarking firm MachNation published the Smart Construction summary white paper.

To learn more about Contilio and how we are saving billions for the global construction industry by making on-track and on-budget the new normal, please visit our website at www.contilio.com.

You can also contact:

Jack Li, Head of growth
Email: jack@contilio.com

Source: IIC press release, smart construction challenge

LONDON, April 15 , 2019 – the London-based deeptech startup, Contilio, has been awarded a significant grant by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. The grant is a part of the £170m “Transforming Construction” fund and will drive a ground-breaking R&D project, tackling the main cause of billion-dollar delays and cost overruns for the global construction industry: that is the lack of real-time feedback on construction progress and quality. Through application of cutting-edge technology, the project will equip the construction industry with real-time insights on construction progress, installation quality and risks and help deliver large construction and infrastructure projects on-time, on-budget and with enhanced productivity. Contilio is delighted to collaborate with an outstanding team from Imperial College London on this project, co-led by Professor Jennifer Whyte and Doctor Stefan Leutenegger, renowned experts in the fields of digital innovation in the built environment and computer vision.

Construction is one of the biggest drivers of the UK economy and the global GDP. The UK’s national infrastructure programme alone targets £650 billion projects by 2025. However, unlike manufacturing where the quantity and quality of output is known at any given time, in construction, there is no intelligent control room communicating progress and performance insights to project stakeholders in real-time. Project owners and contractors literally steer multi-million-pound projects “blind”, that is with partial, siloed information 4-8 weeks old.

Zara Riahi, Founder and CEO of Contilio states: “This means delayed decisions, compounding risks and costly overruns for the majority of construction projects, something we are changing for our customers. We are delighted to have been chosen by the Innovate UK’s Transforming Construction challenge to drive this change and make on-track the new normal for every major construction project. This funding is a testament to the size of the productivity opportunity for the UK construction industry and a great endorsement for our approach and the strength of our team and our R&D partner, Imperial College London. Over the next 12 months, the funding will be used to further advance Contilio’s AI-based analytics platform and to deploy our software solution on construction sites, delivering against the targets of the challenge.”

Imperial College London has assembled a unique team of experts and will use the funding to conduct state of the art research on 3D computer vision, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and machine learning techniques, contributing to the advancement of Contilio’s cutting-edge technology and the UK’s research leadership in the built environment.

Contilio would like to thank its customers and partners for contributing to this great success and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) for their support in helping us make on-track the new norm for every major construction project at every corner of the world.

For further information or press inquiries please reach out to Jack Li (jack@contilio.com).

 About Contilio: Contilio (http://www.contilio.com) is a ground-breaking analytics startup at the intersection of construction, deeptech and enterprise SaaS. Our AI-based platform analyses site data in real-time and turns them into intelligent insights on construction progress, performance KPIs and risks. This empowers contractors, project owners and investors to have 360-degree visibility into risks and issues, make timely and accurate decisions and enjoy from billion-dollar productivity, cashflow and compliance benefits. Contilio was founded by an expert team around CEO, Zara Riahi who has experienced this massive problem first-hand managing and investing in global construction projects. Having experienced the significant productivity improvements big data analytics & AI drive for gigantic industries including finance and manufacturing, triggered Contilio’s vision to bring the same to the $12Tn construction industry.

About Imperial College London: Professor Jennifer Whyte is the director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and leads the Alan Turing program for ‘Data-Driven Engineering design under uncertainty’. Professor Whyte has a stellar  track record researching how big data and digitization would transform the design and delivery of major construction projects. Dr. Stefan Leutenegger is a Senior Lecturer of Robotics in the Department of Computing, leads the Smart Robotics Lab and is the co-leads research undertaken by the Dyson Robotics Laboratory with Prof. Andrew Davison.

About Innovate UK (www.innovateuk.ukri.org): Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas. We connect businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn ideas into commercially successful products, services and business growth. We fund business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into R&D. Our support is available to businesses across all economic sectors, value chains and UK regions. Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation.

Contilio appoints Professor Konrad Schindler as a board member in January 2019.

Professor Schindler brings 20 years of global research and industry experience across computer vision, photogrammetry and remote sensing. He has held several faculty and research positions at distinguished universities across Europe and Australia, including Monash University and TU Darmstadt Germany. He has been a professor at ETH Zurich since 2010 and published many papers in the field of computer vision and photogrammetry.

“Konrad is joining us in the capacity of a scientific advisor and will be helping Contilio bring the state of the art in 3D vision, photogrammetry and image processing to our world-class platform and technology” Zara Riahi CEO stated. Andreas, myself and the rest of the team at Contilio look forward to working with Professor Schindler to tackle one of the biggest challenges of the $12Trn construction industry and to enable significant cashflow, productivity and compliance benefits for our customers and partners.