Automation in construction/project management

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The aim of this research proposal is to advance the body of knowledge and expand upon the development made by the applicant and his coworkers, over the term of the current Discovery Grant, in two major areas: 1) intelligent systems and methods for sustainable civil infrastructure systems (CISs), focusing primarily on municipal infrastructure (MI), which represents 70% of CISs in Canada, and 2) information technology (IT)-based construction management techniques and decision support systems for optimized delivery of constructed facilities. The deteriorating condition of civil infrastructure in North America gave rise to public concern and attracted considerable attention from government agencies, industry professionals and academics over the last l5 years. The ASCE's 2009 "Report Card" on the status of CIS depicts near failing grade (D-) for the condition of water and wastewater infrastructure in the USA. The picture is not much different in Canada's estimated $1.6 trillion civil infrastructure. The proposed research focuses on (1) studying, modeling and developing non-invasive, non-destructive and smart inspection and innovative condition assessment methods for water, wastewater and sewer networks, and on developing algorithms, methods and automated systems -in an integrated environment- to support optimized investment planning and budget allocation for sustainable municipal infrastructure; and (2) exploring and expanding the research conducted on automated site date acquisition and on IT-based construction engineering and management methods using optimization algorithms, intelligent systems and spatial, wireless communication and web enabling technologies for data and knowledge capturing and processing with a focus on improving productivity and competitiveness of Canadian construction industry. The proposed program contributes to training of highly qualified personnel in vital sectors of the Canadian economy. It leverages the resources provided by a major CFI research infrastructure grant that provides the required computing facilities for the proposed research.