Earthwork Industry News Roundup: October 2019
To keep you in the know this month, we’re sharing a roundup covering news and trends in the construction, mining, aggregates, and waste management industries.
Whether you’re putting the finishing touches on a project, measuring progress against design, or researching tech to include in next year’s budget, the pressure is on to make Q4 the best quarter yet.
This October, we’re seeing the conversation shift away from drone technology and back toward the human side of surveying. As the average age for a US land surveyor inches toward 60, the industry discusses how to mitigate the challenges an aging workforce presents.
Apart from that, the construction industry is booming this month with “mega billions” invested in new development across the US, a startup leverages artificial intelligence to build 360-degree interactive site models, and BBC takes an interest in how 3D photogrammetric models transcend industry.
Here’s the latest and greatest headlines from the past month:
Mega billions: a look at some of the biggest US construction projects underway
from Construction Dive
“Many in the construction industry consider a project that costs $1 billion or more a megaproject. However, there are a number of U.S. developments underway that make $1 billion seem like small change. And not all of them are massive energy or public works projects. Private money is also driving behemoths. Here are five of the biggest projects underway. . . .”
Addressing the Need for More Trained Surveyors
from Mile High CRE
“The average age for a land surveyor in the U.S. is inching towards 60, with many retiring in the coming decade. With a surge in construction and land development, R&R Engineers – Surveyors, Inc.—a Denver-based, full-service land surveying and civil engineering firm—made it a priority to identify and train the next generation of surveyors . . ”
The Surveyors of Our World
from GIM International
“In today’s data-driven society, in which location-based services have become an omnipresent part of everyday life, there is no doubt that surveying is all around us. But did you also know that surveyors have been indispensable to the development of the world since civilization began? In this brief journey through history, John F. Brock provides a surprising and entertaining look . . .”
OpenSpace, the ‘Google Street View of construction,’ called a game changer
from Construction Dive
“The software uses artificial intelligence to create navigable, 360-degree photo representations of a site. To record the images, a builder attaches a small, off-the-shelf camera to his or her hardhat and walks the site as normal, with OpenSpace passively capturing imagery . . .”
The most expensive projects on the planet: $175B fuels these 5 jobsites
from Construction Dive
“Megaprojects, above all else, are defined by their potential to impact millions of people. While the $1 billion investment mark is generally accepted as the threshold for a singular project to be considered “mega,” that target moves according to the context of the country or specific location . . .”
