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When Dr. Lloyd Waugh’s began his research, it may not have been directed for use in a pandemic affected time; however, it may be increasingly valuable in a period when remote work has become more widespread. Dr. Waugh has passionately shared the thrilling advancements of his research at the University of New Brunswick on using photogrammetry as a documentation tool of on-site construction progress.
His research started in 2006, when Hartland school was being built using Virtual Reality (VR) panoramas to document the status of progress. He is now working with Cody Bradley, from Bradley Engineering Ltd. , who will be taking the research to the next level. Cody Bradley is working on creating 3D models, which are high resolution models of both spatial and visual images.
“This brings a new level of skill and value to someone, if they can click on something and measure within centimetres or even millimetres of what they see.”
Dr. Waugh believes that his research can help professionals visit construction sites remotely, such as people who manage and operate buildings and facilities. Inspectors who have to periodically inspect a wide variety of sites can physically do this once, and may be able to continue with remote inspections. Dr. Waugh provided a few more reasons as to why his research may be helpful. These reasons include the ability to train people on observing various segments of a site under construction, the ability to avoid lawsuits with visual records, and having the original infrastructure as a visual record, which can be referred to when considering renovations or comparing progress before and after the construction.
When addressed with the question of expecting a COVID-19 like situation at the beginning of Dr. Waugh’s research journey, he replied that in 2006 he would not have predicted a pandemic in 2020, during which remote work would increase to such an extent. Interestingly, one of the reasons why his research is highly applicable in the travel-restricted situations today is the ability for any professional around the globe to visit a construction site remotely.
How is it Conducted/Progressing?
In the early stages of the research, a tripod with a high resolution camera lens attached to it was used, which allowed the camera to revolve and take a series of pictures that overlapped each other. It did not take much time to set up the tripod level, obtain the optimal exposure, and proceed to the next location. This initial phase was done in about five minutes at each location. The next phase was to bring the captured images back to the office and stitch them together into a VR panorama. Then, the researchers created a firewall-protected website where they could post these pictures so that only the people who were involved in the projects could access them. In 2006, they initially delivered these images on CD ROMs, then on thumb drives, and eventually started using the Web. Looking at this VR Doc provides a further understanding of the end result of the steps.
"Bradley Engineering Ltd photographs infrastructure and then creates very high-resolution spatial and visual models for maintenance assessment and planning"
Creating 3D models that have much higher resolutions, gives them the ability to acquire spatial information. Compared to a panorama with a 360 degrees view, photogrammetry allows a picture of a surface to be taken from different locations, which can be triangulated to determine the spatial location of all points in the picture. Then, a photogrammetry software is used to stitch the photos to create a 3D rendering of the surface. Creating a 3D model may be a more sophisticated process than the initial method described, but it provides deeper insight into how far Dr. Waugh’s research could go.
One of Dr. Waugh’s big interests in this project is to see how things are different from the original plan and to see how things have changed. This includes the ability to compare a computer-aided-design (CAD) model of what was planned to be built with a 3D model of what was actually built.
Why use Photogrammetry?
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is another mechanism of gaining accurate spatial information. However, Dr. Waugh finds photogrammetry to be just as accurate as LiDAR, and possibly even faster and lighter. Hence, he used photogrammetry as opposed to LiDAR for spatial information. There are also ideas of using infrared technology, which would allow them to know temperature related information when needed by simply using an infrared camera.
One major impact shared by Dr. Waugh from his research is the ability to conveniently obtain advice from specialized experts across the globe, whereas to bring experts to the site would be very expensive.
Many researchers believe that technology may completely automate things and remove the need for humans in many tasks. In regard to the progress of his research in the next 10 years, Dr. Waugh does not see his technology replacing people working on sites, but sees it as a means to minimize the need for frequent visits to construction sites. He envisions that his research may minimize travel to and from construction sites for many people, while still allowing various expertises to be brought to the table. Dr. Waugh also has some interesting ideas as to how his technology could be applicable to off-site constructions. For instance, it could be beneficial to ensure that the plumbing of prefabricated hotel room modules would fit together once they arrived at site. However, it would require a very precise fitting of components, and that is where high resolution photogrammetry comes into play, as it may ensure that it fits to the site and the previous unit, or to the foundation it is placed on. Overall, Dr. Waugh predicts a move to more off-site construction, along with more modularization in 10 years, with help from photogrammetry technology.
Dr. Waugh has expressed passion and a desire to improve workplace efficiency through his work. His research acknowledges that despite the importance of machines, it should not replace the gift of human knowledge and the diversity each person brings to the table. Through his work and advancements in documentation of on-site progress using virtual reality imagery and information technology for the construction industry, he provides insight into how even in the most unexpected of places and unprecedented times, you can still find ways to adapt and use your work to improve the lives and safety of those around you.
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