Patterns and trends in internet of things (IoT) Research: Future applications in the construction industry

Purpose: The Internet of Things (IoT) provides exciting opportunities for the construction industry to solve its time and resource constraints and frequent defaults. This study seeks to identify and rank the perceived importance level of principal research areas associated with the IoT and the construction industry by utilising a scientific mapping tool (i.e. VOS Viewer). Such knowledge would enable key drivers for successful adoption of the IoT and digitisation technologies to be outlined. An analysis of key drivers and research trends that facilitates the development of a roadmap for applying the IoT and digital technologies in the construction sector is therefore much needed. Design/methodology/approach: An interpretivist philosophical lens was adopted to analyse published work as secondary data, where each publication represented a unit of analysis. A total of 417 peer-reviewed journal review articles covering the IoT within the construction domain were systematically reviewed using a mixed-methods approach, utilising qualitative-scientometric analyses techniques. Findings: The results reveal a field of study in a fledgling stage, with a limited number of experts operating somewhat in isolation and offering single point solutions instead of taking an integrated ‘holistic’ approach. Key publication outlets are identified and the main focus of research undertaken being in the technical areas of smart buildings, smart construction objects and environmental sustainability. The major effects of adopting the IoT within the construction industry were identified as high-speed reporting, complete process control, data explosion leading to deep data analytics, strict ethical and legal expectations. Key drivers of the IoT adoption were outlined as: interoperability; data privacy and security; flexible governance structures; and proper business planning and models. Originality: The study is the first scientometric review of the existing body of knowledge in the context of application of the IoT in the construction industry. Findings expose knowledge gaps in contemporary research, specifically, a broader consideration of organisational adjustments needed to accommodate the IoT usage, economic analyses and impediments to wider acceptance. Practical Implications: The study benefits researchers and industry practitioners alike. For researchers, the identified gaps reveal areas of high priority in future research. For construction companies, particularly small to medium-sized businesses, the study raises awareness of the latest developments and potential applicability of the IoT in the industry. For government agencies and policymakers, this study offers a point of reference in directing the adoption of the IoT smoothly in the construction sector and provides guidelines and standards for maximising the potential benefits

Propuesta de un sistema de radiofrecuencia para mejorar la localización y control de inventarios en el almacén de productos terminados de la empresa agroindustrial Tal S. A., Trujillo, 2023

El propósito de desarrollo de esta investigación surgió de la necesidad de proponer un sistema de radiofrecuencia para mejorar la localización y control de inventarios en el almacén de productos terminados de la empresa agroindustrial Tal S.A., cuyas operaciones se desenvuelven en Trujillo y sus principales productos de comercialización son los espárragos (verde y blanco), y palta en sus variedades respectivas. A través de un abordaje que se dio por medio de la cuantificación de datos, la naturaleza aplicada y sin necesidad de intervención experimental al haberse tratado de un estudio descriptivo. Respecto a la elección poblacional, se contempló un histórico de inventario del 2023, en donde también se involucró la participación de 20 trabajadores que laboran en la empresa. En relación a los resultados, se pudieron dar a conocer los principales problemas asociados con el manejo y localización de productos para clasificarlos de acuerdo al método ABC; a fin de valorizar las existencias en función de su demanda. Por otro lado, se presentaron los componentes de la propuesta para el RFID y se establecieron los procesos para su implementación, finalizando con el análisis del flujo de caja, el cual evidenció una inversión mínima de S/.26002,35 para su ejecución, con macro indicadores que determinaron un VAN positivo de S/. 43251,36 y una TIR de 79,18% en un periodo de recuperación de un año, con una relación B/C 2,66 que permite validar, en conjunto con los indicadores diseñados para el monitoreo de la exactitud de inventarios, la viabilidad técnica y económica de esta propuesta

Dense and long-term monitoring of Earth surface processes with passive RFID -- a review

Billions of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) passive tags are produced yearly to identify goods remotely. New research and business applications are continuously arising, including recently localization and sensing to monitor earth surface processes. Indeed, passive tags can cost 10 to 100 times less than wireless sensors networks and require little maintenance, facilitating years-long monitoring with ten's to thousands of tags. This study reviews the existing and potential applications of RFID in geosciences. The most mature application today is the study of coarse sediment transport in rivers or coastal environments, using tags placed into pebbles. More recently, tag localization was used to monitor landslide displacement, with a centimetric accuracy. Sensing tags were used to detect a displacement threshold on unstable rocks, to monitor the soil moisture or temperature, and to monitor the snowpack temperature and snow water equivalent. RFID sensors, available today, could monitor other parameters, such as the vibration of structures, the tilt of unstable boulders, the strain of a material, or the salinity of water. Key challenges for using RFID monitoring more broadly in geosciences include the use of ground and aerial vehicles to collect data or localize tags, the increase in reading range and duration, the ability to use tags placed under ground, snow, water or vegetation, and the optimization of economical and environmental cost. As a pattern, passive RFID could fill a gap between wireless sensor networks and manual measurements, to collect data efficiently over large areas, during several years, at high spatial density and moderate cost.Comment: Invited paper for Earth Science Reviews. 50 pages without references. 31 figures. 8 table