Application of dynamic time warping to the recognition of mixed equipment activities in cycle time measurement

Analyzing and measuring construction equipment operation are key tasks for managing construction projects. In monitoring construction equipment operation, the cycle-time provides fundamental information. Traditional cycle-time measurement methods have been limited by requiring significant efforts such as additional observers, time, and cost. Thus, this study investigates the feasibility of measuring cycle times by using inertial measurement units (IMUs) embedded in a smartphone. Because the mixed activities of construction equipment involve simultaneous actions of multiple parts, they cause low accuracy in equipment activity classification and cycle-time measurement. To enhance the recognition of these mixed activities and translate the results into reliable cycle time measurements, a dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm was applied and the DTW distances of IMU signals were used as additional features in activity classification. To test its feasibility, data was collected on-site and the excavator's operation was recorded via IMUs embedded in a smartphone attached to a cabin. Using DTW, the suggested method achieved 91.83% accuracy for cycle-time measurement. This result demonstrates an opportunity to use operators' prevalent mobile devices to measure and report their equipment's cycle times in a cost-effective and continuous manner.N

Digital Technology to Enhance Project Leadership Practice: The Case of Civil Construction

Digital transformation is fundamentally influencing all aspects of business and society. It can enable individuals and organizations to transcend from one way of working to another. In construction, emphasis is shifting from project management to project leadership, as professionals need assisting tools to not only aid in managing tasks and activities, but aid in leading people. As such, the adoption of digital technologies may hold the key in taking project leadership practice into the future. To date, there have been few attempts to explore the potential of digital technology as an aid for project leadership development and practice. This research therefore aims to investigate this potential in the context of the Australian civil construction industry. We review the existing body of knowledge on both industry-specific leadership demands and relevant digital technology capabilities to identify areas of improvement and to guide interviews with construction project managers. So far, literature has focused on endorsing particular leadership behaviors and/or styles, while ignoring the difficulties faced by professionals in practicing these behaviors. We find that project managers of civil contractors within Sydney understand the significance of leadership but are often overwhelmed by its complexity