Transforming the civil engineering surveyor also means transforming the perception of the civil engineering surveyor. Better understanding of the expertise of geospatial surveyors and commercial managers and how they can inform decision making at all phases of a project is a relatively simple step that can have a large impact.
For geospatial surveyors this was an issue tackled in 2016 by Survey4BIM,1 a specialist group under the UK government’s BIM Task Group umbrella. Survey4BIM published Survey and the Digital Plan of Works2 to address a gap in the published UK BIM Level 2 standards for the role and responsibilities of the surveyor. The guidance followed a series of eight (0-7 ) work phases broadly aligned to those within PAS1192-2:2013 describing survey activities and recommendations for each phase.
The past few years has seen the move to the UK BIM Framework.3 The framework is intended to be applicable to all types of appointment and project, under any procurement route and for all participants. Consequently, it has framed guidance around a simplified set of phases focused on information management; design, build, operate, integrate.
The role of the surveyor within the UK BIM Framework remains critical to correctly specifying geospatial requirements at the outset of a capital delivery project to how survey data is used in asset operation and connected to other datasets. Obligations within the UK BIM Framework are described as:
These phases are entirely applicable to the surveyor, whose role in the project and asset lifecycle needs to be better appreciated and integrated. The obligation of the surveyor is to align to standardised information management processes, identify and embrace appropriate technologies and commit to trusting the data they receive from other participants. The risk averse nature of the construction sector, reliance on inefficient legacy procedures and limited investment in technology and people needs to be retired in order for effective change to happen.
By considering the standards and guidance for the phases within the UK BIM Framework, coupled with the still applicable recommendations in Survey and the Digital Plan of Works, geospatial surveyors can better demonstrate the criticality of their role in the asset lifecycle and ensure their data needs and outputs are integral to successful project outcomes.
Information management solutions and processes have become familiar to many professionals and organisations over the past few years. Moreover, the pace of technology innovation has introduced new solutions and opportunities to increase productivity, improve quality and challenge traditional thinking. For example, surveyors are able to undertake unmanned aerial surveying, set out directly from models, leverage sensor data for real-time information, drive machinery remotely and many other options to improve their work and collaboration with other project participants.
The Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 (TIP)4 from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority notes that there are technical capabilities that are not yet being asked for or applied on government projects. It particularly highlights 5G networks, artificial intelligence, wireless sensors, monitoring, fixed and mobile sensors, photogrammetry, 3D laser scanning robotics and augmented reality, and calls for improvement and acceleration of their adoption. Such innovations need to be introduced with consideration for the value they bring to a project and wider downstream operational and service provision. Technology for technology’s sake is not worth adopting without both a resulting material improvement and an assurance of no unintended negative consequences. The geospatial surveyor is the expert on this technology, and as an appointed consultant will be able to advise on the most appropriate technology and data requirements for every stage of the project. The geospatial surveyor can assist in the specification of requirements, advise on where coordination is missing and what is required, and plan how information quality will be developed over the design, construction, handover, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of an asset.
The emergence of geospatial project execution plans shows that with the right data capture and management methods in place, other project team members can focus on their specialist contribution, using technology as an enabler, not a distraction.
The commercial manager and quantity surveyor roles are transforming to ones of proactive data management to drive value and monitor project progress.
The TIP highlights the increasing use of information management as a planning tool to coordinate construction to a critical path and undertake clash detection in line with resource management, capacity planning and scheduling. Taking this further to cost modelling, some software already has the capability to incorporate costed components and materials in the information model, alongside linked availability and access. This can then drive bills of quantities and optimise resources whether work is on site or during offsite manufacturing.
The key message in TIP is that embracing information management and a multidimensional approach starts in the planning phase with highly detailed information and better integration that can then inform the work packages. By establishing the core contribution of the commercial team early, and with regular engagement throughout the project to ascertain how data can be used to drive efficiencies, the data measurement role of the commercial civil engineering surveyor can be fully exploited. As cost modelling becomes more mainstream, now is the time for commercial surveyors to reaffirm the key role they play in ensuring project efficiencies, with a focus on data and value, as well as cost.
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1 https://survey4bim.wordpress.com
2 https://survey4bim.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/survey-and-the-digital-plan-of-works.pdf
3 https://www.ukbimframework.org
4 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-infrastructure-performance-roadmap-to-2030