Location Tracking of Prefabricated Construction Assemblies

This paper describes Internet based prototype tool for locating structural steel components at a construction site equipped with wireless Ethernet. The tool runs in a web browser on a notebook or on a Pocket PC and shows the location of an assembly on an aerial image or on a land survey. If the component being sought is not yet unloaded, it informs the user the trailer number and its location. This approach is based on the integration of location information with the component related information across the material handling process starting at the fabricators facility through the assembly of the building structure. Although the tool has been developed to assist the iron workers to locate structural steel, the concept is applicable to other prefabricated assemblies. The paper identifies the future research challenges and discusses different types of maps to assist users to help locate materials.