Did you know that smart city management goes well beyond just using the collected data in order to make citizen’s lives better? It can also make sure that any construction projects run more smoothly as well. The information that is collected by smart cities – and the overall data collection instruments – can be used to make sure that large-scale construction projects are kept on time and under budget, while at the same time, ensuring that people don’t have their lives overly disrupted by the construction process.
Here are some of the ways that smart city management can help.
Controlling the Flow
Good smart city management can control the overall flow of the construction project. In order for the project to be successful, every step of it must be mapped out in advance. This means that everything is done in a particular order, from securing the permits to bringing in the supplies, and finally, beginning construction in phases.
No matter the scale and scope of the project, smart city features can be used to track this as it moves along. The data that’s collected will help determine whether or not things are on track. It also can alleviate headaches for the city’s residents.
For example, if the project needs a number of large-scale girders to be brought in on a certain day, then the residents can be alerted to the path that those delivery trucks will take using the smart city’s systems.
The residents will be a little upset that their usual route was closed, but they won’t have to worry about finding a new one to work, because that information will be given to them. Plus, they won’t be surprised by the large, oversized delivery in the first place. This type of flow is good to control, as it leads to fewer complaints and traffic jams.
Accessing Information from Anywhere
On top of better flow control, smart city management means that the data on the project can be accessed from anywhere. While you don’t want to inform every resident of the exact blueprints of the structure (for safety reasons, of course), you can let them know what the construction phases are. And they’ll be able to see this data from anywhere that they can get cloud access from.
On top of that, the people who really need to see that information – the construction workers and those managing the project – will be able to see every phase of it in more detail. If they have a question about where a particular rivet goes, then they can look at the blueprint using their smartphone. This makes the project easier to manage and to build. It’s a win-win situation.
Viewing All Stages at Once
Going one step further with the smart city management, those working on the project and any who’s curious about it will be able to see all of the stages at once. The finished product, or a mockup of it anyway, will be visible and stored on the smart city system. This eliminates the need to respond to questions about what the final project will look like and exactly where it will be located.
The local newspapers will be able to write up an article about it, using the information stored on the smart city server. Sure, they’ll still need quotes and other details, but this eliminates some of the guesswork on their part and the time that the project managers will need to take out of their busy schedules in order to respond to questions. Saving time is always a good thing.
Informing Stakeholders
Every stakeholder in the project, from the city managers to the people who funded it – and even the construction workers who are building it, can be easily kept informed using smart city management tools. Rather than send out one single email to everyone, or even inform them of what’s going on via a number of phone calls, they just have to look up the data on the smart city server.
On top of this, the project managers can inform the players via a text messaging system to alert them to changes in the plan or when a particular milestone has been reached.
Cost Tracking and Other Data
Finally, things like cost tracking and data analysis are easy thanks to smart city management. No one wants their construction project to go over budget, even by something as small as the cost of a box of rivets or nails. Every cost can be tracked using these data collection systems, so the people in charge will know when something has gone awry.
Since this information is stored in the cloud, it’s easily accessed and everything is very transparent. It takes some of the guesswork out of these types of projects
