consistently, it will be a catalyst for the rest of the industry to move forward. One of the points of my presentation was that they are drivers for change; there are a lot of local owners and DOTs around the country that look to see what Caltrans is doing. What I wanted to convey is that the time is now, and the technology is there. We have robust cloud services now that weren’t as developed in the past. I believe BIM in the infrastructure sector is going to substantially improve the outcome of projects by enhancing collaboration and improving the way we work together.
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR:What other virtual design and construction technologies is BIM supporting that are particularly useful on construction projects?
ALICIA LOPEZ: BIM is the foundation for a lot of technologies, like virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. Tose are tools you can use to show the owner and other stakeholders how the project will look at completion. We have applications in which you can simply scan a QR code in your cell phone, and it can show you a 360-degree view of the project. We also use BIM for virtual planning, clash detection, optimization of construction means and methods, and sequencing. We run all these virtual simulations in the office, so everybody knows exactly what to do before we go into construction. Tis saves time, cost, avoids rework, and we are constructing in a safer way as a result.
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR: In ad- dition to BIM, what is another leading technology you see making a big impact on the industry today?
ALICIA LOPEZ: Another big one is data capture, or reality capture. At Flatiron
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we use drones and laser scanners, and we have our own internal drone fleet in each of our regions. Tis helps us capture data faster and safer and helps us avoid exposing our workers to areas that are maybe high traffic or where access is complicated. We do environmental, qual- ity and safety inspections using drones. Wherever we cannot fly drones, we use laser scanners. Tese tools are helping us gather data faster, more efficiently, and in a safer way.
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR: You have mentioned the importance of data and how it drives smart processes in construction today. Can you elaborate on that?
ALICIA LOPEZ: At the end of the day, data is the basis for everything that we do in this industry. We have a huge amount of data in construction, but the data is in silos. We have too much different software, too many different platforms. So what we are doing is breaking those silos, bringing the in- formation together so we can improve business intelligence of the data. With our data warehouse in place, we have access to key data. We generate Power BI dashboards to bring relevant data faster to the decision makers.
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR: What are some of the specific ways you are trying to harness and use data to improve your projects?
ALICIA LOPEZ: Everything is tied to data and analytics. We track and analyze the past performance from projects as it relates to schedule, cost, safety, quality, environmental, sustainability, and then use that data to take us in smart directions. By analyzing the data, we can decide that these are the focus areas for the company
“Right now, technology in construction is changing at a faster pace than we have ever seen before. In the next five years we are going to see more disruptive changes. If you want to thrive, you need to adjust and keep pace with these changes. We are at a pivotal
moment.” – Alicia Lopez, Flatiron Chief Innovation Officer
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