MACHINE LEARNING, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE QUANTITY SURVEYING NEXUS
 |
| photo by honey-yanibel @ unsplash |
I've had some level of exposure in the field of data analytics, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and so on. And my intention is to find a link on how ML and AI can be applied in the field of Quantity surveying. Prior to now when I first got into data science and saw the endless possibilities that lie in the field I was trying to decide whether to settle in for Data Science or Quantity Surveying which is what I had studied for the past 5 years in the university and a field I had fallen in love with as time went by, but then recently a mentor of mine shared some resource with me, a blog post by kian katanforoosh which cleared all the doubts I was having and opened the door to new possibilities for me. He spoke about how many students and professionals want to jump into the world of AI, but rather than abandoning their current career to become a data scientist or a machine learning engineer, they should instead consider developing AI skills to complement their subject matter expertise and most times individuals with this dual competencies are highly sorted after. So yeah I can do both at the same time. here is a link to the blog post for further study; https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/ai-x-dont-switch-careers-add-ai-34eff21dd3e1
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
 |
| photo by daniel-mccullough @ unsplash |
The Architectural, Engineering, and construction industry (AEC) is witnessing a shift from the traditional paper-based method of service delivery to electronic information using information technology (IT), with the advent of BIM in the AEC industry it is evident that the adoption of information technology can enhance construction productivity and improve communications for effective decision making and coordination among construction participants.
We live in an everchanging society characterized by a rise
in technological ideas, the rise and growth of technology has had a major impact
in various industries such as healthcare, business, banking, and a whole lot of
others, the advancement in information technology has made possible a lot of
changes in the method of practice in several industries
There is quite a number of developments in all areas of computer application to the construction industry, One of which is ML and AI an emerging technology that has found application in a number of fields.Given the increasingly global nature of construction industry obstinate by extremely high levels of domestic competition and resultant low-profit margin levels, there is no doubt that the construction industry has to improve its information flow and project delivery mechanism. Thus, as information flow increasingly become electronic, quantity surveying computing facilities, software, and databases will need to develop in a compatible manner.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
QUANTITY SURVEYING:
Quantity Surveying is a field in the AEC that deals and manages the cost relating to building and engineering projects, they may include new buildings, renovations, or maintenance work. From early design costs to final figures, quantity surveyors seek to minimize the costs of the project and enhance value for money whilst ensuring that the project meets all legal and quality assurance requirements and regulations. The duties of a Quantity Surveyor typically include:
- conducting feasibility studies to estimate materials, time, and labor costs.
- preparing, negotiating, and analyzing costs for tenders and contracts.
- coordination of work effort.
- advising on a range of legal and contractual issues
- valuing completed work and arranging payments
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING
Simply put, Artificial intelligence is a field of computer science that makes a computer system mimic human intelligence while machine learning is about extracting knowledge from data, it is a subfield of artificial intelligence which enables machines to learn from past data or experiences without being explicitly programmed. further reading here; https://www.javatpoint.com/difference-between-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
 |
| photo by franki-chamaki @ unsplash |
It has become necessary to develop ideas that will enhance
productivity in the field of Quantity surveying. Numerous construction projects
are still plagued with time and cost overruns thereby hindering the client from
getting full value for his/her money, these problems have been traced to the
use of manual means of communication which are paper take-off and traditional
means of estimating which results in incomplete information, mistakes, and waste
of time.
Today projects are getting more and more complex
technically and logistically which exposes construction operations to more
complex problems.
In summary, there is a need for a better approach towards
construction and the answer is DATA.
MY CHALLENGES
The overall outcome of this project is to find a link between Quantity Surveying and Artificial intelligence and also how AI can help boost productivity and make things easier in Quantity Surveying. With this in mind, there are several questions that I have which is the main reason why I wrote this blog post and I'm hoping and confident that I might be able to get some answers, criticisms, resources, etc
- Is this something achievable, is this something that can be done, is there a link between AI and QS at all?
- If this is something achievable, what then is the challenge in Quantity Surveying and how can it be solved using data
- Are there instances where AI has been applied in the field of Quantity Surveying?
- How do I get data, is data even available? if there isn't will this project then be more of a data advocacy project
- Will, there be a need for me to build a model
- Is this more of a data engineering problem where more of what I will be doing is building a data pipeline?
Data as is widely put is the new oil. We have seen the disruption that has happened in health, banking and especially the car industry with Artificial Intelligence. It is without a doubt that thesame is taking place and redefining the construction industry. Most of the problems directly impacting Quantity Surveying are related to; project management, cost and time overrun, effective lifecycle costing etc. But these are little compared to what is now forced upon the construction industry that will affect all professions adversely. Here we are talking about Autodest recap, Reality Capture, BIM itself, 3D Printing, exoskeletons, rendering machines etc. Entire communities will be constructed withing a couple of days using 3D printing technologies and limited time and resources possible. This are things that are currently happening in Advance countries and are growing at a staggering rate. The presence of any of the afore mentioned will affect the quantity surveying profession if not threaten to put it out of business. Because most of these models are built with a certain level of AI that quantifies all the materials required for the construction. Thereby indicating that there's no need for a quantity surveyor. To keep up and remain relevant in the field, quantity surveyors must evolve with these technologies. I suggest you read more on smart constructions, 3D buildings, Reality Capture and Autodesk recap to learn more about what is going on. The question then becomes, How can quantity surveying leverage the existence of these and become a better profession? Or how can we leverage these technologies to make quantity surveying better? That in itself is a problem. You can start there.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your research work.
Cheers.
Fountain of intelligence
ReplyDelete....... We wait!! 💪
Thank you
DeleteThis is nice, looking forward to reading your research project
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteKudos to the work.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteJust found my way here today.😅
ReplyDeleteAny update on this yet? Did you go ahead with the project? What were the key findings of your research?