Next Generation One-Man Construction and Smart Construction Powered by ICT Construction

Environments surrounding Japan’s construction sites are becoming increasingly stringent due to the following reasons; declining birth rate, aging, maintenance of existing social stock and a lack of technology transfer due to... [ view full abstract ]

Environments surrounding Japan’s construction sites are becoming increasingly stringent due to the following reasons; declining birth rate, aging, maintenance of existing social stock and a lack of technology transfer due to retirement of skilled technicians. Promoting i-Construction which makes the maximum use of ICT in construction manufacturing process, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (MLIT) aims to improve labor productivity by 20 percent. In 2013 fiscal year, Japan’s ICT initiatives for earthworks began researching “3D Data Exchange Standard Complies with the LandXML1.2”, this being the standard format to achieve data exchange in research, design, construction and operational management. The latest information was released in 2016 with the MLIT implementing over 400 cases per year thereafter. However, the implementation of the operation faced issues including “generation of three-dimensional data”, “ICT (MC/MG) data exchange operation” and “acquisition of operational method”. This study highlights case studies of projects where the development of new software, designed to automate operations, was used to improve the efficiency of construction operations by over 300 percent.