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8 “We were able to go back and determine things like weath- er conditions and were clearly able to view date stamps,” he says. “This feature alone saved us $2 million.” Companies also like to use the fluid, high-definition time- lapse construction videos for interacting and communicat- ing with the public, and for public relations and marketing campaigns. For example, a large project with great public interest was being spearheaded by Jamestown Properties and Green Street Properties. They transformed the Sears building- turned city hall in Atlanta into a mixed use business and residential complex. OXBLUE, from page 5

Sandi Parker was the senior manager for creative and mar- keting at the time and says that the technology provided them with two major benefits – the ability to communicate with the outside world and to also serve project develop- ment needs. The addition of the 24-MP camera rounds out OxBlue’s ex- isting lineup of 6-, 8-, 12-, and 16-MP construction camer- as. Every OxBlue camera is part of a complete system that includes all hardware, cellular data connection, intuitive user tools, and three kinds of time-lapse movie capabilities. “If you are keen on managing developments and restricted on resources, OxBlue will save you money and time and al- low you to capture each one of your projects on a daily ba- sis,” Morgan says.

AUTOMATION, from page 7

ment run times and environmental conditions that may lead to safety issues and/or down time due to equipment failure.

BRPH essentially took a platform that is extremely popular within the gaming community and made it work in a busi- ness sense. Before the use of virtual reality, clients were relegated to 2-D plans. This new integration means clients get to visual- ize, and feel like they are actually inside their new facility, before the design development phase of a project is com- plete. From a marketing perspective, it allows for an added layer of creativity and exposure. “We market the program externally for companies to ‘step inside their next facility … before it’s even built,’ because that is essentially what the virtual reality experience pro- vides,” Reed says. “It’s a totally immersive viewing experi- ence combined with the interactive control of perspective that results in a unique and memorable client experience.” “We market the program externally for companies to ‘step inside their next facility … before it’s even built,’ because that is essentially what the virtual reality experience provides.” WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? Technology, and the potential for automation, is ever changing. At Larson, the Innovation and Technology committee re- cently discussed what the developing game changers were and from their vantage point, they see two specific areas that they plan on monitoring for development strategies. They are: 1)The Internet of Things. Larson believes that in the very near future the concept of “smart” vehicles and equipment will not only help their clients manage their facilities and asset port- folios, but will also allow Larson to further improve its project and logistics management. As the technology progresses, and industry standards evolve, GIS tools will be able to receive and use key data elements from the field. This will not only allow them to improve their resource allocation and response time by tracking the physical location, but also monitor equip-

2)Augmented Reality. This is quickly gaining acceptance in the

construction industry, but has seen a much slower growth with design professionals. However, as the use of geodesign becomes more common place, and the limitations associated with dataset size begin to be resolved, AR will be a valuable tool. “We envision developing a series of ‘concept designs’ within our offices, then visiting a site with a client, equipped with AR devices,” Sheets says. “While in the field, we will be able to visualize the design, make alterations, and understand the impacts of those adjustments in real time.” “It’s a totally immersive viewing experience combined with the interactive control of perspective that results in a unique and memorable client experience.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER February 1, 2016, ISSUE 1137

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