Planning and adjusting schedules are a part of everyday tasks in the construction industry. However, since most of the coordination that results from this is done via phone or email, there are always costly and time-consuming downtimes, for instance, when a particular construction project cannot be taken up before the other is completed, or there are unanticipated bottlenecks in resources, logistics, and infrastructures, or there are unforeseen changes in the weather.
Consequently, according to the German Federal Statistical Office, the productivity of the construction industry improved only by 4.1 percent between 1991 and 2017, although the productivity of the economy expanded by 44 percent during the same time period.
Secure environment for sensitive data
In order to increase value creation in the construction industry and advance the digitization of the sector, Intelligent Empowerment of Construction Industry (IECO) aims to fill this productivity gap. IECO is one of the first lighthouse projects in the nationwide Gaia-X funding competition. This involves 11 Partners including Software AG who are jointly working on developing a tamper-proof digital twin of a building that will map all planning, construction and subsequent use or demolition processes on the secure Gaia-X infrastructure provided by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.
Approval processes for property have been proven to be extremely time-consuming because they are expensive and call for cooperation with many stakeholders. Therefore, another key objective is to incorporate public sector approval processes throughout the entire lifecycle of a property.
This colossal project is currently tested in the district of Hof in the interest of the entire country. It is currently authorized to accept and check building permit applications digitally as part of the Bavarian digital building application ordinance.
IECO aims to increase productivity in the construction industry by up to 10 percent. With around 2.5 million employees and sales of 130 billion euros, this industry is one of the key industries in the German economy.
Gaia-X helps in protecting the data sovereignty of the data owners. Therefore there is no more hesitation in sharing sensitive data in the construction industry thereby enabling both the digital twin and smart advanced services.
The digital twin makes it possible to eliminate data silos of the construction industry. In addition, the data space is being used to develop advanced smart services. These can be used to further optimize the construction process and generate new value creation potential for the industry.
Furthermore, construction sites can be monitored in real time. This not only helps in identifying and anticipating disruptions at an early stage but also increases work safety and document project progress or work defects transparently and efficiently.
Value creation potential in the construction industry with the Gaia-X project iECO
At the iECO kick-off meeting in Dresden, Dr. Christoph F. Strnadl, Deputy CTO of Software AG, walks us through the project.
(German only)
