Building applications for smart and safe construction with the DECENTER Fog Computing and Brokerage Platform

Abstract

Various smart applications are needed to address complex problems in construction falling under the broad categories of safety at work, construction site management, management of resources, waste and assets and construction progress monitoring. Fog computing emerges as a new computing paradigm for Edge-to-Cloud computing that integrates Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain technologies to facilitate the development and operation of smart applications. However, a comprehensive methodology that applies Fog computing to construction projects is currently missing. In our work, we use the novel DECENTER Fog Computing and Brokerage Platform to address requirements for flexible use of AI methods in construction projects and develop a relevant methodology. Evaluation is performed through all application development phases at a real construction site in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Testing results show that the use of Fog computing contributes to high response rates, privacy and security when processing sensitive worker and company data.