Coordinating multi-site construction projects using federated clouds

Abstract

The requirements imposed by AEC (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) projects with regard to data storage and execution, on-demand data sharing and complexity on building simulations have led to utilising novel computing techniques. In detail, these requirements refer to storing the large amounts of data that the AEC industry generates — from building schematics to associated data derived from different contractors that are involved at various stages of the building lifecycle; or running simulations on building models (such as energy efficiency, environmental impact & occupancy simulations). Creating such a computing infrastructure to support operations deriving from various AEC projects can be challenging due to the complexity of workflows, distributed nature of the data and diversity of roles, profiles and location of the users. Federated clouds have provided the means to create a distributed environment that can support multiple individuals and organisations to work collaboratively. In this study we present how multi-site construction projects can be coordinated by the use of federated clouds where the interacting parties are represented by AEC industry organisations. We show how coordination can support (a) data sharing and interoperability using a multi-vendor Cloud environment and (b) process interoperability based on various stakeholders involved in the AEC project lifecycle. We develop a framework that facilitates project coordination with associated “issue status” implications and validate our outcome in a real construction project.