On-site Revolution with i-Construction! How Surveying DX Opens the Future of Construction

Definition and Purpose of i-Construction (Transforming the Construction Industry through DX)

i-Construction is a productivity improvement project for construction sites [initiated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2016](https://www.kkr.mlit.go.jp/toyooka/bimcim/03_whaticonstruction.html). It refers to an effort to introduce ICT (information and communication technology) comprehensively across the entire construction production process—from surveying and design to construction, inspection, and maintenance—in order to dramatically boost on-site productivity. Behind this initiative are challenges such as labor shortages in the construction industry due to an aging and declining population, and difficult working conditions often summed up as the “3Ks” (difficult, dirty, dangerous). The government aims to increase on-site productivity by 20% by FY2025 through the promotion of i-Construction, advancing measures centered on three pillars: ICT utilization, standardization of specifications, and leveling of construction schedules.

The purpose of i-Construction is to improve productivity in the construction industry through the use of digital technologies while simultaneously improving working conditions. By raising individual worker efficiency through ICT adoption, companies’ management foundations can be strengthened, and the benefits can be translated into higher wages and improved safety for workers. For example, automating or remotely controlling construction machinery so that dangerous tasks need not be performed by people is an important objective for making construction sites safer and more attractive workplaces. In other words, the productivity revolution at sites is also a reform of working styles, and i-Construction is poised to significantly reshape the future of the construction industry.

The Role of Surveying and the Effects of Digitalization

In construction projects, surveying plays a crucial role in accurately capturing the existing terrain and structures and providing foundational data for design and construction planning. However, traditional surveying work required painstaking point-by-point measurements using total stations and levels, demanding many personnel and days on large sites.

With the introduction of digital technologies, the way surveying is conducted has changed dramatically. For example, using drones or 3D laser scanners makes it possible to capture terrain data as surfaces in a short time—data that used to take people days to measure. Even in forests or large-scale reclaimed sites, aerial photogrammetry from drones can record the entire ground surface as high-density point cloud data with centimeter-level accuracy. Once three-dimensional survey data is acquired, it can be remeasured or sectioned on a computer, allowing heights and distances for needed points to be calculated afterward, so surveying efficiency improves dramatically. Moreover, digital data can be shared immediately between site and office via the Internet, making it easy to conduct planning and review remotely. In this way, surveying DX (digital transformation) enables faster and more accurate situational awareness on site, producing significant benefits across subsequent design and construction processes.

Cutting-edge Technologies Supporting Surveying DX

The digitalization of surveying is realized through the use of a variety of advanced technologies. Major surveying DX technologies increasingly adopted on construction sites in recent years include the following:

• Drone surveying (UAV surveying): Small unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with cameras or LiDAR (laser rangefinders) survey entire sites from above. Photogrammetry software generates 3D terrain models (point cloud data) from aerial photos, while airborne laser surveying acquires point clouds directly with laser scanners—both methods make it possible to obtain detailed topographic data over wide areas in a short time. Because surveys can be performed over steep slopes or forests that are difficult to access by traditional methods, safety and efficiency are greatly improved.

• 3D laser scanner surveying: This method uses stationary laser scanners set on the ground or vehicle-mounted systems such as MMS (mobile mapping systems) to measure surrounding structures and terrain with high precision. By emitting laser beams and collecting reflected point clouds, millimeter-level accurate surveying can be achieved even in complex environments like building interiors or along roadways. The vast point cloud data collected is processed—removing unnecessary points and aligning multiple scans—and converted into 3D models compatible with CAD software for practical use.

• RTK-capable smartphone positioning: This technology combines a smartphone with a GNSS receiver for high-precision positioning, enabling centimeter-level accuracy in real time. RTK (Real Time Kinematic) uses correction information from a base station to enhance satellite positioning accuracy, and recently, combining a smartphone with a small receiver has made RTK surveying easy and accessible. With a dedicated app, a smartphone can instantly display coordinate values for the current location and allow a single person to easily measure coordinates at arbitrary points. Precision positioning that once required expensive GNSS equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars can now be approximated with a smartphone, significantly lowering the barrier to surveying.

• AR (augmented reality) technology: AR overlays digital information onto the real world via a camera, and its use for surveying and construction support is expanding on sites. By displaying design drawings or CAD models on a tablet or smartphone and compositing them with the actual scenery, design data and the field can be intuitively compared and verified. For example, AR-enabled surveying apps can display virtual stakes or structure models on the ground based on set reference points. This allows sharing of the pre-construction completion image on site and guiding stake positions on the screen, contributing to reduced labor for layout marking (setting out).

How Surveying Data Supports Coordination across Design, Construction, and Inspection

A key to i-Construction is to seamlessly link the digital data obtained from surveying through design, construction, and inspection. Traditionally, site measurements were turned into drawings, which then guided design and construction, and inspection surveys were conducted after completion. However, if three-dimensional survey data is acquired up front, that data can be used in many ways throughout later stages.

• Use in design: Incorporating current point cloud survey data at the design stage makes planning and quantity calculations more accurate and faster. For example, in earthwork calculations for site development, what used to be hand-calculated from paper drawings or 2D cross-sections can now be immediately computed by overlaying 3D point clouds and design models to calculate cut-and-fill volumes. When remodeling existing structures, creating a 3D model from point cloud data can eliminate the need to produce as-built drawings. These practices improve the accuracy of design and estimation while shortening review times.

• Use in construction: During construction, surveying data is used for as-built management and progress control. As-built management verifies whether completed structures match the design, and by instantly overlaying point clouds acquired by drones or lasers onto the design’s 3D model, even small dimensional deviations can be detected and corrected on the spot. This reduces rework that previously might only have been discovered at inspection. Regular point cloud surveys during construction digitally record daily excavation and embankment progress. Comparing point clouds over time makes it easy to see at a glance whether work is proceeding according to plan, and sites can be monitored remotely. In short, surveying data is beginning to function as a platform for near-real-time construction management.

• Use in inspection and maintenance: Three-dimensional survey data is also powerful for inspections at project completion. Comparing point clouds of the finished terrain with design data streamlines quantity inspections while leaving objective records. Point clouds can non-contact measure hazardous areas that humans cannot access directly, contributing to safety. Scanning completed structures periodically after construction accumulates digital records of aging changes, enabling displacement detection and repair planning during maintenance. In this way, consistently using data from the surveying stage is key to raising the quality and efficiency of design, construction, and inspection.

Changes Happening on Sites: Reduced Labor, Faster Work, and Improved Safety

With the promotion of i-Construction and surveying DX, real construction sites are steadily experiencing efficiency gains and innovation. Concrete changes occurring at the site level include:

• Labor savings (reduced manpower): Digital technology allows tasks that used to require multiple people to be handled by fewer personnel. For example, a wide development site can be surveyed with one drone and one operator, and there are cases where surveying that formerly took two to three people two days to complete was done in half a day. This enables limited staff to handle more tasks concurrently and has a significant effect as a countermeasure to chronic labor shortages.

• Faster operations: The time required for each phase from surveying to design and inspection has been reduced. By utilizing point cloud data, tasks from site topography capture to quantity calculation and as-built verification can be processed in a form close to real time, reducing waiting times and rework. For instance, using point clouds from drone surveys, on-the-spot earthwork volume calculations can be made and the number of haul trucks arranged immediately. Faster operations directly shorten construction schedules, contributing to overall project productivity gains.

• Improved safety: Replacing dangerous on-site work with technology reduces the risk of occupational accidents. Drones can perform surveying at heights and on steep slopes, and point cloud measurements enable non-contact monitoring of heavy object handling and deep excavation progress—reducing situations where personnel must enter hazardous areas wearing helmets. Shorter working times also alleviate physical strain and lower the risk of heatstroke. With a safer and more efficient work environment, site morale improves, which in turn helps prevent mistakes and improve quality.

• Skill transfer and work-style reform: Digital tools are increasingly equipped with user interfaces that are easy for both younger and veteran workers to use, creating an environment that can be used regardless of experience or age. Even technicians unfamiliar with ICT can often learn intuitive operations quickly through training. Reducing heavy labor and introducing IT helps correct long working hours and promotes taking time off and better work-life balance. Additionally, as the image of the industry shifts away from being “dirty and dangerous” toward a smart site using the latest technologies, the sector becomes more attractive to young and diverse talent, making it easier for new workers to enter and stay in construction.

Smartphone Surveying “LRTK” and the Democratization of Surveying

A groundbreaking tool further advancing site DX is the LRTK, a high-precision surveying device that uses a smartphone. LRTK is an ultra-compact RTK-GNSS receiver that attaches to smartphones such as iPhones; despite its pocket-sized form, it enables centimeter-level positioning. Attach it to a phone and launch a dedicated app, and you can measure latitude, longitude, and elevation with high accuracy without complex operations. Acquired coordinates are automatically converted to Japan’s plane rectangular coordinate system and elevation (geoid height) and can be immediately shared to the cloud with point names and notes. In short, with one LRTK unit, a era is approaching in which anyone can easily perform surveying anytime, anywhere.

The benefits of adopting LRTK go beyond simplifying and speeding up surveying tasks. Even without expensive dedicated equipment or highly skilled surveyors, site managers and craftsmen can measure necessary points and perform layout marking on the spot, reducing waiting times and communication losses. For example, by overlaying structural layouts from drawings onto the real scene with a smartphone’s AR feature and guiding positions with LRTK, stake placement and equipment installation can be done intuitively. Thus, LRTK is enabling the democratization of surveying, creating an environment where not only specialists but anyone can handle high-accuracy survey data.

Moreover, LRTK is offered at a very affordable price point, making a one-per-person deployment realistic. While it used to be difficult to provide surveying equipment to everyone, small smartphone-based surveyors can be carried at all times and used immediately when needed, dramatically boosting site productivity and autonomy. In practice, small and medium contractors that trialed the technology reported, “We scanned the entire site in a short time and even calculated earthwork volumes,” and “It’s easy to use yet highly accurate; it will become a strength for our company,” demonstrating DX effects even on small-scale sites.

The future of construction that surveying DX opens is truly just beginning. Within the i-Construction movement, adopting easy-to-use, high-precision tools like LRTK can be a shortcut to site reform. For more details and case studies on LRTK, see the [LRTK official site](https://www.lefixea.com). Why not harness the latest technologies and evolve your sites to the next stage?