Centralize Information with Cloud Sharing! On-site DX Transforming Solar Construction Management

On solar power installation sites, efficient information sharing and accurate construction management are required. However, with traditional methods, drawings and progress information tend to be scattered across many places, hindering coordination between the site and the office. Recently attracting attention is centralizing information through cloud sharing. By consolidating construction information using the cloud, solar construction management on-site is poised for major change. This article explains the benefits brought by cloud-based information centralization and the transformations that on-site DX (digital transformation) brings to solar construction management.

Current State and Challenges of Solar Construction Management

As interest in renewable energy rises across Japan, the construction of large-scale solar power plants (mega-solar) is increasing. On sites where tens of thousands of solar panels are installed over vast areas, a wide range of tasks is required, including topographic surveys, monitoring earthwork progress, checking panel layouts, and creating construction records.

However, many analog methods remain in solar construction management today, bringing various challenges. For example:

• Inefficient surveying work: Surveying requires specialized equipment and personnel, and results are often recorded by hand on paper drawings, which is time-consuming.

• Delays in information transmission: Work instructions and progress reports are often communicated by phone, email, or verbally, lacking real-time capability and leading to frequent miscommunications between the site and the office.

• Burden on large sites: Because sites are expansive, site supervisors must walk all corners to understand progress, which is a heavy burden.

• Complexity in photo and document management: Organizing construction photos and preparing reports is done manually, creating risks of human error such as missed photos or incomplete records.

• Mistakes from insufficient information sharing: If information sharing across processes is inadequate, discrepancies between design and site understanding can lead to rework or construction mistakes.

• Reliance on individual expertise: Many processes depend heavily on the experience and intuition of veteran staff. With a shortage of personnel and an aging workforce, traditional methods are becoming increasingly unsustainable.

In practice, delays in information sharing often lead to on-site mistakes and rework. For example, if an error in the finished ground elevation during earthwork is discovered late, corrective work may be forced in a later stage. There are also cases where inadequate management of site photos resulted in missing critical records and subsequent trouble. In this way, conventional, person-dependent, and inefficient management systems show their limits especially in large-scale projects.

Promoted as a key to solving these issues is the advancement of on-site DX (digital transformation). Efforts are underway to fundamentally transform work processes using digital technologies such as the cloud and smartphones to improve efficiency and sophistication in construction management.

First, the construction industry as a whole faces severe labor shortages and an aging workforce. Managing expansive sites normally requires many personnel, but younger workers are decreasing and veteran technicians are aging. To run complex sites with limited staff, improving individual productivity is essential, and promoting labor-saving and automation through DX is urgent.

Next, demands for shorter construction periods and cost reductions are increasing. With rising demand for renewable energy, there is pressure to bring solar power plants online quickly. By using digital technologies to shorten surveying and inspection times and share data instantly, wasteful waits and rework can be reduced.

Furthermore, there is momentum for DX promotion at the national and industry levels. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s i-Construction initiative encourages the use of ICT and 3D data in civil engineering and construction. Solar power sites are no exception, as visualization and remote supervision using the latest technologies are expected to improve safety and quality.

Thus, fundamental business reform through DX is becoming indispensable even in solar construction.

Advantages of Centralized Information and Cloud Sharing

At the heart of on-site DX is managing information centrally in the cloud. Drawings, schedules, progress reports, inspection records, photo data—every piece of information related to construction management is consolidated on a cloud-based platform. This enables all stakeholders to always access the same up-to-date information, from on-site staff to head-office managers and partner companies.

Previously, departments and individuals managed separate files and ledgers, causing confusion such as “which is the latest drawing?” or “reports differ between the site and head office.” Centralizing information in the cloud eliminates such discrepancies. For example, when construction documents or schedules are updated, uploading the latest data to the cloud immediately shares it with everyone involved. It removes the need to deliver heavy drawings to the site or send them back and forth by email, dramatically improving the speed and accuracy of information transmission.

Also, with data accumulated and centrally managed in the cloud, you can create a situation where "the needed information is found immediately." Past meeting records and inspection results can be searched and viewed from the site, making it easy to trace history. Not only during construction but also during post-handover maintenance and inspections, construction history stored in the cloud can be referenced, enabling information use across the entire life cycle of the solar power installation.

Rapid Reflection of Design Changes

During construction of a solar power plant, design changes may occur due to changes in ground conditions or revisions to design content. Traditionally, when drawings were revised, new drawings had to be mailed or emailed to be replaced on-site, taking time to disseminate. With cloud-based information sharing, simply updating the data on the cloud when construction documents or instruction sheets change immediately communicates those changes to everyone.

On-site staff can check the latest drawings and instructions anytime on a smartphone or tablet, eliminating the risk of mistakenly working from outdated versions. Quickly responding to design changes prevents rework and reduces the risk of schedule delays. Even minor change instructions can be shared with the site in real time, enabling flexible construction responses to changing conditions.

Real-time Progress Management and Sharing

Using the cloud and digital tools, it becomes possible to grasp and share construction progress in real time. Site personnel can report daily task completions and as-built conditions (post-construction finish) with photos from a smartphone or tablet, and that data is immediately reflected in the cloud.

Managers and clients located remotely can view the latest progress data and photos online at any time. There is no longer a need to print大量の紙資料for status meetings. With progress visualized on the cloud, delays or issues can be detected early and decision-making speeds up significantly. For example, if work in a certain area is behind schedule, backup personnel can be arranged or the schedule revised immediately. Always sharing the latest information enables integrated management that makes the distance between the site and remote locations irrelevant. In addition, progress sharing via the cloud facilitates disclosure to clients and related agencies, contributing to greater site transparency.

Integrated Use of Photo and Location Data

In DX, the use of photos and location information is also an important point of site management. Traditionally, site photos were pasted into paper ledgers or managed in foldered files. Digital tools allow photos to be automatically organized at the time of capture and shared with stakeholders.

Photos taken with a smartphone automatically include GPS coordinates and timestamps, making it clear “when and where” a photo was taken. These photos can be linked to drawings or maps in the cloud, so you can intuitively understand which part of the large solar site a record refers to. Even parts that will be hidden after completion—such as buried wiring or foundation pile positions—can be reliably recorded by keeping geotagged photos in the cloud.

Moreover, if surveying data and inspection results are stored in the cloud and linked with photos, advanced management like cross-checking design drawings with site photos and numerical data becomes easy. It is even possible to overlay past photos at the same location using AR to compare them with the current scene. This makes observing changes over time and preparing reports simpler, broadening the range of record data usage. Centralized cloud management of photos, location data, and measurements greatly helps prevent omissions in site records.

Eliminating Reliance on Individuals and Preventing Construction Errors

Sharing and standardizing information in the cloud also helps eliminate person-dependent management in construction. Traditionally, surveying and inspection know-how tended to rely on specific skilled individuals. DX tools make it possible for non-specialists to perform measurements and records to a certain standard. For example, attaching a high-precision GNSS receiver to a smartphone and using a dedicated app enables centimeter-level measurements and surveying by non-surveyors.

Also, using AR (augmented reality) technology to overlay design models on a smartphone or tablet screen allows on-site comparison of design and construction status. Displaying the planned positions of panel racks in AR during foundation work and checking whether ground markings match makes it easier to detect deviations intuitively compared to traditional tape measures or transits, reducing human error-driven mistakes. AR visualization is useful not only for field workers but also when clients or designers visit the site to share the finished image. Presenting a 3D model over the actual view clarifies the completed appearance that drawings alone may not convey, helping all stakeholders share spatial images and preventing rework due to mismatched understanding.

By breaking away from person-dependent management and enabling anyone to perform quality checks and surveying with digital tools, organizations are no longer dependent on specific staff. Even if personnel change, accumulated cloud data and standardized workflows enable smooth handovers. Sharing information and knowledge across the organization eliminates risks such as “only this person knows the site situation.” Above all, early detection and correction of mistakes lead to improved construction accuracy.

Effects on Labor Reduction and Efficiency

Implementing on-site DX directly contributes to construction site labor reduction (running with fewer people) and operational efficiency. Surveying and as-built inspections that previously required multiple people can be completed quickly by a single field technician with a smartphone. Time previously spent organizing photos and writing reports can be drastically reduced through automatic cloud sharing and data linking.

Without relying on veteran manpower, a limited number of personnel can manage more sites, addressing chronic labor shortages. At the same time, real-time sharing reduces idle waiting and rework, contributing to shorter construction periods and cost savings. If digital technology increases individual productivity, even small teams can execute large-scale projects without sacrificing quality. In solar power projects, DX-driven efficiency also brings business benefits such as earlier commissioning and improved profitability.

Cloud Integration, Simple Surveying, and Smartphone-Compatible DX Tool “LRTK”

One solution that strongly supports such on-site DX is LRTK. LRTK is a site DX platform that leverages smartphones and provides all-in-one construction management functionality through a compact dedicated RTK-GNSS receiver device, a smartphone app, and a cloud service. It supports DX features such as cloud integration for information sharing, simple surveying, and smartphone accessibility, accelerating digitalization of solar construction management.

Its main features are as follows:

• Cloud integration: All surveying and record data captured with LRTK are automatically synced to the cloud and can be viewed and checked immediately from a PC via a browser. Real-time collaboration is possible, allowing office technicians and clients to quickly confirm site-captured information and provide appropriate instructions and feedback.

• Simple surveying: By attaching a compact RTK-GNSS receiver to a smartphone, anyone can perform centimeter-level positioning and surveying easily. Position coordinates can be recorded with a single tap in the app, and the captured data is immediately saved to the cloud, eliminating the need for handwritten notes. Tasks that once required a surveying team can be completed by a single site person with LRTK, making it realistic for one person to handle surveying through inspection.

• Smartphone compatibility: Designed for intuitive smartphone operation, it is easy for field workers to adopt. Combining a smartphone’s high-performance camera and LiDAR sensor with LRTK’s high-precision positioning enables simple 3D scanning and AR-based surveying and design checks. You can AR-display 3D models of drawings on-site to verify construction locations, or manage captured photos and point cloud data on a map to compare with past conditions—completing advanced checks, recording, and sharing with just a single smartphone.

With LRTK, the entire process of “measuring, verifying, recording, and sharing” required for solar construction management can be completed on-site. Because it realizes the DX functions discussed here in a single integrated tool, adoption is straightforward. Even on vast solar power plant construction sites, LRTK can be a reliable partner supporting efficiency and quality improvement. LRTK also aligns with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s i-Construction guidelines, making it a solution that strongly supports digitalization in the construction industry. When considering on-site DX for construction management, it is worth leveraging such smartphone-complete state-of-the-art technologies.