Intelligent Asset & Personal Tracking Solutions

for the Construction Industry

Introduction

The UK construction industry accounts for over 7%* of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product and employs over two million people. It is a major contributor to the UK economy. At the same time it is an industry that is facing some of the greatest challenges. Regulation and the industry itself are driving improved practices in construction. (*Source : Office for National Statistics). Because the industry employs such large numbers of people, uses such large quantities of machinery and tools, any measures that it can take to improve the utilisation of people, assets, and materials have a significant effect on the profitability, efficiency as well as the safety of the workers and will help improve the reputation of construction businesses. This is where Information and communications technologies can make a significant contribution to improving profitability.

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The advent of a new technology, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Bluetooth 4.0, has emerged and can be utilised to improve the ability of construction businesses to keep track of tools and log and monitor activities on site and to improve health and safety.

Integrating Technologies

One of the difficult issues facing organisations planning to deploy new technologies is how they can all integrate and become completely interoperable with any existing and future technology. Some technologies lack standardisation and are less flexible when it comes to converging technology making it difficult to “Future Proof” investment in IT based solutions. This ‘interoperability’ and need for “Future Proofing” is helping to drive innovation of BLE applications and BLE is quickly becoming the technology of choice as it integrates with many existing devices (approx. 80% of all mobile devices) in addition to

Knowing exactly where valuable tools and equipment

are in “real time” can be key to a successful

construction project, as can protecting employees in

an industry where accidents and injury are an ever

present danger

individual beacons and tags. Adopted by IOS, Android and Windows operating systems, its low power and cost, as well as its robust and reliable communication technology make it ideal for low power applications. Across a range of uses from consumer based home applications to industry specific uses such as for construction and medical.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Bluetooth 4.0

The introduction of BLE is not only more flexible but has significant advantages over some more well-known location technologies such as:

GPS - which doesn’t work inside buildings,

Wi-Fi - which has a wide error range and drains power

RFID – which is limited to its own technology and provides very little integration with other devices

BLE has a much wider scope of functionality and interoperability – as any device equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 is capable of being detected and able to receive information or services. This makes the use of BLE “beacons” a viable alternative choice for clients who want to be able to invest in IT installations knowing that added functionality can be activated further down the line supporting a road map of requirements not only today but in the future. And as such BLE solutions are ideally suited to organisations that want to track and monitor assets and/or people (such as patients, construction workers, retail shoppers) in a particular location.

BLE Beacons

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BLE beacons are small, low-power Bluetooth 4.0

transmitters that repeatedly broadcast their presence

to other nearby Bluetooth detectors. Each beacon has

its own Unique Identifier (UUID) and when in range of

a Bluetooth ‘detector’ it can recognise the specific

UUID and report its whereabouts in real-time onto an

online console or mobile application. BLE can also be

much more reliable to triangulate to fix a precise

location than other technologies

BLE Beacons allow information to be both accessed and new instructions transmitted, without physical contact, and can be fixed to a wide range of items from high value machinery through to wooden pallets, metal pipes, tools, etc. BLE beacons can also be created with a number of enclosure options including wearable casing such as wristbands or lanyards, for use by individual employees. BLE technology can be integrated into many other applications. Smartphone apps can be built to connect with detectors, which in turn can be integrated into back end system databases and enable content to be presented on applications across many operating systems including: IOS, Android, Windows8. The detectors are capable of pushing out content onto these applications when a device is in the vicinity:

Data records could automatically be sent to a mobile application when the device enters a specific zone

Alerts could be sent to devices to notify workers of no-go areas

Applications can be developed to control building systems (ie turn off lights, set alarms etc)

Environmental monitoring (temperatures, Thermostats, Humidity) – connecting to applications to record information and activate alerts

Rehabilitation monitoring – fitness (Step counter/Activity monitor, heart rate monitor) – sending signals to applications to monitor wellbeing and sending alerts

Detectors can ‘read’ any Bluetooth or Wi-Fi enabled device; smartphone, tablet, laptop, PC or two-way radio

The Iknaia Solution

Iknaia provides an end to end completely robust asset management and personnel tracking system using BLE (Bluetooth 4.0).

Iknaia Beacons

Iknaia BLE beacons are custom manufactured with low power consumption for long battery life (up to 3 years), with a range of up to 30 metres. Beacons are approximately 25mm diameter and made to be durable hardwearing and waterproof, with a broad variety of mounting and enclosure options including wearable casing such as wristbands. They can easily be attached to any type of equipment and hard to remove. Iknaia beacons announce their ‘location’ to the network in real time, allowing for immediate reporting of assets and employees.

Iknaia Detectors

Iknaia detectors are also fitted with Wi-Fi receivers and will track any Wi-Fi activated device including smartphones, laptops, tablets and PCs. There is also the option to add RFID components, to enable tracking of RFID tagged equipment, should this be a requirement.

Iknaia detectors will detect any Iknaia sensor and ANY Bluetooth 4.0 device. This includes any Smartphone; Bluetooth enabled two-way radios, tablets and laptops.

In environments where existing hardware is already in place and Bluetooth enabled, only Iknaia detectors will be required.

Installation and Infrastructure

Iknaia Detectors can be installed completely independently of any existing IT infrastructure. This ensures an easy installation without interfering with any existing networks already in place. Our team of qualified engineers will build a robust, reliable and dedicated wireless mesh data network for simplicity and security.

Alternatively Iknaia detectors can also be integrated into any existing infrastructure.

Iknaia detectors can be hard wired into a normal power supply or they can be battery or solar powered dependent upon the environment.

- a completely autonomous, self-learning, self-healing, mesh network - scalable infrastructure supports permanent and temporary configurations - single, self-contained enclosure for each Iknaia beacon zone monitor - an internet connection is required in order to send the data over the air to the

dashboard, this can be a normal broadband connection, or a 2G/3G wireless connection (if no mobile network is available, backhaul can also be via satellite backhaul for remote locations)

Software

Iknaia’s software works in conjunction with Iknaia sensors and detectors to provide complete real-time asset management and environmental monitoring solutions, providing up-to-the minute information about each sensor location, movement, security and environmental status.

Iknaia detectors will also report data on any Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled devices offering last seen location and movement.

Iknaia’s cloud-based data collection and simple-to-use browser application can be used as a standalone application on your desktop or any mobile device. The data can also be integrated into your own existing applications via open APIs. A bespoke dashboard application can also be created upon client request, as can mobile applications compatible with IOS, Android and Windows.

Conclusion

Key advantages of deploying Iknaia Asset Management into the Construction industry:

1. Maintenance control and management

2. Control access to sites or areas within sites and monitoring of security staff activities on site

3. Monitoring the location of Plant equipment; enhancing security and reducing loss of tools and other capital items

4. Tracking tools; reducing time spent on locating valuable tools

5. Material identification and tracking; improving the traceability of materials on site to final construction

6. Tracking and monitoring workers activity around sites

7. Health, safety and environmental compliance

The costs to trial BLE is relatively low, compared to other technologies and piloting the technology can be the best way to assess its potential.

BLE is a technology that has widespread application within the construction industry. It can be used in conjunction with existing infrastructures and devices, as well as being deployed on a completely isolated basis. It is also an ideal solution where rapid telephony deployment is required or where temporary business locations are used.

At Iknaia we offer clear and defined project implementation, no “hidden” surprises, we follow a simple process that is easy to understand;

• Location consultancy & survey • Review of facilities and definition of requirements • End to end installation from management and reporting • Purchase or rental of Iknaia infrastructure options • Fully trained and experienced team of engineers • Optional integration of WLAN and Fixed Line services

Once deployed Iknaia provides ongoing support and maintenance on the required installation works and assists in the activation of services. Ongoing administration is provided through the web-based administration tools.

For further information:

Tel: +44 (0) 203 751 2980

info@iknaia.co.uk