Finding That Critical Jobsite Photo

[Rob Mathewson]

Imagine what it’s like to dig a hole in the sand at the beach. Hand over hand, you dig away and watch as the hole changes constantly with each shift in the sand. Whenever you see anything interesting in the hole (a sea shell, piece of sea glass, etc.) it’s covered over almost as quickly it’s uncovered.

Essentially, this experience provides a summertime analogy for tracking the work on a construction site. No matter what your role on a jobsite, you depend on knowing the condition of your area of interest continuously over the course of the project. The advent of digital photography has made it possible to inexpensively record the physical condition of the project in extreme detail. Unfortunately, recording the digital images are the easy part. After shooting hundreds (and something thousands) of jobsite photos, finding that critical construction image after the fact becomes the ultimate challenge. (Raise your hand if you have a hard drive choked with project photos that are organized by project and date.)

I would like to know what you, as a construction-related professional, do to extract meaningful data from your jobsite photos. Feel free to leave your comments and exchange ideas with your fellow readers.

[David Grubb]

Rob-

Great questions. First let me tell you that I am an architect that works very closely with contractors/builders, to assure quality to the clients. Primarily working on High-end custom homes, I have the weekly site meeting and usual hundred plus images to sort through and manage.

Recently I was referred to Multivista Construction Documentation. http://www.multivista.com/

What is great about this service is that they use there time to take the images, sort and post online. All the images are reference to floor plans, so all you have to do is select an arrow on the plan and the image(s) in that view, pop up.
Another positive thing is that everyone has access to the images, all that is needed is a username and password. (you can decide who gets it) Clients, contractors, designers, engineers, etc...

How do I extract meaningful data from the images? Where do I start! Foundations, piers, footings, anything subterranean that has been back filled or covered, photos are great for this. You can see if that footing or pier was poured. Others, electrical and plumbing this is a big one, once the drywall or finished wall material goes on and you need help locating wire or pipes. Once back in the office, others can view the images and be used as a tool to point out corrections that need to be made, or unique details that have never been done. There are even times when clients are in other regions and a problem needs to be addressed, photos are great so the client can visually see the problem.

I can go on and on! Let me know if you want any more specific examples or experiences. Always glad to help.

Thanks

-David