Apps

Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center “Smart Thumper” app uses soundwaves or vibrations to determine stiffness, a quality that relates to strength, for individual pieces of lumber. The app shows which lumber pieces are stiffer and therefore stronger and can help further evaluate lumber within established grades, potentially optimizing the longevity and cost efficiency of wood structures by selecting stiffer pieces for situations that demand higher performance. The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store.

Software & In the Cloud

B2W Software has expanded B2W Inform, its flexible data capture and analysis solution for e-forms and reporting, with a complimentary library of user-ready form templates. Heavy construction contractors can replace paper forms with highly customized electronic forms for safety, inspection, human resources and other enterprise data needs. The library also includes customizable templates for capturing operational data and reporting it in real-time.

WenPlan is a new Excel alternative cloud-based construction field planning software for developing 4-week Lookahead plans. WenPlan is built for superintendents and construction managers to coordinate and control upcoming onsite tasks, which they can develop independently or invite subcontractors to collaborate.

Trimble Exchange e-commerce platform connects Trimble’s SITECH® dealer network directly with customers in the U.S. looking to purchase pre-owned, refurbished and legacy Trimble products. Customers shopping on Trimble Exchange complete their purchases through their trusted local dealer, allowing them to shop from a nationwide database and buy locally. The online authorized inventory of pre-owned, construction technology from Trimble includes Trimble Certified Refurbished equipment and extended warranties.

Partnerships & Acquisitions

Plexscape, developer of Plex.Earth® AutoCAD tool, and Bird.i, a start-up that combines the latest satellite imagery and artificial intelligence technology, are changing the way engineering projects are designed by opening up access to high-quality geospatial data to the global AEC market. Businesses of any size will be able to bring satellite images, on-demand, into AutoCAD and other CAD platforms.

CalAmp and RoviTracker are partnering on an integration with CalAmp’s Telematics Cloud technology and RoviTracker software solution. Data from the CalAmp Telematics Cloud and CalAmp’s SC1004 and iOn Tag™ smart sensors can be monitored with the RoviTracker mobile app so site managers can monitor the movement of assets in and out of a construction site, rental lot or yard location. Real-time alert notifications are sent via the app when a piece of equipment enters or leaves a geozone.

IBM Think is collaborating with Garmin Health, Guardhat, Mitsufuji and SmartCone to monitor worker safety in hazardous environments, such as construction, using IoT technologies, integrated into wearables. IBM's Maximo Worker Insights will monitor biometric and environmental data to help identify whether employees are experiencing dangers or risk. Data will be gathered in near real-time from wearables, smart devices and environmental sensors to help organizations quickly respond to problems or react to changing environmental conditions.

Video & Cool Stuff

CM Labs’ free e-book, Your Complete Guide to Construction Equipment Training Simulators, covers traditional costs of training and expected timelines for savings and ROI. Registration is required.

Marines from the 1st Marine Logistics Group at Camp Pendleton, Calif., 3D printed a concrete bridge in December, with the help of the Marine Corps Systems Command Advanced Manufacturing Operations Cell and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Marines used an Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures—or ACES—printer, incorporated new equipment into the process, and printed and assembled a usable foot bridge to demonstrate the concrete 3D printing capability in an operational environment.