Challenges in Traditional Surveying and Construction Management

​

First, let's outline the typical challenges in traditional civil engineering surveying and construction management. Using paper drawings and conventional equipment often leads to the following issues on-site.

​

Construction Errors Due to Mismatches Between Drawings and the Site

​

The task of comparing the design drawings with the actual site has traditionally required skilled experience. Visualizing the construction from 2D drawings is not an easy task, especially for younger engineers or those who are not regularly involved with drawings.

​

Errors in reading drawings or misinterpretation can lead to mistakes in survey positions or construction locations, resulting in the risk of construction errors or rework. For example, if the location of a reference point is misinterpreted or if there is a slight error when transferring design dimensions to the site, it may lead to issues like "this is different from the drawings!" after completion, requiring repairs or rework. Traditionally, site supervisors and surveyors would check multiple times, comparing the paper drawings with the site and issuing correction instructions. However, the root cause of these issues lies in the lack of accurate means to reflect drawing information on-site.

The Labor-Intensive and Time-Consuming Process of Surveying

In civil engineering projects, surveying and staking tasks have traditionally been labor-intensive and time-consuming. Using total stations or levels for surveying required multiple people to operate the equipment and hold targets, and in large sites, it was necessary to repeatedly check points and drive stakes.

Weather and terrain conditions sometimes caused delays or interruptions in surveying, impacting the project timeline. Additionally, there was often a time lag between collecting survey data, preparing it for the drawings, and re-deploying it on-site, which posed challenges in terms of real-time data usage. With a shortage of surveyors, there was a growing need for an environment where surveying could be easily done by one person with their own device. Traditional methods made it difficult to calculate earthwork volumes instantly or assess terrain on-site, leading to increased time and costs for reconciling site conditions with the design.

Challenges in Information Sharing On-Site

Civil engineering projects involve many stakeholders, making information sharing on-site a major challenge. Traditionally, site supervisors would bring materials created in the office to the site for discussions with workers, and any changes would be communicated verbally over the phone, often leading to communication errors and time lags. Particularly, it was difficult to ensure that all site personnel were fully informed about detailed drawing changes or important notifications, and this lack of communication could lead to mistakes or rework.

Moreover, paper drawings and progress reports make it difficult to intuitively understand the site’s current situation, and gaps in understanding between stakeholders are common. As a result, corrective actions would often be taken only after problems arose on-site, resulting in a "reactive" approach that hindered productivity improvements.
 

As described above, the gap between drawings and the actual site, inefficiencies in surveying and construction management tasks, and difficulties in information sharing were significant challenges with traditional methods. So, how can the combination of AR and RTK address these issues?

The Impact of Combining AR and RTK Surveying

By combining the latest AR technology with high-precision RTK surveying, innovative changes are emerging to solve challenges on civil engineering sites. Let's explore the key points where this combination breaks through traditional limitations and dramatically improves construction accuracy, efficiency, and safety.

The Benefits of Matching Civil Design Plans with the Site Using AR

With AR × RTK, design data can be precisely overlaid onto the actual site, allowing real-time projection of 3D design models onto the site’s visuals via a tablet or smartphone. This enables easy comparison of the design information with the physical structures and terrain in front of you.

For example, by overlaying the design model onto the piping system being installed, it’s possible to immediately verify whether it has been installed according to the design. Any discrepancies can be quickly identified. AR’s intuitive comparison reduces the need for the construction manager to carry paper drawings and measure precise dimensions, allowing them to focus on on-site verification. Since differences between the design and the site can be identified on the spot, the risk of rework is minimized—an important advantage. In fact, reports have shown that by overlaying the 3D model with AR, work can be carried out with the same accuracy as the design drawings, leading to improved construction precision. When all stakeholders share the same AR visuals, alignment of understanding becomes easier, contributing to faster consensus-building.

Reducing Construction Errors and Real-Time Error Correction

The use of AR × RTK is expected to significantly reduce construction errors. Workers can perform tasks while always overlaying digital design information onto the real-world site, allowing technology to assist in areas where they would previously rely on intuition and experience. For example, positioning errors in structures, which would normally go unnoticed until after completion, can be detected and corrected immediately during the construction phase when using AR. In one case, it was reported that, “By using AR on the construction site, workers were able to refer to design drawings in real-time and work accurately, reducing mistakes and improving overall work efficiency.”

​

With AR, any slight misalignment can be immediately measured and corrected, providing instant feedback and preventing issues from being discovered later on. Additionally, AR helps visualize progress by color-coding areas where the work is either behind or exceeds the design, making quality checks and inspections possible in real-time. As a result, construction defects and rework are reduced, and the quality assurance process is streamlined.

Improved Surveying Accuracy and Reduced Work Time

By integrating centimeter-level positioning data from RTK into AR, accurate and precise AR visualization, which was previously difficult to achieve, becomes possible. With standard GPS accuracy, positioning errors of several meters can occur, limiting the ability to align models in AR. However, with RTK-GNSS enhancement, the error is reduced to a few centimeters, greatly improving the position accuracy of the models displayed in AR.

For example, in an RTK-enabled AR system, the complicated on-site alignment process is eliminated, allowing design data to be displayed precisely at the correct coordinates.
 

By eliminating the need for initial position marking and alignment work, the setup time is also reduced. Additionally, because RTK ensures that the device’s position is always tracked with high accuracy, the model remains aligned even as the user moves.

This increases the stability of the AR display, providing high-precision visual information at all times. The automation of precise alignment dramatically shortens the time spent on surveying and staking. Tasks like terrain surveying or earthwork calculation, which used to take half a day, can now be completed instantly with AR × RTK.
 

With less reliance on manual labor, even small teams can efficiently manage the site.

As seen, the combination of AR and RTK helps bridge the "gap between design and the site," increases precision, and speeds up processes. The following diagram summarizes these benefits.
 

Specific Use Cases
 

Let’s explore how AR × RTK is being utilized on actual civil engineering sites through various use case scenarios. From surveying and construction management to infrastructure inspection, it is delivering innovative results across a wide range of applications.

AR Use Case in Surveying

​

In the surveying field, the combination of AR and RTK is transforming traditional labor-intensive tasks. A major construction company has developed an app that allows users to measure earthwork volumes and assess terrain using only an iPhone/iPad camera, without any specialized equipment. This app enables even a single person to easily perform surveys, with results displayed instantly on the screen, leading to significant reductions in surveying time and costs. This is a prime example of how AR technology is streamlining on-site surveying.

Additionally, AR is being applied to tasks like piling and staking, which were previously done manually. Based on coordinates obtained through RTK, virtual AR piles (virtual pile markers) can be projected onto the screen at the correct installation positions. This allows workers to stake positions even in remote or hazardous slopes where physical stakes cannot be driven. In cases where it is difficult to drive piles into hard concrete surfaces, AR piles can be used as a substitute. In other words, AR visualizes the instruction "place the pile here," enabling both surveying and staking to be carried out digitally.

Furthermore, surveying data (such as point-clouds) can be shared in the cloud, allowing for immediate collaboration with the design department, shortening the cycle from field surveying to design integration. These applications greatly enhance surveying accuracy and operational efficiency, allowing even those without extensive experience to perform precise surveying tasks.

​

Use of AR in Construction Management

In construction management, AR × RTK is a powerful tool. For example, a major construction company has developed a system that overlays design data onto live site footage using AR technology to help verify the alignment between the design information and the actual installation of building systems.

​

This allows construction managers to simultaneously check the design position and the actual installation position of pipes, beams, and other elements on a tablet screen. If there are any discrepancies, they can be immediately corrected. As a result, the burden on construction management is significantly reduced, and the accuracy of quality control improves.

Additionally, the ability to visualize the completed design and project progress with AR is beneficial not only for site staff but also for communication with clients and local residents. For example, in road construction, the model of the completed road structure can be displayed in AR on-site, allowing clients and stakeholders to share the construction vision in advance.

​

Parts of the project that are difficult to explain with just drawings or words can be easily understood with AR, making it highly effective during meetings and consensus-building. Moreover, AR is also useful for progress management during construction. By overlaying the 3D model placed on-site with the daily construction status, progress can be color-coded and missing areas can be highlighted, allowing managers to intuitively handle schedule management. There are also applications for safety management, such as highlighting dangerous areas in AR and encouraging workers to wear safety harnesses.

In this way, AR is driving the "visualization" and "automation of checks" in construction management, enabling productivity improvements through digital transformation (DX).

​

Benefits in Infrastructure Inspection

​

In infrastructure maintenance and inspection, AR × RTK brings new advantages. During routine inspections of roads and bridges, inspectors typically carry past design drawings and inspection records while touring the site, but with AR, these design drawings can be overlaid directly onto the physical structures in real time.

​

This allows inspectors to easily identify areas in need of repair or areas previously repaired, helping to prevent oversights. For example, if the location of cracks in a bridge pier was recorded during the last inspection, an AR marker can be placed at the exact location, allowing the inspector to quickly locate it. Furthermore, AR enhances the reproducibility of inspection records. In one system, when the tablet is pointed at a specific location, an AR arrow helps align the camera with the direction of the photo taken previously, making it possible for anyone to capture the same image as before.

​

This enables more accurate monitoring of long-term changes in structural conditions, allowing for the quantitative comparison of deterioration. In underground infrastructure inspections, AR is being used to visualize the position of buried pipes and cables, enabling inspectors to verify the placement of underground structures without excavation.

​

This method reduces the risk of accidentally damaging existing pipes, allowing repair work to be carried out safely and efficiently. While the use of AR in infrastructure inspections is still in its early stages, it holds great potential for reducing labor, advancing inspection capabilities, and improving data accumulation and sharing. In the future, it will likely become an indispensable tool for the digital transformation (DX) of infrastructure maintenance.

​

Introducing LRTK:

The Tool for Easy AR with No Coordinate Alignment Required

​

Now, let’s introduce LRTK, a groundbreaking solution that makes AR × RTK easily applicable on-site. LRTK is a pocket-sized, all-in-one surveying tool developed by Lefixea, a startup from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. It uses a compact RTK-GNSS receiver that attaches to an iPhone or iPad. With LRTK, you can achieve centimeter-level precision in positioning and perform surveying, point-cloud measurement, staking, photo measurement, and AR display— all in one device. Its cloud integration ensures seamless data sharing, and its price is more affordable than traditional equipment, enabling the goal of "one device per person."

​

The main feature of LRTK is that no on-site coordinate alignment is required for accurate AR projection. Using high-precision RTK positioning data, design 3D models can be displayed directly at the correct coordinates without the need for manual calibration on-site.

​

For example, with conventional AR software, markers would need to be placed on-site to align the model, and if the device was moved, the model would drift. However, with LRTK, there is no need for reference markers, and stable AR projection is possible without positional drift, even when the user moves. This drift-free AR projection is a unique and popular feature of LRTK, making it much easier to share construction plans and conduct as-built inspections.

​

Moreover, LRTK is designed for ease of use, even without specialized knowledge. Simply attach the receiver to your smartphone, and the app automatically calculates positioning data and coordinate transformations, eliminating the need for complex settings.

​

Field personnel can use LRTK just like pulling a smartphone out of their pocket to utilize high-precision AR, and its "anyone can use it immediately" practicality has been highly praised on-site. In fact, there have been numerous reports on blogs and social media mentioning how users appreciate the "excellent positioning accuracy and ease of use", with some even achieving high precision in mountainous areas. LRTK is gaining recognition as a new standard tool on construction sites.

LRTK is the only AR tool on the market that does not require on-site coordinate alignment and can be easily implemented. It can be widely applied across surveying, construction management, and maintenance, making it a solution that truly embodies digital transformation (DX) on civil engineering sites. If you are interested, please check out more detailed information about LRTK. We are also accepting requests for free brochures and consultations on implementation.

By leveraging LRTK, the game-changer for AR Civil Engineering, you can dramatically improve the productivity and safety of surveying and construction. The future of construction sites is dramatically changing with AR and RTK.