Balfour Beatty’s Hong Kong arm, Gammon Construction, has struck a deal with Sensat, the digital twin technology start-up, to integrate all drone-captured topographical, asset, and real-time operation data into a digital platform. This will enable real-time visualisation of project data anywhere and anytime.
Sensat’s platform is a cloud-based common visualisation environment that allows project managers to layer, locate and compare site data over time across teams, and visualise dynamic project performance, accessing site data remotely.
Sensat turns complex visual and spatial data into what is described as “contextual simulated reality” designed to enable computers to solve real-world problems.
Recently, Sensat has been involved in delivering one of the largest drone surveys in the UK: mapping the entire phase one route of HS2, and is part of HS2’s Innovation Accelerator initiative.
Paul Evans, executive director & CTO of Gammon, said: “At Gammon, it has been a common practice for our projects to use drones to capture project data. This, together with the increased digital data collection from IoT sensors and computer vision on our sites, means we are starting to see the criticality of having a versatile data platform to process and analyse this data to generate insights for project management. Sensat’s technology is by far one the most advanced in fulfilling such needs.”
Gammon and Sensat have been working together to perform pilot trial projects, aiming at demonstrating value to Gammon’s clients, as well as showcasing the integration together with digital technologies.
“It’s such a pleasure to be partnering with Gammon, a like-minded digital disruptor committed to pushing boundaries with construction innovation while having a clear vision of excellence founded on safety, sustainability, and absolute integrity,” said James Dean, CEO at Sensat.
“This is an exciting partnership between Gammon and Sensat which again demonstrates the interest in tech collaborations between the UK and Hong Kong,” said Corin Wilson, director, trade & investment, at the Department for International Trade. “The UK has a long pedigree and a world-class reputation in developing and utilising innovative technology to optimise the built environment. We are keen to continue working with Hong Kong industry and government so that we can bring our innovative technologies to make the world’s cities more sustainable, responsive and smart.”
