RFID and BIM-enabled worker location tracking to support real-time building protocol and data visualization

As construction job sites get larger and more complex, the need to maintain building protocol is becoming more necessary. Having a real-time tracking system for materials, equipment and personnel installed on a job site can help project managers to enhance the security, safety, quality control, worker logistics, and maintain local ordinances of a construction project. In this paper we will present the method of integrating passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) for real-time tracking of personnel. The purpose of this research is to utilize RFID-BIM integration to generate real-time data to produce leading indicators for building protocol control. Building protocol includes monitoring safety, security, and verification of maintaining the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development hiring mandate. Hardware components include passive RFID tags, portal RFID readers, fixed turn-style readers, and mobile handheld devices, and a cloud server. The system was deployed on a 900,000 square feet hospital project that consisted of three major buildings, 125 contractors, and 1,200 workers. An algorithm is presented that reduces and organizes the data that the system produces. Linking RFID into industry foundation classes (IFC) has been highlighted. Preliminary results show that the integration of these technologies produces data that is used in real-time resource tracking, data analysis, ordinance compliance, and zone safety violations. Additionally, the system also provided real-time visualization information that can provide a variety of benefits. Significantly, based on experimental analysis, we demonstrate that the RFID and BIM system is a practical and resourceful tool to provide real-time information and location tracking to maintain building protocol control.