A LoRaWAN Multi-Technological Architecture for Construction Site Monitoring.

Area of Science:

• Construction Management
• IoT and Sensor Networks
• Occupational Health and Safety

Background:

• Real-time monitoring of construction sites is crucial for worker safety and accident prevention, with significant economic and social implications.
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) integrated with sensor-based approaches offers a beneficial solution for enhancing site safety.
• Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies are well-suited for deploying effective construction site monitoring systems.

Approach:

• An autonomous Long Range (LoRa) modulation technology-based system was developed and deployed for monitoring a construction site.
• Worker spatial monitoring utilized tracker devices with Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) and Global Positioning System (GPS).
• Personnel and gear access was managed using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, while structural health was monitored by solar-powered sensor nodes with movement sensors.

Key Points:

• The system integrates LoRaWAN gateways for seamless data exchange between sensor nodes and the internet, establishing an Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm.
• Real-time data collection from worker tracking, RFID access control, and structural monitoring sensors provides comprehensive site awareness.
• The study details the features of worker and structural sensor nodes, the RFID access management, and the LoRaWAN gateway integration.

Conclusions:

• The developed LoRa-based system offers an effective IoT solution for autonomous, real-time monitoring of construction sites.
• This approach significantly enhances safety by monitoring both workers and structural integrity, mitigating health and accident risks.
• The system provides a comprehensive overview through a user-friendly web interface, facilitating improved construction site management.