# Interoperability of Digital Tools for the Monitoring and Control of Construction Projects
## 2 Background
### Digitized Construction Monitoring  
The current requirements presented by the AECO industry demand the application of modern monitoring and control methods and tools by companies in order to meet regulatory requirements and improve the competitiveness of companies in the construction market [24]. In this respect, increasing productivity implies the improvement in various processes by the use of new technologies and construction procedures [25]. Successful construction management requires the integration of processes, technologies and people to achieve its objectives [26], where information on the progress of a project offers a continuous diagnosis of it, allowing the different members of a team to make appropriate decisions about any measure to save the project and ensure its completion [27]. Technology is slowly paving the way for technologically supported project management practices in construction, for transforming and allowing the establishment of new tools for remote monitoring and for allowing for automation of the supervision of construction progress, improvement in data acquisition and, consequently, improvements in decision-making in project management to meet objectives and ensure productivity [28]. The continuous development of technology has made it possible to effectively solve practical problems associated with the AECO industry. [29]. Therefore, the development of digitized construction monitoring has the main purpose of developing the connection between traditional or existing methods and new technological systems. The basic theory for developing such a model is to extend the traditional approach so that construction operations become dynamic and simultaneous [30]. The World Economic Forum (2016) developed a transformational framework for the construction industry that lists 30 best practice measures. The three most important components of the transformation of its traditional approach are the following: (i) being open to innovation to take advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies, materials and tools to reduce production costs; (ii) considering the adoption of mechanized and automated production systems with offsite construction techniques to accelerate the construction process and improve the timely completion of projects in a collaborative environment; and (iii) the role of project management and cost control in the design and planning stages [31]. It has been mentioned that the construction industry has been criticized for its slow adoption of emerging technologies. However, in recent years this trend has changed. The rapid growth of the availability and power of technologies, with their continuously decreasing cost, has allowed them to be adopted and considered an effective tool for the analysis of massive data for the purpose of monitoring and controlling the progress of projects [32]. During recent decades, research efforts have been made towards advanced 4D planning models by integrating three-dimensional (3D) models with the time parameter [30]. There is an evident need to develop an integrated model to automate the current practice, since monitoring and manual control have not produced the expected results. Efficient management can be obstructed by lost time in information recovery, poor structuring and delayed communications [33]. Manual monitoring is labor intensive and often requires a choice between monitoring based on rough estimates or spending a lot of time collecting and processing data. [34]. Introducing digitized construction monitoring in the construction phase would allow project managers and site engineers to more effectively and accurately monitor project progress. Therefore, this system will improve the decision-making process and productivity and reduce claims for delays [30]. Each team member needs to know, in a timely and accurate manner, the progress of the project and the current status to contrast such information with the originally established plans [35].