Low-cost mobile augmented reality service for building information modeling

Informed decision-making is crucial for construction site operators. Cyber-physical systems, including various technologies such as augmented reality and building automation tools, are gathering popularity within the infrastructure management sector. However, they are expensive and inaccessible to adopt for most small organizations. This paper describes a prototype of low-cost mobile augmented reality service for BIM and demonstrated its usability for pipe maintenance by supporting inspection, workflow management, data reduction, and augmented reality. User views about the decision support, integration and ease of use of the prototype were also collected from the organisations in the UK and South Korea. The results showed that integrating the augmented reality service with the building automation tool connected to the BIM server enhances decision-making for on-site operations by generating a closed loop. This paper also highlights the need for developing low-cost digital solutions to foster the digitalization of construction organisations with limited budgets.