Every day, millions of people work on thousands of projects day and night. The world is now focused on construction, engineering, and automation. Soon, the requirement for workforce and machines will increase for completing these projects.
The project manager and clients need to know about the project’s present status frequently, and that’s how more funding and support from investors flow into the project. The best way to collect the project’s progress is to use a mobile data collection method.
For many years, data collection was manually done, resulting in several accidents and failures, but now, the data collection has become easier. One can use drones for collecting data from the field.
But, what are the reasons people turned to this method? Why was the manual data collection method stunted?
Manual data collection was practiced for ages, not because it was the best method, but there was no alternative method. Even though there were some other alternative methods, they were not as good as the manual method. This changed when the mobile data collection method was developed.
The issues with manual data collection are as follows:
- Time-consuming method
- Disturbing the tasks/jobs in the field
- Accidents
Time-consuming method
Data collection is a tiresome task and may take hours to days, depending on the size of the project and the area it covers. Big construction sites will have mini-projects in different locations, and the data collectors will have to reach those places and report back every time.
These are not viable options even if the project head employs several people for data collection because depending on the size of the projects, it (data) will become irrelevant by the time the information is collected and analyzed.
The manual data collection has three steps:
- Data collection
- Getting approvals
- Providing updates
The value of information is based on its freshness, and old data is no good.
Disturbing the tasks/jobs in the field
The people employed for collecting data need to go to every corner of the area covered under the project’s geographical range. And, it will only succeed if they can access those locations without fail.
The issue with manual data collection is that one can’t assume the distance they have to cover and the risks they’ll face there. Usually, these data collectors are not trained to be in extreme conditions like mining and construction, they may end up hurting themselves and others if not careful.
Accidents
It (accidents) was a common incident till the mobile data collection method was invented. This is what happens when you enter an unfamiliar place without any caution or training. Also, the workers are not trained for rescue or explaining to the surveyors about the dangers of the worksite.
As companies expand and diversify, the amount of data they deal with also increases exponentially, and manual data capture can’t keep up with the processing demands resulting in a “choke point.”
Manual data entry has gone through a tremendous pace, and new technologies have made data entry easier. Most workers use SmartSheet, which has automation that reduces time, but no method has more accuracy and speed than the mobile data collection method.
Above that, automated data collection and field data collection not just makes it easier and faster, it is multiple times more accurate than manual data collection methods.