Digital Soil Tracking System for the Construction Industry : Developing technology for more efficient mass transportation

Abstract: Background: The construction sector is growing rapidly and is on the list among the most significant segments of the global economy. The output from global construction is expected to reach 12 trillion US dollars by 2025. This rapid growth in an industry that has been staying comparatively the same because of the conservative nature of this sector can cause problems. Some companies are depending on old-fashioned habits and practices, which leads to decreased productivity and efficiency. Some trends in this segment impose higher demands in terms of cost, time, sustainability, transparency, and an increased need for accessible technology, equipment, construction materials, and processes. Aim and Purpose: This thesis aims to underline the problems with the current material tracking and material data management in the construction industry. To highlight the limitations and create a minimum viable product, demonstrating the ability to introduce a semi-automated solution to aid the creation of a future circular system. Methods: In this thesis, the Design Research Methodology, together with the Design Thinking methodology, has been used to support the researchers' emphasis on achieving progress and insights regarding the existing issues, conditions, and probabilities. The Design Thinking methodology was used to tackle complex problems which may not have a clear list of needs and requirements. Further, semistructured interviews and observations have been used to gather qualitative data for the project to support decision-making and validity. Results: The result presented is a tracking system with hardware consisting of a probe and a beacon, and software including a database, REST API, MQTT broker, a mobile app, and a website. The system helps companies in the construction industry to easily document, monitor, track, and follow up transportation data and records. It also allows companies to take a step away from the outdated systems and methods, like physical delivery notes, and be more prepared for the future of transportation in the construction industry. Conclusions: An efficient system for data management during transport is absolutely necessary to drive the transition period towards a more sustainable and digitalized construction industry. The proposed solution in this thesis shows the possibilities of digitizing data linked to the transport of soil masses in the construction industry and what benefits this can provide. The next step in further developing this tracking system can be to investigate some of the issues that exist with the embedded tracking system.