The Power of Location

Construction is a physical process. Work takes place on a jobsite with correlated plans, models, and documentation. When a team member on a jobsite needs to access information about something they are working on, it seems logical to ask, why isn’t that information already connected to their work? Why do they need to spend any time looking for it? Even when they find what they’re looking for, how do they know that it is the most up to date information and they aren’t missing anything critical? These questions aren’t hypothetical – information breakdowns are impacting efficiency on construction sites every day, costing billions every year.  

Inertia is built on a simple idea – connect information to where it happens in the field. Lets dig into Inertia’s location-based approach, defining the idea, the approach, and the value of being location-driven on a construction project.

Defining Location Tracking

Inertia is a unique, location-based construction management platform. In a nutshell, the location based approach to construction management is a way to make the flow of information as intuitive as possible on a jobsite. 
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A typical hospital project can have thousands of workers and tens of thousands of records, and every single one is significant. In a worst case scenario, if a team is unaware of critical information and builds something the wrong way, out of turn, or at the wrong time, it can lead to millions of dollars in rework and weeks lost on the schedule. The most successful projects that rely on Inertia for workflow management see a 99% pass rate on first-build inspections.
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Location-tracking is a method that connects records to locations, so teams can check for critical information based on where they’re physically located. It goes a level deeper. When information is connected to a location, then it can be related to all other information connected to that location, or relayed to similar locations for proactive problem solving and communication. Sometimes a mistake is unavoidable, but it’s critical to learn from every mistake as quickly as possible and never repeat setbacks. 
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With location tracking, critical information that prevents mistakes can be automatically relayed to team members that may face similar challenges, and builders can avoid the avoidable.

The Visual Approach to Location Tracking

The core of Inertia’s location-based approach is our proprietary project maps. Project maps are an intuitive, refocused view of  floor plans that make navigating projects easy. Our maps are generated automatically based on your designs, and update whenever designs change, so the maps are always representing the latest plans from the office. When a record is created in Inertia, it’s attached to its physical location on the project map. As the project progresses, information is kept organized, teams are notified when new information relevant to them is added into the system, and stakeholders that may otherwise struggle to find the information they need or trust that they are seeing everything that’s available can rest easy knowing that when they select a location on a project map, they can see everything that’s happened to that location.
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The second location-tracking technology in Inertia is ICD (Intelligent Construction Drawings). ICDs appear similar to traditional contract drawings, like blueprints or PDF sheets that we’re used to seeing on some other platforms. The difference between ICDs and traditional drawings is that ICDs are dynamic and interactive, and work like project maps. They are generated automatically from the project designs, update when changes occur, and keep information connected between locations on the project site. ICDs offer a high-fidelity view of the project while offering the same benefits and functionality as project maps, so when you need access to precise, granular information, it’s at your fingertips. 

The Business Value of Location Tracking

Location tracking makes it possible to build with full confidence in the information and communication on the jobsite. When information silos are torn down, it builds trust, autonomy, accountability, and productivity on the jobsite. Inertia connects users to information based on user roles, making sure everyone gets what they need while restricting access to secure data, logging all changes to records, and managing workflows based on information.
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• Contractors love location tracking because it makes building easier, giving sub contractors precisely the information they need to keep on schedule
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• Designers love location tracking because they can see their information-rich designs realize their full potential
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• Jurisdictions and Quality Control professionals love location tracking because it offers quick access to reliable, current information and holds stakeholders accountable
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• Owners love location tracking because it gives them transparency into the health of their projects

The Future of Location Tracking

Project maps and ICDs are the beginning of location tracking in construction management, but they are not the final destination. As the technologies that power location tracking advance, such as BIM and integrated project delivery, so will project maps and ICD. New technologies will continue to emerge, that will further alter the landscape in this ever changing industry.
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Inertia’s mission is to remain the leader in location tracking technology for construction management. The power of location tracking will continue to transform the way we collect information, connect teams, and communicate project priorities.

Want to learn more about how we leveraging location intelligence to drive jobsite productivity? Check out our website

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