Constructech 2013 Tech Preview: The Future Is Now

​Published in Constructech Magazine
​On February 22, 2013

As trends like BIM, mobile, and cloud continue to shape the construction landscape, technology providers weigh in on how to best leverage such tools in the year ahead.

If there is one thing most contractors can agree on it’s that the last few years have been more hardship than hard profits. The economy is picking up speed in its recovery, but it could revert to the slow growth mode again very easily. Commercial construction is slightly ahead of the residential market and the month-to-month growth is improving for both segments.

As companies start to see some light at the end of the tunnel—although a few are still worried it is the headlight of an oncoming train—they are analyzing their position and making decisions on technology directions for the near future. What evolving technologies should we be aware of? What changes are coming and how should they be dealt with by contractors?

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Throughout the past decade and more, an approach to making IT investments a little less expensive and a little more connected has been the open-systems movement. One of the more recent movements is COSA (Construction Open Software Alliance). James Benham, president, JB Knowledge Technologies, www.jbknowledge.com, Bryan, Texas explains, “If the Construction Open Software Alliance continues to gain momentum, IT managers will see more and more of their favorite software (providers) offering open integration with their other favorite software.”

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Innovative Technology of the Week | The Human LCD

Don't try to tell us human technology doesn't count! Just watch as South Korea shows off the "greenest" LCD monitor we've ever seen. 

 

Integration and Standards in Construction

Published in Constructech Magazine
On February 19, 2013

Many construction companies use disparate technology for different pieces of the business. Flowing data from one system to the next can improve processes significantly, reducing the amount of manual input required in the office. As such, more technology providers are coming together to integrate systems.

This week, Viewpoint Construction Software, www.viewpointcs.com, Portland, Ore, and JB Knowledge Technologies, www.jbknowledge.com, Bryan, Texas, which provides the SmartBidNet platform, have announced a new partnership.

SmartBidNet, which offers subcontractor management, project document distribution and collaboration, subcontractor prequalification, and bid invitation and management, is now part of the Viewpoint Construction Software Development Partners...

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SmartBidNet Accepted as Viewpoint Development Partner

Users of both construction software solutions will have the ability to integrate subcontractor, bid, and project management data through the new partnership.

Bryan, TX (PRWEB) February 18, 2013

Commercial builders looking to streamline their technology without having to buy a one-stop suite of software can now look to alliances like Viewpoint Construction Software Development Partners, and their latest member, SmartBidNet. In an effort to strengthen their product offering by supporting complementary products, Viewpoint has accepted 30 industry software providers into its development partner program to facilitate and integrate the software experience for their 2,000 general contractor, civil contractor, and specialty contractor clients.

Rob Humphreys, Vice President of Product Management at Viewpoint states, “We look forward to working with SmartBidNet to provide customers even greater efficiencies with their projects. We thoughtfully select partner products like SmartBidNet that compliment Viewpoint V6 Software to extend the capabilities of and empower specialty contractors to increase profits...”

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Innovative Tech of the Week | Seven Species of Robots

Watch below and try to tell us you don't want to attend a Robot World Cup. 

Innovative Tech of the Week | An iPad App for Sharing the Super Bowl Experience

TOK Football is a new app that allows you to call up to four friends (who have also downloaded the app) from your iPad and hold a group discussion with running updates on any football game currently airing on TV. For those stuck watching the SuperBowl on their lonesome this year, this is a great way to enjoy gametime banter and Half Time Show commentary with those you hold dear to your game watching experience.

While they regret to inform you that "Beer and hotdogs are not included" the app does allow you to invite friends, find the game you want to follow, watch live updates and commentary from the game, and even let's you contribute a variety of cheers via the "Sound Carousel." We think the Sound Carousel sounds worth it even if you and your four friends are watching the game together. 

Click here to download the TOK Football iPad App 

February Webinar - What's New with SmartBidNet Version 12 and Bid Project Management in the Cloud

Have you heard? We gave our system a major makeover. Version 12 of our online construction bidding software has a brand new user interface, English, French, and Spanish language capabilities, and load times are up to 75% faster. The dashboard, subcontractor profiles, bid projects and online plan room are easier than ever before to navigate and customize. You can learn more here: www.smartbidnet.com/version12 and we are offering informational webinars in February for current users and prospective users.

Are you a commercial general contractor not yet using SmartBidNet? Pre-construction manager, project estimator, project manager? Tune in to a free webinar demo of SmartBidNet Version 12 and learn what all the hype is about. Ask our live presenters any questions you have about managing your bid projects, documents, and subcontractors online, from anywhere, with SmartBidNet. 

Click here to register for this free, informational webinar on February 12th

Are you current a SmartBidNet user? Version 12 operates the same way as the Version 11 you’ve recently been using. This user webinar is simply a chance for users to walk through the new user interface and added features to ensure you are taking advantage of the improvements. You will also have a chance to ask questions, provide feedback, and submit requests to our live presenters. 

Click here to register for this user webinar on February 13th

Innovative Tech of the Week | Robot Restaurants

A restaurant opened in June in China, and the 20 robots that work there, are quickly becoming a marketing piece for the town and a model for robotics replacing humans in the services industry. 

"Upon arrival, Usher Robot welcomes customers to the restaurant and directs them to the seating area. Patrons can then place their order, which is relayed by humans to one of the four the robot chefs who are able to cook various styles of dumplings and noodles. The robot chefs even determine the temperature and ingredients for each dish and usually take about 3 minutes to prepare the average order. These robot chefs are no slouches either. The kitchen staff is able to prepare a menu of over 30 dishes--perfect for a family dinner."

How many more of these restaurants will we see in the coming years? How does such technology lessen or improve the experience of the consumer?

Click here to learn more about China's robot restaurant in Harbin 

The Spreadsheet Endemic

Published in Construction Executive 
Written by James Benham, President of JBKnowledge, Makers of SmartBidNet
January 2013

The first commercial spreadsheets, called VisiCalc, came about in 1978 on an Apple II computer. A huge improvement from number mapping on a blackboard, VisiCalc allowed professionals to manipulate and organize numbers based on underlying formulas. The 1980s brought Lotus 1-2-3 onto the scene with basic database options and faster computing, referencing and graphing integration. In the early 1990s, Microsoft Excel finally overtook Lotus and has since been the preferred spreadsheet application.

When the only alternative was a piece of grid paper, the ability to reference and calculate quantity, cost and item cells in spreadsheets soon became invaluable to estimators and other construction professionals. The proliferation of the Internet and PCs in the construction workplace introduced a range of technology solutions in the 2000s, including all the functionalities of spreadsheets along with dynamic, real-time collaboration and imaging capabilities.

However, more than 52 percent of commercial construction companies still use static Excel spreadsheets to transfer data between processes and departments, according to the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report. The main reasons for resisting newer, better technologies include convenience, efficiency and fear of the unknown.

The Convenience of Spreadsheets 
Being one of the longest surviving computer applications—next to notepads and web browsers—spreadsheet applications are programs familiar to all generations of employees. Additionally, historical estimates, budgeting projections and bid project distribution lists produced before modern day construction management, accounting and estimating software often are archived in spreadsheet files. Plus, spreadsheet programs are almost always pre-installed on staff computers, making them incrementally “free” for employees to use.

The Efficiency of Spreadsheets 
Because employees typically are comfortable with spreadsheets, they don’t require extensive training. The exact opposite can be said for trying to introduce new solutions such as estimating or bid software. Perceived cost and implementation time of new technology often outweighs the future cost savings.

The Fear of Anything but Spreadsheets
 Spreadsheets are predictable, mainly because they are static repositories of information that can’t be touched by a cloud service provider or tapped into by any other solution. Their old-school reliability has become a safe zone where anything outside of a spreadsheet is corruptible and shareable beyond control. Most construction software packages look nothing like...

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Innovative Tech of the Week | FitBit Flex

Oh, where to start with this year's Consumer Electronics Show! Lots of cool toys we can't wait to get our hands on, but one of the most relevant to News Year's resolutions everwhere seems to be the FitBit Flex. A rubbery band built to be worn 24/7 - the band tracks activity, sleep, calories burned and more, connecting via Blue Tooth with your electronic devices. It'll be interesting to see how consumer devices like the FitBit influence the industries' businesses that could benefit the most from their mobile data - i.e. health, insurance, and fitness.

Click here to learn more about the FitBit Flex or watch the video below

Construction Slow to Adopt Cloud Computing

Publish in Daily Commercial News
Written by Peter Kenter, Correspondent
January 4, 2013

Cloud computing is an esoteric name for a simple concept. Instead of relying on one’s own hardware and software for a suite of services, users rely on software, information storage and computing resources accessed over the Internet.

Construction companies, however, have been slow to make use of cloud technology, says James Benham, founder and president of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., a Texas-based information technology services provider, focusing on the construction, real estate, risk and insurance industries.

“With cloud computing, you can access the digital information you need from anywhere, any time through any device — from mobile devices to the computer at home, to the computer at your desk,” says Benham.

“The cloud centralizes, organizes and disseminates your data to the access point most convenient for you.”

The company’s recent survey, the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report, revealed...

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Innovative Technology of the Week | Taxis Summoned by Smartphone

Looks like future newcomers to The Big Apple may not have to learn the essential taxi-hailing wave. In a unanimous vote the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission has approved the use of mobile apps to request taxis throughout the city. 

"The apps will be subject to some geographic restrictions. David S. Yassky, the commission’s chairman, said that for trips in Manhattan’s central business district, drivers and passengers will be allowed to connect electronically only if they are within a half mile of each other. For the rest of the city, trip requests can be made for any taxi within 1.5 miles..."

Some operators are not supportive of the decision as it could fundamentally change business and operating models they depend on. But every new technology initiative had to start somewhere, with both opponents and proponents, and it's hard to deny that mobile is the way of the future. We're anxious to see how the pilot program goes and how app developers and providers respond accordingly. 

Click here to learn more about NYC's decision to allow cabs summoned by smartphones 

A Unique Christmas Construction Invitation to Bid

We're grateful to Carol Hagen of Carol's Construction Technology Blog (a resource we highly recommend you check regularly!) for sharing some of the great work our clients are doing this holiday season in building communities as well as structures. 

"The Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA) is having their Toy Drive to make a difference in the lives of Phoenix Area displaced children.  Instead of a regular press release, McCarthy used SmartBidNet to get the word out about Sunshine Homes to their subcontractors.  Many other commercial construction companies that belong to the ABA are planning to do the same with their own invitation to bid software..."

Click here to visit Carol's blog and read the full post

JBKnowledge's SmartBidNet Software in Constructech Magazine - "Prequalification Tech for Construction"

Published in Constructech
December 4, 2012

Is a subcontractor qualified for a project? Technology not only helps answer this question, but also stores data associated with subcontractor qualifications for use on a project. These days, more general contractors are using such technology to manage sub qualifications electronically.

One recent example comes from Miller Construction Co., www.millerconstruction.com, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., which is encouraging its subcontractor and supplier base to maintain a complete qualification profile inside the platform from jobsite123, www.jobsite123.com, Plantation, Fla.

According to jobsite123, open access to the platform allows for sharing of qualifications information between all project stakeholders. The data within the jobsite123 platform can also be automatically distributed to other construction software such as SmartBidNet from JB Knowledge Technologies, www.jbknowledge.com, Bryan, Texas.

Click here to read the full article

Innovative Technology of the Week | Shutter Shades for Kanye and Coding

"The Bright Eyes Kit contains a pair of glasses made entirely of circuit board and dotted with 174 LED's tacked onto the front...."You can control each individual LED," explains Daniel Hirschmann, co-founder of Technology Will Save Us (TWSU), the London based start-up behind the idea...The small array can display scrolling text, videos of flickering flames or generate any moving image that the user desires."

The "shutter" shade design made popular by Kanye West has proved more than just a questionable fashion statement after all. In hopes of providing incentive and motivation to learn computer coding, Bright Eyes' new shades allow the owner to code the display directly into the lenses - an attachable microphone can also make the LED display sensitive to audio. 

While the actual display may be nothing more than party trick, for now, we like that the tech community is using innovation to attract more pupils and redefine media creation.

"It's really about opening the doorway to the world of technology and understanding what it is. It's about giving people just enough, and making it easy enough, to tantalize them to jump in, and hopefully start swimming." 

Click here to learn more and order your new stunner shades.