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A review on the internet of things in civil engineering:
enabling technologies, applications and challenges
Manisha Gunturi
Department of Civil Engineering, Gokaraja Rangaraju Institute of Engineering & Technology
manishag3897@gmail.com
Abstract-The new technology and concepts of IoT is gaining a lot of interest in the recent years.
This technology aims at improving the\ quality and productivity in various domains. The Internet
of Things (IoT) is about the use of sensors and smart devices and to utilize data collected by these
embedded sensors and actuators for automation. The technology has proven its significance in many
domains and is successfully being used in the various fields of civil engineering. The application of
the IoT is paving its way towards smart and sustainable infrastructure. This paper proposes to
contemplate the status of usage of IoT in Civil Engineering, its issues and difficulties.
1 Introduction
Advancements in sensing and IoT technologies are
revolutionizing civil infrastructure. The usage of
smart devices and IoT is paving the way towards
smart and sustainable infrastructure by enhancing the
efficiency of the construction sector throughout the
entire value chain—from the production of
construction materials to the design, construction,
operation, and maintenance phases. IoT has many
applications in the field of civil engineering such as
buildings, roads, bridges, dams, railways, and
sewerage systems etc. IoT aims at improving the
occupant comfort, efficient operation of building
systems, reduction in energy consumption, reduced
operating and maintaining costs, increased security,
remote access and improved life cycle of equipment
and related utilities. Any existing building can be
converted into a smart building by installing a few
smart devices and sensors connected to a network and
adaptable softwares.
A smart building or an intelligent building is any
structure that uses automation through Internet of
Things to control the building’s operations such as
HVAC (Heating ventilation Air conditioning),
lighting, security, energy optimization etc. This can
be employed by the use of sensors, actuators and
microchips that can collect the data which is further
processed according to the building's functional
requirements. This type of infrastructure helps its
occupants improve asset reliability and performance
in terms of energy efficiency, space optimization,
temperature control and minimizes the
environmental impact of buildings [1-4]. Smart
office buildings, health care facilities, hospitals,
smart transportation facilities, educational facilities,
smart parking lots, stadiums etc are some of the
examples of smart infrastructure.
The modernized sensor-embedded residence with
various integrated systems was thought to be the
basis of smart buildings in initial research. The
system communication between external and internal
was operated remotely and efficiently [5-6].
2 Architecture of IoT
The architecture of an IoT system can be described as
a four-stage process in which data flows from sensors
attached to “things” through a network and
eventually on to the cloud for processing, analysis
and storage. This analysed data is then transmitted
back to the associated devices for taking appropriate
actions [7].
In the Internet of Things, a “thing” could be a
machine, a building or even a person. Processes in the
IoT architecture also send data in the other direction
in the form of instructions or commands that tell an
actuator or other physically connected device to take
some action to control a physical process [8]. An
actuator could do something as simple as turning on
a light or as consequential as shutting down an
assembly line if impending failure is detected [9].
E3S Web of Conferences 309, 01209 (2021)
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https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202130901209
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License 4.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Figure 1: Stages in the IoT technology
Stage 1: Sensors and Actuators - Sensing layer
The process of collection of data starts with sensors
and actuators, the connected devices that monitor or
control the physical processes. Sensors are used to
monitor the physical state such as temperature,
humidity, lighting etc. Various types of sensors are
employed for various functions such as thermal
sensors for monitoring the temperature changes,
motion sensors for detecting any movement etc.
These sensors collect the data from the surrounding
environment.
The actuators are controlling devices that can
perform remediation actions in real time. To avoid
the delay of a round-trip of data to the server, analysis
of data to determine failure and sending of control to
the “thing”, this critical processing is performed in
close proximity to the process being monitored or
controlled.
Stage 2: Internet Gateways and Data Acquisition
Systems -Network layer
The raw data collected by the sensors is then
converted into digital format from analog format. The
DAS then aggregates and formats the data before
sending it through an Internet gateway via wireless
WANs (such as Wi-Fi or Cellular) or wired WANs
for the next stage of processing. At this stage, the
volume of data is huge and needs to be filtered and
compressed to an optimum size for transmission to
the next stage.
Stage 3: Pre-processing: Analytics at the Edge -
Data Processing layer
The edge device performs some analytics as pre-
processing on the data to further reduce its volume
for easy transmission to the cloud.
Stage 4: In-depth Analysis in the Cloud or Data
Center - Application layer
At this stage, the collected data is analysed and stored
securely in remote locations such as in the corporate
data center or in the cloud, where data from multiple
field sites and sensors is combined to provide a
broader picture of the overall IoT system. Data from
the cloud is used by end-user applications like
agriculture, health care, aerospace, farming, defense,
etc.
3. Technology:
The internet of things is all about connectivity i.e. IoT
is a system of interconnected digital devices,
machines, objects, humans provided with unique
identifiers and the ability to transmit and share data
over the network without the need of human-to-
human or human-to-computer interaction. Bridging
the gap between the physical and virtual worlds, IoT
aims at creating smart environments that provide
speed and comfort to the occupants [10-12].
The IoT technology can be stacked into four basic
technology layers [13, 14]:
4. Applications of IoT in Civil Engineering
(i) Structural Health Monitoring
Structural health monitoring (SHM) involves
monitoring and assessing the condition of a structure
under working conditions by tracking parameters like
stress, strain, vibrations etc. The emergence of IoT
have simplified the manual, laborious task of manual
data collection which is inefficient and slow. The
collection of real time data of structures can be easily
done by installing sensors and actuators in the
structures in order to improve the overall
performance [15].
(ii) Smart cities
Smart cities use IoT devices such as connected
sensors, lights, and meters to collect and analyze data.
The cities then use this data to improve infrastructure,
public utilities and services, and more.
(iii) Smart homes
A smart home is any home that is equipped with
smart devices that are interconnected forming a
network. These smart devices enables remote
operation of the smart home system. Google Home,
Amazon Echo Dot, Apple’s Siri etc. form a smart
home hub where a number of devices can be
connected and remotely operated.
Datacollection
usingsensors
Conversionof
rawdatainto
digitalformat
Pre‐processingof
converteddata
Analysingthe
dataincloud
Outputatthe
userend
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(iv) Intelligent transportation system
According to the US Department of Transportation,
“Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) apply a
variety of technologies to monitor, evaluate, and
manage transportation systems to enhance efficiency
and safety.” The installation of smart sensors, GPS
based tracking systems can improve the overall
performance of the transportation systems. With the
help of IoT enabled devices, real time data of the
exact locations, expected time of arrivals, delays etc
can be obtained thereby improving the traffic
efficiency and reduces the traffic problems.
Figure 2: Applications of internet of things in civil
engineering
(v) Smart irrigation facilities
Smart irrigation system makes use of IoT based
sensors in an extensive way to determine the
frequency and depth of irrigation. Sensors of soil
moisture content, temperature, piezometers, weather
sensors etc are widely used for obtaining data which
is then processed and appropriate action (such as
turning on/off the water pumps) can be taken without
human efforts from a remote web or mobile
application.
(vi) Smart parking systems
The parking system can be improved by installing
sensors, that can alert the user about occupied or
vacant spot via web or mobile applications. This IoT
based parking system enables the user for a hassle
free parking in less time thereby reducing the traffic
volume.
(vii) Non-destructive testing
Non destructive testing is practiced for determining
the structural integrity without damaging the
structure. The usage of IoT sensors offers the
opportunity to extract the required parameters
through artificial intelligence, mitigating financial
and operational consequences of deterioration and
routine manual supervision. In addition to that,
maintenance investments and repairs can be
predicted efficiently.
(viii) Damage detection of structures
Smart sensors can be installed in the structures or
underground mines to predict various parameters like
stress, strain, settlements or even seismic activities.
This kind of timely detection and continuous
monitoring can help prevent or minimize the failures
of assets.
(ix) Real-Time Construction Management Solution
IoT provides solutions like remote operative
equipment in the construction industry to ensure
safety of the workforce. In addition to that, the project
costs can also be reduced by employing IoT
applications like Building Information Modelling
which will help to improve the resource efficiency
[16].
(x) Project Safety Platform
Use of IoT enabled sensors and wearable in the
construction site will improve safety and efficiency
of the workforce thereby increasing the productivity.
IoT can be used to obtain real time data of the
construction sites regarding the harsh working
environments, diagnosing and prediction of failures,
accidents and mishaps etc. In case of threats or any
such incidents, emergency evacuation procedures,
preventive measures or rescue activities can be
performed immediately [11].
5. Pros and Cons of IoT:
The IoT has made our lives a lot simpler and it has
much more contributions in almost every domain.
This technology has aimed at providing a better
quality lives by reducing the physical effort. With the
usage of t hese smart devices, most of the tasks can be
done remotely thereby minimizing the human
intervention leading to increased productivity. Just
like every other technology, Internet of Things has its
own Pros and cons. They are:
Pros:
Automation: With the help of automation, the
productivity can be increased in addition to
production costs thus offering a better profit margin
for industries. The higher accuracy in automation will
also enhance the uniformity and quality of the
products and services.
(i) Efficiency: Utilization of IoT enabled devices,
minimizes human intervention and increases
machine to machine interactions resulting in
much more free time. In addition to that, the
machine to machine interaction provides better
transparency in the entire process.
(ii) Economy: Although the initial cost for
installation of smart devices is higher, it is proven
to be economic and cost saving in the long run.
Internetofthings
Structuralhealth
monitoring
Smartcities
Smarthomes
Intelligent
Transportationsystem
Smartirrigation
facilities
SmartParkingsystem
Nondestructivetesting
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(iii) Faster Communication: The machine to machine
interaction has simplified all the tasks and allows
the user to control all the tasks without any
difficulty. Smart home devices such as Amazon’s
Echo dot, Google home and Apple’s Siri has
simplified even the day to day activities.
(iv) Data accessibility: With the IoT, the data
collected can be easily accessed at any particular
time which helps further in the decision making
process.
Cons:
(i) Security concerns: The usage of smart devices
requires internet connectivity huge data transfer
to the cloud. The storage and availability of such
huge amount of data on the remote servers has its
own drawbacks where unauthorized users and
hackers always pose a threat.
(ii) Lag in real time data acquisition: The smart
devices need better internet connectivity to
perform tasks. Fluctuations in the connectivity
and speed of the internet will result in time lag and
obtaining real time data becomes difficult in such
cases.
(iii) Availability of networks and services: The
network connectivity and services which are
required for these smart devices cannot be
ascertained round the clock due to a number of
reasons such as device on the move, weather
issues etc.
(iv) Storage and processing of data: The IoT requires
a number of interconnected devices to work
efficiently which means collection of huge data.
It becomes difficult sometimes for transferring,
storage and processing of this data. Moreover, it
becomes time taking for processing such huge
data leading to delays in action.
(v) Accuracy: The time lag and improper network
and connectivity issues will result in inaccurate
data.
(vi) Compatibility: Since the IoT is still in its
emerging phase, most of the existing devices may
be compatible with the smart devices. Therefore
there exists a need to replace or upgrade the
existing devices in order to ensure connectivity
with the IoT enabled smart devices. In addition to
that the variation in the manufacturing of different
devices may give rise to compatibility issues in
establishing a proper connection.
(vii) Complexity: Although the technology appears
simple to understand, its vast and diverse with
multiple functioning layers and large network of
devices. Any minute error at a single node can
have adverse impact on the output.
6. Conclusions:
The advent of IoT provides better insights into the
construction industry. The IoT can be applied into
various domains of civil engineering. The sensors can
be used to monitor various parameters ranging from
settlements, stresses, strains, consolidation issues etc.
which can assist in avoiding or minimizing accidents
and property loss. In addition to that IoT can also be
employed efficiently in the construction industry in
health and safety issues of the workforce, structural
health monitoring. The BIM application can
effectively be used in construction management
practices. The IoT technology works with minimum
hum intervention but it does require human
supervision for efficient decision making. The
technology is already being employed in various
fields of the Civil Engineering and there is a huge
scope for improving the efficiency of the IoT enabled
smart technologies.
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