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ANALYSIS
Construction data
Data is the new lifeblood of the Built Environment MIDDLE EAST
Suhail Arfath, director, Digital Transformation and Innovation at Hloov, says that democratised and regulated data flow is essential to make the built environment live and breathe—just like the human body
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October 2021 | MEConstructionNews.com
ne of the most critical systems in the human body is the cardiovascular system which includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood. The functions of blood determine the health of the human body. When the body does not receive an ample amount of nutrients and oxygen, cells begin to die. If all cells in the body were to die, we would cease to exist as we know it today. This most incomprehensible yet magical process is made possible by the human heart – which typically works 24/7 and 365 days for an average of 70 years and also helps to regulate the two other body systems: the respiratory and nervous systems. A similar analogy can be made for the data in the built environment as it is a very complex sector that heavily
depends on communication and the flow of information. Industry reports reveal that roughly 96% of the data produced in the built environment remains unused and thus wasted in silos. In comparison, if the same were to happen in the body, a person would suffer organ and tissue damage, resulting in risk to life. With such a large amount of data lost during the process, a sector wherein megaprojects typically take 20% longer to finish than scheduled and are up to 80% over budget; the built environment can barely stay afloat. According to some reports, construction teams spend 13% of their time looking for project data and information, while 30% of E&C companies use tools that do not integrate. Compare this loss in resources to human body blood loss and functioning; the construction sector would barely survive.
Data wastage Industry reports reveal that roughly 96% of the data produced in the built environment remains unused and wasted.
30%
E&C companies use tools that do not integrate
