Exploring the Benefits of 360-Degree Panoramas for Construction Project Monitoring and Control

Abstract

: In the field of technological construction tools, 360-degree panorama provides a panoramic virtual reality capable of representing the construction environment in great detail. While there are many studies on their pedagogical and safety applications, few studies address the benefits of their use in construction monitoring and control. For this reason, the present research aims to explore its application and benefits for monitoring and control, the research for which begins with a literature review of the application of 360-degree panoramas in construction, where the authors identified the main benefits. In the second stage, the authors analyzed two case studies of its application: the first is based on the construction of a retail project, and the second is based on an infrastructure project. After the implementation, the researchers conducted interviews with the team members responsible for implementing 360-degree panorama. The main benefits of 360-degree panorama are as follows: a complete overview of the construction site situation, verification of the distribution of the space used, documentation of the current project situations, as well as progress control and quality control. These results will hopefully help to improve the understanding of this tool’s current state of the art in the construction field and open the door to future investigations on cost–benefit analysis that facilitate the application of this tool in construction sites.