Computer vision techniques in construction : a critical review

Computer vision has been gaining interest in a wide range of research areas in recent years, from medical to industrial robotics. The architecture, engineering and construction and facility management sector ranks as one of the most intensive fields where vision-based systems/methods are used to facilitate decision making processes during the construction phase. Construction sites make efficient monitoring extremely tedious and difficult due to clutter and disorder. Extensive research has been carried out to investigate the potential to utilise computer vision for assisting on-site managerial tasks. This paper reviews studies on computer vision in the past decade, with a focus on state-of-the-art methods in a typical vision-based scheme, and discusses challenges associated with their application. This research aims to guide practitioners to successfully find suitable approaches for a particular project.