The Role of Data in Construction with Josh Symonds

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In this episode of the Digitial Construction Podcast, we have Josh Symonds, seasoned data leader with a career at Arup and Aurecon. Josh recounted his varied career journey from surveying through council to consulting engineering at SMEC and then Arup, where his career in the data space exploded. He believes data is the missing link between design and asset management in construction, noting that data capture during construction has historically lagged behind design. Regarding BIM, Josh observed a push for richer data and the increasing role of automation. He stressed that a key principle of effective data management is having a standard way of structuring data, even if it's not perfect, along with metadata tracking. Challenges in managing large datasets include over-verticised geometry and the lack of interoperability between different software packages. Josh emphasized the importance of consolidating disparate data sets to enable effective reporting and decision-making. An example of data's impact was a light rail project where BIM data was used to assess the carbon impact of design options. For information security, Josh advocated for a zero-trust approach and highlighted the risks of accidental data breaches. Legally, data ownership, especially post-project, and data residency are crucial considerations. To ensure data accountability, Josh suggested having data custodians. Common data management mistakes include collecting absolutely everything without a clear purpose and neglecting data lineage, which is critical for data trust. For training teams, Josh recommended rigid flexibility in data standards and fostering communication between different project teams. Looking to the future, Josh sees a significant impact from AI and machine learning for reporting, validation, and populating missing data, as well as the continued growth of digital twins. He is also excited about the potential to leverage data from older projects using new technologies.

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