Potential Productivity Gains in the Field through Wireless Technologies

ABSTRACT: Information is one of the key ingredients in the success of any industry. Having information and sending information at the right time and at the right place makes this success. Wearable computing and wireless communication technologies have brought up an informational environment that can be characterized as anytime-anywhere, which is able to enhance productivity. As a productivity improving element, wearable computing and wireless communications have reached a state where they can play a major role in the civil construction industry. Workers of different sections of the civil construction operations can use this environment for tasks such as sharing knowledge between different types of workers when required, updating information like material usage, tasks to be done, presenting needed information at appropriate times and providing guidance and assistance by using multimedia and computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) when required. This paper is about a set of wireless communication technologies, namely Mobile IP and Ad-hoc networking that is considered as a key enabler of this environment. It provides detailed scenarios of how these technologies can be used and the technical details of these technologies. KEYWORDS: Wearable Computing, Wireless Communication, Ad-hoc networking, Mobile IP