Vela Systems said last week that it will deliver the world's first construction field software application optimized for the iPad. The new application is scheduled to be released in Q2 of 2010. The a provider of mobile field software for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries, has been focused on building construction applications for the Tablet PC since 2005. Field teams work with Vela software on mobile computers to access construction documents and to complete QA/QC inspections, worklists, punchlists, commissioning, update the Building Information Model, and more. Home office teams and management use Vela software via the internet to oversee Quality and Safety programs, coordinate among trades, and connect field information to Building Information Models for handover and facility management.
"We have established ourselves as the thought leader when it comes to delivering mobile field technologies for the construction industry. It goes without saying that we will continue to lead the industry by developing new applications that will run on Apple's iPad, which features a lightweight, incredibly easy-to-use, touch-screen interface," said Vela Systems CEO, Tim Curran. "The problem in enterprise construction field management is that 90% of the cost of construction happens in the field in the form of labor and materials, yet only 10% of technology dollars are spent in the field. We think that expanding our solutions to the iPad will further help the adoption of mobile field construction software and tools for our customers. We're thrilled to play a leadership role and be the first to market."
Leading contractors and construction management firms like Barton Malow, Skanska, Suffolk Construction and Turner use the latest enterprise field management technology today. "We have successfully been using Vela Systems software on Tablet PCs and we're looking forward to leveraging the portability of the iPad as a complement to the Tablet PCs we have on the jobsite today," said Shawn Pressley of Hill international.
As new devices like the iPad are introduced, new capabilities for more types of users and more ways to access critical field data and information will keep pushing the industry forward. It'll help minimize the day to day challenges and demands of multi-tasking, construction field superintendents and field engineers who are always on the go, moving to and from job trailer and up and down the job site.
The large multi-touch screen of the iPad will enable contractors and construction managers, owners and project managers, architects and engineers to read and mark-up large format construction contract documents, plans and RCPs, risers and P&IDs (piping and instrumentation diagrams/drawings), shop drawings and submittals, in both portrait and in landscape modes.
Field superintendents are using Tablet PCs and tablet-optimized software today and finding great benefit. In a recently released YouTube video, General Superintendent Allen Turnbaugh of Barton Malow tells other field personnel, "Don't run from it, embrace it. It will make your job easier. The days of carrying two armfuls of drawings and a notebook tucked into the back of your pants are gone. This makes all of that obsolete."
