A Meta-Analysis of Augmented Reality Challenges in the Underground Utility Construction Industry

The transformation of the construction industry from 2D drawings to 3D models was a big revolution enhanced by the advent of building information modeling (BIM). The next progression to achieving the full potential of 3D planning models is to apply BIM and associated augmented reality (AR) systems, specifically for the needs of the underground utility industry. An example is the use of BIM and AR to map, detect, and visualize objects that are not visible to construction personnel. This paper identifies and discusses the various challenges of applying AR in the underground utility construction industry through a review of over 500 publications from 2006 to present and a Meta-analysis of the data. The challenges and barriers are categorized into: (1) data collection issues; (2) modeling alignment barriers; (3) hardware limitations; and (4) data storing and managing challenges. The main associated issues are discussed and further recommendations to overcome these challenges are presented. This paper provides a contribution by showing underground project stakeholders the barriers to overcome in applying AR. The main motivation of this research is to make the construction industry aware of the benefits of leveraging AR to prevent utility strikes, while enhancing productivity.