Komatsu Partners with Cesium on 'Smart Construction' Initiative

Komatsu has officially announced an incoming suite of the company’s ‘Smart Construction’ solutions. This will include the 3D visualization power and geospatial accuracy of Cesium, a platform to visualize, analyse and share 3D data. The announcement was made at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, North America's largest construction trade show.

“Together, Komatsu and Cesium are bringing a new era of innovation to the construction industry,” said Rod Schrader, chairman and CEO of Komatsu’s North American operations. “As experts in 3D data visualization, computer graphics, and open source software, Cesium’s technology will help power our Smart Construction Dashboard.”

Digital twins of construction sites

As the key strategic partner for 3D data visualization, Cesium built the company’s Smart Construction dashboard. The dashboard enables users to monitor a construction site from anywhere in the world, see how it changes over time, and compare architectural plans with real-world data. It is compatible with different types of data – collected from sensors on individual construction machines, drone surveys, or computer-generated files like BIM/CAD models – allowing users to visualize them all in a single scene within a web browser, as well as calculate precise measurements for cut and fill, slope, contours and more.

As Komatsu noted, the worldwide construction industry is on the cusp of rapid change and innovation-driven by technology. Collecting data from people and machines – and connecting all of it across an open platform – optimizes processes and delivers insights that will enable customers to make data-driven decisions.

Komatsu chose to partner with Cesium because of its powerful 3D visualization engine and accuracy in tying data to precise locations on the globe. Cesium’s ability to keep millimeter-level accuracy while tracking satellites in complex orbits was important to attain the level of precision Komatsu’s Smart Construction initiative demands.

“We believe in Komatsu’s vision to create construction sites that are safer and more efficient through Smart Construction.” said Cesium CEO Patrick Cozzi. “We are proud that visualization and analytics with the hallmark precision of Cesium will provide technology for the industry’s digital transformation.”