A photo is worth a thousand words, they say, so a 360 degree photo with a powerful artificial intelligence system behind it must be worth, at least, 1 million words…I assume, the powers that be haven’t really decided on that number yet, Regardless, OpenSpace.ai is turning your thousand word pictures into millions of valuable data points to help better track your project’s progress.
For those previously unfamiliar with OpenSpace, you can check out our previous article about them by clicking or tapping here.
With the beta release of OpenSpace ClearSIght Production Tracking and Object Search, the startup is turning static pictures into searchable and quantifiable data – and the functionality is included in their two paid versions. Since its inception in 2018, OpenSpace has already collected over 50 million images, which has allowed their machine learning software to recognize and analyze photos for increased accuracy.
Progress Tracking
Starting with framing and drywall, Progress Tracking will use artificial intelligence to determine how much each room has changed from one day to the next. Those results are then visualized directly onto a site plan in a heat map-style as well as a line graph timeline view. Quantities and percent complete are tied to your takeoff to determine overall project progress.
courtesy of OpenSpace
Object Search
Object Search allows users to draw a boundary box around an object in a picture and OpenSpace will search through your entire project catalogue of site photos in order to locate other similar objects around the jobsite throughout time. This function is completely visual, so if you’re looking for a lifts on your project, like in the .GIF below, just select it on the screen and all other matches will show up.
The beauty of Object Search is that it will show you all locations on the floor plan that each object has shown up and you can track how many there have been throughout time. While it won’t be as quantifiable and trackable as Progress Tracking, this function can provide some valuable insight for how subcontractors are working and progressing across the job.
Each result picture will have a “thumbs up/down” option in order to refine the results, so if the program spits out something that doesn’t match what you’re looking for, mark it thumbs-down to help get better results in the future.
courtesy of OpenSpace
OpenSpace Investments
Just recently, OpenSpace announced a $15.9M Series B Funding round led by Menlo Ventures, which will be used to further expand OpenSpace’s ClearSight analytics platform (which includes Progress Tracking and Object Search). The company has seen a 500% increase in revenue year over year and a significant increase in usage since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
"At OpenSpace, we believe that the future of real estate and construction will include more remote collaboration and review, saving on time and travel by bringing the jobsites to the experts, instead of the other way around," said Jeevan Kalanithi, OpenSpace's CEO and co-founder, in a press release. "Builders play a critical role in our society, and we frankly too often take them for granted. We're proud to help make their jobs easier, whether that's by automating site documentation or by offering analytics about job progress."
Shane is the creator of Construction Junkie and an active construction project manager. In his career, he has managed interior remodel projects, site development, construction safety, governmental project compliance, and facility maintenance. He has a strong passion for construction technology and safety, as well as sharing the knowledge or insights he has gained throughout his career.